40 years on: where are LGBT rights?

The 40 year anniversary of the founding of GLF in the UK on the LSE campus gave momentum to look back how LGBT rights have developed and become globalized in this period. The conference is an opportunity to engage in a discussion on the changing context of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) rights in the last 40 years. It is bringing together academics and activists involved in the development of the global LGBT movement. It will look at the historical context of the development of GLF and bring together current, and globalised, debates on sexuality, equality activism and needs.

The conference will consider the ways in which the rights context has impacted upon the lives of LGBT people both in the UK and in the global arena; What are the different ways of understanding strategies and technologies for sexuality rights in different contexts? What are the lessons to be learned from an internationalist perspective?

The conference will include a key note address, panel sessions and more open discussion based sessions. In addition, a 'witness seminar' methodology will include key contributors associated with the genesis of GLF in the UK in early 1970s.

Participants include:

Matt Cook Birkbeck College
Sonia Corrêa the founder of SOS-Corpo- Instituto Feminista para a Democracia (Brazil)
Vikram Doctor The Economic Times-India
Silvia Gallotti LSE Library
Joel Gustave Nana Executive Director African Men for Sexual Health and Rights(AMSHeR)
Sally Hines University of Leeds
Suhraiya Jivraj Oxford Brookes University
Katherine Johnson University of Brighton
Akshay Khanna Institute of Development Studies
Robert Kulpa Birkbeck College
Anthony Manion GALA Wits archives
Frank Mugisha Uganda Executive Director Ugandan Sexual Minorities Group
David Paternotte FNRS/Université libre de Bruxelles
Rahul Rao SOAS
Jeff Redding Saint Louise University Law School
Helen Sauntson University of Birmingham
Tamsila Tauqir Director of the Safra Project

The conference is open to all and free. However due to space restrictions prior registration is required. If you are planning to attend the conference please e-mail: m.h.seckinelgin@lse.ac.uk or Dianne Josephs d.e.josephs@lse.ac.uk to reserve your place.

40 years on: where are LGBT rights? Gay Liberation Front’s 40th anniversary Conference
London School of Economics
19-20 May 2011
Wolfson Theatre
New Academic Building
website

Training: Supporting Young Gay & Bisexual Men

A training course for promoting awareness of and equality for young gay and bisexual men is being run in Manchester by ‘LGBT Youth North West’, on the 25th October 2010. LGBT History Month HE Officer Jeff Evans said, "Such training events clearly offer a wonderful opportunity to better appreciate, protect and help challenge the endemic bigotry faced by young males in our schools, colleges and wider community".

Click here for detailed information and registration advice (pdf - 350kb).

If you have any queries or would like more information please contact
Myrtle Finley (
Training, Accreditation & Volunteer Support Coordinator
LGBT Youth NW
Mobile: 07531061775
Answer phone: 01612737838
Email: myrtle@lgbtynw.org.uk

Diversity Training for Teachers

It is only ignorance that causes homophobia - once educated, attitudes do change – a whole school approach

* Enusure Policy is implemented in your school: ECM, INCLUSION, OFSTED, CP
* Be inspired y professional diversity trainers with 30 years of experience
* Learn how to change attitudes of students, staff and in the community
* Collect tried and tested schemes of work, resources and ideas
* See LGBT lessons in action

‘By working together we changed attitudes at Stoke Newington School and in our community – you can do it at your school too’
Annie Gammon – Headteacher, Stoke Newington School

Diversity Training for Teachers
Stoke Newington School Diversity Training Centre for Teachers
Educate and Celebrate
1 day Course £100

For more details and to register contact:
Course Leader Elly Barnes
0207 241 9653
elly.barnes@sns.hackney.sch.uk
Registration Form (Word doc - 312kb)

LGBT History and Arhives Conference a Success

Flights (or Fights) of Fancy; the 7th Annual LGBT History and Archives Conference was a great success.

Held on 5th of December at the London Metropolitan Archives, the day's events included a tour of ancient Egypt and same-sex desire and gender identity at the British Museum, National Gay Icons, LG comics, fanzines and graphic novels, a history of the 70s theatre company Gay Sweatshop, and a worrying account of press hysteria and censorship in Glasgow.

