Amal Fashanu, Justin’s neice and daughter of his football playing brother, John, was intrigued by the fact that out of 5000 professional footballers in Britain, not one had come out as gay since the death of her uncle. She decided to investigate and uncovered not only a wall of silence but shocking attitudes about her own family at the time of her uncle’s death.

This documentary raises many questions about British football today and the lack of change of attitudes, towards gay players, within the Football Association. See the documentary here

We will be protesting outside the event on both dates from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

The Truth About Reparative Therapy

There is a substantive and mounting body of evidence that “Reparative” or “Conversion Therapy”  does not work. In fact, in many cases it only further damages those that it claims to be helping. Here are some key facts.

From “Changing Sexual Orientation: A Consumers Report”  Columbia University, Spitzer, a survey of 202 individuals who went through conversion therapy:-

• 87% said that the therapy was unsuccessful
• 26 or 13% believed they had successfully changed after treatment but only 8 reported that they were not experiencing ‘slips’ or had to use coping mechanisms to control their same-sex behaviour or attractions

Psychological Harm

• Participants reported depression, suicide ideation, attempted suicide and diminished self esteem
• Males reported sexual dysfunction and impotence

Social and Interpersonal Harm

• Conversion Therapy harmed their relationshipswith family and friends, particularly with parents who they were told, by therapists, were to blame for their homosexuality
• Failed heterosexual marriages and harm to children of these marriages
• Lonliness and the inability to form relationships
• Told to end friendships with LGB friends
• delayed experiences, including intimate relationships and the development of social skills

Spirtual Harm

• 133 or 66% of participants considered themselves to be religious
• Those who considered that they ’ failed’ at conversion, reported negative impacts on their beliefs, including a complete loss of faith, a sense of betrayal by religious leaders, anger at the therapists who told them that God was ashamed of them, and excomunication from their churches

BMA Motion July 2010

• More than two-thirds of doctorsat the British Medical Association’s annual meeting in Brighton approved a motion backing a call for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other mental health standards bodies, to reject such statements and ban their use in their codes of practice
• Health Departments should also investigate alleged cases of conversion therapy being funded by the NHS, the meeting agreed

Join the protest

We will be protesting outside the event on both dates from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

There is no cure because being Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual is not an illness.

Stand up for your lesbian, gay and bisexual brothers and sisters and speak out against reparative therapy

Geoff has worked tirelessly for the LGB&T community on a range of issues including the equalisation of the Age of Consent in Northern Ireland. After years of  battling through the UK courts, he successfully brought a case to the European Court of Human Rights in 1981 and as a result homosexuality was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 1982. Before this remarkable change in the law, gay men in Northern Ireland faced arrest, prosecution and imprisonment simply because of their sexual orientation. Geoff’s case has been cited in court cases not only in the UK but in the USA and beyond.

This honour recognises the work Geoff has done over the years so that people in the LGB&T community in Northern Ireland and further afield can enjoy equality in all aspects of their lives.

The Director and all the staff of The Rainbow Project extend our warmest congratulations to Geoff on this long overdue honour.

The Rainbow Project’s Counselling Service will resume on Monday 9th January 2012.

If you think you need Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) please go immediately to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Royal Hospital Belfast or your nearest A&E Department. More information about PEP can be found under the “Sexual Health” menu tab at the top of this webpage.

If you are in distress or dispair you may wish to call Lifeline (a regional helpline service for people living in Northern Ireland) on 0808 808 8000. Calls to Lifeline are answered by trained counsellors who can provide help and support. Counsellors are experienced in dealing with suicide, self-harm, abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety and many other issues.