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Mon 12 May, 2008 at 17:13
Welcome to the Daily Velvet... |
Here's where you can
check all the latest lesbian news from Velvet-Club and around
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Start
with a laugh.....the Daily Cartoon!!
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Todays
Quote |
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Phyllis Diller
"If it weren't for baseball, many kids wouldn't know what a millionaire looked like." more...
Joan Collins
"The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer." more...
Rita Rudner
"In Hollywood a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk." more...
Joan Rivers
"Forty for you, sixty for me. And equal partners we will be." more...
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Velvet Whispers |
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Closet nation?
Are we to remain a statistically closeted
nation? Adrian Gillan argues that the Government - and its stats agency, the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) - should start asking “the gay
question” in the next national census; and that LGBT people themselves
should be far braver in answering it!
Only one in 100 people recently described themselves as gay or lesbian in a
Government survey into British sexuality, conducted by the Office for
National Statistics. A further one in 100 described themselves as bisexual,
0.6% said "other" and – perhaps most tellingly of all – another 3% said they
are not willing to declare their sexual orientation.
Other recent estimates by the Treasury suggest an overall figure of around
6%.
The Government says it hopes to introduce counting - to help ensure a more
adequate and fair distribution of funds and resources targeting LGBTs at
local and national level – but only once, it claims, a more reliable method
of measurement can be established. Until such time, sexual orientation is
not due to be included in the next mandatory 10-yearly national census in
2011 - despite people being quizzed about their race, and even if they are
Irish.
In response, the TUC, Stonewall and others are lobbying to overturn the
Government’s position - ideally ahead of a White Paper setting out its
proposals, scheduled for the autumn (2008).
A still seemingly nervous, shy or teetering LGBT public - perhaps fearful
that the requisite box-ticking might in some way infringe their privacy -
may derive at least some reassurance from the fact that information about
individual households garnered in a 10-yearly census is secret for 100
years, prior to which only the aggregate statistics are publishable.
Besides, whatever possible overall “undercounting” may well occur initially
- not least due to internal factors within households, like children not
being out to parents or vice versa - we surely, as a society, gay or
straight, have to start counting sometime: trusting that the count would
become more and more accurate, in a virtuous circle, as decades pass and
taboos break down - in society and its composite family units.
En route, those of us that are prepared to be counted would at least thereby
get the chance to secure the LGBT-related resources and services we deserve
and need.
Although most major UK equality laws are now almost all in place, the recent
British Social Attitudes report found that a third of people still view
homosexuality as “always or mostly wrong”. Yet acceptance is a two-way
street, and starts close to home - with ourselves. Closeted LGBTs must
surely bear some responsibility for social inertia. And pay a price.
What chance broader social acceptance, whilst so many of us still seemingly
cannot openly accept ourselves and stand up – relatively anonymous amongst
others, yet empowered - and be counted?
Thus, the census should definitely give us the chance to be counted; and
then it is very much up to us to then seize that chance.
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Sudoku |
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Most Recent Members |
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Latest UK News |
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Thousands dead in Chinese quake
At least 8,500 people are killed by a strong earthquake in south-western China, state media says. more...
Brown ally attacks rebel MP Field
Gordon Brown's closest ally, Ed Balls, suggests that rebel Labour MP Frank Field is a loner acting dishonourably. more...
Mother's horror at bakery murder
The mother of Jimmy Mizen, stabbed to death at a baker's shop, speaks of her shock, horror and pain following his death. more...
Brown vows to make care 'fairer'
Gordon Brown pledges to reform the social care system to cope with England's ageing population. more...
Stone 'planned to kill SF leader'
Loyalist Michael Stone planned to slit the throats of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, a court hears. more...
Cameron urges aid drops for Burma
Aid should be dropped by air into Burma if access to the cyclone-hit country does not improve, David Cameron says. more...
Babies' remains discovered in box
The remains of two babies are found in a box at a house in Greater Manchester, police reveal. more...
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Latest Gay News |
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R and D Sites Launches GayConsumer.comA new directory for the gay consumer debuts this summer, aptly named for it's target audience, "GayConsumer.com." more...Oaxaca, Mexico and it's attractionsOaxaca is one of those magical cities in the world, that should be near the tops of every traveler's "to go" list: world renowned cuisine, pre-Hispanic ruins, craft villages, market towns and more off the beaten road sights. more...When 'Not Tonight, Honey' Becomes the Norm: Managing Sexless Gay Relationships; Part 1Part 1 of this 2-part article series investigates the dynamics involved and causes of differing sex drives in gay male couples as a prelude to specific tips for remedying this situation. more...mrsmart more...Andy DandyA poem I wrote six years ago about a little girl and her stolen innocence. more... |
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Todays Horoscopes |
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Take a deep breath and let your friends be weird. They're not causing any harm -- well, not much, anyway -- and if you can show them that you're tolerant, they're more likely to give you a pass as well.
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This
Day in History |
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1994: Labour leader John Smith dies at 55
The Labour leader John Smith dies in a London hospital after two serious heart attacks. more...
1981: Second IRA protester dies in jail
Francis Hughes starves to death in the Maze Prison in a republican campaign for political status to be granted to IRA prisoners. more...
1967: Stansted to become London's third airport
The British Government gives the go-ahead to proposals to convert Stansted into an international airport. more...
2000: Ford quits Dagenham after 70 years
Ford workers at its Dagenham plant react with shock and anger at the news that car production is to be transferred to Germany and Spain, with the loss of 3,000 jobs. more...
1971: Row rocks Rolling Stone wedding
The Rolling Stones singer, Mick Jagger, marries his fiancee Bianca Perez Morena de Macias after a row with the media nearly halts proceedings. more...
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