Seren 2009

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Contents

Letter from Liz Morgan, Director Stonewall Cymru We’re pleased to bring you the first ever edition of Stonewall Cymru’s new annual magazine.

Seren is for supporters, friends and all those interested in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) equality in Wales. It celebrates Stonewall’s 20 years of work to improve life for LGB people in Britain. It details some of the current work in Wales, hears from Stonewall Cymru Council members and tells you how to support our work.

Thanks to recent legislation changes in Parliament same-sex couples can now name both partners on their child's birth certificate when their baby's birth is registered, and there are now protections against incitement to hatred on grounds of sexual orientation. Parliament is currently working on the Equality Bill to harmonise equality law for all people.

In Wales, we have published Double Stigma, research into the needs and experiences of LGB people with Mental Health issues, and are distributing across Wales a Guide for victims of homophobic hate crime. At this year’s annual event ‘Education: our right’ we launched the bilingual School Report, Stonewall’s survey of the experiences of LGB young people in British secondary schools, and looked at what still needs to be done in education. For more information see our new look website www.stonewallcymru.org.uk.

With your support we will continue to press for changes to bring equality further into your lives.

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Happy Birthday Stonewall – 20 years

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Education for All - events and resources

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Stonewall Cymru Council – new members

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Diversity Champions in Wales

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Tackling homophobic hate crime in Wales

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What you can do supporting and getting involved with Stonewall Cymru

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Cardiff office Transport House 1, Cathedral Rd Cardiff CF11 9SB 02920 23774 www.stonewallcymru.org.uk email: cymru@stonewallcymru.org.uk Penmaenmawr office The Equality Centre Bangor Rd Penmaenmawr Conwy LL34 6LF 01492 622202

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Happy Birthday Stonewall - 20 years In 1989, actors Ian McKellen, Michael Cashman, Lisa Powell and Olivette Cole-Wilson founded Stonewall to be a professional lobbying organisation and oppose Section 28.

In 2003, Section 28 was finally repealed.

In 2009, Stonewall still works tirelessly across Great Britain through political persuasion, legal argument and by encouraging social and institutional change to achieve equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

"We demand the same rights as other ordinary civilized human beings. They can round us up, gas us, or shoot us: but as long as heterosexual men and women continue to procreate we will always exist, and we will never surrender." Michael Cashman

Changes for LGB people over last 20 years 1989 - Stonewall founded 1990 - Outrage! founded 1991 - Lesbian & Gay Police Association (LAGPA) founded, later Gay Police Association (GPA) 1992 - World Health Organisation declassified homosexuality as a mental illness 1993 - Stonewall challenged age of consent at European Court of Law (was 21) 1994 - Lesbian Avengers founded 1995 - Gay Times went on sale in high street shops 1996 - Inland Revenue recognised same-sex partners in pension schemes 1997 - Chris Smith became Britain¹s first out-gay Cabinet Minister 1998 - Lord Waheed Alli became first openly gay peer in House of Lords 1999 - Angela Mason receives OBE for services to the gay community 2000 - Ban lifted on LGB people serving in armed forces 2001 - Age of consent finally equalised to 16 and Stonewall Scotland established 2002 - Adoption - equal rights for same-sex couples 2003 - Repeal of Section 28 2003 - Stonewall Cymru established in Wales 2004 - Illegal to discriminate against LGB employees 2005 - Civil Partnership Registration for same-sex couples 2007 - Illegal to discriminate in provision of Goods, Facilities & Services 2008 - Illegal to incite hatred on grounds

Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was a controversial amendment to the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1986. It outlawed the ‘intentional promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities and forbade the ’teaching of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. It was never tested as law but it policed behaviour through fear, local authorities wouldn’t use the words ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’, and lesbian and gay people were frightened of being themselves in public.

'While so much has been achieved there¹s also much left to do,‘ says Ben Summerskill, Stonewall¹s Chief Executive. ‘Over the coming years and months Stonewall will be working hard to tackle all forms of homophobia in Britain. We¹ll continue to lobby government on legislation to make further progress on equality - for example the Equality Bill - and we won¹t stop until lesbian, gay and bisexual people enjoy full equality in all areas of their lives - at home, at school and at work.’

of sexual orientation 3

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Education: our right Early this year in Llandudno, Stonewall Cymru held a day conference on Education. This lively and informative day brought together a wide range of professionals, LGB people, organizations and community groups.

Delegates heard a message of support from Jane Hutt the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. John Sam Jones, Schools Advisor for PSE at Denbighshire County Council, and Alwena Tomos, Assistant Headteacher at Ysgol Glan Clwyd, spoke about their experiences in dealing with local challenges facing schools in tackling homophobic bullying. Finally, Derek Munn, Director of Public Affairs at Stonewall, highlighted Stonewall’s achievements over the last year and goals for the next few years.

