London Map project

Londoners might want to help Agnes Poitevin-Navarre with her map project.

This is an art project - completely non-toxic, as far as I can see, and might end up being interesting. She'd love to have FAC's members and supporters participate.

ScotsGay magazine banned from Glasgow LGBT Centre

We've received this message from John Hein at ScotsGay:

If you have been used to picking up your monthly copy of ScotsGay in Glasgow's publicly funded LGBT Centre in Dixon Street, we regret that you are no longer able to do so. This is because the Centre has banned distribution of the magazine in their premises.

According to the Centre's Ruth Black, "We consider the sexual content of the magazine inappropriate for the Centre. We have to take into account that people as young as thirteen are using the place".

She told ScotsGay that the ban also extends to the privately run cafe/bar in the Centre.

The bone of contention appears to be what is claimed to be the explicit nature of some of our personal ads (tame by comparison with other publications), the fact that (in common with most LGBT publications) we carry adverts for escorts and that there are willies on the covers of some of the DVDs advertised by a licenced gay sex shop in Edinburgh.

When we asked Ms Black if young people using the Centre were entitled to the information contained in the magazine, we were rather primly informed that the Centre would provide them with information that the Centre considered appropriate. We didn't have the heart to ask about safer sex information (something which the last two issues of the magazine has carried with explicit detail).

Jamie Rennie, Chief Executive of LGBT Youth Scotland (which provides services for 13-25 year olds and has recently opened an office in the Centre) told us, "ScotsGay should not be denied to the LGBT community at large. If the Centre's management take the position that the publication is not suitable for under 16's, they should put in place suitable safeguards. We would not ban ScotsGay from any of our projects and consider it to be a valued resource for our community".

The directors of the charity which runs the LGBT Community Centre in Edinburgh (who include the publisher of ScotsGay) laughed until the tears ran down their legs at the very idea of banning the magazine, "We're a Centre for the LGBT Community - not a Children's Adventure Playground".

The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing (also in Edinburgh) hosts parents' meetings at which children are present but they take place in a room which does not display ScotsGay or, for that matter, any sexual health information material. The magazine is freely available elsewhere in the Centre.

Martin Walker, editor of ScotsGay reasoned, "If ScotsGay is banned from a gay centre because of homosexual content, then all the LGBT magazines must be banned.What kind of gay community centre refuses to stock gay community publications? There are those in Glasgow that don't use the scene, because they don't drink, or use sex shops, who depend on the Centre to be an outlet for ScotsGay. Who's going to serve them?

Graham Coutts' murder conviction overturned

The so-called "violent porn internet killer" who was convicted of murder has had his conviction quashed, according to the Register:

In the original trial, jurors heard how he had viewed extreme violent internet pornography, particularly strangulation fetish sites. Coutts' defence argued that Ms Longhurst's death was an accident during consensual sex.

A trio of appeal judges yesterday upheld a Law Lords decision that the conviction was unsafe. The Law Lords said jurors should have been given the option of a manslaughter verdict.

Via Epicycle.

Feminist Fightback conference agenda

Feminist Fightback is a one day activist conference, initiated by Education Not for Sale Women, for anyone interested in the struggle for women's liberation. The conference is on Saturday October 21, at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London. Nearest tube stops are Russell Square, Euston and Goodge Street.

Speakers include Abby Lee, author of the "Girl with a one track mind" blog on feminism and sexual expression; sacked Gate Gourmet workers; NUS Women's Officer Kat Stark; International Union of Sexworkers; Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq; Scottish Socialist women on sexism on the left; health workers on low pay and abortion rights; and many more...All day: stalls, exhibition on Grunwick strike, creche

12-12.40pm Opening plenary: International solidarity for women's liberation Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq; Azar Sheibani, Iranian women's rights activist; Women of Zimbabwe Arise (invited); ENS Women.

