The Women’s Institute is featuring a trans woman member on the cover of its magazine for the first time.
Petra Wenham, a member of Cake and Revolution WI in Suffolk, appears on the July/August issue of WI Life, the organisation’s membership magazine.
She said she felt “accepted and honoured” to be on a platform to raise awareness of transgender issues.
Cake and Revolution said Ms Wenham “deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated”. More
Join the seminar hosted by the university’s Diversity Interest Group and LGBT+ Staff Community on 14 April to learn more about trans experiences in work and healthcare. More
Today is marked as International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHoBIT). This date was specifically chosen worldwide to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. More
Jane’s work on LGBT inclusion at her previous university, the University of the West of England (UWE), was recognised at the Stonewall South West Regional Awards on 5 February. 6 February 2020
Jane, who was recognised for her strong support for the LGBT community and LGBT staff and students, was delighted to receive the award and said:
I am proud of the work that I did as an LGBTQ+ ally which included bystander training for staff and student union societies. I feel very strongly that it is not up to individuals to have to defend themselves but it is our collective responsibility to not be bystanders.
Congratulations Jane from everyone at Greenwich.
Olympic champion figure skater Eric Radford tells BBC Sport that he felt as though “someone had taken invisible bricks off his shoulders” when he came out and that becoming the first openly gay male Winter Olympics champion in 2018 made him “explode with pride”. More
It’s a Sin has been an emotional watch – not least for members of the Isle of Wight’s gay and lesbian community who lived through prejudice and isolation in the 1980s and 90s.
The Channel 4 drama, which ended on Friday night, was penned by Russell T Davies and tells the story of Ritchie Tozer – an 18-year-old from the island whose family do not know that he is gay, and who leaves for university, bright lights and excitement of London in the 1980s.
He ultimately makes a sad return home across the water as the HIV epidemic casts its devastating shadow.
It’s a story that echoes with many in the island’s LGBT community who lived through those times – being shamed for the ‘disgrace’ of coming out, while also while also living in fear of Aids. More
We’re celebrating the LGBT+ community by raising awareness and promoting equality. You can join the events happening at the university and in the wider community throughout the month. See more here
February is LGBT History Month and with that in mind we have chosen the Elton John Aids Foundation as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.
After losing friends and peers to AIDS-related illnesses, Elton John was inspired to set up the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.
They fund projects for the prevention, treatment and education of HIV/AIDS and prioritise the most marginalised groups: gay men, adolescents, people who inject drugs, sex workers and transgender women. On top of this, the Foundation battles the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS; as Elton John himself said, “The AIDS disease is caused by a virus, but the AIDS epidemic is not. The AIDS epidemic is fuelled by stigma, by hate, by misinformation.” The Foundation also runs various fundraising events, including the star-studded Academy Awards Viewing Party.
The Foundation’s mission is simple: to be a powerful force in the end to the AIDS epidemic. They are committed to no more discrimination. No more HIV infections. No more AIDS deaths. No matter who or where you are.
They believe AIDS can be beaten. But only if everyone at risk of HIV, no matter who they are or where they are has access to the non-discriminatory HIV information and compassionate care that allow them to stay healthy and safe and live with dignity.
To find out more about the Foundation see here https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/
To find out more about LGBT History Month see here https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/
20 November is Transgender Day of Remembrance and with that in mind we have chosen Annie Wallace as our Diversity Champion of the Month.
Annie is an actor from Aberdeen. A former National Youth Theatre member, she graduated from the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre in 2004 and has appeared in many theatre productions. As well as being a performer, Annie writes and records music and is a skilled sound recordist and designer.
Annie is a patron of Mermaids a charity supporting trans and gender diverse children, young people and their families. Mermaids started small but has now evolved into one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities.
On 29 October 2015, Annie made history by becoming the first transgender person to play a regular transgender character in a British soap opera when she debuted as school headteacher, Sally St. Claire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks.
Since starting in Hollyoaks, she has been regularly listed in the prestigious Rainbow List, Pride Power List, Diva Power List, and the USA OUT100, as one of the country’s most influential LGBT people.
She is a staunch supporter of transgender children, young people and their families. Her advocacy has seen her appear on Celebrity Mastermind, with Mermaids as her charity of choice.
To find out more about Annie see here
To find out more about Mermaids see here
To find out more about Transgender Day of Remembrance see here https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/transgender-day-of-rembrance-2020/
