from our member Isa L Levy

Had my memoir Conversations with a Blank Canvas published in June. I have attached a press release about it just in case it might be interest to members of  GPN as I talk about my identity growing up in a tightly knit small Welsh Jewish community and the various issues around my sexuality and not 'belonging' - this was in the 1950's - so quite a lot of development over the decades - almost 8. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Conversations with a Blank Canvas, By Isa L Levy Highgate Arts psychotherapist, artist, and author Isa L Levy has this week published her astonishing personal memoir. In a creative memoir, which includes photographs of many of her vivid paintings, Isa reveals her psychological, artistic and spiritual transformational process through images, poetry and words, as she sheds and re-forms new evolutions to reach a state of ‘belonging’. 

The author shares an honest, detailed and thought-provoking self assessment of her life journey. It is reflective in ways which invite the reader to engage more consciously with their own personal journeys. Using wonderfully clear and apt word painting, the words are beyond poetic in that they evoke a reaction of all our senses. 

We hear the music she created, we feel the gentle opening up within the lover's garden, and we even taste the mother's force feeding! 

Reviewers are already acclaiming the book as “a remarkable achievement”. 

For press copies or to review this book contact Isa L Levy at isalevy@aol.com. 

Books are available on amazon.co.uk h+ps://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversa5ons-Blank-Canvas-Somewhere-Transforma5on/dp/ B08B38B69V/ref=zg_bs_266794_40?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=18RYSK307VC64V96HQ3P

Queer Bio Newsletter

 

QueerBio.com Newsletter December 14th, 2020 The Online Biographical Reference Source for the International LGBTQ Community Top Story DISABILITY AND THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY Individuals with disabilities represent a significant portion of the population, yet they remain a marginalized group in society. Many people relate disability to physical attributes, but they can be mental attributes as well. It is the latter that is less visible and hence often misunderstood or ignored. 'Disability' is a term that encompasses a wide range of sensory, physical, cognitive and psychological abilities and affects many people, both visibly and invisibly. LGBTQ individuals with disabilities face a double level of challenges when it comes to marginalization. The challenge often exists within the LGBTQ community also. For example, many LGBTQ individuals focus on an ideal body type that an individual with a disability cannot live up to. Research has shown that LGBTQ individuals are more likely to have a disability than the general population. Transgender individuals, for example, are prone to the mental impacts of isolation, intolerance, and more that stigmatizes them - recent surveys have shown that 39 per cent of transgender individuals in the United States report having a disability. Similarly, one in three lesbians and one in three bisexual women report having a disability. The situation is significantly worse in countries with intolerant policies toward the LGBTQ communities. Given this terrible situation, it is heartening to hear of individuals within the LGBTQ community who are working to address these challenges. Many of these individuals are activists, health workers, researchers, and politicians. A good portion of them are LGBTQ athletes who have received recognition for their athletic accomplishments at the national and international level and have become role models for the community. It is important to include LGBTQ people with disabilities as part of the discussion of LGBTQ rights. We have identified LGBTQ individuals active in the disability community from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, India, Israel, Japan, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, the United States, and Uruguay.  Read More Now And See The Complete List QueerBio.com has been chosen for the Library of Congress Web Archiving Program - Preserving important cultural artifacts by acquiring, cataloging, preserving and serving collections material of historical importance to foster education and scholarship. CONTEMPORARY LGBTQ SPOTLIGHT Leanne Pittsford - United States (1980) Leanne Pittsford is a serial entrepreneur.  In 2012 she founded Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, an organization which has grown to become the largest LGBTQ community of technologists in the world with 40+ city chapters worldwide.  Prior to this, Pittsford launched include.io in 2017, a mentoring and recruiting platform in technology, and the Tech Jobs Tour which connects diverse and non-traditional talent to jobs in technology. She created her own digital agency, Start Somewhere, and created leanimpact.org, a company which eventually was acquired by Lean Startup in 2016. Pittsford was recognized by Business Insider as one of the most powerful LGBTQ+ people in Tech in 2019. Previously, Pittsford worked for Equality California as head of operations. HISTORICAL LGBTQ SPOTLIGHT Francis Bacon, Ireland (1909-1992) Francis Bacon was a noted painter whose popular subject matter was the body painted in an abstract form. Later in his life, and after the death of his partner, his focus shifted to images of death and crucifixion. Bacon was also a notable interior decorator and furniture designer. He was the subject of two Tate retrospectives and a major showing in 1971 at the Grand Palais in Paris. A 2013 auction of his painting Three Studies of Lucien Freud sold for a world record price of US$142 million at the time.   Sample of New LGBTQ Biographies Added Jack Guest, Great Britain - Global Diversity and Inclusion Lead, HSBC Bank.  READ MORE Clement Beaune, France - Minister of State for European Affairs.   READ MORE Hig Roberts, United States - Alpine skier.  READ MORE Mara Gomez, Argentina - Transgender football/soccer player.  READ MORE Joan Drury, United States -  Writer and publisher.  READ MORE Braunwyn Windham-Burke, United States - Television personality.  READ MORE. Josh Feldman, United States - Actor and producer.  READ MORE. TRAILER VIDEO CLICK HERE TO HELP US WITH THIS PROJECT TODAY! DO YOU KNOW YOUR LGBTQ COMMUNITY? QueerBio.com is pleased to present a selection of biographical and history books on the global LGBTQ community.  Books can be ordered individually or as a group for further savings. It's a Fabulous Morning! My Interviews With Fascinating People in the LGBTQ World   A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World Notables: 101 Global LGBTQ People Who Changed the World Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers. Books are available in print or e-book editions. ORDER YOUR BOOKS INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP HERE QueerBio.Com The definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community Comprising a database of over 17,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, two-spirit, gender netutral or queer (LGBTQ).  Includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.  Available in 62 languages. Visit QueerBio.Com Managing Editor: Mark S. Bonham

