The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Brian Fitch, and his wife Nora raised the rainbow flag in New Steine Gardens this evening (July 31) to register the official start of the Brighton Pride 2014 celebrations.
In his speech the Mayor made special mention of the political content to this years Pride celebrations, drawing particular attention to the 78 placards in the Pride Parade this year highlighting the countries in the world where it is illegal to be homosexual.
The Mayor was joined by Katy Bourne, the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Pride Ambassadors Michael Greenbeard and Jenny Bennett and Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, the Green councillor for Queens Park, who is not standing for re-election at the local elections in 2o15.
The evening was hosted by the lovely Dolly Rocket.
The Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Cllr Brian Fitch welcomed Pride Ambassador Nicole Gibson to his seafront soiree last night to help raise money for his charities.
Representatives from Bear Patrol, Gscene Magazine and Brighton Pride attended the Sound of the SeasSoiree at Alfresco Restaurant on Brighton seafront to help the Mayor raise money for his chosen charities this year, The Argus Appeal, The Martlets and Brighton Housing Trust.
Regal hospitality was donated by Alfrescos Restaurant.
Written by Dr Terri Power Directed by Roz Hopkinson
Drag King Richard the Third is an interesting work, mixing the story of the protagonist Laurence with that of Richard III, both struggling with the bodies they were born with, both finding ways to allow the truth of who they are out, one a bitter Villain the other a distressed Hero. For Laurie, born biologically female, the frustration of living in the wrong body creates disturbing complications with his long-term friend La Femme, a butch lesbian who enjoys dressing in Femme drag.
Playwright Terri Power uses Shakespeare to both expose and highlight the tensions in a relationship where one person is struggling with what they are and the other person is struggling to keep hold of the person who being changed and refined. The tensions switch back and fore with the movements of a dance and this is highlighted in once scene where the Shakespearean dialogue, spat out with fury, full of treachery, writhing with plotting and loathing is shot through with the characters own beseeching tenderness and a unrequited wanton passion, all the while the actors go through the motions of a tango, at once heaving with intent and yet utterly controlled by the steps they must follow. It’s a wonderful Meta clash of style and content hinting at the levels within levels of this play and really made me sit up.
Ultimately this pieces rests with the relationship between the actors, as it’s an intimate portrait of change, not just of one individual and their Trans* journey, but also the changes that are wrought on us by time, experience and hesitancy, and of course by the actions and choices of others. The actors were accomplished, convincing and engaging and considering they had such little time to prepare they were also powerfully present.
Drag King Richard III is an autobiographical account of the gender transition of writer Terri Power’s childhood friend and how she deals with it and ultimately accepts and understands it. Female to Male experience of Transitioning is rarely presented in such a thoughtful and exposed way and Power’s careful blending of Richards Prose with the protagonist’s thoughts and actions convinces from the start. There are moments however when the connection between this most wicked of monarchs and the 21st century journey of transition is tenuous and stretched and falls down a little and caused a giggle but the actors keep the tension well enough and the play is staged simply with effective lightning and some cool soundscapes to keep the attention focused.
It’s a crepuscular piece of work this, with some flashings of humour which only serves to highlight the gloom more, which is a pity as I felt a great connection to this pair of characters and thought there was huge scope for further development of the friendship and love between them to be explored.
All in all Drag King Richard the Third is well worth catching, it’s a thoughtful and powerful piece of directly challenging modern drama while allowing the humanity of its subject matter to sit next to us, turn to face us and speak directly to our own experiences of life
Recommended!
Drag King Richard IIIis on atRiverside Studiosfrom28thJulyuntil3rdAugust 2014, for further information see their website here:
Riverside Studio
Hammersmith
(Just a five min walk from the Hammersmith Apollo, an easy jaunt up from Brighton, see map here)
Bear Patrol and Brighton Bear Weekender will march together on the Brighton Pride Community Parade this Saturday, August 2.
First and foremost Brighton Pride is about community. Working together for the best outcome for those we live, socialise and work with.
