Going To The Extremes To Find The Centre.

Open Up Toolkit - Mental Health Media - The 'Open Up Toolkit' is a resource website established by Mental Health Media to encourage service users and survivors to come together to combat stigma...: www.openuptoolkit.net

Uniquely4girls/Champagne Dining Club - London lesbian dining club for professional gay women to meet for lunch / dinner / social events: www.uniquely4girls.co.uk

g3 magazine for lesbian and bisexual women - g3 magazine - Lesbian magazine for diva events - civil partnership guide - gaydar girls - gay pride- lesbian contacts - shop - news and fun: www.g3mag.co.uk

GT - Gay Times - Gay news, features, UK scene news and events. Including UK gay law and a worldwide gay guide. Online version of the print magazine: http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/

Central London Action on Street Health - Targets people who sell sex, gay and bisexual men, and people at risk from HIV and other blood borne viruses.
Languages spoken: Access to interpreters available.
Parent body: Camden Primary Care Trust.
Offers advice, information, counselling, support and referrals on health issues, particularly HIV/ AIDS, safer sex and drug use. Phone for a chat or an appointment. Provides sexual health and HIV advice in a variety of community settings including bars, youth groups, hostels and temporary accommodation, saunas and massage parlours, etc. Provides training to clients and staff who live and work in Camden. Condom Shop (Women only): Mon, Fri 09.00-13.00, Fri 14.30-16.30. Sexual health clinics: Mon 09.00-11.00, (women only by appointment), Fri 08.45-13.00 (women only walk in). Steroid users group: 1st Friday of every month 17.30-21.00.
Last checked: February 2008
Information taken from Cindex local information database : www.camden.gov.uk/redirect/?oid=%5Bcom.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.SiteProxy:%7Bid=48075%7D%5D

Inspired by recently aquiring the October 2008 'g3', which features an Ani DiFranco interview, I am currently listening to Ani www.rightousbabe.com/ani online. I first became aquainted with Ani Franco's music, when my manager downloaded her 'Little Plastic Castles' and 'Puddle Dive' cd's onto my ipod. I have since purchased her 'Reprieve', 'Educated Guess' and 'Evolve' cd's. 'Little Plastic Castles' remains one of my favourite cd's, and I have been amazed by Ani DiFranco's innovative artistry throughout, especially whilst listening the track 'Two Little Girls'.

I found the 'g3' 'Bringing up Baby'..."having a child within a lesbian relationship has never been easier. Maggie Allen looks at how things have changed in recent years." topic fantastic. I find it really interesting to map progress. In my time, I consulted books such as 'Considering Parenthood' a book for lesbians thinking about becoming parents' by Cheri Pies, and 'It's a family affair' the complete lesbian parenting book by Lisa Saffron and found them extremely helpful.

This month 'g3' also interviewed some lesbian and bisexual sex workers, to find out what makes them want to turn to a profession that services men, in the report titled 'Sleeping with the Enemy'. "Prostitution is a difficult life. It can be called brave and foolish, daring and lazy, damaged and empowering. Few issues have so many contradictions at their heart. Kathryn Fox asks: Why would lesbians, of all women, make the sexual service of men a career choice?"

This report awakened memories of my four year employment as an Outreach Worker, with Central London Action on Street Health (C.L.A.S.H), prior to the onset of my personal experience of mental illness. Whilst working at C.L.A.S.H, I had a wide brief which, amongst other things, also included the Soho area female Sex Industry workers, and the regular facilitation of HIV/AIDS preventative training in Holloway Women's Prison.