Amsterdam’s gay districts are unquestionably world renown. On the other hand, Birmingham also has an established Gay Village area in the city centre for decades. These “gaybourhoods” typically had a humble beginning at the rougher parts of the city centres when social attitudes and laws were at odds to LGBT inclusion. Steph Keeble, Director of Birmingham LGBT, and Bas Zwiers, business leader of Amsterdam neighbourhood initiative ‘Alle Kleuren Oost’ will have a conversation with the webinar audience about the meanings, the importance, and the future of these spaces and venues in face of urban redevelopment, changing communication habits, and the recent challenges brought by the pandemic. The webinar will also be part of University of Birmingham’s LGBT History Month programme.

Speakers.

Steph Keeble

Steph Keeble is Director of Birmingham LGBT. Birmingham LGBT’s mission is to build a vibrant, diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Birmingham in which individuals can realise their full potential and have equal access to all the city has to offer.

In the four years she has been involved with the organisation it has grown from a small charity with a £10,000 a year turnover to an organisation with a turnover of over £250,000 a year. Birmingham LGBT delivers a variety of services and events including SHOUT: Birmingham’s festival of Queer Culture, and has recently opened the first LGBT Health & Wellbeing centre in England and Wales in Birmingham city centre. Steph was included in the Independent on Sunday’s influential Pink list in 2013 for her contributions to the LGBT community in Birmingham. Steph has skills in not-for-profits, change management, strategic planning and income generation.

Steph a social science graduate has worked in the third sector for twenty years, beginning her career as in the field of substance misuse and going on to work in a variety of areas including mental health, capacity building, social enterprises, and women’s issues.Steph is passionately committed to human rights and social justice and has always worked to create a better and more equal society for all. She has never moved very far from her background in, and commitment to, grassroots community activism.

Bas Zwiers

Bas Zwiers is the business leader of All Colors. All Colors originated as a residents' initiative from the Indische Buurt, whether or not associated with communities. At the beginning of 2013, they decided to make the commemoration of the dead on Ceramplein more of a reflection of the neighborhood. This to connect the various communities in the Indische Buurt more closely. It became a much better reflection of the neighborhood. During the evaluation, it was decided to continue together under the name All Colors East.

From 2013 they became co-organizers of May 4 and since 2017 also the May 5 breakfast on the Javaplein. Together with Muslims from the neighborhood, they organized an Iftar with Pink Edge. They co-organized a Tula meeting, were involved in the rainbow bank at IJburg, the TransPride, the Keti Koti commemoration, and many neighborhood meetings. They have organized a number of terraces with the theme: human rights, racism, diversity in companies, 4 May. In 2018 they organized thier first Pre Pride and their biggest event is the Annual Pride East.

Additional Information.

Accessibility.

This event will taking place via Zoom, and a live transcript will be available. If you have any additional accessibility requirements, please feel free to contact us at studentequality@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Anonymity and Questions.

You can submit any questions to panellists anonymously via the Question and Answer function. Instructions on how to do this will be explained at the start of the event.

If you would like to submit questions to our panel in advance of the event, please feel free to email them to studentequality@contacts.bham.ac.uk with the Subject Title 'Gaybourhoods.'

This event will be recorded, however only panel members will be visible in the recording.