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Month: November 2019

Brighton and Hove World AIDS Day Community Partnership – 2019 Events 1st Dec

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

The Brighton and Hove World AIDS Day Community Partnership are pleased to announce the following events to mark World AIDS Day (WAD) on Sunday 1st December.

World AIDS Day Service of Remembrance and Hope

Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton, BN2 1RL

Sunday 1st December, 4pm

Sussex HIV Chaplaincy and The Village MCC invite ALL to join them in a service of remembrance for those who have died and solidarity for those living with HIV/AIDS. Speaker Dr Robert James (Martin Fisher Foundation Trustee). An opportunity for prayer and reflection, in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere, for those with some faith or none, ALL are welcome.

For more information please contact Revd Heather Leake Date (07867 773360 or susshivchap@gmail.com) or Revd Michael Hydes (07476 667 353 or michaelhydes@hotmail.com)

World AIDS Day Community Lunch

Main hall (1st floor), Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton, BN2 1RL.

Sunday 1st December

Doors open at 12.30pm, with a buffet Sunday lunch served from 1pm till 3pm. Please drop in anytime from 12.30pm. The building is fully accessible.

This is an open invite lunch welcoming the community, friends and supporters to share friendly social and reflective time together on World AIDS Day.

There is no charge, though donations are welcome. This gathering is put together by Lunch Positive volunteers.

For more information please contact Gary Pargeter on 07846 464384 or email info@lunchpositive.org

Gscene’s LGBTQ Hustings event this Wednesday evening. All invited.

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

This election is a chance for us to decide what sort of society we want to live in.

Join Gscene,  The Rainbow Fund and Brighton & Hove’s LGBT Community Safety forum in Dorset Gardens Methodist church for our LGBTQ hustings: Wed 27th November. This free, key event during the campaign is where you can challenge senior representatives from all political parties to tell us what they’ll do to protect LGBTQ rights and extend LGBTQ equality over the next five years.

A hustings is a meeting where election candidates or parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience. Hustings provide voters with an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties.  All candidates or parties standing were invited, our hustings does not promote any particular candidate or party because they all have been offered the opportunity to speak and be questioned. Your voice and vote count.

  • Date: Wednesday 27th November
  • Time: 6:30pm doors open, 7-9pm hustings
  • Venue: Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, Brighton

Who will be there?

  • Lloyd Russell-Moyle
  • Labour and Cooperative
  • Brighton Kemptown
  • Joe Miller 
  • Conservative
  • Brighton Kemptown
  • Beatrice Bass
  • Liberal Democrat
  • Hove & Portslade
  • Ollie Sykes
  • Green Party
  • Hove & Portslade
  • Ben Thomas
  • Liberal Democrat
  • Brighton Kemptown

Chris Gull, Chair of the Rainbow Fund and host for the evening said

“ The LGBTQ+ communities in Brighton and Hove have much riding on this election, and this is our chance to discover what parties, and individual candidates, see as the most important issues, and how they would represent us in Parliament if they got elected. We represent between 15% and 20% of the local population of potential voters, in excess of 35,000 of us. A cohort to be reckoned with.
Of course we are a diverse community, in terms of sexuality, gender identification, ethnicity, ability, income levels, and life experience, but we know that we are disproportionally impacted by hate crime, mental health issues, homelessness, loneliness and social isolation. What do these politicians have to offer us?”

 

Billie Lewis, Volunteer Chair of the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum said, ” We are delighted to be working with Gscene and the Rainbow Fund on this community hustings. We are looking forward to a good & positive turn out. It is important that all of our communities, in particular those who experience of life is informed by their intersectionity get the opportunity to ask questions on policy, equality, political views and voting history of those wishing to work in Parliament on our behalf. A five year government term is a long time in today’s ever changing world. This is your opportunity to make an informed decision before voting on the 12th December.’

Teas coffees and snacks are kindly being provided by Lunch Positive for a donation on the evening.
There will be a BSL interpreter at the event, and we will be Livestreaming the husting event to the  GScene FB Page. Dorset Gardens is a fully accessible venue. All welcome.

The Worst (& Safest) Countries For LGBTQ+ Travel in 2019

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

Instead of relying on hearsay and anecdotes from other travelers, travel journalists, writes and couple Asher and Lyric Fergusson took a deep look at LGBTQ+ rights, country by country. They’ve gathered data from a variety of trusted international sources to create a “LGBTQ+ Danger Index” that will help you find the worst (and safest) countries for LGBTQ+ travel.  After reading about the surprisingly barbaric anti-LGBTQ+ laws in countries like Barbados and Jamaica they  decided to devote some serious time to research into the subject and what they found shocked them. They looked at the top 150 most-visited countries in the world by number of incoming tourists, then examined LGBTQ+ rights by country.

