This fact surprises most people as only 22 years ago, in our lifetime, those who have same-sex relationships were considered mentally unwell, were hospitalised and treated accordingly. This “treatment” was incredibly invasive, such as psychotropic medication, pre-frontal lobotomies and aversion therapy to name but a few. Incredibly, recent research shows that therapists still trying to cure us (Bartlett, Smith and King, 2009). Treatments to change a person’s sexuality are unethical and may be damaging as homosexuality is not a disorder nor is there any evidence that any such “treatments” are effective.

Homophobia is the most prevalent form of bullying in schools today and homophobic language has far exceeded racism in society as form of disrespect and abuse, often leading to violent physical assault. Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK cites, “two thirds of lesbian and gay school children [in Britain] have experienced homophobic bullying; an astonishing 17% of which were death threats” (2008). Homophobia is equivalent to racism, sexism, ageism, sizeism and prejudice against disability yet this is often disregarded in favour of conflicting personal values. Unfortunately, the effects of homophobia are demoralising, dehumanising and distressing. Homophobia can create mental ill health where once there was none and it significantly increases the risk of self-harm and suicide amongst those who experience it.

Justin Fashanu, 19 February 1961 – 2 May 1998.

Homophobia is a hate crime and is subject to British Law that vetoes such actions and also prohibits incitement to hate crime on the grounds of sexual orientation under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (2008). The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace, The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) 2007 prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, and The Civil Partnership Act 2005 allows same-sex couples to enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as married couples.

Nevertheless, lesbians and gay men still experience extensive discrimination.

IDAHO is needed because 86 member states of the United Nations still criminalise consensual sex among same-sex adults. Six provinces punish homosexuality with imprisonment. Seven have the death penalty as punishment.

Mahmoud Asgari, 16 years old, and Ayaz Marhoni, 18 years old, executed 19th July 2005.

“Corrective rape” is used to “teach” women who have sex with women the “right” way to have relationships. Often these women are gang raped and too often they are then killed when the “correction” gets out of hand.

Eudy Simelane, 1977 – 28 April 2008.

IDAHO is therefore a day to remember those who have lost lives because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and for those who continue to suffer persecution. However, IDAHO can also be used to celebrate the worldwide campaigns that oppose this discrimination and fight for equality of life and opportunity for all.

Plymouth’s lead for ‘safe’ has verified the service and has awarded them with the ‘safe’ badge and said “All staff involved with GUM & PAC has worked extremely hard to evidence and ensure this service is able to offer a consistent and high quality sexual health service for young people.  Everyone should be very proud of themselves for this achievement.”

But what is the SAFE badge? 

The Department of Health’s You’re Welcome quality criteria lay out principles that will help services in the community – to ‘get it right’ and become young people friendly.

Services achieving the local You’re Welcome ‘safe’ badging scheme ensure young people are offered consistent sexual health advice where ever they see the ‘safe’ badge.

In order for a service to gain the ‘safe’ accreditation they have to work through a comprehensive self assessment toolkit which is then verified by the local ‘safe’ for young people lead and this toolkit covers 9 sets of criteria as follows:

1. Access
2. Publicity
3. Confidentiality and consent
4. Environment
5. Staff training, skills, attitudes and values
6. Joined up working
7. Monitoring and evaluation, and involvement of young people
8. Health issues for young people
9. Sexual and reproductive health (SRH)

The Exhibition will open on  April 28th and will run for nine weeks at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery Admission is FREE.

The exhibition gives you access to the public historical, cultural, and artistic materials related to the lesbian, gay bisexual and trans communities in Plymouth all under one roof. 

This thought-provoking exhibition is based on new research into the City’s LGBT communities and includes personal stories, objects, photographs and more. It spans three centuries and captures the heart of the changing ‘scene’ over the decades, as well as the political struggle both past and present.

Come along and find out more about this diverse and intriguing aspect of Plymouth’s history.

http://www.lgbt-history.prideinplymouth.org.uk/

4U at The Zone provides a drop-in service five days a week, including some evenings and weekends.

Services for under-25′s include chlamydia testing and treatment, contraception and advice, pregnancy testing, STI advice and referrals.

It is run by The Zone and Plymouth Community Healthcare.

Mike Jarman, The Zone chief executive said ”Sexual health has come a long way in the past 10 years and it is great that we can now offer a walk-in service at the heart of the city centre.  We now have two new fully equipped clinic rooms, so that young people can see a nurse without having to travel somewhere else.”

Provider services, teachers, school nurses, and local pharmacists attended the official opening.

Mike said: “It was great to see so many of our co-workers from across the city visiting us yesterday. It gave us the opportunity to show them around the facilities available and see first hand what we collectively have to offer, and how they can take that information back to their own areas of work.

“The Zone doesn’t just offer a sexual health service. We also have trained youth workers that are on hand to give advice in a range of fields.”

Angie Wake, Plymouth Community Healthcare contraception and sexual health service lead nurse, added: “Since moving to The Zone in December we have already seen a rise in the number of young people we have seen.  The 4U service is about being on hand to help under-25s to receive the advice and support they need, when they need it.”

“It is also about ensuring that they are well informed about sexual health and that the information they receive is consistent with other services in the area.”

Both organisations have previously offered sexual health advice and support clinics in areas around the city.

However, clinics ran in limited time periods and young people would often need to make an appointment to ensure that they could see the appropriate person.

This new extended service is based at The Zone’s headquarters onUnion Street.

