I’m A Ho-Mo, Care to Join Me?

 

 

The older I get the more attracted I am to the hirsute male.

How I’m 'maturing' in this area I don’t  quite know but now there’s a great reason to go public and come out in support of boys that bristle.That is to join everyone who raises awareness of Prostate Cancer (and other male cancers).

We also need to raise funds to help inform guys about how a man's life can be devastated by such health matters and to provide information resources that are inclusive of the needs of gay and bisexual men.

To make sure that those who work in this area get the support they need to keep helping  men affected by cancer (who need every bit of support and encouragement we can give to them) there are some fantastic initiatives out there. 

Movember  is perhaps the most famous men's cancer fundraiser and they have some wonderful ideas  on how to get people motivated and have fun raising awareness and much needed cash to support related good causes during November.

Prostate Cancer UK is a charity that is there for men all year round and they currently want to know how prostate cancer affects men and their partners too. Also they want to make sure that gay and bisexual men know that their services exist for them too.

 

Many organisations  are starting to realise that  they need to be more aware of the needs of different groups of men but at the moment there simply is not enough information for gay and bisexual men on how issues such as Prostate Cancer affect them personally.

 

Out With Prostate Cancer is the UK’s first support and social group for gay and bi men affected by Prostate and other related cancers and I urge you to check them out. They really are  are a great bunch of guys.

 

Now you might think that there’s no need for separate info for us gays and although I don't want  to take away anything from the fantastic work done by Cancer charities up and down the country, us Homo’s have to prioritise our own needs.

If you’re a guy who likes guys then you are more likely than a heterosexual guy to find out that one day, you or your partner will develop issues with your Prostate, even if this doesn’t go on to become Prostate Cancer .

The problem is that so many Male Cancers from Prostate to Bowel, to Anal, to Testicular  can affect your personal life,relationships and of course your sexual health and sex life so guys need to be able to know who to talk to, how to get the right information that meets their needs, where to get checked up, who provides the best and most appropriate support and  how to find the best treatments when we need them.

Much of the information available at the moment is aimed at heterosexual men, as are  the support groups and gay and bisexual guys really do need someone to talk to who understands what they are going through as men who are having their own difficulties coming to terms with life before during and after cancer.

It's tough for anyone having to go through this but when your consultant, GP, nurse, cancer specialist whoever, just doesn't know how to talk to you as a non-heterosexual man then where do you go to to find the information you need? Where is the information to find out how surviving cancer will affect you as a gay/bi guy?

You want to talk with other gay and bisexual men and you need to find out how other gay and bisexual men have coped/are coping, and  living with these health issues when their relationships and sex lives have had to change because of how cancer, treatment, medications and surgery have affected their lives.

Currently there just isn't enough of this specific information around but we know that a lot of guys really need it and they need it today.

That’s why I’m braving face and preparing to Grow a ‘Ho-Mo’ for November to help raise funds so that The Lesbian & Gay Foundation can provide information and support to gay and bisexual men who  just need to talk to other gay and bi guys about this issue.

We need to share knowledge on how some cancers affect gay and bisexual men differently and to prioritise the support networks available to gay and bisexual guys.

Now I’m prepared to look like  a reject from Village People auditions but that's nothing compared to what men dealing with Prostate Cancer have to go through.

Please support the following cause if you can or why not join in and we can get all Fuzzy together? It could open up a new Ho-Mo world for  all of us!

 http://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Gilliver

 

 

The Bear that Tore the Rainbow.

Terrible things are happening in Russia

To our LGBT friends, and to gay people who visit the country.But how can we make our voices heard and hope to influence change for people in a place that is so different from Western Europe, where citizens face oppression everywhere they turn?

Truth is I don’t know but I do want to find out.

 

I visited St. Petersburg ten years ago which itself is a fascinating city but one that I didn’t feel entirely comfortable in if I’m honest, even as the most European of Russian cities (as the tourist brochures would tell you).

 

After seeing the amazing sights of the vast Palace Square, the famous Church of our Saviour of the Spilled Blood (sadly ironic given the current state of affairs), the statue of Peter the Great, the Winter Palace and much gilded history, you walk around the city and see life as it really is.The broken down trams were left to rust in the street, the suspicion on people’s faces unnerves you and you know you are no longer in Europe.