You can see their full findings here:  The Worst (& Safest) Countries For LGBTQ+ Travel in 2019

There are some places on the planet where it’s perfectly ordinary to kiss or hold hands with a same-sex partner in public, but in other places, that action could result in fines, imprisonment, hard labor, whipping, or, in some cases, death. These countries where homosexuality is illegal are also often severe human rights violators, usually penalizing male/male sexuality and/or trans women most harshly.

Unfortunately, some countries where it’s illegal to be gay or trans also happen to be popular vacation spots. For instance, it’s illegal to be gay in Jamaica; the “buggery law,” which is leftover from the colonial era, allows for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison including hard labor. Jamaica was called “the most homophobic place on Earth” by Time magazine in 2006.

The couple used data from a variety of trusted international sources. The Danger Index  was calculated using eight important factors such as legalized same-sex marriage, criminalization of hate-based violence, Gallup’s 2018 poll: “Is it a good place to live for gay or lesbian people?” and illegal LGBTQ+ relationships and propaganda/morality laws.

Those looking for trans- and gay-travel-safe countries should reconsider popular vacation destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Myanmar, and Egypt as well as some of the more popular beaches in the Caribbean, like Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Being born this way can be rough, but one thing should not give you anxiety when you’re trans, bi, lesbian, queer, or gay: travel. Europe, North America, Oceania, Africa, Asia, and South America all have LGBTQ-safe countries where it’s OK to just be you. As of now, 27 countries have marriage equality (which will soon be 28 once it becomes legal in Costa Rica), and 11 countries provide civil unions or partnerships.

They have also complied  37 LGBTQ+ travel safety tips shared by four travel experts.

 

REVIEW: My Life With Michael- 10 Years of Thriller Live! by Gary Lloyd

Posted on by Brian Butler

A book called My Life With… is obviously going to be a kiss and tell biography of the secret life of a rich or famous person. Wrong. This highly detailed and lovingly created work is a ten-year look at the worldwide phenomenon that the stage show Thriller Live! has  become.

And no-one is more authoritative to pen it than Gary Lloyd who since 2009 has been deeply involved with the show as both director and choreographer.

At times the book – not always following a strict timeline – almost seems stream of consciousness in its zig-zag  reminiscences. What we get is a real insight into Gary’s love-affair with the music of Michael Jackson. He purposely steers clear of the allegations about Michael’s private life because he controversially says the music not the man is what matters.

His own memories of how the show, originally given mixed reviews, has grown and developed is mixed with long conversations/interviews with former cast members and people closely associated with the singer.

His main point is that Thriller Live! connects  pop culture with theatre in a way a lot of other so-called “ jukebox musicals “ can’t . Lloyd never met Jackson but his psyche is deeply rooted in the singer’s talent and power. The show has been seen by over 5 million people in 34 countries and has clocked up more than 7000 performances.

Lloyd who was a teenage dancer, progressing through lots of hit musicals to move to direction and choreography has interesting insights into how the star worked. Michael had studied dancers Astaire, Kelly, Fosse and Robbins to create his own style . One myth is busted – Michael didn’t invent the signature ‘ moonwalk” but refined it from earlier versions by Fosse and Cab Calloway.

As Michael said ; “ study the greats and become greater “

With each new cast Lloyd urges them to “ study the heartbeat of every song- listen to the percussion “ He now even encourages audiences to film a particular segment of the show on their phones and spread the gospel of Jackson on their social media. Lloyd is clearly a master magician of showcasing talent and perpetuating the memory of MJ.

With 5 million audience members, there’s no doubt the book has a potential worldwide appeal.

My Life With Michael is published by the Book Guild price £12.99 for more info see the publishers website here. 

Marking World Aids Day @ Brighton and Hove Libraries – Monday 25th Nov – Sunday 15th Dec

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

Marking World Aids Day at Brighton and Hove Libraries

The following events are being held to mark World AIDS Day and raise awareness of HIV stigma. There will also be a display of HIV/AIDS-themed books, as well as information about local HIV organisations.

