20/11/2019 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

Reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance in the city.

Posted on 20/11/201919/11/2019 by Emma Rylands

Emma Rylands, Gscene contributor, activist and member of Rainbow Chorus +, spoke at the Dorset Gardens TDOR service on Sunday 17th November.

The Gscene team asked Emma to share what she had said at the Dorset Gardens TDOR event. She spoke along with other community activists and people who have been working with Trans and Non-Binary communities in the city. We share Emma’s words with some photo’s from both the remembrance and celebration events from last weekend.

Emma said:

“Two years ago, I attended my first ever trans remembrance event, at this very place. I had only just started living my life as my true self, and after 42 years of feeling like a stranger in my own body, I was finally starting to enjoy being me.

I sat here, with tears in my eyes, and I listened to everyone. It was a very moving occasion and when the time came to pick up a card (bearing the name of someone who had died in the previous year) and stick it on the wall I joined the queue.

I will always remember what the card said.

Unknown

How can someone who has been killed just for being themselves be unknown.

Are they not someone’s child, someone’s sibling, someone’s parent or someone’s partner?

Were they unknown because they were so brutally beaten to death, that no-one could recognise them?

Or maybe, their family threw them out for being trans and they were homeless when they were murdered.

We will never know because they are unknown.

I left that day and spent a whole week at home feeling afraid and vulnerable. I could not go out because I was scared.

I thought that maybe living my life as my true self and being me was not such a good idea.

Was it worth it?

Is it worth being me and risking my life. I thought I would be happier when I decided to transition but what if people were going to hate me simply for being who I am.

I spent the rest of the year being quiet. I thought if I didn’t draw any attention to myself I could get by and no-one would bother me. I didn’t want to be a name on a card.

Last year I was here again. I was afraid that I would break down and end up even more depressed than I already was.

But something changed.

I picked up a card and placed it on the wall. I looked at the name and said ‘you died for being you’

You were killed for living your life. You were not afraid to be who you are.”

“I should honour you and respect you by carrying on.

I will do my best to live my life and be who I am. I will not be afraid.

I will not be silenced.

I will live every day thinking of you. Your life was cut short so I must live for you as well.

There will always be people who hate us. And there will always be people who will harm us.

We will be attacked and we will be abused.

But we must not stop.”

“We must carry on and we must live our lives to the fullest. Let’s go out there and show them that we are here. We have always been here and we will always be here.

For every person that hates you, there are hundreds that love you and will look after you. We are very lucky to have allies who will always be by our side.

Don’t waste your time replying to Facebook or Twitter posts. Use that time to go out and live your life.

And always honour and remember those that are not here today. They would have wanted us to live and be happy.

All the people that we are remembering and honouring today, every day, and every year, were killed because they were visible.

Let us help them rest in power by being visible. Being loud. Being happy. Being unique. And Being ourselves.

Thank you.”

Gscene LGBTQ Election hustings: the candidates respond.

Posted on 20/11/201918/11/2019 by Gscene Editorial Team

Ahead of the UK General Election we are hosting an LGBTQ Election hustings on November 27^th. The G-Scene News Team has written to all candidates, in all three Brighton & Hove constituencies, asking them all the same question.

We shall share their answers with you as we get them over the coming days.

Today we hear from Beatrice Bass from The Liberal Democratic Party standing in Hove and Portslade

“What do you see as the challenges faced by our LGBTQ+ communities in Brighton&Hove, and how would you address them in Parliament if we elect you to represent us?”

The Liberal Democrats are a party of equality, diversity and inclusiveness and have a long tradition for fighting for these values and associated rights. To name a few examples, thanks to Ed Davey’s campaign, the horrible section 28 was abolished. Lynn Featherstone led the campaign for equal marriage which was introduced during the coalition years.

There is still a lot to do in our fight for equality. LGBTQ+ communities feel the impact of hate speech that we hear from the Donald Trumps of the world. A key issue is the discrimination and prejudice against transgender people. Recent reports show that there has been an 81% increase in trans hate crimes. If you are trans you are also more likely to be a victim of domestic violence, homelessness and sexual assault. Discrimination does not always happen physically it can include deliberate misgendering or deadnaming (the refusal to stop using a person’s birth name). Many hate crimes go unreported because many people in the trans community do not feel supported by the police. Many trans people experience discrimination and negative attitudes in healthcare services. This includes denial of care, intrusive questions and incorrect diagnoses.

