Channel4: Dispatches :Hunted: Gay and Afraid

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Dispatches investigates the networks supporting a wave of anti-gay laws around the world

Dispatches takes another look at the rights of gay people around the world

In 2014 Channel 4’s Dispatches revealed the extent of vicious hate crime in Russia with their award-winning documentary Hunted.

Now they’re back with an investigation into the global networks that support all sorts of anti-gay laws around the world.
In this one hour programme, Liz MacKean’s team exposes the well-funded backlash against gay rights led by organisations that promote “family values”.
At a time when equality for gay communities across the globe may feel more within reach that ever before, Dispatches shines a light on a group called the World Congress of Families who have established links in over 80 countries. The documentary investigates the WCF’s involvement in anti-gay laws including the Russian legislation banning gay couples from adopting children.
The Dispatches documentary also interviewed Pastor Scott Lively, who had previously linked homosexuality with paedophilia and who also advised the Ugandan government on how they might take forward their anti-homosexuality legislation.
Hunted: Gay and Afraid was shown on Channel 4 Dispatches, 23 July at 11.05pm, however it is still available on Channel 4 at this time.

How many UK doctors still think gays can be ‘cured’?

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Joseph Patrick McCormick
23^rd July 2015, 9:41 AM

A large proportion of health workers in the UK still believe being LGBT can be ‘cured’.
According to new research from LGBT charity Stonewall, 10 percent of NHS and private sector health workers have been in a situation where a colleague has expressed the belief that being LGBT is curable.
Shockingly, the percentage jumps to 22 in London.
Polling conducted by YouGov for PinkNews earlier this year revealed that Londoners are the least likely in Great Britain to support a gay or transgender child.
3,001 health and social care professionals were surveyed in the Unhealthy Attitudes study, which was released today.
Overall it found that LGBT people still face discrimination from healthcare professionals.
A quarter of staff working with patients had heard their colleagues make negative comments about lesbian, gay or bisexual people such as “poof” or “dyke”, in the past five years.
Words like “tranny” and “she-male” were also often heard by respondents with one in five saying they had heard such negative language.
Sixty percent of staff who have direct contact with patients said they had heard discriminatory remarks about lesbian, gay and bisexual people and had not reported it.
Bullying in the workplace was also still found to be a common occurrence, with over a quarter of lesbian, gay or bisexual staff saying they had experienced homophobic or biphobic bullying in the past five years.
Worryingly, training on how to deal with LGBT issues appeared to be missing for a lot of staff.
Many said they had little to no diversity training, and some questioned whether or not it was necessary.
Nearly three-quarters of staff with patient access said they had received specific training on the health needs of LGB patients.
Even those who had diversity training still lacked knowledge, with a quarter of those who had received it saying they were told about the legal rights of transgender patients.
Over a quarter, 28 percent, of doctors said they did not feel equipped to respond to the specific healthcare needs of trans patients, and 15 percent said the same for LGB people.
More than half said they did not think sexual orientation was relevant to healthcare needs.
Ruth Hunt, Stonewall chief executive, said: “Health and social care services have a duty to treat people fairly and equally. Yet, as this report shows, there are worrying gaps in knowledge and training relating to LGBT people.
“This is creating a healthcare system that treats both its LGBT patients and colleagues unfairly leading to inevitable on-going health inequalities.
“Unhealthy Attitudes also contains some truly shocking revelations, such as evidence that high numbers of patient-facing staff witness colleagues stating their belief in a gay ‘cure’. This is incredibly harmful and dangerous and should be publicly denounced immediately.”
Stonewall now calls on the Government to publicly condemn the controversial practice of gay ‘cure’ therapy, and for a visible anti-bullying campaign across the NHS

Stunning Portraits Of LGBT People Show Where Love Is Illegal All Over The World

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Editorial: I make not apologies for putting this up on our site, whilst we in Northern Ireland have hopefully moved on, there are still elements who would have us treated as second or even third class citizens, and ho attack our homes and even us as individuals.

