Allowed Out: Songs and Stories of LGBT Activism
Wednesday 26th September, 7.30pm-9.30pm, Firth Hall

Allowed Out is a multi-media performance of songs and stories, celebrating the people, places and events that have shaped LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) activism in Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

Through writing workshops with the poet River Wolton, members of the LGBT community have created original material which is accompanied by songs from the repertoire of Out Aloud, Sheffield's LGBT choir

Performance starts at 7.30pm and will last approximately 2 hours. Admission is free.

For further information visit Allowed Out on the LGBT Staff Network webpages and the Festival of the Mind webpages.

LGBT Staff Network Meeting
Tuesday 25th September 2012
1-2pm, Room 105 - Level 1, Arts Tower

The next Staff Network Meeting will take place on the 25th September in the Arts Tower. This is an opportunity to come along and meet fellow network members, share news and ideas and generally catch up. New members are very welcome.

For further information see the LGBT Staff Network Meeting webpage or contact Tom Reaney (Network Chair) at t.reaney@sheffield.ac.uk.

LGBT Stories sought for new project

The University of Sheffield is asking the LGBT community to get in touch and share their experiences of coming out and living life as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person.

A unique collaboration between the University of Sheffield’s Department of History and Out Aloud Sheffield LGBT choir has created Allowed Out, a project seeking to document and showcase LGBT experiences.

River Wolton

Allowed Out is inviting the LGBT community to participate in a series of writing workshops beginning on 26 May 2012 with local writer and former Derbyshire Poet Laureate River Wolton. These are open to any member of the LGBT community and will focus on the critical incidents that have shaped lives, identity and community, as well as individual and collective activism.

It is hoped that these workshops will generate original material for a multi-media performance at the University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind in September this year. The writings will also contribute to the Stories of Activism archive project at the Department of History’s Centre for the Study of Democratic Culture and the Centre for Peace History, run by Drs Gary Rivett, Mike Foley and Adrian Bingham.

Dr Gary Rivett said: “All members of the LGBT community are warmly invited to take part in these free, friendly writing workshops. We’re hoping to document pivotal moments and events, sources of inspiration and courage, as well as people’s experiences of coming out and LGBT identity, community and activism. If people are unable to attend the workshops we can arrange to scribe or record stories. We’re also welcoming photos, archive material and memorabilia so please email allowedout2012@gmail.com with your ideas and contributions.”

River Wolton said: “I came out more than twenty years ago after considerable inner turmoil and I’m indebted to the friends, activists and cultural figures whose courage, visibility and pride have made it possible for me to love and live with integrity.

“Recent years have seen improvements in LGBT human rights in the UK, but every day young people are still bullied or driven to self-harm and suicide by homophobia, and across the globe, sometimes as a backlash to greater visibility, LGBT people are abused, imprisoned, tortured, or even executed because of who they love or how they live.

“I hope this project will provide insight and inspiration, as well as encouragement for people of all ages and backgrounds to treat each other with respect, dignity and humanity.”

The writing workshops will take place on Saturday 26 May 2012 2.30pm - 5pm and Thursday 14 June 2012 7.30pm - 9.30pm at St Mary’s Conference Centre, Bramall Lane, and Saturday 30 June 2012 10.30am - 1pm. Quaker Meeting House, St James Street.

For further information see the University News and Events page.

LGBT Health Summit
13 - 14 September 2012, University of Kent in Canterbury.

The annual National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Summit is to be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

The Summit will address a number of key health themes and will look in particular at the impact of social and emotional isolation on the health and well-being of LGBT people. It is widely recognised that LGBT people are not well served by health and other services and that their particular needs and experiences are not routinely monitored or addressed. The impact of prejudice and discrimination that LGBT people encounter has a detrimental effect on their mental and emotional and often their physical health.

The Summit will also focus on improving access and participation for older LGBT people, younger LGBT people and LGBT people affected by HIV and building capacity for transgender people. To achieve this goal, the Summit organisers are hosting a number of local meetings to increase community engagement and build sustainable support in Kent and Medway.

