Operation Fundraiser’s joyous celebration of ‘gaiety’ – Manchester Pride 2006

Bad news folks, the £10 tickets are now £15. Still it’ll be little or no surprise if the amount raised for charity and other causes is round about £120k or so. Most of the £1m+ raised will be frittered away on security, policing, extra street cleaning etc etc.

Originally conceived as a means of raising funds to be distributed to those affected by HIV, the pissed-up, drug-fuelled, shag-fest that is ‘Manchester Pride 2006’ occurs again over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Hopefully we won’t have the disgusting spectacle of a stage sponsored by Gaydar, as we had last year – a company-owned web-site probably responsible in no small part for significant levels of HIV transmission amongst gay men. Still, with plenty of alcohol, illegal drugs and, hopefully, good weather there should be many opportunities to compromise the drug regimens of the HIV+.

Shame that the few tens of thousands of pounds that actually go directly to genuine HIV causes (rather than spent on condoms [which are or should be available via the NHS], homosexual sporting & social groups, funding English as a foreign language lessons etc etc) could realistically be raised, or exceeded, if some of the ‘Gay Village’s’ businesses were to organise serious fundraising activities a few times a year.

Not that we probably won’t enjoy it – but, perleeze, acknowledge it for the self-indulgent orgy that it is.

Oh yeah, the Candlelight Vigil – a genuinely moving opportunity to remember those we have lost. Let’s try to avoid politicians grandstanding, too much organisational self-congratulation and some screaming queen shouting the odds at us. A brief, emotionally charged hour or two of remembrance at the end of a weekend when all that money’s been made by straight-dominated corporations and ‘gay entrepreneurs’ should perhaps last a little longer.

Mmmm, have a real good pat on the back Operation Fundraiser – there again, we’re sure you’ll be doing that for yourselves ad nauseum. We are just so, so grateful.

A final thought on “all that money that Operation Fundraiser makes for HIV-causes”. With combination therapy - the use of two, three or even more anti-retroviral drugs together - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2188237.stm states that “it costs up to $12,000 (= c.£6,500) per person per year. With the cost of counselling, social support and medical care, the figure is a lot higher"; and, http://www.avert.org/aidsfaqs.htm reckons the overall annual cost at around £16k per case in the UK. So if the bringing together of all those people at the various Manchester 'Pride' weekends over the years have ‘generated’ any more than 8 cases of HIV infection (surely not unlikely with the million plus who will have attended over the late August Bank Holiday weekend for 10 years +), it would suggest that the total c. £120,000 raised wouldn’t pay for their current and future treatment costs. This ignores the lesser costs of treatment of other sexually transmitted infections, visits of the alcoholically inebriated to A&E departments, days lost subsequently at work through hangover (er, we mean sickness) etc. At least the taxes due on the additional profits made by Village Business Association members and others will go some way to reimbursing these..

..As we mention above, enjoy Manchester Pride for the self-indulgent orgy that it is. At least the bars and clubs should make a few £s.

Major breach of confidentiality by George House Trust, Manchester

Well, and we thought it was just Body Positive North West that was run by incompetents!

The following e-mail was sent out to members of GHT's ‘gay group’ –

From: Dunkan Maclean
Date: 6 July 2006 11:46:25 BDT
To: Ooo Errr - this space had everyone's e-mail address disclosed!!!!
Subject: Gay Men's BBQ 10th July

Dear all,

Just a reminder that this years Gay Men's BBQ will be held at the offices of George House Trust Monday 10th July. As with previous events food and refreshments will be provided.

The event itself gives positive Gay men the chance to socialise with peers and staff members, it's open to any Gay Man already registered with George House Trust.

So if you're a regular attender, or someone who would just like the opportunity to come and meet people from the group, then you are more than welcome to come along on Monday.

If you have any questions you can contact me on the number given below or by email to this address

Hope to see you Monday

Kind regards,

Dunkan K MacLean
Services Adviser
George House Trust
77 Ardwick Green North
Manchester
M12 6FX

dunkan@ght.org.uk
Tel 0161 274 4499
Fax 0161 274 3355
www.ght.org.uk

Supporting people living with and affected by HIV across the North West of England

Here’s the bad news GHT – you failed to put e-mail recipients in the “BCC:” box, but rather pasted them all into the “To:” box. Congratulations – you’ve just outed a group of people presumably living with and/or affected by HIV.

Maybe GHT is “Supporting people living with and affected by HIV across the North West of England”, what a pity it doesn’t give a shit about confidentiality! Time, we think, for Dunkan MacLean to be fired/removed from office…. There again, probably just a minor reprimand for the fuckwit - it's only a group of homos after all: bless poppet.

On a separate note: stop engaging in apartheid and separating gay men out from other groups - just because we're puffs with HIV doesn't mean our 'peers' are all gay men too! Some of us actually class ourselves as human beings living with HIV who don't want our peer group defined according to our sexuality. In the case of GHT, and our friends at BPNW too, bigotry seems to begin at home.

Welcome

Hi there and welcome to our blog. This has been set up to obtain other individuals' views regarding the provision of services by George House Trust.

Much more competent at fund-raising than our friends at Body Positive North West, GHT benefits from its partnership with the Lesbian and Gay Foundation to run the money making franchise (- sorry, we mean, the self-aggrandising) - Operation Fundraiser ("OF"). OF seems to benefit all commercial and self-serving political interests in Greater Manchester and beyond - oh yes, it seems to raise c £120k - £140k (probably less than 10% of OF revenue) for 'good causes' each year, heavens that provides treatment for 8 HIV+ people a year!

We're just so grateful for your OF efforts. Pity that it can't be financially justified - or is GHT telling us that 8 or less people have become HIV+ as a result of the annual, drunken, drug-fuelled fuckfest that is 'Pride'? Well the bars, clubs, police, council and others make a killing - and at least it provides a bit of money to GHT, LGF et al so they can feel that they are 'doing good'. ..And at least us queers, dykes, trans-this, trans-that, bisexuals and our friends, together with innumerable hangers-on, can dance our tits off amongst the vomit and the plastic 'glasses' for a long weekend. My, what a cosmopolitan and 'continental' atmosphere it all engenders.... Bless.