On Saturday, February 17, Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC host Crowborough RFC 3rd XV for the second match with them in the Harvey’s of Sussex 4 East ‘Bonfire Boy’ League.
Kick off is at 2:30pm and you can join the lads beforehand and afterward in the club house of Hove RFC on Old Shoreham Road, where there’s a fully licensed bar and a cafe serving lots of delicious hot food.
Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents are Sussex’s first fully gay and inclusive rugby club, encouraging gay, bisexual,and trans guys to learn, experience and play rugby in a non judgemental atmosphere.
Crowborough RFC 3rd XV are presently 5th in the league table, and Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC XV are 9th.
The Sea Serpent are members of the Sussex RFU, the RFU and IGR – the body that encourages inclusive rugby across the world and their kit is sponsored by Camelford Arms.
Humanists UK, the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people, reveal fundamentalist and fringe religious groups attempts to undermine the Government’s plans for relationships and sex education (RSE) in English schools by opposing teaching about same-sex relationships.
The Department for Education’s (DfE) consultation on Relationships Education (RelEd) in primaries and RSE in secondaries closed on Monday. While the consultation invited views on what content should be included in the two subjects, some religious groups – including Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organisations – have used it to encourage supporters to respond by attacking the Government for its insistence that both RelEd and RSE be inclusive of same-sex relationships and LGBT+ people.
Exposing the deeply homophobic, sexist, and pseudoscientific claims made by various religious organisations in their guidance for responding to the consultation, Humanists UK has urged the Government to be resilient to intolerance and defend the ‘equality and dignity of all people’.
Jay Harman
Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman, says:“It is time for the Government to make a decision. Will it continue to allow state-funded schools to teach that homosexuality is a sin and to condemn, stigmatise, or just entirely ignore the existence of LGBT+ people? Or will it move to end the state’s endorsement of such teaching and prohibit it as an anachronistic, discriminatory, and unconscionable affront to the equality and dignity of all people?
“It was not long ago that similar decisions had to be made by governments both in the UK and the United States in the face of segregationists and opponents of interracial marriage. History has taken a dim view of those who sought to hold back the tide of racial equality then, and it will no doubt take a dim view of those who oppose LGBT+ equality now.”
These groups and their briefing documents on how to respond to the consultation include:
Coalition for Marriage (C4M) C4M is a predominantly Christian campaign group launched in 2012 to oppose same-sex marriage. It describes itself as ‘an umbrella group of individuals and organisations in the UK that support traditional marriage between a man and woman, to the exclusion of all others’. In its guidance on responding to the DfE’s consultation – guidance that has reportedly been promoted by some Catholic state schools to their parents.
C4M state that: ‘The Coalition for Marriage believes that there is no “age-appropriate” way to teach primary school children about same-sex marriage or transgenderism. We should be teaching young children broad values of respect and tolerance, not ordering them to accept adult sexual relationships which they are far too young to understand. Nor should schools be encouraging young children to question their biological gender.’
RSE guidance should acknowledge ‘Marriage between a man and a woman as the gold-standard of adult relationship[s]’, and ‘that a person’s gender is determined by biology’.
National Association of Jewish Orthodox Schools (NAJOS)
NAJOS ‘acts as an umbrella organisation’ for modern Orthodox and strictly Orthodox Jewish schools in the UK, and consults and advises them on a wide range of issues. In an almost identical statement to that provided by C4M, NAJOS states that the consultation represents an ‘opportunity to define what our cultural sensitivities and no-go areas are’: ‘Our Daas Torah guides that there is no “age-appropriate” way to teach primary or secondary school children about same-s[ex] marriage or transgenderism. We should be teaching young children broad values of respect and tolerance, not ordering them to accept adult s[exual] relationships which they are far too young to understand. Nor should schools be encouraging young children to question their biological gender.’
SREIslamic SREIslamic ‘provides advice, support, and training to parents’ and was founded by a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has been widely described as an extremist group. Since 2008 it has delivered hundreds of seminars across the country on how RSE is taught in schools and what legal rights Muslim parents have with regard to RSE.
Its guidance on responding to the consultation includes: ‘Why marriage between a man and a woman is the cornerstone of any successful society’ ‘Why contraception does not safeguard people from STIs or stop pregnancy’ ‘You can also take this opportunity to talk about topics you feel would be inappropriate to teach at primary school as they are not age-appropriate. Such as sexual relationships, reproduction, LGBT relationships, pornography etc’
SREIslamic also warns that ‘Under the guise of “equality”, the government undermines marriage through laws to normalise homosexual relationships.’