Galop Newsletter

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The online launch of our new report: "Commissioning for inclusion: Delivering services for LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse" is fast approaching. If you plan to attend, please register to ensure your place. The Zoom link with the log-in details will be sent an hour before the event to all registered delegates. Please join us at the online launch event on November 19th, 2020 10:30am – 12:15pm, register here. We hope that the guidance can be used to facilitate an dialogue at a local, regional and national level on how commissioners, service providers, policymakers and the government can work individually and collectively to better meet the needs of LGBT+ survivors within commissioning and procurement activity, as well as service provision.  Please contact Dr. Jasna Magić, research and policy development at Galop, for any questions on this event. (jasna@galop.org.uk)    Provisional agenda:  10:30 – 10:40: Welcome and introduction  10:40 – 11:00: Headline addresses:  Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner  Lynne Abrams, Head of the Interpersonal Violence Unit, Home Office   11:00 – 11:30: Presentation of key findings: Meghan Field and James Rowlands (authors)  11:30 –12:15: Panel discussion on the role and value of LGBT+ services in addressing domestic abuse and the need for commissioners to respond to the gaps in current commissioning practices.  Confirmed panel speakers:  Meghan Field, Director, Advance Charity James Rowlands, Independent Consultant  Peter Kelley, Head of Domestic Abuse Service, Galop  Prof. Catherine Donovan, Durham University      About Galop   Galop gives advice and support to people who have experienced biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence or domestic abuse. In addition to working with individual people, we work to improve the criminal justice system for us all, and to find ways to support victims of crime who do not want to go to the police. We are a completely independent community-led group and we are not connected to the police. Follow Us www.galop.org.uk   Contact Us: National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 999 5428 By email: info@galop.org.uk By mail: 356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA    www.galop.org.uk  |  info@galop.org.uk Galop 356 Holloway Road London N7 6PA Copyright (C)  Galop   You are receiving this email because you have signed up via our website or told us you would like to hear from us.

Kick Start Scheme for young people from our member Andrew Waite.

 Hi Jean-Francois,

 

Hope you are well…

This is Andrew a Gay Professional Network member for some years now.

 

My organisation is a “Gateway Intermediary” for the Government’s new kick Start Scheme to provide young people whose salaries are paid for 6 months at minimum wage.

Would it be possible to pass the information around to the gay business community please?

 

It seems such a great opportunity to keep businesses going and helping young people stay in work.

Anyone interested must have a business or charity.

 

If you or organisations you know wish to take part, you/they can register interest at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeExMNBVkgn39yTAeUMBjdGqbAEN6Z3kpNdOiNXJTLp-uIVHg/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

Very much appreciate if you could spread the word amongst members.