For a full report by Tony Fenwwick, please click here (Word document).

Curiouser and Curiouser: LGBT History Conference

LGBT history and heritage ideas are going from strength to strength. But what are the challenges around collecting, conserving and communicating the history of LBGT people and who and what is that history for? The London Metropolitan Archives are organising their sixth annual LGBT History and Archives Conference, which will include talks, Q&A sessions and workshops.

The programme includes speakers currently working on a variety of LGBT heritage projects including:

Proud Heritage: How proud are Britain's Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Archives
Jack Gilbert

Over the last three years Proud Heritage has been on an unprecedented journey, working with leading figures at UCL and Leicester University to analyse the challenges facing LGBT memory and cultural ancestry in the heritage sector – and developing some innovative ways forward.

Nottinghamshire's Rainbow Heritage
David Edgley

Celebrating Nottinghamshire’s LGBT lives, hidden history and culture, the website gives many opportunities for interaction.

Imperial War Museum North: Military Pride
Catherine Roberts and James McSharry

Military Pride maps personal experiences across forty years of changing laws and evolving social attitudes toward homosexuality. It presents a unique snapshot of military life for gay men and women.

Shropshire Archives: Some People Are Gay, Get Over It!
Maureen Turner and Kerry Dickins

A resource for Key Stage 3 and 4 teachers and students funded by the MLA West Midlands’ ‘Learning Links’ initiative.

Brighton Ourstory: Sodomy and Suffrage
Linda Pointing and Tom Sargant

Brighton Ourstory are working on a major new exhibition for Brighton Pride 2009. Linda and Tom will relate some of the joys and perils of researching local LGBT history.

A Most Extraordinary Affair
Rose McMahon

Interpreting the Legendary Ladies of Llangollen at the Plas Newydd House and Museum

The day will also feature a selection of afternoon workshops to choose from
- RUKUS! presenting an informal discussion on the development of the rukus! Black LGBT Archive and its new project Sharing Tongues,
- LGBT HISTORY MONTH - Building on the past and looking to the future - getting involved in LGBT History with Sue Sanders, - BUILDING A SPACE with Jane Standing of Kairos in Soho,
- CABINETS OF CURIOSITY – Developing and exploring museums and their LGBT collections with Jack Gilbert, Rose McMahon, Catherine Roberts and James McSharry
- OPENING DOORS: INCLUSIVITY AND ARCHIVES l- Developing LGBT collections in archives, opening up access and encouraging new users with Sue Donnelly, Parveen Betab and Anna Kisby

Curiouser and Curiouser: The Sixth Annual LGBT History and Archives Conference
Saturday 6 December 2008
9.30am - 4.30pm
£10 / £7.50 (pre-booking essential)
London Metropolitan Archives
40, Northampton Road
London EC1R 0HB

To book, call 020 7332 3851 or write to the above address.
Cheques should be made payable to the City of London.
Please write the event name on the back of the cheque.

Les-Bi-Con 2008

A regional Les-Bi-Con will be taking place on Saturday 1st March 2008 between 11-6pm.

The purpose of the day is to bring Lesbian and Bi women from across the North West (and beyond) together to learn from each other about how to be active in running groups; volunteering in groups; and undertsanding the needs of LB young women and how to best address these needs.

The event is open to young people between ages 13 and 25. They do not have to have had any volunteering experience but do need to be keen to learn and to take back what they have learned to their own communities/ groups etc.

The volunteers from LIKT will be running some sessions, as are some people from the Stockport group 'The Base'. But anyone else with skills they would like to share (e.g. by running a workshop) is welcome.

Please find below a link to a survey to identify what training needs you think L and B young women / volunteers have. It takes only a couple of minutes to fill in. There are two pages, the first for young women themselves and the second for people working with young LBT women. Click here to take the survey.

This is a free event sponsored by V and the consortium for LGBT community and voluntary organisations. Help towards travel expenses is available and food will be provided.

