James Wharton one of Britainās first openly gay soldiers talks about his book Out in the army during LGBT History Month at Eastbourne Library.
James joined the British Army in 2003Ā entering the ranks of the Household Cavalry as a member of the elite Blues and Royals. He served in Iraq and alongside Prince Harry during training exercises in Canada and he has also played a part on major state occasions including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
He was the first openly gay person to appear on the front cover of SoldierĀ magazine, the British Army’s official publication, and has worked with Stonewall, the LGB equality charity, for several years as a Diversity Role Model.
James will be talking about his career in the army and work to advance equality.
This is a fascinating opportunity to gain an insight about army life, the challenges and rewards of being one of the first openly gay soldiers and the important work of providing positive role models, particularly for young people.
The event is on Thursday, March 6 at the Library in Grove Road, Eastbourne at 7pm. Tickets are Ā£3 including refreshments.
Help choose the theme for the Pride Community Parade in 2014.
Following Pride’s first community engagement meeting at Charles Street in December, they will now hold monthly meetings to listen to the community up until June 2014.
The umbrella theme for Pride 2014 is ‘Freedom to Live’. The theme of the Pride Community Parade is still to be decided. If you have any ideas, email your suggestions to:Ā community@brighton-pride.org
Did you have a good experience at Pride in 2013?
What can be done differently this year to make Pride better for you?
To attend the meeting it is importantant to RSVPĀ CLICK HERE:
The meeting will be facilitated by Chris Gull.
What: Pride community feedback meeting.
Where: Envy Bar, upstairs at Charles Street, Marine Parade, Brighton
Green councillor misleads residents at public meeting.
At a stormy EGM in St Mary’s Church, St James Street last night, local business man, Jeremy Odgen was elected chair of the St James’ Community Action Group (SJCAG).
The EGM had been originally called by a group of petitioners to elect people to empty posts on the SJCAG executive committee.
Chris Cooke
Chris Cooke was elected chair of SJCAG in April 2013 but stepped aside “to recharge his batteries” after claiming he was being bullied in post and it was affecting his health. When he announced he was returning to the group the remaining members of the SJCAG steering group refused to acknowledge him as their chair.
At the start of the EGM local resident Nick Head a member of the SJCAG steering group proposed a vote of no confidence in Mr Cooke which was carried. Mr Head proposed a similar vote of no confidence in SJCAG secretary Frank Haig, but Mr Haig was re-elected to his post as secretary after agreeing to attend all steering group meetings as well as the SJCAG public meetings.
An election for all executive posts followed with Jeremy Ogden being elected chair. David Spafford vice chair, Fiona Shackley treasurer and Alan Donaldson communications officer.
Cllr Stephanie Powell
Cllr Stephanie Powell, aĀ Green councillor for Queens Park Ward andĀ one of the two Green party champions on LGBT issues questioned Mr Cooke’s suitability to be chair because she claimed he was a candidate for Labour in the 2015 Council Elections. She argued if the SJCAG was to remain non party political he should not be able to stand as chair.
Mr Cooke who stood as a candidate for Labour in Queens Park in the 2011 local council elections denied having been chosen as a Labour candidate for 2015. Warren Morgan leader of the labour group has confirmed to Gscene that candidates had not been selected for the 2015 elections in Queens Park. Selections he said will resume next month after further candidates have been added to the candidate pool. At present no date has been set for the selection process.
Queens Park is considered a marginal seat at the 2015 elections:
Votes cast in 2011 were:
Geoffrey Bowden Green Party 2227 15% Elected
Stephanie Powell Green Party 2221 15% Elected
Ben Duncan Green Party 2147 14% Elected
Daniel Anthony Chapman The Labour and Co-operative Party 1970 13% Not elected
Christopher Martyn Cooke The Labour and Co-operative Party 1867 12% Not elected
Tom French The Labour and Co-operative Party 1822 12% Not elected
300 concerned residents attend public meeting last Monday, February 10 to discuss future of 81, 81a and 81b bus routes.
Concerns were raised at the meeting about a lack of extensive consultation by the bus company prior to any decisions being made about the future of the service.
Speakers at the meeting included:
ā¢ Mike Best (Operations Director, Brighton & Hove Buses)
ā¢ Andrew Boag (Chair, Brighton & Hove Buswatch)
ā¢ Richard Johnson (Bus team, Brighton & Hove City Council)
ā¢ Chair Mark Strong (Vice-chair, Queens Park LAT)
Nancy Platts
Nancy Platts the Labour parliamentary candidate for Kemptown and Peacehaven attended the meeting. She said:“It is clear is that Brighton and Hove Buses should have consulted more widely and for longer on the proposed changes. Especially for working parents who have to deal with the school run and then rush to get to work on time in the morning.
“At the meeting I also raised concerns with the bus company that changes to bus routes would result in some people having to take two buses instead of one, doubling the cost of their fares.”
“I am meeting with the bus company to ensure a fair deal is reached for residents. If you would like me to raise any issues with them then please do get in touch on nancy@nancyplatts.org.uk
Simon Kirby MP
Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven is calling on the Brighton and Hove Bus Company to rethink its proposals.Ā He said:Ā “Peopleās transportation is very important to them for work, getting to school and visiting family and friends.
“Significant changes in services can be very unsettling and the bus company needs to move carefully regarding the 81 service.
