London Bisexuals Meetup Group and partners aim to make Pride in London 2019 the most bisexual yet!
THERE are now four bi+ groups in the parade, taking place Saturday, July 6, including London Bi Network, Bi Pride UK, a float organised by London Bi Pandas, and London Bisexuals Meetup Group who are hoping to have the world’s first large pansexual flag with their walking group.
John G, the organiser of the London Bi Meetup, said:“Despite all the research to the contrary, many people still believe that bisexuality isn’t real – that it’s just a phase gay/lesbian people go through, or that (only) women use to tease straight men for attention, among other myths. Some don’t think bisexuals should be at Pride, especially anyone in a relationship(s) with a different gender.
“Showing up at Pride and being visible in large numbers helps dispel the myths, increases awareness, and holds our claim to this space that ought to embrace us. Besides being a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people. It’s exhilarating, self-affirming, and confidence-building and most folks feel like a superstar for a while!”
London Bi Meetup Group and the London Bi Pandas are still fundraising; the Bi Pandas for their float, and the London Bi Meetup Group to replace a big bi flag that was lost after 2018 London Pride.
Early findings from Healthwatch Brighton and Hove’s GP patient survey have been revealed after over 400 responses.
THESE are interim results from a Healthwatch GP patient’s online survey, which will remain open until September 2019, and have been released to encourage more people to take part in the survey.
Fewer people getting a routine appointment within three days (39% compared to 51% in 2017).
Fewer people getting an appointment the same day for an urgent problem (67% compared to 86% in 2017).
Waiting to see a GP at the appointment time:
84% saw GP within 20 minutes of scheduled appointment time (84% in 2017).
Overall satisfaction:
83% were satisfied with GP service (83% 2017).
89% would recommend GP practice to a friend/family member (86% 2017).
Practice closure/merger:
We asked people who had been affected by a GP Practice closure, merger or other change if they found their new surgery convenient:
50% said ‘yes’ the new practice was convenient for them with 25% saying it was OK.
Opening hours:
Satisfaction with hours when people could access a GP:
76% were happy with the hours a GP was available (72% 2017).
Extended hours – 16% of people surveyed had used the Extended hours GP service and
72% of users were satisfied with the service.
David Liley
David Liley, Healthwatch Brighton and Hove’s Chief Officer, said:“People seem to be waiting longer to get a consultation with a GP in Brighton & Hove and this is despite more people being offered phone consultations.
“We also know that GP numbers in the city are slowly declining and the local population is slowly rising. It seems like the drift is in the wrong direction. It is important that the NHS explain what they are doing to address these issues. Perhaps they see the current situation as acceptable or perhaps it is all they can do with the available resources.”
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove also asked about GP practices’ (doctors and nurses) responses to enquiries at consultations about mental health or emotional wellbeing:
33% of people surveyed had raised this kind of issue at a consultation.
81% were satisfied with the response they received from the health professional.
Dr Roland Marden, the Healthwatch Brighton and Hove Insight and Evidence Manager, added:“This was the first time we had asked about mental and emotional health in Primary Care.
“A third of people said they had raised this kind of issue with a doctor or nurse showing just how much people.”
To help Healthwatch Brighton and Hove build a better picture of what is going, click here:
There’s no question that Tracey and Jason’s love is deep, humorous and heart-warming. In this 90 minute film with its home movie feel, we explore their relationship and the deep rooted desire they have to have a baby.
AS the film opens we see Tracey in the aftermath of a mastectomy following a diagnosis of cancer. The drugs she needs to take kill the couple’s Plan A – that she should conceive. Plan B is far more complicated and fraught with impediments.
Jason began life as a woman and after great reduction surgery, took a course of testosterone.But as the story develops so does his complex and equivocal feeling about gender.
So he decides, although now classified as a man, that he will carry the baby. So begins a long and heart-breaking period of time when the couple try and try and try again, through IVF and sperm donation to have the child they so desperately want.
Shot on a small camera with the couple often talking directly to us, the variable quality of picture and sound doesn’t detract from the story – indeed it makes us feel we are in their flat or caravan and they are talking to us alone.
In his stand-up club act Jason seems to find comic relief from the frustrations and contradictions his life seems to exemplify. The comedy is obviously very cathartic for Jason. When he puts mascara on the tiny bit of facial hair he possesses, he tells us “I don’t look like a man, I look like a comedy pirate.”
