There are a number of interesting articles (ed’s opinion) in this edition. There is a community radio station that is starting a new programme on a Thursday evening focusing on the LGBT population of Surrey, so please tune in and see how you can contribute or read the article below.
The BBC are looking for your views on how the LGBT population are portrayed on their station, the questions that they ask do need a fairly in-depth answer, but it worth putting your opinions across seeing as the LGBT population pay the TV license too, we deserve to be portrayed positively and treated with dignity and respect.
How many people do you know who are bisexual? Admittedly we do not know everybody that is gay, but I am the first to admit that I do not know that many Bi people, they tend to be invisible, if we see a Bi guy with another guy we automatically think that he is gay, or if he is with a woman we think that he is straight. Why is this? Are we Bi-phobic? I am not saying we are, but just take a minute to think perhaps why we do not know many bi-men or women.
Bisexuals putting the B back into LGBT
24th Lesbian and Gay film festival
LGBT population in Surrey have their own Community radio show starting 25th FebThere is a new weekly programme on North Surrey’s community radio station Brooklands FM, starting on Thursday 25th February. Outlook is aimed at the local lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community and will feature news, information, what’s on, interviews and music to compliment other gay-related organisations in the area. The programme is hosted by John Cull, former contributor to the BBC Airport programme, and runs for an hour starting after the news at 8pm. www.brooklandsfm.co.uk The live programme will be broadcast on the internet from Brooklands FM’s studios in Church Street, Weybridge. Special guest on the first programme will be Gino Meriano, chair of the charity Gay Surrey. There will be a look at the last few days of the annual LGBT History Week and Surrey’s gay icons come under the spotlight. There is also a look ahead to next month’s London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Contributions for the programme are welcomed – even if you just want your name mentioned – email john@brooklandsfm.co.uk
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GALOPLondon-based gay charity Galop is seeking other men who have had to reveal past convictions for buggery or gross indecency. The charity is supporting John Crawford, who is fighting to remove a 51-year-old conviction for consensual homosexual sex from his criminal record. Mr Crawford says he was jailed, beaten and essentially tortured by police to extract a confession from him in 1959, when he was 19. Although homosexuality is no longer a crime in Britain, he must reveal his conviction when employers ask about his criminal record or when he applies for volunteer positions working with vulnerable clients. Galop helped Mr Crawford get legal representation and is now looking for others who may have had similar experiences, and who may be interested in joining a potential legal action. Chief executive Deborah Gold said: "The enforcement of this law is effectively re-criminalising John and others like him, forcing him to repeatedly re-live his worst experiences, and causing him to have to out himself to potential employers. Galop demands that the police and the Home Office change the rules so that no one else is forced to suffer in the way that John has”. Anyone who has been affected is urged to contact the charity on 020 7704 2040.
Bisexuals: putting the B back in LGBTBisexuality is often dismissed or disparaged, so many come out as gay instead. But the UK bi scene is finding its feet
I'm constantly baffled by the exclusion of bisexuals. I blame bad science, or rather bad scientists. Every year it seems there's a new study on "what makes people gay". Oddly, this is expected to be an on-off switch, and the researchers look in the genes, or the brain or the length of fingers for a sign that one set of people will be queer, now and for always, and another proving the rest will remain 100% straight. It takes a special kind of rigidity of outlook to construct a survey on finger length and decide beforehand there's no middle ground. They then say everyone's "straight, gay or lying" but for that to be true there would have to be an awful lot of liars out there. The last Observer poll on sexual attitudes showed that 4% of people – one in 25 – identified as homosexual, and half as many again identified separately as bisexual.
But this sort of thinking fuels the mythical status of bi people. People are quick to tinker with the definition of bisexual until it's not something anyone would willingly pick for themselves. Bisexuals are supposed to be equally attracted to men and women – always androgyny, but never to trans people – and always at the same time. They supposedly need to have identical amounts of sex with both, and don't notice the differences between them (which might get painful in bed, I reckon). We're all told bisexuality is a phase that everyone goes through and grows out of, and no one's a "proper" bisexual, even though "everyone's bisexual really". Bisexuals are depicted as the monsters spreading Aids [sic], and breaking the hearts of partners inevitably cast aside for a different gender. Who'd want to be bi! Oddly, the only people not confused about bisexuality are the bisexuals themselves, with groups like The Bisexual Index advocating a clearer definition – they simply suggest anyone who is attracted to more than one gender should consider identifying as bi. It's not about amount of attraction either, just as simply preferring lettuce to liver doesn't make you a vegan.