12.45-1.45pm Session 1 a) Sex workers organising for their rights Speaker: International Union of Sexworkers b) Trans liberation Speaker: Joanna Stuart; Beaumont Society c) Asian women's struggles Speaker: Amrit Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group; Faz Velmi, TGWU activist

1.45-2.25pm Lunch Showing of 'Stand Together', film about Grunwick struggle, 1976-8

2.25-3.25pm Session 2 a) Building campaigning women's groups. Speakers: Sussex Uni women's group; Kat Stark, NUS Women's Officer b) Challenging sexism on the left, building a socialist feminist labour movement Scottish Socialist Party women; Jean Lane, author of "Women in a 'man's job': experiences of a woman building worker and trade unionist" c) Feminism without borders: trafficking, asylum and immigration rights Speakers: No Borders network; refugee speaker; Carys Ofoko, Close Campsfield campaign

3.35-4.35pm Session 3 a) Low pay, equal pay and women workers' struggle Amrit Wilson; Marsha Jane-Thompson, Unison London young members' convenor; Maria Exall, CWU; Lorna Campbell, PCS Equalities Officer b) Feminism and sexual expression Speakers: Abby Lee, author of “Girl with a one track mind” blog; Feminists Against Censorship; Backlash; Sofie Buckland, NUS c) Queer liberation Emma Persky, NUS LGBT committee, 2005-6

4.35-4.50pm Break

4.50-5.50pm Session 4 a) Abortion rights campaigning (Women only session) Speaker: Kate Ahrens, Keep Our NHS Public and Unison; others TBC b) Men's role in the fight against sexism c) Film: Bread & Roses, the women's movement in Argentina

5.55-7pm Plenary What way forward for the women's liberation movement? Speakers: Gate Gourmet worker; Cathy Nugent, editor, Solidarity; ENS Women; other speakers Collection for Gate Gourmet workersClosing remarks from Sofie Buckland

Close 7.10pm followed by fundraising social with bands at the Ivy House, 8-10, Southampton Row, London

Feminist Fightback Conference on Saturday

FAC, Abby Lee (author of the "Girl with a one track mind" blog) and Backlash will be speaking about feminism and sexual expression at the Feminist Fightback conference on 21 October. This will take place at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London. (Nearest tube stops are Russell Square, Euston and Goodge Street.)

This is is a one day activist conference, initiated by Education Not for Sale Women. Other speakers on the agenda include sacked Gate Gourmet workers; NUS Women's Officer Kat Stark; International Union of Sexworkers; Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq; Scottish Socialist women on sexism on the left and Kate Ahrens from Keep Our NHS Public on abortion rights.

Blogging for Backlash Day today

I've posted a blog on my Livejournal here and Hazel has posted blogs by both of us on her blog here.

Compensation for Big Brother Contestant

It has been reported that Lesley Sanderson, a contestant from the 2005 series of Big Brother, has received a payout because of a false claim in the Sunday Sport that she had a threesome. Her advocate told the judge that the story caused her "huge distress, humiliation and embarrassment" and that "she found it horrific and extremely upsetting, especially knowing that it would be read by her friends and family. She still finds it difficult to go out socially knowing that people have read the false claims about her."

While I appreciate that Sanderson would want to put the untrue story straight and seek compensation from the paper for printing it, I would also say it's rather sad that we still live in an age where the suggestion that a woman has had a threesome is something that can cause "huge distress, humiliation and embarrassment." The story seems to indicate that, even in 2006, we women are subjected to the same scrutiny as we ever were. We are free to bare our breasts or proudly and publicly refer to their size (as Sanderson frequently did during the show) but enjoying sex with more than one man at a time would be somehow shameful.

It seems that, yet again, the ominipresent Conservative critique wins the day. We might not be expected to play "virgins" anymore, but we're still under pressure to defend our precious reputations by not being seen to do anything that could lead to us being branded as "whores".

New feminist blog

Hazel has just started a new blog which may be of interest.