To register interest in attending or in holding a workshop, please contact Amelie at: naughtymelie@yahoo.co.uk

Trans with Pride Conference Report 2007

The Trans with Pride Conference Report 2007 is now available

Trans with Pride was a one-day conference held on Friday 15th June 2007 in east London. The conference brought together members of our communities from across London, different regions of the UK and indeed from countries beyond the UK.

External organisations and agencies, such as the Metropolitan Police, the TUC, Unison and London Pride also took part or provided support to the event.

The team behind the event are already working on the next edition and the Transfabulous Arts Festival will be taking place on 14th and 15th June to work in conjunction with the conference.

Since the Pride 2007 the Trans community has been organising itself to form the Trans@Pride sub committee. This is in order to plan and run the Pride day more effectively and by taking on board people's ideas in what they would like to see on the day of Pride. To be kept informed of the sub-committee's activities, send an email to michaeltgo@yahoo.com.

You can read the report and find some background information on the event here.

Transfabulous.

United Prides Conference

The next United Prides Conference will be held on Saturday January 19th and Sunday January 20th 2008 in Manchester from noon on the first day and finish with lunch on Sunday. A full programme of seminars, speakers and workshops is currently being created but the organisers would appreciate feedback from the public and Pride events organisers as to what areas they would be particularly interested in discussing.

The conference is sponsored by Pride Life a brand new magazine, initially published biannually, from Programme Master Ltd who produced the acclaimed Pride London guides for the last three years.

Pride Life, distributed free to all the UK's main LGTB outlets and all bars near your event, will feature great articles of interest to the community and will include full coverage of all Pride events around the country. The winter edition will feature feedback from 2007 events. A percentage of profits from Pride Life will be donated to LGBT charities including United Prides to, potentially, help support local events. This will be discussed at the conference.

The sponsorship includes double accommodation, including breakfast, on Saturday night at the new Radisson Edwardian hotel in central Manchester. A room per Pride has been allocated. A drinks reception is scheduled on Saturday evening in the hotels Colonnade Room.

Dinner that evening will be sponsored by Marketing Manchester.

Travel support is available in cases of financial hardship. The organisers also hope to organise a separate 'spouse programme' for delegates' partners.

This conference will mark a massive growth for United Prides organisation. To book for the events or other queries use the email address below.

upton@unitedprides.com

Let’s Pretend! - Fifth Annual LGBT History and Archives Conference

Back in 1988, Section 28 of the Local Government Act stated that a local authority was not permitted to “promote the teaching ... of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” The London Metropolitan Archives’ Fifth Annual LGBT History and Archives Conference, this year, sets out to explore the experience of LGBT families and family life and how these important histories might be recorded for future generations.

The agenda for the event goes as follows:

9.30 am Welcome, Arrival and coffee
10 am Evlynn Sharp with LGBT writers — ‘My Idea Of Family’
Kairos in Soho hosted a creative community event exploring the dynamics of LGBT family relationships across generations. Poems, words, ideas and art emerge. LGBT people’s expressions of family show a commitment to share and learn from our realities. Along with participants who offer readings of their poems, Evlynn represents the highlights of ‘My Idea Of Family’ and interweaves with her own poetic reflections.

10.20 am Vanda Carter — Elephants in the Bedroom — Writing for children of LGBT families
We dimly remembered the dreary photo-realism of “Jenny lives with Eric & Martin” in the Eighties and the media storm which followed its British publication. We found a few picture books from America and Canada , published in the Nineties, sagging with the leaden weight of ISSUES and horrid illustrations reminiscent of local authority clip art. We found hardly any books which showed, let alone celebrated, the existence and lives of same-sex parent families like us. There was almost nothing which we could bear to read to our children or felt that we could recommend to their nurseries and schools. So, we thought, something must be done…

11 am Matt Cook — ‘Exiles from kin’? Gay men and the family
This talk looks at how gay men came to be seen as ‘exiles’ from kin, disconnected from domestic life, but also suggests that their involvement in home and family has a long history, providing precedents for more recent ‘families’ of choice.