February wasLGBT History Month, so here's something you can quote to people when they ask: "But what have the bisexuals ever done for us?” the first ever gay pride week was organised in the wake of the Stonewall riots in the US, and was the idea of Brenda Howard, an out bisexual activist. But ask around in a local LGBT bar, or group, or event today and you won't find many people out about being bi. Why don't we come out? A lot of the people using the LGBT scene are bisexuals in the closet – they came out as gay or lesbian because they knew that would get a good reception. But for a bi on the gay scene, the closet has two doors, a bit like an airlock – behind one of them is a cosy atmosphere with no pressure, and behind the other is what appears to be a vacuum. Of course, it's not actually a vacuum, just seems so by comparison to the loud brash bright lights of the commercial LGBT scene. The bisexuals might not be the celebrities hosting the talk shows and lounging on magazine covers, but they're out there. The kid who sat next to you in class, the driver of the cab you took last Friday, the shopkeeper who sold you the lettuce, your gran's best friend. Maybe your gran. Maybe your partner. If you reread the definition above and think about it, maybe you. Certainly me.
The UK bi scene is out there. It's community-led, with festivals like the regional one-day BiFests and the national three-day convention BiCon (in London this year), and many towns have local bisexual support groups. The big LGBT groups and organisations around the country are waking up to bisexual inclusion too. It's hard work for the volunteer activists pushing it forward, but progress is being made – Brighton Pride is particularly supportive of their local bi scene and the other Pride festivals will hopefully follow in their footsteps. This isn't a fresh uprising either, this isn't happening because bisexuality is "cool" right now. Next time someone tells you bisexuals don't exist, ask them how old they are. It's BiCon's 27th birthday this year.
Not bad for a phase, eh?
Marcus Morgan www.guardian.co.uk Monday 15 February 2010
The BBC wants your viewsThe BBC has announced it is undertaking a new project to improve how gays, lesbians and bisexuals are portrayed on television, radio and online.
Last year was arguably a bad year for the corporation's treatment of gay issues. In December, there was outrage over a debate on the BBC website titled 'Should homosexuals face execution?’ while Ofcom received complaints about a gay adoption joke made by Jonathan Ross in May. In the last few years, Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles has been accused of making a series of anti-gay remarks and the BBC Trust recently ruled that a 2008 BBC3 programme in which lesbians were described as "munters" was crude and offensive. The BBC have said that it had set up a working group to look at the issues of audiences and portrayal through surveys with audience groups and online. Tim Davie, the director of BBC audio and music and the chair of the new group, said that this would include qualitative and quantitative surveys with all audience groups, including heterosexuals and faith groups. He said: "It's important that we talk to both more accepting and less tolerant audiences."
The research, which is the first the BBC has undertaken in this area, is expected to be published in the summer. It will look at humour, stereotyping, language and tone and BBC executives said it would be distributed to all programme-makers. Davie said the research had not been commissioned in the wake of the disastrous Ugandan 'gay execution' debate, telling a press briefing that the idea had already been in planning. On the debate, he said: "Clearly, that headline was wrong. . . The debate was valid, the headline was wrong." But he added: "If you look at our record, it is definitely improving. I would absolutely defend our record in the last two to three years." One reporter asked whether Davie would be handing a copy of the research to Chris Moyles. He responded that all programme-makers would see it.
The research will only take into account lesbian, gay and bisexual portrayal. Davie said that trans representation had been considered but it was thought to be more appropriate to deal with gender issues separately, although he said the BBC had not ruled out a trans survey in the future. A 2006 Stonewall report was highly critical of the BBC's coverage of LGB issues and gay rights campaigners Peter Tatchell and Sir Ian McKellen have also criticised the corporation. Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill told PinkNews.co.uk: "We're delighted that after four years of campaigning on the issue the BBC has finally admitted there is a problem.
"There has been a huge reluctance to admit that gay people have been underrepresented in all areas of BBC programming.
"We strongly believe that a licence fee which makes £300 million a year from lesbian and gay people is unsustainable unless they are served as well as everyone else. You can't defend it when people are imprisoned for not paying their licence fee."
www.perceptor.com/perceplive/survey/BBC_LGB_Portrayal
24th London lesbian and gay film festival
The 24th Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is to take place in London next month at the British Film Institute. The event will be held between 17th and 31st March 2010 at the BFI Southbank. It will launch with the world premiere of new British film The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister at the opening night gala screening at the Odeon West End.
Other films to be shown include I Killed My Mother, written, produced, directed by and starring 20-year-old Xavier Dolan, and Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, Leanne Pooley’s award-winning documentary about Jools and Lynda Topp, the folk-singing lesbian twins and national celebrities in New Zealand. The closing night gala screening on March 31st will be Children of God by Kareem J Mortimer. The film is a love story between an artist and a local boy and unfolds against a backdrop of violent homophobia and social unease in the Bahamas.
