Focus On: LGBT Forum
Being Out in Kingston
January 2010

This is a message for all of you who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT). Did you know there is a forum here in Kingston which is there to cater for your needs and to counteract homophobia in the workplace and the community? The Kingston LGBT Forum was set up nearly 10 years ago by the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership which is now known as the Safer Kingston Partnership (SKP). This is a partnership between Kingston Council, NHS Kingston, the London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police Authority and our local police with input from a wide range of other statutory, 3rd sector and business organisations.  One of the Partnership’s priorities is Hate Crime. This includes racist incidents, homophobic incidents, domestic abuse and disability hate crime.

Initially, the forum was set up as part of the SKP and focused on homophobic crime. We continue to do this but we need the forum to be representative of the wider LGBT community. We want to raise the profile of LGBT people in this borough. This is particularly important if the Equalities Bill becomes law. This Bill means that public bodies will have a greater duty to discharge their responsibilities towards LGBT people both in service delivery and employment.

We are now registered with KVA and we have a constitution. We have had a lot of valuable input from representatives from SKP. What is needed are more local LGB or T volunteers to join the forum and enable it to be representative of the LGBT community. You can either be a member of the forum or be a helper to get various community events organised. If you don’t feel that sitting in meetings developing strategies is your thing, you can join us as an associate helper. We will value your experience of the LGBT community and ideas to guide, advise us and take part in events that we organise.

• We aim to organise events in Kingston to celebrate LGBT History Month, Pride, IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia), Men’s Health Week, World Aids Day etc.

• We have an LGBT History Month event coming up, which is a travelling exhibition (from a Heritage Lottery Funded Project) - Lesbian and Gay News Media Archive (LAGNA)  project: ‘ 1967 and All That’ . This exhibition comprises of material from the Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive and the Hall-Carpenter Archive. The exhibition has already been on display in a number of venues within the Greater London area.

• Also, there is an event being organised by the Kingston Borough staff LGBT Forum.

• We are also working with KVA to look at the possibility of setting up a South London Boroughs LGBT Development project based on a similar initiative already taking place for West London Boroughs.

• Recently, we have signed up to Kingston’s LINk (Local Involvement Network) which is hosted at KVA. This is a means by which local community groups can have a say in the quality of health care in Kingston. Our forum would be a voice in ensuring that the emotional and mental health needs for LGBT users are recognised and catered for. So things are beginning to move on.

Such activities are valuable in reducing homophobic attitudes and improving the quality of life for people who are lesbians, gay, bisexual or transgendered. What is important is that there is a body of local volunteers who can have a say about our needs, our culture and to ensure that we get the right services.

If you would like more information, then write to me at kingstonlgbtforum@yahoo.co.uk
You can view us on our local website on www.e-voice.org.uk/kingstonlgbtforum
Also you can see me or other members of the forum if you visit the LAGNA exhibition and you can volunteer then.

Graham Goldspring, Chair
Kingston LGBT Forum