outburst_2009-09

from the editor I would like to congratulate REACH, the group set up

by Education Action Challenging Homophobia, on its Big Lottery Fund award. The money will allow REACH to continue and expand upon its crucial work in combating the stifling homophobia some young LGB people still encounter, which so damages their confidence, personal development and life chances.

This disadvantage does not exist for heterosexual youngsters; the majority and representative of ‘the norm’, they do not encounter the crippling prejudice which so often can lead LGB young people to low self-esteem, depression and in the worst-case scenarios, self-harm and suicide.

The above headline quite obtusely assumes that we already have a level playing field in terms of LGB equality. If this were true, the argument against awarding grants to such groups might be stronger, but the truth is there remains a very real gap that must be closed, and it is through the good work of REACH and similar initiatives that we will ultimately close it.

I would like to offer a counterpoint to Cllr. Eddy’s branding of this award as “an outrageous waste of money”: in my view, what is actually outrageous is that a public servant representing a diverse electorate could be so ostentatiously unaware of the importance of the work such grants enable. I would hazard a guess that canvassing the opinions of Bristol’s LGB community beforehand was kept to a minimum, if the resultant 600-strong Facebook group calling for his resignation is anything to go by. In any case, his position is arguably at odds with the values of the organisation by which he is employed, Bristol City Council being bound by a duty to promote LGB equality.

Asserting that “special treatment” of equalities groups represents political correctness is a trite and clumsy conflation too often dragged out by the right, which betrays a lack of understanding, whether deliberate or unwitting, both of the meaning of the phrase “political correctness” and of what equalities work entails. Political correctness is characterised by ignorance which results in knee-jerk, often-nonsensical decisions motivated by a fear of causing offence. Equalities work, in stark contrast, is driven a broad understanding of the issues, framed by a commitment to eliminating disadvantage, improving social justice and promoting human rights. In identifying shortcomings in opportunity and attitudes and seeking to eliminate them, it is a conscientious, altruistic and very human pursuit.

An increasingly diverse, connected and enlightened global society requires that each of its citizens understand the importance of human equality. Such a society will place ever-greater demands on its members that they engage with this agenda. Those unwilling or unable to evolve to meet these demands risk finding themselves suddenly irrelevant and left out in the cold; brittle relics of an abandoned paradigm.

Best wishes, James

Hate Crime

CONTENTS

Avon and Somerset Constabulary are committed to tackling hate crime in its many forms and ensure that any reported hate crime is dealt with both robustly and as quickly as possible. Our ongoing work within the gay community in Bristol has produced excellent results and has also helped to develop the relationship between the police and the LGBT communities of the city.

3 Hate Crime – John McBride 5 A word from EACH 6 News from cyberspace 7 Support Against Racist Incidents (S.A.R.I.)

All of the gay venues in Bristol hold self reporting forms for homophobic hate crime, allowing anyone to quickly fill in (anonymously if so desired) a short form that is then collated by the police to record homophobia. This has helped us to develop a better understanding of the day to day issues faced within the gay community, as well as allowing us to interact with and provide a more personal service to victims of hate crime.

8 DICE: Disablist Incidents & Crime Education LGB Forum seeks new treasurer 9 Upcoming events

There have been 20 reported homophobic hate crimes recorded over the last two months; all bar one have been verbal abuse targeting people in the West St and Old Market areas.

Historically this kind of verbal abuse has happened on occasion outside of the gay venues across the city, but it has not been until fairly recently that these incidents have been reported to us.

The Role of the Crown Prosecution Service in Fighting Hate Crime 11 Sing Out Bristol

It is important for the police to be aware of even these relatively minor incidents as it helps us to understand the problems faced by those in the gay community. If we know what is happening we can do something about it. We would encourage those who have access to the police website to use the online form to report hate crime or to use the self reporting forms held at the gay venues. You can also call the police using 0845 4567000 for non emergency reporting. This way we will be able to target the problems that are presented to us.