We were advised to carry our passports at all times and the soldiers posted throughout the city may be handsome but I wouldn’t want to stare at them for too long.

 

At the time I remember citizens in Russia wanting to form closer links to develop support for local LGBT people and it was hoped that this would develop as the situation for gay people improved over the coming decade. Although male homosexual acts were decriminalized in 1993,today there are still no laws protecting against discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Now we actually have anti-gay laws that in effect ban references to homosexuality in any way.

In 2009 that festival of the gays, Eurovision was held in Moscow on the same day as Moscow Pride which you would think would be a marketing dream for any city wanting to capitalise on its ‘European’ aspirations but alas this was not to be. Moscow police violently dispersed a gay pride rally that was banned by city authorities, leading to further bans for the next century. No cute bread baking singing grannies will ever undo this fact from my mind.

2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the Manchester/ St Petersburg sister city arrangement. Now some people may think we should cut our ties with the city but I don’t agree.

 Manchester Pride-goers were urged to send a message of solidarity to gay people in our sister city of St Petersburg. Leaflets and flags were given to the spectators at Saturday's Manchester Pride parade and a special banner, carrying a message of solidarity for LGBT people in St Petersburg, was carried through the city streets.

Meanwhile, one of Russia's leading LGBT activists attended Manchester Pride to share her experiences of living in St Petersburg. Polina Savchenko is one of the directors of Coming Out, a St Petersburg-based LGBT group  which provides vital support to gay people in the city and lobbies for LGBT rights. I was fortunate to meet her and ask how gay people here can help gay people there.

Now the situation in Russia is getting worse. An anti-gay 'propaganda' bill has just been signed into law. More murder and violent attacks of LGBT people are being reported.

With the Winter Olympics in Sochi fast approaching, Putin doesn’t seem to care about Russia's international reputation, merely stating that any gay athletes or tourists will be safe if they visit (during the Olympics).

Today Russian people struggling against the anti-gay crackdown are calling for help. They need a massive global outcry and media attention. I'm not seeing this on the mainstream news,are you?

I understand the reaction of people wanting to ban everything Russian and  not take part in any events that Russia hosts but could this really change anything?

Should we Boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics, or use the event as an opportunity to publicly shame Russia on a global scale?  Surely if there are less countries to take part in the Winter Olympics that’s less voices to be heard and more medals up for grabs by Russians!

And what about the rest of us that don’t want to visit Russia?

Ok so we avoid Russian exports such as Vodka but although that may make us feel like we are doing something, it doesn’t really hit the Russian lawmakers or Vladimir Putin  as much of the stuff isn’t even produced or manufactured in Russia although I admit it does get some publicity. 

I for one think it’s important to listen what LGBT Russians themselves want us to do and the message has come through loud and clear that we must use every opportunity to raise awareness of this issue.

 

I think we must all do our bit in whatever way we think will work, but we should think about what can have the greatest effect on the law makers and misguided politicians who feel that cracking down hard on the gay community will win them popular support (A 2013 survey found that 74% of Russians said homosexuality should not be accepted by society).Of course this was an effective policy in Nazi Germany but it didn’t mean that it was right.

We must challenge our elected officials to do everything they can to raise this matter and not let it go until the outcome is brighter for our Russian brothers and sisters.

The UK Government pledged 2 years ago to use political dialogue with other countries to push for the recognition of LGB&T rights and advocate for changes to discriminatory practices and laws which criminalise homosexuality and same sex behaviour. What is it doing about this situation in Russia?

The United Nations human rights office has launched its first global outreach campaign to promote tolerance and greater equality for lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals.Called Free & Equal, it's an unprecedented effort by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to change public attitudes around the world on issues that have bitterly divided the U.N.'s own member states. Can this mean anything to Putin?

I have met and talked to several LGBT Russians in the last year and anyone calling Coming Out  St Petersburg would get exactly the same kind of warm friendly response you would receive at The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.

The difference is that they are trying to support their communities in incredibly difficult times. Surely if we are fortunate to live in a country that finally has awarded us many of the equal rights that we have so long fought for, now is the time to support those people who are just like us, but just so happen to live thousands of miles away in a vast country where an angry bear is flexing his ageing muscles once again. No-one should be impressed by him.But the fear still exists.