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) SPUC is an anti-choice campaign group which also provides school speakers and school resources on RSE. In a briefing to its supporters giving guidance on how to respond to the DfE’s consultation, SPUC states that:
‘Priority subject areas’ for RSE should include: ‘
The importance and value of marriage between a man and a woman and the natural family’, and ‘The courtesies and respect due to each of the sexes (for example, men taking on harder physical tasks etc.)’ ‘Very young children will be told that two men or two women in a relationship or marriage is as valid and natural as a man and a woman’
In PSHE, ‘seemingly sensible subjects like citizenship or combatting bullying have been hijacked to promote homosexuality and transgenderism. This is particularly the case because of the obligation on schools to promote so-called Fundamental British Values, which include a distorted notion of ‘tolerance’ with regard to homosexual behaviour.’
Christian Concern
Christian Concern is an evangelical campaigning organisation that aims ‘to see the United Kingdom return to the Christian faith’. In its guidance for responding to the consultation, it argues that any official guidance on RSE must mention: ‘The mental and physical risks of sexual promiscuity and homosexual practices’ ‘An understanding that we are created male and female and that gender identity is not distinct from biological sex’ ‘Faith schools should be allowed to teach God’s design for humanity – that we are created male and female, and that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman’ ‘Schools are currently required to deliver a Personal, Social and Health Education (PHSE) programme, although how that is done is entirely in the remit of each individual school. They also have to satisfy Ofsted that they are delivering spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, although again, it is up to each school to determine how this happens. Schools are also required to comply with the Equality Act 2010. All of these requirements are being conflated in order to justify the active promotion of an LGBT agenda.’
Family Education Trust
The Family Education Trust is a group which ‘researches the causes and consequences of family breakdown’. Whilst it does not have an overtly religious character, its outlook and ethos is Christian and it has links to a number of evangelical Christian organisations. It’s briefing on responding to the consultation notes: ‘How history demonstrates the importance of marriage, defined as the lifelong union of one man and one woman’ ‘The limited effectiveness of barrier contraception as a means of providing protection against the transmission of STIs and the reality that outside of a committed, mutually faithful, lifelong relationship with an uninfected partner, there is no such thing as “safe sex”’ ‘Schools should not be required to teach that gender is fluid or that same-sex marriage is morally equivalent to marriage between a man and a woman. Similarly, schools should be free to teach in line with the tenets on their faith on matters such as sexual abstinence before marriage, contraception and abortion.’
Humanists UK has previously urged the Department for Education to resist pressure from such groups, which fail to represent the views of the overwhelming majority of parents.
Gscene have a couple of pairs of tickets to give away for the Sing-a-long-a Rocky Horror Picture Show hosted by Christopher Howard in the Phil Starr Pavilion on Friday, February 16.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the campest cult classic of all time and now you can enjoy it like never before.
With Sing-a-long-a Rocky Horror, you get on-screen lyrics and all the favourite sing-a-long-a features. It’s never been so much fun. Your live host West End Star Christopher Howard will lead you through a choral warm-up, judge the fancy dress competition and award prizes, but it is YOU, the audience, who are the stars as you howl the night away!
It’s packed full of terrific numbers including The Timewarp, Sweet Transvestite, There’s a Light, I’m Going Home, Whatever Happened To Saturday Night? and Science Fiction Double Feature.
To win a pair of tickets email: info@gscene.com the answer to the following question by Thursday, February 15 at noon.
Who played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 movie of the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Event:Sing-a-long-a Rocky Horror Picture Show at the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival
Where: Phil Starr Pavilion, New Steine Gardens, Brighton
As part of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival, the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (B&H LGBT CSF) present an LGBT Restorative Circle workshop in partnership with the Brighton & Hove City Council Workers Forum.
Part of Brighton’s LGBT History Month events, the workshop will take place in the Phil Starr Pavilion and be facilitated by the Brighton & Hove’s Partnership Community Safety Team with support from the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum.
Brighton & Hove aims to be a ‘Restorative City’ and is committed to meeting the needs of those harmed by crime and conflict, by ensuring safe, secure and effective restorative practices are embedded throughout the city.
Brighton & Hove’s Partnership Community Safety Team work to reduce barriers that our diverse communities may experience in reporting harassment or hate crime.
The Restorative Justice Council defines restorative practices as a range of various methods of bringing those harmed by crime or conflict and those responsible for harm, into communication, enabling everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.