12 Bristol LGB Forum – volunteers wanted!

13 Bristol Rape Crisis Helpline 14 Listings

Until recently no homophobic hate crime was being reported and this did not represent what we were hearing on the streets. Just because someone might consider an incident ‘minor’ does not mean that it is a waste of police time 3

patrols are visible and on your patch at times when they will be most effective and when you tell us you most need them.

4. Respond to every message directed to your Safer, Stronger Neighbourhoods Team within 24 hours.

5. Answer 999 calls within 10 seconds, deploying to emergencies immediately, giving an estimated time of arrival, getting to you safely and as quickly as possible. In urban areas, we will aim to get to you within 15 minutes and in rural areas within 20 minutes.

6. Answer all non-emergency calls promptly.

7. Arrange regular public meetings to agree your priorities, at least once a month, giving you a chance to meet your local team with other members of your community.

8. Provide monthly updates on progress, and on local crime, statistics and policing issues.

9. Provide improved communication if you are a victim of crime.

10. Be more responsive to your views about the service we provide and acknowledge dissatisfaction about the service within 24 hours.

to record it. It is very important that we know what issues are surfacing and what is needed to tackle them.

Monthly ‘Scenewatch’ meetings are held in the Old Market area and these very successful meetings have helped us to solve crimes in the area, gain a better perspective of homophobic hate crime in Bristol and develop close ties within the community. Not only do we attend these ‘Scenewatch’ meetings we have also attended meetings with the LGB Forum at the council and attended special events there, including the recent Under One Sky presentations. We are developing close ties with Freedom Youth and plan to develop projects with them over the coming months.

We are continually developing our community relations and want to make sure that we provide the best possible service to the LGBT people in Bristol. With your help we can target hate crime to help the communities of Bristol feel safe and be safe. Our approach will ensure that our communities and have the fullest confidence in their police service. With your help we can make a difference.

If anyone would like to contact the police about any LGBT-related issue they can contact John McBride in confidence:

We want to do our best for you but if we fail to meet our Pledge we will always explain why it has not been possible on that occasion to deliver the high standards to which we aspire and which you deserve.

07917 529 449 john.mcbride@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk The Policing Pledge The police service in Avon and Somerset Constabulary will support law-abiding citizens and pursue criminals relentlessly to keep you and your neighbourhoods safe from harm.

A word from EACH EACH works across Bristol as part of its wider work throughout the Avon and Somerset area: preventing and responding to homophobic and transphobic (phobic) incidents through support services and training. The charity, established in 2001 and effective since 2003, provides a freephone Actionline, an Online Reporting service and, in dedicated areas which the charity is keen to see extended, a Casework facility. Through this aspect of EACH’s provision, targets of phobic incidents can receive 1-2-1 support, benefiting from EACH’s long standing commitment to work in a wraparound way with complementary statutory and voluntary sector support agencies.

We will aim to: 1. Always treat you fairly, with dignity and respect ensuring you have fair access to our services at a time that is reasonable and suitable for you.

2. Provide you with information so you know who your Safer, Stronger Neighbourhoods Team are, and how to contact them.

3. Ensure your Safer, Stronger Neighbourhoods Team and other police 4

having nowhere to go she soon found herself in a very vulnerable and unhappy situation.

EACH helped her liaise with the Council in order to secure her sheltered accommodation.

She was isolated after coming out so we also signposted her to local LGB youth groups where she could feel supported. She is now hoping to start college in the autumn term and is happy in her living arrangements.”

EACH’s Caseworker explains: “We are aware that incidents can affect people in different ways and in some cases simply telling somebody what has happened to them is all a client wants to do. But in most situations more assistance is required. We are here to listen in confidence and work through clients’ problems and concerns in order to empower them and help them to move on.”

