edited by John Clarkson with Jon Keay, Email news, listings and product info to us at eye@positivenation.co.uk
Scissor
Sisters, Neil Tennant, Ben Elton, Pete Tong and DJ Sammy Jo have
all been confirmed for a huge fundraising gig, Smile 2007,
for UK HIV charity Body & Soul.
Scissor Sister Ana Matronic is already patron of the charity
which supports children and families living with or affected by HIV and includes
youth group Teen Spirit.
Ana Matronic knows all too well about the devastation caused by Aids. In recent
years she has spoken movingly about the stigma she experienced after her father
died of Aids-related illness. This may, in part, explain why the band has
rarely missed a chance to support the fight against the global epidemic.
Who can forget the sensational gig in September 2006 when the glamorous funky
divas performed in an all-Red Trafalgar Square to raise awareness of Bono’s
(Red) Campaign for universal access to HIV drugs.
Proceeds will be used to refurbish Body and Soul’s new premises in Rosebery
Avenue, Clerkenwell, and secure the charity’s long-term future. JK.
www.bodyandsoulcharity.org
18 Feb • Tickets £100, from Koko
(formally the Camden Palace) •
www.koko.uk.com
• 0870 145 1115
Pop duo Erasure, led by openly HIV positive singer Andy
Bell, last year abadoned their synths, donned Stetsons and headed
to Nashville, Tennesse, where they performed an acoustic set of their hits.
The result was a new DVD, The Road to Nashville, filmed at the Ryman Auditorium
during their Union Street Acoustic Tour. The DVD features Oh L’amour,
Love to Hate You, Stop!, Blue Savannah, Victim of Love and Sometimes, a short
film, The Road to Union Street, plus a bonus audio CD featuring 18 live songs.
The DVD features an uncharacteristically unplugged Vince Clark
on guitar, mandolin and harmonica plus many musical guests.
Due out 29 January on Mute.
WORLD WISE WEB
Listen
to first-hand experiences of others living with HIV and chat on forums at
a new HIV section on the Dipex website. Watch video clips
of people discussing their experiences of diagnosis, services, disclosure
of their HIV status and stigma and discrimination. Lead researcher Professor
Jonathan Elford, of City University, said: “Being able to hear
the stories of other people with HIV can give hope, a sense of not being alone,
and provide helpful advice. These first-hand accounts give relatives, friends
and carers – as well as the wider public – a better understanding
of what people with HIV go through.” DIPEx is charity website that features
clips and information on 31 health topics www.awareuk.info
While
people with HIV don’t always see eye to eye – they are certainly
united on one important matter – we all think schools are rubbish at
providing information to pupils about Aids.
But finally, thanks to AWARE, an online media kit produced
by Crusaid, the classroom could soon cease to be hot-bed
of HIV ignorance. This year, pupils studying GCSE English in 1,500 London
schools will use AWARE to devise their own Aids awareness campaign.
Ian Sankey, head of English at Lilian Baylis Technology School, Lambeth, said:
“HIV education in our schools is extremely unsatisfactory. The Crusaid
AWARE Media Kit allows students to continue working towards their English
qualifications while also learning important personal lessons which will enable
them to make informed decisions about their sexual health for their future.”
www.awareuk.info
In the cut-throat boom land of the internet it’s good to see that it
isn’t all take, take, take. Surf2Aid.org
is a not for profit organisation that exists to raise funding and awareness
for charities. Each time you search using www.surf2aid.org and find and use
your result as you would any other search engine, revenue goes straight to
Crusaid, Terrence Higgins Trust, National Aids Trust and UKC.
So ditch Google and get shopping.
www.surf2aid.org
Elsewhere, Sussex Beacon and Brighton Body Positive have both improved the
look, navigability and features on their website sites, making it easier to
access services and info.
www.bpbrighton.org.uk
www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
Just diagnosed, or simply want to brush up on the basics? Tell Me
About HIV is an essential guide to living with the virus written
by and for people living with HIV.
It is the first in the UKC’s new Positive Choices
booklet series for people living with HIV and will be available in HIV clinics
shortly. Can’t wait till your next appointment? Then order a copy by
emailing your address to amorgan@positivenation.co.uk including the words
‘Tell Me’ in the subject line. You can also call 020 7564 2180,
or write to Andi Morgan at UKC, 250 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5RD. At the
same time why not register to automatically receive future booklets and set
up a subscription to Positive Nation direct to your home.
Lesbians,
gay men, bisexuals and transsexuals didn’t just arrive from another
planet sometime in the 1970s. LGBT people have been part of every culture
since time began, though prejudice and ignorance has often suppressed their
stories. February is LGBT History Month which redresses the
balance by highlighting this hidden history. Highlights include a screening
of Living with Pride - Ruth Ellis at 100, a moving documentary about an openly
gay African-American woman celebrating her 100th birthday, at Swiss Cottage
Central Library.
On 8 February, Andy Bell will take to the decks at the Black Cap, Camden,
to celebrate the life of the disco star Sylvester, one of
the first high profile figures to go public with their HIV status. In Scotland
on 14 February there will be a screening of witty documentary The
Celluloid Closet at The Filmhouse, Edinburgh, 0131 228 2688; plus
special guided tours of the Scottish national galleries.
0131 624 6200 • www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk
for England and Wales • www.lgbthistory.org.uk
for Scotland
Give
your Valentine what they really want this year – a tingle where it matters.
Play Vibrations by Durex is a disposable stimulation ring
that may be ideal for those who find condoms tricky or a turn-off. The ring
is slipped on after the condom and is designed to take you and your partner
to new heights of quivering pleasure. This ring has made history by becoming
the first sex toy to be advertised on terrestrial TV and promises stimulation
and added pleasure for all, regardless of gender.
