Paul Gustafson

Take a walk in the dark for a brighter future

Posted on 19/03/2015 by Paul Gustafson

Brighton & Hove Council’s Healthwalks team is asking you dig out your torch or LED lantern, wrap up warm, and join them for the seventh annual Seafront Torch Walk on Saturday, March 28 at 8.30pm.

THE one mile walk along Brighton seafront, from the Bandstand to the Palace Pier, is in aid of World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF’s) Earth Hour, when the charity’s supporters around the world take action to raise awareness of climate change.

In the past nine years, Earth Hour has grown from a symbolic ‘turn off your lights’ event in Sydney, Australia, to the world’s largest open-sourced environmental campaign, mobilising hundreds of millions of people in more than 7,000 cities and 162 countries to use less or no power for one hour, and to take part in campaigning activities.

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden said: “Last year was the warmest year on record. Climate change is a growing threat to all of us living on our increasingly fragile planet. The Seafront Torch Walk, organised by the Council’s Healthwalks team, is part of a global WWF campaign linking people around the world who want to protect the earth for future generations.”

The organisers are encouraging everyone to join in and create a ‘family feel’ event, and the Maracatu samba band will be on hand again this year to boost morale with uplifting Latin rhythms.

For more information on how to get involved, click here:

For information about Earth Hour activities happening locally and around the world, as well as how to individually tackle climate change, click here:

‘Rainbow Initiative’ will benefit LGBTQ shoppers

Posted on 11/03/2015 by Paul Gustafson

New Rainbow Initiative means Australian LGBTIQ shoppers can give back to their community when buying on-line.

FIFTEEN Australian LGBTIQ Charities and community groups have joined forces with the Global Fundraising Initiative to create a new online donation service.

The Rainbow Initiative is an online shopping site where people can shop for products and services from Australian retailers and donate for free to a favoured LGBTIQ charity. The free donation is created from sales commission on items purchased via the Rainbow Initiative website.

The new service will work with the existing Global Fundraising Initiative, an Australian based company that provides free and unique fundraising services to Charities and Not for Profits in Australia and around the world through shopping.

“Shopping with the Rainbow Initiative’s participating retailers doesn’t cost shoppers any more than buying from them direct and the donation comes from the commission we are paid on the sale,” said Mr Alex Jordan, CEO of the Global Fundraising Initiative. “We have created a way for our community to donate to charity for free.”

More than 100 participating Rainbow Initiative retailers sell clothes, shoes, beauty products, flowers, sporting goods, office supplies, book hotels and even credit cards, insurance policies or mobile phone account. There is also a food home delivery service participating.

“Australians are spending around $30 billion a year through online shopping. We are hoping that the community will use the Rainbow Initiative first to find their online retailers before going anywhere else so that the community charities and groups get the support they need,” added Mr Jordan.

Australian charities and community groups participating in the Rainbow Initiative include Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Twenty10 incorporating GLCS, WA AIDS Council, Positive Life SA, NSW Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, GLWA the Matrix Guild of Victoria, Living Positive Victoria, InterPride, The Pinnacle Foundation, the Gender Centre, pflag Perth and the Transgender Anti-Violence Project.

People buying products via the Rainbow Initiative can sign up to the site so that commission generated when they shop is donated in their name and to their nominated charity. They will also receive a tax deductible receipt for the donation amount.

“The Rainbow Initiative is the one making the donation, not the shopper,” explained Mr Jordan. “We make the donation in the shoppers name as our way of saying thank you and encouraging them to come back and shop again so even more money can be donated. It is the shopper after all that is spending the money.”

Participating shoppers receive an email confirmation of their purchase listing the donation amount. The tax deductible receipt also acts as confirmation that the donation has been paid.

The Rainbow Initiative went live in Australia, 20 February, 2015. Current plans are to expand the Rainbow Initiative into the USA in March/April 2015.

To find out more, click here:

National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day

Posted on 09/03/201510/03/2015 by Paul Gustafson

Local YMCA raises awareness and support for National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day.

ON March 18 2015, YMCA DownsLink Group (YMCA DLG), a new organisation formed in a merger between Sussex Central YMCA and Guildford YMCA, is joining a national campaign calling for everyone to unite against Child Sexual Exploitation.

National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day aims to highlight the issues surrounding Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse, and adopt a zero tolerance approach to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children, or children developing inappropriate relationships with their peers.

YMCA DLG currently runs an established project called WiSE (What is Sexual Exploitation), which began five years ago and operates across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex.

WiSE has been integral in raising awareness of CSE, undertaking different strands of activity including:

• Delivery of training sessions to over 3,000 professionals including those in the Night Time Economy.

• Support to 1,677 children and young people (through direct casework, providing support to other professionals to deliver their work, and group work and outreach activities).

The project’s specialist workers are skilled at building trusting relationships with vulnerable children and young people who don’t always immediately understand the harm that has occurred to them or the risks that they have taken. It works in partnership with Sussex Police, Children’s Services and health providers to share intelligence about perpetrators and where possible help disrupt activity and support prosecutions.

YMCA DLG is asking you to support National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day and the WiSE project by:

• Raising awareness in your workplace about CSE – everyone should know how to spot and report it locally. To report CSE call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

• Taking the ‘Stop CSE’ pledge and raising awareness up to, and after the National Awareness Day. Go to http://www.stop-cse.org/national-child-exploitation-awareness-day for more info.

• Talking to your own children about the risks.

• Donating to WiSE to keep this specialist service running in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex.

To make a donation, click here:

‘Herstory’ Exhibition comes to Hove school as part of Women in History festival

Posted on 04/03/201505/03/2015 by Paul Gustafson

In the run up to International Women’s Day (Sunday March 8) students from Hove Park School will be taking part in a forward-thinking educational initiative to better recognise women who have helped shape our history.

THE project, created by art graduate Alice Wroe, uses an interactive art exhibition to teach pupils about women who have made significant contributions to history, but whose stories have been overlooked by the national curriculum.

Alice Wroe said: “I’m really excited about working with students from Hove Park School. The classes aim to promote critical thinking, develop confidence and provide young people with a more inclusive history in which to negotiate the world”.

The school’s involvement is part of Brighton & Hove’s first ever festival dedicated to women in history, which takes place on Saturday, March 14 at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton.

Participants will learn about the Brighton & Hove Suffragettes, the African Princess in Brighton, the women who inspired the Trades Union movement and many others who shaped today’s world but have been largely overlooked by traditional historical narratives.

The free event is open to all and runs from 10am to 6pm.

Hove Park pupils’ collaboration on the Herstory exhibition will be on display, and everyone attending will be encouraged to add their own responses to the work.

Catherine Jessey, Associate Assistant Head Teacher At Hove Park School added: “We’re really excited to be part of the Festival and to work with Alice. It will help us on our journey towards developing a generation of students who have a greater awareness of gender equality. This work will help them develop an understanding of different people’s experiences and perspectives, as well as the historical, social and cultural influences that have affected people in the past and which continue to influence gender relations into the future. We’re looking forward to sharing our work with the public as part of the exhibition and we hope you enjoy it!”

The festival has been organised by Free University Brighton, a project that creates free and accessible educational events across the City. The event will also features talks, walking tours, workshops, films, exhibitions and activities for children.

For more information about the Women’s History Festival and Free University Brighton, click here:

A crowdfunder page has also been set up to raise money for the Festival.

To make a donation to keep the event free and accessible to all, click here:

City Council announces further measure to ensure clutter free pavements

Posted on 03/03/201504/03/2015 by Paul Gustafson

A new initiative to keep pavements and footways clear for pedestrians is being launched by Brighton & Hove City Council.

THE council will be marking out areas outside city centre restaurants and cafes to ensure that tables and chairs remain within permitted boundaries. The scheme will also be used for outdoor shop displays and advertising boards.