EACH, Bristol’s Children and Young People’s Services and the Criminal Justice System recognises that when such behaviour is not explored with children and young people, and tackled appropriately, it can escalate both inside school and out, invariably leading to homophobic crime in young adulthood. This is why EACH is looking forward to developing its delivery into the new academic year and beyond – devising a fresh strategy and programme of work with professionals within Bristol’s Children and Young People’s Services, to prevent and respond to homophobia within school settings.

“Keith faced homophobic abuse from youths outside his home and felt threatened when fireworks were posted through his letter box.

As EACH’s Caseworker, we talked things through and he felt that the only way he would be able to feel safe would be if he were to move. A multi-agency meeting was called with the social landlord and other support services in order to discuss how we could get Keith moved to a safer location. Through EACH’s core intervention and work in partnership with supporting agencies, Keith was awarded a priority move.”

REACH is the newly launched LGB&T youth group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people which meets weekly in Bath and welcomes young people from across the West of England. Created by EACH in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset’s Youth Services. More information is available from EACH on 0117 946 7607.

EACH also works closely with Bristol’s state, academy and independent schools, colleges and universities. Training and awarenessraising is delivered regularly to staff, tutors and lecturers, helping them prevent and respond to homophobic bullying and harassment. They work within all settings, helping colleagues develop strategies to make their learning and working environments more understanding of the equalities issues that spring out of sexual orientation and gender identity and to be alert both to people’s rights and responsibilities concerning these.

EACH recognises that the under-reporting of phobic incidents is common-place and far too high. This is why it works constantly with Bristol’s Hate Crime Unit (and other officers throughout the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area) in order to address this.

EACH’s Executive Director regularly delivers training to officers of Avon and Somerset Constabulary on a variety of issues connected with phobic crimes and sexuality-related matters.

Preventing future phobic crimes and incidents is particularly pertinent in our schools where many young people grow up in an environment that is hostile towards gay people: ‘gay’ is far too often used in a pejorative or insulting manner to denigrate someone or something that an individual disapproves of or underrates.

The organisation holds monthly outreach sessions across the Bristol gay scene where EACH’s Caseworker and a member of Bristol’s Hate Crime unit promote the reporting of phobic incidents and take reports. EACH is enthusiastic to expand this work into the general community and in more places (Weston super Mare’s outreach has been successfully up and running for three years

EACH’s Executive Director comments, “When Lucy came out at the age of 19, attacks on her family home began by local youths who continually threw stones and wrote graffiti on the property. This continued to such an extent that she was told to leave by her parents. She managed to stay on a friend’s settee but 5

now) to reach out to yet more potential or actual victims of Hate Crime.

Menu, or from the Menu itself; you can even subscribe by RSS feed at the bottom of the main Calendar page there is a small, orange RSS icon, click on it and select the feed method you prefer then save it to your Bookmarks Toolbar and it will display a list of our events when you click on the icon.

You can reach EACH on either 0117 9467607, email them at development@eachaction.org.uk or visit their website to find out more about their support and training opportunities at www.eachaction.org.uk Actionline (freephone) 0808 1000 Monday to Friday 10:00 to 16:00.

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I have added a couple of ‘guest banners’ on the right-hand side, these will change from one month to the next, so that self-organised groups and events in Bristol can get some publicity.

-

There are more listings and if you know of places, events, magazines or websites you think we should list, tell us! I have a added a rather kitsch ‘Contact Us’ link – the spinning globe e-mail thingy on the left - which takes you straight to a contact form.

News from cyberspace Hopefully all our members are having a passable summer, tennis and cricket fans have had suffered glorious and inglorious moments, the Balloon Fiesta and Harbour festival have been and the summer Pride Calendar is well under way. In fact you can find a link to it on our homepage.

If you have a spare fiver you could put towards the Forum’s work, we can always do with cash to fund the work BCC won’t; I have also added a Donate button that takes you to Everyclick, the Charity search engine, who collect on our behalf.

The other innovation is our eNewsletter, at the moment there is only one, rather tentative issue, which you can either read online or subscribe to, at the bottom of the left hand panel, by entering your email address and clicking on Subscribe. This is also available by RSS feed, in the same way as the Calendar.

Have you been visiting our website? I’ve been wrestling with Drupal, our new Content Management System - and sometimes losing! - Has anybody noticed my snazzy, new tickertape announcement? I had to jump through hoops to get that working!

So… you know that our AGM is on the 28th October at The Council House, and that we’re on Facebook? And you’ll also have noticed our Open Meeting of the 30th September, for the Open Meeting we are holding at the Council house, on ‘LGB equality in Education’.

I haven’t yet produced another issue; let’s face it, who wants to hear my ramblings? It’s your Forum, your website and it’ your news people want to read. News, Views and Reviews, forthcoming or bygone parties, shows, club evenings, poetry, art, walks, trips abroad, jokes, pics. If you want stuff to circulate to other members, send it to us and encourage your friends visit and subscribe. TTFN!

What about the Small Charity Car Draw that could win you a brand new Fiat 500, supporting the work of the Forum?

Toni Massari, Forum Administrator

Events have been going into the Diary and there is now a quick display of the top 10 forthcoming events in a panel on the left-hand side, it even tells you how many days to go.

You can also access the Calendar, either by clicking on the mini-calendar under the Main 6

Support Racist (S.A.R.I.)

Casework Our team of caseworkers will ensure that you receive a co-ordinated response from statutory and voluntary agencies by reporting incidents on your behalf and by getting updates on action taken. They will also advocate on your behalf to ensure you get the services that you should from agencies. Our Community Safety Officer will conduct security assessments and install security equipment where necessary. If we can’t help, we will refer you to relevant agencies that can. Our services are completely free and confidential.

Against Incidents

Support Against Racist Incidents (S.A.R.I.) is a unique, autonomous, voluntary, user led charity that supports and empowers victims of racial harassment and attack to survive the emotional, mental and physical trauma they experience. Established in 1988 by a steering group including victims of racist attack, S.A.R.I. has been operational since 1991 and offers a free, confidential casework service for victims of racial harassment and attack. Our office is open to the public and we also see clients in their own homes. We operate a 24 hour emergency response service for people who need advice or help outside of our normal opening hours.

Education We provide casework support for pupils, parents and staff suffering racial harassment.

We also provide assemblies, classroom sessions, workshops and one-to-one sessions with pupils to raise awareness of racism and to help young people challenge racism. We also do one-to-one or group work with perpetrators and approach education agencies to examine their responses to racist incidents.

S.A.R.I. will take any case which comes within our definition of racial harassment: Any incident/s where an individual, group or their property is attacked because of their race, culture, ethnic origin or relationship with a person from another ethnic group. The attack may be physical, verbal, written or psychological. It is up to the person reporting the attack, or the person receiving the report, to decide if it is racially-motivated.

Training Our unique training packages go beyond the classroom using audio-visual material, cultural tours, workshops, panel discussions and forums designed to immerse delegates in a multi-cultural and diverse environment. Our aim is to break down psycho-social barriers and bring equality and diversity alive. We aim to provide a complete learning experience and can tailor-make the programme to fit into a single session or spread out over multiple sessions according to your brief. Our training service is available nationally.

S.A.R.I.’s aim is to ensure that racist incidents receive a co-ordinated approach from statutory and voluntary organisations.

S.A.R.I. works at a grassroots and strategic level through partnership working and contributes to inter agency forums such as Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) with the police, partnerships against racial harassment and hate crime and on various other projects and initiatives giving input mainly based around equalities issues and in order to improve Bristol’s hate crime policies and procedures.

We work throughout Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), South Gloucestershire and North Somerset with our casework and delivery services, and nationally regarding consultancy and training services.

Consultancy and Mediation We will provide specially tailored mediation services to organisations that are facing racerelated conflict and tension between staff and/or service users. As part of our consultancy service, we will offer feedback and guidance around your equality and diversity policies and procedures.