Brighton and Hove AIDS Memorial Exhibition

Monday 25th Nov – Sunday 15th Dec

Jubilee Library, Brighton

The Brighton and Hove “Hankie Quilt” will be on display throughout. There will also be an exhibition about the making of “Tay”, the Brighton and Hove AIDS Memorial, including a mini replica, and a video montage featuring its designer and sculptor Romany Mark Bruce. This video will also be sent out to all Branch libraries.

Living Positively

Sunday 1st December

Jubilee Library, Brighton

12 noon – 4pm “Living Library”: people living with HIV tell their stories

11am – 5pm Paul Boyce launches an art-based exploration of people living with HIV in five cities around the world.

HIV-themed film screening:

Sunday 1st December at 1:30pm

Jubilee Library, Brighton

For more information about any of the library events, including details of the films being shown, please contact the Jubilee Library on 01273 290800.

 

 

Brighton AIDS Memorial Candlelight Vigil Dec 1st 6pm

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

 

The Brighton and Hove World AIDS Day Community Partnership are pleased to announce the following event to mark World AIDS Day (WAD) on Sunday 1st December.

Brighton AIDS Memorial Candlelight Vigil

New Steine Gardens, Kemp Town, Brighton

Sunday 1st December, 6pm

All are welcome to attend the remembrance event of those we have lost to HIV/AIDS in Brighton and Hove. There will be a reading of the names and a candle light vigil. Space will be available for anyone seeking quiet moments of reflection.

New names to be read (in addition to those read in previous years) can be emailed to susshivchap@gmail.com by November 27th, or can be added to the list at the New Steine Gardens Memorial Space between 4 and 5pm on the day.

For more information please contact Marc Tweed on 01273 764200  marc.tweed@tht.org.uk

Gscene LGBTQ Election hustings: the candidates respond.

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

Ahead of the UK General Election we are hosting an LGBTQ Election hustings on November 27th. 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.

Today we hear from Joe Miller from The Conservative Party standing in Kemptown and Peacehaven

 

“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?” 

I worked hard with a Green Party councillor to ensure Council and NHS budgets supported more extensive roll out of PrEP, which continues to be too limited. We need to break the stigma around HIV and I praise Lloyd Russell-Moyle for helping towards this. We also need to ensure those with HIV are properly supported in their treatment; having visited Sussex Beacon recently it is essential similar services receive sufficient funding and similar services rolled out across the country.

  • Poor mental health in LGBTQ+ communities requires support. I will campaign for services to be properly funded and to be accessible in all education settings and across our city
  • Albion and Whitehawk FC amongst others do much to support accessibility and inclusion in sport. I will campaign to deliver a roll out more of their work and similar projects with these aims.
  • The trans-remembrance service right here in Dorset Gardens every year, bears witness to horrific levels of violence suffered by the trans community.  I will campaign to ensure the Police take all cases of LGBTQ+ hate crime seriously and prosecute effectively.
  • I am particularly concerned about homelessness in young LGBTI+ people. We need support housing for vulnerable young people and victims of domestic violence and will campaign to ensure adequate, accessible services.
  • Many older LGBTQ+ people are socially isolated I will campaign to raise awareness, inclusion and support.
  • If I am successful in replacing our Labour MP, we will retain Kemptown’s LGBTQIA+ representation at the House of Commons!

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

Gscene LGBTQ Election hustings: the candidates respond.

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

Ahead of the UK General Election we are hosting an LGBTQ Election hustings on November 27th. 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

Today we gear from Oliver (Ollie) Sykes from The Green 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?” 

As Green candidate for Hove and Portslade, I am hugely proud of our large and diverse LGBTQ+ community. Yet there is still such a long way to go before we have true equality.

One in six lesbian, gay and bi people have experienced a homophobic or biphobic hate crime or incident over the last three years, with a huge spike after Brexit when hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people increased by 147%.

And figures from the Home Office published just a few weeks ago reveal transphobic hate crime has grown by over a third. Conviction rates have significantly improved, but we know that there are still concerns around low reporting rates. I want to work with Sussex Police on helping to improve this. I will also campaign with partners in the city to end unequal hate crime sentences. Currently the highest prison sentence a court can give for homophobic or transphobic common assault is just six months. We need to change this so the law reflects the crime.

I will defend and advance trans rights, including privacy, legal affirmation of gender identity by a process of statutory self-declaration, and access to timely appropriate treatment.