Checkout All Out’s petition: https://www.allout.org/en/actions/russia-attacks 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Gay,Being Bi,Being Published

….Whatever!

Due out hopefully in the next few weeks is the third book of writings by Liverpool author Ian Bradley Marshall .Over the last 8 years Ian Bradley Marshall has written a two volume anthology, Part I being published in 2009 and Part II in 2011.

Now Ian has taken all of the pieces that relate to the subject matter of being gay, or bisexual or as the title suggest…whatever.

The book is an anthology of prose and poetry on gay issues, with particular emphasis on young people who are still discovering their sexuality, along with all the difficulties that come with that.

For the older generation the book may just reaffirm that sense of self that sometimes is lost when we question who we are and lose confidence in ourselves.

I was honoured when Ian asked me to write a Foreword for the book. Then after checking what I was actually supposed to write I went off on one about my schoolboy crushes and being the gayest thing in my high school. (c.1977-82).

I remember going to my careers officer and telling her I wanted to be a journalist, not really knowing why or what the job entailed .Not that my spelling or grammar would have helped me in this direction but I was always a pretty creative writer and I always wanted to communicate with people in some way but without sensationalising any body or anything - clearly a career in journalism was not for me!

The truth is there’s no point writing about anything that you don’t know about so for a long time I didn’t bother as I knew ‘nowt!

However given the opportunity to write on subjects close to home it is a lot easier and it’s funny really that it has taken many years for me to be actually published in book form,thanks to Ian. I’ve written lots of magazine articles, web stories and contributed to other people’s works over the years but 2013 will see the first time I have ever had my name on the jacket of an actual book. Get me!

I have friends that write marvellous bloggy type things and help craft pieces for gay publications,websites,research journals and the like. They really do inspire me so when asked to write a foreword for Ian’s book on the subject of sexual orientation it wasn’t that difficult to take a trip down memory lane and come up with something that shared my growing up story and lent itself to a book of writings on accepting personal sexuality.

Being Gay, Being Bi,Whatever is expected to be published in February, available in Waterstones and downloadable via Amazon Kindle ahead of worldwide release.


The book is dedicated to the memory of Michael Causer from Whiston, Merseyside, who died on 2nd August 2008 aged just 18 after being brutally assaulted and left for dead. The parents of the murdered gay teenager set up The Michael Causer Foundation to provide safe accommodation and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people who are homeless or at risk in the north-west of England. The book is also supported by The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.

I hope you will  get a chance to check it out.

Ignorance Isn't Bliss

This week is National HIV Testing Week and it exists for a very important reason.

It’s also an opportunity for me to share my own story which if you don’t know it already, I hope may prove helpful.

In 1987 I was 21. Legally old enough to have a same sex relationship and working as a postman in Sheffield, my hometown.

One of the things we had to deliver at that time was a leaflet about AIDS which was to go through every letterbox in the UK. The Government launched a major advertising campaign with the slogan "AIDS: Don't Die of Ignorance" and it was scary stuff.

This was to be the last time that a major nationwide campaign about HIV was to be delivered in this country and there was a lot of hysteria.

Because I was so very obviously gay, people used to shout the word ‘AIDS’ at me as it was something they presumed I was bound to acquire (even though I hadn’t had sex with another man at that time.)

I was rather a late developer but I eventually made up for lost time. I encountered many men and I wondered if many of them were HIV positive, though it was never talked about. I tried to make sure I always played safely. I say try as with many situations things sometimes got a bit out of control. So much so that I went for a yearly HIV test as I was terrified of becoming HIV positive.Year after year my test results came back negative and I  admit to becoming a little complacent in thinking that whatever I was doing I must have developed the right tactics to keep the virus at bay.

Well fate has a way of telling you that you don’t know anything and sometime during 1998 I began to get seriously ill. I lost about a stone and went down to 120 llbs. I couldn’t eat solid food and the diagnosis from my GP was Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition which causes stomach pains, diarrhoea, and weight loss. He didn’t asked me about my sex life and I didn’t volunteer any information.

I never twigged that these were symptoms of HIV infection and soon ended up in hospital on the Wirral were I was living with my long term partner . No-one could work out what was wrong with me until they recognised that my illness seemed to follow the pattern of HIV infection.