The School Report Bilingual report of a survey of over 1,000 young LGB people in GB and their experiences at school, with 10 recommendations on how to tackle homophobic bullying.

Spell it out DVD Bilingual resource for secondary teachers to help them better understand and tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

The second plenary session featured a panel of experiences, where LGB people with different perspectives of the education system, governors, pupils, students and lecturers, shared their experiences and answered questions from the floor.

Workshops at the Event focused on LGB youth work, supporting parents supporting LGB sons and daughters, school based counselling and LGB issues in learning languages.

The afternoon session also saw the bilingual launch of The School Report, Stonewall’s research into the experiences of LGB young people in Britain’s schools.

This alarming piece of research - which shows that 65% of LGB pupils have been the victims of homophobic bullying at school – has been distributed to all Welsh secondary schools.

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Some People are Gay. Get over it.

This phrase was developed by young LGB people.

These t-shirts are now available in English or Welsh at only £10 each.

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Hear from new Stonewall Cymru Council members The Stonewall Cymru Council The Council is the steering group for Stonewall Cymru. Its role is to identify the needs and opportunities for LGB people in Wales and work with the Director to determine strategy and set priorities to best address them. The Council meets quarterly in venues across the four regions of Wales and particularly encourages nominations from women, black and minority ethnic and disabled people to address current under-representation.

Council members serve a three-year term, with eligibility for re-election to one further three-year term. We asked the new Council members Gareth Davies, Dyfrig Hywel, John Sam Jones and Mike Smith about themselves and their views on being lesbian, gay or bisexual and living in Wales.

Gareth, How long have you supported Stonewall’s work in Wales?

My first involvement with Stonewall Cymru was as a young person at Viva - the LGB youth group in Rhyl.

I was able to attend a conference in Swansea, and from then onwards I have supported the work of the organisation. Viva, whom I now work for, is the oldest LGB Youth group in Wales and has supported the work of Stonewall Cymru from the beginning including participation and partnership work on the Inside Out Project and the North Wales Speak Out event that followed.

Dyfrig, What do you want to achieve in your time as a council member?

It is every LGB generation’s duty to continue the excellent work of their predecessors in striving to ensure equality for all LGB people. It is now our responsibility to ensure that new legislations, which provide extra protection from prejudice, are implemented and used to their fullest potential throughout Wales.

John, Do you think being out has affected your career?

Yes – of course. If you come out in 1974, when you’re 18 years old, then it is bound to have an effect. I trained as a teacher, but because I wouldn’t

Council Members: (from left to right) Lee Phillips, Tim Heywood, Penni Bestic, Mike Smith, Federico Podeschi, Gareth Davies, Dyfrig Hywel and John Sam Jones

New Council Members: (from left to right) Mike Smith, Dyfrig Hywel, John Sam Jones and Gareth Davies

hide my sexuality I couldn’t get teaching jobs throughout the 1980s. I also trained as a priest – but was kicked out when I went public after deciding that I was no longer called to be celibate.

Having said all this, however – I’ve still had a wonderful career – and one that I might never have considered had I not been gay.

Mike, Could you summarise what’s good about being a lesbian, gay or bisexual person living in Wales?

I enjoy being able to have a fulfilling, invigorating and fun lifestyle both with friends and colleagues irrespective of my or their sexuality. I have also always found little problem gaining respect and friendship from people all over Wales and from different walks of life.

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Diversity Champions in Wales Stonewall Diversity Champions is a forum for employers to focus on making a safe and supportive working environment for their lesbian, gay and bisexual staff.

Stonewall research shows that, while British attitudes towards LGB people are improving, 1 in 5 LGB people have faced workplace discrimination in the last 3 years.

The Diversity Champions programme aids tackling discrimination by developing workplace specific policies and practices such as including same-sex partners in company health insurance schemes and supporting LGB networks.

There are now over 500 Diversity Champion employers in Great Britain including political parties & government departments, NHS trusts, local councils, banks, universities, criminal justice agencies, commercial businesses and even Google!

Stonewall Workplace Equality Index (WEI) is an annual assessment tool which lists the Top 100 Employers on their equality policies and work with their LGB staff, customers and service users.

Five Welsh Employers appear in the Top 100. The Environment Agency Wales followed by North Wales Police, Welsh Assembly Government, National Assembly for Wales and Gwent Police.