Jason’s story has been well documented in the media – notably The Guardian – so it’s no great spoiler to reveal that the pregnancy eventually happens. One of the most poignant scenes is during the last few hours of the pregnancy when Jason, tired, depressed and mournful finally seems to have tired of talking to the camera.
And the happy outcome is summed up by the song over the final credits “Do whatever the heck you want.”
This is a warts and all love story and the two protagonists are not ashamed of their naked bodies or the medical procedures they endure.
But ultimately it’s a story of perseverance, determination, deep affection and a successful bid for happiness and fulfilment which is well worth a watch.
A Deal with the Universe, made by the BFI, Sharp House and Delaval Films is out now on dvd.
The third Rock House Festival, presented by Brighton-based arts charity Carousel, takes place at Green Door Store in Brighton on Saturday, July 27 from 3pm.
EXPECT a rocking line-up and a statement on how learning disabled and non-learning disabled bands can come together to create a spectacle and a scene! With top bands programmed throughout the afternoon and evening, plus a range of stalls, drinks and food, it’s an accessible and ear-opening event.
This year’s line-up includes the only Brighton performance by the Daniel Wakeford Experience, fresh from a national tour of 02 venues; Guy Lloyd’s glam punk band, Sock; Meggie Brown, whose debut single was produced by Alex Krapanos of Franz Ferdinand; and metal band Zombie Crash, who are celebrating 10 years of noise and showmanship!
Ryan O’Donovan
Ryan O’Donovan, Zombie Crash guitarist and vocalist, said:“In 2007, I started two years of music training with arts charity Carousel, composing, recording and playing in-house gigs. When the course ended five of us got together and formed a band. From our wild, boisterous stage demeanour there was no denying that metal music was right for us.
“We knew we didn’t want to write songs about the challenges that learning disabled people like us face, so we made ourselves into characters a bit like the video-game hero ‘Duke Nukem’ and took inspiration from film, gaming and historical settings. Gigs soon followed, along with a line-up change and by 2012 we became the six-piece Zombie Crash of today, 100% learning disabled with no need for facilitators to fill the gaps. The point is, we’ve made it a decade and we’re not done yet. We remain committed to our natural calling in life; as musicians and entertainers.”
Event: Carousel’s Rock House Festival
Where: Green Door Store, Trafalgar Arches, Brighton, BN1 4FQ
When: Saturday, July 27
Time: 3pm-10pm
Tickets: Early bird £7/5, full price £9/7, on door £10/£8
With Norwich Pride only 50 days away, the annual Pride Without Prejudice art show has had to be cancelled due to a lack bookings.
DISMAYED by this news, Norfolk based poet and artist Vince Laws, has booked the whole of St Margaret’s Church of Art on St Benedict’s Street in Norwich and intends to fill it with art, and poetry, and politics, and performance.
Vince, is the former Norwich Pride Poet Laureate, artist, campaigner, creator of A Very Queer Nazi Faust which sold out Norwich Arts Centre in 2018, creator of the DWP Deaths Make Me Sick shrouds currently touring the UK, Umbrellas of Love, BANNED face-painting, B.Right.On Festival, Founder of The Norwich Dandies art collective editor of the Out Write poetry anthology.
Vince Laws
“I had already booked a wall for Pride Without Prejudice, now I’ve got the whole church,”said Vince. “I think it’s important for the whole community that an art show happens every year alongside Norwich Pride. I’m fundraising £1000 to put on a 2 week art show, that way it will be free for artists to show their work, free for performers, free to hold workshops, and free to visit. If you want to take part, get in touch quickly, there isn’t much time to make this happen.”
Any money left over will go towards next year’s PIMP MY UNICORN! so they can make sure the event happens annually. Once they have some money in the kitty for next year they can think about bringing artists and speakers in from afar.
Vince, is the former Norwich Pride Poet Laureate, artist, campaigner, creator of A Very Queer Nazi Faust which sold out Norwich Arts Centre in 2018, creator of the DWP Deaths Make Me Sick shrouds currently touring the UK, Umbrellas of Love, BANNED face-painting, B.Right.On Festival, Founder of The Norwich Dandies art collective editor of the Out Write poetry anthology and a former deputy editor of Gscene magazine.