11.45 am Coffee
Noon Bernard and Terry Reed — ‘The Work of GIRES’
Gender variance in children, adolescents or adults usually causes acute stress for other members of their families. The reactions of other family members often intensifies the stress that gender variant people already feel. Communication within the family is difficult. The Gender Identity Research and Education Society has supported over 200 such family members by providing information and running workshops. Bernard and Terry Reed are the parents of a trans woman. As trustees of GIRES, they play leading roles in its education programmes and are the authors of much of its literature. They work with many government agencies in the development of policies to support transgender people. Gender Identity Research and Education Society http://www.gires.org.uk

12.45 pm David Fullman Equality & Diversity Officer, Age Concern Norwich ‘Fulfilment and Fear’ — The Ups and Downs of Growing Older

This presentation explores concepts of the family for aging LGBT people. As we get older we may all need extra support and help. But what happens when these structures fail? There will be time for questions at the end.

1.30 pm Lunch
2.30 pm Break Out Sessions
Break out sessions provide an opportunity to discuss the day’s themes and related issues in more depth. This year sessions include:

A creative workshop with poet Evlynn Sharp. Following on from her presentation earlier in the day, this session explores ideas and shares expressions of family.

Strategies for recording and conserving LGBT history and particularly family / kinship histories. There will also be a chance to discuss issues around the defining and keeping of personal histories with speaker Matt Cook.

A workshop / discussion with Ajamu of Rukus Federation around the idea of moving between ‘real’ and ‘imagined’ families. In most families stories and experiences are passed down from generation to generation. If gay people feel disconnected from these stories what do they pass on? If gay people create alternative families how do people relate to each other and what stories do they tell? And how do stories and experiences impact on how we view our own history, heritage and lived experience? If you are interested in this workshop bring along three small but personally important objects to share with the group.

3.30 pm Tea and music
Enjoy an interlude with the London Gay Symphony Orchestra string quartet.
4 pm Panel
The panel session will provide an opportunity for groups to feed back, raise new questions and to draw some conclusions from the day's discussions.

There are also free children's workshops.

Let’s Pretend!
Saturday 1 December 2007
9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Venue: St Bride Foundation, Bride Lane Fleet Street , London EC4Y 8EQ

Tickets: £10; Concessions £7.50; Children Free (pre-booking essential)
How to book:
T. 020 7332 3820
E. ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk

London Metropolitan Archives

The Global Politics of LGBT Human Rights - International Conference

The international conference 'The Global Politics of LGBT Human Rights' will be held on Friday 16 November 2007 at the University of Glasgow. This is being co-organised Kelly Kollman, Lecturer in Politics (Department of Politics), and Matthew Waites, Lecturer in Sociology (Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences), both at University of Glasgow.

This conference will bring together academics, non-governmental organisations and activists to explore recent global, European, UK and Scottish developments related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights governance, activism and discourse. The conference presenters will address the global politics of ‘LGBT Human Rights’ from a social theory perspective, as an empirical problem to be explained and interpreted, and/or from the perspective of political campaigning. Some papers will problematise what is meant by ‘LGBT Human Rights’, and the heteronormative aspects of human rights conventions and discourses. Sessions will consider how ‘LGBT Human Rights’ is situated in contemporary global politics and examine how norms, legal principles and networks of activists form across borders and within international institutions. A panel on Scotland and the UK will discuss the relationship of global developments to domestic political processes, dialogue and social understandings of gender and sexuality.

Full details are in the programme which can be downloaded here (Word document).

The conference is free but places are likely to be limited. To register for a place, email Lesley Scott at the follwoing address: lesley.scott@lbss.gla.ac.uk . Please include details of your relevant interests and organisational affiliations in case numbers have to be limited.