The Stonewall School Report 2017 reminds us that two in five trans young people have attempted to take their own life, and one in five lesbian, gay and bi students who aren’t trans have done the same. It was clear to me from my work as Finance Lead on Brighton & Hove City Council that bullying and mental health are issues that need more central government funding, and an action plan in which health leaders can draw on best practice locally. Further to this, I will work closely with the LGBTQ+ community on equality of access to local services.

In the context of Brexit, I’m conscious of the threats to individual rights and protections in new trade deals and will work to ensure LGBTQ+ rights and protections are given due priority. And LGBTQ+ refugees who flee persecution need to be be protected by the Government.

I will work with Caroline should she be re-elected, alongside other like-minded MPs, on the campaign for inclusive mandatory sex and relationship education and will stand unequivocally against bullying and harassment outside primary schools.

If elected as MP for Hove and Portslade, I will always advocate for and celebrate LGBTQ+ rights. My door will always be open to my LGBTQ+ constituents.

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

 

General Entry Closing Soon for The Grand Brighton Half Marathon 2020

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

General Entry Closing Soon for The Grand Brighton Half Marathon 2020

Wednesday 20th November, Brighton – Hurry, general entries are closing imminently so runners are encouraged to sign up now to avoid disappointment.  If you want to join thousands of runners for the special anniversary edition of this iconic seafront race, you only have a few days left to secure a place.

The Grand Brighton Half Marathon places are selling fast and will officially close for general registration early next week. This year, the race takes place on Sunday 23rd February 2020.  Race places cost £42 for standard entry, or you can enter through a charity place and fundraise for a good cause. Runners can register at The Grand Brighton Half Marathon website.

Race Director, Martin Harrigan commented: “This year is going to be a great year as we celebrate our 30th anniversary. We’ve got a very special medal, we’ll be welcoming back runners from the race’s history plus some exciting new race ambassadors including Brighton’s own Norman Cook. We’ll also have a great competition for a chance to win a two night stay at The Grand Brighton, included in the finishers’ goodie bag. This year the race will once again live up to its reputation as the ‘happiest half’ and we’d love you to join us.”

The Grand Brighton Half Marathon has become one of the most popular races in the UK since its first event in the 1990s. The 13.1-mile half marathon route takes runners from Brighton’s famous pier through the centre of the city, before heading along the seafront past The Grand Hotel.

The race is delighted to be supported for the third year by Brighton’s landmark hotel, The Grand. Andrew Mosley, General Manager at The Grand Brighton said: “We’re thrilled to be sponsoring The Grand Brighton Half Marathon for the third year running. As headline sponsors, it’s a real pleasure to have our hotel sit in the centre of the race course for an event that’s so special to the Brighton community. It’s always wonderful to see runners coming together in support of Sussex Beacon and many other great causes, and we can’t wait for 2020’s race to begin. Fingers crossed for good weather, and even better race times!”

General entries and charity places for the 30th anniversary race are available now from The Grand Brighton Half Marathon website.

Don’t worry if you miss the deadline, you can still secure a place to run for one of our many charity partners including The Sussex Beacon, Chestnut Tree House, Macmillan Cancer Support and Alzheimer’s Society. The race is organised by Brighton-based charity The Sussex Beacon, which provides specialist support and care for people living with HIV through both inpatient and outpatient services. The charity helps hundreds of people living with HIV in Sussex and the race is the charity’s largest annual event.

January 2020 Gscene’s commemorative issue dedicated to James Ledward

Posted on by Gscene Editorial Team

Our issue for January 2020 of  Gscene will be a commemorative issue dedicated to the life and time of James Henry Ledward, our friend, Gscene editor, and LGBTQ+ community champion.

Invitation to submit your tributes and memories for inclusion by 5pm this evening.

James, the man, may have left us, but there is a little bit of him in us all. We invite you to share your memories, photos, experiences, secrets and stories of his influence on your life, group, business or ideas. We would invite you to bear witness to James, as you knew or experienced him, and if you’d like to share a story, a memory or just pay respects, then please join us in doing so.

Please share with us, by 25th November a short tribute to James, of about 100 words which we can pass along to the Gscene team for consideration for inclusion, please be aware that due to space limitations your tribute may be edited. We’d ask for your understanding. We aim to include as wide a range of people’s memories of James as we can, so please share this invitation to people who knew James, in all the many varied walks of his life, across the city and across the world.

Please email all tributes, or your own memories of James as you’d like to remember him to: james@gscene.com 

Remember please get them to us by with us, by 25th November at the latest, thanks.

If you would like to make a donation to the Brighton Rainbow Fund in James’ memory, please visit: www.gscene.com/james

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