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Day: May 9, 2018

Free HIV self testing programme from THT

Posted on by Besi

Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) launch free HIV self testing programme for all Gay and Bi men and Trans women.

THT, Britain’s leading HIV and sexual health organisation, has launched a programme that will enable men who have sex with men (MS’) and trans women to order free HIV self testing kits.

The service will provide free HIV self tests provided by BioSure, that people can do in the privacy of their own home (or wherever they feel most comfortable), receiving results in minutes. The tests will also be available for anyone based in the UK who identifies as black African.

People who order one of the kits will also have access to support from THT Direct, the charity’s information and advice line, who are there to provide information and support whatever the result.

The development and launch of the service has been made possible, for up to a period of six months, by a legacy left by the late actor Alec McCowen CBE.

However, the charity is seeking charitable donations from supporters with the aim of being able to extend it for longer.

The aim of the programme is to test the effectiveness of self testing as a method to reduce barriers to HIV testing among groups most at risk of contracting HIV.

Ian Green
Ian Green

Ian Green, CEO, Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “One of our strategic aims as a charity is to end HIV transmission in the UK, and increasing testing among at risk communities is an effective way to achieve this.

“We know that different methods of testing suit different people, and so we’re thrilled to launch this programme for those who prefer to use self testing kits at home but who perhaps can’t afford it.

“The programme, which is currently funded for up to six months, will enable more people from at risk communities to know their status and access early, effective treatment if required.

“This will ensure that fewer people are living undiagnosed with HIV, and that they can live long, healthy lives, with no risk of passing the virus on to future partners.”

There are an estimated 10,400 people in the UK who do not know that they’re living with HIV, which means that they are not on effective medication and could unknowingly be passing the virus on.

Regular HIV testing enables people who have a reactive (positive) result to access effective treatment earlier, which increases their ability to live a long and healthy life, and prevents them from transmitting HIV on to current or future sexual partners.

To find out how to support the programme or, if eligible, order a free self testing kit, click here:

Lord’s amendment gives protection to migrants

Posted on by Besi

Government agrees to implement Dr Sarah Wollaston’s amendment to Data Protection Bill.

IN todays Lords debate on the Data Protection Bill, the Government accepted the principle of an amendment tabled by Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee which will restrict the occasions when NHS Digital can share data relating to criminal investigations to serious offences only.

Furthermore, data in such cases will only be shared with the police. This means that NHS Digital can no longer share data with the Home Office on migrants being investigated for immigration offences to have committed immigration offences. This data sharing of migrants’ patient information has been going on for many years and was most recently formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NHS Digital, the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care.

NAT (National AIDS Trust) had, along with Doctors of the World (UK), led a campaign to end the practice since it came to light in 2014. Most recently the Health and Social Care Committee published a report strongly criticising the MoU and the immigration tracing service, demanding that it end immediately.

It will be very important that the definition of ‘serious offences’ in any new MoU is consistent with guidance from the General Medical Council.

Deborah Gold
Deborah Gold

Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “We are delighted that at last this shameful sharing of confidential patient information with the Home Office is to end. Not only did it breach every bit of guidance on confidentiality within the NHS, it also deterred people from essential healthcare putting both individual and public health at risk. 

“NAT has been working on this since 2014 and we would like to thank the many prestigious organisations and individuals from across the health sector who have joined us in campaigning for this data sharing to stop. We especially want to thank the Health and Social Care Committee for their inquiry and report and the Chair, Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, for tabling the successful Amendment.  We now call on NHS Digital to suspend the current MoU immediately – the view of Government and Parliament is clear. We want our confidential health service back.”

 

Fringe REVIEW: Gender Euphoria @Marlborough Theatre

Posted on by Eric Page

Gender Euphoria

James Lorien MacDonald

Marlborough Theatre

Play till May 9

GENDER Euphoria is James Lorien MacDonald’s solo stand-up show with a focus on his ideas and experiences of gender and the way it affects him, us, the people around us and what people may think (or say) about us.

Like all male stands-up’s there’s a fair bit about cock and sex but these are not the dick jokes you’re used to. James’ take on masculinity and gender is informed by the fact that he’s a transgender, gay immigrant in Finland with Canadian heritage and this give him a unique and slightly left field perception into your typical men’s stand up.

