Bury Council regnised as a top ‘gay-iendly’ employer, Public Sector article

Contents:

• MARK ASHTON: COUNCIL APPROV PORTSH MEMORIAL FOR GAY ACTIVIST
• MARK GAY
• ‘GAY-IENDLY’ EMPLOYER LIST: MAN UNI, CO-OP AND BURY COUNCIL LAND TOP 100 SPOTS
• MARK GAY

MARK ASHTON: COUNCIL APPROV PORTSH MEMORIAL FOR GAY ACTIVIST

Mark Gay. If some people do not believe gay marriage, then that’s fe bee I have my beliefs and they have theirs, and mt accept me as I accept theirs and we mt all live together harmony.

“I’ve had enough homophobic abe my time but I was absolutely over the moon when Bury Parish Church agreed to host his funeral.

Reprentativ of Salford RC Dce, which overse St Marie and St Joseph’s, have nied his claims and say they have held funerals for gay members of the public before. Bury Council regnised as a top ‘gay-iendly’ employer.

MARK GAY

Bury Council has aga been named one of Bra’s top ‘gay-iendly’ employers by profsnal lobbyg group Stonewall. 7 ln lbian, gay and bisexual employe.

Furthermore, the group has been named North Wt Employee Group of the Year for all s efforts tacklg homophobia and promotg equaly for all lbian, gay and bisexual people.

Image source, Ju CopelandImage ptn, Mark Ashton, pictured wh iend and former Swansea East MP Sian Jam, died 1987Cseway Coast and Glens Borough Council will nsult the fay and iends of gay rights mpaigner Mark Ashton about how to remember him his hometown of Portsh. Councillors have given their approval for the erectn of a memorial or a blue plaque the County Antrim Ashton grew up Portsh before movg to London was a leadg figure the Lbians and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) group durg the 1984 mers' Ashton helped form the group which raised money to provi food and support for strikg mers and their fai. "When he left here, 1978, was still illegal to be gay Northern Ireland.

‘GAY-IENDLY’ EMPLOYER LIST: MAN UNI, CO-OP AND BURY COUNCIL LAND TOP 100 SPOTS

Three big nam across Greater Manchter have been hailed as gay-iendly employers by an LGBT chary. The Universy of Manchter (43rd), the Co-operative (26th) and Bury Council (62nd) soped spots Stonewall’s top 100 gay-iendly plac to work the UK. The Universy of Manchter ma the top five tn anisatns for prospective gay or lbian employe.

Alex Gwynne, Client Acunt Manager at Stonewall, said: “It is fantastic to see the North Wt sre hight as the regn where most lbian, gay and bisexual employe say they’re fortable to be out at work the 2015 Workplace Equaly Inx, wh the Universy of Manchter, Chhire Fire & Rcue, Bury Council and Chhire Constabulary leadg by example and makg this year’s Top 100.

Around half of gay, lbian and bisexual participants the x said that their managers were mted to sexual orientatn equaly.

MARK GAY

When nonted by officers at his former home Brookshaw Street, Bury, 20-year-old Gndy said: “I’m gay. It was then that Gndy admted he was gay. Kimberly Stt about last week's meetg of the Uned Methodist Church's Council of Bishops and s impedg vote on whether to orda gay pastors.

The Uned Methodist nomatn has over 6 ln members the Uned Stat, and they're divid over the qutn of ordag gay misters. She left the church for seven years and me back to be s first Black, female, openly gay pastor, and she jos now om Phoenix.

KIMBERLY SCOTT: Thank you, So this bate over ordag gay clergy has been gog on for a while, sce the late '60s. And then the other part was always send-gusg myself - whether or not I was supposed to be open about my sexual orientatn, whether or not I was supposed to play the game of don't ask, don't Jt so that I'm clear, is the church's official stance on homosexualy today ambiguo or is pretty clearly fed and you'd like to see changed? It clearly stat that you nnot be an openly-practicg homosexual and be ordaed the Uned Methodist Church.