On hearing of his plans to put on Pimp My Unicorn, Michelle Savage, Chair of Norwich Pride 2019, wrote “We know your show will be great – you have amazing vision and a unique capacity to transform a space.”
If you’d like to help in any way email: vincelaws@gmail.com. Volunteers artists and performers are needed to invigilate and help at events.
“You don’t have to bat for us to admire our balls!” Oscar Wilde
Event:Pimp My Unicorn! A two-week art festival to complement Norwich Pride.
Where: St Margaret’s Church of Art, St Benedict’s Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4AQ
When: Set up on Sunday July 21. Open Monday, July 22 with official Launch that night. Then open until 5pm on Saturday, August 3. Norwich Pride is on Saturday, July 27.
Access: Venue is wheelchair accessible using a ramp, with 2 ramps inside. The toilet is wheelchair adapted. There is a small kitchen with fridge. If you need help to take part, contact Vince.
A photographic archive tracing the history of New York City’s Pride Parades in the 1970s and ’80s, annotated by the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg (1926-97), is coming up for auction on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
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SWANN Auction Galleries, who will be selling the archive in The Pride Sale on June 20, have put an estimate of $70,000-100,000 on the collection by Hank O’Neal (b.1940), the celebrated photographer, author and music producer.
A portion of the sale’s commissions will be donated to benefit The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City.
The archive comprises 120 photographs of New York City’s Gay Pride Parades by Hank O’Neal, each annotated by Allen Ginsberg, as well as an additional group of approximately 165 photographs by O’Neal of the NYC parades, five of which are signed and dated by O’Neal and contain Ginsberg’s captions.
Today at least a million spectators line the Pride parade route along Fifth Avenue. But, in its earliest days, the celebration was a much smaller event characterised by NY-style high energy, pithy signage, raucous crowd chants, extensive cruising and great music.
Dating from 1974-83, the images capture the importance of the parades to the early Gay Liberation Movement, depicting an array of fun-loving and politically-motivated participants, several openly displaying affection.
Most of O’Neal’s photographs focused on NY’s West Village or Christopher Street, the epicentre of the community. A range of sub-cultures associated with the LGBT+ communities are depicted: young and longhaired post-hippies, bare-chested muscle men, drag queens, fairies, leather-ites, Gay Daddies, protestors, pastors, parents of gays and the hikin dykes.
Some participants hold placards, including those protesting against Anita Bryant, the once-popular singer, who emerged as a strident anti-gay crusader in the late 1970s and teamed up with the divisive Evangelical figure Jerry Falwell. A banner for the Gay Men’s Health Project is a harbinger of the tragic era to come.
Marsha P. Johnson
Among those pictured is activist Marsha P. Johnson, whose image Ginsberg inscribed to the reverse: “If I keep dressing up like this I’ll save the world from Nuclear Apocalypse. But will anyone love me for it? I’ll save the world anyway. I know what looks good.”
Allen Ginsberg became involved in the archive when he first saw the photographs in 1982 and, according to O’Neal, was inspired to add his distinctive captions to the backs of the prints. His brief handwritten notes, which often reflect personal or historic observations, strike a wonderful tone.
A caption that accompanies a picture of a group of men holding the banner WE ARE EVERYWHERE reads, “We all look pretty normal, boy next door, handsome punk, ad man’s delight, daughters of the American Revolution.” A shot depicting two men dressed in ancient Roman costume reads, “Clark Gable and Nero on a date, smiling for the 1920s Hollywood photogs.”
The archive is part of a wide-ranging catalogue charting the course of Gay Rights Movement, many of the lots consigned by LGBT+ owners.
Further highlights include outstanding and historic pieces such as a Remembrance copy of Walt Whitman’sMemoranda During the War, inscribed to Peter Doyle, from “the author, with his love”, and published in 1875-76. The estimate is $50,000 to $75,000. Much has been debated about Whitman’s sexuality, but his masterpiece, Leaves of Grass, published in 1855, included some of the earliest writings made public that explore what appear to be queer love. As such, he is an important figure in the history of the LGBT+ movement.
A signed, extra-limited first edition of Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, dating to 1899, also features and is estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.
