If you’re a gay man looking for a bespoke travel experience in India, then you might want to consider Indjapink, a New Delhi based, luxury travel organisation catering exclusively to gay men.
The company has been operating for ten years and styles itself as the first Indian travel agency to cater to gay men only. It aims to unravel the beauty and mystery of its exotic homeland with a wide range of gay and gay friendly tours and activities.
Injapink is also the owner of India’s first gay, men only, luxury bed and breakfast hotel, The Mister and Art House, which is located in the up-market area of South Delhi, said to be one of the most gay-friendly areas of the city. The boutique establishment prides itself on its collection of antiques, fine homo-erotic art, and high end, stylish accommodation.
Injapink’s owners are keen to point out that although India is known for a conservative outlook, The Mister and Arthouse provides a sophisticated and safe environment for its gay guests.
The owners have also announced future plans to relocate its hotel to a new accommodation with terraced gardens, a luxury spa, and the country’s first gay café.
For further information on Injapink and its bespoke travel packages and services, click here:
City Reads Brighton and Hove, the longest running big read in the UK, has announced that its chosen book for 2015 is Matt Haig’s The Humans, an accessible, funny and inventive book that asks what it means to be human.
Matt Haig
The festival, now in its tenth year, culminates in events around Brighton and Hove from October 10 – November 1.
City Reads is organized by Collected Works CIC and aims to spread a love of books and ideas to the widest possible audience throughout Brighton & Hove. Each year one book is selected for the whole community to read, discuss, debate and creatively engage with in a series of special events, workshops and performances.
Author Matt Haig, said:”I am overjoyed to have The Humans chosen as this year’s City Reads title. I originally wrote the book as a kind of advert for the human race, and I wanted it to be a story that as many people as possible could enjoy. It was a very personal book for me, and I really hope you like it.”
Sarah Hutchings, City Read’s Artistic Director, said:“This book changes lives. As soon as I read the book, I knew we’d found our 2015 title. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it was a book I wanted to share with family, friends and acquaintances, so choosing it for Brighton & Hove’s annual big read seemed like the perfect way to do that. Matt has described the book as ‘a kind of advert for the human race’ – a book he wanted as many people as possible to enjoy. That sentiment sums up the whole ethos of City Reads. Some of the people I’ve recommended it to have interpreted if very differently to me and isn’t that what a good book should do?”
Highlights of the festival will include a closing event on November 1 at The Old Market featuring Matt Haig in conversation with Alex Clark, and Human Poetry, with Jackie Kay, Dean Atta and Vanessa Kisuule, which will explore the complexities of identity and what it means to be human.
There’ll also be a Sci-Fi Film Weekender, including the acclaimed Under The Skin, Pinocchi, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (October 23 – 24, One Church, Brighton).
For young creatives aged 16 – 25 there’s also the chance to enter the Young, Human and Creative competition, where young people are invited to create works around what it means to be human. The challenge is in three categories – photography, writing and illustration – with a development opportunity as the prize in each category.
On October 10, City Reads will also be celebrating World Mental Health Day in partnership with Action for Happiness, with free events at Jubilee Library including a Happiness Café, discussions about reading, featured mood boosting books and the chance of win copies of The Humans.
The complete programme of City Reads events will be announced in September.
For further information about the festival, click here:
In a gesture of support and solidarity for the local LGBT community, Totnes Town Council will raise the rainbow flag over Totnes Civic Hall during Totnes Pride week.
The flag raising ceremony will take place on Monday, August 31 2015 at 6.30pm and everyone is invited to attend.
Totnes Mayor, Cllr.Jacqi Hodgson
Totnes Mayor, Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, who will open the event said:“Raising the flag to celebrate diversity highlights the diversity in our community in Totnes. As Mayor I am really proud of the wide mix of people in this wonderful town and delighted that we have come together to celebrate the LGBT community and the Proud2Be group who work hard to raise awareness of LGBT issues.”
Now in its third year, Totnes Pride is one of the UK’s largest rural pride events.
The celebrations will culminate on Saturday, September 5 with a number of events organised by local based LGBT+ charity Proud2Be Project, including appearances from special guests CN Lester and Jacq Applebee.
