Category Archives: News

The following article by the Network has been provided as our educational contribution to LGBT History Month 2021 to Bournemouth & Poole College, appearing in its February 2021 e-Newsletter. We want to thank College Principal Ms Diane Granellfor her fulsome support for the articke and initiative, and also Mr Lloyd Perry, BPC Head of Student Support for his deeply appreciated encouragement and support.

Engaging with and providing awareness-raising and multi-agency support for our BCP area LGBT+ Homeless community – article provided for staff and students of Bournemouth & Poole College for LGBT HM 2021:

Approximately 24% of the younger homeless population are LGBT or who are on route to self-identifying as LGBT+  (image above from the Albert Kennedy Trust [AKT] whose important work in this field is cited and referred to in this article).

At the Network we regard History Month as an important opportunity to educate to build a better tomorrow: LGBT+ community homelessness is one of the most important subjects to inform the broader population of as it informs about the purpose of History Month. We believe all sections of the College community will benefit from the content of this article!

The searing video and two sample comments below, and BBC news article, give a powerful introduction of the need for action, multi-agency support, awareness raising and signposting initiative for the BCP area the Network has developed, and is announced here through this article with our friends at the College.  This because those most vulnerable to this blight on our society typically are found in the FE/college age range, with awareness at BPC especially valued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4D-3eOcjKw   … comments from video viewers:

‘…Honestly I just feel AWFUL this happens to good people. Why does it matter SO much that being gay is how you should treat others? No one in the LGTBQ community deserves this. I have friends who are part of this community and they’re my best friends. I don’t care who they love, I just care about their personality. …’     ‘… I hope their “parents” are ashamed of themselves. They are disgusting! I’m a parent and would stick by my child no matter what.’ 

‘LGBT and homeless: ‘I was told to contact my abusive dad’   Source:https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/2d6a278d-f279-41dd-a4d2-0ceea2882ade

In this case we felt that it was particularly important to prioritise profiling this subject, publicly for the first time with our friends at BPC, because of the Network initiative on support and signposting for our LGBT+ homeless community, which through this article is announced, relates to prevention as much as remedy approaches for those of our community already in the homeless trap: college age groups being particularly important to raise awareness with.  We will provide more news in the coming weeks on our, badly needed initiative. 

The initiative being seen as educational, social competence and good citizenship skills supporting, but particularly valuable on safety and safeguarding levels of preventative kinds.

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The story of LGB and T homelessness stretches back throughout modern history in the UK, coming to greater prominence in recent decades, and especially the past few years. 

Science, research, and especially the combined wholesome effects of UK Law (Equal Marriage, etc.), public opinion, social media provided information and lived experience information have progressively combined to build from the early 2000’s seen a new, Humanity & Fairness mature values informed change in the UK and growing numbers of other countries where LGBT+ community Respect and Inclusion are concerned.  Nevertheless, this blight on society continues in multiple forms, one of the most brutal is LGBT+ homelessness, and ‘sofa surfing’ ‘hidden homelessness.’ 

Bournemouth in particular has one of the largest homeless populations in the UK, and also historically one of the largest LGBT+ populations in the country.  Nevertheless, until now, LGBT History Month 2021, the Network has found that only a multiagency approach, developed by our community, by the Network, is going to be able to make the change we all need to see. 

We already have secured NHS support of the right kind, and that with other relevant key solutions-orientated stakeholders, which is why we, through this awareness raising article emphasise just how important a part the College itself is in this developing multiagency approach. 

LGBT+ Hidden Homelessness: our LGBT+ Community has within its considerable homeless population, a proportion known as the ‘hidden homeless,’ who commonly are constrained to what is called ‘sofa surfing’ which has a range of dangers from sexual abuse including rape, to entrapment in drugs culture that in some cases surpass even rough sleeping.  We share this excerpt and link below for staff and students at the college awareness:

LGBTQ People Are 14 Times More Likely to Be Homeless Than Straight People in the UK — Almost 80% say coming out to their parents was the main reason they lost their homes.

LONDON, Aug 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Soon after coming out as gay to his family, 16-year-old Samuel slept over at a friend’s house one night and never returned home, preferring to live with drug dealers, under archways and sofa-surfing than feel excluded at home.

Source: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/lgbtq-homeless-britain-homelessness-uk-gay/

We all have a responsibility for supporting our LGBT+ homeless communities and Community members at risk of Homelessness due to prejudice related hate and ignorance, and, until now lack of multiagency ‘safety net, safeguarding, information and signposting’ support.  We can Now, and must All play our part!