For more information please visit the LGBT Health website at http://www.lgbthealth.co.uk

Sheffield Pride
Saturday 2nd June 2012, 12-5pm
Endcliffe Park, Entry fee £3

For the third consecutive year, the University is sponsoring Sheffield Pride, an annual event focusing on the Lesbian, Gay Bi-Sexual and Trans (LGBT) Community.
The event will be preceded by the first ever Sheffield Pride march at 11.00am on Ecclesall Road. Pride always has a party atmosphere, and there will be music, food, and fun for all ages, along with a number of stalls from sponsors and groups from across the City. This is a great opportunity for the University to engage with the wider community, and we have a stall that will be staffed by members of our Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans staff network. Everyone is welcome!

IDAHO – International day against homophobia and transphobia
Thursday 17th of May

2012 sees the 8th annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (abbreviated as IDAHO), marking the date in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. IDAHO exists to encourage action to address the issue of homophobia and transphobia in all forms and the impact that prejudice and discrimination can have on the health and well-being of lesbian, gay and bisexual and trans (LGBT) people and their families.

The Centre for HIV & Sexual Health and the Sheffield City Council are hosting an event, on Thursday the 17th May from 5.30pm in the Peace Gardens, Sheffield city centre, where along with key speakers pledging their support for the event, we invite you, your friends, families, colleagues, partners and service users to join us in supporting this important event by bringing banners, whistles and your voices to make some noise against these forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Women in Science and the media
Wednesday 13th June - Friday 15th June 2012
3 day Science Communication course for Women

These days, science is primetime and it’s headline news, where scientists are heroes one minute, villains the next - lauded for tackling climate change or lambasted for developing ‘Frankenstein foods’. As citizens, we develop views about ourselves, our planet and our society based on what the media tells us about science. But how does research and innovation make it from the lab bench to the living room?

This interactive course aimed at women seeking to communicate their science effectively also delves into writing and speaking. The course focuses on communication to non-specialists, including the public, the media and scientists from other disciplines.

This course will examine how science hits the headlines, why different media outlets cover science stories in different ways and how scientists can minimise the risk of misreporting. We discuss how to structure information to make it accessible to non-specialists and how to use narrative to engage an audience’s interest through fresh, innovative and immersive storytelling. We will also address common problems facing female scientists in academia and the media and how to address them.

Through hands-on workshops and teamwork, participants will encounter the practices, themes and issues surrounding science communication. Delegates will learn to use language effectively, structure information to make it accessible and “hook” an audience’s interest, as well as practising some physical presentation techniques. The classes will be informal and conversational in style, culminating in a recording session at Sheffield’s famous Red Tape studios. Here, participants will produce and present science radio programmes as if live on air.

The course is presented by four experienced science communicators; namely a practising science journalist, an experienced research manager, a lecturer in Science Communication and BBC radio presenter and a lecturer in Science Media Production and filmmaker.

This event is free, but places are limited. Book your place using this form

For more information contact Rachel Money, Women in Engineering support officer.

Email: rachel.money@sheffield.ac.uk

Tel: 0114 222 9721
Spring Out 2012
Saturday 12th May

The Centre for HIV and Sexual Health and the SHOUT! Centre, are pleased to announce Spring Out 2012, Sheffield's annual community event to promote the health and well-being of lesbians, gay men and bisexual people in the city. This event will take place on Saturday 12th May from 9.30am to 6pm at St Mary's Conference Centre, Bramall Lane, Sheffield.

This will be a fun, celebratory event encouraging people to consider ways of looking after themselves that will boost their self-esteem, their health and their well-being. This will be an opportunity for everyone to get together, build a sense of community and take part in workshops and discussions in a safe and fun environment.

If you would like to attend 'Spring Out' then please contact: sheffield.gay@nhs.net or telephone 0114 305 4444.

World AIDS Day Candlelit Vigil
December 1st 2011
5.30-6.45pm, Winter Gardens, Sheffield
An open event to remember those who have been lost to HIV and AIDS both in the UK and globally; and to support those living with and affected by HIV. Reflecting on the past 30 years and looking to the future.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Wear something RED on the 1st December.

Break The Silence
Saturday 3rd December 2011
1.30 - 4.00 pm Vestry Hall, Burngreave Road,Sheffield.
The African Peer Education Project invite you to the ‘Break the Silence’ event commemorating World AIDS Day with African Communities. Including information, stalls, music, entertainment/dance performance, guest speakers and food.

