Call us now

Month: June 2019

Bike Weeks returns to Brighton and Hove

Posted on by Besi

Kick-start a summer of cycling by taking part in Bike Week from June 8 to 16.

THE week-long celebration of cycling will be delivered by Cycling UK and Love to Ride. Anyone who logs a bike ride during the week will be in with a chance of winning some great prizes.

To celebrate the many benefits of the bicycle, Love to Ride and Cycling UK are inviting people to share their cycling experiences with the #7DaysofCycling hashtag.

It’s completely free to take part and everyone is invited to join in, it doesn’t matter if you ride every day or if you haven’t been on a bike in years.

People who ride a bike to work are shown to be happier, healthier, wealthier and more productive. Getting more staff cycling to work can benefit employers too by reducing illness and sick leave; with cycle commuters taking half the sick leave of their non-cycling colleagues. Those who ride to work regularly also report improved mental health.

Getting more people in the city cycling also helps the local environment by reducing congestion and improving air quality. Congestion and pollution contribute to 40,000 premature deaths annually in the UK and road transport is the main source of emissions in Brighton & Hove.

Many of the city’s employers, including Brighton & Hove City Council, offer a Cycle to Work Scheme which enables employees to borrow up to £3,000, tax and National Insurance free, to buy a bike.

The council has partnered with the Green Commute Initiative (GCI), a social enterprise which offers a flexible bike scheme to staff. Through the scheme, council staff can buy a conventional or electric bike, there is no upper limit on the cost of the bike and a longer period is offered for loan repayments. With GCI, the bike is offered as a tax-free benefit-in-kind by the employer, so that employees don’t have to pay tax on the price of their bike.

For those who don’t want to commit to buying a bike, the BTN BikeShare scheme, which began in September 2017, has over 500 bikes available for hire from hubs across the city. The pay as you go bike rental costs start at 3p per minute, allowing residents and visitors to travel around the city cheaply and sustainably. Since its launch, the scheme has had more than 69,000 users who have made over 560,000 journeys, covering more than one million miles.

Cllr Anne Pissaridou
Cllr Anne Pissaridou

Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Anne Pissaridou, said: “The benefits of cycling, which include boosting physical and mental health, are well documented and it is increasingly becoming a more popular way of getting from A to B. It also supports the local environment by reducing congestion and air pollution.

“Over the next year, we will be investing further in the city’s cycling infrastructure and developing the city’s cycle network. Our Local Transport Plan outlines plans to provide better surfaces, joined up and marked routes and improvements to the safety and quality of junction crossings for cyclists.

“I hope many residents are inspired to get back on their bike this week and cycle for fun, health and to commute.”

To sign up for Bike Week, click here:

FILM REVIEW: Sauvage

Posted on by Brian Butler

Inspired by Les garçons du bois de Bologne et de la rue  – in other words the male escorts of the streets and parks of Paris, this French-language film pulls no punches in revealing the sordid, depressing and unhappy lives of a group of young men who sell their bodies to get food, drugs and alcohol.

THE unnamed main character, played delicately and touchingly by Felix Maritaud, literally lives much of his life in the gutters of city streets or under the shade of trees in the park.

When we first meet him he is at the doctor’s surgery being examined, but it’s quickly clear that the ‘doctor’ is just a dirty old male punter who wants physical examination fantasy sex, which he duly gets .

Felix’s character seems to move from one disastrous encounter to the next with a kind of drug-dazed euphoria. Many scenes have him loitering for hours, gazing at the sunny sky, smoking joints, crack or crystal meth and often being  robbed, cheated of his fee or beaten up.

His on-off relationship with an ex turns sour and violent, and it looks as if life is lost for the dirty, illness- prone 22 year old.

Yet he seems to have a smiling resilience and resistance to what life has in store.

When he meets a real doctor because of his incessant coughing and chest pains, it turns out he has TB and protein and vitamin deficiencies.

Yet on he ploughs, getting involved with date rape, robbery and more violence.

Just when you start to despair of him and the depressing writing and direction of Camille Vidal-Naquet, he finally seems to find the man who will straighten him out and take him as a life partner.

We see a transformation to smart, clean and well-nourished man who is free of drugs. The two agree to go to Canada to start a new life, but the ominous music belies the reality: he does a runner at the airport and returns to his hunting grounds.

The final scene, which shows him lying in the woods, and closing his eyes is equivocal. Is this just a retreat into the sleep of oblivion and escape, or the final curtain on his short awful life ?

