Crocus, Croydon’s Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community organisation, is staging a conference on February 22 as part of the activities of LGBT History Month which will be attended by the borough police commander and senior figures from Croydon Council.

There are many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities in Croydon to mark LGBT History Month, from a civic reception at the Town Hall to films to gatherings of younger LGBT residents through to events at Croydon College and Croydon University Hospital. This is the third year that Crocus, working in partnership with LGBT groups in the borough, Croydon Council, the Police and other partners, has organised a programme of events during February.

There will be two parts to the LGBT Conference, which is being staged on February 22 at Ruskin House on Coombe Road.

From 5-7pm, we will be looking at the issues in schools and colleges, for LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Questioning) pupils and the whole area of homophobic and transphobic bullying and prejudice. All Croydon schools have been asked to send relevant teachers to the event – and we will have first-hand accounts from younger Croydon residents in Croydon’s school system.

From 7.30-9.30pm, there will be an open session on quality of life in Croydon for the LGBT community. This will be chaired by Chair of Crocus, Rob Elliott and the panel will include Borough Commander David Musker, Cabinet Member for Communities and Big Society, Vidhi Mohan and Shadow Cabinet Member for Communities & Big Society, Matthew Kyeremeh.

Rob Elliott, chair of Crocus, said: “LGBT History Month is an important annual event, where we raise the profile of the LGBT community and the issues they are facing. I am delighted that, for the fourth year running, there are many events in Croydon. The conference is an exciting initiative which I hope many will attend. The fact that senior members of Croydon civil society are attending is a measure of the standing that the LGBT community has in Croydon.”

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