He grabs masculinity by the balls and giving them a good squeeze takes us on a journey into his own journey into masculinity. We take a peek into his past, a very funny tangent into late night You-Tube, how he made the worse lesbian in the world. There some educative serious stuff folded in too, about the Nordic eugenic past and sterilisation obsession but none of it too preachy. His observations from deep within the mysteries of the locker room, driven by insecurities, powered by raging testosterone and mounting lust are funny, full of careful and honest observations, both about his own state of mind and the reactions of others.

There are some very funny stories in this show and a fair few good lines, discussing his rampant sex drive and unfocused urge: buses, trees and furniture all turn him on, with a delicious riff about thirsting for designer Finnish furniture. His wanderings around male shame, body image and Masc. performance are surprisingly delicate but veined though with a disarming honesty that testified to the lived experience at the core of this show.

Gender Euphoria is an engaging hour of funny testimony but it could do with firming up with more materiel, his musing and tangential distractions left potentially funny avenues unexplored, and there was a cul-de-sac or two. Overall the subject matter is hardly original, a bloke talking about being a bloke, but it’s the delivery which is always essential in stand up and here James excelled, he’s honest, engaging, frank and honest enough to talk about his weaknesses which is a real strength in stand up. With a touch more polish and a pinch more material this is a winner of a fringe show. As a cis man swirling in privilege it was my pleasure to laugh with some novel insight into the anxieties and the experience of being a modern gay man done with panache.

Gender Euphoria adds its weight to a pretty impressive line-up both from Nordic performers, Gender Queer and just plain funny ones in this year’s Marlborough Fringe program. James Lorien MacDonald’s stand-up and confessional is a superb hour of honest entertainment and well worth catching if you can.

Until May 9

For more info or to book tickets, click here:

MUSIC REVIEW: Tommy Down – Superficial

Posted on by Ray A-J

Tommy Down has us asking: Isn’t it all just a little ‘Superficial’, with his funky track.

A funky twist here, a chirpy twang there – this relaxed summer night soundtrack from soul and jazz man Tommy Down somehow has me pondering the politics of selfies, but surrounded by the sounds of a synthy speakeasy.

Cheeky bass slaps and smokey vocals hark back to the good old days of Nile Rodgers, giving us the essence of funk but with a slight flicker of a modern chill out track.

Rich staccato chords, carried by a spacey synth, form a dusky cloud of smoke for the cutting bass to shine through. Unpretentious and soothing, the laid back vocals of Down nestle their way into the room, as the synth steps back for a verse. In his velvety and lax vocal tone (borrowed from John Newman almost), Down takes a step back to look at the people taking selfies, off handedly commenting: “It’s all just so hollow.” Yet, in his next sore breath, confesses his desperation to be involved in the narcissism and be “tagged” in the pictures.

Skeletal drums wake-up a sleepy guitar that oh-so cleverly chimes in every so often with its own quirky little twang of melody, reminding us that it’s still summer so we should just relax.

Down’s track is a curious one. He’s asking if the world has plunged too far into the pools of self-importance and become lost in the deep end of social media, but the carefree artist doesn’t dwell too much on the realisation, layering the heavy question underneath a light air of basking synth chords and lounging guitars. The compelling dichotomy perfectly encapsulates the dismissal and yet obsession towards social media.

It comes as no surprise that the ‘Best Original Composition’ winner has crafted such a refined and sophisticated modern jazz fueled funk track. Given his roots as male vocalist for the Bristol University Jazz Orchestra, he clearly understands the beauty in the marrying of a modest guitar melody and simplistic vocal tones. Lined with subtle little vocal cracks and gravely notes, the man’s voice just exudes soul.

Overall, Down cleverly plays out the simple nostalgic beats of funk beneath a subtle lyrical depiction of the self obsessed generation. His mastery of songwriting and singing is on full display here, and he never misses an opportunity to include a pretty little bass twang or sharp chord where he can. The jazzy singer has created a great chill out track for a late night beach party, laced with a poignant message of the dangers of self-absorption.

Fringe REVIEW: Gingzilla: Glamonster Vs. the World

Posted on by Spencer Charles Smith

A Beautiful Beast!