Support for Community members: if you feel the topics covered by this article could relate to you or to friends or family members, support does exist, in providing on a completely Confidential basis any concerns or experiences you have for yourself or others.  Students with any worries or concerns will need to contact our Wellbeing Team (wellbeing@bpc.ac.uk) or by phone 01202 205764.

Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) – signposting support by the nationally recognised lead LGBT+ Homelessness community support charity: you can contact AKT (Bristol office) on General enquiries: 07721166161, and  Referrals: 07467306483. Email: bristol@akt.org.uk     

The Network is Proud to play its part for pan-Dorset & BCP area LGBT+ community outreach on the national LGBT+ #ProudToBeCounted Census 2021 campaign.

The Network has initiated a pan-Dorset campaign for our community organisations, community members, to participate in Census 2021, and also that our two local authorities (BCP Council, and Dorset Council), and public service organisations to support a dedicated outreach campaign for all of their service users, residents, taxpayers, voters who are LGBT+ to complete the Census, including those sections of the latter that give voluntary options for LGBT+ perspectives on services needed and topics of importance to our LGBT+ lives in the services we receive and how they are delivered.

We are also asking our two pan-Dorset are councils for voluntary service to support this LGBT+ community outreach campaign, as they have a unique role in regard to broader community and Third Sector outreach.

We have had ahead of launching this Census participation campaign, had valuable discussions with the ONS/Census 2021 lead for the pan-Dorset area. The latter, on behalf of Census 2021 is delighted with this request for a focused, clear pan-Dorset LGBT+ Community, statutory & public sector, and Third Sector outreach campaign of the kind we have initiated.

We believe that through this campaign we can truly transform the awareness of our LGBT+ Community’s inclusion and equality & anti-discrimination needs and related support required, that whatever the eventual participation rate in the Census, BCP and Dorset LGBT+ communities and our friends in the public sector & statutory sector, and Third Sector will all benefit from this initiative in the awareness of the still too clear and often serious issues and needs on support and LGBT+ appropriate and/or dedicated services we receive.

Please watch this space for more news soon. In the meantime we hope the following link on the Census will be helpful:

https://census.gov.uk/about-the-census

The LGB&T Dorset Equality Network is delighted to share that it has received a £750 grant to support aspects of its major work with Dorset Healthcare NHS University Foundation Trust (DHC) from the Bourne Free organisation.

Network lead, Alan Mercel-Sanca on learning of the Bourne Free grant for the NHS LGBT+ Community improvement engagement benefiting work by the Network that the grant enables, said:

On behalf of the Network Chair, Board of Trustees, and Patron, I wish to thank Bourne Free for this deeply appreciated grant. It enables some Network initiated important, groundbreaking work with our friends at Dorset Healthcare (DHC) to be progressed more swiftly. The relationship between the Network and Bourne Free on NHS related support and collaboration is extensive and long-lived, dating from and even before the time Bourne Free and the Network coordinated on support to keep our dearly loved, Bournemouth, Westcliff, St Michaels Road Over The Rainbow walk-in Centre open for a year longer than would otherwise have been the case. It is therefore exciting that the wind of change that is starting to end old approaches, and institute new, truly ‘listening and supportive’ perspectives and actions in organisations such as that of our friends at DHC, especially the Dorset Healthcare ‘Steps 2 Wellbeing’ programme — https://www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk/how_are_you_feeling/about_you/lgbt/ — are taking place.

Please watch this space across February on news of Network, LGBT History Month related education initiatives supporting our Community, and broader awareness across the general public and public service organisations on our Community.

Educational article on LGBT+ Community Homelessness — provided by the Network for awareness raising on the issue for staff and students at Bournemouth & Poole College: https://lgbtdorsetequality.network/lgbt-homelessness-article-for-lgbt-hm-2021-and-news-of-action/

HMP The Verne fundraising for the Network as high profile LGBT History Month 2021 recognition for the work & relationship developed over 18 months between the prison and the Network on LGBT+ support & inclusion: https://lgbtdorsetequality.network/hmp-the-verne-celebrates-lgbt-history-month-2021-with-fundraising-for-the-network/

The Network is very pleased to announce that it has produced, thanks to support from Bruno, one of our Trustees and an NHS frontline worker, a set of important, LGBT+ and Covid 19 safety related public information videos through collaboration with Public Health Dorset (PHD), Community Action Network (CAN), and Dorset Community Action (DCA). You can access these below:

Mental health: https://youtu.be/nryKad7xzfo

Stay home: https://youtu.be/tyahASuyels

Mixing with others: https://youtu.be/DKFD0r9HaA4

From the outset of the pandemic, the Network had been alerting Public Health of the need for direct messaging to more vulnerable to, and more severe forms of Covid 19, of a number of our LGBT+ sub-population groups. Aspects of these videos directly address this messaging need, saving LGBT+ lives.

