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Plymouth’s out gay MP’s office targeted again by homophobic hate graffiti

Plymouth’s out gay MP’s office has been targeted by homophobic hate graffiti for the second time in three weeks after Luke Pollard MP announcing his bid for re-election.

Luke Pollard is the Labour MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport. He is campaigning for Labour and one of the people standing against him is notorious homophobic Ex-Tory MP now standing for the  Brexit Party Ann Widdecombe.

Widdecombe used her time in Parliament to actively block equality legislation and voted against LGBT+ rights and she is on record as saying eh “believes homosexuality can be cured”

This morning Pollard found his offices in Plymouth city centre office had been attacked and spray-painted with the word ‘pedo’ and other offensive terms. This is the third time that his office has been vandalised.

Vandals have previously sprayed ‘die Blair’ and other anti-gay slurs on Mr Pollard’s office. The shadow minister said he scrubbed off today’s graffiti with the help of Plymouth City Council and a passing Deliveroo cyclist.

In a message to those targeting him he said: ‘I’m not going to be made a victim of by people who have hate in their hearts, nor am I going to let my staff who work so hard from this office… helping people with homelessness, with Universal Credit problems, with housing issues be threatened and feel unsafe going into work.’

Mr Pollard is one of many MPs who have been warned their safety is at risk in the run up to the General Election. A parliamentary report published last month found the volume of violent threats to MPs has ‘dramatically increased’ since the Brexit referendum, with warnings of rape and murder becoming ‘commonplace’.

Mr Pollard continued “What has given me confidence is that the vast majority of Plymouth, regardless of how they vote, don’t want this type of behaviour in their city. And these attacks have actually encouraged more people to call this out, to say we don’t want this in our city. This isn’t the society we want to be.”

However, he noted that hate crimes in Devon and Cornwall are on the rise, with the trans community at particular risk. He urged all politicians, regardless of their party, to take a stand against this hate – and that includes Ann Widdecombe.

 

 

 

TAY, the AIDS Memorial, at 10

Sculptor Romany Mark Bruce on creating the Brighton AIDS Memorial.

In August 2007, a man approached me in Charles Street Tap. “I know who you are, you’re a sculptor, and I want a word with you.” That man was James Ledward. James wanted me to submit a proposal for an AIDS Memorial. He was keen for someone local, and gay, to enter. To be told that the deadline for entering was in 10 days was rather daunting.

On holiday in the medieval town Pietrasanta in Italy, a centre for sculptors since the 15th century, was the perfect place for creativeness. My starting point was the internationally recognised AIDS ribbon, perhaps not original, but poignant. My idea was for two figures, touching at the base as their paths crossed, soaring upwards, intertwining, with no certainty if they would meet again. Many of those affected by HIV and AIDS in Brighton is the result of the union of two men, but the disease is not confined to gay men. Two figures would represent all those affected, one male, one genderless. My inspiration was memories of my friend Paul who had died of AIDS in the 1990s.

James and I spent months trying to find a suitable studio. During that time, public donations flooded in and I was able to revise the sculpture from a mere five feet high to something much more ambitious. This was hugely important to me as I wanted the Memorial to represent not only the tragedy of AIDS but also hope for the future with the advancement of medical treatment. In the end so much money was donated that James was able to establish the Rainbow Fund.

We found a cowshed on a farm near Cooksbridge. As studios go, it was basic; a dodgy roof, poor lighting and an outside tap. My loo was the adjoining field!

I constructed a metal armature to take the weight of the clay. After three months of making great progress, in pleasant weather, I felt it move – I put my hand up to support it, made a pathetic cry of “help” and then, realising I was trying to support half a tonne of clay, I had to let it fall around me – a Buster Keaton moment. My armature had been woefully inadequate. Back to square one with an armature of welded scaffolding poles.

Each day, up to my armpits in clay, was a joy. James would visit, give me encouragement and we would discuss the politics of the project which was quite fascinating. There were many organisations involved and negotiations to navigate. I was asked to name the sculpture – without one, public sculptures often end up with an unflattering title. Each day I ate lunch by the River Ouse with my dog, sitting there it came to me, TAY, after my friend Paul Tay.

Lunch by the river was curtailed by a harsh winter. I would be on a platform ladder sculpting in freezing weather, Toolan, my Irish Terrier, would be comfortable in the car on the heated seat!

I completed the sculpture in January 2009. The next task was the rubber mould, but the foundry workers making it were unable get there because of the snow. As temperatures at night dropped to minus 13º disaster struck. The thermodynamics of clay resulted in it turning to liquid when it thawed, and parts of the sculpture started to disintegrate before me. I secretly relished the thought of starting again, but by then a date had been set for the unveiling. I managed to save the sculpture by wrapping it in duvets and filling the draughty shed with Dimplex heaters!