Welsh Diversity Champions Cardiff County Council Cardiff University Countryside Council forWales Crown Prosecution Service Cymru DVLA, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Dyfed-Powys Police Environment AgencyWales Flintshire County Council Gwent Police HM Prison &Young Offenders' Institution Parc National Assembly forWales NHS Centre for Equality and Human Rights NorthWales Police Office for National Statistics Rolls Royce SouthWest Wales Higher Education Partnership SouthWales Fire and Rescue Service SouthWales Police SouthWales Probation Service University of Wales Institute Cardiff Wales andWest Housing Association Welsh Assembly Government Welsh Local Government Association

Starting Out Guide 2008-2009 Discerning LGB graduates and job-seekers check this guide to 325 Diversity Champions as potential employers. It is distributed across GB to Student’s Unions, University Careers Services and Employment Agencies.

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Tackling homophobic hate crime in Wales

Hate Crime The Gay British Crime Survey on homophobic hate crime by Stonewall in 2008 found of nearly 2,000 lesbian and gay people, 1 in 5 had experienced a homophobic hate crime in the last 3 years, 3 in 4 of those had not reported it to the Police and 7 in 10 did not report to anyone.

In Wales, the reporting of homophobic hate crime to the Police during the years of 2006 to 2009 has dropped by 4%, but the Crown Prosecution Service has increased the number of successful cases from reportings by 100%.

Stonewall Cymru is working closely with the Welsh Police and Crown Prosecution Service to increase these figures, but we need you to report any homophobic abuse you receive. By reporting it, you may be able to prevent these crimes from happening again to you or someone else.

Have you experienced homophobic hate crime? 15,000 copies of this guide, explaining what criminal justice agencies will and can do to help, have been distributed across Wales.

But if you don't feel able to speak directly to the Police then you can report through a third-party or contact a support agency such as Victim Support who will help you even if you do not report to the Police. Safer Wales Reporting Forms for all types of hate crime are available across Wales and online.

Reporting a Hate Incident. If you feel unable to report directly to the Police then report to Safer Wales by form or online at www.saferwales.com and help to avoid a repeat incident happening to you or someone else in the future.

If you report anonymously the Police will use the information to identify patterns in an area, but if you give your details the Police will contact you to investigate the incident and this could lead to the prosecution of the offender.

‘Insults and minor attacks are a part of our day-to-day lives and so often we do not realise we should report them or seek help. From an early age, we are bullied in the playground, attacked for who we are or beaten for who we date.’ - Lucy 7

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What youcan do Your support will allow us to achieve equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people throughout Wales and Britain. For more information on any of the following check out our website www.stonewallcymru.org.uk or contact our offices.

Become a Stonewall Cymru supporter and be kept informed about our work with regular updates by email and post. You’ll receive information about Council Elections and current campaigns.

education and help us improve the lives of LGB people in Wales. We also welcome your views on how LGB people fare in the media in Wales.

Tell the media your story If you have encountered discrimination or have had a positive experience and would like your story told to the media to highlight issues facing LGB people tell us. Stonewall Cymru receives many media enquiries asking for true stories from LGB people.

Receive the Stonewall Cymru e-bulletin Become a Friend of Stonewall and donate £5, £10 or £20 a month to support our vital work. You'll receive: • Every issue of our Friends magazine and annual Seren magazine for Wales • Free fact-sheets on rights

And keep up to date with our latest campaigns, news and events across Wales.You will find out how to get involved in our work as well as hearing first hand about our fundraising activities, volunteering opportunities and events from other LGB groups across Wales. The e-bulletin will be sent every 2 months.

• An attractive Stonewall star lapel pin People who donate £20 or more per month qualify for our Close Friends.

Shout OUT! What's it like being lesbian, gay or bisexual in Wales today? Are attitudes changing for the better?

Whether you've received a first rate service or you've been treated unfairly we'd like to hear from you.

Shout OUT your views and experiences on anything from hate crime to healthcare, or employment to Registered name and address: Stonewall Equality Ltd, Tower Building, York Rd, London SE1 7NX. Registered in England and Wales. Registration number 02412299, VAT number 862906405, Registered Charity number 1101255.

Seren is published by Stonewall Cymru. Reproduction in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. While content is believed correct Stonewall Cymru is not responsible for error or omission, Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. Stonewall Cymru does not accept liability for loss or damage of any material submitted.

Managed by: Jenny Porter, Community Liaison Officer Designed by: Countryside Council for Wales

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Volunteer for Stonewall Cymru and help us take forward our human rights, diversity and equalities agenda in a voluntary capacity. There are opportunities for volunteering in all areas of the organisation, and we promote a culture of fully integrated paid and unpaid staff.

Without the input of volunteers it would be very difficult to achieve all that we do.