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Regular readers of this website will know that our five-year relationship with Canterbury City Council has not been an easy one. We have now reached the parting of the ways. We were ready to sever the connection in October last year (2007), when the intervention of three city councillors, Jean Law, Julia Seath and Alex Perkins, persuaded us to be optimistic. As a result of our meeting with them, it was decided that meetings should be held to plan, originally a conference, initially planned for Spring of this year, to invite the LGBT community to express their needs and thoughts to the City Council. This event has not yet happened, and following four less than dynamic meetings, chaired by the Council's Equalities and Access Officer, we feel that we have to withdraw from the process. We have no confidence in one significant member of the team, who seems to have little empathy with the needs and feelings of LGBT people, while another is constantly critical of the work we have done, while contributing little himself. Others are dismissive of our aims, including those to introduce more LGBT culture to the area. How any minority group can live happily without regular contact with its culture we do not know. We cannot work with this team. We will continue to organise our Pride in Canterbury events and to champion LGBT people and their culture. Canterbury continues to be a desert for local LGBT residents and visitors and we will contine to advertise this fact, wherever and whenever we can. If the situation improves, we will give credit where it is due. After five years of struggle, at last night's meeting, we literally reached breaking point, but we ask you to play your part. If you want the City to be more LGBT- friendly, please support ALL events that are planned for our community and let the City Council know your views and your needs. We won't go away! |
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 | Welcome to Pride in Canterbury Tony Kushner - "Angels in America". "Just imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same. My idea of a perfect world is one in which we really appreciate each other's differences, short, tall, Democrat, Republican, black, white, gay, straight - a world in which all of us are equal, but definitely not the same." Barbra Streisand If you want to be sure you know what is happening of interest to the LGBT Community in and around the Canterbury area then this is the website to visit. If you are doing things to support our LGBT Community, then this is the website to contact.
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What's New? 18.07.08. Sorry we haven't been in touch lately - computer problems - but here is an important message. Bishop Gene Robinson will be speaking at the Lecture Theatre of Kent Business School at the University of Kent on Tuesday 22nd. For further information contact centre-lgs@kent.ac.uk . 20.06.08. Parting of the Gays. See above. 2.6.08 New Sundowners Acts -see Events Diary. Rock Hudson play - see Culture Page. 12.5.08. Inspiring message. (Quotes page.) 9..4.08. Stand-up comedy at Sundowners. See Culture Page. |
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The novel "Wicked" and the musical based upon it tell the story if Elphaba, who became the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz". Elphaba is born good, but she is different. He skin is green. As she grows up, she realises that all is not well in Oz. Prejudice and bigotry are afoot. In attempting to draw attention to this, she comes into conflict with those in charge of running Oz including the supposedly "Wonderful Wizard", who wants to use her powers for his own ends. Through confronting him with the things that are wrong in the land, she is branded wicked and is forced to become an outsider. WE'RE BACK! Not green, but still very PINK! Not "defying gravity", unfortunately, but still hoping that our plans will take flight one day. We've rested, licked our wounds, taken stock and realised that we've learned some lessons, including that we can waste a lot of time and energy trying to change the minds of those in authority who have no intention of hearing what we say and helping us. So, we will continue to voice our belief that Canterbury needs a visible "Out and Proud" LGBT community. We will continue to publicise both the good things that happen in the area and give credit those who help us. And we will name those who hold the power to help us, who are paid to help us, yet who ignore us and block our progress. We will emphasise the positive. We will use this website to advertise the exciting things that are happening on the scene, unfortunately, mostly elsewhere at the moment,in theatre, film literature, entertainment, music, sport - every area that examines, reflects and celebrates our lives and experiences. We hope that more and more will be happening in South East Kent. We will highlight the lives and the work of the people who have made us glad to be LGBT. We are realistic. We