The council hopes the move will improve safety for all pedestrians but particularly those with buggies, wheelchairs and visually impaired people.

Highway enforcement officers will begin visiting businesses in April to re-measure the licensed areas and mark them with anti-slip tape. The Council is hoping to have all outside seating areas, shop displays and advertising boards marked out by October.

Any business within the city’s licensing zones wishing to place an advertising board, shop display or outside seating on the public highway must apply to the council for a licence. Licences are issued for a maximum of 12 months and are reviewed annually.

Last year Brighton & Hove City Council issued 440 licences for A boards and 280 for tables and chairs. In addition, 1,497 scaffolding licences were issued by the council.

The council’s robust approach to licensing has resulted in a drop in complaints this year. In particular, complaints about A boards fell from 70 to 48 and tables and chairs from 53 to 36. Complaints about scaffolding also fell from 153 to 38.

The council hopes that the new measures will go even further to reduce complaints and increase safety.

Cllr Stephanie Powell, chair of the licensing committee, said: “Outdoor seating, advertising boards and shop displays are important marketing tools for businesses and add to the vibrant street scene in Brighton & Hove.

“However, the safety of pedestrians is our utmost priority and we must do everything we can to ensure that pavements are kept free from clutter particularly for those with young children or who are sight or mobility impaired.

“We are confident that by marking the footways we can work with businesses to keep tables, chairs and other obstructions from straying beyond the permitted boundaries and causing an obstruction.

“By working together in this way we can provide a safer, welcoming and more pleasant city centre environment for all our residents and visitors.”

A report outlining the scheme will be presented to the council’s licensing committee on March 5.

IGLTA announces annual Travel Honours

Posted on 13/02/201513/02/2015 by Paul Gustafson

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will be celebrating trailblazers in LGBT tourism at its 32nd Annual Global Convention in Los Angeles from April 8-11.

THE convention is the LGBT tourism industry’s premier networking and educational event, as well as an opportunity to acknowledge the work of individuals and businesses that have improved the landscape of gay and lesbian travel.

Award recipients are selected from the association’s member businesses in 80 countries and other allies. “It’s our way to celebrate the incredible work being done to make the world more welcoming for LGBT people,” says IGLTA Chair Dan Melesurgo. “This year’s diverse recipients are located in Curaçao, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Colombia, but their outreach extends far beyond the borders of their home countries, reflecting the truly global scope of our association.”

This year’s recipients are:

• Hanns Ebensten Hall of Fame Award: Since 1990, Olivia, the travel company for lesbians, has taken over 200,000 women on cruise, resort, adventure and riverboat vacations all over the world, including Antarctica. Olivia always charters entire ships or buys out whole resorts to provide a safe space for women to be out.

• Community Honor (based in IGLTA’s convention host city): The Los Angeles LGBT Centre traces its roots to 1969 when its founders first offered client services. Today, with more than 450 employees and 3,000 volunteers, the centre is the world’s largest provider of programs and services for LGBT people and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative.

• Destination Pioneer: The Curaçao Tourist Board put this island in the Dutch Caribbean on the map for LGBT travel with its “Live and Let Live” philosophy and the 2004 launch of GayCuracao.com. Curaçao has created several LGBT marketing campaigns and continues to make strides in equality for the gay community in an effort to become one of the most welcoming destinations for LGBT travelers in the Caribbean – a region that often makes headlines for homophobia

• LGBT Event Pioneer: Doug Swallow is the founder of Gay Day at Disney, which began with a small LGBT group wearing red shirts to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando on the first Saturday in June and evolved into a multi-day commercial event that attracts upwards of 100,000 LGBT travelers to Central Florida.

• Networking: Cámara de Comerciantes LGBT de Colombia (the Colombia LGBT Chamber of Commerce) was created in 2012 in recognition of the country’s emerging LGBT market. The group collaborates with the local government as well as national chambers in the U.S. and Argentina to provide support to local LGBT businesses and host the annual WeTrade Business Summit in Bogotá.

