Haarden Fazt Herald
Do not forget IDAHO this month 17th May a Sunday, read about further on in this issue. Also another local charity is looking for phone line volunteers, if you can help why not give them a call. Remember back to a time before you came out and were looking for some support, well now you could put that experience to some use by volunteering for Outline. Looking at some of the stories this month, it is quite clear that homophobia is not dead! So please support IDAHO.
Ian
Man found guilty of murdering his ex-boyfriend
A Hounslow man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-boyfriend by setting him alight. Nadim Kurrimbukus, 25, poured petrol over the head of Charlie Davies and set him alight outside his home in, Staines two months after their relationship ended. He was also found guilty of one count of arson, which related to an incident in which Mr Davies' mother's car was damaged before the attack. Mr Davies, 23, died in hospital 12 days after the attack, which happened on June 14th last year. Kurrimbukus' co-defendant Yusuf Dulloo, 27, walked free from court after being found not guilty of murder and arson. Both men denied all charges. Kurrimbukus will be sentenced in June.
Same sex domestic abuse murder man found guilty
Aldershot gay pub fire bombing
Is the church finally seeing sense?
Aldershot gay pub petrol bombing attemptA 19-year-old man has been arrested in Reading after a petrol bomb was thrown through a pub window. The Molotov cocktail smashed through glass at the Lord Campbell pub in Alexander Road, Aldershot, at around 4:30am on April 1st. Fortunately it failed to ignite, although four people were evacuated as a precaution. Neighbours of the pub told the Wokingham News they believed the attack was motivated by homophobia. The man, from Arborfield, has been released on bail until Thursday May 14th. Anyone with information about the incident should call Aldershot CID on 0845 045 4545 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
International Day Against Homophobia
17th May 2009
4pm onwards
Oatlands Park Hotel
Weybridge
SurreyMake your mark, support the day and night, raise awareness and help us support the International Day Against Homophobia.
In a world where 77 countries punish women, men and children because of their sexuality an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) provides a platform for everyone to make a powerful statement to demand improvements for peoples quality of life Overseas and in the UK.
On the 17th May 1990 the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. Now IDAHO exists to provoke action to end Homophobia.
Throughout history and in a large part of the world today, LGBT people have been under attack with constant pressure to remain "closeted" and removed from mainstream society. Every living person has a sexual orientation and this is part of who we are as individuals. Activities and events that help raise the profile of the existence of the UK and global LGBT community also help to demonstrate that having a different sexuality does not make you less of a person.
Gay Surrey Event4pm Oatlands Park Hotel, receive a welcome IDAHO cocktail BBQ We also have on the day a...
Police car
Surrey Fire and Rescue car
Fire Engine
In addition for the children.
Surrey Fire and Rescue are giving away “Fire Kits” These early learner packs contain jigsaw, books, games and more. It's a great fun kit to have to take away and play on the day7pm Speeches
Opening speech Gino Meriano, Chair Gay Surrey.
Bill Buckley - Patron of Gay Surrey
Scott Salmon - Surrey Police DCI surrounding Hate Crime projects.
Mike Patey - Surrey Police LAGLO Officer.
Denise Saliagopoulos - Executive Member for Surrey County Council and Young People
Cllr Chris Ward - Liberal Democrat Guildford Borough Councillor. Chris is openly gay and one of the youngest councillors in the country.
Pam Frost - Diversity Lead for Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Terry Reed - Trustee of Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
Ian Cole - Development Worker for Gay Men.
8pm Gay Surrey's Equality Matters Awards ceremony
11pm Evening comes to a close
Is the church finally seeing sense?Christians who use the Bible as an excuse for homophobia have been criticised by the Church of Scotland's official magazine. According to The Scotsman, an editorial in the latest edition of Life and Work states that even the most vehement traditionalists cannot take everything in the Bible literally.
It says: "Every student of the Bible is a selective literalist. Those who swear by the anti-homosexual laws in the Book of Leviticus wouldn't publicly advocate slavery or stoning women taken in adultery.
They presumably no longer accept Biblical teaching on sexual matters such as polygamy and sex with slaves. And yet there are many who continue to be bound by a few Biblical verses - none of them in the Gospels - about homosexuality, nowadays understood as a matter of genetics rather than lifestyle." Life and Work magazine, founded in 1879, claims to be "editorially independent" of the Church of Scotland.
Between May 21st to 27th, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is to meet to consider whether a gay minister should be allowed to work at a Aberdeen church.
Rev Scott Rennie, 36, was appointed to Queen's Cross Church in January. He lives with his long-term partner, who works as an RE teacher. However, 12 members of the Aberdeen Presbytery objected to the decision because they do not approve of his lifestyle.
Despite the opposition, more than 80 per cent of Rennie's congregation voted for him.
