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Switchboard CEO to leave role

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Switchboard chief executive Lyndsay Macadam is leaving in September to take on a new role with the Scottish Women’s Autism Network.

Lyndsay has headed up the organisation for the past year, developing new services with partner organisations, building on Switchboard’s work with those in our communities who face the greatest inequalities and bringing in additional funding to expand the support services Switchboard offers LGBTQ+ people in the city.

Lyndsay said: “I have really enjoyed my time as CEO at Switchboard and it has been a huge privilege to lead Brighton & Hove’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity. 

“ I am so very proud of the work the Switchboard team does in supporting and connecting LGBTQ+ individuals and communities – it has been an incredible year and I will miss Switchboard enormously.

“It has been a difficult decision to take, but personal circumstances have led me to relocate to Scotland with my partner.

“I am pleased to be leaving the charity in a solid position to continue to provide services and support to meet the evolving needs of all our diverse LGBTQ+ communities and I know that it will continue to grow and thrive under a new chief officer.

“I would like to thank the dedicated Board of Trustees and the wonderful and talented Switchboard team of staff and volunteers for their support, passion and commitment – without them there would not be a Switchboard.”

Dawn Draper, chair of trustees, added: “Lyndsay has done a fantastic job of delivering on the Switchboard strategy and consolidating our identity as she has led the organisation through our 45th anniversary year.

“In the past few months she has successfully adapted all of Switchboard’s services, more or less overnight, in response to the Covid-19 crisis and led the team through huge and unexpected change.

“While we are sad to see Lyndsay go, we are fully supportive of her decision and we wish her all the best with her relocation and future plans. We are thankful to the commitment that Lyndsay has shown in the role – she is leaving Switchboard in a strong position with a clear purpose.

“We are already in the process of recruiting a new CEO who will lead the organisation forward in to the next chapter.”

For more information about Switchboard and the services it offers, click here.

 

 

Tell Boris Johnston why trans issues are important to you, TODAY! 

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Tell the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, why trans issues are important to you, TODAY!

  • Telling the PM directly about what’s going on is the best way to ensure he’s in the loop and is accountable for his Cabinet
  • The more he hears from trans people and the wider LGBTQ+  community, and the more he hears about trans experiences in general, the likelier is it Trans people will keep hard-won rights.
  • See the template email below, but please personalise it before sending it off.  Click on ’email tips’ for a bit of help with what to add.

It’s very easy, is for everyone Trans and allies to do, but please do it today, this is urgent!

On 14th June, The Sunday Times had as its front page an article on how the much-needed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act were being shelved. Compounding the trans community’s worries was that in the same article, prospective plans were revealed that would tighten the screw of exclusion for trans people from single-sex spaces.

This follows on from the Minister Liz Truss’s statement to the Women and Equalities Committee stating her plan to “make sure that the under‑18s are protected from decisions that they could make that are irreversible”, we are calling on MPs to take action.

The threat of rollbacks to trans rights, dignity, and legal protections in the UK cannot be overstated.

This is an issue of human rights, and of bodily autonomy and integrity. If we allow trans young people to be stripped of their agency to make decisions around their healthcare and around which toilets they’re legally allowed to use, next on the chopping block will be wider rights around access to abortion and contraception.

A loss to trans youth is a loss for all. Excluding trans women from women’s spaces would be a huge step in the wrong direction, and a monumental loss to the UK’s proud human rights record.

Tell the Prime Minister, Boris Johnston, why these issues are important to you

You can access the letter template here, please ensure you personalise the letter before pressing send, this makes it more effective and harder to ignore.

 

 

Writing Our Legacy: opportunities for BAME writers

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Brighton-based Writing Our Legacy has announced a new online literary programme, New Narratives: We Need to Change the Stories We’re Telling, to continue delivering its mission to raise awareness of the contributions of BAME writers, poets, playwrights and authors born, living in or connected to Sussex and the South East.

Designed in response to Covid-19, the programme runs till December 2020 and features ‘pay what you can’ online talks, socials, workshops and a retreat, featuring leading names from the literary world, including Dean Atta, Catherine Johnson, and Jacob Ross.

Jacob Ross, Writer and Jhalak Prize winner, said: ‘Writing Our Legacy is doing incredibly important work in writer development, and fostering cross fertilisation between writers at various stages of their development. I’m very pleased to contribute to that work.’