• Travel Writer: In a career spanning 14 years in both mainstream and LGBT travel media Jurriaan Teulings has extensively traveled in some 80+ countries, breaking stereotypes along the way. His official home is Amsterdam, but he spends 8-10 months a year on the road, where he has shimmied with Interpol-listed fugitive chicken thieves and chummed up with Indian royalty in his commitment to telling authentic, unexpected stories.

• Ambassador of the Year: Jonathan Mountford is the managing director of the award-winning travel marketing and PR agency made. He represents IGLTA in the U.K., sits on the British Tourism Group and chairs the Americas Interest Group at VisitBritain.

For more information, click here:

Or follow on Facebook:

twitter.com/iglta

and instagram.com/iglta

US national anti-sexism group calls for fairer pay for women pro soccer players

Posted on 11/02/2015 by Paul Gustafson

More than 20,000 people have joined American national anti-sexism group UltraViolet in a new campaign calling on FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, to pay soccer players equally regardless of gender.

UltraViolet cites that women athletes broke records in 2011 when the Women’s World Cup final became ESPN’s most viewed and highest rated soccer match of all time. But six months from now, campaigners say that women who will play in the next World Cup will compete for less than half of what male players made.

This campaign is part of ongoing work by UltraViolet to promote economic equality for women. From fighting for the rights of pregnant workers to shaming states across the US for their pay gaps, the group aims to pressure both corporations and politicians to end gender-based pay and allow women equal access to economic opportunity.

Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, said: “Women’s soccer, and especially the Women’s World Cup, is enormously popular in America. But FIFA is stuck in a bygone era, paying women astronomically less than their male counterparts. This has to end: we demand FIFA pay professional soccer players equally, regardless of gender.”

To sign the petition, click here:

For more information about Ultraviolet, click here:

Stephen Fry urges everyone to sign new petition to pardon 49,000 men prosecuted in the UK for being gay

Posted on 11/02/2015 by Paul Gustafson

Stephen Fry is helping step up the campaign to pardon all those prosecuted under British Law for being gay by urging everyone to sign an online petition.

ALONG with Benedict Cumberbatch, Mr Fry was recently among the signatories of an open letter calling on the government to pardon all 49,000 men historically prosecuted for homosexuality, including around 15,000 who are still living.

Cumberbatch recently played World War II codebreaker Alan Turing in the Oscar nominated film The Imitation Game. Turing was a national hero but in 1952 was convicted of “gross indecency”. He underwent chemical castration, and tragically killed himself in 1954.

In 2013 Turing was officially pardoned by the British Government, but a current, high-profile campaign is asking for those who were similarly prosecuted to be unconditionally pardoned.

Urging people to sign the new petition, Stephen Fry writes: “Turing was not the only man convicted for being gay under the laws of “gross indecency”. These were pernicious, cruel laws that fortunately don’t exist now but whose shadow still looms over too many”.

“More than 49,000 men were convicted under these and similar laws. Their lives were destroyed. They suffered humiliation, violence and total estrangement from their families which in some cases also led to suicide. That is why I’m lending my support to calls for Her Majesty’s Government to pardon all the men, alive or deceased, who, like Alan Turing, were convicted under ‘anti-gay’ laws.”

To sign the petition, click here:

New James Franco film to open BFI Flare

Posted on 10/02/201511/02/2015 by Paul Gustafson

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced that BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival will this year open with the UK premiere of I AM MICHAEL.

DIRECTED by promising newcomer Justin Kelly, I AM MICHAEL stars James Franco and Zachary Quinto, and is executive-produced by Gus Van Sant.