are NOT trying to turn Canterbury into Brighton or Blackpool, but in this twenty-first Century, it is not unreasonable to want a gay bar in the City that truly supports our community. We need a vibrant scene that sends a positive message to all in the area, to the closet queens and to the homophobes and most importantly to those growing up lesbian and gay in the area, the message that LGBTS can be proud to live their lives here. They do not have to leave the area in order to feel accepted and valued. As ever, WE CAN'T DO IT ON OUR OWN. Please let us know the details of events that are happening that will help bring the community together . If you are a resident or a visitor and are not happy with the scene and the community that we have in Canterbury, then let those in authority know. (For Council matters see Community Page.) Keep letting them know until we get what we want. Nowadays, friends of Dorothy don't need to make the dangerous journey along the yellow brick road to voice their problems - they can email! Final thought. Remember that nowadays, "Wicked" has two meanings! |
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REVIEWING THE SITUATION We have worked for Pride in Canterbury since 2003 and now seems an important time to review our progress. In doing so we may repeat some material that can be found elsewhere on the website. We will keep things as brief as is possible. We are feeling very let down by organisations that have paid lip-service to LGBT causes, but have done little to give us practical help at Pride in Canterbury. Given their supposed commitment, is it really too much to expect more support from them, than we have received? NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE We had previously helped the NHS Gay Men's Health Officer and when that post disappointingly disappeared and a Men's Health Officer, Franco Saiglio, was appointed, a representative of Pride in Canterbury sat on the selection panel. Franco met with the Pride in Canterbury committee for information and advice in the early days of his appointment. He attended the two Canterbury Gay Pride Days, but we have heard little from him or from anyone else at the NHS since then. Yet a thriving and visible LGBT community would make the promotion of NHS health issues much easier. UNISON We wasted much time and effort trying to get help and advice from Unison, including from local members, but while they were happy to throw money at us, they proved unsympathetic to, and sadly even belittling of, our efforts. Unless we can get advice and support from people in these areas, we cannot continue banging our heads against the brick wall of their indifference. If we fail, the homophobes will be jubilant and the City will be the loser. LOCAL LGBTS As regards the local LGBT community, it seems that although several groups exist in the area, so far they have little interest in coming together as a community. There are strong lesbian groups, doing their own thing, but many of the men in the area seem, amazingly, to be stuck in a pre 1969 time-warp, having little concept of the importance of pride and self-esteem to individuals and to the community. Some will travel to enjoy Prides in Brighton and London, but are horrified at the thought of attending such a celebration on their own doorstep. We booked a table for Pride in Canterbury at the Kent Messenger's Big Quiz in Canterbury, as we felt that this was a good opportunity for us to be seen supporting a community fundraising event. After considerable effort, we were only able to field a team of five (men) out of a possible eight. (Our thanks to the three who supported us!) It was a good evening, but this highlights the problems we are facing. We still believe in what we are trying to do, but in the face of so much apathy, what started out as inspiring and energising has become draining and depressing and we need to make time to devote to ourselves - to rebuild our own spirit and self-esteem. At the end of July, we register as Civil Partners and so now seems a good time to focus on our relationship. The talk "From Byng to Shufflewick" planned for May 10th will most definitely go ahead and we hope that there will be a big turnout to support it. We will promote that and continue to plan other talks in the programme, but there will be no further newsletters at present and we will only put on the website significant events sent to us by members of the community. We will take at least six months off and at the end of the year we will consider the future of Pride in Canterbury. LET THERE BE NO MISTAKE - ESPECIALLY THE HOMOPHOBES OUT THERE WHO WILL RELISH THIS DEVELOPMENT- WE KNOW THAT LGBT IS GOOD- IS GREAT! AND WE KNOW THAT THE AREA WOULD BENEFIT GREATLY FROM A THRIVING LGBT COMMUNITY. BUT WITHOUT YOUR HELP AND INVOLVEMENT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. WE SEND OUR LOVE AND BEST WISHES TO ALL WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US. Andy & Martin March 2007 |
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