Pink Paper Survey Changes allowing Northern Ireland 2Xist*

Following on from my post yesterday and Michael's post and his letter, which led to this response have now included Northern Ireland in its survey.

In an email to my friend Michael Tris Reid-Smith said:

"There’s a further update. Having looked into it further, we have now been able to include Northern Ireland as an option in the Readers' Awards! Obviously anything you can do to get the word out to people and to get them to take part would be great! "

I've filled mine in (if only the party internal elections were so quick to complete) and any offers of free underwear will be greatly welcomed.
 
* What you think that is a little bit of an unsubtle way to try and get free boxers?

When Writing Gets a Positive Response

Early today I posted about whether I was the "only gay in the Province". Of course I know I'm not and indeed attending the LGBT Consultative Forum meetings here in Belfast shows just the diversity with the LGBT community that exists here all doing their best for that section of Northern Irish life.

Of course one member of that community, who I know rather well, also took up the cause up on his blog. But Michael being Michael did more that just blog and sent an email off to Tris Reid-Smith, Editor-In-Chief, GT (Gay Times) and Pink Paper and got a response by phone within a few hours, followed up by a response which Michael has posted, in which Tris writes

"Therefore I'm grateful to you for highlighting this anomaly [of our omitting Northern Ireland] and I'll use your blog as an opportunity to consider how we can improve our coverage and our awards. Meanwhile, I and my news team will be very keen to hear from our readers in all parts of Ireland with their news and comments."

Not a bad days work from all three of us who were involved, even if I have had another busy day. But special praise to Tris for acting so swiftly and positively. If only some of the other media would respond so positively to omission, overlooking or misrepresenting certain sections without their readership.

Surely I'm Not the Only Gay in the Province

This may come as a shock to many friends and friends of friends in the LGBT Sector in Northern Ireland, or a relief to Iris Robinson, but apparently the LGBT community doesn't exist in Northern Ireland.

How do I know this? Because Pink Paper tells me so. Well not so much Pink Paper as their nominations survey for their readers awards. I recently opened it to find I had 8 choices of geographical location:

• Scotland
• North West
• North East
• Wales
• Midlands and the East
• South West
• London and the South
• South Coast

Conspicuous by its absence is Northern Ireland. This is from a Paper that on its website does cover UK news. I that it by that they mean the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Indeed they have covered some Northern Irish stories in their coverage.

However, when it comes to nominations it become all colloquial and only covering Britain. Its one of those things that often happens. In the early days of Heat I had a letter published that complained that the film offers never included a Northern Irish option to view. It seems that UK wide publications don't bother or don't care about their Northern Irish readers, and ignore their existence in this way.

When the LGBT community in Northern Ireland is still fighting for inclusion within the Northern Irish community we'd like a little support from the UK-wide LGBT community to acknowledge that we exist first of all.