Organisers will be offering a ‘restorative circle’ workshop for LGBT+ people to share their personal experiences of the internal and external barriers that they may have to reporting harassment or crime. The intention is to offer a fair and equal space for people to speak as openly as they wish about these barriers with the intention of raising awareness for the organisers to address these barriers where possible.
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.
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: LGBTQ Restorative Circle
Where: Phil Starr Pavilion, Victoria Gardens, Brighton
This week sees the launch of the Rainbow Café, a new project of Switchboard.
Daniel Cheesman
Rainbow Café will support LGBTQ people living with memory loss and dementia, their friends, families and loved ones. This, much-needed, community service is made possible thanks to Brighton Pride and the funding received via the Rainbow Fund.
We are grateful that Brighton Pride, via the Rainbow Fund is able to redistribute money raised at Pride back into the local LGBTQ sector and fund many vital and unique community projects in the City.
This funding would not exist otherwise and with it we are able to support those more vulnerable within our communities.
We should all be under no illusion that without this support many LGBTQ and HIV+ projects and services that exist would be at real risk of closing and we cannot let this happen.
Switchboard thanks Pride for supporting all the local LGBTQ and HIV+ charities in the City and the Switchboard team will be marching with Pride this summer.
Public meetings have been announced for Saturday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 14 to begin work on opening London’s first community-run LGBT+ pub.
Friends of Joiners Arms
The Friends of the Joiners Arms, who fought for 3 years to protect the legacy of the legendary Hackney Road LGBT+ pub, are holding public meetings to include everyone who wants to play a part in deciding how to create a radical, community-run venue on the site of the Joiners Arms.
This follows the trail-blazing decision by Tower Hamlets council to insist that a new development on this site must include an LGBT+ pub, with opening hours mirroring those of the original pub, a 25 year lease, and financial assistance for any operator.
Jon Ward from Friends of the Joiners Arms’ (FOTJA), said: “FOTJA is a testament to the power we have as queers unified against a common enemy: in a fight reminiscent of David vs. Goliath, the developers expected that they would be able to demolish the Joiners Arms and redevelop the site with one solitary goal – profit. That these plans did not succeed and that Tower Hamlets supported our protests in such groundbreaking fashion demonstrates our collective strength in fighting gentrification.
“Now is the time to build on this success and rethink what we want out of queer spaces: with particular attention paid to elevating those voices and needs which are usually marginalised, even within our own LGBT+ communities.”
FOTJA’s Amy Roberts added: “As excited as we were to have won planning protections for a like-for-like replacement of a late-license LGBT+ bar in the Hackney Road development, this victory only marked a successful end of ‘phase I’ – not the end of our journey.
“The doors of our beloved Joiners remain as closed as they first were in January 2015, and we are still without a vital queer space. Now we enter ‘phase II’: creating a radical organisation and working towards opening the doors of London’s first community-run LGBT+ bar. That first pint is going to be a good one.”
FOTJA’s Dan Glass, said: “There are already existing, successful models of community-run pubs such as the Antwerp Arms in Tottenham, or the Bevy in Brighton, and we want to use this model for the queer community, to fight back against the crisis of closures in London. We are hugely grateful to the support of the Plunkett Foundation as part of their ‘More Than A Pub’ programme which will give us the framework and assistance to create something radical, exciting and hugely necessary.”
The Friends of the Joiners Arms is a campaign group seeking to create London’s first community-run LGBT+ pub, building on the legacy of the legendary, radical pub on Hackney Road. In Oct 2017, the group secured protections from Tower Hamlets council covering the future redevelopment of the site.
The group intends to use the popular model of the community benefit society to open a new Joiners Arms as London’s only cooperatively owned and managed LGBT+ late-licence pub, whilst developing the community functions of the pub. This will be a space that provides vital facilities and support to all LGBT+ individuals and allies who wish to stand up for minority communities, support one another, and proactively engage in building a future free of hate and insecurity.
To acquire tickets online for one of the meetings. click here:
We’ve survived January and are still coping with all the rubbish this crazy world seems determined to chuck at us. So it must be time for a bit of healing, particularly when Cupid’s set to twang that arrow.
Yes – it’s the month of St Valentine, so who could be better to hear from than the legendary award-winning DJ Claire Fuller.
How are you and are you in the mood for love this Valentine’s? “Hi, I’m good thanks – things are all moving in the right direction and I’m the happiest I’ve been for years! For Valentine’s I have a gorgeous lady in my life so I intend to make it very special. Plus, we are off to Thailand and Australia in a few weeks so it’s going to be an amazing month!”
