Yorkshire MESMAC
Welcome to Yorkshire MESMAC's new re-designed website, we would like to extend our thanks for the kind donation received from Drag Idol, which made this re-design possible.
Yorkshire MESMAC is part of a group of services that, in addition to our core prevention work with Gay, Bisexual & MSM, includes the BLAST! Project that works with men and boys involved in/at risk of becoming involved in sexual exploitation; Begin and Our, social support projects for those living with or affected by HIV in Wakefield & Bradford respectively; a Mental Health & Well-being project working with LGB&T people in Bradford & Airedale; together with a number of LGB&T youth groups, Community Testing services and a Counselling service.
Each of these projects has a microsite of its own which can be visited by clicking the links above, or please use the links to the left to navigate around the main website.
If you have any news or upcoming events that you would like to display here, please email us with a short paragraph and we will give it due consideration. We also reserve the right to edit any material submitted.
Testing Times in Bradford, Wakefield and North Yorkshire
Testing Times, Yorkshire MESMAC's award winning Community Testing service is now available in Bradford, Wakefield and North Yorkshire. This is where you can get an HIV test and Chlamydia & Gonorrhoea screening which is fast, confidential, flexible and free.
Each area will run a drop-in session once a month on the following days:
North Yorkshire - every 1st Monday of the month, commencing February 6th.
Bradford - every 3rd Tuesday of the month, commencing January 17th.
Wakefield - every last Monday of the month, commencing January 30th.
Outside of these times you can make an appointment during office hours. For further information, please contact your local office.
Power Talking
Do you want to improve your communication skills, including negotiating the sex you want? The ‘Power Talking’ course will give you the skills to communicate with clarity and confidence. It will help you talk to people about all areas of your life, including your sex life. It will give you the power to ask for what you want and say ‘no’ to things that you don’t want to do. Yorkshire MESMAC will be delivering this on 4th and 11th of February 2012.
Read more...NEW 'Testing Times on Saturday'
Yorkshire MESMAC Leeds is going to be launching a new Saturday HIV testing service in the New Year! Every second Saturday of the month, between 12-3pm, we will have our free drop in service with rapid HIV tests and Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea pee in a pot tests available at 60 Upper Basinghall Street, Leeds, LS1 5HR. The first ‘Testing Times on Saturday’ will take place on 14th January 2012.
“We recognise that our service users may not be able to access HIV testing at the sexual health centre during the weekdays,” Tom Hunt from Yorkshire MESMAC Leeds said, “while we do offer drop in HIV testing every Thursday evening between 6-8pm and also our ‘As & When’ daytime testing by appointment only, we want to offer an even better award winning HIV testing service for you. We are not resting on our laurels and are open to further suggestions to improve our services”
Read more...And now 'Utter Filth' in the cold January evenings?
In the Wednesday evenings between 6-7pm, Tom Hunt will be delivering short drop in sessions on how to have pleasurable gay sex, blow job techniques and showing how to use a variety of sex toys...in short, 'Utter Filth' for the curious gay and bisexual man.
The Leeds University LGB&T society had their ears flaming with similar sessions and many said that they learnt something new about gay sex that they hadn't known before.
Read more...Yorkshire MESMAC Leeds drop ins for January!
Yorkshire MESMAC is throwing its doors open to all gay and bisexual men every Wednesday from 11th January between 11am to 6pm at the Leeds office in January.
You can meet your local Yorkshire MESMAC workers, ask questions on anything from HIV, sexual health, how to find or start up a support group, access free HIV tests, find out what we do in the area and suggest what you want from Yorkshire MESMAC's services in the future. Some food and drinks will be provided so come in out of the cold and see what we have to offer you.
Read more...LGB&T Advocacy Sessions
Advocacy for Mental Health and Yorkshire MESMAC team up to offer advocacy support to LGB&T people in Leeds.
Working in partnership with Yorkshire MESMAC this service will offer advocacy on a drop in basis at MESMAC’s Leeds office.
Advocacy is about supporting people to be heard, to understand their rights, to explore choices and to influence or challenge decisions being made about their lives.
In January this year Advocacy for Mental Health and Dementia set up a new project, funded by Comic Relief, aimed at meeting the advocacy needs of the LGB&T communities in Leeds.