The casting of a bronze is a complex and lengthy procedure, and has remained much the same for thousands of years, the oldest known example is an amulet 6,000 years old. Watching the molten bronze being poured was exhilarating.

The day the sculpture was craned into place was stressful for the large team involved, there was only one opportunity to lower it into the stone plinth with the rapidly setting resin.

It was perhaps unsurprising, given the challenges that the weather had thrown at me, that the day of the unveiling was one of torrential rain, but moments before David Furnish pulled the cord, the clouds parted and for a short while the sun peeked through the rain clouds.

I met Paul Tay at university. He died of AIDS in 1992. He was my lover, my best friend and my soul mate. When he died my greatest fear was that with time I would forget him. I never have. James Ledward gave me the opportunity to remember him in a way I never imagined possible, and for that I am truly indebted to him.

Absolutely gorgeous! Polyglamorous

Graham Robson catches up with the gorgeous people behind Polyglamorous, the queer dance party!

For the initiated, what’s Polyglamorous?
We have fun music; it’s space for people to express themselves and dance. Each month we’ve had a different colour theme where you get discounted entry if you wear the colour!

Who is Polyglamorous?
Drag performers, DJs, photographers, video makers, makeup artists and creative types. What really makes Polyglamorous is the gorgeous people who come each month and party!

Where did it all start?
As a team of creatives working in nightlife in one way or another, we were a group of friends who found ourselves all dressed up with nowhere to go, so we decided to throw our own party. Our first night was on a cold Sunday evening in November in a small venue in an archway on the seafront and 74 people came, all wearing red and the night was made! Looking around the room, seeing everyone dancing to great music wearing red in a red lit room, it was incredible! There was a mood that we’d never seen before. People talked to each other, brought together by wearing the same colour, dancing to the music and taking photos of their outfits and then connecting afterwards on social media through our Instagram photos. It was like a secret ‘members only’ club but everyone was invited!

And inclusivity is at the core of the night…
Our venue is fully accessible with two areas, one big dance floor, and a quieter area for those who want to sit down and chill out. There’s no dress code, no guestlist, no VIP area.  We have all sorts of people turning up, all different ages and backgrounds and there’s no attitude. Everyone comes because they want to have a good time!

What’s your view on Brighton’s queer scene?
There’s a great queer scene in Brighton, and something for everyone. There’s drag every night of the week, events like Gal Pals, Queer Prom and Traumfrau, queer stand-up comedy nights, queer open mic nights, loads of amazing queer theatre at the Marlborough and Brighton Fringe, plus we have the best Pride in the UK!

Congrats on winning two Golden Handbag Awards, how did you celebrate?
It was amazing. We’d only been running for about six months when we were nominated so it was great to be recognised as Brighton’s best clubnight and event for trans and non-binary people. The Golden Handbags itself was stunning. Everyone was dressed in their best and we were treated to performances from some of the legends of the cabaret scene. It’s so nice to get everyone that works hard within the LGBTQAI+ community in one room and see just what we can all achieve and give to the community when we try. There was a huge focus on charity, either fundraising or important projects and groups. It inspired us to start raising money for local organisations that help queer people. Our recent Pride event raised over £700 for MindOut!

Any top tips for newbies?
Arrive early to avoid the queue and get your photo taken by our in-house photographer. Come in a group or come alone, you’ll soon make friends. Don’t know what to wear? Who cares! Polyglamorous is about expressing yourself! There’s plenty of pictures and videos on our Instagram @polyglamorousbrighton if you need some inspiration, and you can also pop down to Beyond Retro where you can get 15% off any item of clothing from the assigned colour rail, provided you’re coming, of course! Oh, and don’t forget to bring cash for the door, and most importantly HAVE FUN!

What’s next?
We’ve moved to Chalk in Pool Valley, previously known as The Haunt. The new club is purpose built with some of the best lighting and sound in Brighton, as well as a huge stage!

For more info, follow Polyglamorous on all the usual social media platforms!

Adam Rippon Celebrates 30th Birthday with beautiful skate to ‘River

To celebrate his 30th birthday, Olympic figure-skating medalist Adam Rippon performed a stunning skate to Ben Platt’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s classic “River.”

“Today is my 30th birthday. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything and everyone in my life. Thank you for always sending love and positive energy my way. I hope I’m always able to do the same for you,” Rippon wrote on Instagram.

“I wanted to do something fun for myself so I asked one of my old skating choreographers, Cindy Stuart, to put this together with me. She is amazing. And Ben Platt is also amazing and when I heard him do a cover of this song I knew I had to skate to it,” Rippon added.

Bronze medalist Rippon rose to fame during the 2018 Winter Olympics when he skated with pride for the United States while also standing up to notoriously homophobic Mike Pence by refusing to meet with him.

Tony Award-winner Platt’s version of “River” appeared in Netflix’s The Politician, which dropped in September.

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