Launch of LGBT history month in Southwark

The BBC journalist, who also presents the Today Programme on Radio 4, will launch LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) history month 2011 with 'queer question time' at Southwark Council's Tooley Street headquarters on 1 February.

This is the seventh year of LGBT history month, an annual celebration of the lives and achievements of the LGBT community across the UK . The theme this year is "tackling homophobia and transphobia in the world of sport". Queer Question Time will cover this topic as well as other LGBT issues, including homophobia in the education system. Six out of ten young people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered are suffering bullying because of their sexual orientation.

Cabinet member for equalities and community engagement, Cllr Abdul Mohamed, said: "We are proud to have such a prestigious panel to launch what is now a well established and important event. London has a long tradition of welcoming people of all races, creeds, gender and sexual orientation, and it is vital we raise awareness of the contribution the gay community plays in the borough and beyond to help promote tolerance and a fairer society for all."

The hour long hard-hitting public debate will include a formidable panel of five local, national, and international LGBT icons and commentators, including Matthew Parris, broadcaster and Times columnist; Sue Sanders, LGBT activist and co-chair of Schools Out; John Amaechi, psychologist, New York Times best-selling author and former NBA basketball player; and Angela Eagle MP who was Westminster's first Member of Parliament to come out as lesbian. A fifth panellist will be announced closer to the time.

MC Stewart Who? will open the evening at 7pm with a performance by The Pink Singers, an LGBT choir with a wide-ranging repertoire, from classical to pop. The choir will perform under its new Musical Director, Murray Hipkin (English National Opera).

Doors open at 6pm and refreshments will be served. Admission is FREE but advance booking is strongly advised as places are limited. To book your place contact Helen Laker on 020 7525 0848 or Helen.Laker@southwark.gov.uk

Queer Question Time is produced by Mike Kear of FUNdamental. Your questions are welcome before the night and you can email them to Mike at this address: askqqt@gmail.com

Southwark Council's headquarters is at 160 Tooley Street , London SE1 2TZ . It is 8 minutes walk from London Bridge Station, while the 343 and 47 buses stop outside.

Notes:
Evan Davis has been a presenter on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme since April 2008. He has also presented BBC2's business reality show, Dragons Den, and the weekly business discussion programme, The Bottom Line, on BBC Radio 4. He was previously Economics Editor for the BBC and lives with his partner Guillaume, a French landscape architect.

Sue Sanders is an LGBT rights activist, living in Southwark, who has specialized in challenging oppression in the public and voluntary sectors for over thirty years. She co-founded Schools Out in 2000, to combat homophobia in the education system, and helped initiate the first LGBT History Month in 2004. Sue is also a drama director, writer, and poet.

John Amaechi is a psychologist, New York Times best-selling author, and former NBA basketball star. He is also a television presenter, an international ambassador for Amnesty International, and a firm believer that 'the most unlikely of people, in the most improbable of circumstances, can become extraordinary'.

Matthew Parris was elected MP for West Derbyshire in 1979 but quit parliament seven years later to present London Weekend Television's Weekend World. In 1988 he joined The Times where he wrote the paper's parliamentary sketch for 13 years, and for the last 18 years has been a political columnist. He also writes a fortnightly column for The Spectator.

Angela Eagle has been MP for Wallasey since 1992. She served as Minister of State for Pensions and Ageing Society from June 2009 until May 2010 and was appointed to Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet in 2010 as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In 2008 she celebrated her Civil Partnership with her long-term partner, Maria.

Queer Question Time has become a regular event over the last few years at various locations including The Royal Vauxhall Tavern at Kennington Lane SE11 5HY and The Electric Cinema in Notting Hill.