No one should live in fear of harassment or physical violence. If you are a member of the trans community, I and the Liberal Democrats support you and stand up for you. We campaign to bring attention to the continued injustices and inequalities that the trans community faces. We also work to reform the Gender Recognition Act.

The GScene LGBTQ+ Election Hustings. Wednesday 27^th November 7 – 9pm. Dorset Gardens Methodist Church. All Welcome.

Brighton & Hove marks TDOR 2019

Posted on 20/11/201919/11/2019 by Gscene Editorial Team

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is the annual observance on November 20 that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

It was marked in the city this year by a series of community led events on Sunday 17th November; at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, the Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership centre (BMECP) centre and a planned singing workshop and performance for the Trans and non-Binary communities to be held by the LGBT Community Safety Forum at the Rainbow Hub and Dorset Gardens on the evening of the 20th.

The TDOR events were organised by a committee including representatives from the Clare Project, Trans Pride Brighton, QTIPoC Narratives, English Collective of Prostitutes & Navigate.

The TDOR service at Dorset garden was standing room only as a series of key community activists spoke about their experiences, their hopes and the reasons why observing TDOR were important. Dr Sam Hall the chair of the Clare project welcomed everyone to the event then the Rainbow Chorus sang the first of a few songs. The Rainbow Chorus also joined up with the Rainbow Chorus Workshop Choir, made up of members of the RC+ the fully inclusive LGBTQ+ singing workshops. This was their first public performance.

Reuben Davidson from All Sorts youth Project talked about the importance of supporting younger people, Emma Rylands talked about her expediences of TDOR, Sam Briffett spoke about RC+ and her experiences of feeling welcomed when she attended the singing workshops. Stephanie Scott, who helped set up and plan the cities first TDOR events, invited attendees to share experience and insights and then spoke about the importance of remembrance to the trans and non-binary communities and also about the number of people who lost their lives to suicides and others who were never recorded or reported as being murdered.

Trans and gender-diverse people are victims of horrifying hate violence, including extortion, physical and sexual assaults, and murder. In most countries, data on murdered trans and gender-diverse people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the actual number of cases.

All attending Dorset Gardens then placed the names of the victims of anti-trans violence up on a large trans rights banner, filling the banner and side lectern with hundreds of coloured pieces of paper each bearing a single name. Many people were visibly moved at this emotional event. There was a total of 331 reported murders of trans and gender-diverse people in the last year. Migrants make up a high number of the reported murders in Europe. And, of the reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people whose profession was known, worldwide, 61 per cent were sex workers. You can read a full report about the last twelve months recorded deaths here:

The BMECP community centre also hosted a TDOR event providing a safe opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives of those lost. With a full buffet provided by Lunch Positive and stalls, workshops and activities specifically aimed at the cities TNB communities. QTIPoC Narratives, Mind out, Switchboard, Trans Pride, Navigate, English Collective of Prostitutes, were all in attendance along with poetry workshops and counselling support.

Sarah Savage Chair of Trans Pride Brighton said

“Trans Pride Brighton is delighted to be able to support Trans Day of Remembrance 2019 in our city. The last few years have seen an increase in discrimination and violence against our communities so we are proud to work in partnership with other local trans, non binary and intersex organisations to offer peer-led support during a difficult time. TDoR is an important day, not just to remember the siblings we have lost to hate crime but also those who have been affected by the transphobic society we live in. We will also make sure to remember our friends and loved ones we have lost through suicide and commit to working together to support the most vulnerable among our communities. Trans Pride Brighton would like to thank QTIPoC Narratives, English Collective of Prostitutes and especially Grace from The Claire Project.”

Brighton and Hove City Council had the Trans flag flying from Hove Town Hall and issued a statement of support and inclusion to the cites Trans and Non Binary communities from the cities main statutory partnerships. Brighton & Hove Police tweeted a message of support and a picture of the Trans Flag on the Sussex Police HQ flagpole in Lewes.