So arrogant was I that I had not succumbed to the virus that I agreed to an HIV test and went along for my results waiting to be told I was negative yet again but all of a sudden everything had changed.
I had to sign off work , think about starting HIV medications and go on incapacity benefit (good luck to anybody these days if you think this is a way to sustain yourself.

I was diagnosed in October 1999 and started meds in January 2000 as it was quite clear my body needed some assistance in building up its immune system.

Because of the advance in combination therapy treatments in the mid 1990’s I took to the drugs really well . I am currently on two tablets a day and when I hear about the problems some people have with drugs not working out for them I consider myself very lucky.

Obviously this whole experience changes your life and in my early 30’s I wondered if I could ever work again. Even though I was supported by my partner I felt the need to get involved in something but what could I do?

I saw an advert in Manchester’s Clone Zone store for sexual health outreach workers and I knew that this was something I should do so off I trotted to The Lesbian & Gay Foundation where I have been since August 2000. I can honestly say the last 12 years have been the most rewarding (if sometimes challenging!) of my life.

I wonder if I had been sexually active in those early days of the 1980s, would I be here now?

 

What would have happened to me if I hadn’t had that test?

 

It really doesn’t bear thinking about. I would say to anyone who is scared or doesn’t think they need to go for a HIV test please make sure you get checked up regularly and if you need support make sure you get it.

Nobody is perfect and we should all endeavour to wear condoms all of the time but this isn’t always enough.

Fortunately there are more of us alive these days to tell our stories and able to fight the stigma so that we can share our stories publicly. But it isn’t always easy.

Over the last decade I have met some fantastically inspirational people who just happen to be HIV positive and we could all learn a lot form each of them.

Please make sure you look after your health. I learned before it was too late and I am so grateful that I did.

For help and support:

www.lgf.org.uk/testing

https://www.tht.org.uk/thinkhiv

http://www.ght.org.uk/

Rainbow Over Steel City

 

10th November 2012

 

 

OOPS! It's been six month's since my last update.

However that’s nothing compared to the thirty years since I first left my home town of Sheffield.

Returning to this city to see what has happened to the LGB&T community there has spurred me on to keep writing. Even if no-one else reads this, it’s good for me to get it out!

As a teenager, growing up during the depression of the 1980’s and the demolition of the steel industry that affected my family and my city was bad enough, but the realisation that I just couldn’t be myself in this place, was just too much for my young mind to cope with. There really was nothing down for me except to be stifled by heterosexual norms, ending up as a sad dejected figure lost in other people’s aspirations with no knowledge of my own potential for the future. I didn’t know what I had to do but I knew I had to leave and try and move forward, even if it meant blundering around in the wilderness for a few years before I found any real answers.

Back in those days I didn’t really want to acknowledge my sexual orientation because I just wasn’t ready for it, bear in mind that for any young gay man to begin a sexual adventure in the early to mid 1980’s was incredibly dangerous with the hysteria surrounding HIV & AIDS. Not to mention the fact that, apart from one or two pubs and club nights, none of which really appealed to me, there was nothing for South Yorkshire’s LGB&T Community to really hold out much hope for.

So I moved to Blackpool, then Liverpool and eventually Manchester just far enough away to try and find places where I could feel like I fitted in somewhere, not that I was sure where that might be. I’m sure I will talk more about those other cities one day but Sheffield, my home town is the one that I want to acknowledge now as almost 30 years since I left, I returned yesterday to find a burgeoning LGB&T community and the fact that this is being documented is something that I want to mark in my own small way.

 

It was fitting (for me) that I should attend the conference ‘LGBT Communities in the 21^st Century’ at the city’s Crucible theatre, as this was one of the first places where I ever felt that I could really be myself. 

This conference was held to launch research into understanding differing views on the importance of an LGBT community which has been put together by Eleanor Formby of Sheffield Hallam University.

Professor Catherine Donovan of the University of Sunderland who has long been looking into need for LGBT communities also pointed out that in the absence of a truly diverse society we need further resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people to really make sense of who we are and how we can live our lives.

Of course there are all kinds of ways of accessing a community, or somewhere where we may not feel so much of an outsider in the hope that we can make a connection with others and begin a journey of truly realising who we are and what it is we are meant to be doing. It was uplifting to be attending this presentation in the city where I just couldn’t find that sense of belonging all those years ago.



