Hampshire

"Hampshire PCT" has now become NHS Hampshire and Hampshire Community Health Care in line with Lord Darzi’s NHS Next Stage Review and the NHS Operating Plan.

NHS Hampshire invests in Hampshire’s health – it has a £1.6 billion budget to buy all the health care that local people need and work with local people to help them live longer, have healthier lives.  

Hampshire Community Health Care (HCHC) has a budget of £134 million to provide a range of community-based health services that enable patients to receive high quality care in the most appropriate setting. HCHC, which employs 3,200 people across the county, aims to bring health care home through a range of community services including gay mens health projects and at its 12 community hospitals and numerous health centres across Hampshire.  

Read more: Hampshire and Hampshire Community Health Care

A Christian worker has been suspended after telling a colleague about his beliefs against homosexuality. He says he is not homophobic and was merely responding to questions from a colleague about his beliefs.

David Booker, worked at a Christian hostel in Southampton, a charity whose patron is the Archbishop of Canterbury, was asked about his faith by a colleague, Fiona Vardy during a late shift last month.

He told her he was opposed to same-sex marriages and to homosexual clergy but denied being homophobic and said that he had homosexual friends. Mr Booker was suspended the next evening from his £19,000-a-year post as a hostel support worker with Society of St James, where he has been employed for the last four years. The hostel told him the action was taken for “events that happened last night”. He now faces an inquiry and a disciplinary hearing.

Read more: Christian Worker Suspended Over Gay Comments

Fratton CID are currently investigating a male rape that took place during the early hours of Sunday 22.03.09.

At the current time the police wish to inform the male gay community to be on their guard due to the circumstances of the incident and also try to obtain any information about any other similar crimes.

A 29 year old male was walking home on when he stopped to urinate near to the railway bridge in Burnaby Road opposite the Registry Office. He was then attacked and raped.

Read more: Male Rape Case Needs Information

Only a single person turned up to the mass protest organised by an anti-gay US church.

Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from the Westboro Baptist Church were banned from entering the UK to protest against a play in Hampshire. The lonesome protestor that did turn up was soon heckled away by the play supporters including students of the Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke.

Westboro fanatic Phelps-Roper had said the decision to ban her and her father from entering the UK would "bring great wrath upon your heads". They had threatened that other members of the church, who are not as well known to the authorities, would be trying to get into the UK to protest. But these were as devoid of reality as their twisted view of the world.

While nobody wanted the Phelps in the UK, their ban and a recent ban of a fundamentalist Islamic preacher has fueled the question of free speech in the UK.

The notorious Christian fundamentalist church based in America has threatened to hold its first anti-gay rally in Hampshire.

Westboro Baptist Church followers plans to protest against a play about a homosexual student, a performance of The Laramie Project in Basingstoke. The play is about Laramie, Wyoming the year after the murder of a gay man, Matthew Shepard.

The group claim to have secretly sent followers to the UK to avoid being denied entry to the country under Britain’s anti-hate laws.

Followers of the Church, a homophobic group which pickets the funerals of Aids victims and soldiers in America with various signs including the famous “God Hates Fags”, have vowed to protest on Friday outside a sixth-form college in Basingstoke, which is putting on a performance of The Laramie Project.

Gay groups have organised a counter-protest and Hampshire police have promised a high profile at the performance.

Peter Martin, Director of B PROUD based in Bedfordshire, lead the campaign asking the Chief Constable of Hampshire and the Home Secretary how they intend to ensure gay people are not offended by the homophobic hatred spouted by the Phelps and WBC; was pleased to receive a positive supportive response from the constabulary.

Whilst it is unlikely WBC and the Phelps will actually come to the UK to picket, small groups will be conducting a silent candle lit vigil between 6.45pm and 7.30pm on 20th February to remember the life of Matthew Shepard, people are welcome to join the vigil at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke.

Thursday 5th February - a light-hearted discussion about Portsmouth's gay past.
Email: portsmouthlgbthistorymonth@hotmail.co.uk for further details.

The Old Vic
104 St Pauls Road
Portsmouth
PO5 4AQ

Tel: 023 9229 7013
Web: www.oldvicportsmouth.co.uk

Hampshire police have arrested two young men in their late teens who are believed to have been involved in homophobic incidents at the common in Southampton. They are appealing for witnesses to come forward about any recent attacks in the area that may not have been reported.

If you know of someone who has been attacked and they are reluctant to come forward let them know that Gay Community Health Service (GCHS) in Southampton are here to support them and can help them talk to the police to ensure these attacks stop. 

Please call GCHS on 023 8051 5238 or email them directly at GCHS@scpct.nhs.uk

Only for people with exceptional music taste... A fab singer-songwriter is coming to the Winchester Discovery Centre on Saturday 31 January 2009.

Julie McKee is a London-based singer-songwriter. Her voice has been compared to Annie Lennox and Eddi Reader and her songwriting craft a cross between Ben Folds and Tori Amos.

Her witty and often cheeky songs take a quirky look at friendships, relationships and our society. Have a listen at http://www.myspace.com/juliemckeesinger.

Julie is currently the darling of GaydarNation.com, having been featured and reviewed to much acclaim!
"What a Woman Shouldn’t Do is an absolutely gorgeous and highly original album" according to Bree Hoskin's 5-STAR verdict on Gaydar.

Read more: Singer-songwriter Julie McKee in Winchester

Three young teenagers were among eleven Tottenham Hotspur fans charged with chanting vile homophobic abuse at Sol Campbell.

Two 15-year-olds, a 13-year-old and eight adults are accused of targeting the Portsmouth defender in a Premier League clash last September at Portsmouth's Fratton Park ground.

They allegedly sang adapted lyrics to the tune of Lord of the Dance at the former England star. The charge of indecent or racist chanting at a football match forms part of the Football Offences Act 1991. If convicted they could face a fine of up to £1,000 and be banned from any ground in Britain for up to 10 years. Breach of a banning order carries a penalty of up to six months' jail and/or a £5,000 fine.

Read more: Homophobic Sol Crowd Named and Shamed

Hampshire Constabulary is the country's most gay-friendly public sector employer, according to an annual study.

The Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2009 ranked the force in second place in Britain's top 100 employers for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people.

Banking giant Lloyds TSB came top with Brighton & Hove City Council third. Hampshire Constabulary set up its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender resource group seven years ago to support its staff. Chief Constable Alex Marshall said: "A huge effort has gone into this organisation in recent years to make sure people feel comfortable and valued. For a police force, such recognition is hugely important. We want to give an excellent service to the public, we want to be active in every neighbourhood and we want to catch as many criminals as possible.

Read more: Hampshire Police Top Gay Employer