25/02/2013 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

Cardinal Keith O’Brien who was nominated as Bigot of the Year in last years Stonewall Awards is stepping down as leader of the Scottish Catholic Church following allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by three practicing priests and one former priest stretching back to the 1980s.

The cardinal, Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, and Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh contests the claim but did not rebut them in his statement this morning.

The Cardinal apolologised to “all whom I have offended” for “any failures” during his ministry and confirmed he will not take part in electing a new pope, leaving Britain unrepresented at the coming conclave in Rome.

The Vatican confirmed the cardinal had stepped down from his post and his resignation had been accepted on February 18. Cardinal O’Brien confirmed he had tendered his resignation earlier this month as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh to take effect when he turned 75 next month, but Pope Benedict ruled the resignation would take effect from today.

The cardinal said:

“For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended”.

The Cardinal expressed particular strong views on abortion and homosexuality and was particulary offensive to gay people in the debate around same sex marriage in Scotland.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond commented:

“It would be a great pity if a lifetime of positive work was lost from comment in the circumstances of his resignation.

“None of us know the outcome of the investigation into the claims made against him but I have found him to be a good man for his church and country.”

Colin MacFarlane, director of the equality charity, Stonewall Scotland, which last year named the cardinal as Bigot of the Year said he hoped there would be a full investigation and that the cardinal’s successor would “show a little more Christian charity towards openly gay people than the cardinal did himself”.

The Equality Network, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality charity that led the Equal Marriage campaign in Scotland, where quick to respond to the news of the cardinals resignation.

Tom French, Policy Coordinator for the Equality Network, said:

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the allegations made against Cardinal O’Brien. Of course we hope that the Catholic Church in Scotland will use the opportunity new leadership brings to reassess its opposition to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. The Catholic Church does a huge amount of good work on issues like poverty, and it’s a shame that this important work is so often overshadowed by its position on issues of sexuality.”

Under Cardinal O’Brien’s leadership the Catholic Church in Scotland has made issues of sexuality a major focus, actively campaigning against every major step towards LGBT equality in the UK, including the introduction of Civil Partnerships, same-sex adoption, and same-sex marriage. Prior to Cardinal O’Brien’s tenure the Church also played an active role campaigning against the equal age of consent, and the repeal of Section 28 in Scotland.

Actually Gay Men's Chorus — Actually Gay Men’s Chorus

‘£1 Million Record Deal’…. the headlines screamed. Sadly it was not to be, however the first gay chorus ever to be signed to a major record label haven’t given up. Although the deal with Universal Records failed to release their debut album, it was recorded and the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus have now released it themselves.

Somewhere For Me, features covers from artists such as Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie and Neil Young. The Chorus decided to change the name of the album to the first track of the same name, because it sums up how they all feel about Brighton & Hove. This is the first time this track,which was written by Thea Gilmore has been recorded and released on disc.

Jason Pimblett, the musical director has created a choir with a unique sound; big and round, but in no way bottom heavy.

The album includes covers of Radiohead’s top 5 hit No Surprises, David Bowie’s No 1 hit Heroes, the melancholic Hurt originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails and later covered by Johnny Cash, the Ian McCullough album track, Playgrounds & City Parks and The Last Goodbye from the second album by UK indie boys, The Enemy.

The album also includes a previously unreleased song by acoustic singer/songwriter Thea Gilmore, the hauntingly beautiful and upliftingly triumphant title track Somewhere For Me.

Each song on the album is given a unique twist by the choir’s arrangements and performances. You know who is singing as soon as you hear a track. Their sound is unmistakable.

For this album, the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus have explored a completely new repertoire of material moving away from the material you might expect a ‘gay choir’ to sing. My only slight criticism is that the tracks are all a little similar, and while performance standards are undoubtedly very high, the album lacks a stand out track, which could work as a single. But that’s just me nit picking.

The choir’s diction is first class, articulation rhythmical, intonation throughout very secure and their awareness of their ensemble singing is quite brilliant. The arrangements are sophisticated, showcasing the main strength of the choir, which is their ‘big’ sound. Importantly, they never make the mistake of being too heavy in their lower registers.

On many of the tracks, the choir reach the highest level of interpretation and performance. They sing from the heart; I love listening to them and marvel in the standards they achieve on this recording.

My favourite track is No Surprises which presents male vocal singing at its very best, closely followed by Hurt and the beautiful innocent and anthemic arrangement of Playgrounds & City Parks. I dare you not to want to sing along with the track!

I highly recommend you buy the album and appreciate what is possible when an organisation believe in themselves and works very hard to be the best.

The Actually Gay Men’s Chorus was formed six years ago by John Hamilton and Jason Pimblett and comprises of around 30 singers. The aim of the chorus was to provide an alternative to socialising on the commercial gay scene, and to create a community for gay men to share experiences, have fun but most importantly develop and learn vocal abilities and embrace new styles of music.

The album costs £7.50 and is available at the Bulldog and Prowler in St James Street.

For more info click here:

Any proceeds made from the release of this album will be plowed back into the community through the Community Interest Company that runs the chorus and other community events.

ALBUM TRACKS INCLUDE:
• Somewhere For Me (original song by Thea Gilmore)

• The Last Goodbye (The Enemy)

• Playgrounds & City Parks (Ian McCulloch)

• Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)

• No Surprises (Radiohead)

• Heroes (David Bowie)

• A Heart Needs A Home (Richard & Linda Thompson)

• Let Me Be The One (Walter Trout)

• God Loves Everyone (Ron Sexsmith)

• After The Goldrush (Neil Young)