LGBT "Health Summit" coming up in June
LGBT Health Summit, London, 19 & 20 June 2006.
Saw an email about this on the UK-bi-activism list last week. It's quite a wide definition of "health" including things like social wellbeing, so in a sense it's all aligned with activism in general.
Got in touch with the organisers to find out what they had lined up on the B front and (not entirely to my amazement ;-) ) was asked to speak. So I'm doing a 10 minute bisexuality spiel as part of the Queer Identity panel, which I think will be v. v. interesting. Yay!
I have some substantial reservations about the way they've organised it (this year).
It's free, but if you book and don't turn up, there's a 100 quid "admin fee". Which in my world doesn't really show up as "free", it shows up as "Gamble that you're not going to be unlucky on the day and lose 100 quid". (I was told that if someone had a really good reason like being ill, it would be considered on a "case by case basis", but I can't say that really set my mind at rest.) And they're too skint to pay participants' travel expenses (they're not even sure yet if they can pay the speakers' expenses), so it's not free in that sense either.
And although they've gone out of their way to make sure it isn't London-dominated, there's no equivalent mechanism to make sure it isn't white-dominated or L/G-dominated or biased towards the usual middle class able-bodied internet-connected professionals in the field (which includes me, in the sense that I do bi-awareness training for money sometimes).
[Update: actually I just remembered that's not entirely true. I think the official stuff did say first come first served, but James who's looking after the booking process also said that if it's clear from a form that you're bi or trans, they may give precedence to those people to improve representation.]
On the other hand I have now had a chat with Justin, the doctor whose idea it was originally (see here), and my vibes from that conversation were entirely "oh yes, here's someone I can work with". Like, full of interesting ideas, with some inspiring yet plausible-to-me thoughts about the aims of the conference, and didn't come over as defensive about the suggestion that they'd got some things wrong in the way it was done.
And although the conference is partly funded by people like the D of H and the NHS and Stonewall, I had the sense of it as maybe quite a bit more queer and activist in flavour than some of the governmenty things I've been to before. (Well, come to think of it, I can't remember a government thing ever even saying the word queer :-) )
So feeling a lot more optimistic about the whole thing after that. OK, bumpy start, but a lot of potential, and I think probably a lot of room for the B contingent to take more leadership in future ones (which they're already talking about). I think it's going to be "one to watch".
If anyone wants to come and join in, I would be delighted to have some bi / bi-friendly / bi-activist company :-) But you'd have to make up your mind sharpish, because the deadline for "applications" is tomorrow (8 May). Sorry I didn't write about it before, but this has all been happening in the last few days and I just realised tonight how close the deadline was.
And if you would like to come and the only thing putting you off is the 100 quid thing, then let me know, (a) because I'd like to know how much of a factor that really is for people, and (b) in case I can wangle something.
(B.t.w. I'm still not really reading other people's LJs at the moment except just occasionally. But I have been looking at the BiCon one a bit. Haven't decided for sure yet if we're coming this year - have been going back and forth on it.)
Saw an email about this on the UK-bi-activism list last week. It's quite a wide definition of "health" including things like social wellbeing, so in a sense it's all aligned with activism in general.
Got in touch with the organisers to find out what they had lined up on the B front and (not entirely to my amazement ;-) ) was asked to speak. So I'm doing a 10 minute bisexuality spiel as part of the Queer Identity panel, which I think will be v. v. interesting. Yay!
I have some substantial reservations about the way they've organised it (this year).
It's free, but if you book and don't turn up, there's a 100 quid "admin fee". Which in my world doesn't really show up as "free", it shows up as "Gamble that you're not going to be unlucky on the day and lose 100 quid". (I was told that if someone had a really good reason like being ill, it would be considered on a "case by case basis", but I can't say that really set my mind at rest.) And they're too skint to pay participants' travel expenses (they're not even sure yet if they can pay the speakers' expenses), so it's not free in that sense either.
And although they've gone out of their way to make sure it isn't London-dominated, there's no equivalent mechanism to make sure it isn't white-dominated or L/G-dominated or biased towards the usual middle class able-bodied internet-connected professionals in the field (which includes me, in the sense that I do bi-awareness training for money sometimes).
[Update: actually I just remembered that's not entirely true. I think the official stuff did say first come first served, but James who's looking after the booking process also said that if it's clear from a form that you're bi or trans, they may give precedence to those people to improve representation.]
On the other hand I have now had a chat with Justin, the doctor whose idea it was originally (see here), and my vibes from that conversation were entirely "oh yes, here's someone I can work with". Like, full of interesting ideas, with some inspiring yet plausible-to-me thoughts about the aims of the conference, and didn't come over as defensive about the suggestion that they'd got some things wrong in the way it was done.
And although the conference is partly funded by people like the D of H and the NHS and Stonewall, I had the sense of it as maybe quite a bit more queer and activist in flavour than some of the governmenty things I've been to before. (Well, come to think of it, I can't remember a government thing ever even saying the word queer :-) )
So feeling a lot more optimistic about the whole thing after that. OK, bumpy start, but a lot of potential, and I think probably a lot of room for the B contingent to take more leadership in future ones (which they're already talking about). I think it's going to be "one to watch".
If anyone wants to come and join in, I would be delighted to have some bi / bi-friendly / bi-activist company :-) But you'd have to make up your mind sharpish, because the deadline for "applications" is tomorrow (8 May). Sorry I didn't write about it before, but this has all been happening in the last few days and I just realised tonight how close the deadline was.
And if you would like to come and the only thing putting you off is the 100 quid thing, then let me know, (a) because I'd like to know how much of a factor that really is for people, and (b) in case I can wangle something.
(B.t.w. I'm still not really reading other people's LJs at the moment except just occasionally. But I have been looking at the BiCon one a bit. Haven't decided for sure yet if we're coming this year - have been going back and forth on it.)