CN Lester is a singer-songwriter, writer, classical musician and activist who was named one of the most influential LGBT+ people in the country two years running by The Independent newspaper.
CN Lester
CN said:“There’s a dangerous myth that LGBT people only exist in large cities, in gay districts – that we’re not a normal part of everyday life. The best Prides I’ve ever attended have been smaller Prides around the country that celebrate and support all members of the LGBT community, showing us in all our complexity, including us in the fabric of our wider communities. I’m absolutely thrilled to have been asked to participate in Totnes Pride – here’s to breaking down barriers and stereotypes together.”
Jacq Applebee is an activist and writer, and the Co-founder of Bi’s of Colour. She was included in the first ever Purple List, which honours bisexual activism.
Jacq Applebee
Jacq said:“I am a firm believer (in) the importance of reaching LGBT people who are isolated, including those in rural areas. In the first bisexuals of colour survey and report, which I produced, isolation was one of the regular themes that resulted in participants not feeling part of their LGBT communities. Totnes Pride will be my first Devon LGBT event, but hope it won’t be my last!”
The day kicks off at 11am outside The Dartmouth Inn, with opening speeches from CN Lester and Proud2Be founders Mat and Jon Price, who together with the award winning Samba ROC Band and an 8ft willow peacock will lead a procession up Fore Street and High Street to Totnes Civic Hall.
Community bus service Bob the Bus will be running a park and ride service from 10am and will also offer transport for those with mobility issues.
Visitors can then enjoy community art projects, workshops and talks and a variety of community stands at the Civic Centre from midday.
The fun continues into the evening at Totnes Pride After Party from 7.30pm at The Royal Seven Stars Ballroom, featuring live music from popular Disco Funk band Golddust, Rococo Chanel, and DJ sets from Madame Souza and Rhi Rhi Rhythm.
Entry to the daytime events is just £2 for adults, £1 for 11-18 year olds, and is free to those under 11.
Tickets to the After Party are £10.00 (18 and over only) and are available to purchase in advance from Proud2B and on the door.
Proud2Be are looking for volunteers to help out on the day. If you would like to get involved then please email Julie & Dot at volunteer@proud2beproject.org
If you are an organisation or community group and would like to participate in the procession, click here:
Organisers of London’s Gaywise FESTival, also known as GFEST, have announced that this year’s event, entitled (Complacent Present) …Fragile Future? will run from November 9-20.
GFEST is London’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) cross-arts annual event.
The 2015 festival will consist of a visual arts exhibition, film screenings, performances, plus talks and debates focusing on the works of young and established artists and practitioners. The festival is organised by arts charity Wise Thoughts.
This year’s visual arts exhibition, Asian Future, will explore Asian identity.
The film programme will run under the heading Cinema Futura, while the performance events will be themed Tonal Future.
GFEST’s 2015 programme advisors include Anna McNay, Gulliver Ralston, Michael Petry, Simon Tarrant, Subodh Rathod and Lois Keidan and the artistic director is Niranjan Kamatkar.
Catherine West, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green where Wise Thoughts is based, said:“I am delighted to offer my support to this year’s GFEST, celebrating some of the brightest and best talent in the LGBTQI community here and abroad. I am looking forward to coming along to one of the events in my constituency and send my best wishes to everyone taking part this year and to Wise Thoughts for organising such a fantastic diverse programme.”
GFEST is now in its eighth year, despite major cuts to art funding in the capital and nationally.
Speaking of the importance of endorsement from key decision makers, GFEST artistic director Niranjan Kamatkar said:“We are very pleased to receive the support of our local MP and we continue to profile LGBT art works due to the support of eminent people, artists and audiences. Irrespective of significant funding challenges, we are confident that we can deliver the full festival programme this year.”
Organisers of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have announced that this year’s programme will include more than 50 shows covering LGBT themes, including a number of new works.
Highlights include: Trans Scripts, a show based on real interviews exploring gender identity through the struggles and triumphs of six transgender women.
In The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, written and performed by trans playwright, performer and poet Jo Clifford, bread is shared, wine drunk and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus.
