We all met in the LGBT Foundation headquarters (http://lgbt.foundation/) appropriately in the gay village area of Manchester. Here we met up with representatives from the FFLAG (Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays) hosts, and also of people from Families Together London, Parents Enquiry Scotland, Manchester Parents, New Road Parents Worcestershire, Bristol Parents, Leicester Parents, Wiltshire Parents, Liverpool Parents and Jewish Parents London . We also had speakers from Manchester Parents and the SHOR LGBTQ (http://www.shorlgbtq.com/) group.
Paul Martin, the CEO of the LGBT Foundation, (seen above right) started off the discussions stating that all the parents groups had made a 'tremendous difference' but he was still concerned with what issues we had to address next. One area of great concern was for those people who come from countries who still state that having an LGBT identity was illegal. Many of the groups felt that they had received telephone calls from some people whose culture was that being LGBT was a 'curse' on the family.
It was extremely valuable to listen to the updates from the various groups from across the countries (England and Scotland!). FFLAG said that the number of calls on the telephone call line had decreased but the 'hits' on the website had increased suggesting that the need for information was still very much there. The Families Together Parents said that the work was predominantly inside the M25 but was starting to move outside there now. The Leicester parents were commended as they had initiated the work 27 years ago and recalled that EuroFFLAG were evident in the intervening years. The Manchester Parents Support Group had been very active even reaching out to York recently. The representatives from Leicester and the Jewish Parents support group also said of the involvement.
It was valuable for us to hear that so many groups were active and that parents across
the land had the necessary support available.
Paul Martin, the CEO of the LGBT Foundation, (seen above right) started off the discussions stating that all the parents groups had made a 'tremendous difference' but he was still concerned with what issues we had to address next. One area of great concern was for those people who come from countries who still state that having an LGBT identity was illegal. Many of the groups felt that they had received telephone calls from some people whose culture was that being LGBT was a 'curse' on the family.
It was extremely valuable to listen to the updates from the various groups from across the countries (England and Scotland!). FFLAG said that the number of calls on the telephone call line had decreased but the 'hits' on the website had increased suggesting that the need for information was still very much there. The Families Together Parents said that the work was predominantly inside the M25 but was starting to move outside there now. The Leicester parents were commended as they had initiated the work 27 years ago and recalled that EuroFFLAG were evident in the intervening years. The Manchester Parents Support Group had been very active even reaching out to York recently. The representatives from Leicester and the Jewish Parents support group also said of the involvement.
It was valuable for us to hear that so many groups were active and that parents across
the land had the necessary support available.
The SHOR LGBTQ brief was heart-rending. The on-line portals' Editor-in-Chief called for us all to Break the Silence on 'Honour and Shame' within the Asian Communities. In India the laws relating to homosexuality (section 377) had been repealed in 2009 to then find it had been reinstated in 2013. She could recall an occasion when the visiting priest was asked to 'cleanse the home', seeking to remove the homosexuality. She told a wonderful poem which spoke of the dreams of parents being stopped and they could no longer dream of the future for their offspring .. because they were homosexual. The culture within the southern Asian communities is certainly not affirming to LGBT individuals: it was described as a toxic soil, with deep roots. This is a deeply committed young lady who has a passion to resolve this issue. Wonderful.
People need to break the silence to release those within the LGBT communities in those regions so they could be free to be who they really were.
The afternoon presentation was from a transgender lady who highlighted the significant number of labels which could be given to transsexuals and then explained, in detail, the process required to transition. It was again so saddening to hear that the rate that transgender individuals actually contemplate suicide had risen over the last 20 years to above 40%, some might even claim 50%. Manchester even has a Memorial Garden for those T individuals who had tragically taken their own lives or who had been killed. We learnt that many children may know of a difference of their assigned genders and what gender they truly were by the age of 7. However, the age that they had accepted that this gender may be wrong was 31 years of age: many at this point had married and had children - it did not mean that they were happy. The actual process of transition was explained as costly in time and money (especially latter). You could sense the joy however when the Gender Reassignment Certificate, sent from Leicester, was received that this meant that they their true gender had been recognised. This again was a very moving and emotional presentation.