Tag Archives: LGBT Charity

Mormon Church Donates to LGBTQ Charity

Mormons and the LGBTQ community historically haven’t gotten along.

The church has been active in efforts to end gay marriage, and even the Supreme Court’s most recent opinion hasn’t deterred them from fighting. So it came as a surprise to almost everyone that the anti-gay church just made its first donation to an LGBT cause.

While the church still doesn’t approve of homosexuality, that didn’t stop them from making a recent donation to the Utah Pride Center, an organisation that helps to serve homeless LGBTQ youth.

LGBTQ youth are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. Over 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT, and the number of youth has always outpaced the number of beds.

The Mormon Church donated approximately $2,500 to help fund the Pride Center’s food pantry, which serves close to 40 homeless youth every week.

However, as the donation was being processed, the church’s governing body sent a letter to congregational leaders reminding them that marriage is between a man and a woman.

London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard is Re-Branding to be More Inclusive

The London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard is re-branding – to adopt a name that is more inclusive of all LGBT people.

London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

The organisation is one of the oldest gay charities in the UK and provides confidential phone, e-mail and instant messaging services to support people who want to talk about sexuality and gender identity.

London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard 01

The charity has announced that it will drop most of its historic name, to emphasise that it also caters for transgender, bisexual, and other-identifying people, as well as callers outside London.

The change will be officially confirmed today at a special Gala at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London, with the charity re-branded as “Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline”.

Dave Maher, Switchboard’s Co-Chair, said:

So much is changing for our LGBT+ communities and so is our name to make it clear that we’re here for everyone, wherever they live, and in whichever way they choose to define their sexuality or gender identity.

Even in our increasingly interconnected age, it’s not always easy to find the support we need at crucial times in our lives and Switchboard’s volunteers will continue to be here with calm words when those are needed most.”

Celebrities including Olympic diver Tom Daley, Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills and pop star Carly Rae Jepsen have posted a #SwitchboardSelfie to raise awareness of the charity.

Nuala O’Sullivan, Switchboard’s Co-Chair says:

This is an incredibly exciting time for Switchboard. We have so much to celebrate and a new chapter to look forward to.

Our new name will help us to spread the message that we continue to provide a safe and confidential space where people’s concerns can be listened to and talked through.”

 

The L Project Release LGBT Charity Single ‘We’re All Human’

As the UK’s first wave of same-sex newlyweds settle happily into married life, The L Project gears up to repeat their success of 2012 with a second LGBT charity single – We’re All Human.

And success is here. Only 15 hours after release, and The L Project have hit No1 in the Amazon Movers and Shakers charts, as well as No1 in the folk charts. They have also just entered the iTunes charts.

The new single, released yesterday, has been recorded by a diverse group of LGBT artists, and every penny earned from the song will be donated to LGBT charities who work to promote diversity and equality.

The L Project’s previous song It Does Get Better, released in 2012, made number 11 in the official UK indie charts, despite all the artists being unsigned. The song also topped the iTunes and Amazon charts for over a week, and received coverage in leading international LGBT magazines and local BBC radio, all without any professional promotion. That song continues to raise funds, through download sales, YouTube views, related merchandise, and royalties, to help prevent LGBT bullying in schools.

“Since the first song we’ve built up a massive network of support through social media. This time we hope that the mainstream media will pick up our story, so that even more people will download the song, and be part of changing the lives of LGBT people who need support. Some of that help will be financial, as we give every penny earned to the charities – including royalties – but we also have lots of stories about people all over the world being helped just by hearing the words and knowing there are people like us who care.”

Georgey Payne, The L Project – also the songwriter and producer of  We’re All Human.

The UK might have progressed a lot since 1999, when the country had the a largest number of anti-gay laws in the world, but others aren’t so fortunate, as highlighted during the SOCHI Winter Olympics. As the media outrage fades over Russia’s attitude towards the LGBT community, The L Project steps in to help keep the flame alive.

“It’s easy when you’re part of a majority to take the view that because you don’t experience an issue, there isn’t a problem. But the evidence is undeniable. Media stories focus people’s attention for a while, but when the stories stop, people become complacent, and inadvertently become complicit in allowing things to not only continue, but potentially worsen – not just in Russia, but in India, Uganda and around the world.

Sofia Antonia Milone, The L Project and also collaborated on the lyrics of the new song.

The benefiting charities this time are the Russian LGBT Network which helps LGBT victims of abuse in Russia, Mermaids, the UK’s youth Transgender charity and the Kaleidoscope Trust.

The L Project have released an official video to coincide with the song’s release, as well as some behind the scenes videos on youtube. These videos show some of the less visible contributors to the project: videographers, photographers, hairstylists, and runners, all of whom worked tirelessly and – just like all the artists – for free.

Please help us by sharing this song’s message of hope and warmth to LGBT people who still face a struggle. A struggle which can result in being burnt alive, hung, hunted, raped, and bullied. Some even take their own lives…

You can help change all this…

Links to download “We’re All Human”: 

Behind the scenes…