Living My Life - an exhibition of inspirational portraits celebrating the lives of trans people
After an amazingly successful launch in February this year, and a subsequent national tour, we are delighted to announce that the 'Living My Life' exhibition will be returning to Sheffield throughout the month of November 2011, which also marks the International Transgender Day of Remembrance on the 20th November.

Exhibition Dates:
2nd November - 2nd December 2011
The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX

Sheffield Pride
8 June 2010.
Sheffield Pride 2010 – Saturday 26th June 2010 in Endcliffe Park from 1pm -7pm

The University of Sheffield is once again proud to sponsor Sheffield Pride, an annual event created to celebrate the LGBT community within Sheffield and throughout the world, and we will be represented on the day by members of the University LGBT Staff Network.

The Coalition: Government Programme for Equality (Section 12)
08 June 2010.
The Government believes that there are many barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities in Britain today, with too many children held back because of their social background, and too many people of all ages held back because of their gender, race, religion or sexuality. We need concerted government action to tear down these barriers and help to build a fairer society.

IDAHO
12 May 2010.
A number of key speakers will be present to pledge their support and call for an end to homophobia and transphobia worldwide. This event will take place at The Peace Gardens commencing at 5.30pm on Monday 17th May 2010.

Stop Smoking Group
12 May 2010.
The Stop Smoking Service in collaboration with the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health, is running a quit programme for the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, come along on Wednesday 12th May or Wednesday 19th May at 6.30pm to find out more.

LGBT Staff Network Launch
26 April 2010.
The Launch of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Staff Network will take place on Monday 17th May - 12 until 1pm in the Seminar Room at 301 Glossop Road. All LGBT staff are welcome.

LGBT Network Seminars
26 April 2010.
LGBT Network Seminars - Recognising Hate Crimes by South Yorkshire Police will take place 12.00pm - 1.00pm on Tuesday 18th May 2010 - Tapestry Room, Firth Court. Open to all Staff and Students.

Staff & Student Counselling Seminar on the services they provide.
12.00pm - 1.00pm on Thursday 20th May 2010 - Abbeydale Room, University House. Open to all Staff and Students.

Sexual Health for LGBT Groups by Eleanor Formby, 12.00pm - 1.00pm on Wednesday 29th September 2010 - Abbeydale Room, University House. Open to all Staff and Students.

The Equality Act 2010
16 April 2010.
The Equality Bill received Royal Assent on the 8th of April and formally became The Equality Act 2010 - bringing together and extending existing equality legislation.

Spring Out 2010
4 March 2010.
Celebrating and promoting healthy lesbian, gay and bisexual communities in Sheffield on Saturday 17th April 2010, 9.30am-6.00pm St Mary's Conference Centre, Bramall Lane.

The Big Bang Fair
3 March 2010.
The UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology invites you to join us at the Big Bang Fair, 2010. Visit us at our unique ‘girls only’ stand in collaboration with WISE and Shell.

Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund and Body of Sound
23 February 2010.
Saturday March 6th 2010 from 7.00 pm, Come and enjoy: Sheffield’s Body of Sound Women’s Choir • Dancing • Disco.

International Women’s Day Celebration
16 February 2010.
Monday 8th March 2010 (10am to 3pm) - sees the return of the International Women’s Day Celebration at Centre in the Park, Norfolk Heritage Park.

Hidden Histories at Sheffield Archives: Discovering and developing Sheffield's LGBT History
16 February 2010.
A workshop on the 17th February by staff at Sheffield Archives investigating Sheffield's LGBT history through the ages.

Women in Public Life Sheffield
10 February 2010.
The Women's National Commission in conjunction with the Government Equalities Office are holding a series of events, with one in Sheffield on the 25th February, to highlight the role that women can play in public life.

First female professor of emergency medicine
8 February 2010.
An academic from the University of Sheffield has become the first woman to be awarded a Personal Chair in Emergency Medicine in the UK.

LGBT History Month
2 February 2010.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month takes place every year in February. It celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT community.

Parents can share time off for babies, ministers say
28 January 2010.
New mothers will be able to transfer the second half of their year-long maternity leave to the father, the government has confirmed.

Equality Bill
1 January 2010.
The Equality Bill, published by the government in April 2009, intends to bring together and extend existing equality legislation.