After talking last month about how things within society have moved on the I am sorry to have to say more things have shown up which show I was wrong,, there is an article of showing that people think that it is ok to use some derogatory language to describe the LGBT population, it is only a very small sample but revealing none the less and of course the controversy surrounding the hogs back has raised its head again with the usual un educated bigotry, you can read my comments at the end of the article. Of course it does go without saying that if you or somebody you know uses the site, then please be aware of your behaviour and its potential impact on other site users.

On a more positive note there is going to be a new social group starting later in the month called Outcrowd, see below for more details. Another piece of good news is the OBE’s that have been awarded to a heterosexual couple in Surrey for their work they have done around raising awareness of trans issues.

Gay support group comes of age

The charity Outline has won a grant from Surrey Community Action. This is to be used to start a support group for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, (LGBT) and those people questioning their sexuality or gender identity who are feeling socially excluded. The group will be known as Outcrowd.
Outline used to run Outcrowd as a youth group for people aged under 24. This evolved into the statutory LGBT youth groups, Twister, run by Surrey County Council. This new non-profit project will be run entirely by volunteers. Project manager for Outline, Kay Mabe, says "Now Outcrowd is reborn and aims to meet the needs for all those over eighteen. It has now come of age".

Outcrowd, to be held in central Woking, is due to start its monthly meetings in July. For additional information call Outline on 01483 727667 mobile: 078 2728 9312 or visit http://www.outcrowd.org.uk the support group for LGBT people.

Outline is a charity which has been supporting LGBT people and those questioning their sexuality or gender identity in Surrey for over a decade. The primary support is provided by a confidential telephone helpline available every Tuesday and Sunday evenings from 7.30 to 10pm by a team of dedicated, trained volunteers.

Words such as "lezza", "poof" and "queer" are socially acceptable for use by broadcasters

Groundbreaking new research suggests that asylum-seekers who have been raped, tortured and threatened with death because of their sexual orientation in their home country are being routinely deported due to systemic discrimination in the UK's asylum system.

No Going Back, published on 23rd  May, features for the first time detailed evidence not just from lesbian and gay asylum-seekers but from staff at the UK Border Agency (UKBA). The evidence has been gathered by the charity Stonewall, which campaigns for the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

The report quotes UKBA staff acknowledging that they receive no guidance on interviewing gay applicants from countries such as Uganda, Jamaica and Malawi and that determinations are often made on the basis of out-of-date or inadequate information about an asylum-seeker’s country of origin.

It suggests that UKBA staff often assume that applicants are either lying or will be able to avoid detection if they are returned to their home country. But the report quotes Indira, a member of UKBA staff, who admits that “Someone from Jamaica claiming they’re gay will just automatically be disbelieved”.

Between 2005 and 2009, the UK rejected 98 per cent of asylum applicants who cited sexual orientation as their reason for being persecuted. This compares to the rejection of 77 per cent of asylum applications as a whole between 2005 and 2008.

Stonewall are encouraging the UK authorities to remember that sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex are criminalised in eighty member states of the United Nations. The report highlights the suffering inflicted in a number of these countries on gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

Stonewall's Chief Executive Ben Summerskill said, “This report provides both shocking and clear evidence of institutional homophobia in Britain’s asylum system. Legitimate asylum-seekers are frequently being deported”.

The coalition government which took office in the UK earlier this month has promised to ensure that asylum is granted to gay, lesbian and bisexual people fleeing homophobic persecution.

Summerskill said, “We’ll now be pressing the UK Border Agency and the Home Office urgently to implement the manifesto promises made by both partners in the new government to end this profound injustice”.

Stonewall has developed a series of recommendations to ensure that fundamental errors of judgement made by UKBA staff are urgently rectified.

These include robust policy, guidance and training for all UKBA decision-makers to ensure that legitimate lesbian, gay and bisexual asylum-seekers are questioned effectively and given fairer case hearings. The charity also insists that Home Office Country of Origin services should be improved to reflect up-to-date, accurate information on the scale and nature of homophobic persecution.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12219

Surrey couple recognized in the Queens Birthday Honours list

A couple who set up a trans charity after helping their trans daughter win a legal battle have been honoured by the Queen.
Bernard and Terry Reed were given Orders of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
The couple helped set up the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) in 1997 and Mrs Reed is a member of the Parliamentary Forum on Gender Identity.
In a statement, the charity said: "GIRES wishes to record its gratitude to each and every one of the many people who contribute to its work, including its trustees, individual and corporate members, advisors, volunteers and donors, as well as those in the voluntary, government and private sector organisations with which it collaborates. Their sustained collective support enables the charity to continue improving the lives of trans people and their families."

