Three cheers for Channel 4 for signing up to the Memorandum of Agreement with Trans Media Watch.

The agreement was signed by Channel 4 at an event last Monday and is the brainchild of Trans Media Watch – a group that works to ensure that fair and accurate portrayals of transgender people are used in the media.

Bt signing, Channel 4 has committed to ‘accuracy, dignity and respect’ in its portrayal of transgender people and to ensure that transgender people in the media are treated with the same respect as everyone else.

Trans Media Watch make it clear that this does not touch on editorial freedom and is not about any sort of censorship – but is to give media organisations the information they need to address the issue from an informed standpoint.

Channel 4 showed three of its 4thought films that will be aired shortly – each was of a trans person speaking about their particular situation. They were such brilliant and powerful snapshots of these three trans peoples’ lives that anyone watching would – if they know little about the trans world – stop seeing the trans and start seeing the person. Absolutely brilliant shorts.

89% of trans gender people experience hate crime. That is beyond shocking and beyond unacceptable and demonstrates just how far we still have to go – despite having some of the best anti-discrimination law in the world. Later this year the Government will publish the first ever transgender action plan –  to address some of the issues that impact on trans people.

But that statistic surely also demonstrates the vital need for more understanding – which is the purpose of Trans Media Watch’s Memorandum of Agreement.

Congratulations to Trans Media Watch for this brilliant initiative and to Channel 4 for being the first (hopefully of many) broadcasters to sign up.

I had the real pleasure of opening the new LGF (Lesbian and Gay Foundation) Community Resource Centre in Manchester earlier this week – and at the opening launching the Government’s LGB&T action plan.

LGF is now housed in fantastic new premises – and clearly provides a vital heart to serving the LGB&T community in Manchester and beyond. Having met all the staff and volunteers – I was overwhelmed by their warmth and commitment to the community. Congratulations to Paul Martin and everyone there who have made the LGF such a wonderful place and wonderful resource.

The action plan highlights the government’s continued commitment to challenging homophobia, transphobia and inequality in all areas, including: education, the workplace, and across public sector services. You can read it here!

An article written for and published in Pink News following the launch of the Government Charter for Action on Monday:

As a Liberal Democrat in Government, fighting for a more equal society is my driving force and I am lucky to be in a position as Minister for Equalities to be able to do so much. But sometimes you are reminded that simple Government diktat doesn’t change everything. We can declare equality but unless people understand what that really means, there’s only so much you can do. Societal change doesn’t happen because a Minister says it must it happens because everyone out there works towards it.

I was reminded of this during our Spring Conference in Sheffield, where I visited a local support group for young people struggling with their sexuality and/or gender, Sheffield Fruitbowl. The charity running the group, the Sheena Amos Youth Trust, had also invited a number of young people along who take part in the Side by Side project, a peer education initiative to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. I was struck by the enthusiasm and commitment of these teenagers. Here were a group of people who saw an injustice in their schools and instead of standing by the side-lines, instead of shrugging their shoulders and keeping their heads down, they went out into schools in Sheffield to tackle homophobia and prejudices towards gay and transgendered people, through drama and workshops.

They quite rightly asked me what I was doing to support people like them and the Charter for Action to tackle homophobia in sport, which I launched on Monday, is one of those ways. Sport is such a key element in our society, so many people enjoy playing sports and watching them. But it remains an area where homophobia remains prevalent. So many gay sportsmen and women fear coming out and those that do are often well-established in their careers. It is a shame that homophobia, and probably more importantly the fear of becoming the target of homophobic jibes, leads to many LGBT people simply not partaking.

The fight against racism has been so successful in football and other sports, through programmes like Kick it Out. Given the role sports can play to change attitudes in society, it?s crucial that we break down the culture that allows spectators and participants to get away with homophobia. The Charter for Action is the first step in bringing people together to start doing just that.

I’m glad that the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union joined the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) in becoming the first signatories of the Charter. Their clear intention to make sport welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be a first step. We will work together to change the culture of sport, to educate and to show just how hurtful and damaging homophobia is ? to people as well as the sport. Imagine the Welsh rugby team without Gareth Thomas, imagine England?s cricket team without Steven Davies, imagine diving without Matthew Mitcham or speed skating with Ireen Wüst. You can’t because their sport would be poorer for it without them. It is in everybody’s interest that people can be themselves because then they will perform at their peak.

As I said in answer to an oral question in Equalities Questions last week – it is hugely important that role models like Gareth Thomas and Stephen Davies have come out – and that soon we hope that working with the Football Association footballers too will feel that the atmosphere and ambiance around football will enable them to come out too. But the real importance of these fantastic role models is the message that goes out to young people – that up and down this land children will feel able to be themselves, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity, and take to the fields of sport without fear or anxiety. That is the ambition.

UPDATE:  Forgot to post the details of facebook page: facebook.com/LGBTsportcharter

Following close on my last post – Andrew Gilligan in the Telegraph tells it like it really is in Haringey. You can read it here.

This YouTube video from Haringey’s young people about the 75% cuts  Labour Haringey have made to youth services just about says it all. Watch it here.

Access Eastbourne is a a great idea – which is why I am posting here – as I would be interested to know what people with disabilities think of it and what else is available in other places of a similar nature – if any.

The East Sussex Disability Association (ESDA) with huge support (and some funding) from the Liberal Democrat Council in Eastbourne have set up a website to advise those coming to Eastbourne and those living there what the facilities are for someone with disabilites at restaurants, hotels, etc. You can see the site here.

It’s a kind of disabilities trip adviser.

ESDA train reviewers in how to assess places – and then the reviewers review. It was only launched last October but is growing fast in terms of the numbers of places now reviewed. Access Eastbourne only do positive reviews – so that if a restaurant is not accessible it won’t find itself on the website at all. The information contains all the facts about loops, ramps, etc – and then there is a comment facility so that people who have gone there can post their experience of the establishment in terms of its access for people with disabilities. Of course – those comments can be negative or positive – that’s the beauty of this scheme.

Moreover, it is having an encouraging effect on those establishments next door  a reviewed restaurant – for example – who note that x restaurant is getting more trade (and there are nine million people with disabilities in this country). The reviewers will go visit then if requested and advise why they can’t be included – for example no ramp access. Said venue then installs the necessary facilities to qualify – and so another establishment then becomes accessible.

It really is win win!