Join Birmingham LGBT for a book signing and question & answer event with bestselling author James Wharton (Out in the Army: My Life As A Gay Soldier) for the launch of his new book Something For The Weekend this weekend.
When: 05-08-2017
Time: 1pm-4pm
Place: The Café, Birmingham LGBT, 38-40 Holloway Circus B1 1EQ (free event)
His new book, Something For The Weekend released today 31-08-2017 is a captivating exploration of the chemsex underworld.
When James retires from the army, he finds himself with more opportunities than most to begin a successful civilian life. He has a husband, two dogs, two cars, a nice house in the countryside and a book deal.
Only a year later he finds himself trying to adjust to single gay life back in the capital.
Exploring his own journey through this dark underworld, James looks at how his search for company and a new life led him, and thousands others, into London’s thriving gay drugs scene. He reveals how modern technology allows strangers to arrange, meet, and ultimately lose themselves in the allure of heightened, drug-induced sexual encounters.
James Wharton says:
“The community-wide surge in the uptake of chemsex needs to be talked about more. The only way we can help people take control of their chem-use is by, as a community, providing more empathy, compassion and love to those gripped by this dark phenomenon. I wanted to, first and foremost, address that community wide lack of empathy that I think currently exists – society tells us there are ‘good gays’ and there are ‘bad gays.’ This is nonsense.
Gay men are 7 times more likely than straight men to abuse drugs in our lifetime; more than half of us have tried drugs. This issue is ours, the gay community’s, and we will defeat it only by coming together and loving each other more”
Steph Keeble, Director of Birmingham LGBT says:
“We are really pleased to host James at the Birmingham LGBT Center as part of the launch of his new book. James has been a great supporter of Birmingham LGBT over the years and this is an issue we need to start talking about honestly and openly in order to provide support when it is needed.”
For anyone affected by chemsex, Birmingham LGBT holds a drop in service on the second and fourth Thursday of every month in partnership with the substance misuse service, Care Grow Live (CGL). For details, please checkout http://blgbt.org/services/sexual-health/specialist-services/chemsex-support/ or contact a member of our sexual health team seven days a week on 0121 643 0821.
Editors Notes:
James Wharton is also the author of Out In The Army: My Life As A Gay Soldier. He served in the Household Cavalry for 10 years and was instrumental in changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the military.
He not only was the first gay person to feature on the cover of ‘Soldier’ magazine in 2009 but was also the first member of the 360-year-old Household Cavalry to enter into a same-sex union when he married his partner in 2010.
He ranked in the top 20 of the Independent On Sunday’s ‘Pink List’ for three consecutive years and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2014 for his contribution to the UK LGBT community.
