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A new information pack launches soon and is THE one-stop tool if you want to get involved in community life.

Diverse Communities, Active Lives is a comprehensive guide about volunteering and community participation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The pack covers a wide range of opportunities that will inspire and encourage LGBT people to become more active in public life. Some sections are divided into fact sheets, each outlining specific opportunities for involvement. It' s a big guide, but you can just pick out the sections or fact sheets that interest you.

FOR CORE, AND AS AN INTRO TO THE IDEAS BEHIND THE PACK, WRITER ELLEN GALFORD AND RUTH HENRY (BEYOND BARRIERS - A SCOTLAND WIDE LGBT PROJECT) TELL US WHAT IT' S ALL ABOUT.

Once upon a time, but not quite as long ago as you might think, LGBT people had plenty of excuses for keeping our heads down and our mouths firmly shut. We were seen as outsiders, deviants and, in the case of gay men, literally outlaws. ‘Society' , whatever that means, didn't want to know us, maybe even didn't want to admit that we existed. We were ‘Them' , ‘Those People' , an affront to decency, respectability, and your local evening paper.

Whatever else we were, we couldn't possibly be anybody's children, siblings, spouses, parents, next-door neighbours, workmates, bosses, teachers, voters, tax-payers or members of the public like anybody else. And we certainly weren't expected to come forward, do our bit, help out, or in any way make our needs known and our viewpoints heard.

But unless you really have been entirely barricaded inside a soundproof closet for the last twenty years you will know that things are changing significantly for the better. Everybody, from your Great-Auntie Jeannie to the trainee barista in your local latte-parlour is now aware of out-and- proud cabinet ministers, television presenters, gay activists sporting knighthoods as well as Oscars, and so forth.

A lot of hard work, hard fighting, courage and creativity on the part of all kinds of people have got us this far. But even the most wild-eyed optimist among us realises that there's still a fair way to go. It will be some time, alas, before Homophobus Neanderthalus joins the dodo, the crinoline and the typewriter ribbon in the Museum of the Entirely Extinct.

Okay, so here we are. You are (well maybe - some or all of the time) out. The next step is to be Out There. Be visible. Get involved. Make a difference.

As an LGBT person of any age you definitely have your own special take on things. You have life-experience and a unique perspective, plus all sorts of skills and talents, some of them still waiting to be discovered. And the time is ripe. All over Scotland, community groups and voluntary sector organisations are committed to diversity. They're not just giving lip service to fine notions of “Equality” and “Inclusion”---they're actively seeking LGBT people to come forward and get involved.

Think it's a good idea, but don't know how to do it? The guide shows you where to start. It's full of ideas, practical advice, and information.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Beyond Barriers, since its inception has believed that the way to change and move things forward for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Scotland is to get involved in the mainstream. Research has shown that people are less prejudiced towards LGBT people if they actually know someone who is LGBT.

Getting involved in your local community can seem like a daunting prospect, but it really can make a difference. Those of us who have at times been scared witless about being visible and being “out” there, have invariably found that the fear of what might happen to us was usually much greater than the reality. That is not to say that people do not experience prejudice and discrimination, but by becoming involved in your local community you can attempt to change things from the inside. You could become involved in the school board; making sure the curriculum includes LGBT issues, you could get involved with a conservation group and help to clean up your neighbourhood or you could volunteer at the local hospice. There are loads of opportunities out there to suit almost every interest.

This toolkit supplies you with the information on how to get involved, what the issues are for you becoming involved and who to contact in order to do that. It also includes information for organisations that want to make sure that they are open, accessible and above all safe for LGBT workers, volunteers and service users.

Our greatest strength is that we always have grown and evolved as a community. Our challenge is to change people's attitudes and make the lives for LGBT people and ourselves in our local community safer, easier and a place we want to live in.

Ruth Henry

The pack will be available at outlets across Scotland and directly from:

BEYOND BARRIERS
11 DIXON ST.
GLASGOW
G1 4AL

T 0141 574 0242
E [email protected]