Ull Out 2009-2

Issue 3.2009-02 February 2009 Editor: John Furniss

…Hull & East Riding Speaks OUT Welcome Here we are in February, LGBT History Month.

The BBC, to their credit, debated, “the celebration of gay history” on Sunday 1st February.

What was said on screen is totally irelevent in my opinion. The fact that the issue was debated in public and gave everyone exposure to alternative normality is what counts.

However, lets look a little deeper at why LGBT history is being celebrated.

With Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, condeming LGBT history to the trash can, its repeal on 18 November 2003 by section (122) of the Local Government Act 2003, was a huge step forward but it did nothing to reclaim our history.

Important lierature, documents and text were lost when their use was outlawed under Section 28.

As each year passes we must take every opportunity to return our history to the book shelves and celebrate the people who made it.

Exposure to non-mainstream lifestyles is essential to community cohesion and the erosion of discrimination.

Please make the effort to support local & national LGBT History Month events.

John Furniss - Editor Chair of Hull LGBT Forum

Special Feature in this issue.

Distributed Free

Behind the Mask… …the making of me Oh how things have changed, well in Britain anyway!

Seeing all the younger LGB Community out these certainly does make me proud to be British days (I’ve left off the ‘T’ as I think our Trans community still need lots of support).

Boys not being shy of being gay, and Girls happily walking through town holding hands, how things have changed in just 20 years!

I can be quite a camp guy, Im in my 40s now and am perfectly happy, but growing up was a little difficult.

Being gay was frowned upon, and the only role models I had were the likes of Boy George, Quentin Crisp, Kenneth Williams and Juilan Clairy (all legends I know!).

My Parents were very strict, and although they found the likes of Julian Clairy hilarious, they were very homophopic and racist too. The fact is my mum didn’t even like people that had dogs as she was a cat person, bless her!

I new I was different when I was at school but didn’t really understand my feelings about what I was.

I was constantly bullied mentally at school, one for my perceived sexuality, and one for having mainly Asian Friends.

It got me down so much that I had a bad time and

Hull LGBT Forum, supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual & trans (LGBT) people in Hull & East Riding

became extremely introverted. My name was written in six foot high writing in chalk across the entire side of the school wall, with about 300 pupils laughing at me as I arrived at school one morning.

just a year left at secondary school and I had a lot of catching up to do on my schoolwork.

I had been downgraded due to my grades suffering. So I kept my head down and crept slowly up the grades.

As Mums do, she wrote a letter to the headteacher about my bullying, which was probably not the best thing in the world to do at the time as the letter was read out in front of the entire school (about 900 pupils) at early morning assembly. With just me and my Muslim friend stood outside, he could not attend a Christian assembly, I was gutted.

It was during this period that I ended up having a moment with my best friend…

ED’S NOTE: To be continued with the writer’s identity revealed in the final article.

Inside this issue…

SPEACIAL FEATURE –

To bring me out of myself my parents enrolled me with the Sea Cadets, a kids version of the Navy with grueling outdoor activities, shooting, sailing, drills, running 50 miles through the Yorkshire Moors with a backpack as heavy as me.

I felt like I was being punished, but it worked, I became more confident and in the end quite liked it.

As it it was illegal at the time to be gay in the forces, the same rule applied to Sea Cadets and no one ever mentioned Gay or Poof or anything.

So although the work was hard, I had friends that respected me for me.

I wasn’t having any of the kids at school call me gay again, so I asked out the schools best looking girl ‘Collette’ who agreed to be my first girlfriend. The taunting stopped immediately. Life then turned into a sort of whirlwind as I had

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February: LGBT History Month................... Page 2 Scene Queen: A tribute to Rusty ............... Page 3 LGB & Trans Inclusion ............................... Page 4 What’s in a Word ............................... Page 4 HI’…3.................... Page 5 Sexual Health Services Time for a Change ............................... Page 6 DVAP .................... Page 7 Coming Out.......... Page 7

LGBT HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL FEATURE claiming our history, celebrating our present, creating our future February is LGBT History Month, and this year is also the 40th Anniversary of probably the most significant event in our history, the Stonewall Riots that led to the Gay Liberation Movement and the improved rights we now enjoy...

Rikki Arundel tells the story.

The Stonewall Riots & the Gay Liberation Movement

As usual people without ID or cross dressed, including butch lesbians, were lined up and searched, trans people being required to remove all make up.