Centre for Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Glasgow

Queer discipline:

a series of research seminars on queer studies and interdisciplinarity

29 October * 5.15pm * Room 238 (English Dept Common Room)

Matt Cook (History, Birkbeck)
‘Homes fit for homos: Joe Orton and the Domesticated Queer’

all seminars are held on the Strand Campus of King’s College London

queer discipline 2007–08 is convened by Mark Turner (English, KCL) on behalf of the Queer@King’s research centre

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OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST…

**Next Critical Sexology Seminar***

7 November 2007: International Approaches to Bisexuality
2-6 pm
London South Bank University, Keyworth Centre, K405/6
(www.lsbu.ac.uk/about/maps.shtml)

Organised by Meg Barker (meg@megbarker.com)

To be chaired by Alessandra Iantaffi (researcher on bisexuality and therapist)

Speakers:
Ron Fox (Professor in Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School , San Francisco )
"International Perspectives on Bisexuality: Documenting and Preserving
History in the Making"

Matthew Waites (Lecturer in Sociology, Dept. of Sociology,
Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences, University of Glasgow )
"Bisexuality, 'Sexual Orientation' and Human Rights: The Global
Politics of Sexual Identities"

Clare Hemmings (Senior Lecturer in Gender Theory and Gender Studies,
London School of Economics)
"Bisexuality and Queer Transnationalism "

The seminar will be preceded by a morning of related events, namely a
series of presentations and workshops by and for PhD students and
others researching bisexuality. This will take place in room K605.

Critical Sexology is co-organised by Meg Barker ( meg@megbarker.com)
and Lisa Downing ( L.M.Downing@exeter.ac.uk)

Morning of Related Events (9.30am-1pm) Keyworth Centre Room K605

9.30-11.00 – five 15 minute presentations

Toni Brennan – Charlotte Wolf and the history of bisexual research

Robin Cackett - The Freud-Fliess-Controversy or: Investments in
Bisexuality in Early Psychoanalysis

Helen Bowes-Catton – 'Swordfighting, Drag Kings, and Cuddles-
Embodying Identity in 'spectacular' bisexual space

Christian Klesse – Personal identities and sexuality research: on
reflexivity and positionality

Alex Toft – Bisexual Christians: The Lived Experiences of a
Marginalised Community

11.30-1.00
Workshop on the links and tensions between bi academic research and
queer theory, bi activism and queer activism. Facilitated by Camel
Gupta and Meg Barker

Critical Sexology holds three seminars yearly. It is co-organised by Lisa Downing and Meg Barker. Visit our website for news of future events: http://www.criticalsexology.org.uk

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Centre for South East Asian Studies Seminar series .

Seminar
Date: Thursday, 29 November 2007
Time: 5-7pm
Title: Le Hoang’s (fallen) angels: women, gender and power in Bargirls (2003), Street Cinderella (2004) and Thieves of heart (2005)
Speaker: Dr Tess Do ( University of Melbourne )
Venue: G51, Main Building , SOAS
Contact: Ben Murtagh (bm10@soas.ac.uk) or Jane Savory (js64@soas.ac.uk)

Seminar
Centre of South East Asian Studies and the Centre of Gender Studies, SOAS
Date: Thursday, 6 December 2007
Time: 5-7pm
Title: Lesbians in the metropolis: fatal attraction in two Indonesian movies from the early 1990s
Speaker: Dr Ben Murtagh (SOAS)
Venue: G51, Main Building , SOAS
Contact: Ben Murtagh (bm10@soas.ac.uk) or Jane Savory (js64@soas.ac.uk)

Wolfenden50 - Conference

Wolfenden50: Sex/Life/Politics in the British World 1945-1969

2007 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Wolfenden Report, a British government inquiry into homosexuality and prostitution which profoundly shaped public debate on the regulation of these sexualities (and others), in Britain and beyond.

Most famously, the Report recommended that homosexual acts between consenting adults in private ought not to be an offence and 2007 also marks the fortieth anniversary of the passage of this recommendation into law in the Sexual Offences Act of 1967.

This seems like a suitable moment to look at the ways in which minority/deviant/ marginalised/vilified/ sexualities have been lived, understood, regulated and constructed in the post-War period, and to that end a conference is being held at King's College in London for three days.

Keynote Speakers:
* Judith A. Allen, Alfred Kinsey as Lord Wolfenden’s Expert Witness: Contributions & Consequences
* Helen Self, Wolfenden and Prostitution: An Historical Overview
* Jeffrey Weeks, Fateful Moments: Wolfenden, Identity, Citizenship
and 22 others speakers.

King's College, London
The Strand
28 to 30 June 2007
www.wolfenden50.org

Registration and further details via the website.