Where can we see you playing this month and are you involved in any particular Valentine’s events? “On Wednesdays I’m at Ice at Legends playing chart/house/r&b. We recently started a new night at Legends playing 70s/80s/90s every Thursday called NOW! That’s What I Call Legends and it’s been a massive success so far! Fridays I DJ in Uckfield at The Broadway club and Saturdays you can usually find me in Southampton at either the London Hotel or The Edge. On Sundays it’s back to Legends DJing at Pop!Candy playing all things pop, cheese and a bit of Disney!”
Tune you’ll definitely be playing this Valentine’s and fave ‘love’ tune of all time?“I’m not sure love tunes will go down well at Legends on Valentine’s Day, haha, but if I had to choose one I would probably play Christina Perry’s Thousand Years.”
Your dream gig and best gig during this month d’amour?“I think I ticked my dream gig box last year at Brighton Pride, having a massive tent full of people partying with me for hours on the Friday night in the Old Steine. Now I just dream of DJing abroad – that’d make me a very happy DJ!”
Tune you wish you’d never played? “Yeah anything grime, the clubs I work in just don’t like it and it totally kills my dancefloor!”
Guilty pleasure?“DISNEY naturally!!”
Describe yourself in three words… “Honest, Friendly, Loyal.”
Claire Fuller’s current top five:
♦ Raye – Decline (Wideboys remix) – Universal Music Operations Ltd
♦ Charli XCX – Dirty, Sexy, Money (J Stone remix) – Parlophone /Warner
♦ Armand Van Helden – I Need A Painkiller – All Around The World Ltd
♦ One Bit & Noah Cyrus – My Way (Joe Reece Mylo remix) – MOS
♦ James Hype ft Kelli-Leigh – More Than Friends – Warner Music UK
RC+ (Rainbow Chorus Plus) is a community initiative from the Rainbow Chorus, Brighton’s long-standing LGBT choir.
Rainbow Chorus perform at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, August 5, 2016
The ‘plus’ is there to highlight the fact that the group is an extension of the main choir and is open to the entire LGBT+ communities, embracing cis, trans and non-binary members with a cross-section of vocal ranges and abilities. The aim is that everyone will find the space safe enough to explore the range and depth of their voice.
The initiative is now in its third year largely thanks to generous support from the Rainbow Fund. After receiving feedback from members, a couple of important changes have been introduced.
As a trans person whose voice is changing RC+ offers a
fantastic safe space to explore my “new” voice….Attendee
Firstly, while the sessions continue to explore breathing and vocal techniques, the focus is now squarely on singing for fun. Also, the group, which meets roughly once a month in Kemptown, is trialling a couple of Friday sessions after it was pointed out that not everyone is free at the weekend. It is hoped this will encourage new members.
To help members plan their time, the following dates have been confirmed for RC+ sessions through to July:
Saturday, February 24: Dorset Gardens Methodist Church (DGMC) from 2-4pm
Saturday March 17: DGMC from 2-4pm
Friday, April 20: St. George’s Church, Kemptown from 7.30 – 9.30pm
Saturday April 28: St. George’s Church, Kemptown from 2-4pm
Saturday, May 19: DGMC from 2-4pm
Saturday, June 9: St George’s Church from 2-4pm
Friday, June 29: DGMC from 7.30 – 9.30pm
Saturday, July 7: DGMC from 2-4pm
Thanks to the continued support of the Rainbow Fund, RC+ is available to members at a reduced monthly subscription of only £10. The first session is offered free of charge – nobody will ever be turned away on the grounds of being unable to pay.
If you want to know more, email the organisers at membership@rainbowchorus.org.uk and they will answer any questions you may have.
“I’m FTM and after being on ‘T’ for a few months my voice has dropped deeper and at RC+ I can try out singing Bass parts in a safe supported environment…..Taylor
The Rainbow Chorus, now in its 21st year, prides itself on providing a safe place for anyone within the LGBT communities to go along and sing with like-minded people. It strives to be as inclusive as possible.
The choir includes many people with disabilities amongst its members, some with HIV, and spans a wide age range, including older people who can often feel isolated and excluded from the Brighton scene. Singing with people who understand the pressures and joys of being part of the LGBT communities can be a lifeline for many. But, because of the big commitment and the fact the choir sings at many public events, it was felt there was a need for an even more inclusive forum for people to sing in. And so RC+ was born.
Lovely experience coming together as a community. I leave
feeling a greater sense of belonging – it is good for my soul.
Really helpful and interesting teaching…..Attendee
RC+ offers more than the fun of singing. It has many other benefits, not least that it’s actually good for us all! The Alzheimer’s Society and Heart Research UK are among those acknowledging the numerous health benefits of singing.
