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Month: September 2019

London celebrates inaugural Trans Pride

Posted on by Emma Rylands
Emma Rylands
Emma Rylands

The first ever National Trans Pride took place in London yesterday (Sept 14). It was a combined protest and celebration that enabled participants to walk the streets of London with no fear.

PEOPLE gathered at Wellington Arch and marched along Piccadilly, all the way to Soho Square. The roads were closed off and even though police presence was visible, it blended with the crowds in a non invasive way.

Due to protests from TERDs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Discriminators) at London Pride 2018 and Manchester Pride 2019, the route was not published in advance, and no such incidents were reported.

It was a glorious sunny day in London and the air was filled with love and hope for the future. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and I was so proud to march along with my trans and non binary siblings, and all the cis allies who came to show their support.

Reports estimate that there were about 1500 participants but while marching and being cheered on by the crowds and London commuters, to me it felt like every single person in London was taking part.

The people were chanting about equality and acceptance which unfortunately are not a given for the trans community. Recent reports suggest that transphobic hate crimes are on the rise.

The number of transgender hate crimes recorded by police forces in England, Scotland and Wales has risen by 81% and the trans community is constantly featured in the news as a debatable subject.

It is astonishing and shameful that in 2019, there are people continuously discussing and arguing the existence and rights of the trans community in the media.

Some people ask why there is even a separate Trans Pride when there’s Pride once a year.

Annual prides around the world celebrate how far our communities have come to being equal. Trans prides are still fighting and protesting for equality and everything that others already achieved and now take for granted.

Brighton Trans Pride recently celebrate it’s seventh birthday with ever growing numbers. London Trans Pride has only just started but I am certain that, like Trans Pride Brighton, every year it will get bigger and better.

The crowds continued to march through Soho ending up in Soho square were prominent Trans, Non Binary and Queer activists spoke about the struggles and the future hope for the community.

I hope that things will get better. Transphobic abuse and hate crimes need to be reduced now. NHS waiting times need to decrease now. Positive visibility of the Trans Community has to increase now. Equality has to be available for all.

If you were not at Trans Pride London, you don’t have to wait until next year to fight for equality. We can do this on a daily basis by showing love, respect and acceptance to our siblings. Listen to one another and support those in need.

Trans Rights Are Human Rights.

Trans Lives Matter.

Soho Square
Soho Square

Photographs by Eric Page

Rugby legend reveals his HIV status

Posted on by Besi

Rugby legend Gareth Thomas announces he is living with HIV.

THE former rugby captain of Wales revealed his HIV status in an emotional video posted on social media prior to his taking part in the Iron Man Wales event this weekend.

The 45 year old ex-British and Irish Lions rugby skipper speaks out about his “shame” and “fear” of keeping his status secret and reveals at his lowest point in 2018 he felt suicidal and wanted to die.

Gareth is due to talk about his diagnosis in a BBC Wales documentary on Wednesday, September 18.

In the documentary he says that by revealing his status he hopes to “educate and break the stigma for everybody.”

Ian Green
Ian Green

Ian Green, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust the national HIV charity, said: “I’m very proud to call Gareth Thomas a friend. Gareth is proof that an HIV diagnosis shouldn’t stop you from doing anything you want to do – whatever that is. I hope that by speaking publicly about this Gareth will transform attitudes towards HIV that are all too often stuck in the 1980s.

“We’ve made huge medical advances in the fight against HIV that means that people living with HIV like Gareth now live long healthy lives. We can also say without doubt that those and on effective HIV treatment can’t pass on the virus. This is exactly the kind of information Gareth wants to get out there to challenge the stigma that still surrounds this virus.

“Gareth blazed a trail by being the first rugby player to come out as gay and has done so much to encourage inclusion and diversity within the sport. Now he is doing that once again with HIV and taking on the challenge of a lifetime in Ironman Wales to show that this virus doesn’t need to be a barrier when you’re diagnosed and accessing treatment.”

In a message on Twitter, Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, wrote: “Gareth Thomas has again shown enormous strength in declaring himself HIV positive. A role model challenging stigma and prejudice. His example offers hope and resolve to others. Solidarity.”

BOOK REVIEW: The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language by Paul Baker

Posted on by Eric Page

The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language

By Paul Baker

In this hardback book, accompanied by fascinating illustrations we settle into the sumptuous and engaging examinations by author Paul Baker of the ancient language of the Queens, and still spoken by some of our older gays. This is a lovely story, told with charm and a perfect eye for the anecdote. This is story which tells itself whilst unfolding its delights. Baker takes us on a journey through society, politics, history and the ways that gay people have developed their own sophisticated way of communicating. Lots of it feels so tangibly familiar, like seeing your own features in an early photo of your grandparents.

