European Alternatives would like to invite you to participate to a citizens' consultation in Brighton on the topic of LGBT rights.
The event ‘LGBT Rights in Europe: A search for common solutions’ will focus on exploring pan-European solutions to different aspects of this issue.
When
Friday August 31st
14:00- 17:00
Where
University of Brighton, Grand Parade Boardroom (M2).
Grand Parade Building- 58-67 Grand Parade- Brighton BN2 0JY
(Click
here for map with directions)
Speakers
Elli Tikvah Sarah: Rabbi of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, Liberal Judaism thinker and activist for LGBT rights, author of
Trouble-Making Judaism (David Paul Books, 2012) and a variety of other feminist, LGBT and Jewish publications.
Rory Smith: LGBT Hate Crime Liaison Officer- Brighton & Hove Division, Sussex Police. Rory is the civilian LGBT Hate Crime Liaison Officer at Brighton Police Station. His role includes liaising with the LGBT community, encouraging the reporting of hate crimes and supporting victims of LGBT hate crime.
Tony Fenwick:
Schools OUT Chair, National Union of Teachers
Pawel Leszkowicz: Marie Curie Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence, University of Sussex
Marianne Lemond: Project Manager at
Allsorts Youth Project, a Brighton based project for young people who identify as LGBT or who are unsure of their sexual orientation or gender identity. She is responsible for the operational management of the organisation, including its LGBT Awareness Outreach and Training Scheme for young people and staff in local schools, colleges and youth projects.
Nigel Tart: teacher in Brighton and has been out in his classroom for ten years. He was the first teacher to take a school to an Employment Tribunal for homophobic dismissal. He is a member of the NUT’s LGBT Advisory Committee and is the Equalities Officer for the local branch. He was the Media Officer for Schools Out and LGBT History Month for ten years. He set up the local Green Party’s LGBT group and was the party’s national spokesperson on LGBT issues for four years.
The event will take the form of a forty-five minute panel discussion, followed by breakout sessions which will focus on more specific aspects of the issue. 3 table discussions will be broken down as follows:
1) LGBT Education in schools
Are young people taught about LGBT issues? Through education and non-formal learning, tolerance, understanding and acceptance can be promoted. What systems do schools in the UK currently have in place to ensure education of LGBT issues? What is done to prevent bullying and hate crimes in schools?
2) Persistent Spaces of Discrimination
LGBT people face discrimination in many everyday spaces, be it at work, in public and online spaces, in places of religious worship, etc. Discrimiation is present when it comes to health issues, is a particular issue for transgender people in the UK. This table will explore all persisting spaces of discrimination faced by the LGBT population and will aim to explore gaps in policy, challenges faced, in order to arrive at a set of policy proposals aimed at bettering this situation.
3) LGBT Rights: UK in relation to the rest of Europe
The UK is know to offer a strong set of rights and guarantees with regards to LGBT rights. However the same cannot be said for other European countries. This table will focus on exploring best practices within various EU countries in terms of LGBT rights with the aim of arriving at a set of rights which the participants believe will need to be guaranteed for all LGBT persons throughout Europe, and therefore enforced not only at a national but also at a European level.
The proposals which come out of this consultation will be presented to the European Parliament in Brussels in November, 2012.
Email: o.vukovic@euroalter.com to secure your spot!
Part of the project:

With the support of:
