Category: News
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NEWS: The Cattle Market – Bristol Bisons RFC Bachelor Auction
Bristol Bisons RFC in support of the Terrence Higgins trust is proud to present The Cattle Market – Bachelor Auction and BBQ. (more…)
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Find your perfect condom
HIV Prevention England launches online service to help gay men find their perfect condom.
Gay and bisexual men in England will be able to access made-to-measure advice on how to find their perfect condom, as Terrence Higgins Trust and HIV Prevention England (HPE) launch a new online service called ‘Fits Me’.
From Tuesday 2nd July, men can access the new service by visiting www.startswithme.org.uk. The service asks simple questions about size, sensitivity and latex allergy, before giving personalised advice on what type of condom will provide the best fit and give more sensation. Men can then choose to purchase that brand (or others) from campaign partner Freedoms (www.freedoms-shop.nhs.uk) at a significantly reduced price, or take advantage of an introductory offer from custom-fit condom retailer They Fit (www.theyfit.co.uk).
Gay and bisexual men remain one of the groups most at risk of HIV infection in England. Using condoms – alongside regular HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment for those living with HIV – has been identified as a key factor in halting the spread of the epidemic among the gay community. Using condoms and lube when having anal sex drastically reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, being passed on. A recent study showed that, if every gay man in the UK had stopped using condoms in 2000, there would have been an extra 80,000 HIV infections within the community by 2010.
Cary James, Head of Health Promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
“No self-respecting gay man would go to a shoe shop and pick up a random pair of trainers, so why go with the first condom that comes to hand? We want to remind guys that selecting the right condom for you is a consumer decision. These days there’s a huge range of brands out there – in different sizes, shapes, thicknesses and materials – and just a little bit of research can yield a big improvement in sensation. We hope our new ‘Fits Me’ service will make it even easier for guys to find their perfect fit, and help them to stay safe while having the best experience possible.”
As well as the ‘Fits Me’ service, the website also carries information on the different types of condoms and lubricants available. It will be promoted through press and online adverts, leaflets, posters in gay venues, and on tens of thousands of condom packs distributed at venues and events across the country. The campaign will also be rolled out across England through a network of regional organisations, funded by HPE to promote the campaign in their local communities.
HIV Prevention England is a partnership of community organisations headed by Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Department of Health to carry out national HIV prevention work in England among communities at an increased risk of infection.
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Manchester’s Pride Line Up Complete With Moto Blanco
Singer and style icon, Sam Sparro (Black and Gold, Happiness) joined by DJ’s and electronic music duo Moto Blanco, Misha B, Queens of Pop, and Happy Mondays dance diva Rowetta, amongst others.
Manchester Pride is excited to announce openly gay Sam Sparro as the final act for this year’s Big Weekend Saturday night line-up. Sam is joined by popular production duo Moto Blanco, best known for their remixes of number one artists Adele, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna, who will be playing a live DJ set on the Main Arena stage.
Grammy-nominated musician Sam Sparro rose to fame with his 2008 smash hit single ‘Black and Gold’, which sold over 100,000 copies in the UK alone. Sam followed up his debut solo artist album working with dance producers Basement Jaxx and Mark Ronson. His second album, ‘Return To Paradise’, was released in 2012 to widespread acclaim.
Bobby Blanco and Miki Moto are the production aliases of South London dance music duo Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith, who have been deejaying and remixing as Moto Blanco since 2003. T
heir remixes of Adele’s ‘Set Fire To The Rain, and Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’ have filled dancefloors across the globe.
Sam Sparro and Moto Blanco are joined on the Main Arena stage by X Factor star Misha B, Internet sensations Queens of Pop, electro-pop five-piece Swiss Lips, pop-ska group Scarlett’s Roses, Sam Gray, Scarlet Street, Manchester boyband The Mend, and much-loved Happy Mondays vocalist Rowetta.
Manchester Pride Chief Executive, John Stewart said: “We are delighted to welcome Sam Sparro, who completes our fantastic Saturday night Big Weekend line-up, and underlines Manchester Pride’s commitment to showcasing LGBT artists. With a live DJ set from Moto Blanco, and performances by many more exciting acts, including Misha B, Queens of Pop, and Swiss Lips, the Saturday night bill looks set to be one of the many highlights of this summer’s Manchester Pride festival!
Big Weekend tickets are still available with a limited number at the Early Bird price of £16 from manchesterpride.com and selected outlets.
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607 million people now live with gay marriage equality
An analysis undertaken by Melbourne Ports Residents for Marriage Equality (MPRME) has revealed that globally there are now 607 million people living in jurisdictions with full marriage equality.
The resumption of same-sex weddings in California last week pushed the number of people living in regions with marriage equality above 600 million for the first time ever.
With England and Wales set to introduce marriage equality soon and with more and more US states coming on board, this figure is set to climb even higher over the coming months.
“What this shows it that marriage equality is not just a temporary fad,” said MPRME spokesperson, Tony Pitman. “It’s a wave of equality that’s sweeping the globe. It’s a fundamental human rights reform that’s an inevitable part of social progress.”