Please remember,

HATE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN A WELCOMING, SUPPORTIVE, AND LOVING SOCIETY

Photographer Robin Hammond has created a stunning photo series exploring what it’s like to be LGBT in the places where loving someone of the same sex is illegal.
Portraits from the ‘Where Love Is Illegal’ project span seven different countries, and explore the intolerance, abuse and hatred that many LGBT people are subjected to.
Hammond told National Geographic: “My projects often come from an experience or a view of an injustice, something that makes me angry. It became vital to me to tell these stories—the ones that had not yet been told.”

WHERE LOVE IS ILLEGAL

Is Cottaging Legal In The UK?

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

By The Gay UK, Jul 30 2015 10:48AM

Cottaging is a British slang term for man on man sexual contact in the public toilets. It is not legal in the UK to have sexual contact in a public rest room or toilet.

Cottaging is a term which can be traced back to Victorian times, when “cottage” referred to a small house or public house. Cottaging is illegal in the United Kingdom under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and applies to both heterosexual and homosexual acts.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 doesn’t say however that sex in a public place is illegal. Cruising grounds and cottaging are two different spaces. Cruising grounds are defined as open spaces, where men can hook up with men, or straight couples can meet for sex (often referred to as dogging), as long as no members of the public can see you.
You risk being arrested if reported by a member of the public. If this happens you have the right to legal advice from a on-duty solicitor at the police station. If convicted you could be sentenced to 6 months in prison and /or a fine.
A caution or conviction will result in a criminal record for a sexual offence which you will have to disclose in any criminal record checks.
For your safety we suggest you look at our full guide on safety before you set out

RESOURCES: LGBT AGE CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT LAUNCH NEW RESOURCES

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Written by The Editorial Team

The LGBT Age Capacity Building Project has launched a suite of resources to support older people’s services to become more welcoming and inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
Part of LGBT Health and Wellbeing, and funded by Reshaping Care for Older People’s Innovation Fund, the project was set up in response to the barriers that older LGBT people face in accessing services.
While many LGBT people can live their lives much more openly today, most still face assumptions and prejudice, and many face rejection by family and friends, harassment, and hate crime. It’s important that services understand the issues that LGBT people have to negotiate, in order to be proactive in creating a space where LGBT people feel safe to be who they are.
To support organisations to provide the best services they can to older LGBT people, the LGBT Age Capacity Building Project ran a series of seminars and events, alongside workplace training sessions. In consultation with older members of the LGBT community and professionals working in health and social care services, the project produced a set of resources, including: a short film, a top tips booklet, the LGBT Age Audit Tool, activities and support for running LGBT awareness sessions, and a set of practical info sheets on inclusive imagery, the needs of older transgender people, and creating safe spaces.

The resources include:

Ten Top Tips for becoming more LGBT-inclusive: this booklet is a great introduction to the issues that older LGBT people face, and includes a wealth of practical things that you can do. It was developed in consultation with older LGBT people, and includes poetry, prose and visual art created as part of our Lifelines intergenerational storytelling project.
Five tips for providing services to older transgender people: the needs of transgender people are often overlooked or misunderstood. This infosheet provides specific, practical tips for supporting older transgender people.
LGBT Age Audit Tool: aimed at individuals and teams providing direct support services to older people, this tool is designed to help identify practical steps towards ensuring LGBT-inclusive practice.
Creating a safe space: one really positive thing that you can do to make sure that LGBT people feel safe, welcome and included is to introduce a safe space commitment, which sets out the expectations for everyone in the space. This resource is designed to help you develop a safe space commitment and put it into practice; it also includes some useful phrases for upholding it in trickier moments.
In the frame – creating inclusive imagery: these ten tips, written by photographer Becky Duncan of Open Aye, are designed to help you to create publicity and information materials which proactively send the message that LGBT people are welcome in your services.
Top Tips Poster: this poster includes four tips for supporting older LGBT people along with practical actions that everyone can do right away. It’s designed to go up on staffroom noticeboards, and is a great way to get your colleagues thinking and talking about inclusivity.
Community Consultation Executive Summary: we surveyed 182 older LGBT people to find out what they want in terms of social opportunities, information and support. The report can help to inform the work you do to be become more LGBT inclusive.
What we did – a summary: an at-a-glance guide to the work of the project and the impact that it’s had.
Impact Report: sharing the learning from the LGBT Age Capacity Building Project as a whole, this report will be useful to those who are interested in understanding how to change services to better meet the needs of older LGBT people, whether within their own organisation or in a wider capacity building role. It may also be of interest to members of the LGBT community who would like to know more about the work being done to make services more inclusive. The report details how the project was run, what we learned, and what changes the work created.

