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PICTURE DIARY: Legends Cabaret Tent@Brighton Pride

Year after year, the Legends cabaret tent on Preston park is one of the biggest and most popular attractions at Brighton Pride. Photographer Hugo Michiels captured some magic moments for Gscene.

Brighton Pride, 06/08/2016

This years line-up of artists was the finest ever with show stopping performances by the D E Experience, La Voix and her Va Va Voom Boys, Miss Penny, Mrs Moore, Martha D’ Arthur, Sally Vate, Gabriella Parrish, Son Ofa Tutu, Baga ChipzKara Van Park, Miss Jason & Maisie TrolletteCassidy Connors, Rose Garden, Mary Mac and Sandra, all compered by the incomparable Lola Lasagne.

Every year, the latest winners of X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent come and go, appearing at Pride’s all over the country, but year after year the finest drag queens in the country come and support Brighton Pride and our fundraising efforts for local LGBT+ and HIV organisations.

They are the true stars of Brighton Pride and I salute them. Photographer Hugo Michiels captures their performance on camera.

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PREVIEW: ‘Wanting the Moon’ by Rose Collis

After four sell-out previews in Brighton, Arundel and Hove earlier this year, local author Rose Collis takes her new one-woman play Wanting the Moon to the award-winning London venue Bread & Roses for six performances in September.

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Written and performed by Rose Collis, and directed by Keith Drinkel, the Arts Council-funded play focuses on the remarkable life and career of Clemence Dane, eminent author, artist, playwright, journalist and Oscar-winning screenwriter.

Asked by her great friend Noel Coward to revive her acting career and play the famous role he once created for her: the eccentric medium ‘Madame Arcati’ in Blithe Spirit, she observes, “I have enough ghosts around me nowadays without playing someone who makes a living from conjuring them up…”

As she prepares to answer him, she reflects on their long personal and professional relationship − as well as memorable episodes from her chequered career, including penning the controversial early 20th century lesbian novel Regiment of Women, her war experiences, and her adventures in Hollywood with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich… and The Marx Brothers.

And, as she ‘summons up’ these ghosts from her past, she contemplates her own imminent future in the other world: “Perhaps I’ll come back and haunt you all. But I promise not to do it when Madame Arcati is summoning up the spirits.”

 

 


Event: Wanting the Moon written & performed by Rose Collis, directed by Keith Drinkel.

Where: Bread & Roses Theatre, 68 Clapham Manor, St, London SW4 6DZ

When: September 18-20, 22-24 (no performance Sep 21)

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: Tickets £10/£8.

To book tickets online, click here:

For more information about Rose Collis, click here:

Scottish Rugby signs up to LGBT+ Sports Charter

Scottish Rugby signs up as the newest signatory to the Scottish LGBT+ Sports Charter at the home of rugby in Scotland, BT Murrayfield.

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Pictured left to right: Munro Stevenson (Publicity/Media rep. Glasgow Alphas), Neil Fox (Captain of Caledonian Thebans), Scott Cuthbertson (Equality Network), Boris Pichotka (Secretary of Glasgow Alphas), Dominic Mckay (SRU Chief Operating Officer), Pete Young (SRU Outreach and equality manager).

The Scottish LGBT+ Sports Charter was launched by Equality Network, the Scottish LGBT+ equality charity, and includes a set of five principles which aim remove the barriers to sport for LGBT+ people and tackle discrimination in sport.

Dominic McKay
Dominic McKay

Signing the charter on behalf of Scottish Rugby, Dominic McKay, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Scottish Rugby has had a long-standing commitment to ensure access to our sport is open to everyone regardless of age, background, education or sexuality. We take a proactive approach to providing training and development for LGBT+ teams and encouraging the growth of rugby among the LGBT+ communities. This is best demonstrated by our support of the bid to bring the prestigious Bingham Cup to Scotland and BT Murrayfield next year. Signing the Sport Charter therefore is a natural next step for us.”

Scottish Rugby is already a leader in LGBT+ inclusion in sport, with the governing body supporting the development of LGBT+ clubs and development coaches having attended LGBT+ training in the Borders.

Scottish Rugby is also supporting a bid to bring the 2018 Bingham Cup, a biennial international gay rugby union tournament, to Scotland.

Scott Cuthbertson
Scott Cuthbertson

Scott Cuthbertson of the Equality Network, said: “We welcome Scottish Rugby as a signatory to the Scottish LGBT+ Sports Charter. We know through our research that LGBT+ people in Scotland still face significant barriers to their full inclusion in sport. This charter is an important step to addressing those barriers, setting out positive steps that organisations can take to become more LGBT+ inclusive.

