Epping Forest News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


EPPING FOREST: Council officers will attend gay pride event

5:43pm Friday 20th August 2010 in


THE district council has sponsored a marquee at the forthcoming Essex Pride event to develop closer contacts with the gay community.

Officers from Epping Forest District Council have said they will attend this year's event, at Central Park in Chelmsford, on Sunday, September 5 to gain more information about sexual equality.

As well as providing community play workers and face-painting at their marquee, council offices will undertake a consultation exercise on the day.

A spokesman for the council said: “The aim is to promote Epping Forest District Council as a progressive service provider and employer seeking to provide excellent services. We would like to work more closely with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the Epping Forest District to help us achieve this, and we will be consulting with people at Essex Pride and inviting them to help us with this work.

“A range of information about Equality at EFDC will be made available and promotional gifts will be distributed.”

This year's Essex Pride includes acts Jo Frances, Drag With no Name, and the Boy George Experience.

For more information on the district council's involvement call Barbara Copson on 01992 564042 or email equality@eppingforestdc.gov.uk.

Comments(17)

Known Risk says...
6:07pm Fri 20 Aug 10

You're kidding right? Sorry but I've got to ask, why now and how much is it going to cost?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Katie Rolt says...
6:13pm Fri 20 Aug 10

I believe that I am correct in saying that the council has never done anything like this before, so you have to ask why now? Why spend money on this at a time when they should be tightening their belts?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Katie Rolt says...
6:18pm Fri 20 Aug 10

"council offices will undertake a consultation exercise on the day." - Just out of interest a consultation on what?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Dave Cooper says...
8:43am Sat 21 Aug 10

How much is this useless excercise going to cost Epping Council? This type of rubbish would certainly get the thumbs down from 99.9% of ratepayers. Let this type of thing be promoted by the people it would benefit not the people that would not. Give us 99.9% of people some credibility. Get lost EFDC you're well out of plumb.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

UKIP-local says...
9:00am Sat 21 Aug 10

The cost and timing issues raised by other comments are very relevant, but why does a group of people who have distinctive sexual preferences need to be consulted separately from others?

And why does the EFDC need to have closer links with one part of the community than another. Why are they promoting segregation in the community between those who attend a gay event and those who do not.

This is an example of the metropolitan values so despised in the previous government being extended by the local Conservative EFDC.

The council should be cutting costs and eliminating all unnecessary expenditures at a time when the tax payers are themselves struggling to pay their bills; and it will get worse as 2010 proceeds.

I suspect that local Conservative council candidates would have attracted fewer votes at the elections if this sort of proposal had been included in their manifesto, so let's all remember for next time.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

MICHAEL MCGOUGH says...
9:13am Sat 21 Aug 10

PC NONSENSE


http://www.publicfin
ance.co.uk/news/2010
/08/council-workers-
are-unproductive-sur
vey-shows/

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Rodka says...
9:53am Sat 21 Aug 10

The penny STILL hasnt dropped. This is why the previous government got the country into so much debt - spending our money on stupid tokenism.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

MICHAEL MCGOUGH says...
12:08pm Sat 21 Aug 10

I see Essex CC,Police and Fire service are all spending the precept on this event.I note one of the sponsors is promoting cottaging and cruising,presumably the police turn a blind eye.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Quickexit says...
1:23pm Sat 21 Aug 10

There is also different perspectives on this among gay people. There are LGBT people who do not see themselves as part of a LGBT "community", but rather see that concept as institutionalising and designed to apportion restrictive identity labels. There are also some gay activists who feel that it is inappropriate to involve the police given that Gay Pride was originally meant as a protest against police intimidation and persecution of gay men. By institutionalising it and commercialising it with council-approved stalls and delegates and celebrities, it robs the event of its grassroots nature and sense of social solidarity and creates a notion of government-approved forms of sexuality. As such, the council's presence may not be welcome by all LGBT people attending Gay Pride.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Phoney Investigations says...
7:15pm Sat 21 Aug 10

Another example of crazy official support for the chaos and disorder that is modern Britain! If members of "special interest" groups wish to be accepted in their communities why promote "stunts" to emphasize their "differences?" Electors should choose those who would save not spend on nonsense!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

MICHAEL MCGOUGH says...
7:57pm Sat 21 Aug 10

Nice to know the priorities of those spending our money.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Quickexit says...
9:28pm Sat 21 Aug 10

Phoney Investigations wrote:
Another example of crazy official support for the chaos and disorder that is modern Britain! If members of "special interest" groups wish to be accepted in their communities why promote "stunts" to emphasize their "differences?" Electors should choose those who would save not spend on nonsense!
It isn't a stunt, but is meant to be a celebration of sexual identification and defiance against intolerance - read about the history of Gay Pride and learn that this is a statement that gays exist and have a right not to be persecuted. If gays want to do it, it's a free country and they are entitled to do it. You are not forced to attend. However, it's a different matter to have public money devoted to this or any event. I don't think it necessarily should, nor do I think public money should be used for any cause, religion, interest group, lifestyle or belief. It's not an essential service.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Mogsta says...
10:30am Sun 22 Aug 10

MICHAEL MCGOUGH wrote:
I see Essex CC,Police and Fire service are all spending the precept on this event.I note one of the sponsors is promoting cottaging and cruising,presumably the police turn a blind eye.
you only have to go up to the part of the forest near Wake's Arms roundabout to see our friends from the gay "community" indulging in their revolting activities. The police never do anything, and I now understand why. Good job my dog doesn't see it that way and flushes them out - perhaps he should get the precept for this year?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Quickexit says...
1:52pm Sun 22 Aug 10

Mogsta wrote:
MICHAEL MCGOUGH wrote:
I see Essex CC,Police and Fire service are all spending the precept on this event.I note one of the sponsors is promoting cottaging and cruising,presumably the police turn a blind eye.
you only have to go up to the part of the forest near Wake's Arms roundabout to see our friends from the gay "community" indulging in their revolting activities. The police never do anything, and I now understand why. Good job my dog doesn't see it that way and flushes them out - perhaps he should get the precept for this year?
Actually, I thought previous reports suggested it was a dogging site for heterosexual couples. But obviously you know better, having apparently hung out there long enough to know!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Mogsta says...
8:34am Mon 23 Aug 10

Quickexit - I obviously don't know as much about it as you do. I just assuem that when my dog flushes out two blokes in flagrante, then they were indulging in some sort of gay activity. Never seen people "dogging" there, but you know best.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Quickexit says...
11:52am Mon 23 Aug 10

Mogsta wrote:
Quickexit - I obviously don't know as much about it as you do. I just assuem that when my dog flushes out two blokes in flagrante, then they were indulging in some sort of gay activity. Never seen people "dogging" there, but you know best.
I've never had a reason to make a special journey to the Wake Arms roundabout in the middle of the night to 'walk the dog', so I wouldn't know. I'm pretty certain that a gay man who is 'out' and comfortable with his sexuality doesn't need to skulk around forests to find sexual partners. I wonder how many of these cruisers are gay men playing happy marriages due to the social ostracisation of gay people.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

word of mouth says...
1:28pm Mon 23 Aug 10

I think you'll find that the forest keepers were the ones that moved on the doggers and cottagers in tyhe forest but cut backs in their numbers have turned the forest into a playground for criminals, trouble makers and doggers.

any way. Im a straight, white male in my 20s. when will the council be having a course to work more closely with me.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More Epping Forest News stories


Most popular







Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses