Queer Youth Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Queer Youth Network (Q.Y.N.) is a national non-profit-making organisation that is run by and for lesbian
, gay
, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT
) young people and is based in the United Kingdom
. It has an aim to represent the needs and views of younger LGBT people by campaigning for greater visibility and equal rights, as well as providing general support and information to those who are just coming out
or who are experiencing homophobia
.
and CN Lester as a grass roots civil rights group, its formation was inspired by YouthSpeak and originally called the 'Queer Youth Alliance' until December 2006, and also ‘Queer Youth Overground’ for a short period between 1999 and 2001. In the beginning, the movement consisted of two member groups Queer Youth Manchester (a local social support group based at the Hollywood Showbar in Manchester
’s gay village
) and Putney
High School’s Gay Straight Alliance
(the first of its kind in the UK). Henry and Lester got together to form a national alliance of LGBT Young People.
As many of the organisation’s original aims began to be achieved (eg abolition of Section 28
and equalising the age of consent
for gay men), the group decided to focus on youth support, and representation to ensure homophobic legislation such as that brought about by the Conservative
government of the 1980s should not be re-enacted.
The first president of the organisation was David Joseph Henry
, who stepped down in August 2005 to make way for new president Greg Justice, with Katherine Parlour taking over as Vice President.
With the departure of Greg Justice and Katherine Parlour, the organisation re-grouped; after a period of no clear control in 2007, the organisation changed its name to the Queer Youth Network, and with David Henry, Michael Bundock and Damian Griffiths appointed as the Network's trustees. The site and organisation has recently undergone a face-lift incorporating many features personal to individual members, core policy development and streamlined to ease confusion amongst some of the volunteer teams known as "volunqueers".
The organisation has been awarded the accolade as "Youth Group of the Year" by Pink Paper
readers in both 2009 and 2010. The network's leaders were absolutely thrilled to have been voted "Best Youth Group" by Pink Paper
readers and in response explained that 2009 will mark the 10th Anniversary of Britain's first national organisation for LGBT young people. The leaders also acknowledged that the award is a testament to all the members, volunteers and supporters who have worked hard to support the wellbeing of queer young people by campaigning for equality and liberation.
County Council’s ‘mini-Section 28
’ policy after a long campaign, the Network is known for its vibrant, rowdy protests and youth-led campaigns. The organisation is one of the growing number of groups in Britain to have reservations about the Government’s new ‘Civil partnerships’ bill that aims to give equal rights to same sex couples. The Queer Youth Network is campaigning for the legalisation of marriage for same sex couples and as a result the organisation is one of the founding members of the Coalition for Marriage Equality
(UK) together with OutRage!
and the Lesbian and Gay Christian
Movement. The organisation is a member of the Education for All coalition led by Stonewall
set up to tackle homophobic bullying 3. Leader David Joseph Henry
has been outspoken and controversial when speaking on the issue and has accused the British education system as being an “inherently flawed fossil directly responsible for rising rates of suicide in young men, record number of children on anti-depressant drugs, spiraling anti-social behaviour in particular ‘youth on youth’ crime including bullying activities”. The group's Scottish wing recently hit the headlines during a clash with Transport giant Stagecoach
, that accused QYN of a 'Slur' as it mounted a Boycott on its bus services following revelations of institutional homophobia.2. QYN also runs the UK's only national transgender
youth organisation to work with young people both under and over the age of 18, Trans Youth Network.
After a brief period of inactivity, Queer Youth Network returned to campaigning in August 2007, with the appointment of Jack Holroyde as "Campaigns Officer". Recent campaigns have included much work on transgender
rights for young people, and the appointment of a new asexuality
co-ordinator. After it was announced a controversial journalist (Julie Bindel
) had been nominated for a Stonewall Book Award
the organisation issued a statement claiming it was "Concerned and Disappointed".
Recent campaigns have included calling for action on homophobic and transphobic hate crime, in particular the murder of Michael Causer in Liverpool
. The organisation has also been involved in a number of controversial events surrounding Manchester Pride
after calling for the annual LGBT festival to be a free event. Leader David Joseph Henry claimed festival stewards attempted to censored their "Pride Not Profit" placards. They later released a short film called "Manchester Shame" exploring arguments that Pride is no longer a community event. Shortly after the Chair of the Village Business Association, Phil Burke
resigned from the board of Manchester Pride declaring "Manchester Pride purely a money-making operation" and is "run by dictators".
Leading figures in the Network are active in politics. David Henry stood as a parliamentary candidate in the 2010 General Election against former minister Hazel Blears.
Jack Holroyde stood down from his position in QYN to join the Liberal Democrats and is now a leading activist in north London.
The National Queer Youth Conference is hosted annually by the Queer Youth Network, in 2003 it took place in London
, 2004 saw it come to Birmingham
, Manchester
in 2005 and to Birmingham
again in 2007. The event is the largest gathering of LGBT young people in Europe
and is based upon similar events held in the United States
.
. The organisation is also responsible for the formation of a national voice for LGBT young people in Wales
: LGBT Youth Wales. In Scotland it works closely with LGBT Youth Scotland
, and GLYNI (Gay and Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland) who are affiliated member groups of which there are now over 200.
Queer Youth London is one of the movement's most active groups. As a fully youth-led collective, it holds regular monthly meets all over Greater London and the South East and is part of London LGBT Youth Council.
International branches of the network have also appeared in recent years including the United States
, Canada
, Australia
, New Zealand
, India
, and a Pan-African network. In Europe
there are also groups covering the Benelux
nations and Scandinavia
.
in the summer of 2006. Shows are put together by the group's members and youth groups across the UK who are invited to produce and star in their very own radio programmes. The station broadcasts a blend of new music and news as well as having its own Soap Opera
called 'The Group'. Which follows the goings on at a gay youth group and tackles funny issues along with not so funny ones. The newest addition is Sandra, Queer Youth's very own drag queen who spins the decks with her uplifting tunes and sometimes coarse humour.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
(LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) young people and is based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It has an aim to represent the needs and views of younger LGBT people by campaigning for greater visibility and equal rights, as well as providing general support and information to those who are just coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
or who are experiencing homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
.
Founding
Founded in 1999 by David Joseph HenryDavid Joseph Henry
David Joseph Henry is a writer, Human Rights activist and parliamentary candidate from Manchester, England.-Biography:In 1997, he and other members of YouthSpeak projected a laser beam onto Big Ben, demanding "16 for everyone". It was a protest at the then unequal age of consent for gay men...
and CN Lester as a grass roots civil rights group, its formation was inspired by YouthSpeak and originally called the 'Queer Youth Alliance' until December 2006, and also ‘Queer Youth Overground’ for a short period between 1999 and 2001. In the beginning, the movement consisted of two member groups Queer Youth Manchester (a local social support group based at the Hollywood Showbar in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
’s gay village
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
) and Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
High School’s Gay Straight Alliance
Gay-straight alliance
Gay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
(the first of its kind in the UK). Henry and Lester got together to form a national alliance of LGBT Young People.
As many of the organisation’s original aims began to be achieved (eg abolition of Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
and equalising the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
for gay men), the group decided to focus on youth support, and representation to ensure homophobic legislation such as that brought about by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government of the 1980s should not be re-enacted.
The first president of the organisation was David Joseph Henry
David Joseph Henry
David Joseph Henry is a writer, Human Rights activist and parliamentary candidate from Manchester, England.-Biography:In 1997, he and other members of YouthSpeak projected a laser beam onto Big Ben, demanding "16 for everyone". It was a protest at the then unequal age of consent for gay men...
, who stepped down in August 2005 to make way for new president Greg Justice, with Katherine Parlour taking over as Vice President.
With the departure of Greg Justice and Katherine Parlour, the organisation re-grouped; after a period of no clear control in 2007, the organisation changed its name to the Queer Youth Network, and with David Henry, Michael Bundock and Damian Griffiths appointed as the Network's trustees. The site and organisation has recently undergone a face-lift incorporating many features personal to individual members, core policy development and streamlined to ease confusion amongst some of the volunteer teams known as "volunqueers".
The organisation has been awarded the accolade as "Youth Group of the Year" by Pink Paper
Pink Paper
The Pink Paper is a UK publication covering gay and lesbian issues. Founded in 1987 as a newspaper, since June 2009 it has been available only on the Internet....
readers in both 2009 and 2010. The network's leaders were absolutely thrilled to have been voted "Best Youth Group" by Pink Paper
Pink Paper
The Pink Paper is a UK publication covering gay and lesbian issues. Founded in 1987 as a newspaper, since June 2009 it has been available only on the Internet....
readers and in response explained that 2009 will mark the 10th Anniversary of Britain's first national organisation for LGBT young people. The leaders also acknowledged that the award is a testament to all the members, volunteers and supporters who have worked hard to support the wellbeing of queer young people by campaigning for equality and liberation.
Core work
Instrumental in overturning KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
County Council’s ‘mini-Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
’ policy after a long campaign, the Network is known for its vibrant, rowdy protests and youth-led campaigns. The organisation is one of the growing number of groups in Britain to have reservations about the Government’s new ‘Civil partnerships’ bill that aims to give equal rights to same sex couples. The Queer Youth Network is campaigning for the legalisation of marriage for same sex couples and as a result the organisation is one of the founding members of the Coalition for Marriage Equality
Marriage Equality
Marriage Equality USA is an organization working for marriage equality for all non-heterosexual couples. The group works by doing public education and outreach, media campaigns and holding visibility events. Marriage Equality, Inc...
(UK) together with OutRage!
OutRage!
OutRage! is a British LGBT rights group that was formed to fight for equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in comparison to heterosexual people. It is a group which has at times been criticised for outing individuals who wanted to keep their homosexuality secret and for being...
and the Lesbian and Gay Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Movement. The organisation is a member of the Education for All coalition led by Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
set up to tackle homophobic bullying 3. Leader David Joseph Henry
David Joseph Henry
David Joseph Henry is a writer, Human Rights activist and parliamentary candidate from Manchester, England.-Biography:In 1997, he and other members of YouthSpeak projected a laser beam onto Big Ben, demanding "16 for everyone". It was a protest at the then unequal age of consent for gay men...
has been outspoken and controversial when speaking on the issue and has accused the British education system as being an “inherently flawed fossil directly responsible for rising rates of suicide in young men, record number of children on anti-depressant drugs, spiraling anti-social behaviour in particular ‘youth on youth’ crime including bullying activities”. The group's Scottish wing recently hit the headlines during a clash with Transport giant Stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
, that accused QYN of a 'Slur' as it mounted a Boycott on its bus services following revelations of institutional homophobia.2. QYN also runs the UK's only national transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
youth organisation to work with young people both under and over the age of 18, Trans Youth Network.
After a brief period of inactivity, Queer Youth Network returned to campaigning in August 2007, with the appointment of Jack Holroyde as "Campaigns Officer". Recent campaigns have included much work on transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
rights for young people, and the appointment of a new asexuality
Asexuality
Asexuality , in its broadest sense, is the lack of sexual attraction and, in some cases, the lack of interest in sex. Sometimes, it is considered a lack of a sexual orientation...
co-ordinator. After it was announced a controversial journalist (Julie Bindel
Julie Bindel
Julie Bindel is an English writer, feminist and co-founder of the group Justice For Women, which opposes violence against women from a feminist viewpoint....
) had been nominated for a Stonewall Book Award
Stonewall Book Award
Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association , the Stonewall Book Award is for LGBT books...
the organisation issued a statement claiming it was "Concerned and Disappointed".
Recent campaigns have included calling for action on homophobic and transphobic hate crime, in particular the murder of Michael Causer in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The organisation has also been involved in a number of controversial events surrounding Manchester Pride
Manchester Pride
Manchester Pride is the current name of the annual Gay Pride festival held in the city of Manchester in the North West of England in the United Kingdom....
after calling for the annual LGBT festival to be a free event. Leader David Joseph Henry claimed festival stewards attempted to censored their "Pride Not Profit" placards. They later released a short film called "Manchester Shame" exploring arguments that Pride is no longer a community event. Shortly after the Chair of the Village Business Association, Phil Burke
Phil Burke
Phil Burke is an Canadian film, television and stage actor. He is currently starring as Mickey McGinnes, one of two Irish brothers, in the 2011 AMC television series, Hell on Wheels....
resigned from the board of Manchester Pride declaring "Manchester Pride purely a money-making operation" and is "run by dictators".
Leading figures in the Network are active in politics. David Henry stood as a parliamentary candidate in the 2010 General Election against former minister Hazel Blears.
Jack Holroyde stood down from his position in QYN to join the Liberal Democrats and is now a leading activist in north London.
National Queer Youth Conference
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2004 saw it come to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 2005 and to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
again in 2007. The event is the largest gathering of LGBT young people in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and is based upon similar events held in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Regional work
'Local Reps' lead 7 regional QYN Groups throughout EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The organisation is also responsible for the formation of a national voice for LGBT young people in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
: LGBT Youth Wales. In Scotland it works closely with LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in the life of Scotland...
, and GLYNI (Gay and Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland) who are affiliated member groups of which there are now over 200.
Queer Youth London is one of the movement's most active groups. As a fully youth-led collective, it holds regular monthly meets all over Greater London and the South East and is part of London LGBT Youth Council.
International branches of the network have also appeared in recent years including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and a Pan-African network. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
there are also groups covering the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
nations and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
Queer Youth Radio
The Queer Youth Network launched Queer Youth RadioQueer Youth Radio
Queer Youth Radio is a community radio station aimed at young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people based in the United Kingdom. The majority of its content is a mixture of streamed live and recorded news, documentaries, health advice and Soap Opera's made by young people as well as...
in the summer of 2006. Shows are put together by the group's members and youth groups across the UK who are invited to produce and star in their very own radio programmes. The station broadcasts a blend of new music and news as well as having its own Soap Opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
called 'The Group'. Which follows the goings on at a gay youth group and tackles funny issues along with not so funny ones. The newest addition is Sandra, Queer Youth's very own drag queen who spins the decks with her uplifting tunes and sometimes coarse humour.
See also
- LGBT rights in the United Kingdom
- List of LGBT rights organisations
- Gay-straight allianceGay-straight allianceGay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
(USA) - National Union of Students LGBT Campaign (UK)
- Campus PrideCampus PrideCampus Pride is an American national nonprofit 501 organization founded by M. Chad Wilson, Sarah E. Holmes and Shane L. Windmeyer in 2001 which serves lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and Ally student leaders and/or Campus Organization in the areas of leadership development, support programs...
(USA)