I was delighted to see so many projects being run for young LGB&T people and to see the work of Sheena Amos Youth Trust and their projects for LGB&T and straight youths alike gives me hope. If only every young person could have access to this kind of outlet, this kind of community.

Fortunately there is a lot going on for LGB&T people in our Steel City. Sheffield has it's own Pride event,a thriving university life and going back to long before any of us were on the 'scene' the city will soon have a memorial tribute to Edward Carpenter,an early pioneer of sexual liberation who lived near Sheffield in the early 20th century.

It makes me sad when people feel they don’t want to belong to any kind of community and that they can make it on their own, because at some point in life we all need to be around others who understand a little of what we are going through. The sad fact is that if we don’t share our troubles with those who can support us we are likely to do ourselves harm ,often with tragic circumstances.


           Link to a booklet on breaking down barriers in the city 

 

It was interesting that Steve Slack our joint host for the day from Sheffield's Centre for HIV &Sexual Health pointed out the irony in a recent book which talked about ‘The Declining Significance of Homophobia’ particularly amongst young people, and of course you don’t need me to tell you with all the many thousands of cases of homophobic bullying and hate crime documented in any one year in the UK alone this would be laughable if it were not worryingly distorting. We won’t plug that particular book here though.

We know that service providers in general are just not aware of the full needs of our diverse LGB&T communities, how could they be? We don’t even know where everyone is or what problems they are having to deal with if they are not able to find some kind of sanctuary in some kind of community where they really can begin to be themselves.

Yes there are issues with ‘our’ community, the sense that equal rights are coming so fast that there is a myth we don’t need to challenge ‘bigots’. The lack of inclusion for women, racial and cultural diversity, the older,younger,those with disabilities is also a problem for communities struggling to define their own identity.

One of the most common omissions in LGB&T is often the ‘T’ and Lee Gale from TM Training gives a fascinating insight into the world of the trans masculine community and the importance not only of understanding all diverse aspects of gender identity but also for trans men to be included in sexual health resources aimed at gay and bisexual men.

We criticise Pride events too if we don’t feel they are political anymore. However the mere fact that we re able to be seen to visibly enjoying ourselves in public in a safe environment is a massive political statement, one that too many others still do not have. What we do with this opportunity is up to us.

 As Eleanor Formby highlights “for all the therapy and anti-depressants in the world, nothing will cheer you up more than having LGBT friends.’’

The importance in having some sense or ‘feeling’ of community is important to all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not because the world outside does not yet know how to recognise us let alone welcome us.

To anyone who feels they have come so far in life that they feel they really don’t need any one else I would argue that one day you will and you will be lost if you do not feel it is there, just like so many of us are when we are growing up.

And if you are secure in yourself, your relationships, your family, your work and your life in general, how about giving support to someone who isn’t?

　

IDAHO on the radio - Gaydio, BBC Radio Manchester, Radio City Liverpool.

 

17^th May 2012 was International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia and an important day to remind us all how people are suffering because of ignorance and prejudice .

It is also an important day to celebrate those who are achieving progress in the ongoing struggle to fight for better equalities.

I was very fortunate to be able to involved in a few broadcasts that pulled together a wide range of people with different experiences and from different backgrounds and different countries.

The day started with a packed 3 hour breakfast show by LGBT station Gaydio who had been putting together a special programme for IDAHO with The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.

The international feel was given through a broadcast from Manchester Airport who were flying the rainbow flag to mark IDAHO.

From Uganda to Manchester
Among the interviews featured on the show was  one with Prossy Kakooza, a survivor of the awful regime in Uganda that persecuted her for her sexual orientation and still continues to persecute LGBT people .We could all learn a lot from Prossy, she is a strong independent minded young woman who has been through hell in her home country but now she is based in Greater Manchester she continues to support LGBT asylum seekers. I have had the pleasure of meeting Prossy before and I can tell you that she is a brave and courageous woman, she also has a wicked sense of humour. Prossy is a true inspiration, as are all those people in countries like Uganda who somehow manage to be heard despite the authorities trying to silence them. We all have a responsibility to fight for their freedoms.