Activities and resources for training sessions

These days, many professionals are keen to make sure that they are inclusive and welcoming, but it’s something which hasn’t always been talked about, and often it can be difficult to know where to start. Running a training session will support your team to find out about the issues and language, and get comfortable discussing gender and sexual orientation, so you can avoid assumptions and effectively challenge prejudice. The files include everything you need to facilitate the activity – aims, instructions, and worksheets.
How to run your own LGBT awareness training: this resource is designed to help you plan out your training session, and includes some example session plans and tips, as well as a list of resources.
Quiz – PowerPoint presentation and notes: this quiz is an introduction to some of the barriers that prevent older LGBT people accessing services. It is designed to get people thinking and talking, and to build knowledge and understanding of the issues.
Looking at language – instructions, cards and answers: this activity is designed help you to get to grips with some of the words that relate to sexual orientation and gender identity, to equip you with the language to talk about it, and to help you avoid using offensive and/or outdated words.
LGBT Timeline – Instructions and Worksheet: Want to run your own awareness training? This creative activity will help you to think about LGBT life histories, getting into the shoes of older LGBT people and developing an understanding of some of the issues they have faced during their lives. The two files include everything you need to facilitate the activity – aims, instructions, and a worksheet. We’re developing a series of these resources, so watch this space for more!
Are We Being Served?: a 22 minute video in which LGBT community members reflect on their experiences, hopes and attitudes towards mainstream services as they get older. The film is a great resource for running your own awareness raising training session, either by yourself or in a group. These training notes will support you to get the most out of the film, and are designed to help you to draw out the key issues and think about practical ways of engaging with them in your own practice and/or organisation.
Naked Among Thistles: this anthology includes creative writing that you might like to read out to the group, especially the pieces on p38 and p54.
Transvisions: a short film about transgender people’s experiences and identities.

Other LGBT Health and Wellbeing resources

LGBT Health and Wellbeing produce a range of other online resources including eBulletins, publications, impact reports, films, audit tools and event reports.

Masked men hurl smoke bombs at venue of Ukraine gay forum

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

By AFP | AFP – Sat, Aug 15, 2015

AFP/AFP/File – LGBT activists were planning to hold a forum on the history of the gay rights movement in Odessa after a local court banned the planned march over fears it could spark violence

At the gay pride march in Kiev on June 6, 2015, scufles broke out after activists

Masked men on Saturday Aug 15, 2015 hurled smoke bombs into a venue in the Ukraine port city of Odessa where gay rights activists were to hold a forum after deciding against marching in defiance of a ban.