If you would like to know more about the work that S.A.R.I. does, or get some advice or support, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Support Against Racist Incidents P.O. Box 2454 Bristol 7

and raising awareness. If you would like to book a free screening, or for any other information, please contact Sarah Howard:

BS2 2WX Tel: 0117 9420060 E-mail: sari@sariweb.org.uk

Email dice@wecil.co.uk or phone 0117 377 2732.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate they can learn to love, because love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. It’s easier to love than hate”.

- Nelson Mandela

New treasurer needed The Bristol Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum is looking for a treasurer to replace our hardworking and much-loved treasurer Helen Webster, who will be stepping down at the next AGM on 28th October 2009 after 3 years.

DICE: Disablist Incidents & Crime Education

She is keen to help anyone get started in this post and believes you do not need to be an accountant or bookkeeper to do the work.

Anyone who runs a household, has an interest in numbers and has an eye for detail can do what’s needed in this post. Helen will happily train anyone interested in becoming a treasurer. Please email sarah@bristol-lgbforum.org.uk for more details.

DICE is helping to reduce the risk and increase the reporting of Disablist Harrassment and Hate Crime in Bristol. We run safety awareness workshops for Disabled People on ‘Recognising Hate Crime’; ‘Staying Safe at Home’; ‘Staying Safe Out & About’ and ‘How to Report an Incident’. Through a combination of training, publicity and partnership work, DICE aims to raise awareness of Disablism and increase the safety and confidence of Disabled People living in Bristol. DICE can also offer ongoing support and advice to any individual who has experienced Disablist Harassment.

In addition to this, DICE provides free training to public organisatons in order to improve service provision for Disabled People. We are working to improve relations with the Police and have delivered awareness training to staff at stations around Bristol. We will continue to work in partnership with the Avon & Somerset Constabulary to realise our aims of increasing the reporting of Disablist Hate Crimes and ensuring that Disabled People recieve a high level of service when they do report.

DICE has also worked in conjunction with another WECIL project, Listening Partnership, a forum group for young disabled people, to produce a DVD about their experiences of bullying and harassment. The DVD is called “In Our Own Words” and has proved a powerful tool for training sessions, promoting discussion 8

Upcoming Events

Speakers to be confirmed - check the website for details.

The Bristol LGB Forum is holding the following two events looking at LGB Equalities in Education.

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The AGM will follow this meeting at 8pm.

Challenging Homophobia: Supporting Equality in Schools

The Role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Fighting Hate Crime

30 September 2009 6-9pm at Council House, College Green

The law imposes a duty on courts to increase the sentence for any offence aggravated by hostility based on a number of factors including sexual orientation or presumed sexual orientation. The CPS has a duty, where there is evidence of such hostility, to bring it to the attention of the sentencing court. When sentencing, the court has to treat evidence of homophobia as an aggravating feature and state that fact openly in court.

Hear about the progress being made in supporting LGB Equalities Teaching and LGB Pupils in Schools. What is being done to stop homophobic bulling. What is being done to include LGB families in schools teaching and activities. How are schools performing under the Schools Inclusion Standard.

Speakers from Bristol City Council include: Deputy Chief Executive Jon House Director of Children and Young People’s Services Annie Hudson National Strategies Consultant for Behaviour and Attendance Esther Pickup-Keller Equalities and Community Inclusion Manager Gillian Douglas Equalities Officer Jo McDonald Educational Action Challenging Homophobia Director of EACH Jonathan Charlesworth Freedom Youth Young People

Successfully Prosecuting Hate Crime In the year from 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009, there were 365 prosecutions for hate crime in Avon & Somerset, 309 of which resulted in convictions, a success rate of 84%.

Of these 365 cases, only 33 were for homophobic offences and 28 out of the 33 resulted in convictions, a success rate of 85%.

Not only has the proportion of hate crime prosecutions in Avon & Somerset resulting in successful convictions increased steadily over the last few years, it is also consistently better than the national figure by several percentage points.