Other aspects of the programme include mentoring sessions and a project to distribute Writing Our Legacy’s Hidden Sussex (2019), an anthology of poems, prose and short stories from writers of colour who live in or have connections with Sussex, to universities across the UK.

Amy Zamarripa Solis, Chair & Programme Manager for Writing Our Legacy, said: ‘Now more than ever it is vital for BAME-led arts organisations such as Writing Our Legacy to support our writers, creatives and communities and create safe spaces to come together.

‘We are witnessing the world in a critical situation with global protests against the murder of George Floyd, challenging racism and inequalities in the US and the UK, as well as Covid-19. We are also experiencing potential for positive change by working together as a human race.

‘Literature and the arts gives hope and inspiration, gives people new ways of expressing themselves. Our programme aims to unify people of all walks of life together online and shine a light on the amazing writers, musicians and artists we have in Sussex and the South East.’

New Narratives is a Writing Our Legacy programme, delivered in partnership with Sussex-based, regional and national organisations including: New Writing South, Crawley Wordfest, Diverse Crawley, Africa Night Fever, Brighton & Hove Black History, Diversity Lewes, and Worthing BME Group. The programme is funded by Arts Council England’s Emergency Response Fund.

Writing Our Legacy, in partnership with New Writing South, is also launching the new literary magazine, Covert, with a call for submissions from BAME writers and artists for the upcoming first edition, which has the theme Sussex Fortuneteller: What Do Writers See in the Future? 

The first edition of Covert will open for submissions on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 and invites writers of colour to send through original fiction, poetry and art work. Fifteen writers will be selected, and each will receive mentoring and editorial feedback by Guest Editors Umi Sinha and Dean Atta, with an editorial team made up of Amy Zamarripa Solis (Writing Our Legacy), Sharon Duggal (New Writing South) and others. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, September 30, 2020 and the magazine will be launched at an online event in December 2020, with copies for sale and to read online.

Lesley Wood, Chief Executive of New Writing South, said: ‘Over and over again, with the smallest budget and the biggest heart, Writing Our Legacy brings excellent new work by BAME writers and artists out into the world.

‘Covert magazine is a bold old/new way to showcase some of the UK’s most exciting emerging writers whose fresh ideas and strong voices inspire our minds and nurture our souls. New Writing South is proud to support this work and we warmly encourage all writers of colour to submit stories and poems to the magazine.’

See here for full details of events and how to book for New Narratives.

For more info on New Writing South.

Bus companies call on everybody to wear face masks

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Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus are calling on everybody to follow new government rules and put on a face covering before they board a bus, unless they are exempt from wearing one. Exemptions include children under 11, people with certain health conditions and disabled people.

Passengers with Disability Concessionary passes should use them as normal and passengers with a Helping Hand card may show them to the driver when they board if they wish, although the company stresses that this isn’t a requirement.

Martin Harris, Brighton & Hove Buses’ Managing Director, said there was understandable uncertainty with the new rules, but strongly encouraged everybody who could wear a face covering to follow the new law.

Martin said: ‘We all need to look out for one other during this virus. Putting on a face covering before you travel is one of the most important things you can do to protect your fellow passengers and it’s now a legal requirement: if you can, you must.’

He said that passengers would need to bring their own face coverings to cover mouth and nose securely, but this could be something as simple as a scarf or a bandana, and guidance on making your own face covering is on the government website.

‘Passengers without a face covering will not be refused travel and fellow passengers need to respect that some people people have legitimate reasons for not wearing them, and are exempt under the government rules. But people who should be wearing them can be fined up to £100 for not wearing a face covering, so it’s really important for people to get into the habit of wearing one. For now, picking up a face covering before you leave the house needs to become as natural as remembering your keys or your phone.  

‘I have faith that the vast majority of people will do the right thing and put on a face covering before travelling on public transport, unless they are exempt. It’s an equally important part of the measures to enable people to travel safely, along with planning ahead to avoid the busiest journeys, high standards of frequent cleaning, capacity limitations on each bus, avoiding cash transactions as far as possible, and lots of extra buses out in service since 15 June.’