The book teases out the relationships between people and geography, the way cant, rhetoric and sex workers, carnival folk, sailors and queers intersect in the shadows and byways of the world and begin a common tongue. He follows the roots back to their source, showing us the development of the way Polari was spoken and used and looks at why it declined, and also its unlikely recent renaissance.

Paul Baker is Professor of English Language at Lancaster University. He has written fourteen books on a variety of topics including language, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis and identities.

With a cast of drag queens and sailors, Dilly boys and macho clones, Fabulosa! is an essential document of recent history and a fascinating and fantastically readable account of this funny, filthy, and ingenious language.

Out now £15.99  for more info or to buy the book, click here:

PREVIEW: Buttercup’s Songbook – a benefit for Henfield Haven

Posted on by Contributor

A cornucopia of Sir Arthur Sullivan songs, performed by Australian opera singer Sylvia Clarke, accompanied by Geoffrey Burford, will be performed on Saturday, September 28 at 6:30pm.

SIR Arthur Sullivan was not just the musical half of the Gilbert & Sullivan team – he also wrote a great deal of music in addition to the Operettas, including over 80 songs.
Sylvia will be presenting the programme in the imaginary guise of Buttercup; one of the colourful characters in HMS Pinafore. She has selected pieces by Sullivan which Buttercup may have sung in her front parlour after a long day selling goods from her bumboat to sailors aboard ships off-shore. 
You will be treated to some familiar melodies (including the Lost Chord) and some not so familiar, but all very beautiful and varied.
Sylvia trained at the Conservatory of Music Opera School in Sydney before joining Opera Australia.
This concert is promoted by Tim Anscombe of APA, in association with Opera Support and  Funding in aid of the Henfield Haven.

Event: Buttercup’s Songbook a fundraiser for Henfield Haven

Where: Henfield Evangelical Free Church, 155 High Street, Henfield BN5 9EQ 
When: Saturday, September 28
Time: 6.30pm
Cost: Tickets costings £10 are available at The Henfield Haven, Hewitts, Henfield and The Post House Cafe, High Street, Henfield.

Abseil from i360 to raise funds for Samaritans

Posted on by Besi

Thirty intrepid volunteers will abseil down Brighton’s iconic vertical pier, the British Airways i360, on September 21 to raise funds for the Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans branch.

THIS will be the biggest event in the local charity’s fundraising calendar and Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans is hoping to raise a whopping £15,000 from this one spectacular event.

The Brighton branch of Samaritans is responsible for all their fund-raising throughout the year. The branch supports people in the city of Brighton and Hove, as well as along the coast to Shoreham to the West, Newhaven in the East, and over the South Downs to the north including Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Lewes plus the surrounding villages.

In order to provide this vital service the Brighton, Hove and District branch needs to raise £75,000 a year to keep the branch open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Not only Samaritans volunteers will be taking part in this event; there are also heroic people from local businesses who are taking it upon themselves to step out of the pod at 162 metres in order to raise funds for the local Samaritans branch.

There will be fifteen people from One Family as well as nine workers from Legal and General and one courageous worker from local coffee company Small Batch.

The event starts at 6.00pm with the first two people stepping out of the pod to begin the long decent at around 6.30pm. Organisers hope the last two fearless folk will be on their way down the ropes at around 9.00pm. Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans will be making sure there is a carnival atmosphere at the base to welcome them down and encourage the local community to pop along to watch and show their support for the charity and all the abseiling volunteers.

If you would like to donate to this fantastic event and your local Samaritans branch, as well as seeing who is taking part, click here:

REVIEW: Eley Williams @The Spire

Posted on by Brian Butler

BBC arts producer Simon Richardson, opening the four-day Coast is Queer LGBTQ+ literary festival at The Spire in Kemptown said: “I know some people in our community don’t feel the term ‘queer’ represents them. But I think it says something about being radical and disruptive.”

And the first event certainly lived up to that expectation.

Writer Eley Williams has had a meteoric rise to celebrity, winning awards left right and centre and having one of her tales included in the latest Penguin Book of Contemporary British Short Story.

In conversation with Simon, she revealed how word play can uncover hidden strengths and weaknesses in characters.

Reading from her latest anthology Attrib and Other Stories, she gave us a roller coaster cascade of stream of consciousness which was a delight to listen to. Smote is a conversation – all one-sided  – with an unseen and unnamed second woman – friend, lover or partner isn’t made clear.

