More to Me Than HIV

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More to Me Than HIV

First published in Gscene July 2020 For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library.For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library. For the project I spoke openly about my journey having being           Read more

More to Me Than HIV: GScene post Aug 2020

More to Me Than HIV is a project that aims to breakdown the stigma that has historically been attached to this virus.  When I saw my piece in last months Gscene to promote the More to Me Than HIV project, I was extremely proud, but a small part of me was filled with anxiety; but why should I feel this way? I have been on effective antiretroviral therapy since the Read more

More to Me Than HIV: first published in GScene July 2020

For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library. For the project I spoke openly about my journey having being             diagnosed HIV+ 32 years previous. Back then there was no treatment and a lot of fear and misinformation concerning how HIV was transmitted. As such stigma was rife, Read more

Brighton & Hove

Gays Gone By….

When Madonna sang “Time goes by, so slowly” she really wasn’t telling the truth. Time flies by, but within that time there are hundreds of special Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender moments that we have all captured on an electronic device or even on an old Box Brownie (ask you your elders to explain that one). From club night, beach days, Pride and World AIDS day there are so many memories that the good people at QueenSpark Books would like you to share with the rest of the world. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Leisure, LGBT, QueenSpark Books, Zhoosh Leave a comment

Speak Out Against Homophobia.

Here in the UK, the LGBT community can celebrate the many rights we have all fought for and won over the last few decades, from having homosexuality abolished as a criminal offence, the equal age of consent and most recently the right for same sex couples to have their union together acknowledged in the form of civil partnerships. Looking at such ground breaking achievements it would be easy to think that we can sit back and relax because all the big battles have been won; but this really is not the case.

For every outdated piece of legislation that has been overturned there are still those who see homosexuality as second class to their straight counterparts and this is passed down to the next generation through a variety of ways. Last week it immerged that Google had rolled out a new app giving mums the opportunity to answer twenty cliché questions to determine if their son is gay.

Some of the ridiculous questions that the makers claimed would determine the outcome of their son’s sexuality included,

  • Is he a fan of divas (Madonna, Britney Spears)?
  • Does he spend time getting ready before being seen in public?
  • Does he like musical comedies?

So what if someone, gay or straight, takes a while to get dressed up to see Madonna in a musical comedy, but the way these questions are backed up by,

  • Does he like football?
  • Does he read the sports page in the newspaper?
  • Has he ever been in a fight?

It become perfectly clear that the people who put the app together are suggesting that if someone’s son doesn’t conform to the outdated gender norms, they are less of a man and as such are seen as inferior to others in society. Of course the people behind the app would say that such questions should not be taken so seriously and they are just a bit of fun; but it is these same outdated views that bullies use to undermine their peers from the playground to the workplace and keep many people from declaring proudly that they are gay.

A prime example can be seen in football. At present there is a campaign DVD due to be launched, titled; Homophobia: Let’s Tackle It! with the makers hoping to follow the success of, ‘Show Racism the Red Card’. The makers had wanted a gay footballer to front the DVD, but have been greeted by a brick wall. Not since Justin Fashanu, (who committed suicide in1998) has there been another professional footballer ‘come out’ as gay. They also found it impossible to get a straight footballer to speak out against homophobia, for fear of a backlash from the terraces and in the press.

It is without doubt that the main reason for such an absence of ‘out’ footballers speaking out on the issue isn’t down to gay men, as the app questions would suggest, not being any good at sport but more to do with homophobia still being rive within the ‘beautiful game’.

In the same week there was a conference for the Orlando Republican presidential debate. During the session Stephen Hill, a US soldier serving in Iraq, spoke via video link saying he was pleased he was able to be open about his homosexuality now President Obama had abolished the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that had meant gay and lesbian service men and women would be fired from their post if their sexuality was exposed. The response from the chair came that should the Republican Party take office again, the ban on homosexuals in the forces would be put firmly back in place. The people behind such thinking are fully aware that there are hundreds of gay and lesbian people working in the arm forces, but to show that gay men and women are working in environments outside the clichéd stereotypes would show that the only thing different between sexualities is the gender we decided to sleep with.

These are just a few examples of how a part of society believes that to be gay is something that must be ridiculed, hated and stamped out. We may have won some big battles, but we must keep our voices heard loud, expose gay hate in all its forms, and stamp out the hatred so the next generation will only find homophobia in the history books.

