‘Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year’.


Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in getting this edition out, and missing the October issue, but the Switchboard has been moving home, and there has been a change of editors for Zigzag, with Angela having to step down due to illness.
I know you would want to wish her all the best in overcoming this hurdle, so I will say ‘Get Well Angela’ on everyone’s behalf.

If you want to submit anything to Zigzag in the future, you will now need to contact me, the new editor of this newsletter, with all of your exciting news items and events for inclusion, via Catherine_889@hotmail.com.

New Switchboard Number.
Should you need to contact the Switchboard, there is now a temporary phone number to use over the Christmas and New Year, while they settle in at the new premises.
This mobile phone number is only for the festive season, and is 07746649256.
In the New Year the Switchboard intend to sort out a permanent telephone number for you to use.
For the time being, please accept their apologies for this inconvenience.

Volunteers are still being looked for to assist with the Switchboard, so come on and help if you have a few hours a week to spare and want to meet other like-minded people.

Recent Community News.
No doubt you have all heard about the Civil Ceremonies, and Partnership Rights that the Queen spoke about in her Parliamentary speech, that are due to be implemented in the coming months.

If you haven’t, then where have you been?

No doubt missing our publication from which you have come to expect all this sort of news.

What was said was that later in this parliamentary session, during 2004, new laws that will recognise same-sex partnerships are to be passed.
These laws will give similar legal rights to same-sex partnerships as are presently enjoyed by opposite-sex partnerships, provided that the couples involved commit to undertaking a civil ceremony.
This will mean that these relationships will be legally recognised, and the partners will be allowed to act accordingly, as well as having inheritance and property rights.

Since our last publication in August, other news items have happened that are relevant to our community, some of which follow:

One of these is that Section 28 was abolished by the government in November.
HOORAY!!
We should all be pleased to see the back of that law since it allowed our community to be legally prejudiced against, and taught all children that being gay or lesbian was wrong.
I think we should give our thanks to all the agencies that were involved in bringing this law to an end. THANKS!

Unfortunately, even though the scrapping of Section 28 had the support of the government, and many human rights groups, some isolated areas have decided to retain their own versions.

Of these, Kent County Council was brought to my attention by one of the Switchboard members.

In this article, the Queer Youth Alliance have decided to launch their own campaign against this horrendous policy that Kent Council had decided to implement on the eve of Section 28 being repealed, in November.
What the Queer Youth Alliance highlight is that Kent Council are actually encouraging another generation to think that being homophobic is okay.

To contact the Queer Youth Alliance about this campaign, you can go to their website at http://www.queeryouth.org.uk, email Alex at alex@queeryouth.org.uk, or phone Alex on 07763341406, or David on 07788712755.

Another news item that I found involved the first British conviction for passing on HIV, taken from Gay.com’s Positive Nation epaper of 16th October.
This occurred in London, after a man was convicted of grievous bodily harm, when he maliciously passed on the HIV virus to two female partners of his, to whom he allegedly lied regarding his HIV status.

While we are in a newsy mood, trans-people will acquire the right to change their birth certificates to show their acquired gender, in the forthcoming parliamentary session, through the Gender Recognition Bill.

If any of you are interested in following this up, go to Press For Change’s website at http://www.pfc.org.uk, where you can get all the relevant information on this Bill.

Community and Police Forum News.
This is now known as the Swansea Bay Community and Police Forum, although there are plans to change its name again in the near future.
In October this forum opened its doors to the general public, when it had its first public meeting. This was at the marina’s H2O venue.
This meeting was well attended, with about forty people turning up from various areas and venues in the Swansea Bay area.
At this October meeting, it was decided to have an election for Officers at the next Forum meeting, which was held during November at another of our venues – Champers on High Street.
On this occasion a date for the next meeting was organised. It is to be held at the Exchange on 28 January 2004 at 7pm, and all are welcome to attend.

South Wales Police Diversity Training.
Many members of the Switchboard have recently attended these diversity training days, where they are given the chance to meet and talk to police officers, and impart some aspects of being a member of a minority group to those present.
I would like to take this opportunity to explain that this training is not only given by members of our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities, but also by members of other minority groups that the police may meet whilst interacting with the public generally.
This Diversity Training Unit is based at South Wales Police Headquarters, Bridgend and is very beneficial in breaking down barriers and stigma that involve social prejudice.

One of the Switchboard members, who kindly wrote a report about one of her recent experiences of taking part in this training, allowed Zigzag to publish this. It is as follows:

‘.... it was great. I arrived at 12.30 which meant that it was just time for lunch. Mark & Lee then handed the floor over to me for me to do my icebreaker & it went like a dream. Everyone was a bit sleepy (lunch!!) but they all woke up very nicely & they were very responsive.
Astonishingly, maybe, they all had great fun throwing the sheep around (I didn't have a ball & so opted for a stuffed toy sheep instead... Laughs guaranteed...) & trying to dodge having to answer questions - but in the end they were genuinely interested in the questions & in my answers (if they couldn't answer the questions, which was often, especially if the questions didn't have a definite answer). And the questions they asked me were interesting ones: I'd deliberately left it open to them what questions to ask me - but I only got one of the 'where do you come from' variety & they quickly went on to ask questions like 'is it important for you to identify with the lgbt communities' (yes, that was one of the questions! Pretty sophisticated, I thought... Also shows that they remembered the session about 'group behaviour' from the training...). After I'd almost run out of questions, the officers were still interested & just asked all sorts of questions until we broke off the session after about 20-25 minutes. Lee & Mark were quite pleased with the session, too. Apparently, it had made the group more receptive than in the morning... That means that we - the community trainers - can really make a difference to the course!!
It's hard to believe the ignorance of the average straight person about gay issues - I was there once, I suppose, but I've forgotten. So, the very simple questions (I thought) like - 'name two common symbols of the lgbt movement' even brought Lee out in a sweat - he could only name the rainbow flag... Then somebody piped up: 'but isn't that the Greenpeace symbol?' – it was great fun & I can rest assured in the knowledge that these officers now will recognise a gay pub when they see it... :-)
I included some figures from the Stonewall website & the Counted Out report but people were actually more interested in the small, day-to-day things like why I would find it difficult to tell my neighbour I was gay.
I'm going to change my questions accordingly... and include more questions like that - stuff to make people think rather than bombard them with facts... In the long run this is what they will remember – the facts they will forget...
Ok - that's my report: I'm looking forward to reading yours...

