The report is the result of the Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group (BGMAG) Leadership Summit held this summer in Oxford. Twenty Black Gay men known for their work in the community joined together to deliberate on the challenges facing the community. They now call for Black Gay men and others responsible for work with minority ethnic and LGBT communities to join together to create change.

The impact of HIV has been devastating for Black Gay men. Last year they were twice as likely to be living with the virus than white gay men. At the same time, BGMAG have been leading a campaign against the incitement to violence against gay people by Jamaican dancehall artists. Research highlights experiences of racism and exclusion on the gay scene.

The report will be published online on 23rd October. Readers are asked to respond to the report by commenting in the new BGMAG online forum. Rob Berkeley, Chair of BGMAG said ‘Inactivity is no longer an option. I hope that people read the report and see the importance of community action to fight the impact of racism and homophobia on Black Gay Men. We look forward to reading their comments’.

Please click on this link for the full report . (Pdf)

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Note for editors:

• The Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group (BGMAG) is an organisation working for the health and well being of gay men of African and Caribbean descent living in the UK. BGMAG aims to build community, challenge racisms and homophobia, and build capacity.
• In April 2007, the group was re-launched to a wider audience through resurrecting the Black LGBT Community Awards – an event to celebrate those who have made a real contribution to the lives of Black LGBT people. 
• Over the last three years, BGMAG has provided a focus for the global ‘Stop Murder Music Campaign’, brokering an agreement with reggae promoters and recording industry to curtail incitement to homophobic violence in dancehall music. 
• The report is available at www.bgmag.org.uk. Readers are asked to comment in the online forums by the end of November 2007  
  

For interviews call Rob on 07764 935 770 or email \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
For more information on BGMAG, please visit www.bgmag.org.uk

[1] The term gay refers to all homosexually active men, whether they are gay identified or not.

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This year the BGMAG is helping to recruit Black men to the 2007 Gay Men Sex Sur-vey (GMSS). Have you seen the questionnaire? Do you know what it is about?

Since 1997, Sigma Research has asked gay men or (men who have sex with men) about their sex lives. With over 16,000 men polled it’s the biggest survey of its kind in the world. It uses booklets or internet questionnaires and is carried out by Sigma research as part of the THT co-ordinated CHAPS programme.

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