From Manchester to St.Petersburg
A woman who I have not met in person is Olga Lenkova who works to support people coming out in St.Petersburg. Recently I was tasked with putting together some supporting information to show solidarity with our friends in St Petersburg to try and help to fight this terrible fear the Russians have of gay people and Olga agreed to be interviewed. I’ve visited St.Petersburg before but I didn’t feel comfortable there and I never knowingly met any LGBT people. I  have spoken on the phone to a few  people who work for organisations supporting LGBT Russians and I am full of admiration for the work that they do, in a climate that does not allow for frank and open discussion of homosexuality. Again countries like Russia need our constant focus to make sure we are thinking of the people who are struggling to live their lives against a suppressive regime that does not wish to acknowledge their right to exist. In her interview on Gaydio Olga quoted Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

The purpose of the Gaydio programme was to highlight how important it is to remember that there are people at home and abroad that need our support and others that need to wake up to the fact that homophobia,biphobia and transphobia are issues which need to be challenged on a daily basis.

Marriage Equality
Also on the show from Manchester were Cllr’s Kev Peel and Bev Craig who are Manchester City Council’s LGB leads and Lynne Featherstone, the Government Equalities Minister who works tirelessly to ensure that equalities legislation is at the forefront of everyone’s agendas, something that cannot be easy when we have people telling us that somehow equality isn’t a priority when there are financial pressures on society. Miss Featherstone reassured the Gaydio listeners that equal marriage was still in the governments timetable for this parliament and the consultation on civil marriage is ongoing and nothing has changed in this area. It is important for that statement to be heard.

As the Gaydio programme came to a close (expertly steered by Chris Holliday, Emma Goswell and Paul Martin) it was lovely to meet students from The Manchester College who have spent months making viral adverts against homophobia . Read more about that here

Homophobia in Schools    
Young people have been the focus of the Exceeding Expectations initiative for many years and changing attitudes to homophobia in schools is something that needs our support. As we are learning, when you spend time with young people and answer their questions about homosexuality they understand why it is important to challenge homophobia. Not to discuss these issues with them not only allows prejudice and misunderstanding to grow but it does nothing to help them understand the world that they are growing up in.

Gay OBE’s
The subject of homophobia in sport came up on Heather Stotts’ BBC Radio Manchester programme where Paul Martin and John Amaechi (both incidentally OBE’s from Manchester’s gay community and both awarded in the same honours list) were asked to discuss why issues of homophobia and transphobia were still current. It was very reassuring to hear this discussed on a daytime radio show aimed at a wide audience. It was good to have time for these issues to be talked about clearly and not challenged as something that doesn’t affect everyone.

When people wonder why so much time is spent discussing LGB&T issues it is necessary to remind people that these things only become an issue when they are not discussed or when people’s rights are denied . When we have equality and can freely discuss these topics there isn’t as much fear of the unknown and despair at what the future might hold for us all.

Pete Price
Another person that I have spoken to recently who has had his own issues with homophobia is Liverpool legend Pete Price. I was very pleased to be invited to talk to him on his Radio City show on 17^th May. Pete is someone that has experienced homophobia first hand and has suffered many attacks and abuse both physically and emotionally and yet he will always speak out for those who are suppressed and remains defiantly true to himself.

A Rainbow Flag in Iran
One of the tasks of the day was to encourage people to fly the rainbow flag and send in photographs of how they did this. You can check these out on The LGF's Flickr gallery.The most inspiring one I think is the rainbow flag flying from a hill top in Iran. The determination by whoever did this is truly inspiring and the courage  they have for standing up for who they are in the face of such terrible circumstances for LGBT people in that part of the world is something that should keep us motivated for the future. Marking IDAHO helps us to realise that everything we can do to raise awareness of homophobia,biphobia and transphobia adds to the fact that the world  is changing, day by day.

However difficult it might be, people are listening.   

Hello!

Well this is all very exciting I must say.

As this is my first ever real life blog I'm planning on using it as a sort of diary to try and give anyone interested a flavour of some of my work and interests at The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.

It will also come in useful  (for me) to remember what I've done,where I've been and who I've met just incase I forget along the way!

Expect lots of info about LGB&T issues and the odd camp moment thrown in for good measure.

I'd be very interested in your feedback too,especially if there is anything I can do to support you or anyone you know with issues relating to sexual orientation or in challenging homophobia. I'm sure you'll agree it's  most important that we all celebrate the wonderful things about our  LGB&T communities and offer help to those who need it too.

You can ask me any question you like,I'm not shy!

If I can't answer your query I will endeavour to find someone that can.

Andrew