Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
MAGAZINE @CoopRespectLGBT || www.cooperative.coop/respectlgbt July / August 2014 || Issue 1
Where it all began… We celebrate the anniversary of Alan Turing’s birth Plus inside Respect does Glasgow Alberts 2014 Out in the City Awards Funeralcare Stonewall partnership And more... The inclusive LGBT Network for e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Welcome to Respect Magazine. The magazine for the UK’s most LGBT friendly retailer, The Co-operative. A summer of Pride Pride schedule for the rest of 2014 Albert Kennedy Trust Pride Partnership A sporting chance… LGBT people in sport Farewell George The Co-operative bids farewell to Respect founder, the delightful George Meudell Carers Trust launch Britain’s Biggest Breakfast Happy birthday Alan We celebrate the father of the computer, Alan Turing Out in the City G3 awards Get the scoop from this year’s awards! Funeralcare and Stonewall partnership And more...
EDITORS’ NOTE
A word from this edition’s Editors Amelia Cargo and Ben Brosnan
Welcome to the July/August edition of Respect Magazine, the first following the departure of former editor, Thomas Anderson. We know we have big shoes to fill, but aim to bring you a magazine that is full of thoughtful, engaging features and as much colleague-led content as we can possibly cram in. We’re a new editorial team and are still learning the ropes, so please bear with us while we work to make the magazine the best it can be! It’s now heading into August, which means it’s Pride time! In this edition you can find out about some of the events that are happening near you. We also take some time to reflect on the life and work of Alan Turing and while the World Cup is fresh in everyone’s minds, we ask ourselves why there are no out gay footballers playing today. This is your magazine and we always want to hear from your thoughts, comments and questions. So, if you want to get in touch, just email us at respectLGBT@cooperative.coop and don't forget to Tweet us @CoopRespectLGBT.
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Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
A Summer of Pride July is now upon us and that means it’s Pride season! Whether you’re an advocate and attend everything that Pride has to offer or prefer to just watch from the side lines of the parade, we give you the low down on the celebrations that are happening up and down the country this Summer.
England Brighton Pride – The seaside town and gay mecca will be holding its annual celebration on Saturday 2 August. A lot of the festivities take place outdoors, hopefully in the sunshine with performances from the likes of Blue and Katy B Liverpool Pride – Liverpool will also hold its 5th annual pride on Saturday 2 August, with this year’s glam fairy tales theme Manchester Pride – The Co-operative will be walking in the parade with Respect’s charity of the year, Albert Kennedy Trust. Main celebrations take place over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, but also include Pride Fringe, a celebration of LGBT art, music and culture
Wales Pride Cymru – Wales’ largest LGBT celebration takes place in Cardiff on Saturday 16 August. This year’s event includes a funfair, a cultural market with arts and crafts and a social hub for LGBT communities, offering advice and support
Northern Ireland Belfast Pride – As the only part of the UK with no plans to implement Equal Marriage, the theme this year is ‘Diverse. Equal. Proud.’ People can show their support for the Northern Irish LGBT community in the parade which sets off on Saturday 2 August at midday Foyle Pride – Londonderry / Derry will see its 4th annual Pride take place between Thursday 21 and Sunday 24 August
Scotland Pride Glasgow – Scotland’s largest Pride event takes place between Friday 19 July and Sunday 3 August, with most of the festivities over the first few days. Taking part in this year’s celebration? Check out our Respect does Glasgow feature for other things to do whilst in the city
Your Network needs you! We want to hear from you We’re doing a Pride roundup in the next issue of the magazine and want to hear what you think. So whether you love pride and go every year or you think it’s too commercial and avoid it like the plague, let us know. Send us your words and pictures and you could see your story in the next issue: E-mail: respectlgbt@co-operative.coop Twitter: @CoopRespectLGBT
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
The Co-operative Food and Albert Kennedy Trust A perfect Pride partnership! joint entry in the Manchester Pride parade! To mark the occasion in style our three city centre Food stores will be dressed to impress the thousands of people that descend on the city to watch the parade – one of the largest in the UK. We will be breaking out the balloons, bunting, posters and some special sequined feathery numbers in and around our stores, and our staff will be wearing special t-shirts for the event. Our parade volunteers will also be walking the parade handing out fabulous Co-operative Food giveaways.