The cinematography of the piece is beautiful, filmed as it was in Strasbourg, and the film may on one level be as the director says a tribute to the street boys, or perhaps more likely a morality tale about modern rootless city life.

Sauvage is a Pecadillo Pictures film which is now available on dvd.

Review by Brian Butler

Stop Ken being deported! – Gay Rugby player faces deportation

Posted on by Besi

Kenneth Macharia, a gay rugby player from Bristol, faces imminent deportation to Kenya, where he will face serious danger of harassment, blackmail, and sexual violence, as well as up to 21 years in prison.

KEN, a UK university graduate, sought political asylum after his student visa ran out. However, his appeal was rejected and he is due to be deported to Kenya, despite the high risk of homophobic persecution that he will face there.

Ken is a “high profile homosexual man” in Kenya and the Kenyan media repeatedly targets him, resulting in cruel harassment.

Last week, the High Court in Kenya ruled to uphold homophobic laws that would mean a prison sentence of up to 14 years for homosexuality. It is not safe for Ken to live in Kenya. He wants to remain in the UK with his friends and family, and continue to work and contribute to our society, as he has done for the last nine years.

Today, Ken is due to report to a police station in Bristol and will most likely be forced to leave the country.

Brighton Against Borders‘ in collaboration with LGSMigrants Brighton have organised an awareness raising standing demonstration at the Clock Tower in central Brighton from 5.30pm-6.30pm.

For more info about the Brighton demonstration, click here:

Go along to show solidarity with Ken, as well as all asylum seekers and LGBTQ+ peoples. Wear pink, the team colour of Ken’s rugby team the Bristol Bisons RFC who are also organising a demonstration at 11am this morning outside Bridgewater Police Station, TA6 4RR, Bristol. It’s very likely that Ken will be detained there, so as many people as possible need to turn up to show him support.

How can you help Ken?

Click here to sign the petition to stop the deportation (currently more than 156,200 people have signed).

Contact his local MP, James Heappey and  Home Secretary Sajid Javid, petitioning them to intervene in Ken’s deportation.

Tweet Sajid Javid on Twitter with the hashtag #KeepKenHome

More funding for sexual health services urgently needed

Posted on by Besi

Increases in STI diagnoses show more funding for sexual health services is urgently needed.

NEW STI figures published by Public Health England show there were 447,694 STIs reported in England in 2018.

STI data for England in 2018 show a 5% increase in STI diagnoses since 2017, with an especially worrying increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses of 26% and a 5% increase in syphilis diagnoses.

Key stats include:

  • 249% rise in gonorrhoea from 2009 and 26% from 2017, the highest increase in over 40 years
  • 165% increase in syphilis from 2009 and an increase in 5% from 2017
  • 22% drop in chlamydia testing of young people (15-24years) since 2014
  • Overall STI rates up by 5% on the year before, when there were 422,147 new STI diagnoses
  • Attendance at sexual health services has risen 15% in five years

There is encouraging evidence of the impact of HPV vaccination with a substantial drop in diagnoses of genital warts. But, overall the continuing climb in the incidence of serious STIs, especially affecting younger people, BAME communities and gay and bisexual men, demonstrates the urgent need to continue to improve the reach of sexual health services.

Deborah Gold
Deborah Gold

Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “We have high quality and dedicated sexual health services across the country. But year-on-year cuts to sexual health budgets are pushing these services to breaking point. Services cannot keep up with need or demand and sexual health inequalities are deepening. This shocking 26% increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses must be a wake-up call to Government. Reverse the cuts to public health and increase substantially the funds available to sexual health clinics. That is the only way to get on top of these serious infections.”

Debbie Laycock
Debbie Laycock

Debbie Laycock, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Today’s new STI statistics shows there needs to be urgent action to improve the state of the nation’s sexual health. We are yet again seeing soaring rates of syphilis and gonorrhoea, and increases in the number of people attending sexual health services, which is happening against a back drop of central government stripping £700m from public health budgets in the last five years. The Government cannot bury its head any longer, the consequences of under investment and services struggling to meet demand is plain to see with these STI numbers.

“Progress has sharply halted in tackling rates of chlamydia, with rates up 6% last year. While there continues to be a decline in the number of chlamydia tests being carried out. This is clear evidence that removing access to testing is having a direct impact on the rates of chlamydia with cases now rising.”

The data reveals that certain groups are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections.