I COULD tell Gingzilla oozed charisma from the moment she greeted her queuing audience outside The Hat (in The Warren) with sweet and salty popcorn.

Towering over me, this 7ft ginger giant gleefully reminisced about the time I saw her eat an entire bucket of fried chicken onstage at Her Upstairs in London. Just like her pre-show snack, Gingzilla’s latest creation Gingzilla: Glamonster Vs. the World sits on a knife-edge of sweet and salty camp.

Inspired by the ‘creature features’ from the 1950s (i.e. Godzilla, Attack of the 50ft Woman, King Kong), Gingzilla: Glamonster Vs. the World tells the story of an ordinary woman trying to live up to society’s old-fashioned gender expectations. Our campy protagonist is guided along by a God-like voice – straight out of a cigarette advert – and is provided step-by-step instructions on how to be a real lady. Fortunately for us, chaos ensues and a glamonster is unleashed onto the audience.

With a mix of music, movies and mess, the show offered a little bit of everything: lip-synching, live singing (and the girl can sing!) and light-hearted audience participation. I was particularly impressed by the video projection, where Gingzilla’s face was superimposed onto clips of old sit-coms and black-and-white horror films.

What I loved most about this show was how it straddled the line of comedy and tragedy; in true camp fashion, there was a fascinating duality to Gingzilla. Think: the lovechild of John Waters and Rob Zombie. She was constantly flipping back and forth – from the hilarious to the horrifying; from beautiful singing to beastly screaming; from impeccably precise choreography to stumbling on smoke machines backstage.

The audience experienced this duality too. I won’t spoil it, but there was a moment involving ice cream that made me want to chuckle and blow chunks at the same time. But the absolute highlight for me was when she used the audio from a 1950s television show to allude to domestic abuse, and the audience genuinely didn’t know if it should laugh or cry. That kind of grotesque confusion and genre-fuckery is exactly why I love camp.

Go see this show.

Not only is Gingzilla talented, and a sweetheart, but she’s the kind of queen you want to root for. And, if you’re lucky, you might even get a face-full of her ginger cleavage.

Plays at the The Warren: The Hat on May 9 and 27.

For times and to book tickets, click here:

Huge clean up after one of the busiest bank holidays ever

Posted on by Besi

Brighton & Hove gets back to normal after one of the busiest and hottest bank holidays on record.

AN estimated 300,000 people flocked to the city to enjoy the beaches and parks, and soak up the fantastic weather.

The Children’s Parade, Hove Lawns food festival and the start of the Fringe and Festival month, also helped draw in more tourists than virtually any other bank holiday weekend adding to the tens of thousands of residents visiting the city’s open spaces and seafront.

Cllr Gill Mitchell
Cllr Gill Mitchell

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the city’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “It’s great to see so many people coming to our brilliant city and enjoying all the facilities we have. It was one of the city’s busiest bank holiday weekends ever.

“But the city’s popularity also means vast amounts more litter and waste being left behind on our beaches and dropped on our streets, and the demand on our street and beach cleaning teams was extremely high.
 
“The teams have been very busy all weekend and carried out an amazing clearing up job, working from the very early hours in the morning and through the day until late at night.”

The council’s waste and street cleansing teams collected an estimated 20 tonnes of waste (equivalent to 250 sunbathers) from the city’s beaches, and have been working round the clock to ensure the streets are litter free.

Sue Johnson, Secretary of Friends of Hove Lagoon sent an email to CityClean, the council’s cleansing department: “I just wanted to express my thanks to everyone at the council who has made Hove Lagoon litter free. 

“I walked around at midday on Tuesday and was really surprised and pleased to see all the bins had been emptied and with very little stray litter. This is amazing after what must have been a horrendously busy weekend. 

“I’m the first to complain, so I wanted to give praise too!”

Dan Stockland, of the Big Beach Café at the Lagoon, also emailed: “Thank you so much for a job well done! “The large yellow bins worked at treat. Thanks you guys, much appreciated. We had a record-breaking weekend.”

The council received complaints about overflowing bins over the weekend.

Cllr Mitchell continued: “This weekend saw an unprecedented amount of visitors and an unprecedented amount of waste. A lot of the smaller bins on the seafront got full very quickly and our teams did try to empty them as soon as possible. 
 