 

Kind regards,

Andrew Waite

Chief Executive

                                

2020 Finalist – SME Community Organisation of the Year

2020 Listed – Social Entrepreneur Index Awards.

2019 Finalist – Governance Professional of the Year

2019 Winner: Best Interactive Group Talks & Presentations

Newsletter from the Westminster LGBT Forum - October 2020

View this email in your browser Westminster LGBT Forum Newsletter - October 2020 Dear Friend We are all living in challenging times at present but despite this, the Forum has put together a range of interesting events and activities to keep your spirits up, including a programme of events organised by Outings in Art, our arts and culture partners. Westminster City Council are seeking your views on Housing Policy and Strategy and have issued a Homelessness Strategy, so check these out on our website. We also have some useful Help and Advice resources to support our members.   Subject to Covid-19 restrictions, we hope to hold a real Forum meeting in November. Details will be included on our website and in the next Newsletter.   We are always open to ideas for events and useful information for the benefit of our members, so feel free to contact us and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.   Note: Under current Government restrictions, pre booking for inside events is essential and the numbers attending may be subject to a maximum depending on the venue. Please check the venue’s website when making a booking. Facemasks are required to be worn within venues. The Gay Liberation Front  Fifty years ago on 13 October 1970, the Gay Liberation Front was founded at the London School of Economics. The formation of the GLF was a watershed moment in British LGBT+ history. For the first time, thousands of LGBT+ people protested against our persecutors. Read More    To celebrate the GLF’s trailblazing activism, join a candle lit vigil on Tuesday 13 October 2020 at 6 p.m. outside the London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2B 4RR. Write an Open Letter to Queer Britain Throughout history, the experiences of LGBTQ+ people have been erased, overlooked or marginalised. Queer Britain want future generations to see themselves. History does not live in dusty archives, it is alive in us all in the here and now.   In partnership with Levi’s® and Post Office, members of the LGBTQ+ communities and allies are invited to write an open letter to Queer Britain. These will live in their collection and will record and preserve valuable accounts of what it means to be LGBTQ+ in Britain today.   Be part of history. Read More and see how to take part. Frieze Sculpture in Regent’s Park As parks go, Regent’s Park is well stocked with many interesting things, including a zoo, a boating lake, and an open air theatre. This autumn, they’ve added an armada of art as Frieze Sculpture takes up residence in the park’s English Gardens from 5 to 18 October 2020. It’s well worth a visit. LIVE: A Programme of Sound & Performance for Frieze Week 2020 For the 2020 LIVE Programme, Frieze will present The Institute of Melodic Healing (IMH), an ‘institute of sound and performance’ from 8 to 11 October 2020 and broadcast online from 6 to 11 October 2020.   Curated by Victor Wang (王宗孚) (Artistic Director and Chief Curator of M WOODS Museum, Beijing), LIVE will take place at 9 Cork Street, where Wang, alongside a group of artists, will establish a temporary institute of sound and performance art inaugurated as the Institute of Melodic Healing, during Frieze Week. Read More about the programme and how to access the Frieze Viewing Room.    Summer Exhibition 6 October 2020 to 3 January 2021 For the first time in history, the Summer Exhibition will fall in winter. But at the Royal Academy, summer is a state of mind, not a time of year. Discover a myriad of works by household names and emerging artists inside our joyous festival of art.   This year’s exhibition includes new works by Tracey Emin, Rebecca Horn, Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel, Gillian Wearing, and Ai Weiwei.   Read More about the event and how to book.  The Young Artists Summer Show The Young Artists’ Summer Show is a free, open submission exhibition for young people aged 5 to 19 years, taking place both online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts to recognise talented young artists. All of the artworks are available to view online, with a selection appearing in the on-site exhibition taking place in the RA's Clore Learning Centre between 19 October to 22 November 2020.   The artwork shown above is titled 'We Are Not the Same' by Sahar, age 14. A portrait of his brother about how the modern world contrasts with his family's traditional Afghan culture. Howard Hodgkin: Memories 1 October to 11 December 2020 at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert, 38 Bury Street SW1Y 6BB from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday   This exhibition is devoted to the art of Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017), who is widely regarded as one of the leading British painters of the last fifty years.   Bringing together nineteen of the artist’s most distinctive paintings, Howard Hodgkin: Memories focuses on the 1980s and 1990s, two decades during which Hodgkin’s art attained the stylistic maturity and expressive vitality that secured international recognition.   No booking required. Read More    The Photographers’ Gallery Untitled: Source The Photographer's Gallery 9 October 2020 to 7 February 2021   The Photographer’s Gallery mounts the first retrospective of New Delhi-born artist Sunil Gupta..   From his involvement in New York’s gay liberation movement during the 1970s to more recent campaigning in India, Gupta employs photography to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights. Read More  Black History Month 1 to 30 October 2020   The Zari Gallery is presenting an exhibition featuring British and International Black Artists in celebration of Black History Month. Their team has carefully curated a number of artists each with their own story.    See Zari Gallery for more information and how to book. My World and Your World This sculpture by Eva Rothschild in Lewis Cubitt Park, Kings Cross, descends from a single point, diverging into branches which sink into the ground. The shape is inspired by the natural world; it could be the branches of an inverted tree, a river basin, a lightning bolt.   The entire artwork is painted in bold stripes using the artist’s distinctive palette of black, purple, pink, orange, green, and red. The stripes confuse the eye, seeming to split the solid structure into parts. See My World and Your World for further information. Zanele Muholi Exhibition 5 November 2020 to 7 March 2021 Zanele Muholi is one of the most acclaimed photographers working today, and their work has been exhibited all over the world. With over 260 photographs, this exhibition presents the full breadth of their career to date.   Muholi describes themself as a visual activist. From the early 2000s, they have documented and celebrated the lives of South Africa’s black lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex communities.   For more information and how to book, see Tate Modern Exhibition. Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you soon. Westminster LGBT Forum www.westminsterlgbtforum.org Copyright © 2020 Westminster LGBT Forum, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a Friend of the Westminster LGBT Community Forum Our mailing address is: Westminster LGBT Forum 7 Francis Walk London, N1 0LJ United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Further update on the "Gay Conversion Therapy," letter from Elizabeth Truss, Equality Minister