The new rules do not require bus drivers to wear face coverings in the cab, though some may do so, since they are fully behind a screen protecting both passengers and drivers, but if a driver needs to get out and be close to members of the public, for example to assist a wheelchair user, they will wear a mask supplied by the company.

Full government guidance is available by visiting www,gov.uk/coronavirus 

#WontBeErased: Trans Pride Brighton online event on Saturday, July 18

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Trans Pride Brighton & Hove has announced they will be holding an online day of celebration and solidarity on Saturday, July 18 with the theme #WontBeErased.

Trans Pride, as it is known, was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers are promising a virtual stage show, with the same fabulous mix of gender diverse performers and speakers that the annual event is known and loved for.

Trans Pride Brighton & Hove say: ‘Now more than ever it is vital that our community supports each other, and we make it known that we are present and proud.’

More details are still TBA so watch this space! Gscene will be sharing the information once we have updates.

For more info, visit www.transpridebrighton.orgor follow @TransPrideBrighton on Facebook.

or on Twitter here:

Black Rock/ Dukes Mound improvement plans gets green light

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Planning permission has been granted for a £12m makeover at Black Rock & Dukes Mound, an area of Brighton which has been neglected for around 40 years since the closure of the lido in the late 1970s.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Planning Committee has agreed to the scheme, which includes building a new sea wall and promenade near Brighton Marina in order to lay the groundwork for future development.

Other aspects include restoring the 19th century Grade II listed Reading Rooms and Temple, building a public toilet and a “pump bike track”, as well as making it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to access the Asda car park at Brighton Marina.

The work is being funded by the local enterprise partnership, Coast to Capital LEP, under its Local Growth Fund Initiative.

The Council proposed a package of environmental, heritage and infrastructure improvements to “prepare the site for leisure/recreation development in line with the Council’s allocation within the adopted City Plan”.

The plans set out for the rejuvenation of Black Rock include the following “operational and environmental improvements”:

  • Site preparation, decontamination, infrastructure provision and wider rejuvenation to attract investment
  • Improved connectivity for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians, with a beach boardwalk and ecology trail promoting access and inclusion for all
  • New activity hub will include a multi-use games area and a children’s play area
  • Bolstered coastal protection with new sea defences
  • Improved landscaping and the creation of a new enhanced ecological habitat (in part to mitigate for the relocation of the existing local wildlife site)
  • A new beach boardwalk, along with an access link from Brighton Marina to Madeira Drive via Black Rock
  • Highways improvements at Duke’s Mound
  • Heritage improvements including renovating the Grade-II listed Old Reading Room and improving the park and gardens around this historic building.
  • By preparing the Black Rock site for future development, this will also provide the opportunity for temporary ‘meanwhile use’ as a large seafront events space.

The Black Rock site was previously earmarked as part of a wider “Waterfront Project” with a relocated Brighton Conference Centre and concert hall in a partnership between the Council and Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI), which owns Churchill Square, the Kings West site and NCP car park.

However, it is now understood that the council is considering whether a replacement Brighton Centre on its existing seafront site would be a better option.

 

 

 

 

#BlackLivesMatter to be front of Global Pride

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With two weeks to go, organisers of Global Pride 2020, which takes place online on Saturday, June 27, anticipate huge viewing figures after announcing the participation of former US Vice-President Joe Biden, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and artists Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert, Kesha, Todrick Hall plus many more.

One-hundred percent of funds raised by Global Pride 2020 will be distributed to Pride organisations in financial need. Further detail will be published in due course.

Global Pride leaders have said they will amplify black voices, acknowledging the international response to the death of George Floyd and the unprecedented demand for racial justice by working with founders of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Natalie Thompson, Co-Chair of the Global Pride organising committee, said: ‘As a black woman in the LGBTQ+ community, I feel we must confront the systemic racism and violence facing my black brothers, sisters and non-binary siblings, in the larger culture and within the LGBQ+ community. I could not think of a larger platform than Global Pride to do this. 

‘I am proud to work beside so many diverse colleagues from around the world. Our community knows well that we must confront hate and prejudice head-on. We have been watching an epidemic of violence against trans people of colour – mostly women – in the past decade and this larger discussion must be inclusive and all encompassing. All Black Lives Matter.’