Debbie Laycock added: “The impact of continued slashing of sexual health budgets was laid bare in a report by the Health Committee just two days ago. It revealed there is now a real risk to widening health inequalities already faced by certain groups. These groups – including BAME communities, young people, people living with HIV and gay and bisexual men – are once again disproportionally affected by new STI rates. Gay and bisexual men for example accounted for 75% of new syphilis cases.

“A range of sexual health services must be available, including different options for testing and support, but this must not come at the expense of vital face-to-face services.

“We welcome the long overdue decision to include BAME-specific data in today’s report which has revealed large variation in STI diagnoses between ethnic groups-an important step in understanding the sexual health needs and experiences of different communities. However this must be translated into targeted interventions to support people to access sexual health services.

“Going forward, lessons must be learned from sexual health interventions that have seen positive results. The continued fall in new HIV diagnoses has seen the Government commit to ending new transmissions by 2030, while the introduction of the HPV vaccine to girls – which is due to be extended to boys this year – has resulted in rates of genital warts declining. We urgently need that same decisive action to get a grip of other rising STIs.

“That’s why we are calling on the Government to show leadership by urgently committing to an ambitious national sexual health strategy which fast-tracks action to address STIs. Sexual health funding must be increased as part of the forthcoming spending review to ensure services can properly meet local demand.

“Today’s STI statistics combined with the serious warning from MPs , demonstrates very clearly the dire impact on sexual health that decisions being made by central government are having. Ministers need to wake up to this crisis and take decisive action. Their handling of sexual health to date is simply not good enough.”

 

PREVIEW: Cheer Up Mollys release debut EP

Posted on by Contributor

Cheer Up Mollys launch debut EP, Mollyfied, at the Brunswick Pub, Hove on June 30.

KNOWN for their feel-good live shows and inventive arrangements of folk, acoustic and Americana music as well as well-known 70s and 80s pop hits, the all-female five-piece have been playing together for three and a half years.

Described as “…joyful to watch and listen to. Their stunning harmonies gave me goose bumps.” by Amy Hill (Brighton Folk, Roots & Acoustic club), the band have played all over Sussex at events such as Paddle Round the Pier, Southdowns Folk Festival and Steyning Festival.

Ukulele player and singer Seffy explains where the EP title comes from. “When we think about songs we’d like to cover, we always talk about how we can ‘Mollyfy’ them to give them our own spin, and then we thought about what ‘mollify’ actually means – to blend – and that kind of fits what we like to do.”

As well as including one of their signature covers – their own arresting take on Eurythmics Here Comes The Rain Again, complete with crowd-pleasing mandolin versus ukulele solo battle, the EP showcases the original songwriting of Deb Shurvell (Sweet Sorrow, What You Mean to Me) and Seffy Sefton-Smith (Thistledown Snow, Sad Heart Happy).

Seffy said: “Our writing styles complement each other and give plenty for the band to get their teeth into. Lots of harmonies, counter-melodies, textures and rhythms. It’s funny, cos I’ll rock up with something jangly and toe-tapping, and Deb will bring something more contemplative and slowly beautiful – it’s a good balance. That said, Thistledown Snow actually came out of a time when I was in a pretty dark place, but it’s a hopeful song about the healing power of nature.” And the moral of the forthcoming accompanying video is “Don’t try and shoot a music video in a field of thistles while wearing sandals…”

You can hear them perform songs from the EP and many more at their Brighton launch gig on June 30. They’ll be joined by fiddle player Linda Game (The Fold, English Contra Dance Band, Kitchen Girls) who also guests on the EP.

Event: The Cheer Up Mollys – EP launch gig

Where: The Brunswick (venue), 1 Holland Road, Hove BN3 1JF

When: Sunday, June 30, 2019, doors 7.30, music 8pm

Time: Doors 7.30, music 8pm

Cost: Tickets £7 in advance or £9 on door.

To book tickets online, click here:

Celebrate Brighton’s LGBT+ volunteers on Thursday, June 6 at Friends Meeting House

Posted on by Besi

Working To Connect (WTC), the organisation that brings together small LGBT+ and HIV groups in Brighton & Hove will celebrate their volunteers during National Volunteer Week from June 1-7 with an event at Friends Meeting House on Thursday, June 6.

Pop along to Friends Meeting House, in Ship Street at 6.30pm on Thursday, June 6, to meet some of the hard working and most dedicated volunteers in the City and learn about the important and life-changing work they do.