However on this night the trans women and drag queens refused to go into a separate room to have their sex verified, then the men refused to provide ID. The police decided to arrest them all. Those not arrested were released but did not disperse and remained outside the bar where because of the presence of the police a small crowd had begun to gather.

Some of those released played Friday June 27th 1969 was warm up to the crowd and mocked the night in Greenwich Village, and police. When the arrested mafia New York’s Gay community had bosses were brought out the been swelled by the many who crowd jeered and threw coins, had come to attend Judy then bottles.

Garland’s funeral. Homosexuality was illegal, as was A trans “The police had been cross dressing, so woman was few bars admitted seen resisting publicly humiliated and openly gay, lesbian arrest by and trans the world had changed.” hitting the customers. police with her hand bag and a lesbian woman The Stonewall cafe on fighting four police officers Christopher Street was one that goaded to crowd to do something. did. It was a small, private, mafia owned club frequented by the The crowd grew to become a gender diverse and homeless – mob of over 500 attacking the stone butch lesbians, effeminate police vehicles, and in the gays, nellie queens and street confusion some of those arrested fairies (transsexuals, transescaped. vestites and drag queens). It was the only gay bar where same sex dancing was permitted and it was packed with over 200 people.

Local ordinances (by-laws) in New York required that men must wear at least three items of male clothing, and the women must wear at least three items of female clothing – failure to do so would result in arrest, after a humiliating search, if a venue was raided. th

At 1.40 am on June 28 police raided the Stonewall cafe, which was unexpected because the bar had been raided earlier that week.

Subsequently it became apparent that the police had intended to shut the bar down permanently.

In panic police retreated into the Stonewall Cafe under a hail of bricks, coins and bottles to chants of “Gay Power”. Someone used a broken parking meter to jam the doors shut and lighter fuel was squirted in and lit.

45 minutes later the riot squad arrived to free the trapped police while the mob continued to grow,

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fires broke out and vehicles were overturned.

As police with riot shields moved forward to try to disperse the crowd they pealed back to reveal a “kick line” of trans women and drag queens advancing towards and taunting the police singing: “We are the Stonewall girls We wear our hair in curls We wear no underwear We show our pubic hair We wear our dungarees Above our nelly knees!"

An eerie calm had been established by 4 am but further rioting occurred the following night and throughout the week.

The police had been publicly humiliated and the world had changed.

The years of oppression and harassment were not over, but the gay community now has a new sense of the power of united action and modelling on the Black Power movement four months later the Gay Liberation Front was established and gay magazines began to appear.

Two years later in 1970 a march on Christopher Street became the first Gay Pride and the following year Gay Pride events took place to commemorate Stonewall across the US and Europe, including the first London Gay Pride.

Scene Queen So as the debate about the T being with LGB rages on regionally (yawn) I want to pay tribute to someone who will be leaving us at the end of the month.

No not off the planet but the other end of the M62 (Blackpool).

When Rusty came to "Fuel” about a year after it opened, the venue had already started to develop an identity but Rusty took it to a different level and has fronted it ever since.

The latest edition of the LGBT History Month bulletin is now available, as usual packed-full of news, information, notices of upcoming events and quotations.

To access the latest bulletin use one of the links below: www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/documents/bulletins/bulletin56.doc www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/documents/bulletins/bulletin56.pdf

Schools OUT Conference, Saturday February 7th at The Drill Hall, Chenies Street, just off Tottenham Court Road, copy and paste the following link to find out more and to book: www.schools-out.org.uk/conferences/contents.htm

No matter how big or how small, promote your event by putting it on our calendar: www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/calendar/Events_Calendar.php

You can view all previous bulletins at: www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/news/bulletin.htm or register on our mailing list from the front page of our website. You can also subscribe to our blog for very regular updates on LGBT history events and news around the UK and further: http://lgbthmuk.blogspot.com/

Film Night: Watch Stonewall Thursday 26th February at the Gendershift Movie Night in the Community Enterprise Centre you will be able to see Stonewall; a drama based on the accounts of what happened on June 27/28 1969.

Movie Nights are a great social night – Just £2.50 and that includes drinks and snacks.

GenderShift is working with the LGBT Forum to show LGBT movies every week throughout February.

We only publicise the movie nights to our members through this newsletter and via email as we are unable to advertise tham publicly due to licensing restrictions.

We generally encourage the members attending a movie night to make the selection of the next film.

Movies we are considering include Torch Song Trilogy, My Beautiful Launderette, Farewell my Concubine, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Stonewall.