The service is free, independent and confidential to LGB&T people living in Leeds and with experience of mental distress. The drop in will begin at Yorkshire MESMAC’s Leeds office starting on February 15th from 2pm to 4pm.
When could advocacy be helpful?
When you feel that your rights are not being respected; your views are not being taken into account and you are not being involved in decisions about you.
When you experience homophobia, transphobia or discrimination of any type.
When you are not clear what your rights are or feel you are not being supported in making an informed choice.
When you feel that you are not being offered the support you need or feel barriers are being put in front of you.
If you would like to feel more confident when meeting doctors, health workers etc.
When it seems people are not bothering to explain or to listen to what you are saying.
Please contact Paola on 0113 2365900, or on 07861420961 for more information if you are interested in accessing advocacy support or see www.mesmac.co.uk.
New groups in Wakefield!
Wakefield Gay Group (WaGG)
WaGG, is a new monthly social and activity group set up in September 2011 as an alternative way of socialising other then going onto the scene. It meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 8pm till 10pm at the New Union in Wakefield. The evenings consists of group discussions and activities, for example in November we did a Beetle Drive and on December we went for our Christmas meal.
For more information, contact Michael on 07749 449047, or email wagg@wakefieldgaygroup.co.uk. You can also find out more information by visiting the web site at www.wakefieldgaygroup.co.uk.
Come Dine with Us – The LGB&T Monthly Sunday Lunch Club.
New to Wakefield and starting in January 2012 is a monthly Sunday Lunch club for all members of the LGB&T community. It is also aimed as a way of engaging with older LGB&T community individuals who do not go on or like the traditional scene. The Sunday Lunch Club is from 2pm till 5pm on the Last Sunday of each month (starting on the 29th January) at the New Union. The New Union have a varied menu to choose from at reasonable prices. It will be a relaxing afternoon, where people can enjoy good food, mingle and meet new people and have fun.
For more information, contact Michael on 07749 449047, or email wagg@wakefieldgaygroup.co.uk. You can also find out more information by visiting the web site at www.wakefieldgaygroup.co.uk.
Yorkshire MESMAC supporting Trans Equality
The government has today launched the first transgender action plan. Tougher sentences for hate crimes support for transgender pupils in schools, and tailored recruitment advice for businesses are just some of the actions included in the plan.
Tom Doyle, Director of Yorkshire MESMAC says, ‘Yorkshire MESMAC applauds the plan. It contains a welcome range of commitments from major government departments to improve the lives of Trans people. It builds on and supports the excellent work that local community based Trans groups and events like Switch, Safe-T and Leeds First Friday do at a grassroots level to improve the lives of Trans people’.
The plan commits to:
- reform Health services to ensure greater consistency in commissioning gender identity services
- publish a clear and concise guide for health practitioners, including GPs and Primary Care Trusts, on the treatment and care available
- amend the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill to raise the starting point for murders motivated by hostility towards a transgender person from 15 to 30 years
The full action plan can be found here http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/equalities/lgbt-equality-publications/transgender-action-plan
Count Me In! A New HIV Prevention Campaign
Yorkshire MESMAC is supporting a major new HIV Prevention campaign, ‘Count Me In’ urges Gay, Bisexual and men who have sex with men to sign up to a simple five-point action plan:
- I will know my HIV status.
- I will not assume I know someone else’s HIV status.
- I will take personal responsibility for using condoms.
- I will value myself and my health.
- I will stay informed about HIV and how it is spread.
No Vaccine, No Cure: HIV and AIDS in the UK
The House of Lords Select Committee on HIV and AIDS in the UK report, ’No vaccine, no cure: HIV and AIDS in the United Kingdom’ was launched yesterday.
The report can be downloaded from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201012/ldselect/ldaids/188/18818.htm
Liaqat Ali, Chair of Yorkshire MESMAC Board of Trustees said, ‘We welcome this report which is both insightful and positive, we agree totally with the committee’s assertion that above all, a new priority must be given to the prevention of HIV. The Board is particularly proud that the Select Committee chose to highlight the HIV prevention, testing and support work of Yorkshire MESMAC and other voluntary sector organisations and called for this work to be properly funded and supported’.
Read more...