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FOOTBALL: A Unique Tale About The World’s Favourite Sport

You have until Friday, December 15 to help fund the production of the film FOOTBALL:

Football, a unique Tale About The World’s Favourite Sport – is a new documentary about how Association Football was born, developed and spread across the globe, while also telling the tale of the remarkable life of the game’s first entertainer, Fred Spiksley.

Produced by a group of fanatical football fans, media professionals, authors and a football historian, the film tells the story of Spiksley, an addicted gambler and womanizer who dazzled as an outside-left but also dabbled in film and was embroiled in a wartime escape mission.

The group has agreed to donate 20% of all sales of the documentary to the global charitable initiative Common Goal, whose members include Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata, among others.

To donate to help get the film made, click here:

Tatchell bids for LGBT+ rights at Commonwealth summit

The Commonwealth Secretariat has been presented with proposals from human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell to put LGBT+ equality on the agenda of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place in the UK next April.

The proposals are a bid to challenge the criminalisation of same-sex relations in 36 out of the 52 Commonwealth member states and to ensure legal protection against discrimination and hate crime for the Commonwealth’s estimated 100-200 million LGBT+ citizens.

Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell

Peter Tatchell, peace campaigner and Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, says: “LGBT+ issues have never been discussed, not even once, in any of the CHOGM leaders sessions over the last six decades. I have personally tried to get them on the agenda at CHOGM for 30 years and been rebuffed every time. Surely in 2018 we can at least have a discussion with the Commonwealth leaders? This discussion must be in the main summit and not side-lined to the NGO Commonwealth People’s Forum, as has happened in the past.

“Drawing on suggestions from diverse Commonwealth LGBT+ activists, the Peter Tatchell Foundation has proposed to the Commonwealth Secretariat a four-point strategy for advancing LGBT+ rights at CHOGM: 

“First: Criticism and condemnation of anti-gay countries won’t work and will be counter-productive; especially if it comes from western nations like Britain, Canada and Australia. This would be construed as western diktat and neo-colonialism. Instead, the Commonwealth needs to give a platform to pro-LGBT+ advocates from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean and Pacific. Their voices will carry much more weight and influence.



“Second: The Commonwealth Secretariat should facilitate an event at CHOGM where pro-LGBT+ Commonwealth leaders and church people, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bishop Christopher Senyonjo of Uganda, and the former presidents and Botswana and Mozambique, Festus Mogae and Joaquim Chissano, address the assembled Commonwealth heads of government on why they support LGBT+ rights as human rights. Voices from African ex-leaders and from respected African Christians will be the most impactful and effective.

“Third: It would be helpful if the Commonwealth Secretariat or a sympathetic non-western state hosted a meeting during CHOGM with LGBT representatives from across the Commonwealth, where they can speak to the gathered Commonwealth leaders. These grassroots LGBT+ voices, telling their stories of personal discrimination and violence, are likely to have the greatest resonance and impact; especially because many Commonwealth leaders may not have met a LGBT+ person and never dialogued with their national LGBT+ organisations.

“Fourth: After these speeches, Commonwealth leaders could be invited to sign a statement along these lines:

“Commonwealth member states, inspired by the human rights principles of the Commonwealth Charter, commit to ending the persecution of LGBT+ citizens and agree to work towards the following goals: 

•   Decriminalise same-sex relations

•   Prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

•   Enforce laws against threats and violence, to protect LGBT+ people from hate crimes

•   Consult and dialogue with national LGBT+ organisations’

“Securing unanimity and consensus on this statement is unlikely to be possible but all nations willing to do so should be asked to sign. Even if only 20 countries signed that would be a positive move forward from zero. It would set a benchmark that could be built upon in years to come. 

“This strategic approach is designed to defuse opposition and empower support for LGBT+ equality and non-discrimination in ways that are likely to win over the maximum possible number of Commonwealth nations.

“2018 must be the year of change. Commonwealth countries account for half of the world’s 72 nations where same-sex relations are illegal, mostly under laws imposed by Britain when it was the colonial power. Seven Commonwealth member states stipulate life imprisonment. In parts of Pakistan and Nigeria, there is the death penalty for men who have sex with men. Hate crimes against LGBT+ people are widespread and unchecked in most Commonwealth countries.