At 7pm there will be a short presentation of their work followed by food and refreshments provided by the HIV charity, Lunch Positive with an opportunity to talk with service users and volunteers who meet a wide range of needs and support of our ever-growing and diverse LGBT+ communities.

WTC is formed of many of the City’s smaller LGBT+ voluntary and community organisations, including: BLAGSS, TransPride, Older and Out, Brighton Bothways, Rainbow Families, Peer Action, Trans Can Sport, and many more. Other members – such as The Clare Project, Lunch Positive, Rainbow Chorus have grown but remain a key part of the Network.

Their aims are to:

♦   to support each other to thrive and grow,

♦   to raise awareness of issues,

♦   share information and training and

♦   to voice legitimate concerns that affect the LGBT+ and HIV groups in Brighton and Hove.

The event is open to the public to showcase their work and encourage more people to become involved in volunteering with LGBT+ and HIV organisations.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Event: Celebrating LGBT+ volunteers in Brighton and Hove

Where: Friends Meeting House, Ship St, Brighton BN1 1AF

When: Thursday, June 6

Time: 6.30pm

Cost: This is a free event. Refreshments provided by Lunch Positive

THEATRE REVIEW: Avenue Q @Theatre Royal

Posted on by Carole Todd

“It’s a Fine, Fine Line between Reality and Pretend.”

THIRTEEN years ago in the West End, and due to the hype, an actor friend and I felt obliged to see the ‘flavour of month’ the award – winning musical Avenue Q.

We were knocked out by this outrageously irreverent but hilarious show and, tonight at the Theatre Royal, the production was as strong as ever totally engaging us with the Jim Henson style puppets that gradually (with the expert puppetry skills and talents of this energetic and youthful cast) draw you in until the puppets seem to take on a life of their own.

The story is simple enough. Naive graduate Princeton comes to New York, penniless but with big dreams and arrives in Avenue Q where his dysfunctional new neighbours help him find his purpose in life.

But, this is Avenue Q and, with neighbours such as Lucy the Slut, Christmas Eve the Japanese therapist with no clients and Trekkie Monster it is no surprise the subjects they tackle include issues such as racism, full-on puppet sex, homosexuality and internet porn.

Catchy tunes which are often offensive and disturbing are hilarious when delivered out of the mouths of fluffy puppets!

Included also, are sincere and moving songs especially when delivered by stand out cast member Cecily Redman. The whole cast are 5 Star performers as is the whole production.

Clear, slick direction from Cressida Carre, simple but bold lighting from Charlie Morgan Jones and the best sound I’ve heard in a while at the Theatre Royal, from Christopher Bogg.

Grab your tickets soon. A 5 Star must see classic.

To book tickets online, click here:

Greens call for Council to back local projects tackling climate emergency

Posted on by Besi

Council must back pioneering work to turn food waste into community energy say Greens.

AHEAD of World Environment Day, on June 5, Greens urge city council to do more to back a ‘food waste to community energy,’ project run by Brighton and Hove Energy Services Cooperative (BHESCo) that could reduce the fuel bills of hundreds of residents and boost the city’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

The project harnesses a technique for turning food waste into a source of energy known as ‘anaerobic digestion,’ where the gases released by food breaking down can be captured and converted to grid quality fuel.

The company Brighton Paper Round has already partnered with the project to collect food waste that will help BHESCo reach the 35,000 tonnes of restaurant, food and agricultural waste each year, waste that BHESCo say could supply biomethane gas to approximately 10,000 local homes.

However, Greens say that without better support from the council, opportunities to reduce fuel poverty, stop food waste going to incineration and landfill and tackle the climate crisis could be missed. At the very least, food waste produced by our schools, hospitals and universities should be feeding into the process.

A Green amendment to February’s budget included £500K for investment in sustainability and carbon reduction. This World Environment Day, Greens are calling on the council to invest in and promote the project, including initiating food waste collections from householders to stop food waste ending up being incinerated.  Incinerating wet food waste is counterproductive and a waste of a valuable resource.

Green Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “Just last year, Green Councillors pushed the Council to declare a climate emergency, in recognition of the urgent and decisive action that will be needed to tackle the environmental crisis facing our planet.

“In February’s council budget Greens won £500K for investment in sustainability and carbon reduction. So our council can take strong action. We also need to recognise that some of the solutions are right on our own doorsteps – in the form of fantastic organisations in the city like BHESCo – who have developed an important food waste project. Turning food waste into energy could help our local residents end their reliance on the high cost, fossil-fuel energy companies as well as tackling waste in our city.