Associated Public Health Dorset, LGB&T Dorset Equality Network, and Community Action Network Covid 19 and Safe LGB Sexual Health Poster:

PLEASE SHARE THIS POSTER, THE VIDEO LINKS ABOVE, AND THIS NEWS ARTICLE!

The Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – an NHS ‘commissioning of services’ NOT a frontline NHS services delivery organisation (it is important to understand the difference between the CCG and the latter) – has provided a response to the Network on a some of a set of representations and requested actions that the Network provided directly to Mr Tim Goodson, Dorset CCG Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in late 2020.

The Network wishes to record its thanks to Dorset CCG for its response, which indicates a number of major breakthroughs for our pan-Dorset LGBT+ community as a result of the Network representation to the CCG.

We will update this page in the next few days once we have fully studied the CCG response document and shared and discussed its content with our team of NHS experienced experts (retired and current) and with our friends at the other pan-Dorset LGBT+ community support organisations.

The Network does however regard, on first sight, the response as potentially a real milestone in progressing LGBT+ inclusion and non-discrimination in pan-Dorset NHS organisations and the services they provide.  It is only right however to add that our community members are only interested in meaningful, on the ground change and improvement. 

As many outside of the Network have observed, 4+ years ago the Network’s lead was commissioned to provide a pan-Dorset LGBT+ community engagement research report based on direct feedback, including group meetings and a survey/questionnaire, regarding experience of accessing or seeking to access NHS services from an LGBT+ perspective.  Years on, despite an exceptional 160+ participants – LGBT+ community members – greatly appreciated valuable time and participation, Dorset CCG has still not officially responded to the initiative’s report findings and recommendations for change. 

For this reason it is greatly appreciated to have received what appears as a very response from the CCG on our recent representation.  We look forward to provide a further update on further study of the responses document that the CCG has kindly given their time to send to us.

The story of LGBT+ (community members who self-identify/are ‘Out’ as LGBT+ [to themselves, and/or also ‘Out’ to others who are LGBT+ ‘Allies,’ and in many cases to others including the broader general public and service providers such as the NHS, local authorities officials and elected councillors, and beyond) AND especially LGBTQ+ community members (non–heterosexual and/or non–cisgender LGBT+ who are still en-route to becoming fully self-identifying/’Out’ as LGBT+) is in the West and lands and peoples influenced by Western cultures from the colonial and pre-modern equality and human rights respecting era, is the story of deliberately or non-purposed, but very real poor mental health caused by prejudice and persecution.

This record of prejudice & persecution caused bad mental health, often brutally and fatally experienced by LGBT+ & LGBTQ+ community members, has of course been mirrored by the record of bogus/’quack’ conversion ‘therapy’ forces, through to actual formal mental health healthcare providers (such as the NHS). Supporting self-empowerment of community members on the journey of becoming LGBT+ self-identifying/’Out’ AND secular mental healthcare providers (particularly the UK NHS [but also the HSE in Ireland]), through knowledge is therefore a central aspect of the Network’s purpose and work.

This work is so important given that the early 21st Century generation of the forces that for centuries have actively worked for LGBT community persecution, are still far from evaporated, and that anti-LGBT sympathetic political and actively [or in the background influencing at operational delivery level] elements are directly or indirectly active in the education and healthcare provision sectors — https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/uk-government-excludes-transgender-conversion-therapy-from-ban/133123/.

For these reasons, the LGBT+ Network for Change has taken a LGBTQ+ community self-help through knowledge, debriefing from and exposing the fallacies [and often, overt falsehoods] within the arguments of anti-LGBT forces, AND in this through awareness resources and associated training, and through the latter support those in the healthcare sector (in the UK, state/NHS, and private sector) at LGBT+ & LGBTQ+ service users engagement strategy guidance, and healthcare professionals and admin, levels.

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This section of website therefore constitutes a home-page for our work, that community members and mental health AND broader healthcare service providers can access. Links to specific initiatives of the Network will be able to be accessed through links that will be provided in the space below — in addition to this, we provide directly to healthcare providers, the awareness resources mentioned above.