All air stewards are gay and stewardesses need to be thinAn employment tribunal has heard that an airline refused to hire male stewards because it would be assumed they were gay. Alexandria Proud, a cabin crew manager is claiming unfair constructive dismissal against charter aircraft company Gama Aviation, based in Farnborough in Hampshire. She claims she was forced to discriminate when hiring cabin crew staff due to employment regulations which dictated all employees must be young, female, single and no larger than a size 12.
Ms Proud also said she was banned from hiring male air stewards because of the stereotype of them being gay. She said: "The successful candidate would be female, physically attractive, aged 18 to 30, single and no larger than a size 12. I was also specifically informed that if there was a male flight attendant it would be thought that he was gay and the owner would not tolerate such an individual on the aircraft." She told the tribunal that one owner, Alireza Ittehedeh, insisted on physically inspecting the candidates himself. Ms Proud claims that she was verbally abused by the owners of the airline and was not supported by her employers. She was signed off work with a stress-related illness last August. The tribunal continues. www.pinknews.co.uk
Lesbians and domestic abuseA study carried out by the University of Derby suggests that the fear of being outed is one of the reasons why some gay women in abusive relationships don't seek help.
The study, which was presented to the British Sociological Association's annual conference in Cardiff, shows that abusive relationships between gay women can include physical assaults, sexual coercion and emotional cruelty but victims are put off seeking help because of fear of being outed to friends, colleagues and family.
Forty women between the ages of 21 and 70 were chosen for the study, believed to the most detailed research into abusive lesbian relationships to date. All of those who took part had experienced abuse in some capacity. Around 88 per cent of those questioned had suffered physical abuse such as punching, kicking and slapping.
Forty five per cent reported had been bullied into performing unwanted sexual activities and ten per cent admitted to having been forced into having sex.
Thirteen per cent had been threatened with being outed by their partner to friends, family and colleagues or outed altogether by the abusive partner, while 18 per cent had felt suicidal or had attempted suicide during the abusive relationship.
Dr Rebecca Barnes, who led the study, said: "Only women who had been abused by a previous female partner were invited to participate in the study, with the aim being to examine these relationships in detail rather than trying to establish what proportion of lesbian relationships as a whole is abusive.
The findings show that women in abusive same-sex relationships experience very similar challenges to women in abusive heterosexual relationships. However, being in a same-sex relationship poses additional barriers to seeking and receiving effective support. The findings also showed that abuse in lesbian relationships can involve wide-ranging forms of emotional, physical, financial and sexual abuse, as it can in heterosexual abusive relationships.
One of the key differences with same-sex abuse is the secrecy which surrounds many same-sex relationships – a few of my participants had had relationships lasting years which their family or colleagues knew nothing about or which only a few close friends were aware of. This particularly applied to women who were in their first same-sex relationship.
The fear of losing key relationships with family or friends, or of encountering homophobia at work should one’s sexuality be revealed, can deter some victims from speaking out about the abuse.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic violence, Broken Rainbow offers advice and support for LGBT people in abusive relationships. Their helpline is 03009 995 428. Lines are open Mondays 2 – 8pm, Wednesdays: 10 – 1pm and Thursdays 2 – 8pm.
Same old story, being gay = PaedophileA Welsh magistrate who aired his homophobic views in a television documentary has quit.
Byron Butler was stopped in the street by former Steps singer Ian 'H' Watkins, who was making a programme for an edition of BBC Wales' Week In Week Out about his experiences growing up gay in the Welsh valleys.
When stopped by Watkins as part of a series of vox pops interviews, Butler, 68, was asked about his attitudes to gays.
He said: "We haven't got much time for them." When asked to continue, he said: "Well, I think probably it's a suspicion of the mainstream that they perhaps will interfere with young people and so on and that's historically been the case. That is the danger. Paedophiles, not necessarily but they do, don't they? That's the reality."
The Daily Mail reports that after a 12-month inquiry following complaints from viewers who recognised Butler as a senior magistrate and Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Mid Glamorgan, he resigned.
At the time of filming, Watkins said: "I was dumb-founded by his comments - and I was even more shocked when I found out he is a magistrate sitting in judgement on people. There is no way I believe he can be fair and impartial with people when he makes comments about gay people being paedophiles. It is just so outrageous. There is absolutely no evidence to back up what he says and it is very offensive. The world has changed and Wales has changed so much."
Watkins publicly came out in January 2007 just before entering the Celebrity Big Brother house.
He revealed that he came out to his bandmates and family when he was 21, but was fearful of the reaction of fans and local people in his home village of Cwmparc in the Rhondda Valley.
The controversial fundamentalist Christian Stephen Green, of Christian Voice, compared Mr Watkins to mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer in the documentary.
Green, who is notorious for his protests at gay Pride events, called him vile and said he would pray for him. www.pinknews.co.uk
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/Outcrowd
Lesbian and Gay Helpline and social group
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
