FEBRUARY is LGBT History Month in the UK – marked every year in the UK since 2004 to remember and celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT people past and present. It was set up by Sue Sanders, founder of Schools Out, a group for LGBT teachers since 1974. LGBT History Month is a wonderful opportunity to explore the lives of people who… Read more »
A YEAR AGO I trained as a volunteer with Diversity Role Models, a charity which offers workshops in schools featuring positive LGBT or straight ally role models who speak directly to young people about their experiences, to challenge bullying by promoting empathy. They began in London in 2011 and are now expanding across the UK, including Merseyside where I live and… Read more »
Wednesday 10th December is Human Rights Day. In celebration, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is launching Speak OUT: 5 ways to fight back against homophobia and transphobia. Watch and share the video with your friends and family. Unchecked prejudice often leads directly to discrimination, violence and the denial of basic human rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. You… Read more »
OPEN TABLE, the monthly service for Liverpool’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* (LGBT) community at St Bride’s Liverpool, held its first Retreat Day last weekend. Twelve regular participants in the Open Table service came together at the Cenacle Convent in Liverpool for a time of reflection on where we have come from as individuals and what it mean to be an… Read more »
This article about my work was published last week on the blog of Young Minds, the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people: Coming out to yourself… …is the first step FOR THE LAST nine years, I have had the pleasure of supporting young people who identify as lesbian, gay,… Read more »
RAINBOW SUNDAY came to the Church of England last weekend – Clergy and parishioners across the country wore rainbows to show solidarity with LGBT people in protest against the House of Bishops ‘pastoral guidance’ on same sex marriage, issued last month. The campaign is backed by Inclusive Church, a group committed to working for a church that is welcoming and open to all. It is… Read more »
A YEAR AGO TODAY, Stephen Fry came to Liverpool to meet members of the Liverpool LGBT youth group GYRO (gay youth ‘r’ out) to find out about their experiences of being young and LGBT in 21st Century Britain. It was planned as part of his documentary on homophobia called Stephen Fry: Out There which was first broadcast by the BBC… Read more »
LAST WEDNESDAY: former Aston Villa and Everton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who resigned from professional football last September, announced he is gay. No other professional footballer currently playing in this country has had the courage to do the same. Hitzlsperger said there is “a long way to go” before there will be an openly gay man playing in a top league. He explained: ‘The… Read more »
AS THE GOVERNMENT has announced the date when the first marriages for same sex couples in England and Wales can take place, churches which remain challenged by this social change would do well to follow the lead of Steve Chalke, a high-profile evangelical church leader, who earlier this year called for a radical rethink of Christian views on sexuality and marriage…. Read more »
LAST WEEK the BBC screened Stephen Fry: Out There, a ground-breaking two part documentary about homophobia around the world. As the title suggests, it was presented by the multi-talented Stephen Fry, who describes himself on Twitter as: ‘British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger.’ During the making of the documentary, the production company contacted me, as… Read more »