2 November 2011
To coincide with Black History Month, West London Gay Men’s Project (WLGMP) held its second Wellness Day for Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) Men who are Gay, Bi or men who have sex with men (MSM) on October 22, 2011.
The free event was organised by WLGMP in order to create a safe space where BAME MSM could share their experiences, celebrate talents and inform each other about health and wellness topics, including HIV.
The event was run by Black and Asian MSM with wide experience of working in their communities and was held at the welcoming Lilla Huset venue in Hammersmith. Openly gay ex NBA Basketball star, educator and political activist, John Amaechi sent a letter of support, which opened the day on an inspiring note.
Activities included a drama-based workshop exploring BAME MSM role models plus a presentation and discussion about asylum seekers. Other workshops about how sexual stereotyping affects men from ethnic minorities, exploring self-worth, being authentic versus artificial, and the gay representation in Bollywood films all added to a varied, interesting and informative day.
Special thanks to all the facilitators: Dr Patrick Williams, Haydn Forde, Stephen Brown, Gamal Turawa, Ibrahim Ismail and Daniel Fry.
The event attracted a good mixture of guys which gave them the opportunity to make new friends, reunite with old ones and help create a sense community. Those attending the event described the day as empowering, informative and most of all, fun!
Workshop taking place at the Wellness Day event
Picture of West London Gay Men's Project team