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LETTER TO EDITOR: Silver Service from the LGBT Community Safety Forum

Switchboard would like to thank volunteers from the LGBT Community Safety Forum for their silver service at our Cream Tea on Monday, February 19.

Daniel Cheesman
Daniel Cheesman

Volunteers from the LGBT Community Safety Forum lovingly prepared and served guests attending the Switchboard Cream Tea cucumber sandwiches, scones with cream and jam.  The tea went down well with the 45 guests attending and there was a genuine buzz in the venue as people chatted and laughed over their cream teas.

The event, part of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival, celebrating LGBT history month is a great example of partnership working in the City and we are so grateful to Billie and the team for making us feel so at home and for the hard work they put into making sure that we and our guests were so well looked after.

Thank you LGBT Community Safety Forum for hosting us so well and good luck with the rest of the event!

Daniel Cheesman, CEO, Switchboard

Have your say on our rights of way!

Brighton & Hove’s footpaths and rights of way provide important links to the city’s countryside, parks and open spaces and are enjoyed by hundreds of people each day.

Countryside access affects a wide range of people including local residents and visitors to the area. Walking and riding contributes to peoples’ well-being and helps reduce congestion and pollution.

The city council is responsible for maintaining around 159km of public rights of way all over the city, and has recently published a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) setting out its 10 year plan.

Now local people are being invited to have their say.

The Rights of Way public consultation asks those with an interest in the countryside what they think of the council’s proposals to manage footpaths and rights of way in the city.

The plan sets out how the council is planning to improve provision for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and those with mobility issues.

Proposals also include plans to create more opportunities for volunteering and explore new funding sources.

To see a copy of the Brighton & Hove Rights of Way Improvement Plan 2017 – 2027 and take part in the consultation, click here:

The consultation closes on 18th May.

Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity launches new LonDONORS campaign

Students encourage Londoners to become LonDONORS in campaign to save the lives of people with blood cancer.

Olivier Namet
Olivier Namet

Over a hundred student volunteers in universities across London are attempting to recruit hundreds of Londoners to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register this week as part of a charity campaign to recruit more young people to become potential lifesavers.

The week-long campaign, ‘Londonors’, is being spearheaded by ‘Marrow’, the name given to blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan’s student volunteer network, which operates in eight universities across the capital.

Marrow groups have been recruiting potential lifesavers to the Anthony Nolan register since 1998, and have recruited over 100,000 people since then. Marrow recruits account for over a quarter of all donors who donate their stem cells, meaning the student volunteers are a vital part of the work of Anthony Nolan.

The campaign seeks to highlight and celebrate the diversity of London, with a particular focus on recruiting people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

People from BAME backgrounds are currently underrepresented on the stem cell register, meaning that it’s more difficult for patients from these backgrounds to find a donor with a matching tissue type.

Currently, only 60% of transplant recipients receive the best match, and this drops dramatically to around 20.5% (one in five of transplant recipients) if you’re from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background.

Olivier Namet, 33, joined the register when approached by a Marrow volunteer at Kings College London.

He said: “I was walking past my university campus, some people outside were recruiting. They stopped me but I said, “I’m gay, I can’t donate blood so I can’t do this”. The volunteers told me it didn’t matter at all, if you are a match everyone goes through the same testing. It surprised me so I said yes. It was great to treated as an equal person.”

Namet, a freelance video editor, added: “I was happy to be able to sign up, it always frustrated me that I couldn’t donate blood. I was just like, ‘Oh wow, these people will let me help if I can’ I was pleased and felt elevated.”

He continued: “I’m not sure why so few young men are signing up to the register. Maybe for me it was different, as I’m part of a smaller community and I thought joining would make a difference. When I was asked to join I felt really flattered because I’m not able to give blood. It felt nice that I could help other people without being stigmatised. Maybe other men don’t have that same feeling of being part of something that is normally not afforded to people like me. Normally I feel unappreciated and disqualified – Anthony Nolan is being reasonable in this regard.

“I would tell anyone thinking of singing up to the register that it’s definitely worth doing. Anthony Nolan doesn’t discriminate. It’s a life changing experience and so fascinating. I don’t think I can ever really fully understand that I’ve saved someone’s life. To have the ability to save someone’s life without really doing anything is amazing. It takes such a little effort to save someone’s life.

“I definitely think there is a feeling that gay and bisexual men cannot donate their stem cells because we cannot donate blood. Joining almost felt like an act of spite – I’m helping now even if you didn’t want me to before!

“I think encouraging more gay and bisexual men to join the register is all about exposure. It needs to be pitched in the right way – maybe, sticking it to the blood ban? It’s about working in conjunction with other charities/gay bars. It’s about getting the message out there – ‘we do not discriminate on the ground of sexuality’.’

“I received a card from my recipient about two or three months after I donated. He’s an adult male, living in America. I guess it doesn’t really matter who he is, or if we meet – even if we met, we might not even get along. It’s just that this crazy thing has happened. I guess it would be interesting to meet them if anything.”

Charlotte Cunliffe, Marrow Programme Lead at Anthony Nolan, concluded: “It is so important to address inequality on the stem cell register so that we are able to find a match for every person in need of a transplant. London is one of the most vibrant and diverse cities in the world, and provides the perfect opportunity to register a large number of potential donors, from a mix of backgrounds, heritages and communities.