“The vast majority of LGBT+ people living in the Commonwealth have no legal protection against discrimination in employment, housing and the provision of good and services. This makes a mockery of Commonwealth values and the human rights principles of the Commonwealth Charter. CHOGM 2018 must remedy these failings by hearing the voices of LGBT+ Commonwealth citizens and their allies – and then acting to support their human rights.”

For more information about the Peter Tatchell Foundation, click here:

 

Help ban gay conversion therapies

A journalist has launched a petition calling on the government to ban gay conversion therapy after his undercover investigation exposed the dangerous practice happening in the UK.

Josh Parry
Josh Parry

Josh Parry, the journalist behind the investigation mounted by Liverpool’s Echo newspaper, found a church in the city willing to offer him the chance to ‘cure’ himself of his homosexuality through a programme of prayer and fasting.

Josh says: “Earlier this year, the Department of Health acknowledged that conversion therapy is not only ineffective, but also dangerous. They also claimed they are already doing enough to make sure it doesn’t happen – however our investigation proved it still goes on today. So why haven’t they banned it yet? 

“Studies show that those who undergo ‘conversion’ are 8.9 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, and 5.9 times more likely to suffer depression.

“They are dangerous and do not work so we’re calling upon the government to make offering these ‘therapies’ a criminal offence and call an end to these harmful practices once and for all.”

Gay conversion therapy is already banned in Australia, Malta, Switzerland, Taiwan, and in several US states.

If the petition gets 100,000 signatures before April 27, 2018, the government will be forced to debate the matter in parliament.

To sign the petition, click here:

To see Josh’s original report, click here: 

COMPETITION: Win a pair of tickets for War Horse at Brighton Centre

Gscene has a pair of tickets to give away in a competition for The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horse which comes to the Brighton Centre from January 25 – February 10.

The tour of War Horse coincides with the Centenary commemorations of the end of the First World War and follows the production’s enormously successful tour of the UK and Ireland in 2013-2014.

War Horse, which has been seen by over seven million people worldwide, has won 25 awards including the Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway.

Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of courage, loyalty, and friendship, about a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War is the most successful play in the National Theatre’s history and features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage.

Michael Morpurgo said: “After a few months rest, out at pasture, Joey, the War Horse and his great team from the National Theatre, will be touring the UK again, from 2017 through to 2018 and the centenary of the end of the First World War, taking their show all over the country, to towns and cities, many of them places War Horse has not been seen before.  I am so pleased this is happening; that so many more people will have the chance to enjoy this unique theatrical event. Steady boy, steady Joey. Trot on!”

War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

Tickets are valid to see War Horse at the Brighton Centre on Thursday, January 25 only at 7.30pm. At least 1 adult must be present (parental guidance suitable for 10 years+).  Tickets are non-exchangeable.

Closing date for entries is December 20 at noon. Entries received after this date will not be counted. Winners will be required to collect their tickets from box office on the night of the show. Any travel and accommodation will not be included in the prize.

To win a pair of tickets email your answer to the following question to info@gscene.com by Wednesday, December 20 at noon.

What is the name of the famous War Horse in the play?

·       A – Sebastian

·       B – Joey

·      C – Kelso

 

FILM PREVIEW: HUGO XO, a film by Dale John Allen

Specifically aimed at the queer viewer, Hugo, XO explores societies ‘shame culture’ surrounding sex and is designed to reflect societies prudish, damaging and shaming obsession with sex, gossip, rumours and prejudice.

The film which features the drag artist Lydia L’scabies documents the explicit and graphic sexual ‘confessions’ of homosexuals, in order to challenge shame, and what, or who, decides sexual behaviour is shameful.

Dale John Allen is an artist filmmaker, writer and editor. He studied BA (Hons) Moving Image at the University of Brighton, graduating in 2017. His work explores themes surrounding social politics of representation, particularly within the LGBT communities, as well creating work to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness.

He said: “My work celebrates individuality and equality, with my current practice toying with blurring the boundaries between art and pornography. I’m specifically interested in exploring new ways to frame imagery which is generally deemed explicit to challenge these pre-conceived ideas.”

HUGO XO is written, directed, edited by Dale John Allen and features Dale John Allen, Hugo Harris, and Lydia L’Scabies. Jordan Bradley in the sound engineer.

 

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