The Conservatives have elected a new leader for their Party in Scotland. The successful candidate is Ruth Davidson, who is 32 and openly-gay. She was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament just last year and is thought to be the first ever openly-gay leader of any mainstream UK political Party.

Reacting to the results, Ruth said, “This is the first time that our members have been asked to elect a leader for the whole party in Scotland and I've met our members from Selkirk to Shetland and all points in between. They've been engaged, they've been enthusiastic, they've been welcoming and they're excited about our bright future too."

On behalf of LGBTory, the Conservative Party’s LGBT group, Deputy Chairman Cllr Emma Warman commented, "I am delighted to hear that Ruth Davidson has been elected as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

The Scottish Borders LGBT Pride Barbeque will be held at the Forestry Commission Yair Campsite, Glenkinnon, Clovenfords, Galashiels, TD1 3LH (National Grid reference NT 436 348) from 2-5 pm on Saturday 4th June.

Barbequeing facilities and basic foodstuffs provided. Please bring meat to eat and something to drink.

 Please note the change of venue from our normal spot. The Yair Camp is accessed from the unclassified road that runs along the south side of the River Tweed, 2 km southwest of Clovenfords.

The site is handy for the First Bus route 62 Edinburgh to Melrose service, approximately 500 m walk from the bus-shelter at the Ashiestiel Road-end.  Bus passengers could also meet before 1:30 pm in Galashiels for a lift to the site.

There is usually some kind of social activity in the evening, probably a night out in Gala.

Someone who defines as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT) is four times more likely to commit suicide than someone who doesn‟t, found a recent report by the Scottish Association for Mental Health. With homosexuality only being declassified as a mental illness by the World Health Organisation in 1992, it is not surprising that accessing mental health services is often daunting or simply not an option for LGBT people.

A new campaign by the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland aims to address this shocking statistic. At a special event at the Scottish parliament recently, Jackie Baillie MSP introduced „There‟s More to My Education‟, which aims to raise awareness of this issue, and calls for more to be done to make mental health services accessible to LGBT people.

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To mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia – IDAHO day, LGBT Students Across Scotland, along with their friends and other community members, will gather to remember all victims of Homophobia and Transphobia both in Scotland and further afield.

There will be three vigils taking place on Monday:

 - Edinburgh: 9 for 9.30PM outside the City Chambers on the Royal Mile
 - Glasgow: Meet at 8.20 at Strathclyde University Union or at 8.30 in the Maternity Gardens
 - Aberdeen: 10-11PM at Castlegate at the East End of Union Street

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Glasgow was ranked number four in a list of gay friendly cities compiled by Gay.com’s Out and About Guide. There are loads of fab venues to check out and a really friendly local crowd.

Find out more about:

• Gay Venues
• Gay Shops
• Gay Accomodation