“Rugby, and its role models, have a huge impact in Scotland, today we’re sending the message loud and clear, Rugby is a welcoming sport regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity”

Attending the signing were Neil Fox, Captain of the Caledonian Thebans and Boris Pichotka and Munro Stevenson of the Glasgow Alphas, Scotland’s LGBT+ inclusive rugby clubs based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Alphas were set up in October last year and the Caledonian Thebans have recently returned from Nashville after winning the Hoagland Cup.

While there are no openly LGBT+ players in the professional rugby in Scotland there are signs of progress across the UK. Keegan Hirst (Rugby League) and Sam Stanley both came out in 2015 following in the footsteps of retired Welsh international Gareth Thomas.

Sussex Heart Charity Lunch this Sunday

Sussex Heart charity have a fundraising lunch this Sunday, August 14 at Sussex County Cricket Club.

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The event will start at 9.30pm (till 6:00pm). Included in the ticket price is a match ticket to watch Sussex play Gloucester with Pimms on arrival, a three course lunch and afternoon tea.

The Sussex Heart Charity is the county’s largest Cardiac Care Charity and is presently celebrating 30 Years – “Saving Lives In Sussex”.

To book tickets telephone 01273 523026/8 or email: info@sussexheartcharity.org


Event: Sussex Heart Charity Fundraising Lunch

Where: Sussex County Cricket Club, Hove

When: Sunday, August 14

Time: 9.30am – 6pm: Match starts at 11am

Cost: Adult £50: Children £25

To purchase tickets telephone: Terry Ayres on 01273 523026/8 or email:

Clearing up after Brighton Pride

Over the Pride weekend, Cityclean staff worked around the clock to keep the city clean.

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Pride is the busiest weekend of the year for the council’s refuse, recycling and street cleaning staff.

Cityclean staff worked in shifts day and night over the weekend, from 5am on Saturday and finishing at around 2am this morning (Monday 8)

Extra staff were employed to work over the weekend and additional rubbish bins installed along the route of the procession with a team of street cleaners following the procession to clear rubbish.

Over 187 tonnes of rubbish was collected from the streets and litter bins, the most ever collected and 40 tonnes more than last year, the equivalent of nearly 19 dust-cart loads!

The clean-up finished with jet washing streets and pavements.

Cllr Gill Mitchell
Cllr Gill Mitchell

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the environment committee, said: “This year’s Pride attracted around 300,000 visitors to Brighton & Hove – the most the city has ever seen.

“Our refuse and street cleaning teams were well prepared, providing more bins and ensuring enough staff were available to cope with the clean-up. Our street cleaners did a tremendous job working thought the night to ensure that to ensure that this morning the city is clean again for residents and visitors.”  

Pride paid for the clean up on Preston Park, The Village Street Party, Old Steine and Victoria Gardens.

Pride Glasgow 2016: Scotland’s largest celebration of LGBT+ equality

Pride Glasgow Festival is the highlight of the year for many LGBT+ people in Scotland and takes place on Saturday 20 and Sunday August 21.

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Organisers are expecting over 12,000 people with plenty of entertainment to get excited about, as well as a serious message on education.

Highlights include the Parade, a great mainstage line-up including TOPLOADER and STOOSHE, as well as Pride Active by LEAP Sports, the ever-popular Dog Show, Community Expo and Pride Market. There will also be a Fairground and a Youth Zone for 13-25 year olds.

New for 2016 is the Festival Family Area, a smoke and alcohol-free zone with plenty to entertain under 13s including a Harry Potter-style owl show, visits from Dora the Explorer and the Minions and free face-painting.

For more information on all the events and areas of the Festival site, click here:

 

The festival isn’t only about fun and a safe environment for LGBTI people to relax and be themselves. It’s also about messages and education.

The Parade campaign this year is Inclusive Education and Pride Glasgow have joined up with the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign to ensure that all schools in Scotland are offering an LGBTI+ inclusive education.

For more information about TIE, click here:

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This year’s festival theme is Be Yourself and using the hashtag #gaunyerselfie (a play on Gaun Yersel, a Scottish/Glasgow slang word for expressing yourself) encourages everyone to be themselves at Pride.

This year’s Pride Glasgow is sponsored by The Polo Lounge, Scotland’s biggest LGBT+ venue. Money raised from sponsorship, ticket sales and donations goes to support the Pride Fund, a Pride Glasgow Community fund aimed at supporting Glasgow’s LGBT+ communities at the grassroots.

The festival also has over 200 volunteers helping in different roles throughout the weekend, which is delivered thanks to the year round volunteer engagement programme Pride Life. 