“I have said to the bus company that a rethink of the proposals may be in order following the concerns expressed by passengers and I hope this matter will be looked at again very closely.”
The De La Warr Pavillion is calling for submissions from artists to create a new piece of work or project for its DEAR SERGE Bi-monthly events in the 2014/2015 season.
DEAR SERGE is a free daytime event held at the De La Warr Pavillion in Bexhill showcasing the best in cutting-edge live music, performance and art named after one of the architects of the venue.
Submissions are be called for with particular interest in proposals that engage with the essential properties of the building.
Each proposal is offered up to a budget of Ā£500 to develop any selected projects.
Nottingham University students to raise money for Albert Kennedy Trust.
The University of Nottinghamās LGBT Network is holding a charity sleepout at University Park on Thursday, February 20 in support of young LGBT people who are homeless or living in a hostile environment.
LGBT history month is a celebration of how far the LGBT community has come in terms of achieving equality and tackling prejudice. But with young people still forced to live on the streets because of their sexuality, The University of Nottinghamās LGBT Network is holding a charity sleepout at University Park on Thursday February 20.
The Society is raising funds for the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people aged 16-25 who are made homeless or living in a hostile environment.
The charity sleepout at Portland Building is just part of the LGBT history month celebrations organised by both the University and Studentsā Union.
Lucy Wake, from the Studentsā Unionās LGBT Network, believes itās important to use the month-long celebration to raise money for an invaluable charity within the LGBT community.
She said: āThe work of the Albert Kennedy Trust is incredibly important. We want people to spend one night outside to appreciate how hard living on the street is and to raise awareness of the plight of what some young LGBT people still go through. We raised over Ā£400 by doing this last year and want to double that amount this year.ā
To make a donations to the networkās sleepout, CLICK HERE:Ā
La VoixĀ brings West End glamour to mid Sussex on Friday, February 14.
Lovers are in for a very special treat on Valentines Night when the sensational entertainerĀ La Voix will be performing at the hottest Masquerade Party in central Sussex.
La VoixĀ is the full package and delivers top dollar West End entertainment. Not merely a drag queenĀ heĀ is a brilliant all round entertainer and vocalist.
What: Valentine Masquerade Party
Where: Bar 7,Ā Pegler Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 7AG
Sussex Beacon hosts a photo exhibition at the Dome featuring portraits of 27 HIV positive men and women.
Edo Zollo created Stand Tall, Get Snapped following his experience of taking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) after exposure to the HIV virus, after impulsive unprotected sex with a partner who knew they were HIV positive. The medication had severe and very unpleasant side effects. This brought on intense feelings and speculation on his part as to what it must be like to actually have a positive HIV diagnosis.
Edo said:āAs a direct result I was determined to undertake this project to expose the widely held misconception that HIV is largely restricted to gay men and people of black African origin. In addition to afford affected individuals a unique opportunity to share their experiences and have their positive status recognised in a very public way by being included in a photographic exhibition.ā
To view the trailor of the exhibition, CLICK HERE:
The Sussex Beacon is a Brighton based HIV care centre where staff work to improve health, reduce stigma and prevent premature death.
The Beacon is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and supports men, women and families affected by HIV.
Their 10 bed Inpatient Unit helps people recovering from serious HIV related illnesses, initiating new drug therapies or struggling with some of the extreme side effects of anti-retroviral drug regimes and provide emotional and health support along with physiotherapy and occupational therapy. They also offer end of life care.
What: Photo exhibition:Ā Stand Tall – Get Snapped
Where:Ā Founders Room, Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton
The team from NHS sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street are launching a new service which allows gay men to walk in for a routine sexual health check up and get all their results within 6 hours.
56 Dean Street, is opening a second location at 34 Dean Street. The new walk in service is called Dean Street Express and is designed for gay men who just want their routine check-up +/- HIV test. Three monthly sexual health and HIV testing is now recommended by Public Health England for all gay men who regularly have new sexual partners, even if they have not noticed anything wrong. Dean Street Express is designed to make this process both convenient and efficient.
Users check in by touchscreen and are given a self test kit to take their own swab tests in a private screening room. They then see a nurse for blood and 60 second HIV testing. Dean Street Express is the first sexual health clinic in the world to have an on site Infinity machine. This cutting edge technology is capable of processing Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia samples in only 90 minutes. Blood samples are carried by express courier to the lab every hour. Users can expect to get all their results by SMS text within 6 hours.
The main clinic at 56 Dean Street is still there for anyone who has noticed something wrong, has questions, needs to see a doctor or thinks they may need treatment. The experts at 56 Dean Street are there to help if someone has a positive result at Dean Street Express. . āDuring our trial run we had someone come into Dean Street Express at midday and was treated for their chlamydia at 56 Dean Street by 4pm the same day. Itās an amazing advanceā said Leigh Chislett, Clinic Manager
Dean Street Express was designed by architect practice Penson who last year won āFX International Design Practice of the Yearā. We explained that we wanted Dean Street Express to look completely different from any existing clinic and they have certainly achieved thatā said Dr Alan McOwan, Lead Clinician at 56 Dean Street.
Dean Street Express launches on Monday 10th February. Users must have a mobile phone number capable of receiving SMS text messages to use the service. It is located at 34 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 4PR.
56 Dean Street & Dean Street Express opening times:
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