Cheers,

Another current topic under discussion is that of spiking. This has been in the news nationally, as well as locally, in recent weeks.
During the meetings involving the Police that have been attended by the Switchboard members, this topic was raised, and given voice to by many community and venue members, as well as the Police. All these people expressed concern over this matter, since spiking appears to be on the increase, with a recent Police report showing that about 5 percent of the drinks tested had been spiked.
My reason for bringing this concern into this publication is to alert anyone who is not aware that this is going on, and with the festive season in full swing, to tell you all to take care when you are out – make sure that you don’t leave your drink unattended, and if necessary, keep your drinks covered with your hands.
All your regular gay venues are aware of this happening, so help yourselves and them by watching out for each other in all the venues.

Five things your mother never told you about drugs
1 By 1900,cocaine was used as an everyday medicine and was in the top five pharmaceutical products in the US, costing around $2.50 per gram.
2 In the past, LSD was used in Psychotherapy. Drug addicts, habitual criminals, sex offenders, chronic depressives -–were treated by LSD therapy.
3 Ketamine’s first use was in Vietnam as a safe and easily administered battlefield drug for wounded US soldiers.
4 King George V, grandfather of our own dear queen was helped on his way to heaven (that’s the afterlife not the nightclub) with a mixture of cocaine and opium.This helped ensure his death was announced in the more ‘acceptable’ morning papers rather than the evening press.
5 In 1946, amphetamines were the most frequently prescribed medicine for 39 different ailments, including sea-sickness, migraine, impotence, weight-loss and fatigue,

Exert from F:S Issue 73 Special Edition (Spring 2003)

So start writing and I will chat to you again soon – bye for now!!

CHAMPERS 210 HIGH ST SWANSEA (01792) 655622

THE EXCHANGE BAR
10 THE STRAND, SWANSEA
(01792) 645345

Every Week
· Monday Recovery zone
· Tuesday Quiz night
· Wednesday Blue Buster
· Thursday Cabaret & Karaoke
hosted by Devilish Diva
· Friday Funky disco
· Saturday The Most Popular Party IN TOWN
· Sunday Karaoke & talent competition £500. Grand Prize

WATERSIDE & H20
THE MARINA, SWANSEA

· Monday 70s & 80s night DJ Corey
· Tuesday Chill our night
· Wednesday Karaoke night
· Thursday Stripper
· Friday H2O open until 4.00am
· Saturday H2O open until 4.00am
· Sunday Cabaret & karaoke fun and games

FOR COUNSELLING & ADVICE

CATHERINE BANNISTER
Successful Therapist with 19 years experience of Divorce – Separation – Loss – Addiction – Abstinence & Controlled Programmes.
Help to change your life.
(01792) 548039

Frances Mayo
(01639) 631364

CITIZENS' ADVICE BUREAU
Neath (01639) 635545
Port Talbot (01639) 895057
Swansea (01792) 652902

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
0800 783 8043

GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE
Swansea (01792) 285015, or
(01792) 285016
“care, counselling, study and treatment of people with sexually transmitted and related infections”

GLAM Gay & Lesbian Arts & Media
(01273) 707963

GYL PROJECT Youth Line Bridgend (01656) 649990

INCEST & SEXUAL ABUSE
02920 373181

INFO-NATION
One stop information services for young people, at 47 The Kingsway Swansea.
(01792) 484010

LONE PARENT 0800 018 5026

MIND:
Neath & District Local Association
(01639) 643510
Neath Welfare Rights Services
(01639) 643905
Swansea & District Local Association
(01792) 642999
MindOut, c/o Mind Cymru, 3rd Floor, Quebec House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AB.
This group is for people who suffer from mental health problems, and identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

MINORITY ETHNIC WOMEN’S NETWORK
(01792) 467722

PARENTING MATTERS
(Neath & Port Talbot)
(01639) 620771

SOUTH WALES POLICE
Minorities Support Unit (Simon Thomas)
(01639) 889125

SWANSEA BAY LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER SWITCHBOARD
07746649256

SWANSEA DRUGS PROJECT
(01792) 472002

SAMARITANS 01792 655999
08457 909090

THE TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST (01792) 477540
“for information on safer sexual practices”

TRANSGENDER WALES
SUPPORT HELPLINE
07067 426558

TRIANGLE WALES
HOUSING SUPPORT
(01792) 469400

VICTIM SUPPORT:
Neath (01639) 639179
Port Talbot (01639) 886045
Swansea (01792) 562787

WOMENZONE NEWSLETTER & EVENTS INFORMATION
C/o Women's Centre,
25 Mansel Street, Swansea SA1 5SQ