Jul08 to Dec08

Just a Minute – based on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme of that name. Panellists from freethought and secular organisations will try to speak for sixty seconds on matters of humanist and gay interest “without hesitation, repetition or” – apart from the GALHA panellist! – “deviation”.

Meeting of GALHA and some Greater Manchester Humanists (GMH) – an informal event providing an opportunity for you to meet other prospective and existing GALHA and GMH members. Paul Allen will talk about GALHA’s mission and purpose and LGBT/non-heterosexual sexuality and humanist values, followed by open discussion and questions. John Cass will likewise talk about Greater Manchester Humanists and will also say a little about the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society. If there is sufficient interest we may consider developing a local LGBT humanist group.

The meeting is at the Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester (behind Central Library), starting at 7.00pm. It should end around 8.30 to 9.00pm, after which there will be an option of going on to a nearby pub. If you are interested, please e-mail Paul Allen for further information and to confirm that you would like to attend.

GALHA Lunch – This year’s lunch takes place at Café des Amis, 11–14 Hanover Place (off Long Acre), London. The price is £28.95 per person for a full three-course lunch including half a bottle of wine. For further details, and to book, please contact David Christmas (e-mail secretary@galha.org). Our speaker is Angela Eagle MP, the first openly lesbian Member of Parliament and currently Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She has been an advocate of gay rights during her parliamentary career and was a strong advocate for the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007, which outlawed discrimination against LGB people in the provision of goods and services. Her identical twin sister Maria Eagle is also a Government minister and was responsible for taking the recent abolition of the blasphemy law through the House of Commons.

Romantic Forerunners of Gay Liberation – John Lauritsen, US campaigner, author, scholar, and long-time GALHA member, draws on his work on the Shelley/Byron circle, Jeremy Bentham, and the early German and English spokesmen for homosexual emancipation.

Bisexuality – Myth and Reality. Speakers Grant Denkinson and Karen Boyd say “Come along, find out what bisexuals get up to and converse about diverse and fluid sexuality and the advantages and disadvantages of what we might call ourselves.”

GALHA’s Annual Weekend Conference and AGM take place this year at the Wessex Hotel in the beautiful city of Winchester. The Wessex is a four-star hotel overlooking the cathedral right in the centre of the city. We have secured a great group rate of £57.95 per person per night, which includes breakfast and a full three-course dinner. This is a flat rate regardless of whether you have a room of your own or share with someone else.

Events during the weekend include a tour of the historic city centre and Winchester Cathedral (named after the ’60s song of the same name...). We will dine in a private function room on the Saturday evening, and dinner will be followed by a gay humanist quiz – if such a thing is imaginable. We are also planning a day trip to a nearby vineyard for a guided tour and tutored tasting of English wines. Our Annual General Meeting will take place during the weekend.

Our weekend events are open to GALHA members and their friends and are always popular. If you’ve never been before then do join us this time. We’ll be in a great hotel in a lovely city. Places are limited, so book now. For booking details, or if you have any questions about the weekend, please contact David Christmas (telephone 0844 800 3067 or e-mail secretary@galha.org).

Pride Glasgow.

Manchester Pride.

Gloucestershire Pride.

Pride in Brighton & Hove – GALHA had a stall at this event.