JOIN US! We are proud to announce that this year’s Manchester Pride will be a partnership between The Co-operative Food and the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT). This year AKT is marking 25 years of providing safe housing and support to LGBT youth made homeless due to their sexuality.
Would you like to join The Co-op and AKT at Manchester Pride? Email your name and tshirt size to respectLGBT@co-operative.coop to register and a member of the team will be in touch. Everyone is welcome!
Our Food business will be helping them celebrate with a
Annual Alberts Celebration Evening 2014 In May this year, members of the Respect Steering Group were lucky to be invited to the Alberts, an annual awards ceremony organised by our charity of the year, the Albert Kennedy Trust. This year’s event was held in the beautiful surroundings of Gorton Monastery and celebrated those who have made a difference to the lives of the young LGBT people that the charity supports. The awards were of extra significance this year as 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Albert Kennedy, a young gay man who fell to his death in what is no widely regarded as a homophobic incident. The poignant evening included a moving speech by Albert’s mum (pictured top right with Darren Batey from AKT) along with entertainment from Dan Gillespie Sells from The Feeling (also pictured). Albert Kennedy Trust is Respect’s charity of the year. To find out more and donate, go to www.akt.org.uk
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Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
A sporting chance
Stills taken from the video ‘Russia Declares Discrimination Newest Olympic Sport’ by Michael Rohrbaugh
I think it’s fair to say that in Britain we live in a society that is increasingly accepting and supportive of LGBT people and our rights. You only need to look back to the recent past to see how far we’ve come. Less than 50 years ago, loving someone of the same sex was a crime, legal protections were almost non-existent and positive messages around homosexuality were forbidden in schools.
in which LGBT people are underrepresented and LGBT issues are not prioritised or championed. The sport I’m thinking of is one of the most popular in the world, football.
A not so beautiful game
as the FA weren’t doing enough to tackle discrimination.
A move for change Is there any good news? Although change isn’t going to happen overnight, the support from fans in there. Running up to the World Cup, Stonewall published the largest ever survey on attitudes towards gay people in football, which showed that nearly three quarters of people in Britain would be comfortable if a player in their national team came out. Support and advocacy is also coming from within the game, with Liverpool FC taking part in the city’s pride celebrations and the FA saying that they would openly support any Premier League player who came out.
Let’s start with a bit of simple maths shall we? If there are more than 500 players in the Premier League and around 2% of the male population is gay, then that means that there must Today, the future is a lot brighter. be at least 10 out footballers, right? Thanks to the Equal Marriage, same Wrong. And the problem stretches sex couples can finally say ‘I do’, we much further than just the Premier are afforded the same rights in the League - in the four main football eyes of the law and young LGBT leagues, there are no out football people have a wide range of out public players. Not one. In fact there hasn’t figures to look up to. What’s missing been since Justin Fashanu over 20 from this list, however, are sports years ago – and his is not a happy people, especially footballers. story. Bullied, belittled and ostracised he eventually took his own life in 1998. So, what does the future look like for Don’t get me wrong, there are a few boys who dream of becoming the next wonderful sports men and women, It’s not that gay players don’t exist, David Beckham? Although progress is both active and retired, who are doing they must do, but what’s holding them painfully slow, we are moving forward. a wonderful job of increasing visibility back could be the fear of a negative Fans’ attitudes are slowly shifting and within their fields. Tom Daley for reaction from the terraces. Research the number of clubs and professional diving, for example, Nicola Adams for carried out by Stonewall shows that bodies that are ‘out’ about their boxing or Gareth Thomas for rugby. 70% of fans who attended a match support for players is higher than ever These athletes, however, are few and had heard or seen homophobia, and far between and there are some sports over half thought that key bodies such before.