More details and agenda on website.

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Charging Decisions – the Evidential and Public Interest Tests

LGB Schools Governance and AGM

28th October 2009 6-9pm at Council House, College Green

In addition to prosecuting cases in the criminal courts, the CPS is also responsible for deciding whether to charge someone with an offence and, if so, what the charge should be. When deciding whether or not to charge, Crown Prosecutors must first be satisfied there is enough evidence to provide a “realistic prospect of conviction against each defendant on each charge”. If the case does not pass this test based on the strength of the evidence, it must not go ahead, no matter how serious it is because the court is unlikely to convict the

Are you interested in the governance of Bristol schools? Are you interested in becoming a school governor. What support is there for out school governors?

Hear from out school governors, meet other LGB people and parents interested in being governors and find out more about what can be done to make schools more inclusive at governance level.

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defendant of the alleged crime. In such cases, it is wrong to put the defendant through the criminal justice process and to raise the expectations of victims and witnesses when we do not believe that a conviction is likely.

How the CPS Works With the Community Every CPS Area has a hate crime co-ordinator who oversees the prosecution of hate crime and works with other relevant agencies and the local community. In Bristol, Jill MacNamara fulfils this role and is an active member of the Bristol partnership that deals with hate crime, as well as working directly with organisations such as EACH The CPS also participates in Bristol Pride and events organised by Bristol LGB Network.

If the case does pass the evidential test, Crown Prosecutors must then decide if a prosecution is needed in the public interest. In hate crime incidents the public interest will almost always be in favour of prosecution.

How the CPS Witnesses

Supports

Victims

and CPS Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel In March 2008 CPS Avon and Somerset set up a Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel with members drawn from community organisations representing each of the six diversity strands: race, gender, faith, age, disability and sexual orientation. Representatives from E.A.C.H and Somerset Gay Health sit on the panel, which meets four times a year to look at a representative sample of hate crimes, examining what we did well and what we need to improve on in each case. This direct scrutiny of how we prosecute hate crime cases by the communities we serve is proving to be a huge benefit to how we work and is also helping to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system.

We know that those affected by homophobic or transphobic incidents are sometimes reluctant to report them or give evidence against perpetrators in court out of fear, mistrust of the criminal justice system or because they may be “outed” against their will. We recognise the concerns LGBT communities may have and we will do all that we can to make giving evidence in court as easy as possible. It is important to us all that those affected by hate crime report it and come to give their evidence in court when a prosecution follows: telling their account in court can make a big difference, although we can never guarantee that the defendant will be found guilty.

We have established Witness Care Units in every CPS Area where officers provide victims and witnesses with information and support tailored to their individual needs. In Bristol, Witness Care Officers have received specialist training from EACH (Educational Action Challenging Homophobia) in how to support victims of homophobic crime. Requesting special measures in court such as screens or giving evidence remotely via video link can help, as can requesting media reporting restrictions. Meetings between the CPS and vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses can also increase their confidence in the criminal justice system.

In one homophobic hate crime case looked at by the panel, the victim was targeted specifically because he was gay and serious offences committed against him. The two defendants pretended to be gay while in a gay club and went back to the victim’s flat under this pretence where he was attacked. Both were charged jointly with Robbery and False Imprisonment, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in jail.

For further information about the CPS and how we are working with the community please contact: Jane Gibney Tel: 0117 930 1349; Email: jane.gibney@cps.gsi.gov.uk; website: www.cps.gov.uk

A Victim Personal Statement allows victims to describe how they have been affected by the crime and any concerns they may have as a result of the offence, for example, about safety, intimidation or bail. In this way, the court can better understand not only the crime but also the context in which it occurred.

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Interested in getting more involved in Bristol LGB Forum?

Got a skill or talent you’d like to share or develop?

Then you’re just who we’re looking for!

Bristol LGB Forum is starting up an email list of people interested in volunteering some of their time or skills to helping out with the forum.