It’s an enigmatic tongue in cheek but loving portrayal of an apparently insignificant incident where the female narrator is explaining why she wants to kiss her unseen other half, but in an art gallery looking at a famous op art work by artist Bridget Riley, she really doesn’t think she can.

It’s a story about queer love, about shame, about passion and about inaction through guilt. “I’m not holding you but holding onto you” she tells the unseen other. And the mixed emotions create inner turbulence – what she calls “It’s Guinness-thick, the choke of it”.

In another side-thought she compares the feelings she is having as like “black kelp crawling up against the sea-foam. This is absurd and that’s the power of it.”

Eley tells us that lots of her stories are about a person going into a room and getting flummoxed. Her stories are full of arrested moments where the action stands still and feelings can rush in.

Often abandoning punctuation but never grammar, the headlong breathless nature of her thought processes come across wonderfully in this live reading. And these are not mere flights of an author’s fantasy. She bases the style on medical science which shows that exposure to art can sometimes produce electric nerve impulses that pause us and make us almost swoon.

That knowledge, coupled with her PHD about lexicography means her deep joy of using and twisting words creates a unique style of authorship.

Communication is as much about its failure to connect as its success, she tells us.

Her next work is a first novel – about a lexicographer and a researcher’s digging out fake information in the 19th century writer’s inventive mind.

As a kick-off to the 4-day festival, the organisers couldn’t have asked for better.

The Coast is Queer continues at The Spire, Kemptown, until Sunday, September 15.

Full information about the Coast Is Queer, click here:

Review by Brian Butler

Trans athlete to compete in men’s race at Brighton and Hove Triathlon this weekend

Posted on by Gary Hart

Transgender athlete Jason Walker competes this weekend in the Brighton and Hove Triathlon on Sunday, September 15 to raise awareness of Gender Dysphoria.

GENDER Dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there’s a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity.

Jason said: “I knew I was different from the age of 6 but have had gender dysphoria from the age of 11. I’ll be 40 next week. I started transitioning about 7 years ago, but identified as non-binary until a year ago when I decided to start living full time as male as I now have the funds and a supportive partner and work environment that supports me.”

Jason Walker
Jason Walker

Jason started running in 2012 to keep fit after a shoulder injury sustained in a motorcycle accident temporarily stopped him from being able to swim. Since then, he has accumulated finisher medals in over 75 events including triathlons, half marathons, and trail runs.

Jason said: “Brighton & Hove Triathlon is one of my favourite events as it is very inclusive of LGBT+ athletes. This will my third Brighton & Hove Triathlon and I’m fundraising for the LGBTU (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender, Unsure) Youth Charity Allsorts.  I hope that by competing as an openly transgender athlete I will inspire more Trans people to take part! Being active and challenging myself has increased my self-confidence, and helps alleviate my depression and anxiety. It also helps me cope with my gender dysphoria.

“I have to work that much harder to compete as a male athlete. Conversely, competing as female in the past always felt ‘wrong’ and even though it is harder to compete as male, I feel like I belong in that category.”

Race Director John Lunt said: “We use to run a separate Rainbow Wave as an LGBT category but many of the participants don’t want to be singled out. It is great that Jason feels so comfortable competing in Brighton. We really welcome such a very able and competitive athlete.”

The 4th Brighton and Hove Triathlon is taking place this weekend on Hove Lawns on September 14 – 15 and is a weekend of multi-sport for all the family. Children as young as three can race in the Scootathlon on Saturday, September 14 whilst the Children and Adult Triathlon will take place on Sunday 15.

Organisers for the Brighton and Hove Triathlon are delighted that they have had to close entries early due to unprecedented demand.

Two Brewers retain Best LGBT+ Pub crown

Posted on by Besi

The Two Brewers in Clapham retains its title of Best LGTB+ Pub for the second year running at the Great British Pub Awards, a national competition to recognise the best pubs in the country.

THE winners were announced at a glittering awards ceremony held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday, September 5, 2019.

A multi award-winning pub, the Two Brewers is legendary for its spectacular array of entertainment and street parties, as well as famed as a platform for launching new talent.

The pub has successfully created a safe, welcoming multi-cultural community hub that enables fledgling organisations and local groups to meet, practice, and perform in its space, feeding the production of over 600 events at the pub each year.

Over the years the venue has been a host to some of the most famous drag performers on the circuit. Many singers from around the world have graced the Two Brewers stage, including the UK’s Eurovision contestant Surie and X-Factor’s favourite Sam Bailey.

In addition, the pub’s Drag Idol competition, developed by manager Jimmy Smith, continues to grow across the national LGBT+ circuit, and this year saw 110 acts participate for the chance to win the prize fund of £4,500 and take part in paid gigs at participating venues.

Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith

Jimmy said: “I can’t believe we have won for the second year running, it’s an incredible achievement! The fact that we won ‘Best LGBTQ+ Pub’ last year made us even more determined to keep pushing forward and developing our entertainment offer to ensure we stand out as a winning example of a great British pub that specialises in catering for the LBGTQ+ community. I am so proud of my team and cannot thank them enough for their hard work and commitment. This award is down to them!”

Ed Bedington, organiser of the Great British Pub Awards, added: “These awards are the most rigorous of their kind for the pub sector and the competition was extremely high this year. It’s a huge achievement to win one of these awards and for the Two Brewers to win it the second year in a row is well-deserved.”

Simon Longbottom
Simon Longbottom

Simon Longbottom, CEO, Stonegate Pub Company said: “As the biggest operator of LGTB+ venues in London and across the country, we fully support safeguarding the future of pubs and venues for this important part of our community. We are delighted that the Two Brewers has been recognised for its important role in the community and congratulate Jimmy and the team for all their hard work.”

The Two Brewers is owned by Stonegate Pub Company, the UK’s largest LGBT+ venue operator.

Chichester Festival Theatre winter season 2019-20

Posted on by Brian Butler

Brian Butler previews the 2019/20 winter season at Chichester Festival Theatre and finds lots of delights to look forward to.

TRADITIONALLY the winter season at Chichester sees its two theatres plays host to a wide range of touring shows which might not otherwise be available to south coast audiences. And the package artistic director Daniel Evans has just announced will certainly not disappoint.

Calendar Girls the Musical
Calendar Girls the Musical

Dance, drama, music and comedy all feature . The musical sensation Six, an up to date depiction of the six wives of Henry VIII in rock style will share the season with Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls the Musical.

The highly innovative company Told By An Idiot make their Chichester debut with a new show about Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, while the Olivier award-winning A Monster Calls kicks off a national tour at Chichester.

The Radio 4 cult panel game I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue will get an airing as will the Bluejays, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Moscow City Ballet.

For families, there’s a staging of the Gruffalo and the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre will present the musical The Wizard of Oz.

Robert Lindsay and Tara Fitzgerald will follow up their sell-out run at London’s Hampstead Theatre with Prism – a Terry Johnson drama about the true life story a man who spent his life making Hollywood’s divas look beautiful.

The Lonely Bones, adapted from Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel is a tale of love and loss and promises a large cast, stunning staging and a spell-binding soundtrack.

At Christmas, the Band of the Royal Marines will join forces with Chichester Cathedral Choir to get everyone in the festive mood.

Daphne Du Maurier’s menacing psychological thriller My Cousin Rachel will star BBC TV’s Call The Midwife’s Helen George.

Issy Van Randwyck recreates the diva magic of Billie Holliday, Marilyn Monroe, Patsy Cline and many more in her one-woman show.

And 5 jugglers and 4 contemporary dancers will push the boundaries with Gandini Juggling’s show Spring.

Tribute shows to Noel Coward, Gilbert and Sullivan and William Shakespeare also feature.

Online public bookings for the season open on September 14.

Telephone and in person bookings open on September 17.

For full ticket and performance information, click here:

 

Former ‘Wedding Present’ bass player fights for music venues

Posted on by Gary Hart

Beatrice Bass used to work as a professional bass player for different bands, including the Wedding Present and Ben Poole Band.

Beatrice Bass/aka Pepe le Moko
Beatrice Bass/aka Pepe le Moko

BEATRICE is an active campaigner for the Liberal Democrats in Brighton and Hove and will fight the next election as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hove and Portslade.

She will be representing musicians in politics and is proposing a new policy motion to protect music venues at the upcoming Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Bournemouth. The policy motion “Music Venues” will be debated and voted on by party members on Monday, September 16, 2019.

Beatrice Bass
Beatrice Bass

Beatrice said: “As a former professional bass player, who started out at local venues before moving onto international tours, I understand the importance of grass root music venues. It is vital that venues are available for young bands and musicians to perform and build up a fan base. Over 35% of venues in the UK have been shut in the last decade and I feel passionately about protecting remaining venues from further closures.

“In Brighton & Hove, we have lost the Freebutt, Pressure Point, Blind Tiger Club and Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar. My policy will ensure that venues are protected through legislative changes, listing them as Assets of Community Value and will receive more funding. The Liberal Democrats will collaborate with UK Music, the Music Venue Trust and the Arts Council to protect and support local music venues. The Liberal Democrats are already the party that best supports creative industries, and my policy motion demonstrates our commitment to the UK music scene.”

For full text of the motion to conference, click here:

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