We recently signed the petition “Make LGBT conversion therapy illegal in the UK”:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300976

The Petitions Committee has today published a letter from Elizabeth Truss MP, Minister for Women and Equalities. This was in response to the Committee’s request for an update on the Governments plans to ban ‘conversion therapy’.

You can read the response in full here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/2677/documents/26594/default/

You can find the original letter to the Minister here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/2172/documents/20109/default/

Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on our work on this issue and others: https://www.twitter.com/hocpetitions

GPN talks with Mark Bunyan 28-07-2020

An update on plans to ban ‘conversion therapy’:

An update on plans to ban ‘conversion therapy’:

As you may know in previous years in my speech at the House of Lords Reception, I have expressed my anger and dismay at such barbaric and antiquated method being used in legality in UK.

The current petition of over 200,000 signatures followed another two on this issue. Despite its inclusion in the Government’s 2018 LGBT Action Plan, legislation has still not been introduced.

Read the letter from the Petition Committee To the Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss, minister for Women and Equalities here: 

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/2172/documents/20109/default/

The Network's talks July and August, and our weekly meetings.

Dear Supporters of The Network,

Hope all is well with you.

In July we do not have a speaker, as he thought it best to wait and find out what is happening.

It is too early yet to decide whenever and  whether or not we are going to go back to physical meetings, the Civil Service Club is reopening on Monday but the covid-19 preventative measure make it impossible at the moment with no more than 4 people in a room! It may well be that do a combination of both zoom and physical meeting in the future but time only will tell.

In August Sandra Shevey is talking about Alfred Hitchcock, and it will be online given the present circumstances, you can book and discover more about it on Zoom. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-network-with-sandra-shevey-alfred-hitchcock-registration-75299196925 Please note that the meeting will be in evening gearing us back to normal timings.k

Our weekly meetings continue for members of The Network to catch up. Thursdays 4 to 5pm. Not a member yet?  Join us on https://the-network.one and take advantage of the 50% off the membership fee  for the duration of the pandemic.

Distant socialising! Together we are stronger!

  

A reminder of The Network Links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4450647/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenetworklondon/
• https://twitter.com/thenetworklondo
• https://chat.whatsapp.com/FqVLgy2fZmv1wlS8ZmMzFn
• https://t.me/The1Network (new)

I very much look forward to hearing from and to seeing you again soon.

Best regards, 

Jean-François.

Founder

The Network since 2012

jf@the-network.one

https://the-network.one

what's up?

The weather is improving, sometimes, you can be outside and follow the talks  whilst lounging in the sunshine or catch up on youtube.

As we are slowly coming out of the 'Lockdown' The Civil Service Club (CSC) has reopened and has been refurbished to the highest standard. 

Our monthly events will continue to be on both zoom and with limited capacity for social distancing at the CSC.

Our talks lately were recorded and posted on YouTube

• Peter Tatchell 
• Tony Selimi
• Dan Vo
• Mark Bunyan 

Our future talks are:

• August 2020 Steven McIntyre, CEO of Stonewall Housing about LGBT+ homelessness on the 25th August.  
• September 2020 Ian Dodds  will speak about bisexuality.
• October 2020 Craig Jones & Caroline Paige  and Gary Youssef the formers on Fighting with Pride and the latter about Financial planning 
• November 2020 Paul Burston about his latest book and fabulous life.

Take care and keep safe!

Jean-François Dor

Founder

The Gay Professional Network since 2010.