The Traverse Theatre will present the world premiere of Swallow, a new play by Stef Smith which takes a long, hard look at the extremes of modern life with questions of identity, heartbreak and hope.
From the Czech Republic, Boys Who Like to Play With Dolls is a contemporary dance show set in a world in which masculinity and femininity are unrelated to male and female forms, questioning conventions and clichés of gender.
I Am Not Myself These Days is a new one man show by Fuel, adapted from a bestselling memoir, which recounts a time when Josh, the central character, worked as a drag queen, battled alcoholism and loved a crack-addicted rent boy.
By the Bi fuses modern dance, physicalised movement and spoken word to explore harmful and hurtful stereotypes of bisexuality such as confusion, greediness and promiscuity.
The International Stud is an award-winning play which follows drag queen Arthur on his search for love in the backrooms of the 1980s gay scene.
These Troubled Times is a comedic and irreverent exploration of homophobia, religion and the meaning of family.
How to Keep an Alien is based on a true story. Sonya meets Australian Kate and they fall in love just weeks before Kate’s visa is up and she must leave Ireland. Together they have to find a way to prove to the Department of Immigration that they have the right to live together.
Sex, Hugs and Gender Roles: A Panel Show About Sexuality is a free, unique stand-up panel show exploring relationships with sex, sexuality and culture.
Aussie cabaret sensation Amelia Ryan will perform her multi award-winning cabaret show A Storm in a D Cup, written about her gay father, transgender step-mother and failed career as an exotic dancer.
Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho returns after a sell-out at the 2014 Fringe and sees Maggie in a drag comedy cabaret extravaganza about gay rights, the 80s and disco.
The Night Shift with Gloria Hole sees the loud, crude and primarily drunk Gloria Hole question what on earth an ageing drag queen does when it’s time to hang up her heels.
The 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from, August 7-31.
For further information on all the above shows, click here:
Minister of Tourism for Argentina receives special LGBT travel honour.
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) has honoured Argentina’s Minister of Tourism, Carlos Enrique Meyer, for his commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) travel.
The special award was presented on June 18 by IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella at the 8th Annual GNetwork360 LGBT business and tourism meeting. Minister Meyer is the first recipient of an IGLTA Honour presented outside of the association’s main yearly conference.
IGLTA is the leading member-based global organisation dedicated to expanding LGBT tourism worldwide. Each year, during its Annual Global Convention, the association awards individuals and businesses that have improved the landscape of LGBT travel.
John Tanzella
IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella, said:“We wanted to create this special honour in recognition of Minster Meyer’s years of support for LGBT tourism.
While many political leaders shy away from our community, Minister Meyer is a pioneer in Latin America. He has long championed Argentina as an LGBT-welcoming destination and has supported a number of LGBT events and organizations locally and internationally.”
Amsterdam based, non-profit organisation Workplace Pride Foundation and Leiden University have announced plans to create the Workplace Pride Chair at Leiden University.
The first of its kind in the world, the Chair will aim to provide a focused and scientific, multi-disciplinary approach to the subject, striving to improve LGBT inclusion in the workplace and promoting the development and enhancement of scholarship in the field.
The Chair will be both domestic and international in scope and will foster recruitment of faculty members from among the best scholars in the world.
Simone Buitendijk
Simone Buitendijk, Vice Rector of Leiden University said:“Serious academic study on LGBT inclusion in the workplace has been a long time coming and Leiden University is proud to be part of this ground-breaking work”
The Chair’s first major sponsor is Dutch telecoms company KPN.
Janine Vos
Janine Vos, Chief Human Resources Officer, KPN said: “This initiative is a milestone in the field of LGBT inclusion. KPN is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and we want people to feel free to be themselves. By supporting this initiative, we want to go further and really contribute to research on this topic.”
Devon-based non-profit organisation, Proud2Be Project, have announced they are hosting a disco to raise funds for local LGBT community services.
The event will also mark four years since gay identical twins, Mat and Jon Price, founded the organisation after recording a short video explaining why they are both “proud to be gay”.
Since then a number of high profile LGBT figures have supported their viral campaign to be out and proud, including Stephen Fry who said: “I am happy to be counted as a supporter of Proud2Be at every turn”.