The purpose of this page and section of our website is therefore to be a useful point of reference for LGBT+ context NHS and broader health and social care provision news and performance, and relevant research (our own and others too including at national level), articles and reports; to celebrate the great work that is going on, and if and where necessary to highlight issues and needs being poorly covered that are of importance to our community.

Please also visit: https://lgbtnetwork4change.com/mental-health-related-information/ and https://lgbtnetwork4change.com/resources/

2021 commences with a greatly to be welcomed new era of Network supported and enabled engagement with NHS services on LGBT+ community engagement and support.

As you will be aware from our recent news announcement on the very important breakthrough for our LGBT+ community on approach to the Network from the lead (Mr Steven Barber) of Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust’s Poole ‘Steps 2 Wellbeing’ programme — https://lgbtdorsetequality.network/nhs-dorset-healthcare-trust-lgbt-dorset-equality-network-steps-2-wellbeing-programme-ground-breaking-collaboration/  —  major changes are now at last starting to take place in regard to Dorset Healthcare’s approach to support to and engagement with our community.  As Dorset Healthcare is the pan-Dorset mental healthcare NHS service provider this change has major significance for our community and the NHS in Dorset and the BCP area.

However, beyond Steps 2 Wellbeing, the Network is delighted that in the very recent past we were contacted by Dorset Healthcare’s Learning & Development lead to request that the Network lead, Alan Mercel-Sanca on the basis of his LGBT+ (and broader Diverse Communities, BAME) representation, healthcare provision engagement experience & expertise join the assessors’ panel for interviewing candidates for the new EDI lead for the Trust.  This constituted major recognition to the Network and a true ‘sea change’ by this very important NHS Trust, given its service provision remit of mental healthcare – so relevant to sadly still all too many members of our community. 

Consequently, we have, through our Lead Officer, Alan Mercel-Sanca directly, been requested by the Trust to provide dedicated LGBT+ engagement training and mentoring for the new EDI lead across a preparation lead in period this Spring, to help ensure the new officer has an effective, pan-Dorset LGBT+ community engagement and support understanding & communications credibility brief and will be able to deliver their very important post effectively for both Trust LGBT+ staff as well as Trust service users.

More news to follow soon.

The Network was contacted towards the end of 2020 by a national level Green Party officer on request to complete a survey/consultation on the need for a dedicated, pioneering approach of a multiagency (local authorities and relevant public service organisations [NHS, etc.]) and LGBT+ community and private sector combined initiative on supporting our LGBT+ homeless & rough sleeping community. 

The Network has long been aware of this particularly vulnerable and suffering section of our broader LGBT+ community and been seeking the right moment to support its members.  The contact mentioned provided this. The proposer asked us if we could also support by contacting advised relevant local government, public service, community, ‘third sector’ voluntary and community organisations.

The Network was very pleased to provide this support, and understood that the proposer had some considerable disappointment in the BCP & Dorset County area in the approaches they had made.  Happily, we were delighted to succeed with securing a very positive response (they completed the survey, and sent us a very positive email on wishing to take the initiative up and work with us at the Network) by the ‘BCP Council Homelessness Partnership.’ 

This in turn some 10+ weeks ago led to very positive email communication, and video and conference call engagement with the BCP Homelessness Partnership lead.  The result of which was detailed work by the LGB&T Dorset Equality Network on our long-wished initiative to provide comprehensive LGBT+ BCP area LGBT+ homeless and rough sleeping multi-agency support.  The Network was subsequently invited to join the BCP Homelessness Partnership, which we have done, and advised creation of a dedicated component of the Partnership to be led by the Network on behalf of the LGBT+ community and with the support of LGBT+ Community, Network partner groups/organisations.

As to date the BCP Council Partnership had lacked any LGBT+ dimension or dedicated LGBT+ membership (that includes BU, the NHS organisations, private sector housing associations, the DWP [that the Network is very Proud to work directly with], and others such as a number of religious & churches associated organisations), we have understood that this may present in the short-term a challenge to the Partnership in terms of incorporating a dedicated LGBT+ dimension to the Partnership. However, the Network has made the breakthrough with the Partnership, itself directly connected to BCP Council through funding and supportive enablement.  The Partnership lead has accepted very clearly that there has been a longstanding need for a dedicated LGBT+ homeless & rough sleeping community BCP area support need and will be supporting the Network on leading on delivering this support.

Bournemouth itself has the 5^th or 6^th highest level LGBT+ community percentage in the UK, and respected recent national level research has shown that the younger persons age category (approximately 16 – 24 years of age) has indicated that in that age category no less than 24%+ of young homeless belong to the LGBT+ and LGBTQ communities. 