The film, adapted from Benoit Denizet-Lewis’ New York Times Magazine article My Ex-Gay Friend, tells the real-life story of Michael Glatze, a prominent US journalist and LGBT activist who wrote for XY, a leading gay magazine. After a profound and life-changing epiphany, Glatze gradually renounced his homosexuality and, turning to Christian ministry, became outspokenly opposed to queer lifestyles.

Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Cinemas and Festivals, says: “We’re thrilled to be opening BFI Flare with such strong new work from Justin Kelly, straight from its highly-applauded and hotly-discussed debut in Sundance. This is provocative, probing cinema that avoids easy assumptions and judgements and it’s sure to be a major talking point at the Festival.”

Last year’s opening night, the European Premiere of Hong Khaou’s Lilting, went on to earn Hong a BAFTA nomination.

Of this year’s opener, BFI’s Deputy Head of Festivals Tricia Tuttle says: “I AM MICHAEL is an equally powerful new work, and it’s a real testament to the growing regard within the industry for BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival”.

The full programme of BFI Flare 2015 will be announced on February 18 and will be available online at www.bfi.org.uk/flare from the same date.

The Festival runs from March 19 to 29, 2015, at BFI Southbank, with over 50 features and 100 short films representing the best in contemporary and archive LGBT cinema from around the world.

BFI also runs a year-round, monthly BFI Flare branded programme at BFI Southbank, and has a dedicated, on demand BFI Flare collection on BFI Player: click here:

BFI FLARE: LGBT FILM MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME PILOT

In partnership with Creative Skillset, BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival is launching a mentorship pilot that will offer five emerging LGBT filmmakers from the UK a unique opportunity to develop industry knowledge, make professional connections, and help realise their passion for cinema.

From March to December 2015, selected filmmakers will have one-to-one support from a senior industry figure who will act as a mentor over the nine-month programme. They will also have access to a one-of-a-kind package that includes a wide range of BFI festival screenings and BFI Flare events, as well as filmmaker-focused events and talks.

The programme is open to writers/directors/producers who have previously screened a short or a feature film in any of BAFTA’s qualifying film festivals or in BFI Flare (or LLGFF as it was). Filmmakers will be chosen by an invited panel of industry professionals.

The deadline for receipt of applications for the 2015 scheme is February 23, 2015.

To download an application form, click here:

Unwind at the Yoga Rave this weekend – but bring your own mat!

Posted on 05/02/201506/02/2015 by Paul Gustafson

This weekend over 200 Yoga lovers will be able to feel the rhythm of the bass as bass lovers tune in to the rhythm of their breathing, when Cat Duval of Brighton’s Nine Lives Yoga brings a Yoga Rave to the city as part of the Brighton Yoga Festival.

THE Yoga Rave concept combines dance music and yoga with visual effects and UV lighting. On the night music will gradually build as clubbers warm up to a yoga class with a difference, before cutting loose on the dance floor for a proper rave-up.

A team will be on hand to adorn partygoers with UV face paints, while DJ Sephira (BMSS Records) sets the tone for the initial yoga journey with a live ‘cosmic’ set. Later, DJ Mike Nixon (Egg, The Generate Project) will play a conscious house set as the rave kicks in.

Ama Zee (Morning Gloryville Brighton, Hoxton FM) will accompany on the mic, and visual projections will be provided by Limbic Cinema Collective (Nordic Giants, See no Evil, Just Jack).

Ravers will also enjoy locally based entertainment, therapies and refreshments, including:

• Alternative cabaret performances from Blind Pig

• Hula hooping from Live Love Hoop

• Therapy from Magnus the Masseur and the Holistic Health Clinic.

• Fresh smoothies from The Cosmic Caravan

• Raw chocolate from Lucy De Angeles.

The night will close with a chill-down group meditation.

Cat Duval, founder of Nine Lives Yoga and director of the Yoga Rave, says: “We are all super excited about bringing this event to you. We have pulled out all the stops to create a night where you can let go of your inhibitions and practice yoga en masse in a gorgeous church! What is more magic than that! Add to that raw chocolate, massage, yoga, UV and an eclectic crowd and this will lift you into another level of consciousness! Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or an old school raver, all are warmly welcome to come along and experiment with conscious partying and booze-free, drug-free Yoga Rave bliss.”