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Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Goodbye George! Last month we said goodbye and good luck to George Meudell, founder of the Respect network, as he embarks on the next stage of his career at Bupa! George co-ordinated the first entry into Manchester Pride in 2009, before championing the launch of an inclusive LGBT employee network that grew into the Respect we know and love today. We’d like to thank George for his contribution to Respect and the Group as a whole and wish him all the best for the future. Respect steering group members past and present told us:
“It has been very sad to see George go and I wish him every success in the future. George believed passionately that a person’s sexual orientation should not be a barrier to a happy and successful career and championed the fact that 'people perform better when they can be themselves' to the highest levels of our business. He founded the LGBT employee network, now widely known as Respect, and set us all on a path to make The Co-op a better place to work for LGBT colleagues whilst at the same time being a role model to everyone. He has been a real inspiration to me - good luck George!” Chris Hanson, Respect Chairman “When the Respect network was launched in 2010 there had been nothing like it within The Cooperative before. George’s vision to create a network that promoted inclusivity throughout the Group was vital in setting foundations for us to achieve many great things over the last five years. When I succeeded George as Chair of the network at the beginning of 2012, George’s friendship and support was something that I greatly appreciated.” Thomas Anderson, former Respect Co-Chair and friend of Respect “George is a kind friend, a gentleman and a wise leader - it has been a privilege to know and work with him. George’s vision and energy were the foundation on which the Respect team was built. I wish him every success in his new role.” Steve Ratcliff, Respect Steering Group
Help Shape the Future of Your Co-operative You’ll have seen our new purpose – ‘Championing a better way of doing business for you and your communities’ and we want all our members and employee members to help bring this to life. First we need you to help decide which issues we should focus on next. We’re exploring six themes from how we value food, to how we can help build stronger communities and we’ve developed loads of opportunities for you to get involved and tell us what you think. Over the summer we will be holding a number of live events across the UK, from Dartford to Inverness and we’d love to see as many of our colleagues there as possible. There will also be a series of events especially for our young members, so if you’re lucky enough to be between 16 and 25 why not come along to one of those. You can find out more about these live events by visiting the Let’s Talk website www.co-opletstalk.co.uk. This is your chance to make sure we know what you’re passionate about and how you think we can best support our customers and their communities, so what are you waiting for? Book your place today. As well as finding out about events the Let’s Talk website is also the place to join our online discussions. With opportunities to join the conversations through Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheCooperative) and Twitter (@TheCooperative), there’s no reason not to get involved. e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Carers Trust launch Britain’s Best Breakfast Britain’s Best Breakfast is our exciting new fundraising campaign which will launched later this year. Carers Trust wants you to invite their friends, family and colleagues to join us in raising thousands of pounds this October. The money you raise will enable us to reach even more carers like Anne and to continue to provide them with our vital services and support. Britain’s Biggest Breakfast will run from 17–19 October. It’s really easy to get involved. All you have to do is host a breakfast and donate the money raised on the day to Carers Trust. Anyone can arrange a breakfast – why not hold one for your local Guild and invite family and friends along. All you need to do is sign up at www.britainsbestbreakfast.org where you can download your own Britain’s Best Breakfast kit which has all the information you need to host a fun breakfast or text EGG2 to 70660. There are also some delicious recipe ideas in the kit to get you started. If you would rather receive your kit by post email breakfast@ carers.org. Share your breakfast We would like you to share your images of breakfast and recipes with our online community through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This is a great way for you to get involved in our social media campaign and for everyone to see your exciting breakfast events. Britain’s Best Breakfast competition We are also running a competition to find Britain’s Best Breakfast in cafés and restaurants so if you think your local cafe makes the best breakfast then encourage them to register for our competition. For more information see our website www.britainsbestbreakfast.org email breakfastcompetition@carers.org or call on 020 8498 7907.
Carers Trust in action... Jack, 47, cares for his mum Deirdre, 80, who has Dementia I have been caring for mum now for about five years, although the last two years have been really difficult. Until then we lived in London and visited mum in Yorkshire every weekend however two years ago it became obvious that mum needed 24 hour care when she started to disappear. Mum is now incontinent and needs help going to the toilet, as well as feeding, drinking and dressing. I am a nurse which is really helpful however providing intimate care for your own mother is still extremely difficult. Recently mum has stopped recognising me on occasions and this is incredibly upsetting for me – probably the hardest part.