Seventy-five films and documentaries will be shown at this year's festival, which is now the third biggest film festival in the UK. These will include Brotherhood, Nicolo Donatto’s gripping tale of gays in the neo-Nazi movement; Susan Muska and Gréta Olafsdóttir’s documentary about the life-long love affair of two new York lesbians, Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement and Roberto Castón’s portrayal of gay rural life in the Basque country, Ander. There will also be hundreds of short films, club nights, events and networking opportunities and collaborations with Tate Modern and the V&A.
Invocations and Evocations: Queer and Surreal will be held at the Tate Modern, while the V7A will host the All That Is Solid Melts into Air event, which will screen Paul Cox’s The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky with Derek Jacobi and Greta Schiller’s Paris was a Woman.
For more information, see the BFI's website http://www.bfi.org.uk/llgff/
CruisingAlready at this early part of the year there have been a number of complaints about activity at the various cruising sites. The main problem that seems to come up time and time again is about the amount of litter that is being left behind. When guys use these places at night it is just too easy to throw any litter onto the floor as you cannot see it clearly etc, but when day breaks it looks like a bomb has hit them. Also it makes the activity more visible to those who use the sites during day and it then fires them to make complaints about the activity and in some-ways you cannot blame them. So if you or anybody you know uses these sites then please dispose of your litter appropriately or take it home with you. Ian
The blood donor debate againA survey of gay and bisexual men has found that 77 per cent of respondents would donate blood if they were allowed to. Currently, men who have ever had sex with another man are barred for life from donating blood due to the risk of HIV. It is estimated that one in 20 gay men in the UK are living with the virus and this figure is thought to be as high as one in eight in Brighton.
Dating website ManCentral.com claimed to have surveyed 3,667 members on the blood ban, with only 23 per cent saying they would not donate blood. Reasons given included a fear of needles and previous blood transfusions. The website calculated that if 77 per cent of the estimated three million gay and bisexual men in the UK donated blood, this could potentially lead to 2.3 million extra annual donors. Last year, 1.6 million people donated blood up to three times.
Yusef Azad, director of policy and campaigns at National AIDS Trust, said: “Clearly this is an important issue for many gay and bisexual men. NAT has been working hard to engage the relevant authorities on this issue and secured a review of the current ban. We look forward to the results of this review later this year and are hopeful that an alternative to the life-long ban on men who have sex with men can be found."
The government's Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is currently undertaking a review of whether the comprehensive ban should remain. It is expected to report back this year. Both the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service and the National Blood Service (England and Wales) bar gay and bisexual men from donating blood for life. People who have injected drugs, prostitutes and those who have ever had syphilis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C are also excluded.
Last year, Sweden lifted the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. It announced on World AIDS Day that a 12-month ban would instead be implemented in March for anyone having "risky" sex, which includes gay sex.
A number of groups such as National AIDS Trust, Stonewall and the Anthony Nolan Trust have all previously supported the UK lifetime ban but are now against it, instead advising that time restrictions should be in place.
As always Gay Surrey has all the latest updates on their website, so why not take a visit www.gaysurrey.org
IDAHO 2010 just a heads up for next years day:
17th May 2010
6.30pm onwards
Event held at the Talbot Inn Ripley Surrey
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.
ListingsSurrey Domestic Abuse Helpline
Are you being frightened, hurt or
abused by a partner or family member
24 hour confidential service
01483 776822East 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
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.ukThe 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 715844Homophobic Incidents
Call Surrey Police on:
0845 1252222 or www.stophatecrime.co.uk
WSLAGLO@surrey.pnn.police.uk or 01483 630474
GUM Clinics
Genito-Urinary MedicineFarnham Road Hospital, Guildford
01483 537007Blanche Heriot Unit, St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey
01932 722669Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley
01276 604105K2 Clinic, Wolverton Centre, Kingston Hospital
For Gay and Bisexual Men
Wednesday 6.00 - 8.00 pm - walk in only
0208 934 2843TWISTER Youth Club!
LGBTQ Young People, Surrey Ages 13-19
Various Nights 7.30pm - 9.30pm
www.surreycc.gov.uk/twister
Local Voluntary Organisations
Outline
Lesbian and Gay Helpline
open Sunday and Tuesday between 7.30 and 10.00 pm
01483 727667www.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/AIDSPositive Action
0800 9801990 (freephone)
01252 345019
THT Surrey Region
01483 263160
St Peters House Project
01737 763000Married 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 629972RASASC
Rape and sexual abuse support centre
01483 546400 female staffed (7.30-9.30) closed Saturdays and Bank Holidays
Contact Ian Cole
on Mobile - 07801 629972
e-mail ian.cole@surreypct.nhs.uk
This newsletter is produced by the Harm Reduction Outreach Team part of Surrey PCT