This can be a one-off, or a regular commitment, anything from once a year to once a week.

What kind of thing are volunteers needed for?

Well, it’s a brand new thing, so we’re not really sure how it will develop in the long run. At the moment, we’re particularly looking for people who’d be interested in being involved in maintaining the forum website. We’re also looking for people who might be interested in writing for or working on our regular newsletter, Outburst.

But that’s just for right now – we’re likely to want people to help out at stalls, help with mail shots for upcoming meetings, help distributing leaflets, and a host of other things. It’s also a great way of seeing a bit more of what the forum does outside of meetings and for meeting some new people.

How does it work?

If you’re interested in volunteering for the forum, or even thinking about it, head over to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bristollgbforumvolunteers and join the yahoo group. Once you’ve done this, you’ll receive every email sent out by Emily Moreton, the management committee member who’s coordinating the group.

As a member of the group, you’ll get an email every time the forum needs someone to volunteer some time, explaining what’s needed, how long the volunteering will take and so on. If you’re interested, reply to the email, and it’ll go from there.

We’re also hoping to start running some social events for forum volunteers, probably once every couple of months, to give you a chance to get to know each other a bit better.

Got more questions? Email Emily at ejmoreton@yahoo.co.uk

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Broken Rainbow National helpline for LGBT victims of domestic violence, available Mon-Fri 9am-1pm, 2-5pm.

Call 0208 539 9507.

Listings BLAGS Bristol Lesbian & Gay Switchboard Confidential support and information to gay men, lesbians and to all people with concerns about sexuality. Call us on 8-10pm Monday & Wednesday. 0117 922 1328. mail@bristolblags.org.uk www.bristolblags.org.uk

EACH - Educational Action Challenging Homophobia A national charitable organisation set up to address homophobia through training and education. EACH runs a helpline for teachers, young people and parents, and for third-party reporting of homophobic incidents.

Freephone helpline 0808 1000 143 (10am-5pm Mon-Fri and 10am-12noon Sat). General enquiries 0117 946 7606/7. Office 24, 14 Clifton Down Road, Bristol BS8 4BF. info@eachaction.org.uk www.eachaction.org.uk

BLiS - Bath Lesbians into Socialising We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 8:30 in Mandalyns, 1 Fountain Buildings, Lansdown Rd, Bath. Call 07891 563 127 for event details. blisinfo@aol.com Brigstowe Project Housing project for people living with HIV, providing support, advice and advocacy. 176 Easton Rd, Easton, Bristol. Call 0117 941 5188. www.brigstowe.org

Freedom Youth Weekly drop-in youth group on a Tuesday for LGBT and Q young people aged 13 to 21. For more information please contact the team on 0117 377 3677 or www.freedomyouth.co.uk Gay Glos Help, advice and social networks for LGBT people living in the rural areas of Gloucestershire. PO Box 171, Gloucester.

Mon-Fri 7.30-10pm. Call 01452 306 800. www.gay-glos.org

Bristol Bisons RFC Bristol's first gay and gay-friendly rugby team is always looking for new members, players and supporters. Everyone welcome regardless of experience or ability. Call 0783 145 4991. www.bisonsrfc.co.uk Bristol Drugs Project Support for users, families and friends. 11 Brunswick Square, BS2 8PE. Call LGB rep Sarah Wilson on 0117 987 6010.

HST@bdp.org.uk

Gay and Lesbian Alcohol Free Friends Social and support group for lesbian, gay and bisexual people with an alcohol issue. Call Paul Green on 0117 378 9439 GLAFF, PO Box 2012, Bristol, BS99 5WN. TMM@glaff.org.uk

Bristol Families and Friends BFF is a support group for families and friends of LGB people. We meet on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm at the Terrence Higgins Trust. Call Sue Allen on 01454 852 418. 14 Brockley Close, Little Stoke Bristol BS34 6EZ. sueallenfflag@blueyonder.co.uk

GayWest A social and support group for gay people in the South West. Meets Sat mornings in the Rainbow Cafe in Bath. For details and events call 0870 811 1990, Mon – Fri 8pm – 10pm.

