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Conference Report / March 2005

Introduction

It is a recognised fact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people from black and minority ethnic communities often face multiple oppression: racism, difficulties around a range of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues including homophobic bullying, cultural and religious conflicts.

Saturday March 5th

Simon Nelson, the Sector Development Officer for the Terrence Higgins Trust and co-founder of the Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group provided the keynote speech, which highlighted the issues affecting Black and Minority Ethnic LGBT people.

This was followed by personal stories and presentations from local support agencies:
• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire LG Switchboard
• Bradford Asian and Black Communities LGBT Group
• Spice from Leicester
• The Refugee Forum (Nottingham)
• Derbyshire Friend
• Gai Project from Nottingham

The Workshops

Five workshops were organised and the first three of them ran twice. The workshops were:
1. Racism and Homophobia
2. LGB issues in Muslim Communities
3. Mental Health Issues
4. Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health
5. The Legal situation: Past, Present and Future

Actions From the Workshops

1. Racism and Homophobia
• More education on sexuality needed
• Important to use a partnership and holistic approach
• Remember that one size does not fit all
• More and better information into schools: inclusion in the curriculum
• Campaign <> schools bringing in “minorities”
• Raise awareness of the new employment legislation

2. LGB Issues In Muslim Communities
• There is a need for resources – written and other formats
• Access to resources including co-operation among organisations/groups
• Make use of existing research evidence
• Need for funding
• Need to raise awareness of issues within LGB communities: e.g. conference report
• Need to find ways to engage with LGB Muslims
• Awareness promotion is needed:
- start young
- generalised diversity issues
- engagement with LGB Muslims
- promotion within LGB communities

3. Mental Health Issues
• Need for training and better communication particularly about mental health and sexuality within Black and Minority ethnic communities: services need to be much more culturally aware and sensitive
• Support systems needed to help to maintain psychological well-being
• Multiple sources of support needed
• Need to move away from Heterosexism (where everything in society is based on the assumption of heterosexuality)
• Visibility awareness needed re:
- Black and Minority Ethnic
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
- Non-threatening images: there is a mismatch between projected versus “real” gayness
- Need to change the negative media images which have a big impact on shaping identity

4. The Legal Situation: Past, Present and Future
• Training needed in all agencies because there is great ignorance in general on the law as it applies in this country. People whose background is from other countries where the law may be more severe could be equally or more confused.
• A holistic approach is needed LGBT Black and Minority Ethnic people may also be disabled, old, young etc.
• Policing in LGBT issues in BME communities requires cultural sensitivity, for e.g. not merely using translators, but training the translators.

5. Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health
• There is a need for the provision of and access to specific services
• Need to increase awareness via training, publicity and other means among:
- lesbian and bisexual women’s communities
- professionals
- resources
• Health promotion needs to be:
- culturally specific
- lesbian/bisexual specific

SUNDAY 19th March

This day was specifically for LGBT BME people and there were 18 participants. The day centred on exploring what support provisions are wanted/needed, what is available locally and identifying how gaps in provision could be filled.

The Bradford Asian and Black Communities LGBT Group gave an overview of how their group was started, the need for a sessional worker to organise and run the group and the advantages and disadvantages of the group. This led into a general discussion of the issues raised and also resulted in other issues being discussed.

Issues Raised:

• Safety - Particularly about access to the Building, but also publicity material.
• Confidentiality, particularly an issue in smaller cities.
• Where do groups meet? Safety, community buildings need to be anonymous. Lots of complex issues, including confidentiality, and ensuring any paid staff and volunteers are aware of it, have it in their remit and stick to it.
• Representatives from BME LGBT groups must fell safe to go
  to the venue.
• Website with appropriate, safe links
• Training needs all met
• Develop a support group – political and social activities. A mixture. Also ensure links, networking with other groups from other areas and globally.
• Should there be a group where men and women come together? Not only men and a women’s group.
• Set up a group that brings them together and is Black-led.
• How to advertise and publicise it? Use of website. Only use symbols? Not words?
• Support system geared towards empowerment :crucial – black gay men good at doing gay but not that good at being gay.
• Need to talk about difficult issues – what are they, confront
  them.
• Need to be inclusive – LGBT. Much discussion around this and
  it was agreed that it needed further discussion.
  

• Set up a group very slowly
• Gain funding to meet again and on going – Terrence Higgins Trust, CHAPS, etc. Fazal offered to do this
• Ensure it’s not London based – something is needed here
• Make sure publicity literature targets community it’s going to
  Ensure information goes into clubs etc.
• Advertise on local Asian radio
• Learn from other groups: What has worked/has not worked
• “This shouldn’t end here to day. We need the ability to contact each other – politically or socially”. Agreed to send out contact list for those who want this
• Look at developing an Internet Forum
• Need to look at childcare and other care issues
• Look at having a mail address for small groups/individuals who don’t want things sent home.

What did you gain from the day?