Since moving back to Yorkshire I have been working part time as a nurse, usually night shift as mum is asleep and my partner David has been an amazing support and stays with mum when I am working. It is really hard to juggle caring and working and I am permanently exhausted. Thanks to Carers Trust we now get 2 hours of respite support a week which gives me the chance to have a break from my caring responsibilities. It is a chance for me to relax, do the shopping or meet a friend for a coffee. Without this support I don’t think I would be able to go on.
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Remembering Alan Turing We take a look at the life and achievements of Alan Turing and remember this wonderful man, who was persecuted simply for being gay Just as ‘The Turing Test’ was passed for the first time since it was proposed by codebreaker Alan Turing in the 1950s, 23 June saw the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing. ‘The Turing Test’ tests whether a person can tell the difference between a human and a machine. The now celebrated and officially pardoned wartime code breaker and ‘father of computer science’ would have been 102 years old. Since Turing’s untimely death in June 1954 at age 41, officially ruled as suicide following his arrest and prosecution for homosexuality, there have been many advances in technology following his initial work, and the mind truly boggles as to what more he more could have achieved. June 1912 Alan Mathison Turing born in London 1928 At 16, Turing studies Einstein and shows a remarkably mature and deep understanding of his work 1934 Graduates with first class honours from King’s College, Cambridge 1939 – 1945 Turing worked at Bletchley Park, Britain’s code breaking centre during World War II and made a significant contribution to cracking Enigma, the German code. Winston Churchill said that Turing made the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany 1948 Moves to The University of Manchester and works on the team that developed the pioneering ‘Manchester Computers’ 1952 Turing prosecuted for being gay and accepts chemical castration as an alternative to prison June 1954 Turing found dead in his room with a half bitten apple by his bed. A post -mortem examination ruled that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning 2001 A statue of Turing eating an apple is erected in Sackville Park, Manchester 2009 Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, makes official public apology for the ‘appalling way Turing was treated’ 2013 Turing given an official posthumous pardoning by Queen Elizabeth II 2014 60 years after his death, a choral work based on Turing’s life is premiered in London. A film starring Benedict Cumberbatch will also be released later on in the year e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Steering Group members Simon Hunter and Amelia Cargo
Simon and his friend snuggle up to Graham Norton!
Out in the City and G3 readers’ awards In April, two members of the Respect steering group represented the network at the ‘Out in the City’ and ‘G3’ Reader’s awards in London. Held in the glamorous Landmark hotel, the star studded awards were attended by the likes of Graham Norton, Cilla Black, Peter Tatchell and Gareth Thomas. The awards celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of LGBT individuals and employee networks across the country. In addition to celebrities and corporate representatives, the ceremony was also attended by a number of prominent LGBT activists, including Peter Tatchell and Angela Eagle, Britain’s first openly lesbian MP. The Co-operative Group was up for ‘Best Employee Network’ of the year and ‘Best advertising campaign’ of the year for our ‘making history with pride initiative and although we were unsuccessful in both categories, we had a great time and it was a privilege to be in the same room as people who have done so much for the LGBT community, both in terms of visibility and support. You can find out more about the awards at www.outg3awards.co.uk/.
Respect’s Pub Quiz || 15.05.2014 The second of our new payday social events was a huge success. Wonderfully arranged by Respect’s Events Coordinators Daniel Cheetham and Simon Hunter, our friends and members attended a good old fashioned pub quiz in Polari Bar (underneath Via Fossa) on Canal St, Manchester. A fun night was had by all with the lucky quiz winners bagging a bucket of Co-op Food treats! The next event will be at Velvet Central in Manchester on 7 August—look out for further info! e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Online applications open Friday 4 July 2014 at www.stonewall.org.uk/leadership
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Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Funeralcare and Stonewall launch guide for older LGB people While many Brits fear death, gay people also fear deathly discrimination as new research exposes their fears and the barriers they face upon the death of a loved one. A joint report by Stonewall and The Co-operative Funeralcare has uncovered poor treatment towards grieving gay people – with one in ten saying they have experienced discrimination at a funeral or when arranging one.