Event: Pride Glasgow

Where: Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, G1 5DB

When: August, 20 – 21 2016

Time: 12 noon – 10pm (Saturday); 12 noon – 8pm (Sunday)

Cost: Advance Weekend Tickets: £12: Day Tickets: £8: Under 13s: FREE:13-17 year olds: £5: Pride Pass VIP ticket: £60

For more information about Pride Glasgow, click here:

 

Brighton LGBT+ projects receive five-year Big Lottery funding

MindOut and Allsorts launch LGBTQ advocacy service with five-year Big Lottery funding.

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MindOut the LGBTQ mental health service run by LGBTQ people for LGBTQ people and Allsorts Youth Project have launched an advocacy service for LGBTQ people aged 16 to 25 (Allsorts) and 18 upwards (MindOut) with a grant of £389,599 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Help through Crisis fund. The grant will fund the project for five years helping the two Brighton-based charities to provide an urgent needs service to help LGBTQ people facing financial, housing and other problems.

At MindOut a full-time advocacy worker Emma Crossland offers a flexible chat service during the day and out of hours and at the weekends, where necessary, backed up with an instant online chat service, peer support and group work to try and prevent further crises.

Helen Jones
Helen Jones

MindOut CEO Helen Jones, said: “We were the only charities in the South East to receive funding from Help Through Crisis.” 

“The grant was made in recognition of the rising economic hardship and inequality facing members of the LGBTQ community in our city, and we are very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for its support. Part of our contribution to the partnership is helping Allsorts develop its advocacy work.”

Former primary school teacher Liam O’Hare, who works 21 hours a week, is providing the Allsorts element of the service. He offers advice and support on a wide a range of subjects including housing, money, health issues and social services.

“It is a critical service that provides support for young people, many of them vulnerable and making the transition from school to work,” says Liam who has been in post for a month. “I have been speaking to young service users to learn from their experiences and to inform my work.”

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For more information about MindOut, click here:

For more information about Allsorts, click here:

 

MANCHESTER PRIDE: The Superbia Weekend

Manchester Pride’s year-round calendar of cultural events Superbia will host a weekend of specially commissioned and curated free events at 70 Oxford Street arts complex in Manchester city centre from August 26-28.

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The events, which will take place over the same weekend as Manchester Pride’s The Big Weekend, have been curated by Superbia with support from Manchester Metropolitan University who have donated both space and staff as part of an ongoing relationship.

All events will be free and take place in an accessible building which will be open throughout the weekend for people to drop in and find out what’s happening.


FRIDAY, AUGUST 26
6pm–10pm: The Superbia Weekend Launch: welcome speeches and live music from The Sunday Boys and Husk, followed by a one-hour cinema screening of specially selected LGBT+ short films presented by Queer Media.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
11am: Pre-Pride-Parade Meet-Up: The café opens to the public providing a great location to meet up before the Parade. Swing by, grab a coffee and check out the weekend programme of events.

Time TBC: Post-Pride-Parade Arty Party!: After the Parade is over everyone is invited to keep hold of their flags, banners, ribbons, flyers, whistles and join artist Nicola Dale for a group project to help turn your Parade souvenirs into a giant work of art. All ages welcome to take part!

4pm: Author Gregory Woods in conversation with Dr Andrew Moor: Renowned poet and academic, Gregory Woods discusses his poetry and his new book, Homintern: How Gay Culture Liberated the Modern World.

5.30pm: Panel event: ‘Islam, Gender and Sexuality’: Academic Leyla Jagiella and Samia Rahman of the Muslim Institute discuss LGBT+ issues from a Muslim perspective.

7pm: Film screening: Oriented: Documentary on the lives of three gay Palestinian best friends.

7–10pm: Superbia Cabaret!: An evening of cabaret, open mic and comedy, starring Kate O’Donnell, the Addictive Comedy crew, and more!

8pm: Presentation: ‘Queer Noise: The hidden history of LGBT+ music in Manchester’: Historian and archivist Abigail Ward will take you on a journey through Manchester’s nightlife past.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 28
11.30am: Presentation: ‘OUT! Manchester Pride’s LGBT+ history website’: Abigail Ward explores this amazing new digital resource from Manchester Pride for LGBT+ Manchester history.

12pm: Panel event: ‘LGBT+ people, recovery and sobriety’: LGBT+ artists, recovery activists and community members discuss their work and experiences with sobriety and recovery.

2pm: Panel event: ‘Communities and Charities’: Manchester community and support groups discuss their work, aims and campaigns, including representatives from TransBareAll, BiPhoria and Rainbow Noir.

Superbia supports LGBT+ life across Greater Manchester offering funding from the Superbia Grants programme, by promoting existing events and projects, and by curating its own events.

More event details will be announced in the coming weeks, for more information visit Facebook page, Twitter or website.

For more information about Manchester Pride, click here:

 

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