“It’s clearly inevitable here in Australia as well. Any Australian politician who says that this is an issue that will just go away is either seriously deluded or lying.”
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GAY HEALTH: Pace Launches Low-Cost Couple Counselling
PACE is delighted to offer a new low-cost couple counselling and relationship support service for people who identify as LGBT and their partners. PACE knows that experiencing healthy relationships can be key to achieving wellbeing in life.
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Best Universities For Being Gay Friendly
Stonewall today launches the fourth edition of Gay By Degree, the only guide showing how gay-friendly the UK’s 157 universities are. Gay By Degree 2014, now online at www.gaybydegree.org.uk, gives lesbian, gay and bisexual prospective students a single place to find out what each university has to offer them before they apply for places for 2014.
Gay By Degree judges each university against 10 criteria to show how well they support their gay students. These include whether the university has a policy to tackle homophobic bullying, whether there are societies and events for gay students, and what steps they take to support gay staff.
The average score across the sector is just 4.5. Currently only 40 universities engage with the wider community on issues affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual students, and just 27 have an anti-homophobic bullying policy accompanied by mandatory staff training. Just two universities, Liverpool John Moores and Cardiff scored 10 out of 10. The top 21 universities are all working with Stonewall through the Diversity Champions programme which helps employers to support gay staff.
Stonewall Head of Education Wes Streeting said,
‘With universities charging £9,000 fees, it’s right to expect them to provide a high quality experience for all students, including those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. This year, we’ve unapologetically introduced stricter criteria to encourage universities to improve provision for students. Particular congratulations are due to Cardiff University and Liverpool John Moores University for being the only universities in Britain to score full marks.
‘It’s particularly concerning that only fourteen universities have diversity monitoring in place for lesbian, gay and bisexual students. If universities aren’t even counting the number of gay students, how can they assure themselves and prospective students that they are providing an inclusive experience? We hope that the findings from this year’s exercise prompts action by the higher education sector to properly monitor the experience of gay students from the point of application through to graduation.’
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NoHomophobes.com Aims To Research Homophobia Online
The team that brought the internet, NoHomophobes.com has started an online campaign to research homophobic trends online.
The project which is being labelled as NoHomophobes 2.0 is using crowd sourcing techniques to obtain labellers to identify tweets that use homophobic language. These human-generated labels will later be used in a machine-learning approach to this research study.
The research team are looking for as diverse a set of individuals as possible to participate in this unique study. You do not have to be a Twitter user or have Twitter account to participate. You can help them by simply visiting our research project to sign up as a labeller to help code the tweets you will see.
“Not only is the labelling process important, it’s also a fun, educational, and eye-opening experience,” said a statement from projects website.
To get involved simply visit:http://www.nohomophobesresearch.com or the Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/ResearchUofA
When we asked Twitter what they were doing to combat homophobia online, a spokesperson said:“As a policy, we do not mediate content (see section 4 of our Terms of Service) or intervene in disputes between users. However, targeted abuse may constitute an infringement of the Twitter Rules”
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Launch of new domestic abuse counselling
PACE is pleased to offer a new counselling service for LGBT people who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse can and does occur in same sex and trans relationships. Counselling can help those who have experienced domestic abuse overcome trauma, recover and rebuild their lives. It can provide a safe, non-judgemental environment to work through the impact of both past and continuing abuse.
Kath Blake Counselling Service Manager at PACE says,
“it can be difficult to recognise when a relationship becomes abusive and many people hide their experiences. Discussing situations with a trained professional can enable people to make changes and deal with the multiple challenges that people in abusive intimate partner relationships face”.
This service is free, and part of DAP, a new domestic abuse partnership offering practical help with, for example, housing and legal issues, as well as providing emotional support and counselling.
The DAP is made up of 5 LGBT agencies who each provide different services for LGBT victims/survivors of domestic abuse. With one phone call, you will be linked in with Stonewall Housing, Galop, Pace, London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, and Broken Rainbow.
If you’re currently experiencing abuse in your relationship, have recently come out of an abusive relationship or have experienced abuse from a family member, do get in touch with PACE.
We offer up to 12 sessions of individual counselling to those living in all London boroughs.
Info and enquiries: 020 7700 1323 or email dacounselling@pacehealth.org.uk
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NEWS: The Falkland Islands To Celebrate First Gay Pride.
The Falkland Islands celebrates first ever gay pride. (more…)
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The Falkland Islands to celebrate first gay pride
The Falkland Islands celebrates first ever gay pride.
For the first time in its history the Falkland Islands will celebrate their first gay pride.
The tiny Islands off the coast of Argentina are inhabited by just under 3000 Falkland Islanders.
Speaking from the Islands via Twitter, Scott Betts, a radio presenter who is stationed on the islands said:
“Hurricane Gay Pride hits the Falklands tomorrow, we’re hoping that some military guys and girls will be attending.”
Although this is the first official pride, last year Mr. Betts ran a last minute pride and a publican ran monthly ‘rainbow’ nights a few years ago.