“If a bin is full, we would ask people to find another one – there are lots of big black bins on the promenade – or take their rubbish home with them.
 
“Leaving it on the beach or beside an overflowing bin is not acceptable. It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep our city clean.” 

Normally, bins are emptied at least once daily, and this increases to at least twice a day in the busy summer period.

Cllr Mitchell added: “We will be using extra staff resources by the end of May and beginning of June which will help with litter picking on the beach and street cleaning.”

Last chance to win trip to San Francisco

Posted on by Besi

There is still time to be in with a chance of winning a trip to San Francisco, courtesy of Newcastle Pride and main stage sponsor, Manchester Airport.

L-R: Seb Thompson, Manchester Airport, Stephen Willis, Newcastle Pride and Patrick Alexander, Manchester Airport
L-R: Seb Thompson, Manchester Airport, Stephen Willis, Newcastle Pride and Patrick Alexander, Manchester Airport

NEWCASTLE Pride, sponsored by business improvement district NE1, has teamed up with Manchester Airport to offer one lucky winner a £2,000 voucher to spend on accommodation and flights to the popular destination.

Time is running out to purchase a raffle ticket to enter, with the competition coming to a close on May 27 when the winner will be announced at popular Newcastle cabaret club, Boulevard.

Patrick Alexander, Head of Marketing at Manchester Airport, said: “With more than 210 direct routes to choose from at Manchester Airport, we have picked one of our newest and most exciting for this competition.

“I’d like to wish everyone good luck in the competition and cannot wait to meet the winner.”

Stephen Willis, festival director of Newcastle Pride, added: “This is a fantastic prize which was generously supplied by Manchester Airport and San Francisco is an amazing place to visit.

“We’re fast approaching the end of the competition but there is still time for people to enter to have a chance of winning an amazing prize.

“All the money raised will go to LGBT charity, Northern Pride, to fund future events and keep Newcastle Pride free.”

San Francisco is home to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island – the site of the infamous former prison – and The Castro, one of the first gay neighbourhoods in the United States.

Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke

This year’s Newcastle Pride will take place from July 20 -22 at Nuns Moor, with Alexandra Burke and S Club headlining the Manchester Airport Main Stage and Gareth Gates, Jack and Joel and Jordan Gray also performing over the weekend, with more acts to be announced.

Raffle tickets cost £1 and can be purchased from Boulevard, 3-9 Churchill Street or the Newcastle Pride office at Dance City, Temple Street.

The prize can be redeemed up until the end of August 2019 and full terms and conditions are available on the Newcastle Pride website.

Fringe REVIEW: Gypsy Queen @Marlborough Theatre

Posted on by Brian Butler

The central theme of this fast-moving two-hander is “How can a boxer be gay?” And playwright and co-star Rob Ward answers his own question in this highly poetical episodic drama – “yes he can”.

ORIGINALLY conceived as a response to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, the piece has evolved into a taut and very moving, tender, elegiac look at gay romance, uncertainty, fear, guilt but ultimately a love story with a semi-happy outcome.

Rob not only plays Gorgeous George  the scrappy little mongrel of an aspiring boxer, but many other roles, each portrayed in the fastest of costume and character changes. Equally John Askew as the openly out gay contender plays mother, girlfriend, thuggish cousin in the same high-speed manner.

It has to be said that neither actor particularly has the physique of a boxer – Askew has finely sculptured features that make him look more like a high-class swimmer than a fighter. But that aside they both go through simulated fights which work.

Director Adam Zane keeps the pace at a prize-fight speed and there is never a dull moment in its 65 minutes.

The actors used the tiny space well and their locker-room sexual encounter is handled tastefully and powerful.

As another minor gay character says in the play; “I’m fabulous and I’m not going to hide it.”

The play doesn’t paper over the difficulties of being gay in a macho homophobic sport and the dilemma of Dane The Pain Samson is transmitted with passion and humour.

Though some dialogue is predictable and a little clichéd, it is ultimately a gay-life affirming play and deserves to be seen wider.

Gypsy Queen is at the Marlborough Theatre tonight (9) and tomorrow, May 10.

To book tickets online, click here:

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