• To gain more of an understanding of the issues facing
  LGBT people in Black and ethnic minority communities. To see whether I could learn anything to support our students within this group.
• Made some good contacts.
• A lot of ideas are appropriate for work and union.
• Contacts. A different way to work with BME communities. Knowledge around other groups.
• Contacts. Knowledge.
• Good networking. Interesting topics.
• Ideas for integrating new information, contacts and a sense of being “fired-up” again! Great!
• Awareness of different groups and campaigns. Ways of promoting awareness.
• Actual facts from research on BME LBG.
• So much about looking at the whole subject from a different perspective – the realisation that our organisations don’t even know that they are not doing, what's needed due to white hetro worldview pervading.
• Improved awareness of potential horrors which need to be overcome re moving towards ensuring appropriate support is put in place.
• Knowledge of new group providing support for asylum seekers/refugees.
• Knowledge and wisdom.
• Very much! The talks were excellent and it was great meeting so many new people.
• I had lots of different information about this topic (homosexuality), which I think was what I needed to know about this issue.
• Knowledge + inspiration + networking.
• Some contacts for the future and increased awareness of black issues.
• Knowledge of BME issues. Understanding to local work in Notts. Ideas to “borrow”.
• Networking, advice and resources. Problem solving.
• Generally raised my awareness. Got me thinking out of the box, outside my own heterosexual perceptions regarding health etc.
• More understanding of issues surrounding BME communities.
• Better understanding of issues facing Muslim LGB and their religion, culture.
• To learn more and to be able to take back this knowledge to my organisation to enable us to improve our services to BME LGBT people and networking.
• Knowledge and further commitment to diversity.
• Access to resources. Contact information. Approaches to work to be implemented in my organisation.
• Contacts and lots of knowledge.
• Awareness, resources and networks.
• Re-enthused – information, knowledge and skills.
• A deeper understanding of the issue relating especially to ethnic minorities and the problems/oppression they need to overcome.
• Information and greater awareness of issues relating to BME.
• Helped to answer a number of questions I had and for this information gained to be used positively in my work with young people.
• Information re: services. Ideas for improvements to practice. Meeting people. Lovely lunch.
• An idea of difficulties faced by LGBT in BME communities.
• Awareness of a variety of issues.

What do you think are the most important things that should happen as a result of the issues discussed today?

• Things continue to happen-that more people are made of this day and possibly get involved with future events. Possibly set up another forum for enabling discussions to happen.
• ACTION - Create partnerships on making action.
• Working together and contacts.
• To have a follow on conference.
• Create more dialogue.
• Next one needs to make women more visible – more agencies need to be aware they are working with LGBT/BME people.
• Another event, regular annual conference? Regular events are a good way to get better involvement and networks and partnership rather than 1 off’ s and re-inventing the wheel.
• More intense support groups, issues raised intense.
• Pass on information and contact numbers to my co-workers and to keep up-to-date of legislation.
• Health promotion monies to be more appropriately directed to BME HIV+ people and companies more accountable for meeting highest risk groups. Better education mandatory in school.
• This is first of many conferences but need to avoid becoming “talking shop” only – need to decide on actions and see they are carried out!
• Development of support for people from LGBT communities particularly where people are isolated or at risk of isolation.
• That members of the group will be “charged” and be more capable of bringing about changes. Go out and challenge Homophobia?
• We have been given much food for thought and we can all go home trying to think of new ways to tackle the problems.
• Basically, to be continued - more awareness, lots like these until we see huge change in BME communities.
• Reducing heterosexism, more awareness, engagement and communication.
• -
• More education around LGB issues in schools. More awareness of legal position.
• Feed information strategies from main agencies and target support for young and old LGBT – need for specialist services for BME LGBT.
• Action!! Follow up conference in a year so we can start seeing developments.
• Try to take on board comments that have been made from the participants. Particularly education issues.
• Networking and partnerships with other support groups especially BME support groups like the ABC group. Future conferences to look at work done since this conference.
• Further visibility of issues and possibly a follow-up day.
• Education and a raising of awareness in society generally.
• -
• Joining up/sign posting – access to up to date information.
• Take recommendations back to Notts. County Council, Young People’s Division to increase profile of working with LGBT young people and LGBT/BME young people.
• More inclusive – Directive practice, service, support for LGBT people raising greater awareness of the diversity of sexuality within society. Getting information out there and seen, work with schools.
• More awareness – individuals realising they can make a difference – actively challenging homophobia – more training to provide support.
• For our questions and issues raised to be used in future awareness sessions.
• Regular updates and meetings. The opportunity to be more involved.
• Bio-psycho-social partnerships introduced to improve access to services.
• ACTION.

3. What did you find most useful?

• The general discussion/s.
• Listening to people talk about their experience in being out and invisible.
• Links – ideas.
• Listening to activities of groups/organisations from Bradford. Information giving was useful.
• All of it.
• Discussion led by Shirley, towards the end on ‘what’s next?’
• Open discussions - leads to gaining more/new ideas.
• Meeting other BME-LGB.
• -
• Equal rights.
• All of it
• The group discussions

5. What do you think are the most important things that should happen as a result of the issues discussed to day?

• This should be the genesis of a support group network for black and Asian LGBT
• People be empowered and do something to support others
• Yes, a follow up
• –
• More gatherings and political issues to be covered also to break taboos and myths within BME communities.
• Follow up – reaching out to others who are not comfortable/not feeling safe about their sexuality. More seminar/conferences.
• This is a start. We should meet again and take a step at a time.
• Need to get hold of more BME in Nottingham.
• As discussed on the overlay posters.
• Making sure that LGBT is being run by black people, advertise.
• We need to keeping contact and move forward together.
• Keep communication going between groups from different areas

EDITED BY JAY PCS PROUD – BLACK MEMBERS REP