Global Pride is a 24-hour stream of music, performances, speeches and messages of support, hosted by Todrick Hall on his YouTube channel on Saturday, June 27, as well as on iHeartRadio’s YouTube channel and on the Global Pride website. All content has been curated by Pride organisations across the globe who came together to organise Global Pride after the Covid-19 pandemic caused the cancellation or postponement of more than 500 Pride events worldwide.

In addition to big names in politics and music/the arts, public figures slated to speak include the UN’s Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity Victor Madrigal Borloz, and European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli.

More than 500 Pride organisations submitted more than 1,000 pieces of content for Global Pride, and the volunteer production team are now editing the content to pull the 24-hour stream together. Global Pride is supported by partners YouTube and We Are Social, and media partners DIVA, Q.Media and Time Out.

Global Pride is live-streamed on Saturday, June 27 on the Global Pride website, on Todrick Hall’s YouTube channel and on iHeartRadio’s Youtube channel. 

Amnesty reacts to Gov plans to drop gender recognition reforms

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Amnesty International, the human rights organisation, has reacted to reports that the UK government is planning to scrap plans to enable transgender people to change their birth certificate without a medical diagnosis, saying such measures would see the UK plummet in LGBTQ+ equality rankings.

Chiara Capraro, Amnesty International’s Women’s Rights Programme Director, said: ‘Reports that the Government intends to scrap plans to bring gender recognition laws in line with human rights standards are extremely worrying.

‘More than two years ago, the Government rightly set out a plan to reform the out-of-date Gender Recognition Act – a U-turn on this would send a chilling message that the UK is a hostile place for trans people.

‘Perpetuating wrong stereotypes of trans women as a danger to other women is dehumanising and wrong, and risks further inciting hate crimes against trans people. 

‘The UK is already slipping further and further down the European rankings for LGBTQ+ equality – falling from 3rd to 9th place over the past three years. The proposed move would no doubt see the UK plummet even further.    

‘The UK has always prided itself on being a champion of LGBTQ+ equality – if it’s serious about this, it will update the Gender Recognition Act to ensure trans people can enjoy their rights, free from discrimination.’

More info on Amnesty International, visit: www.amnesty.org.uk

While reported in most major UK newspapers, and Gscene, a No 10 source has said the details of the response are yet to be finalised, and that PM Johnson would have the final say on the recommendations.

The Big Online Escape for National AIDS Trust on Thursday, June 18

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Join National AIDS Trust (NAT), the UK’s HIV policy charity, on Zoom for The Big Online Escape on Thursday, June 18 from 7.15pm. All profits from your ticket will directly fund NAT’s vital work shaping attitudes, challenging injustice and changing lives.

The Big Online Escape will incorporate riddles, spot the difference puzzles, virtual art gallery exploration, Morse code, cryptic messages and much more to take you on a journey through classrooms to finally ‘escape’ to the school disco.

You can buy tickets as a team or as an individual. Teams of four to six people are recommended, and you will complete the entire escape room in a Zoom breakout room with your team.

The escape will take roughly one hour to complete, depending on if you are a good student or not! If you escape, then you can boogie to the classics! Will you make it to the school disco?

To purchase a ticket, click here.

Joining instructions will be sent to your email address prior to the event.

For more info on NAT, click here.

National Aids Trust

Crawley LGBT launch survey and tease plans for August 2020

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CrawleyLGBT, a group committed to raising awareness of equality and providing educational and advisory services to the local LGBTQ+ community, has launched a survey to provide appropriate data for the team to effectively make arrangements in Crawley town.

You have six months to complete the survey, which includes a variety of questions such as:

  • How would you describe your LGBTQ+ education in Crawley so far?
  • Have you ever been a victim of hate crime/bullying relating to being LGBTQ+?

CrawleyLGBT say: ‘Do you live in Crawley? Have your say and support our town’s LGBTQ+ community by taking our short survey. The more data we get the better services we can offer our town’s LGBTQ+ community.’

To complete the survey, click here.

CrawleyLGBT was due to organise the first Crawley Pride this year, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In spite of this, they have exciting plans to replace this year’s Pride event with a programme of online and in person events in August. For more info, follow them on Facebook @CrawleyLGBT2019.

Next year’s Crawley Pride is set to take place on Saturday, August 28, 2021.

For more info, visit Website here: 

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