Shocking statistics “Many older lesbian, gay and
One in four believe they would face barriers when
bisexual people grew up in a
planning a funeral, with almost a quarter worried
time when they were
about being treated poorly by a funeral director
discriminated against and
when arranging a funeral.
persecuted simply because of
Two out of five feared the reaction they would
who they are. It’s therefore
get from religious leaders or officials while one in
hardly surprising that so many
five worried about discrimination from family
feel reluctant to access
members.
services to help them plan for
One in three (34 percent) respondents also
later life.”
highlighted concerns regarding arranging end of
Ruth Hunt — Acting Chief
life care.
Executive, Stonewall
A lack of awareness However, despite changes to the law, many same-sex couples in a civil partnership or marriage remain unaware of their rights when a partner dies. One in four were unsure about inheritance rules while one in ten didn’t know whether they could legally register a partner’s death and one in four weren’t certain if they could claim their partner’s pension. Those in civil partnerships were also unclear about claiming bereavement benefits (31 percent were unsure about their rights) and more than one in three (36 percent) were in the dark about their rights regarding compensation for a partner’s fatal or criminal injuries.
A joint report To directly address these fears, a guide for lesbian, gay and bisexual people on planning for later life has been developed by Stonewall and The Co-operative Funeralcare. It offers helpful advice on the law, making financial provision, such as a will or purchasing a funeral plan, and offers tips on planning and arranging a funeral.
Want to find out more? For further information, or to obtain a copy of the report, visit www.co-operativefuneralcare.co.uk/stonewall or www.stonewall.org.uk, the lesbian, gay and bisexual equality charity. e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
Respect does Glasgow! With a population of around 600,000, Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, and its commercial capital. Although tourists often forgo it for historical capital Edinburgh, Glasgow has a vibrant cultural, entertainment and arts scene, meaning it shouldn’t be overlooked. This summer the 2014 Commonwealth Games are also being held in Glasgow, with an estimated 250,000 visitors flocking to the city for a summer of sport. So whether you’re visiting to cheer on the UK in the Games or just fancy a weekend break, here are three top things you shouldn’t miss:
Walk through the West End The bohemian West End of the city is a haven for those looking for quaint cafés, trendy bars and boutiques. It’s also home to Oran Mor, an arts venue housed in a converted 19th century church. In addition to gigs and concerts, it also hosts legendary ‘a play, a pie and a pint’ lunches for a bargain price of £5! Starting from humble beginnings in 2004, 38 new plays are now commissioned each year.
After you’ve had your fill of carbs and culture, take a short walk around Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens, which feature several glasshouses, including the beautiful Set in a stunning Spanish baroque style building on the 19th century Kibble Palace. banks of the Clyde, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery is Scotland’s most visited free attraction. With 22 galleries and a staggering 8,000 objects, including Salvador Dali’s Christ St. John on the cross, this is Dates for your Glaswegian diary... definitely the place to go to while away an afternoon.
See a Dali original!
Discover Art Nouveau Continuing the creative theme, fans of art and interior design should take a trip to the home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of Scotland’s most famous sons and the champion of Art Nouveau in the UK. Although the original building was demolished in the 1960’s, it has been lovingly and painstakingly restored and is filled with the Mackintoshes’ own furniture. If the visit has whetted your appetite for more, take a trip to Macintoshes’ most famous building, the Glasgow School of Art. Although access to the interior is currently restricted due to the recent fire, the exterior is still sure to impress.
20th October – 15th November: Glasgay – Glasgow’s annual LGBT arts, music and culture festival 19th July – 5th August: Pride Glasgow 23rd July – 3rd August: Commonwealth Games
Useful resources Kelvingrove Art Gallery http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove/ Glasgow Botanic Gardens www.glasgowbotanicgardens.com/ Gay scene information www.scotsgay.co.uk/listings/ venues.html
Get involved!
Do you want to see your city or town showcased in the Respect magazine? Or is there a city (at home or abroad) that you would like to hear more about? Let us know and we’ll make it happen: Email: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop Twitter: @CoopRespectLGBT #RespectMag e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT
Respect Magazine || July / August 2014
e: RespectLGBT@co-operative.coop || t: @CoopRespectLGBT