Drop-in clinics are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 1pm to 5pm, Tuesdays 4pm to 7pm and Saturdays 10.30am to 4pm. Appointments can also be made by calling 01752 206626. For further information and advice visit www.thezoneplymouth.co.uk

Click Here For The Official Exeter Pride Site

The now well-established kick-start to the day of events starts with the Pride Parade! Congregate from 11am at the St Sidwell Centre, Sidwell Street, Exeter, for the Pride Parade through the City. Exeter Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr. Kevin Mitchell will start the parade, led proudly by Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the parade will be helped along by Streetheat Samba Band’s beats, as well as many groups and organisations carrying banners.
Also confirmed for the parade are the Vaults bar and club with drag Queen, Ezmee. Look out too, for Ms. Delta Boeing from GlamAir and her entourage in her convertible!

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street: Midday until 11pm.
(Including The Pride Marketplace: Midday-4pm)
The main venue for the day’s events will be Exeter Phoenix. There will be information about local LGBT services and local businesses selling their lovely wares, from bathbombs to condoms. It’s all here, including…

THE PRIDE PANEL: 1pm-2pm
Chaired by Dr Deborah Reed of Exeter College, this year the big debate will be exploring “LGBT representations in the media” exploring the inclusion of LGBT images in the media. Come to listen or have your say. With panel members from the likes of the BBC’s Diversity Manager and talented ComedianRosie Wilby. 

PRIDE PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO: 12-4pm
Update your Gaydar profile pic? Or maybe just snap a memento of Pride 2012? Pride is lucky this year to have two AMAZING professional photographers, Gus McEwan and Katherine Fyfe.

LEGAL WORKSHOP: 2pm-3pm

Employment Law. Come and talk to our friends at Cartridges for this free legal workshop.

SAME SEX STRICTLY BALLROOM!: 1pm-3pm
Get your dance card out and put your best foot forward for the Strictly Ballroom workshop followed by Latin dance workshop.

TRANS WOMEN’S WORKSHOP: 3pm-4pm
A workshop exploring ‘image’ for trans women with local business TrueYou.

BURLESQUE!: From 2.30pm
Oww, fancy! Come and have a go with Kinky & Quirky, the Devon based Burlesque funsters!

DRUMMING WORKSHOP: 1pm-3pm
A firm favourite since pride began, it’s back by popular demand! First the boys then the girls.

ZUMBA!: 3pm-4pm
Combining Latin and International music with a fun and effective workout system. Get yourself limbered up for the evening’s festivities!

FAMILY SATURDAY: 1pm -4pm
Come and join the Exeter Phoenix learning department and create a bright colourful banner for the festival, this is a free drop in but donations are welcome.!

PLUS: Clowning  from Le Navet Bete and Live music throughout the day in the cafe bar. Look at the LGBT Exeter Pride Art display while you are there.

Spring Retreat: a weekend of calm and peacefulness away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for those living with HIV, their partners, families and friends.

Programme includes opportunities for small group discussion, meditation, complementary therapies carried out by skilled, qualified and registered professionals – all groups and activities are optional.

The programme offers time for reflection, and allows space for solitude as well as exploration of the countryside and neighbouring places of interest.

Ammerdown Retreat Centre is situated in the Somerset countryside, close to Radstock in a converted stable block, offering very pleasant and comfortable accommodation set in beautiful grounds full of wild flowers.

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The Eddystone Trust Regional Conference was a huge success.  We would like to thank everyone involved in helping to make the day memorable and run smoothly.

Click below to download some of the contributors presentations from the day.

50Plus the THTAge UK research

No Bars to Sexual Health Exeter

Treatment as Prevention

Young people, sex, sexual health & HIV

Testing Times SW Present

The Conference was successfully attended by over 100 people; our most memorable moments include uplifting and motivational speeches from Jonathan Grimshaw, Katie Bacon, Veronica Nall and Lindsay Beadnall, Annie Hargreaves, Gus Cairns and Tom Doyle.

Finally our thanks go to the glue that held it all together, our very skilled and enthusastic Co-Chairs, Justine Womack and Mike Jarman.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves people who are HIV-negative taking anti-HIV drugs to prevent HIV infection.

The Partners study, which took place in Kenya and Uganda, gave participants either tenofovir (Viread), Truvada (tenofovir and FTC) or a placebo. Infections were reduced by 62% in people taking tenofovir alone and by 73% in those taking Truvada. The study was ended more than 18 months early because early results showed PrEP was so effective.

Participants in the TDF2 study, in Botswana, took either Truvada or a placebo; Truvada reduced infections by 63%.

Co-chair of the Partners study, Dr Jared Baeten, says: “This is a very exciting finding for the field of HIV prevention. Now … the priority for HIV prevention research must be on how to deliver successful prevention strategies, like PrEP, to populations in greatest need.”

These findings add to the picture of effectiveness of PrEP, following recent conflicting findings from the iPrEX study and the FEM-PrEP trial.

More detailed findings from the TDF2 study will be presented at the IAS conference in Rome next week, and NAM will report on these in our daily bulletins from the conference (see box to the right). You can also visit our online ‘Pre-exposure prophylaxis’ resource for more discussion and information on previous research.

Operation Checkmate is a day of entertainment, prizewinning challenges and loads of tips, information and demonstrations on how to stay healthy and improve your fitness.

This year the theme for the week is ‘How new technologies can improve men’s health’. The Men’s Health Forum produce mini manuals on a wide range of health topics, and this year the manual focuses on encouraging men to use the internet safely and effectively, for health issues.

Operation Checkmate will take part on the Piazza, Armada Way, Plymouth from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 18 June 2011. There will be plenty of opportunities to try out new gadgets, have a health mot and get friendly up to date information on a wide range of health topics!

For more information please visit: www.menshealthforum.org.uk