If you know of a film you would like us to show – please let Lewis or Kit know; lewis@gendershift.com kit@gendershift.com

Dates for your diary • Thursday 5th February • Tuesday 10th February • Wednesday 18th February • Thursday 26th February th • Thursday 5 March (the start of Regular Monthly Movie Nights on the First Thursday of every month)

Wednesday nights with Rusty & Gavinia are a draw to everyone in the community.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Questioning, Curious, Straight or whatever combination everyone has been got by flying cake or splashing water.

The amazing costume changes, the banter and mishaps.

(Nothing funnier than a drag queen falling off stage or getting some “nasty cow” on stage who kicks off (as we say here) and then knocks your wig into the audience. But Rusty always has the best put downs even when a little worse for wear.

Thank you from all those queens who love the "joiny in songs": Old Camp Fire, Court of King Caractacus and Doe a Deer... which I am certain will continue to echo around the scene for many years to come.

Always a show stopper with amazing Christmas shows and Pride (family friendly) spectaculars.

I dedicate my column this month to Rusty and on behalf of the rest of the team... thank you Simon for joining us in Hull and being a great friend. All the best darling and break a leg in Blackpool!

Love you!

SQx

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Out Spoken: What’s in a Word Just one person’s view on the topic of the month… Don’t agree? Have your say, write to: editor@lgbtforum.co.uk

With members of the royal family in hot water for using inappropriate language it again raises the spector of banning the use of offensive words.

The issue is frequently debated with well intentioned individuals landing in hot water for producing lists of banned words.

Rikki’s Rants: LGB and Trans Inclusion Each month Rikki will seize upon a current topic affecting the LGBT population across the globe and present it from the trans perspective.

Why this topic is still one that I need to write and speak about I really do not know but, once again I find myself getting embroiled in debates about trans exclusion that really should have been put to bed long ago.

The reason I get so het up about this issue is that it is an issue of discrimination – cross strand discrimination.

In most parts of the UK now, support groups tend to be LGBT. Where they are LGB only – the argument put forward is that sexual orientation is different to gender, and that many trans people, once they transition, identify as heterosexual.

In fact many trans people once they have transitioned identify as women, secure gender recognition in their acquired gender and cease to identify as trans. So as heterosexual

men or women they are unlikely to want support in the LGBT community anyway.

When we look at difference, the reality of course is that lesbian issues are as different from gay issues as they are from trans issues and support groups are often very focused on specific issue within the umbrella of LGBT. I can see the value in separate lesbian, gay and trans support groups but often the smaller interest groups are too small to provide any meaningful level of support or secure funding.

When it comes to tackling the broader issues of discrimination and changing attitudes we need to be working together. Trans women for example face issues of Homophobia because many people refuse to see them as female, including some radical feminists. At the same time many trans women are lesbians.

Trans exclusion is not just an issue with some LGB groups. There are a large number of women's centres that are open only to "women born women",

which in practice means "No Trannys allowed".

Trans men often first identify as lesbian, yet most report that the moment they identify as trans men many radical lesbian feminists reject them.

Whist this has not yet been legally challenged, I am certain that this level of trans exclusion is now illegal and anyway it is only people who are unable to pass who are excluded.

Surely our ultimate goal is to remove the barriers to acceptance and for us all to be considered equal members of a diverse society, where sexual orientation and gender expression cease to be issues.

We still have a lot of work to do before that happens, but it is not sexual orientation that leads to discrimination and harassment, it is the expression of atypical gender which is interpreted as lesbian or gay even if the person is straight.

Rikki Arundel Pansexual Trans Woman

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The truth of the matter is that most of these banned words are taken and used by the groups they are meant to offend, thus rendering them harmless.

A word in the hands of an attacker is a weapon. The same word in the hands of the victim can be a defence.

On a personal level, I have friends that have called me puff. I know it‘s not malicious and causes absolutely no offence. Someone else will use the word with deliberate intent to cause offence and this needs challenging, case by case.

That is the root of the problem, focussing on the word. The problem and the damage is in the individual’s motivation and intent and if the word is banned these people will just find new words to use as a tool to hurt or offend.

What we need to do is turn our attention to exposing people to the similarity and difference that is the diversity of minority sections of our community.

Education to eliminate ignorance and fear, rather than micro-management of vocabulary is what is required.

John Furniss Chair LGBT Forum

HI’…3 – Do you know your HIV status?

In this column we invite 3 people to give their views on a single HIV issue… Marek presents the facts as the HIV prevention officer working in our region. Local residents (names on-file) write the next two articles. One is living with the news that he is HIV+ and the other is his long-term partner. This month we don’t hear from his partner as he is not affected by the medication.

