Update: second birthday party; York LGBT History Month 2016

“Bao Bao Celebrates Her Second Birthday” by Smithsonian’s National Zoo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

We’re turning two!

To celebrate the second birthday of the LGBT Staff Network, we’re holding a party! This will take place on Tuesday 13 October at 16:00 in HG/052 (in the canteen) and will include:

• a welcome from the Vice Chancellor;
• information on what we’ve done in the past and our future plans;
• the chance to contribute your own ideas;
• an opportunity to socialise/network;
• cake!

We’ll also be electing the Steering Group for the next year. This is a team of seven staff and one student. The Steering Group meets roughly once every 4-6 weeks, with a break over the summer, and is in charge of planning and executing the Network’s activities. It’s a really great opportunity to get involved in something outside of your normal line of work and make a positive impact! It would be helpful if you let us know before the event if you’re interested in joining, but don’t be afraid to volunteer on the day!

Call for events – York LGBT History Month 2016

The call for events for York LGBT History Month 2016 is now live! We spearheaded the first ever city-wide campaign in 2014 and in 2015 the programme – coordinated by an independent organisation – grew to over 35 events from more than 20 different organisers, many of which took place here at York St John! Next year York LGBT History Month will be leading the Yorkshire hub of the National Festival of LGBT History, but the intention is also to expand the local programme even further! Could you be a part of this?

The deadline for submissions is Friday 4 December. The national theme for next year is religion, belief and philosophy, but events falling outside of this domain are also welcome. The team are on hand to provide advice and guidance, and encourage you to get in contact before setting a date so as to minimise clashes and maximise attendance. For more information on the overall campaign and exactly what’s needed from you, check out the call for events. For inspiration, check out the York LGBT History Month website, including the events section and the archival post on last year’s campaign.

Equality Elephant in the Room, Black History Month special: “No two people are the same”

On Wednesday 21 October, 12:00-13:00 in DG/026, Stonewall consultant, writer and activist Josh Willacy will share his experiences of being a gay mixed-race man in a special Equality Elephant in the Room session for Black History Month. This will provide an opportunity to discuss the ways in which sexual orientation, gender identity and racial identity interact and intersect. If you intend to come along, it would be useful if you would register to attend.

Bi Visibility Day SPARK fundraising

Our stall for Bi Visibility Day raised £56.87 towards the SPARK scholarship fund. Billy Jones, Alumni Relations Coordinator, passed on a big thank you for the support. Also – big thanks to the generous bakers!

Talk: “developing a uniform definition of bullying and its correlates for public health surveillance”

On 4 November, 12:00-13:00 in DG/014, Professor Ian Rivers from Brunel University will be delivering the talk titled above. Ian is Professor of Human Development within the Department of Education and a visiting professor at Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Strathclyde, as well as a former member of York St John University. He is the author of Homophobic Bullying: Research and Theoretical Perspectives and co-author of Bullying: A Handbook for Educators and Parents and Mental Health in the Digital Age.

LGBT STEMinar

A free conference targeted at LGBT people working in or studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics subjects (but open to allies) has opened registration and its call for talks and posters. The conference will take place at the University of Sheffield on Friday 15 January. For more information, see the registration form.

Three upcoming films at City Screen

City Screen are showing three films in the next two months that might be of interest to LGBT people. The first two are part of POUTFest 2015, an LGBT film festival. A Girl at My Door is showing on Tuesday 20 October and Dressed as a Girl is showing on Monday 16 November. The third screening is of Pasolini on Tuesday 17 November. Check out the links for more information on each.