These critical level support needs were presented to the BCP Council Homelessness Partnership lead, prompting enthusiastic acceptance of the proposal by the Network for providing through and also alongside the Partnership, and a recognition that until the time of our approach – arising from the national level Green Party LGBT+ survey support approach – there had been minimal engagement or strategic support in regard to Diverse Communities (BAME, LGBT+, etc.) by the Partnership.

We are very pleased that our representation to the BCP Council Homelessness Partnership has been successful, and prompted a major rethink on its Diverse Communities, and especially LGBT+ Community Homeless and Rough Sleeping community engagement. 

We are particularly pleased that through this new partnership [with the Partnership] can play a valuable part in the BCP area LGBT+ homeless and rough sleeping community support that we have now initiated, and includes strategic partnership & collaboration with the most relevant pan-Dorset area NHS organisation (Dorset Healthcare).

The Network will be providing news in late February on our support services to our BCP area LGBT+ homeless & rough sleeping community, that embrace signposting, information resource provision for all relevant homelessness & rough sleeping community members engagement & support providers – private, 3^rd Sector, and public sector — in the BCP area.  

The Network is very pleased to share news of our central role on a university research project (enabled by our extensive support of time and expertise in its application and start up phases) on the experiences of our international brothers and sisters, who seek asylum or apply for refugee status in the Uk, often after horrific persecution and with the shadows of murder, suicide, mental and physical abuse and torment hanging over them.

LGBT History Month is a global phenomenon and through this particular announcement — highlighting our national and international level pedigree (such as through our role in a joint initiative to challenge the LGBT dimension of the UK Immigration ‘Hostile Environment’) in LGBT+ human rights support in this very important field of the collective LGBT+ experience — we share the scale and effectiveness of our year-round work on LGBT+ Human Rights.

This reminding all community brothers and sisters in History Month of global perspectives and that some community members remain in shackles not of their own making in the UK, alongside those who have been fortunate enough to never have such experiences.

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Statement from Professor Christopher Pullen (Bournemouth University), 15^th January 2021, regarding central role of Network lead Alan Mercel-Sanca and support from the Network on a nationally and internationally important LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers ‘voice’ and perspectives research project – ‘British Academy Research Project on UK Regional Support Experiences of LGBTQ Refugees and Asylum Seekers’

An important new research project is now taking place, that is funded by The British Academy and is managed by Bournemouth University aiming to improve the experiences of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers.   

Christopher Pullen, Associate Professor of Media and Inclusivity at Bournemouth University leads the project, which was conceived through working with Alan Mercel-Sanca of the LGB&T Dorset Equality Network, whilst sharing his insight on outreach work.  Entitled ‘Understanding LGBTQ Refugees’ and Asylum Seekers’ Support Needs through Listening to Autobiographical Storytelling’, Dr Pullen is working with history and politics lecturer Dr Ieuan Franklin and anthropologist and researcher Dr Mengia Tschalaer to deliver this project. 

The project engages with a wide range of regional help providers across the UK, that includes LGB&T Dorset Equality Network, alongside organisations in Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, London, Brighton and Birmingham.  

Often isolated, both culturally and socially, LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers experience rejection, bullying and physical assault, leading to anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.  Hence the main objective of the project is to improve the communication experiences of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers, when engaging with help and service providers, so their personal stores might be better understood. 

After initial work on this project, it’s clear that LGBTQ refugee help providers are doing excellent work in reaching out to LGBTQ refugees.  However, many are living on very limited budgets, and are now feeling deeper psychological and cultural stress from the impact of Covid-19 resulting in successive lockdowns, leading to further isolation.  The project has revealed that more connections need to made between LGBTQ help organisations across the UK, so regional help groups can feel less isolated, and best practice might be shared.

An upcoming online symposium is scheduled for May 2021 as part of this project, and whilst it must take place online (rather than in physical form at Bournemouth University, as originally conceived), it has been designed to stimulate connections between help groups around the UK, extending from LGB&T Dorset Equality Network to many other organisations and individuals working in help, service and professional provision. 

Hence at the symposium, not only will we hear from help groups managers and professional representatives, but also from LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers themselves.  Many of the project’s LGBTQ refugees or asylum seekers contributors, have not only taken very long journeys in order to find shelter here in the UK, but also the project team have been humbled by their honesty and integrity, in asking for nothing more than a chance for their stores to be heard, and potentially to experience some sense of acceptance, if not understanding.