All three welcome your letters sent to editor@lgbtforum.co.uk

The Daily Dose Two weeks have passed since my initial visit to the consultant where I had blood tests taken to see how active the virus is in my body and also to see how strong my immune system is.

Today is results day so I head off to the hospital, give them my appointment card and then I sit and wait. After about 10 minutes my name is called and off I go with the nurse.

She takes me into a little room and I have to be weighed and measured and I also have to provide a urine sample. Now I have to sit and wait again.

After another 10 minutes, which now feels like 10 hours, my name is finally called and I follow the doctor into another little room where he tells me what my counts are. They are not good and it‘s recommended that I start medication that day.

I have done some research on the Internet and also read the information that I got from the pharmacist. I know that the side effects are not very nice, but hey, it‘s something I have to do.

I’m given the prescription, which I can only get from the hospital, and then I have to have more blood tests to repeat my counts.

I have my medication, 6 tablets to be taken every 24 hours and they have to be taken with food. I now have to decide at what time of the day I will be taking them. You see they have to be taken EVERY 24 HOURS, not just once a day as and when you feel like it or when you remember, but all at once at 24 hour intervals.

I decide that the easiest time will be 5pm as that‘s roughly when I eat. After a week I have not noticed any side.

Finally after taking the tablets for 2 weeks I have to go to the hospital for my regular blood test,

so the effects can be monitored and also to determine whether I have had any side effects. None are detected so I now consider that I was lucky.

Anonymous

HIV Drugs The best time to start an antiretroviral therapy is as soon as possible. However, current European and US guidelines recommend treatment when an asym-ptomatic person’s CD4 cell count falls into the 200 to 350 cells/mm³ range.

At the moment there are more than 20 antiretroviral drugs available on the market for people starting treatment for the first time and you have to discuss it with your doctor and make the best choice based on your personal situation.

Many factors are involved when considering what drugs to start with, including current state of disease progression (HIV viral load, CD4 cell count and disease symptoms), any existing drug resistance, side-effects and coexisting conditions such as hepatitis.

Most antiretroviral drugs are taken one to three times per day.

Complete once-daily regimens are now available. In addition, some drugs should be taken with food while others should be taken on an empty stomach.

With most antiretroviral drugs today, there are no restrictions regarding specific foods to avoid.

A booklet in NAM`s (National AIDS Map) Information series for HIV-positive people, called Nutrition, gives details of interactions between anti-HIV drugs and food.

Most drugs will have side-effects, especially during the first few weeks of treatment.

The most common early sideeffects tend to be:

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Nausea Diarrhoea Fatigue (tiredness)

Vomiting Headache Skin rash

Other side-effects may emerge later during the course of treatment, for example: - tingling in the hands and feet due to nerve damage - Body shape changes Some side effects show up in laboratory blood tests, including: - High cholesterol - Abnormal blood sugar or insulin levels - Anaemia (low level of oxygen carrying red blood cells) Also remember that it is often possible to relieve side-effects by taking other medications that will not interfere with your anti-HIV therapy. Your doctor will look after you.

If you miss a single dose by a few hours, you should take the missed dose as soon as you can, and take the next dose at the usual time. However, if you miss the dose completely, and only realise this when you come to take the next dose, there is no additional benefit in taking a double dose.

The occasional missed dose may not be problematic. However, missing doses regularly (e.g. every week-end) will likely encourage the develop-ment of drug resistance.

Very few anti-HIV drugs are affected by alcohol, although the risk of pancreatitis or liver problems may be increased if you drink heavily, in the view of some doctors. Remember also that you may find yourself missing doses if you are `out of it’ because of drug or alcohol use, and that this can cause treatment failure.

There is no case information regarding im-potence due to antiHIV drugs/treatment.

Marek Mironski HIV Prevention Officer, Hull NHS

Gay Men’s Sexual Health Services: Time For Change Volunteers Needed Cornerhouse, the LGBT Forum, Conifer House, 167 Project & Body Positive are looking for volunteers who would be interested in developing a project to provide sexual health information and support for gay, bisexual men and trans people (GBT).

The project will be volunteer led with training and support offered by the above agencies. This will be a peer education project and GBT’s of all ages are invited to attend an initial meeting to find out more information.

Background In recent years, sexual health services have responded to altering priorities by providing general services to all people. General services can be accessed by GBT people, but there are few targeted services, other than the availability of condoms and lube in local venues.