“There is much more the city council could be doing to invest in a greener future. This is a double win: for our council to tackle the environmental crisis and to keep money in our residents’ pockets. As we set out in our Green manifesto, we also believe that the restrictive waste contract with private company Veolia could be reviewed to ensure food waste is being sent to the BHESCo plant instead of incinerated or dumped in landfill. Local businesses could be encouraged to sign up to the project, with the council as a major partner. In line with our calls for plastic-free events, event organisers could be encouraged to donate their food waste too, ready to be turned into clean fuel for our residents.

“With a climate crisis upon us and many of our residents unable to cover the cost of energy bills, we cannot afford to miss the opportunity to create a more sustainable future.”

Kayla Ente
Kayla Ente

Kayla Ente, CEO of BHESCo, added: “This project would establish Brighton and Hove as a  city that is leading the transition to zero emissions. Reducing food waste, tackling fuel poverty, and generating clean, renewable energy, keeping money in our local economy – this project delivers community benefits on so many levels. We hope that the Council will lend its support and help turn this incredible opportunity into a reality.”

 

Northern Pride announce plans for Stonewall Remembrance Garden

Posted on by Besi

Supporters of one of the UK’s largest free LGBT+ festivals will be able to take a walk through history at this year’s event.

NORTHERN Pride Festival returns to Newcastle from July 19 to 21, with the Festival Arena taking place at the Town Moor and Exhibition Park housing the Community Village.

And organisers have revealed that this year’s event will include the Stonewall Remembrance Garden, a new feature at the Community Village to celebrate key milestones in LGBT+ history.

Sponsored by EDF Energy, the space will complement the festival’s theme of 50 years since the Stonewall riots – which took place in 1969 at New York’s Stonewall Inn and served as a catalyst for the LGBT+ rights movement in the US and around the world.

As an extension of this, the garden will display images and information about prominent moments since then, such as the formation of the national LGBT+ charity, Stonewall, in 1989 and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013.

Organiser of Northern Pride are inviting festival-goers to contribute to the exhibition by sending in their own images and experiences to info@npride.org.uk.

Ste Dunn
Ste Dunn

Ste Dunn, chair of Northern Pride, believes the Stonewall Remembrance Garden will be a great addition to this year’s event.

He said: “While Pride is a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate how much the LGBT+ community has achieved, it is so important that we don’t forget why it started,” said Ste.

“We’re always looking for new ways to add to the festival experience and the garden is a great way for members of the LGBT+ community and our allies to learn more about the background behind Pride.

“We want the installation to be a real community effort and we hope that the public will help us achieve this by sending in their own stories about being LGBT+ over the last 50 years.”

Along with the Stonewall Remembrance Garden, the Community Village will be home to the Curious Arts Stage, Rainbow Village and a number of zones, including the Health and Wellbeing Zone and the Family and Youth Zone.

Fleur East
Fleur East

Nearby Town Moor will transform into the Festival Arena, with the platinum bar, fun fair and main stage featuring big name acts across the weekend including Fleur East, Saara Aalto and Liberty X.

The festival is free to attend but if you want to secure a prime viewing position with access to a dedicated bar and toilet area, click here: to upgrade, to a Platinum Pass.

Queer Britain museum on the hunt for volunteers

Posted on by Graham Robson

Queer Britain, the national LGBT+ museum, is looking for volunteers to help with their next London-based exhibition, which features newly commissioned photographs along the theme, Chosen Family.

CREATED in partnership with Levi’s, the exhibition runs from Monday, June 24 to Tuesday, July 2 in Covent Garden, and Queer Museum need people to act as hosts, talking to visitors and answering questions about the exhibition and museum project.

Volunteers will be ambassadors for Queer Britain; will need to attend a briefing session in central London on  Wednesday, June 19 from 5-7pm (pizza and drinks included); and have free time between June 24 and July 2.

For more information, email Lynne Bradley at hello@queerbritain.org.uk by Friday June 7.

Latest News

LGBTQ+ News Mr Gay Europe Tim Küsters meets up with Mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, to talk mental health
Brighton Fringe “A 24-carat performance!” Billie Gold wows with Brighton Fringe show, ‘Praise Kink’
Birmingham Trans jewellery student to add sparkle to Birmingham Pride 2024
Theatre REVIEW: ‘The Tailor-Made Man’ at Stage Door Theatre, London
X