They threw “several” smoke bombs at the participants before fleeing, Odessa Pride spokesman Kyrylo Bodelan told AFP, adding that no one was hurt in the attack.
LGBT activists were planning to hold a forum on the history of the gay rights movement in the strategic Black Sea port city after a local court on Thursday banned the planned march over fears it could spark violence.
Bodelan earlier denounced the ban, saying it was “illegal and violates our constitutional right of assembly.”
A handful of activists demonstrated near the town hall in defiance of the ban, drawing taunts from passers-by.
An AFP correspondent saw an elderly woman trying to wrest a placard from one demonstrator that read “Dignity Has No Colour”. Police quickly intervened to defuse the confrontation.
Prominent extreme nationalist group Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) — once central to the demonstrations in Kiev that toppled a Russian-backed president last year — had voiced fierce opposition to Saturday’s event.
“We won’t beat the gays, but this march will not take place,” local Pravy Sektor leader Sergui Sternenko was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
A gay pride march in the capital Kiev in June — the second in the nation’s post-Soviet history — was marred by scuffles after activists were attacked by far-right nationalists. Around a dozen people were injured.
The socially conservative country — locked in a bruising war with pro-Russian insurgents — is seeking a closer alliance with Europe and remains keen to promote civil liberties freely enjoyed in much of the West.
But homophobia remains rampant in a nation where the conservative Orthodox church wields considerable influence and nationalist far-right groups have grown more prominent.

Odessa regional governor Mikheil Saakashvili, the Westernising ex-president of Georgia, kept his distance from the controversy, with his administration insisting it was a matter for the city authorities

Teenagers brutally attacked in Manchester's Gay Village during phone robbery

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

12:12, 21 AUGUST 2015
BY PETE BAINBRIDGE

One of the victims, 19, was stamped on as he lay helpless in Sackville Gardens

Two teenagers were knocked to the ground and beaten during a brutal robbery in Manchester’s Gay Village.
One of the victims was stamped on as he lay helpless on the floor in Sackville Gardens in the early hours.
The attack, carried out by a gang of four, came between 4am and 4.45am on Tuesday, August 4.
The victims, both 19, believed to be from Derbyshire, were visiting Manchester city centre for a night out.
They were approached by the offenders at the top end of Sackville Gardens near Canal Street, and the gang made brief conversation before they all left. The offenders soon returned and attacked the pair, then stole their mobile phones and fled.
Police have arrested three people in connection with the attack and are now appealing for information.
One of the offenders was described as white, about 5ft 10in tall, skinny to medium build, mid-20s, and either bald or with very short light brown hair on the sides. He was wearing a dark grey, long-sleeved hooded top with writing on the front.
Another was said to be white, mid-20s, about 6ft tall and wearing a baseball cap, jogging bottoms and a dark grey hooded top. The others were also thought to be wearing jogging bottoms and hooded tops.
Three men, aged 19, 20 and 25, have been arrested on suspicion of assault and were bailed until September 23, pending further enquiries.
Det Sgt Mark Astbury said: “These two young men had simply come into Manchester to enjoy a night out when, for absolutely no reason, they were set upon by a gang of four men. With strength in numbers, they subjected these two innocent young men to a nasty and unprovoked attack and stole their mobile phones.
“We have made three arrests but our inquiries will continue until we establish the identities of everyone involved and brought these people to justice. I would therefore appeal to anyone who has information or who witnessed what happened to please do the right thing, come forward and tell us what you know.”
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

PSNI are requested to help in the search for a suspect from Wales

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Alec Warburton, 59, has been missing from his home in Swansea since last month and police believe he may have been murdered..

Welsh Police have discovered Mr Warburton’s lodger David Craig Ellis, 40, who they wish to speak to, has travelled to Ireland via ferry.

At a police conference, Det Superintendent Paul Hurley confirmed David Craig Ellis, who is wanted for questioning in connection with Mr Warburton’s murder, was seen getting on a ferry at Birkenhead Merseyside on August 5 and disembarking the following day in Belfast.
He also statedthat they had found Mr Warburton’s car at the Birkenhead ferry port.
If you have any information please contact the PSNI, and do not approach or confront Mr David Ellis.

UK sex offender who murdered gay student jailed for life

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

21 August 2015 by Joe Morgan

RIP Billy Mankelow

Richard Danter was found guilty of the horrific crime

UK sex offender who murdered gay student jailed for life

A British sex offender who murdered a gay student will be jailed for life.

