Highland LGBT Forum
To get involved, please consider filling in the membership form
COMMITTEE / TRUSTEES
The committee of the Highland LGBT Forum currently comprises: Robyn (Chair), Joanne Mackenzie-Winters (Secretary/Treasurer), Morgan, Mike and Gary. Committee members are also charity trustees.
Committee meetings are usually held once a month at Inverness Leisure.
The Forum is an independent, self-governing organisation, and is a registered charity.
AIMS
The aims of the Forum are to preserve and protect the mental and physical health and social welfare lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Highlands & Islands. We also aim to promote fair and equal treatment for LGBT people by challenging the stigma and discrimination experienced by them at both community and personal level.
There are two main strands to our work.
DIRECT HELP FOR LGBT PEOPLE AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL:
- Addressing the problems of social and geographical isolation faced by LGBT people in the Highlands through the organisation of social events and outdoor activities.
(We do this by putting on events such as Valentines/Halloween and by publicising events organised by other groups such as Girlzone, Pink Castle, Swans, LGBT Moray, etc.)
- Acting as a source of information where people can learn about available health & wellbeing services and other LGBT groups.
(We do this via phone, email, web site, newsletter, information stands at events, etc. and can signpost people to other agencies)
STRATEGIC WORK:
- Providing a link between LGBT people and other agencies involved in working in LGBT issues and initiatives on equality & diversity
- Responding to consultations and surveys - with a view to being the voice of the LGBT community and helping inform policymakers of community needs, good practice, etc.
- Raising awareness of LGBT issues
We do this by networking events, and attending the meetings of other organisations such as Northern Constabulary, Waverley Care, Inclusive Cairngorms, conferences by Highland Council, NHS Highland, etc. In addition, the very existence and active presence of the Forum as a charity in the Highlands can have an impact in its own right.
2011
As well as organising parties for Valentines & Halloween, the Forum started up regular LGBT social events in Inverness (curry nights & coffee mornings) and supported the activities of a new LGBT-friendly running group.
In 2011 we ran information stands at two freshers' fairs in Inverness, Aberdeen Pride, Inverness Highland Games and an equality & diversity night in Thurso. Some of our trustees attended the annual Equality Network conference and seminars on the Equality Act 2010. Trustees also attend meetings of the Waverley Care Highland Advisory Group and the Northern Constabulary Community Advisory Group. Highland Council and NHS Highland have been consulting us on equality issues and this collaboration will continue in 2012.
The Forum organised 2 networking afternoons in 2011 for over 30 people in Inverness and Dingwall. This included representatives from the the Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland, Samaritans, Age Scotland, NHS Highland, Scottish Health Council Highland, HUG (Highland User Group - Action for Mental Health), Highland Learning Disabilities Relationship Group, Rape and Abuse Line (Dingwall), Waverley Care Highland, CAB, Highland Carers Advocacy, UNISON Highland, Inverness Women's Aid, Women@Work, Brook Highland, LGBT Moray, Birchwood Highland and CourageSCOTLAND. Our networking activities will continue into 2012.
2012
- We want to visit Orkney, Shetland, Fort William, Caithness, Wester Ross & Western Isles to meet with any local LGBT groups and interested parties to help inclusion of LGBT people in rural communities and see what support we can give.
- We are preparing a survey on LGBT mental health in the Highlands & Islands and aim to distribute this as widely as possible with help from HUG (Highland User Group - Action for Mental Health), NHS Highland and Highland Council.
- 0n 3 March, we will host a seminar on homosexuality and LGBT faith issues with Ruairidh Macrae from CourageSCOTLAND and Rev Peter Nimmo.
- We aim to hold a Highland Ball in May with a whole weekend of events for LGBT folks & friends. We will also be organising a Valentine's party and Halloween party as we have done in previous years.
- We will be starting a collaborative project with Rape and Abuse Line (Dingwall) for bi-monthly networking sessions with other charities and local agencies (sharing knowledge and experience, hosting speakers, etc.).
- We will be running information stalls at as many events as possible (conferences, freshers' fairs, Highland Games, etc.)
- Our ongoing work includes supporting monthly LGBT social events and activities (curry nights, coffee mornings, running group, walks, etc.), sending out our monthly newsletter, maintaining our web site, frequent meetings with local statutory bodies (NHS, police, council), and liaising with national LGBT bodies.
- We are investigating the possibility of setting up a peer support group in Highland for the friends/family of LGBT people.
CHARITABLE STATUS
In April 2008, The Highland LGBT Forum was awarded charitable status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The Highland LGBT Forum is a charity registered in Scotland No. SC039528.
Highland LGBT Forum Constitution (PDF, 30 KB)
BACKGROUND
The Highland LGBT Forum started life as the Inverness Pride Committee in 2002 when Pride Scotland decided to take its annual event outside Edinburgh and Glasgow for the first time. Inverness Pride was a huge success (with some 300 people attending the main Pride party) and proved that members of different groups within the LGBT community could work together and achieve very positive results.
When Pride was over, the committee decided to stay together to take forward all the more serious issues facing us as a community such as geographical and social isolation, lack of access to information and lack of positive images. We submitted a report on these and other matters to the Scottish Parliament as part of their consultation entitled 'Taking Stock (Sexual Orientation Issues)'.
Over the next few years we made connections with the Equality Network, Stonewall Scotland, LGBT Youth Scotland, Reach Out Highland and THT.
We have held two Pride Balls in Inverness and we organise a variety of social events for LGBT people and friends.
The Highland LGBT Forum has been instrumental in getting various local venues to provide regular LGBT-friendly events impacting positively on the emotional, physical and social wellbeing of members of the LGBT communities.
In 2010 we attended 3 freshers' fairs in Inverness & Skye, and we also ran our health and wellbeing stall at Inverness Highland Games.