“Next week, we hope to see hundreds of people sign up to become ‘Londonors’, ready to give a second chance to someone in desperate need.”

Anyone aged 16-30 and in relatively good health can join the Anthony Nolan register.

For more information about Anthony Nolan and the Londonors campaign, click here:

Tonight at B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival: Celebrating Sisterhood

This event is funded, supported and developed by the Brighton & Hove Council LGBT Workers Forum in working partnership with the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum.

You are invited to join in, look at, discuss and explore practical and sustainable ways of making positive change in our city.

Join the panel of inspirational women as they debate their authentic understanding of sharing strength, compassion and discussing ways of collectively repairing the harm caused by an unequal society by listening to women’s voices and lived experiences.

The panel will consist of very different women who will take questions from the floor and discuss intersectional experiences of prejudice and how the strength of collective effort can build tangible resilience across our superdiverse communities.

The discussion will be chaired by Cllr. Emma Daniel, Lead Member for Brighton & Hove City Council’s Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities & Equality committee and will consist of Chris Brown, Monika-Akila Richards, Vannessa Crawford, Alice Denny, Ododo Dafé.

The B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival celebrates LGBT History Month, is organised by the volunteers of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum and takes place at the Phil Starr Pavilion – a multi functional, fully accessible, heated performance, conference and community space with a licensed bar which is located on Victoria Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1WN.


Event: Celebrating Sisterhood

Where: Phil Starr Pavilion, Victoria Gardens, Brighton

When: Tuesday, February 20

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: Free entry

To reserve a place online, click here:

Diva and Gay Times synchronise ‘Gender Capitalist’ covers for March issues

Rain Dove, who does not identify as male or female, makes history appearing simultaneously on cover of Gay Time and Diva magazines.

In a publishing first, two of the UK’s leading magazines for LGBT+ people are synchronising the launch of their March 2018 issues, both of which feature activist, model and “gender capitalist” Rain Dove.

Rain Dove, who avoids labels entirely with their motto “I am I”, has appeared in numerous spreads for magazines including Vogue, Elle and Cosmopolitan, as well as ad campaigns for brands such as Calvin Klein.

Famous for modeling both womenswear and menswear, Rain is part of a movement challenging traditional ideas of binary gender.

A former firefighter, Rain dismisses gender, believing it to be a social construct, and when asked which pronouns they prefer says: “use what you want”.

While others who do not experience themselves as male or female may identify as non-binary, gender-fluid, genderqueer or a gender, Rain rejects these labels entirely, instead referring to themselves as a “gender capitalist” – a person who “recognises society’s perception of gender and capitalises on it”.

This is the first time these two LGBT+ publications have featured the same cover star simultaneously creating a powerful statement of support for gender non-conforming people who are often invisible not only in mainstream society but in LGBT+ life as well.

Carrie Lyell, editor of DIVA, said: “Rain is an incredible person and we are absolutely thrilled to have them on our cover this month. In our exclusive interview, they talk about the importance of pronouns, the impact working in the fashion industry has had on their self-esteem, and the ways in which they are capitalising on society’s perception of gender.

“I am immensely proud of this cover, and indeed the whole issue, which I believe is a game changer. I hope DIVA readers old and new enjoy it.”

William J Connolly, commissioning editor of Gay Times, added: “After a recent rebrand, Gay Times is proud to emerge as a true champion of diversity. Our audience is yearning for the amplification of voices from the far reaches of the LGBTQ spectrum, and our collaborative cover with DIVA represents the genesis of a new era for queer media.”

Linda Riley, publisher of DIVA, said: “I am delighted that DIVA and Gay Times are standing together and acknowledging that those whose gender identity does not fit with the binary are as valid and valued as anyone else in the LGBTQ community.

“The LGBT+ community is a wonderful kaleidoscope of humanity, and featuring Rain on our cover sends a hugely positive message to everyone who might feel they don’t belong. Both DIVA and our friends at Gay Times are proud to celebrate diversity.”

Gay Times publisher James Frost, added: “Rain is the embodiment of this new movement for queer people, and we’re proud to share them with DIVA and indeed, the world.”

Volunteers collect 90 bags of rubbish

Volunteer litter pickers were in action again last weekend collecting  90 bags of rubbish from woodland adjacent to Moulsecoomb Way.

The event  was organised by dog walkers Lee Juney and Amanda Wright, supported by  Brighton & Hove City Council ranger Garry Meyer, from the Tidy Up Team, who provided equipment.

A team of  15 volunteers spent two hours clearing piles of litter that had built up in the woods.

Rubbish found included car wheels, a car seat, car bonnet, and enough carpet to furnish a small flat!

Volunteers working with the council’s Tidy Up Team have collected nearly 200 bags of litter from across the city this month.

Future events include Great British Springclean litter picks taking place in green spaces across the city on March 3-4.

These include:

March 3 – Stoneham Park – Great British Spring Clean, from 10am

March 3 – Three Cornered Copse – Great British Spring Clean litter pick from 10am

March 4 – Brighton & Hove Way Big Tidy Up – Stanmer Woods/Upper Lodges, 10am to noon

March 4 – Preston Park –Tidy Up Team launch event, from 11am

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