Blogging for Backlash on the 9th October

On the 9th October parliament returns from the summer recess. Backlash is asking that anyone who opposes the violent porn proposals writes a blog about this on that date and has it listed on a master list - http://bloggingforbacklash.blogspot.com/

Blogs can and do influence opinions. The Blogging for Backlash day would enable us all to be heard in one concentrated effort. And we could repeat this after the Queen's Speech in November.

If you would like to take part, please go to the Blogging for Backlash blog and add a comment.

Please pass on this message to anyone you think might be interested.

Some "violent porn" article links

Links for posts and articles about the proposed legislation on "violent" or "extreme" pornography:

FAC member Holly Combe contributed to this Guardian article with various comments, pro and con.

Frank Fisher in Comment is Free, with a comment from Avedon.

Bobette's summary of the consultation paper and the submissions to it.

Val Dobson disagreeing with anti-porn activist Julie Bindel. FAC member Feorag comments at her own weblog.

More from Charlie Stross and Epicycle.

Download the petition

Unfettered is circulating this petition (click to download) to lodge objections to the proposed ban on "violent" or "extreme" pornography. The text reads as follows:

To: the Home Office and the Scottish Executive

It is proposed by the current UK government to criminalise the viewing of certain pornographic material. We, the undersigned have no objection to laws which make extreme violent and dangerous acts illegal, but feel current proposals are too vague and not defined tightly enough to implement fairly.

We therefore oppose government proposals to make it illegal to view these images because:

a) The proposals could lead to hundreds of thousands of ordinary, innocent people being sent to jail and possibly having their names added to the Sex Offender’s Register just because the government doesn’t like what they choose to look at;

b) If it becomes law it will put unnecessary strain on already stretched police resources.

We call on the Government to get out of our bedrooms and abandon the proposed legislation.

We encourage you to download a copy and try to get a few signatures, and forward them on to Unfettered.

New FAC Book

We are currently inviting more contributions for the next FAC book 'Come Quietly'. This project has been on hold for a while and we are very pleased to announce its return!

Our invitation is mainly for the group but we also welcome input from FAC supporters who are not necessarily members of FAC.

"Come Quietly" will be an edited collection of personal essays by women, detailing the effects of censorship on our lives, both directly and in more subtle insidious ways. The book will be a follow-on from "Tales from the Clit" and one of its aims is to promote the idea that equality of the sexes shouldn’t inevitably lead to restricted sexual freedom and limited access to sexually explicit material. We would also like the book to draw attention to wider censorship issues that are not necessarily concerned with sexually explicit material or the suppression of non-standard sexual preferences. We are presently short on submissions of this sort and would therefore be interested in receiving more pieces that look at issues such as free speech and politics.

Pieces can be anywhere between 600 and 6000 words. Updates and revisions to our guidelines will be published on this blog.

Backlash

Backlash have produced an animated banner and are asking people if they would include it on their websites and in their blogs to help spread the word.

The Government's proposals on 'extreme' porn

Backlash is continuing to urge everyone who is concerned about the Governments proposals to outlaw the possession of so-called extreme porn, to write to their MPs and MEPs.

The consultation period is now over and we are waiting to hear whether the Government intends to take the proposals any further. It seems likely that they will. It is not yet known whether they will make any announcements about their intentions before or after the summer recess, which begins on the 25th July.

FAC fundraiser at LAM

This was a great success and a significant amount of money was raised for FAC.

I'd just like to say thank you, on behalf of FAC, to all those who donated raffle prizes - Fairygothmother, Richard Larsen, Precious, Jungle Black Widow, Monkeyspanker and LAM. To the two food stalls - My Lady's Crepes and The Deviant Diner for donating a part of their day's takings to FAC. And to the London Alternative Market for giving us the opportunity to publicise ourselves at their event.

Our condolences

FAC shares the grief of Pink Floyd fans everywhere upon the death of Syd Barrett.

"Shine on You Crazy Diamond."