TODAY, the third Thursday in October, is Spirit Day, when millions of people wear purple and change their social media profile pictures to help create a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people are celebrated and accepted for who they are. What is Spirit Day? Spirit Day is an annual day held on the third Thursday of October when… Read more »
WHAT MAKES the debate over same-sex marriage around the world really interesting is the power of empathy, when ordinary people who are not LGBT begin to see it from our point of view. Spare six minutes to hear this man say why he began to get what it’s like to be judged second-rate for who you are and who you… Read more »
The following text is a reflection I presented today during Morning Prayer at the church I attend with my partner. The church chooses a monthly theme for its services – this month’s theme was Musicals! When my partner and I were asked to lead a service on the theme of musicals, at first I thought: ‘How stereotypical! Asking a gay… Read more »
THIS HAUNTING AND POIGNANT SONG is dedicated to those who don’t feel free to love for fear of judgement, or even physical assault, by others who assume their love is wrong: They met across the dance floor just like many other lovers Each of them were caught within a trance And with the nervousness of any other lover He went… Read more »
TODAY I STAYED at home in the warmth, working on the annual report of the Michael Causer Foundation, of which I am a trustee. To prevent me going stir-crazy from being home all day, I decided to walk to the evening service at a nearby Anglican Church. On the way, I passed the derelict Welsh Presbyterian Church (above), known as… Read more »
‘HOW DEEP dare I go? How far might I reach?’ These challenging questions form part of a framed display of the life story St Ignatius of Loyola on the wall of Loyola Hall Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Merseyside. I went there with an early draft of of my ‘coming out’ story to make an eight day silent retreat, with the… Read more »
TODAY I was at a workshop about sharing good practice examples of LGBT work in schools. The sound I heard today was inspiration. As coordinator of the longest running LGBT youth group in the country, I receive requests to speak in schools and deliver workshops on LGBT awareness for young people. Other colleagues from around the country were there too,… Read more »
I AM very fortunate to be a youth worker, which means often when I’m working, I also get to play! Working with young people aged 13-25 helps keep me young. This is the rainbow umbrella I use to lead my LGBT youth group in the Liverpool Pride march each year. It is a highlight of the year – although a… Read more »
NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY (NCOD) has been celebrated on 11th October in the US and increasingly around the world, since 1988. NCOD celebrates individuals who publicly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) and coming out about sexual orientation and/or gender identity as a cultural rite of passage for LGBT people. It marks the anniversary of the 1987 National March… Read more »
ON OCTOBER 12th SEEN, the LGBT community magazine for Merseyside, will host the second annual SEEN Awards. This year there are several new awards, including ‘Inspirational Person of the Year’. When the shortlist was announced at the end of August I was pleasantly surprised to find I am on it. Am I inspirational? Clearly someone thought so, otherwise I wouldn’t… Read more »
