General News Volunteering faces a decade of turbulence if charities don’t act now, says new report The New Alchemy – Part 7, published by research consultancy nfpSynergy, says volunteering is under-valued, under-prioritised and organisations could miss a huge opportunity by not responding to changes in society. The report, published today, says that “volunteers have too often been seen as cheap ‘ By Besi • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News First same sex marriages in Scotland Dozens of couples across Scotland converted their civil partnerships to full marriage on the first day of new law, while dozens more give notice to marry. Scotland’s historic equal marriage legislation has been hailed as a success after dozens of couples across the country, and abroad, sought to mar By Besi • 3 min read
Arts PREVIEW: Michael McIntrye Michael McIntrye returns to the Brighton Centre in 2015 with his new stand-up show Happy & Glorious. His previous tour ‘Showtime’ was the biggest selling comedy tour in the world in 2012, playing to over 640,000 people including a record-breaking ten-night residency at London’s O2 Arena matching the By Besi • 1 min read
Health Council commits to early HIV testing Brighton and Hove City Council has committed to halving late and undiagnosed HIV by passing a motion on HIV testing in support of the ‘Halve It’ campaign. The motion which was passed unanimously by the Council on Thursday, December 11 recognises the importance of local action in coordinating and com By Besi • 4 min read
Health Government plan devastating cuts to national HIV prevention funding The Government is considering devastating cuts to funding for the national HIV prevention programme in England. Proposals will see funding halved for the year commencing April 2015 and there is as yet no commitment to fund further years of the programme. By Besi • 4 min read
Community News LGBT Community Groups Network update The Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Groups Network met for its third quarterly meeting on Saturday November 22. The network exists to bring smaller community groups together, share peer support, access advice and information and currently has sixteen member groups. By Besi • 1 min read
Bengy prepares for his close up International News Reprieved gay bull celebrates Christmas in new home Benjy will celebrate Christmas in Norwich sanctuary after being granted reprieve from slaughter. Benjy, an Irish bull previously slated for slaughter because of his sexual orientation, arrived at Hillside Animal Sanctuary today, where he will breathe fresh air, graze freely and never again face the By Besi • 2 min read
Something for the boys In The South Worthing ‘Out and Proud’ Ball returns in 2015 Following the successful inaugural Out and Proud Ball in 2014 organisers have confirmed the date of the next Ball will be March 7, 2015. The Ball will once again be staged at Field Place in Worthing, tickets will cost £45 per person and the entertainment will follow the ‘alternative’ and slightly ‘r By Besi • 1 min read
Community News Pride 2015 early bird tickets frozen for third year running Pride ‘Super Early Bird’ and ‘Early Bird’ tickets prices have been frozen for the third year running. Tickets for Pride 2015 will go on sale on Friday, December 19 with Super Early Bird tickets costing £9 and Early Bird tickets £12.50. Pride 2015 will be celebrating 25 years of Pride in the City and By Besi • 3 min read
Books Winter edition of Pink Humanist now online. The magazine, published quarterly by the UK gay charity, the Pink Triangle Trust, also carries a particularly gruelling feature on AIDS. In “AIDS: then and now”, Barry Duke, editor of The Pink Humanist writes of how his life was torn apart by HIV in the 1980s, and young American Brandon Griewank rec By Besi • 1 min read
General News International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers Brighton Feminist Collective will be joining sex workers, allies and advocates on Wednesday, December 17, to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. They will be holding a vigil in central Brighton on the evening of December 17, to take a stand against violence towards sex wo By Besi • 1 min read
Community News New Year Sunday Lunch for People with HIV Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club will be holding a New Year Sunday Lunch on Sunday, January 4 at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church. The monthly Sunday Lunches will run throughout the winter to give people with HIV additional time to meet and spend time with their peers. By Besi • 1 min read