£5.99 from chemists
South Yorkshire HIV support group SHIELD is holding a fundraising Masked Valentine
Ball at Sheffield United Football Ground’s Platinum Suite, on 8 February.
The romantic evening includes music from Opera North, jazz performances, three
course silver-service dinner, prizes for best dressed and best mask, charity
auction and dancing. JK
£30 • 7.30pm till late • 0114 278 7916 shield@care4free.net
Our lucky winner of the PN big Yule Giveaway posed for a snap when he popped
into out offices to collect his booty. Glenn, from north
London, was especially pleased with his gifts from Boots, DKNY, Caroline Herrera
and Paperchase: “I was mugged a couple of weeks ago and this has really
cheered me up,” he said.
With religion playing an ever increasing role in many parts of life these
days, atheists can often feel side-lined. One antidote could be the Gay
Humanist Quarterly, a magazine of the Gay & Lesbian Humanist
Association which covers sexuality, politics, humanism, atheism,
liberalism and free thought, particularly (but not exclusively) from a gay
and lesbian perspective. The latest edition includes articles on the freedom
of speech versus blasphemy debate, the campaign for civil partnerships and
the life and loves of Marlene Dietrich.
www.gayhumanist.com
• 01992 858 450
STICK IT TO STIGMA
HIV-related stigma is almost as damaging as HIV itself; it stops people testing
for HIV and can lead people with an HIV diagnosis to regard it as ‘their
fault’. In reality, everyone has sex and anyone can catch HIV, yet large
sections of society still view us as pariahs. A new booklet from National
Aids Manual, HIV stigma & you, aims to combat this ignorance
by explaining why it exists, its negative effects and how to deal with it.
Pick up a copy at your clinic, visit www.aidsmap.com
or call 020 7840 0050
WIN CONRAN SPECS
In
his career, Habitiat founder Terence Conran has waved his
design wand across everything from posh grub to kitchenware. Now the design
guru has set his sights on contemporary eyewear with the launch of VISION
by CONRAN. This fresh range of spectacles includes 12 designs in
a variety of colours and finishes. Masculine and unisex with an integrated
neck cord, these specs are destined to become a design classic. Available
at boutique opticians across the UK, from £125 to £175 tel 01225
717000 for local stockists.
DIARYFEBRUARY
01 UK & IRELAND Samaritans’ Stress Down Day is designed
to increase awareness of stress in the workplace and improve the emotional
well-being of employees as well as raise funds. To get your workplace involved
visit www.stressdownday.org
03/04 LONDON Gay Tantra Erotic Massage workshop at the Helios
centre with Armin-Christoph Heining. Singles and male couples with an interest
in touch, erotic movement and relaxation welcome. +49 911 2448616 •
www.gay-tantra.co.uk
06 LONDON KVN Patients’ Forum for Kobler/Victoria clinic
and Nkosi Johnson unit meets first Tuesday of the month; open to all patients
using these services.kvnadmin@fosterweb.org • 020 8746 5019
The Kobler Clinic also offers 30 per cent off all Lamberts vitamins and supplements.
06-27 LONDON To mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition
of slavery in Britain Amnesty and Anti-Slavery International
are holding a photographic exhibition and a series of talks on slavery past
and present. Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard • Free •
www.antislavery.org/2007
07 LONDON Str8talk at Lighthouse West; regular
meeting for straight HIV Positive people. 15 Feb at UKC and
21 Feb Positively Women. Call Nicole on 020 7713 0444 •
www.str8talk.org
10 LONDON Naz, Soho Saturday Workshops; ‘Religion, homosexuality
and me’. Created to educate, empower and increase black and minority
ethnic volunteers from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Call Christina or Vanessa on 020 8741 1879 christina@naz.org.uk • www.naz.org.uk
17 LONDON Faith and Homophobia Multi-faith conference probing
religion and sexuality. All welcome. £25-£160 dependent on status
• 9.00-5:30pm, reception 5.30-7pm • www.lgcm.org.uk/fhconference
18 & 25 LONDON Rufus Wainwright’s acclaimed recreation
of Judy Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall show is already
sold out in the UK. However, Crusaid have 200 VIP tickets for each performance,
including entry to his after-show party, signed posters and Marc Jacobs t-shirt.
020 7539 3884 • £175 minimum suggested donation
20 MERSEYSIDE Sahir House has re-established its Positve
Gay Men’s Group. 6-8pm • 0151 708 9080 • www.sahir.uk.com
23 BRISTOL THT is holding a half day of training on post-exposure
prophylaxis for health promotors, staff and volunteers working with
Black and BME communities.
24 WOKING Gay Surrey holds its monthly fundraising club night
Rumble. This month, Rumble Romance. £6 • last
Saturday every month • Quake, Crown Square, Woking • www.gaysurrey.org/clubnight
26 LONDON NAM's information forum on the future of HIV treatment.
When it comes to treatment and standards of care have we never had it so good
or are we still living in the HIV dark ages? University of London Union, third
floor, rooms 3C&D, Malet Street, London • Free • 020 7840
0050 • www.aidsmap.com
UPDATE
Gay.com Stonewall Football Club online petition to 'Kick
Homophobia out of Football' is still taking signatures so encourage friends,
families and work colleagues to sign. The petition will be presented to the
Minister for Sport. www.uk.gay.com/kick
PN treatment editor Robert Fieldhouse would like to hear
from people living with HIV who have survived cancer for an up-coming feature.
If you are interested in sharing your story email robertfieldhouse@hotmail.com
Positive Parenting and Children is re-launching its Fathers’
Support Group after a consultation meeting in January. For details email oscar@ppclondon.co.uk
• 020 7738 7333