From around 1920 comes Gerda Wegener’s watercolour, chalk and wash painting Two Women in a Window, estimated at $15,000 to $25,000, while from 1953 comes a first edition of James Baldwin’sGo Tell It On The Mountain. The estimate is $800 to $1,200.
Fred W. McDarrah captured the Sip In, an event that presaged Stonewall by three years when three young men, members of the early gay rights group the Mattachine, set out to challenge bars in New York City that refused to serve gay people. After several false starts at bars that were either closed or unwelcoming, the three were indeed served drinks – on the house – by two bars after declaring their orientation, before moving on to Julius.
As the bartender at Julius started to serve them, the men told him they were gay, at which point he refused to continue by putting his hand over the glass, and it was this moment that McDarrah captured on camera for The Village Voice. A silver print of this 1966 image, printed in the 1990s, is on offer in the auction at an estimate of $1,500 to $2,500.
Important lots from the early 1970s include Su Negrin’s Gay Liberation poster, based on a photograph by Peter Hujar transformed into a poster published by Times Change Press in 1970, estimated at $400 to $600, and Donna Gotschalk’s poster, Sisterhood Feels Good, also published by Times Change Press, in 1971 and estimated at $400 to $600.
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Later in the decade, the gay rights campaigner Harvey Milk became the first out elected official in the history of the state of California. Winning a seat as a city supervisor in November 1977, Milk used his brief time in office to champion LGBT+ rights by successfully sponsoring a bill banning discrimination in various areas, such as housing and employment, on the basis of sexual orientation.
It was during this period that he wrote the signed, autograph letter to two friends declaring how he thought they “should have a memo from the 1st up front gay mayor of any city – it’s for real!!”
Tragically, Milk’s campaigning was brought to a premature and violent end on November 27, 1978 when he was assassinated alongside Mayor George Moscone.
Despite the brevity of Milk’s official political career, his influence and importance have made him an icon in the LGBT+ rights movement. The letter is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.
Another great icon of the LGBT+ movement is Robert Mapplethorpe, the New York photographer, whose highly stylised black and white images encompassed striking subjects as diverse as portraits of celebrities, still lifes of flowers and gay and BDSM culture.
The sale includes an example of his Z Portfolio of 13 silver prints from 1981, with an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
“Swann is thrilled to be hosting its inaugural Pride Sale and proud to continue supporting the community through a fundraising effort alongside the auction,”says President of Swann Auction Galleries, Nicholas D. Lowry.
“We see this as an important and unique event among the many happening this June, recognising the historical, literary and artistic achievements of LGBTQ+ writers, artists and activists,”Lowry continued.“This auction will celebrate the community and give collectors, connoisseurs and the curious an opportunity to observe and bid on a range of material from the last two centuries, with manuscripts, autographs, literature, art, photography, posters and more.”
For more information about the auction, click here:
Worthing Pride organisers are “absolutely overwhelmed and delighted” after receiving a Big Lotto grant of £10k to help fund the towns second Pride event on Saturday, July 13, 2019.
THE grant was secured following the positive reaction of the local communities and businesses who embraced the towns first Pride in 2018 which helped change perceptions of the seaside town.
Josie Kelly, founder of Worthing Pride, said that the self-funded event relies on the generosity of supporters and sponsors to cover essential set-up, build and services costs as income from ticket sales is not released till one week after the event.
She added: “with this amazing funding generosity from Big Lotto, not only has this given Worthing Pride a lifeline to cover many essential costs for this years Pride, but also ensures we have funds to cover costs for Pride 2020.”
Worthing Pride’s chosen charity, Horsham-based HOPE Charity Project, who support young and vulnerable children suffering from mental health issues, were also an integral part of the Lotto grants’ decision to award the event.
Claire Sparrow, founder of HOPE charity, said:“this is an incredible award for Worthing Pride, thanks to their generosity, this also means that more proceeds from the event can be donated to the charity, and will ensure that more local children, and their families receive the care and support they urgently need now. Thank you Big Lotto, we are so grateful.”
For more information about Worthing Pride, and to buy tickets online, click here:
Sussex PCC honoured in Queen’s Birthday Honours for 2019.
SUSSEX Police and Commissioner Katy Bourne has today (June 8), been awarded an OBE for public and political services.
The Commissioner has worked hard among other things for the victims of stalking after being stalked herself for 5 years.