GayWest, PO Box 586, Bath, BA1 2YQ. info@gaywest.org.uk www.gaywest.org.uk

Bristol 3Ms Supper group for gay and bisexual men. We hold regular social evenings in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Call Russell on 0117 973 9855. bristol_3ms@hotmail.com

The Harbour Providing free, professional counselling and psychotherapy to people affected by HIV, AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. 30 Frogmore St, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 925 9348 or www.the-harbour.co.uk 14

BSGPF, 19 Easton Business Centre, Felix Road, Easton, Bristol. BS5 0HE. robin.corser-langford@virgin.net

Lesbian & Children Network A bi-monthly social group for lesbians and bisexual women and their children. Call Rachel on 07813 754 291. rachely@talktalk.net

South West Walking Women For women interested in hiking in the Bath and Bristol area at weekends. sw_walkingwomen@yahoo.co.uk

LGBT Society UWE Weekly meetings, consisting of alternate on scene and off scene events, plus trips. UWE Student Union Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol. BS16 1QY. Call Cari on 07812 670 648 or Sean on 07904 382 719.

Terrence Higgins Trust West Information, care and support, and health promotion for all people affected by HIV and AIDS. Counselling, buddying, complementary therapies, advocacy and advice. Call us on 0117 955 1000. 8 West Street, Old Market, BS2 0BH. info.bristol@tht.org.uk

LGBT Young People's Team Citywide support for LGBT young people in Bristol. Ashley House, 98-100 Grosvenor Road, St. Paul’s. Bristol. BS2 8YE. 0117 377 3673.

University of Bristol LGBT Society We organise regular social events for all LGBT students at Bristol University. LGBT Society, University of Bristol Union, Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LN. lgbtsoc-ubu@bristol.ac.uk www.bristol.ac.uk/union/lgbt

Missing Lesbians Website listing events for women in Bristol and the surrounding areas. listings@missinglesbians.co.uk www.missinglesbians.co.uk Number 8 This group for married and single bisexual men meets the first Thursday of every month at THT. 8-10 West Street, Old Market. 6pm7.30pm. Call 0117 941 2440.

USPCG A UK-based organisation that finds pen pals for gay US prisoners. PO Box 1714, Yate. BS37 4NS. www.uspcg.com Victim Support Avonvale We provide emotional and practical support to all people affected by crime, including homophobic hate crime. Call 0117 963 1114, national helpline 0845 30 30 900. 36 Dean Lane, Bedminster, BS3 1BS. bristol@victimsupportavonvale.org.uk www.victimsupportavonvale.org.uk

Pink Herrings Social network for lesbians, meets every other Thursday evening at 8:30. Also bowling, cinema, coffee bars, theatre, concerts, discos, cycling, walks, meals out and more. For further info call Dot on 0117 986 1529.

Pink Parents UK Information, advice and support on all aspects of lesbian, gay and bisexual parenting. Write to Pink Parents UK, The D'Arcy Lainey Foundation, PO BOX 417, Oldham. OL2 7WT. enquiries@pinkparents.org.uk

Wild Walking Women A friendly walking group for lesbians, meets the second Sunday of the month with walks at various venues around Bristol, Bath and the south west. Call 07980 418 676.

Rainbow Group Bristol City Council employees’ group for campaigning, support and socialising. Call Equalities on 0117 922 3786 or email rainbow@bristol.gov.uk So Out in the South West A social and support group for disabled gay men living and/or working in the South West.

Call Robin on 0117 942 9336 or write c/o 15

Bristol Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Forum The Create Centre, Smeaton Road, Bristol, BS1 6XN Info@bristol-lgb-forum.org.uk 16 / www.bristol-lgb-forum.org.uk Registered Charity 1098085