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Human Rights, Leisure, Zhoosh 1 Comment

QueenSpark Books

Brighton is famed for being unconventional with its melting pot of people of all ages, backgrounds, faiths and sexualities, reflected back to us through the various mix of architecture, tourists attractions and shops. Brighton has long been known as a place to nurture new talent, explore new ideas and allow people to express who they are. Another Brighton trait is for its residents to stand up and be counted when it matters. One such group did that way back in 1972 when those living in the Queens Park area ran a campaign to stop developers turning the Royal Spa Buildings into a Casino and into a nursery school instead. Read more

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Brighton, My Brighton

From the moment Prince Regent drew up plans for his infamous weekend palace in the heart of Brighton, the city has gained itself a reputation as the place to go for a cheeky weekend away. However, since its promotion from a town to a city, its reputation as the place you must visit has lifted Brighton above all over UK cities with many a tourists realising there is more to this little city then a stick of rock and a stroll along the prom. In fact a recent survey showed that a whopping 94% of Brighton residents live in a happy home, which reflects just what a great place Brighton is to live. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Leisure 1 Comment

Outdoor Positive: a walking group for eveyone affected by HIV.

Outdoor Positive.

The idea for Outdoor Positive, a group for anybody affected by HIV first came about when David, one of the main organisers of the group, got talking to a nurse at the Sussex Beacon.

“The conversation got round to the benefits of outdoor walks. I spoke about my time as a youth in the scout movement with many activities involving getting out into the countryside and the enjoyment I got from such activities.”

            David: Outdoor Positive.

Other people said how they didn’t really identify with the pub/ club scene so much and found the only time they connected with other HIV positive people was either through visits to the Sussex Beacon or the Lawson unit clinic. From this initial conversation a group was put together with the simple ethos meeting up away from the bars and clubs and to take a walk around the countryside of East Sussex. Word quickly got round of the new group and its first walk last year in March taking in the sights of Stanmer Park and the surrounding area. The team behind Lunch Positive were on hand to provide the refreshments with around thirty people turning up on the day. The feedback was extremely positive with many people saying how nice it was to get out and see parts of countryside that they had wanted to explore but would never have done so on their own. Since then Outdoor Positive have explored many different parts of East Sussex’s country side, with all the starting and finishing points accessible via public transport. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Health, HIV/AIDS, Leisure, LGBT, Zhoosh Leave a comment

In the Name of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Pride.

Photo By Angus Stewart

With only two days to go before Brighton’s LGBTQ Pride hits the streets, with people either choosing to stay at home, pay to go to the organise event in the park, gather in one of the other parks, hit the beach or congregate in the ‘Gay Village’ up and down St James Street. Although the weather forecast is not looking that great at the moment, but hey you never know it might just break out into sunshine just for us on the day. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Gscene, Health, Human Rights, Leisure, LGBT Leave a comment

la cage aux folles (then & now)

 

If the word “camp” claws your throat then please look away now, for everyone else get yourself a ticket for the Brighton Theatre Groups production of the fabulously camp La Cage aux Folles. This brilliant gay farce was first produced in France in 1973 with the premise revolving around two gay men, Georges, the owner of the drag revue night club were his long term lover, Albin takes to the stage each night as the super glamorous Zaza.

Although gay men having children is no longer seen as partially shocking, the play was way ahead of its time by having Georges and Albin as proud gay parents to a son ( a result of a short fling George had twenty years before) called Laurent (in the musical his name is Jean-Michel).

 

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Everthing you wanted to know about S&M sex but were afraid to ask…

Red Hankie

Red, Yellow, Black and Blue.

For those who know there hanky code, the title will prick up their ears (was the last word a typing error?)For the experienced, and novices alike when it comes to all things S&M, THT and CHAPS have                    re-launched the excellent  Hardcell

Hardcell (http://hardcell.org.uk) is an extremely well informed website looking at the more diverse side of sex play. The site is split into five areas each answering nearly every question you wanted to ask about S&M sex but was too afraid to ask.

The playroom looks at S&M games covering everything from corporal punishment, body modification, breath controls to sex toys. The site is easy to navigate around giving sound advice on how to get the best from each sexual activity, keeping you and your partner safe and how some of the activities are perceived by the law. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Health, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Leisure, LGBT, THT, Zhoosh Leave a comment

THT Super Hero Fund Raising and Beyond!

THT Super Heros: Photo by Vincent lcq

As part of their ongoing strategy to keep the message of safer sex and HIV in the public’s mind, the team at Terrence Higgins Trust have embarked on a range of fun fundraising activities. On the 15th May THT joined the event “Brighton’s Hero’s Run”, organised by the charity “Passing It On”, a charity that helps help build funds for Schools in Africa, along with host of other fundraising groups dressed in an array of costumes. Amoug the many Supermen, super women were Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble complete with their stone-age car and even Super Gran. As well as being a lot of fun, THT raised an impressive £2000 on the day. Read more

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New LGBT Project for Brighton

LGBT Health Involvement Project

The staff at Terrance Higgins Trust Brighton has been working on a variety of new and exciting projects. New staff member Nick Douglas is the coordinator for a new initiative working with LGBT organisations in Brighton, (LGBT switchboard, THT South, Mind Out, Allsorts Youth Project, Brighton Both Ways and the Claire Project)     to get a better understanding of the core groups health needs. Read more

Posted on by Glenn Stevens in Brighton & Hove, Health, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Leisure, LGBT, THT, Zhoosh Leave a comment