Chief Constable Giles York
Chief Constable Giles York said:“Katy Bourne has been a consistent force for good since first being elected as the PCC for Sussex; she has always been a voice of challenge and support for the Force and championing the needs of the public and those who struggle to have their voice heard.
On behalf of all of us at Sussex Police we offer our congratulations on such well earned recognition in being awarded an OBE.”
Claudia Ortiz, Director of Brighton-based specialist stalking service Veritas Justice said: “We would like to congratulate Katy on receiving this very well-deserved recognition.
“She has shown immense commitment and dedication to improving outcomes for victims of Stalking and has shared her own experiences publicly. Her tireless work raising awareness of this devastating crime has inspired us locally and many others nationally to come together and create the changes that are so desperately needed by some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“Her unwavering support and passion have driven the stalking agenda in almost every national platform and her work in support of victims of Stalking is most definitely saving lives and is testament to her ingenuity, creativity, and above all leadership in public service.”
Former Sussex lawyer, Paul Greenwood a former District Attorney in San Diego and one of the USA’s leading prosecutors of elder abuse who spoke at the launch of the Sussex PCC’s Elders’ Commission report launch Parliament.
He said:“I am delighted that Katy Bourne has been recognised for her innovative approach to raising awareness in Sussex about the ever growing crime of financial exploitation that targets our elder and vulnerable adult population.
“Education and community involvement with the police are essential in the fight to hold perpetrators accountable; and so it is gratifying that Mrs Bourne’s leadership in this area has been duly noted.”
Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said:“I am very honoured to have been nominated and to have been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. This is a tremendous endorsement of the role of Police and Crime Commissioners and testament to the hard work of the team in my office who support me. I would like to thank them and also every single police officer, PCSO and police staff member in Sussex for working so tirelessly to keep us all safe.”
Procter & Gamble appoint Paris Lees, ‘Britain’s leading trans activist’, as its new UK Ambassador for Pantene.
ATFORTUNE’sMost Powerful Women International Summit in London, Alexandra Keith, CEO of P&G Beauty, bestowed the accolade on the multi-award winning writer, campaigner and broadcaster, Paris Lees.
Paris has been described as “the voice of a generation” by i-D magazine, “Britain’s leading trans activist” by the Evening Standard, and one of Britain’s “new suffragettes” by British Vogue, where she is now a regular columnist.
Alexandra Keith said:“We’re really trying to bring back the mission and purpose of our brands, so for Pantene – which is all about giving women healthy, beautiful hair – we did a study with Yale University.
“Following studies with 8,000 women, in 11 countries, we found that across the world, hair is more important than almost anything else to the way a woman expresses herself.
“So our new platform is about the transformative power of hair. Here in the UK, I’m really proud to announce our partnership with Paris to help bring to life Paris’ story and journey, and the role that her hair has played.”
The FORTUNE Most Powerful Women International Summit is an opportunity to connect with female change makers in the UK, Europe, and beyond to exchange ideas and forge new alliances. The theme of the 2019 programme was Leading Together.
Paris added:“When I first transitioned as a teenager, I was messed about by the NHS like many trans people are. I wasn’t actually getting the support that I needed, and I didn’t have any medical interventions or hormones at that point… [So] the way that I was communicating to the world that I was female… was through my hair, make up and clothes. These things don’t make us women, but it was just such a powerful way for me to express myself.
“There is such an emotional element to hair. I think for me, it’s such a powerful expression of femininity. For me, my hair is my crowning glory because it grew out of my head – it’s me, it’s indivisible from me.
“When I was growing up the only time I saw trans people in the media was when we were presented as objects of pity, ridicule or disgust. We were never celebrated and there was a caricature of ‘too much make up, fake hair, fake boobs’ – this idea that you were artificial.
“I never thought that trans people would be celebrated – I thought that we could maybe reduce the stigma, but I didn’t realise… we would be winning awards and appearing on the front of magazines. What a great message for kids that when they are turning on the TV or looking online, brands are celebrating [people like me].”
THESE are interim results from a Healthwatch GP patient’s online survey, which will remain open until September 2019, and have been released to encourage more people to take part in the survey.
The third Rock House Festival, presented by Brighton-based arts charity Carousel, takes place at Green Door Store in Brighton on Saturday, July 27 from 3pm.
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