The charity also made international news recently after announcing plans to install Europe’s first permanent rainbow pedestrian crossing in Totnes.
Proud2Be holds a number of well-attended social events in South Devon and hosts a yearly Pride event in Totnes, the latest of which saw around 1000 people attending.
Mat and Jon said:“Through Proud2Be, both of our lives are richer and more fulfilled than we could have ever imagined possible. Over the last four years we have experienced countless life changing moments and have had the privilege of meeting some amazing people. We are as passionate now as when we started the project in our mum’s spare room. We would like to thank all our friends, family, volunteers and supporters. It has been a joy to share the last four years with you.”
The fundraising disco will be held on Saturday, July 4, 8pm-midnight (doors close at 10.30pm) at The Barrel House, Totnes, with DJ sets from Madame Souza and Rhi Rhi Rhythm. There will also be a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are £7 and are available on the door.
Jon said:“The discos are a great opportunity for the community to get together for a fun night out in a safe and friendly environment. Everybody is welcome!”
Editorial consultancy announces campaign to support UK’s most diverse writers.
The Literary Consultancy (TLC), a company which offers professional, in-depth editorial advice and assessment to anyone writing in the English language, has announced Quality Writing for All , a new campaign which aims to support talented, low-income writers, with a special focus on BAME, LGBT+ and disabled communities across the UK.
Following a rare increase in funding from the Arts Council England (2015-18), TLC will be able to provide an increased number of manuscript assessments through its national Free Reads Scheme, and a quota of bursaried mentoring and event placements over the next three years.
The campaign was officially launched on June 16, at London’s Free Word Centre with an exclusive performance of Lost in Spaces by writer and arts disability activist Penny Pepper, whose work was personally mentored by TLS founder and Director Rebecca Swift.
Rebecca says:“TLC has always been interested in providing professional editorial advice to all-comers, and helping to bridge the gap between writers and the publishing industry. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves to work with our excellent national partners and the Arts Council, to broaden our search for low-income, diverse, talented writers further than ever before.”
The scheme is run in partnership with over 15 national organisations including Arvon, New Writing North and Writers’ Centre Norwich, and with new partners including Shape Arts, Wasafiri Magazine, and the Creative Future Literary Award.
There are also five mentoring bursaries available per year from 2015-18. A further £2,500 has been allocated to supporting access to TLC’s events.
To apply for writing assessment and bursaries, click here:
Devon-based non-profit organisation, Proud2Be Project, will be hosting a disco to raise funds for local LGBT community services.
Mat and Jon Price
THE event will also mark four years since gay identical twins, Mat and Jon Price, founded the organisation after recording a short video explaining why they are both “proud to be gay”.
Since then a number of high profile LGBT figures have supported their viral campaign to be out and proud, including Stephen Fry who said: “I am happy to be counted as a supporter of Proud2Be at every turn”.
The charity made international news recently after announcing plans to install Europe’s first permanent rainbow pedestrian crossing in Totnes.
Proud2Be holds a number of well-attended social events in South Devon and hosts a yearly Pride event in Totnes, the latest of which saw around 1000 people attending.
Mat and Jon said:“Through Proud2Be, both of our lives are richer and more fulfilled than we could have ever imagined possible. Over the last four years we have experienced countless life changing moments and have had the privilege of meeting some amazing people. We are as passionate now as when we started the project in our mum’s spare room. We would like to thank all our friends, family, volunteers and supporters. It has been a joy to share the last four years with you.”
The fundraising disco will be held on Saturday July 4, 8pm-midnight (doors close at 10.30pm) at The Barrel House, Totnes, with DJ sets from Madame Souza and Rhi Rhi Rhythm. There will also be a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are £7 and are available on the door.
Jon added:“The discos are a great opportunity for the community to get together for a fun night out in a safe and friendly environment. Everybody is welcome!”
For more information about the disco fundraiser, click here:
Author Matt Haig, said: ”I am overjoyed to have The Humans chosen as this year’s City Reads title. I originally wrote the book as a kind of advert for the human race, and I wanted it to be a story that as many people as possible could enjoy. It was a very personal book for me, and I really hope you like it.”
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