For more information on the work they do look them up here: http://www.gires.org.uk/
www.pinknews.co.uk

BBC Radio 2 has got too many television comedians "camping it up"

The head of a commercial radio body has said. Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, which represents commercial radio, said presenters such as Graham Norton and Alan Carr were "end of the pier stuff".

Mr Harrison told the Daily Mail: '"This is an iconic national radio station that is meant to be delivering public value and actually it has got TV comedians camping it up across the weekend schedule,  it is true there are four presenters there across the weekend schedule each of whom have an iconic little slot, Dale Winton, Paul O'Grady, Carr and Norton. It is end of the pier stuff."

A spokeswoman for RadioCentre said Mr Harrison was commenting on the BBC's strategy review and had not meant any offence. She told PinkNews.co.uk: "[The Daily Mail report] was not reflective of our overall tone and response. Andrew wasn't making any comment on anyone's sexuality and should not be construed as such." She added that the body was concerned about the Radio 2 using too many ex-television presenters and said more "public value" could be found by using presenters such as Jeremy Vine”.

A BBC spokesman said: "Radio 2's weekend schedule features a wide range of programmes."

Norton and Carr have been criticised for being too camp before. Last year, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called the pair "camp, cliched" stereotypes and urged television executives to chose a wider range of gay presenters.
www.pinknews.co.uk

Hogs Back courts controversy again

A new effort has been made to get a lay-by at a notorious 'dogging' hotspot by the Hog’s Back closed.
However, despite a 200-strong petition and fears for children’s safety at a nearby school, Surrey County Council has held out against public pressure to shut the Hog’s Back café.  At a meeting recently, the council decided to renew a 10-year lease in the face of complaints over outdoors sexual activity happening near Puttenham School. The café is next to a lay-by on the A31, used by some drivers to park and then head to the woods for sex.
Campaigners hoped that if the council had refused to renew the café's lease, the lay-by could have been shut for good. Tony Rooth, Guildford Borough Council leader and county councillor for Shalford, had urged Surrey County Council not to waste the opportunity of refusing to renew the lease when it expires in September. “There is no animosity towards the tenant but the lease of the café offers a rare opportunity to sort this issue out," otherwise, renewal of the lease may just give the site another 10 years to further ‘develop’ its sexual potential. Let the county council not waste money on ineffective schemes or waste an opportunity to not renew the café lease so as to give the residents of Puttenham and its schoolchildren the protection they need and deserve. Let the council not waste further time but move quickly to close the lay-by and café.”
Dog walkers and villagers have spotted people engaging in sexual acts on numerous occasions, including during daylight hours, and the site is notorious for cruising and dogging – where people have intercourse while others watch.
Cllr Rooth said on a recent Sunday he visited at 5pm and found 20 unoccupied vehicles parked in the lay-by, with mostly men walking around the adjoining woodland and fields or sunbathing.
According to Cllr Rooth, residents have reported that sexual activity is visible from Puttenham village and has now moved down through the woods adjoining the café and lay-by, and into the fields alongside Puttenham village and the primary school.
“Villagers are now reluctant to walk themselves and their children up the hill, and parents of the schoolchildren are concerned at the increasing proximity of individuals exposing themselves in view of homes and the school,” some parents are now considering not sending their children to the school because of the adjoining activity.”
The community has waged a battle to tackle the infamous site for years, but all council attempts to deal with the situation have proved ineffectual.
Surrey County Council has said that rather than closing the lay-by, they will install four CCTV cameras around the café and will start to clear the undergrowth in August after nesting season is over.
David McNulty, chief executive of Surrey County Council, visited the site on Monday afternoon and has said that a final decision on the lay-by will be made in the next few weeks.
The leaseholder of the Hog’s Back café expressed his frustration at being caught up in the controversy.
He said: “We all need jobs, we are an innocent party. We serve the community and don’t trouble anyone.”