Richard Danter, 31, pleaded guilty to the ‘sustained and brutal’ murder of 20-year-old Billy Mankelow in court.
He was ordered to serve a minimum sentence of 15 years and eight months.
It was found that Danter, who identified in court as bisexual, kicked and stamped on Mankelow more than 20 times and left him in a horrific state under a railway arch.
The two had met earlier in the evening at a gay bar, the Viaduct. Mankelow had been there on a night out with colleagues at the call centre he worked at part time while studying social sciences at the University of Leeds. The two then went to the Dark Arches area for a sexual encounter.
When Danter attacked him, kicking and stamping on him, he returned to the bar. After another drink, Danter then went back to the body that he had severely injured and dragged it to a place where it was harder to see. He then stole Mankelow’s phone, passports and other items from his clothing to prevent him from being identified.

Mankelow was found half naked, bleeding heavily from his head by two members of the public. He died in Leeds General Infirmary from major head injuries later that day on 26 April.
As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, judge Peter Collier said: ‘You subjected him to an unspeakable degree of violence.”
‘I do not accept that you did not know he was still alive. You abandoned him there under those Dark Arches. You went back, you bent down to move him.
‘Others who found him subsequently had no difficulty in immediately realising that he was still alive.’
In court, it was revealed Danter had been jailed for four years after attempting to rape an 18-year-old with learning difficulties.
Mankelow’s family released a statement, reading: ‘Billy loved life and had lots of friends. He was independent and motivated and went to study at Leeds University. Billy loved Leeds, a place where he made a life for himself and had lots of friends.
‘Billy’s family and friends are all distraught at the way Billy died; which was so senseless and unnecessary. Billy was simply out with friends having a good time with his life ahead of him.’
Detective Chief Inspector David Shipperlee, of British Transport Police, said: ‘Danter dragged Billy into an alcove in the railway arch, presumably to conceal his body, and left him for dead.
‘His death is such a tragic waste of a young life, a life taken by a violent, evil and dangerous man, who has a history of previous convictions for violence and sexual offenses, who is now where he belongs – behind bars.’

Gay conversion therapy to become illegal for LGBT minors in Illinois

22/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

“Illinois kids can now rest easy in the knowledge that they cannot be forced or coerced to undergo dangerous and discredited treatments to fix who they are.”

The practice of gay ‘conversion’ therapy on minors is to stop
Bruce Rauner, the current Governor of Illinois has signed a bill banning the practice of gay conversion therapy on Thursday afternoon, making it the fifth jurisdiction after California, New Jersey, Washington D.C and Oregon.
“Illinois families can now have confidence that the mental health professional they turn to in times of uncertainty may not use their state license to profit from their children’s pain,” Samantha Ames, staff attorney with the National Centre for Lesbian Rights, said in a statement following the governor’s action on Thursday.
“Most importantly, Illinois kids can now rest easy in the knowledge that they cannot be forced or coerced to undergo dangerous and discredited treatments to fix who they are.”
The American Psychological Association concluded that the attempt to change a persons sexual orientation through conversion therapy does not work. Many former patients of behavioural therapy have testified about the psychological damage it has caused.
President Obama has also called for an end to the practice, saying it has “devastating effects.”
John Paulk a former advocate for the ex-gay movement appeared on Newsweek’s infamous cover in 1998, arguing for the efficacy of conversion therapy. He has since divorced his wife of 20 years and lives as an openly gay man. Speaking on the subject of behavioural therapy Paulk said: “Going through conversion therapy is like when children are molested, and they live with that for their entire lives. They’re still being harmed, even through it happened years ago.”
He went on to add: “I am very much against any therapies that would attempt to coerce a child into a box for their sexuality.”
The Illinois law goes into effect on the 1st January 2016.
Words Joseph Roddis, @iamjoeroddis