Reading Borough Council awards £10,000 grant for LGBT community ‘Support U’ centre

 

Councillors at the full Reading Borough Council meeting unanimously backed a motion to give the ‘Support U’ initiative assistance with accommodation and £10,000 in start-up funding for a support centre that will become the hub for the LGBT community, providing various services to at no cost.

The focus of the Support Centre will be to offer advice, support and guidance on LGBT issues to those that need it.

Support U is a registered charity promoting equality and diversity in the Reading area, with a specific focus on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Their aims are to advance education and eliminate discrimination for the benefit of the public by:

• Raising awareness in issues involving discrimination. 
• Developing an environment in favour of equality. 
• Provide information, advice and support to the public.

Support U advocates for social inclusion by:

• Providing social activities for the public. 
• Actively seeking opportunities to develop social inclusion.

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Support U

When Diversity Matters... Support U is a charity in Reading that will be looking to open a community/advice centre in Reading, to offer services to the general public to promote acceptance of diversity.

Support U is a new charity in Reading and the surround areas, that will provide a community hub for LGBT Charities.
With this centre, we will be looking to strengthen the LGBT services for the general public and provide that all important connection that Reading currently does not have. We will be looking to promote acceptance of diversity in the wider community.

If you would like to get involved, please email support@supportu.org.uk

Rebekah’s Story: A Tale of the Recession in Berkshire’s LGBT Community

 

The British economy will take years to recover, we are told. Here in Berkshire, along with everywhere else in the UK and the world, things are tough right now. For Berkshire builder, Rebekah Maidment-Cameron, these tough times are particularly difficult.

“Unfortunately, as far as work goes,” Rebekah told us here at Gay Berkshire: The LGBT Network, “very little seems to come my way, although I have been recommended many, many times.”

Rebekah began her career as a builder in London, before her gender reassignment surgery four years ago and moving to Berkshire. “I was shocked when the majority of my friends in London dropped me like a shot, soon as I declared my intentions to change gender. Funny really, because I was never some big butch builder. I lost the job I had with the building company I was working for in North London.”

Rebekah forged ahead, relocated and found other work, but after her surgery, she developed life-threatening complications that made it impossible for her to continue work for some time. So she lost her next job, since she was in no fit condition to return to work.

“So, I started working alongside my partner’s brother (which helped) and had a good run for a while, doing work for friends and they recommended us to others. Problem is, outside of the circle, work just went dead. I think that people who do not know me well, feel uncomfortable recommending me and/or contracting me in the first place. Whether that is because I'm a transsexual woman-? or a lady builder-? Maybe they cannot get their heads round what I am, or do not believe that I can do the job as well as a straight man? All of my neighbours know what I do for a living, but get other builders in to do the work for them. Strange but true!”

Not one to just sit back and let these economic times get the best of her, Rebekah is pressing on – creating a website and seeking new avenues to advertise, such as Pinke.biz, a search facility to help you find LGBT-friendly businesses in your area.

Times are tough for so many of us and Gay Berkshire is a county wide group which aims to give a stronger voice to the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Rebekah’s is just one voice in our LGBT community, but we are sure her frustrations echo those of many, so this is a voice that needed to be heard.

“Reading Gay Chorus: Picnic Basket” ~ the Thames Valley’s LGBT choir summer concert

 

Please see the website for more information: http://www.rgc.gb.com/

“In or Out. Does it Matter?” ~ Brian Paddick is confirmed speaker for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia

 

7pm Tuesday 17th May, 2011 Reading Police Station, RSVP to TVGPA@thamesvalley.pnn.police

Berkshire resident joins ‘I Am Visible’ campaign to end biphobia

 

Berkshire resident and Gay Berkshire member, Stephanie Smith-Browne, will be a 2011 contributing writer for the year-long public service campaign for bisexual visibility and an end to biphobia in the media, schools, the workplace and the community.

I Am Visible, an international effort, is the brainchild of Chicago-based journalist Adrienne Williams. Williams says the campaign “is for the many who have been bullied, called out for not being real, or hated for speaking on bisexual rights and regarding key issues on equality.” Bisexuals have been involved in fighting for causes such as the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and other discriminatory laws, the approval of marriage rights, and an end to workplace discrimination. “All causes that for which our allies in all communities seek justice,” Williams adds. Causes for which bi community members have always worked hard, though sadly their efforts are often made ‘invisible’ to the wider community due to long-standing habits of biphobia and bi-erasure, particularly in the media.

It’s time to work towards an end to biphobia in our communities.

Gay Berkshire—The LGBT Network is committed to doing our part to tackle biphobia, homophobia and transphobia in Berkshire.

Aiming to strengthen the voice of Berkshire’s LGBT community: on hate crime

Gay Berkshire aims to bring together the voices of Berkshire's LGBT community.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people who are victims of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes and bigoted incidents can feel extremely vulnerable. When someone suffers an incident committed out of ignorance, prejudice or hatred because of their sexual orientation or a misapprehension of their gender, they can be left feeling exposed and often voiceless.

Many LGBT people can be reluctant to speak about what happened to anyone, particularly authorities in their workplace or the police. There is often a fear of being outed to workmates, friends or family, if the incident becomes known. They may fear the incident will not be taken seriously, that they will be judged to have not suffered any ‘real’ loss or threat, or they may fear reprisals and repeat victimisation. Some remain silent due to a lack of confidence that their supervisors at work or the police will be sensitive to their situation or act appropriately on their behalf.

Gay Berkshire is a county-wide group that aims to strengthen the voice of Berkshire's LGBT community on a variety of issues. We work towards community cohesion by liaising with local councils and other bodies, such as the police, to challenge homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and to oppose prevalent misconceptions of the LGBT community.

If you feel you have been a victim of a hate crime, please review the Gay Berkshire homepage for information on how to report it and how to get support.

If you would like to volunteer with Gay Berkshire to help us achieve our aims, we’d be very pleased to hear from you.