In particular, singing is a physical workout for the heart and lungs; it improves posture and sleep and leads to a decrease in stress hormones. Singing releases endorphins into the bloodstream, leading to a sense of pleasure and well-being. For vulnerable members of our local communities, this kind of initiative is invaluable.
Great day. Very affirming for an LGBT person. Good tuition that involved all levels of music experience. Soul soothing and inspiring fun!….Attendee
There are social and psychological advantages too. A choir is a great place to meet new friends and nurtures a sense of belonging to a community. Loneliness is a big problem of our times and those of us with busy lives or who are able to work may take the value of being sociable for granted.
Rainbow Chorus have been awarded a Mind Out Mental Health Award for its contribution to improving the mental wellbeing of LGBT+ communities.
RC+ is a really uplifting experience. It’s a safe space to meet other people. It helps me feel more confident and part of my community, which is really important as I have been feeling so isolated. It is truly great to do something so positive and be part of a great sound. Thanks
I was feeling grumpy & overwhelmed with grief. After taking time out with RC Plus, I feel so much better. There is a strong sense of community in using our voices together.
For more information about Rainbow Chorus, click here:
56 Dean Street, Europe’s largest sexual health clinic introduces new private prescription service for the HIV prevention drug PrEP.
Having filled its allocated number of places in the current NHS trial of the same drug this new service launches on Monday, February 12.
The medical effectiveness of PrEP for preventing HIV transmission is certain, however NHS England’s PrEP IMPACT trial was designed to answer questions about the need for the drug, and how to reach the most at-risk populations.
With trial places capped, and interest very high, 56 Dean Street (part of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust) will add an Additional Private Care process offering PrEP for £55 a month (30 tablets) to those who have missed out on a place on the IMPACT trial.
This will be the first time the NHS will prescribe generic PrEP (rather than the significantly more costly branded version, Truvada) outside of the IMPACT trial.
Despite a private prescription, those who opt into the new process will access the NHS services that are part of the trial at no extra cost, including advice and regular testing. The service will benefit those who can afford to buy PrEP but are not confident in obtaining the drug online.
Deborah Gold
Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said:“We applaud Dean Street for this decision to do all it can to increase access to PrEP. However the fact that an NHS clinic has needed to create this additional option exposes the inadequacies of the current trial which is evidently not meeting need. Places in the trial are filling far too quickly, especially in cities. “NHS Trusts should not have to taking these steps to do right by their patients. We call on NHS England, as a matter of urgency, to expand the limits on trial participants so that the need for the drug can be fully monitored (as per the trial’s aims) and, more importantly, so that people can prevent themselves from getting HIV. Further, NHS England must now start working towards routine commissioning of PrEP”
Barnardo’s celebrate success of their anti-homophobic bullying programme in LGBT History Month.
Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, has supported more than 3,500 people through anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying programmes in schools across Yorkshire & Humberside in just nine months.
The figures for Barnardo’s Positive Identities service, which is funded by the Government Equalities Office and supported by the Department for Education, include 177 sessions delivered in 60 schools. By March next year, it will have worked with more than 200 schools.
The sessions provide school staff with the knowledge, confidence and resources to proactively challenge prejudice and discrimination, to support LGBT+ pupils, staff and families and to ensure their school environment and curriculum is inclusive of a diverse range of identities.
All schools receive training to raise awareness and knowledge among staff around LGBT+ identities and how these can be incorporated into a school environment to promote inclusivity and reduce bullying.
Evaluation forms completed after sessions have shown that participants are much better able to identify and respond to issues of discrimination and support pupils around gender and sexual identity.
As well as the training courses, Barnardo’s offers policy reviews and guidance on how discriminatory bullying should be recorded and responded to.
In addition, Barnardo’s Positive Identities service offers bespoke training to a variety of organisations, including healthcare providers, police services, community and youth groups and education providers on a commissioned basis.
Javed Khan
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan, said:“Bullying at school is bad enough, but when young people are singled out because of their sexuality or identity it can be particularly painful and damaging.
“Barnardo’s champions equality, diversity and inclusion and not only helps young people to be themselves, but also raises awareness about LGBT+ issues so they can also be supported by their peers.
“Equality and inclusion are at the heart of everything the charity does – from the way we support children and young people to who works or volunteers for us. Building a diverse Barnardo’s is a core part of our ten-year corporate strategy.”
The figures have been released during LGBT History Month which seeks to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public which is being supported by Barnardo’s.
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