Specific targeted services to groups that have been shown to be at greater risk of sexually transmitted infections or are likely to be more sexually active, such as services for young people are more effective.

Recent statistics show that infection rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV, continue to increase within the gay community. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that knowledge about HIV is lower amongst young gay men, than would have been the case 15 years ago.

Modern drug therapies may have altered the long term prognosis for people living with HIV, but it remains a serious condition with life changing consequences for people diagnosed with this virus.

In the 1980s and early 90s, volunteer led groups provided information and support to help people reduce the risk of contracting HIV and to support those who were positive or who felt they may have put themselves at risk. A volunteer led project would allow for flexibility of approach and creativity in reaching men that may not access local venues or may not live in the city.

We feel that it is time to get back to basics in relation to the services aimed at the GBT community, and see this as an opportunity for people to be involved in an exciting, volunteer led project.

If you would like to be part of this project or just want to check it out, there will be flyers circulated to a variety of venues.

Alternatively, for further details contact: Cornerhouse 327044 LGBT Forum 441002 Ext. 206

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There is a gay man's drop-in night every Tuesday evening 7-9pm (volunteer availability permitting) at the LGBT Forum office (see address below).

Coming-Out Stories Still Friends: Finding a Way that Works for You

The Domestic Violence Accommodation Project (DVAP) is a free service that is available to residents of the East Riding.

DVAP offers support to any victim or survivor of domestic abuse regardless of age, gender, sexuality or ethnicity.

DVAP staff work with people who are currently living with or fleeing from domestic violence or abuse, and people who have already left their home. The team provide help with personal and dwelling safety in a number of ways.

We can help you to remain in your own home where it is safe to do so. We help with personal and home security as well as advising on legal options.

Alternatively, where it is not safe to remain in your home DVAP will help you to move to another property.

The team can also help you to access legal advice, health services, social services, family support and welfare benefits.

who are experiencing, or have experienced domestic abuse. It also provides information for family members or friends.

This service is confidential and you will not be asked for any personal details, but you can find out what services are available.

The Confidential Helpline Number is: 01482 396330 The DVAP team welcome feedback on our service and any new ideas you might have to improve or extend what we provide...

DVAP can be contacted on any of the numbers listed below:

Everyone has their own story, some happy, some sad. Read them here.

I came out to myself in June 1998, just a couple of weeks before my husband’s and my 12th anniversary.

I then came out to my husband less than a month later in July 1998.

After trying for two and a half years to incorporate my orientation into our marriage, we separated in January of 2001.

We have maintained our friendship and we continue as co-parents.

While it is not the path for everyone, it is presently working for us.

ED’S NOTE: Would your coming-out story help others. Why not send it to editor@lgbtforum.co.uk

Beverley: 01482 396396 Bridlington: 01482 396161 Goole: 01482 396375 Hedon: 01482 896248 Market Weighton: 01482 396710 Nicki Etherington Senior Project Worker DVAP

A confidential helpline for victims or survivors is also available to provide a contact point for people

Clarification Statement The Hull LGBT Forum has been active in the area for almost 10 years and has built up excellent working relationships with the authorities, both public & private sector and with other community & voluntary organisations.

We wish to make it very clear that we are in no way associated with the LGBT Switchboard, which is a brand new and totally separate entity.

It would appear that numerous organisations that have been approached by the LGBT Switchboard have initially formed the opinion that the Hull LGBT Forum operates the LGBT Switchboard.

This is wholly incorrect.

Your input is vital to ensure that content is both up to date and interesting so start writing those eMails.

We can only speculate as to just how this misunderstanding has been allowed to happen but stress that the Hull LGBT Forum has no involvement with the LGBT Switchboard, what so ever.

Send you’re contributions to editor@lgbtforum.co.uk

John Furniss Chair of Hull LGBT Forum

Getting Involved

© Hull LGBT Forum 2009

If you want to get involved just become a member of the LGBT Forum by picking one of the following methods:

Attend meetings @ 7pm, Guildhall 2nd Wednesday every month

Join via Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hulllgbt Visit our Website at http://www.lgbtforum.co.uk

Hull LGBT Forum Limited (reg. no. 5246975)

Visit our office Registered-Office:

Community Enterprise Centre Cottingham Road +44 (07981) 110838 Hull HU5 2DH +44 (01482) 441002 ext 206 This publication may be printed, copied, eMailed and distributed free of charge under the terms of copyright on the condition that is is done in its entirety and with no alterations additions or ommission. Reproduction and use in part is subject to UK copyright legislation.

Telephone:

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