God’s Other Children – A London Memoir by Vernal Scott. A new non-fiction book which details the impact of HIV and AIDS from a black/gay perspective, and much much more besides. The forewords are written by Sir Nick Partridge, Peter Tatchell, and Lord Paul Boateng. It’s available from Foyles, Amazon and Gay’s The Word.
The Co-Operative Group Respect ‘Loved by You’ Awards 2013 – get voting. The awards are very much back to basics. They are an opportunity for people from all over the UK (anyone in the world can vote too) to vote for their favourites in 27 diverse categories.
NO 2 LGBT HATE CRIME: Reclaim Vauxhall – from David ‘dbh’ Braniff-Herbert on Facebook. After a homophobic attack, help me reclaim our LGBT-friendly space back in Vauxhall by walking with me, friends and family holding hands. Last Sunday, my partner and I had homophobic abuse and a threat of violence used against us whilst walking along the river Thames with an arm around each other in Vauxhall. We were then followed to a pub where two of the boys came in, one holding some sort of weapon.
UK Disability History Month: 22nd November – 22nd December 2013. UK Disability History Month was set up to celebrate our lives and to explore the history of negative attitudes and their consequences. Despite the Olympics creating positive shifts in the media and public attitudes to disabled people, levels of hate crime continue to increase and disabled people are bearing the brunt of Government austerity measures. The long history of civil and human rights’ struggles by the Disabled People’s Movement has led to the majority of disabled people living independently in the community. Over the last 70 years, all long stay hospital and institutions, where disabled people were inhumanely ‘warehoused’, have rightly been closed. This is now in danger of being reversed. The UK’s international human rights obligations are increasingly not being met.
“We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.”
Scotland prepares for historic parliamentary vote on equal marriage – The Scottish Parliament will hold a crucial debate and vote on Scotland’s equal marriage legislation today. The Stage One vote on the country’s same-sex marriage bill is in many respects the most important vote because it will reveal for the first time whether a majority of MSPs supporting introducing equal marriage, or whether they will reject the bill.
Bangladesh officially recognizes hijra as separate gender – A third gender will recognize hijra, often seen as similar to trans or intersex people, in all official government documents.
Schools OUT UK Pink Promotion – Press Release: 10 Years since Section 28: Promote Pink Against Prejudice. Schools Out is running a ‘Pink Promotion’ to commemorate the 10 year anniversary since the repeal of Section 28 by urging everyone, particularly those involved in education, to wear pink on the 18th November 2013.Schools Out has chosen the colour pink for the 10 year anniversary as pink is associated with diversity and the LGBT community since it was reclaimed from its use to identify homosexual men under Nazi Germany. Pink therefore also embodies opposition to Section 28.
Peter Tatchell Foundation:Urge LGBTI equality in Commonwealth – 12 noon to 2pm, Wednesday 13 November Commonwealth HQ, Marlborough House. Corner of Pall Mall and St James’s Street, London SW1Y 5HX. Wednesday’s protest is timed to take place just two days before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opens in Sri Lanka. It is jointly sponsored by the Kaleidoscope Trust, the Peter Tatchell Foundation and the African LGBTI Out & Proud Diamond Group.
RMT PROTEST ACTION: Lithuanian Embassy London – Five anti-LGBT bills are to be considered in the Lithuania parliament in the December 2013 session. In solidarity with Lithuanian LGBT people and the Lithuanian Gay League, RMT Union will stage a protest demonstration outside of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in London.