To get a flavour of what to expect, click here:

Event: Nine Lives Yoga Rave

Where: All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove, BN3 3QE

When: Saturday, February 7

Time: 7 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.

Cost: £17.50 including booking fee

To purchase tickets online, click here:

For information about the Brighton Yoga Festival, click here:

Call us now

Author: Paul Gustafson

Take a walk in the dark for a brighter future

Brighton & Hove Council’s Healthwalks team is asking you dig out your torch or LED lantern, wrap up warm, and join them for the seventh annual Seafront Torch Walk on Saturday, March 28 at 8.30pm.

‘Rainbow Initiative’ will benefit LGBTQ shoppers

New Rainbow Initiative means Australian LGBTIQ shoppers can give back to their community when buying on-line.

National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day

Local YMCA raises awareness and support for National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day.

‘Herstory’ Exhibition comes to Hove school as part of Women in History festival

In the run up to International Women’s Day (Sunday March 8) students from Hove Park School will be taking part in a forward-thinking educational initiative to better recognise women who have helped shape our history.

City Council announces further measure to ensure clutter free pavements

A new initiative to keep pavements and footways clear for pedestrians is being launched by Brighton & Hove City Council.

IGLTA announces annual Travel Honours

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will be celebrating trailblazers in LGBT tourism at its 32nd Annual Global Convention in Los Angeles from April 8-11.

US national anti-sexism group calls for fairer pay for women pro soccer players

More than 20,000 people have joined American national anti-sexism group UltraViolet in a new campaign calling on FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, to pay soccer players equally regardless of gender.

Stephen Fry urges everyone to sign new petition to pardon 49,000 men prosecuted in the UK for being gay

Stephen Fry is helping step up the campaign to pardon all those prosecuted under British Law for being gay by urging everyone to sign an online petition.

New James Franco film to open BFI Flare

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced that BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival will this year open with the UK premiere of I AM MICHAEL.

Unwind at the Yoga Rave this weekend – but bring your own mat!

This weekend over 200 Yoga lovers will be able to feel the rhythm of the bass as bass lovers tune in to the rhythm of their breathing, when Cat Duval of Brighton’s Nine Lives Yoga brings a Yoga Rave to the city as part of the Brighton Yoga Festival.

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Call us now

Brighton & Hove Council’s Healthwalks team is asking you dig out your torch or LED lantern, wrap up warm, and join them for the seventh annual Seafront Torch Walk on Saturday, March 28 at 8.30pm.

Share this:

New Rainbow Initiative means Australian LGBTIQ shoppers can give back to their community when buying on-line.

Share this:

Local YMCA raises awareness and support for National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day.

Share this:

In the run up to International Women’s Day (Sunday March 8) students from Hove Park School will be taking part in a forward-thinking educational initiative to better recognise women who have helped shape our history.

Share this:

A new initiative to keep pavements and footways clear for pedestrians is being launched by Brighton & Hove City Council.

Share this:

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will be celebrating trailblazers in LGBT tourism at its 32nd Annual Global Convention in Los Angeles from April 8-11.

Share this:

More than 20,000 people have joined American national anti-sexism group UltraViolet in a new campaign calling on FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, to pay soccer players equally regardless of gender.

Share this:

Stephen Fry is helping step up the campaign to pardon all those prosecuted under British Law for being gay by urging everyone to sign an online petition.

Share this:

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced that BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival will this year open with the UK premiere of I AM MICHAEL.

Share this:

This weekend over 200 Yoga lovers will be able to feel the rhythm of the bass as bass lovers tune in to the rhythm of their breathing, when Cat Duval of Brighton’s Nine Lives Yoga brings a Yoga Rave to the city as part of the Brighton Yoga Festival.

Share this:

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