Marriage for same sex couples
The Wandsworth LGBT Forum supports the Goverment’s proposals to introduce marriage for same sex couples. If you too share your support for this historic piece of legislation then we urge you to write to your MP to ask them to vote in favour and support this upcoming bill. The bill is a free vote and we need to whip up as much support in favour as we possibly can. The Forum has produced a campaign letter that is easy for you to either email or print off and post to your MP. All you need to do is put your address in the top right corner and your MP’s name in the introduction.
London LGBT+ Community Pride successful in bid to run Pride
LCP (see news item below) has been selected by the GLA as their delivery partner for Pride in 2013 and – if all goes well – beyond.
There are many ways that community groups can get involved, and they also need representatives of community groups to put themselves forward as members of the Community Advisory Board that they are establishing.
Planning Pride
The forum has been approached by London Community Pride (LCP) to back its bid to be responsible for the planning of Pride for the next five years. There are three known bidders but the LCP is the only group that has come out and asked for community engagement, and the only group to have grown out of those communities.
The forum was asked by the LCP to provide feedback on how community organisations like us could ensure that their voices are heard when it comes to the planning and organising of Pride. We completed a questionnaire which was provided by the LCP and have been briefed on the public meetings held asking for community outreach. It is hoped that if they are successful in their bid there will be an advisory group, which the forum could be a part of, to ensure that accountability to Pride is met. This is something the forum would very much like to be a part of to ensure Wandsworth has a voice in Pride.
Forum holds HIV event at Wandsworth Town Hall
On Tuesday 27 November the Wandsworth LGBT Forum held an event at Wandsworth Town Hall hosted by The Mayor of Wandsworth, Adrian Knowles. It was the first time, either party can recall, that a Mayor has held a reception specifically to recognise World AIDS Day. This event was also held during the Terence Higgins Trusts first ever National HIV Testing week with WAD also falling on the 1st December. So it was the perfect week to hold an event to recognise the impact of HIV.
New figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that a record number of gay and bi-sexual men in 2011 were diagnosed with HIV. According to the HPA the figure is 3,010 which have surpassed heterosexual diagnoses for the first time since 1999.
As health services return back under Local Authority control these results are a strong reminder that we cannot let HIV fall off the borough’s agenda.
A number of people who work in health were invited to attend the event including people from Wandsworth Oasis, local councillors, the director of public health Houda Al-Sharifi and many more. It was a chance for organisations to meet up, chat and discuss who they were and how they can help with the fight against HIV. As well as speeches from Mr Mayor, Wendy Majewska from the Courtyard Clinic gave a very informed short speech on the impact of HIV locally.
It is the forum’s hope that a local campaign that targets the prevention of HIV will come as a result of hosting this event and that we will work together to do call we can as a borough in raising awareness and encouraging people to know their HIV status.
Television company Electric 6 looks for participants
The forum has been approached by Electric 6 who are looking for participants for a new television show focusing on couples in which one of the partners has undergone gender reassignment. Below are a few words from the development producer:-
‘Last year Channel 4 aired a series called ‘My Transsexual Summer’ which was met with a warm reception from viewers, the transgender community and those who contributed to the series. Our series ‘My Transsexual Wedding’ would aim to continue the respectful and un-sensationalist tone of ‘My Transsexual Summer’ but focus on couples – one of whom has undergone or will undergo a gender affirmation procedure – who are planning to marry.
‘The programme would offer a portrait of the day-to-day challenges the couple experiences, the perception of their forthcoming marriage by the outside world and it would tell their life stories. The arrangements of the wedding and the day itself would offer a nice framework around which to tell these stories. Ultimately the series is celebratory as, well, marriages are a time of celebration.’
If this is something you think you would be interested in please contact the forum on our email address and we will pass your details to the production company.