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2072998_calls_for_closure_of_dogging_layby

I would urge you to look at the above link and look at some of the comments made by readers, at the time of writing this the comments showed the shortfalls in the concerns of those that live in Puttenham. The school and village are quite some distance from the layby, we do outreach at the site and have rarely seen any sexual activity taking place (we of course do see people walking around), and so I am not quite sure how those in the village are seeing such activity from their homes. There is also the ignorant view that the behaviour between the men will automatically mean that they are also paedophiles, this arrogant view is actually held by so called educated people within the campaigning group whom should know better. It is also interesting that the campaigners are willing to end somebody’s lively hood in order to support their cause; they have their work and jobs and can earn money but expect others to loose out because of their views. This kind of activity would not have even started if society had been more accepting of different kinds of human relationships, so the campaigners have to recognize the role they have played in causing the behaviour to exist in the first place.  (Ian Ed)

Gay Surrey

As always Gay Surrey has all the latest updates on their website, so why not take a visit www.gaysurrey.org

IDAHO 2011 just a heads up for next years day:

17th May 2011

Articles needed urgently

A lot of articles this month have come courtesy of www.pinknews.co.uk although some of the articles have a local reflection a lot do not. Please contact me with local news and information that the LGBT population of Surrey would be interested to know. You may run a business that you wish to advertise (free of charge) please send me a copy electronically.

Surrey Domestic Abuse Helpline
Are you being frightened, hurt or
abused by a partner or family member
24 hour confidential service
01483 776822

East Surrey Domestic Abuse Outreach Service
01737 771350
(Serving Reigate and Banstead, Mole Valley and Tandridge)

North West Surrey Domestic
Abuse Outreach Service
01483 776822
(serving Woking, Runnymede and Surrey Heath)

North Surrey Domestic
Abuse Outreach Service
01932 260690
(serving Epsom, Ewell, Elmbridge and Spelthorne)

South West Surrey Domestic
Abuse Outreach Service
01483 577392 or 01932 260690
(Serving the Waverley area)

Relate, West Surrey
Provincial House
26 Commercial Way
Woking, Surrey GU21 6EN
01483  715285   www.relatewestsurrey.org.uk

TWISTER Youth Club!
LGBTQ Young People, Surrey Ages 13-19
Various Nights 7.30pm - 9.30pm
www.surreycc.gov.uk/twister

Naz Project
HIV and sexual health support service for
South Asian, Middle Eastern, North African, Latin American and other excluded communities
e-mail naz@naz.org.uk
Website: naz.org.uk
0208 7411879  9.30-5.30 Mon-Fri.

Guildford Area Gay Society (GAGS)
Meets every Wednesday, phone Simon on 01252 370809
www.gags.org.uk

The Cellar
Disco runs last Saturday of
each month 9.00 pm - 2.00 am and social meeting Friday evenings 8.30 pm midnight
Farnham, Surrey (phone for details)
01252 715844

Homophobic Incidents
Call Surrey Police on:
0845 1252222 or www.stophatecrime.co.uk
WSLAGLO@surrey.pnn.police.uk or 01483 630474

GUM Clinics
Genito-Urinary Medicine

Farnham Road Hospital, Guildford
01483 537007

Blanche Heriot Unit, St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey
01932 722669

Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley
01276 604105

K2 Clinic, Wolverton Centre, Kingston Hospital
For Gay and Bisexual Men
Wednesday 6.00 - 8.00 pm - walk in only
0208 934 2843

Local Voluntary Organisations

Outline
Lesbian and Gay Helpline
open Sunday and Tuesday between 7.30 and 10.00 pm
01483 727667

www.gaysurrey.org
offering help, support and advice locally
to those who need it
Tel : 0700 5982 429 anytime
Young Gay Surrey
Website dedicated to 13 to 19 year olds for help and support www.ygsspeakout.org

The following Charities offer advice, support and
information to people infected and affected by
HIV/AIDS

Positive Action
0800 9801990 (freephone)
01252 345019
THT Surrey Region
01483 263160
St Peters House Project
01737 763000

Married Men’s Group
A group for men who are married or in
relationships with women and are attracted to
or having sex with other men.
07801 629972

RASASC
Rape and sexual abuse support centre
01483 546400 female staffed (7.30-9.30) closed Saturdays and Bank Holidays