This year the Pride Community Parade will see numerous local and national LGBTQ voluntary organisations, charities, businesses and groups march with Pride through the streets of Brighton and Hove.
For Brighton’s Bear Patrol and Brighton Bear Weekender, the Pride Parade is an opportunity to stand together as one.
Danny Dwyer from Bear Patrol, said:“After listening to concerns from Bear Patrol members regarding the Brighton Pride Parade as “who to walk with” I was concerned about members feeling awkward about letting anyone down with their support. I spoke with Brighton Bear-Weekender about the possibility of us working together to enable our members to walk with us both as ‘one’ unit but still with our own identities”.
“Having confirmed with the Pride organisers we could walk together we are now very excited about the Parade. By working together as organisations, be it during Pride or across the year, you can achieve so much more and create a happy, comfortable and safe support network for everyone to be a part of”.
Brighton Bear Weekender’s David Harvie, added:“We want to send out a message of working together within the community. Even though the two groups have a great deal in common, we are also different in some ways, and we don’t want people to feel they have to “pick a side”; we sometimes have to do that in life, but Pride shouldn’t be one of those times”.
“Marching together is a show of unity and an environment where everyone is welcome, in the best spirit of Pride. So if you’re a bear, a friend or an admirer, join both groups in this year’s Pride Parade and fly the flag for the bears!”
Bear-Patrol with Brighton Bear Weekender, two LGBT Organisation will come together to support their members and Brighton Pride. In the words of Bear Patrol’s Danny Dwyer “Those who play together, stay together”.
What: LGBT Community Parade, The World’s a Disco
Where: Madeira Drive, Brighton
When: Saturday, August 2
Time: 11am start
What: Pride Brighton & Hove 2014: Freedom To Live
Where: Pride Festival Preston Park 12noon – 10pm
When: Saturday, August 2
Time: Noon to 10pm
Tickets: £9 /£12.50 Early Bird & £15 first release advance tickets have Sold out. £20 in July/ More on the day.
For more information and to book tickets online, CLICK HERE:
The longlist for the Polari First Book Prize was announced last night at the Polari Literary Salon at the Southbank Centre.
Twice as many submissions as last year were received, which is reflected in an extended longlist of twelve titles, increased from ten.
The Polari First Book Prize, is for a first book which explores the LGBT experience and is open to any work of poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction published in the UK in English within the twelve months of the deadline for submissions (this year Feb 1, 2013).
Self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible for submission.
The winner will be presented with a cheque for £1,000, courtesy of the Société General UK LGBT Network and this year, for the first time, the shortlisted books will be displayed at major WH Smiths Travel outlets across the UK.
The shortlist of 5 books will be announced at the Polari Literary Salon on September 8, 2014.
The winner will be announced on October 8, 2014 in the Purcell Room at the London Literature Festival.
The judges this year are:
Paul Burston (Chair of Judges) – author, journalist and host of Polari
Bidisha – critic and broadcaster
Matt Cain – author and former Culture Editor for Channel 4 News
Suzi Feay – literary critic and broadcaster
Rachel Holmes – author and former Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank
VG Lee – author and comedian
The Polari First Book Prize Longlist:
• I Am Nobody’s Nigger by Dean Atta (Westbourne Press)
• Stephen Dearsley’s Summer of Love by Colin Bell (Ward Wood Publishing)
• The Girl with The Treasure Chest by VA Fearon (VIllage Books)
• The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland (Harper Collins)
• The Falling Sky by Pippa Goldschmidt (Freight Books)
• Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent’s Tail)
• Hainault via Newbury Park and Other Broken Tracks by Keith Jarrett (self-published)
• The Birds That Never Flew by Margot McCuaig (ThunderPoint Publishing)
• Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman (Team Angelica)
• God’s Other Children – A London Memoir by Vernal W. Scott (self-published)
• The Rubbish Lesbian by Sarah Westwood (Mimwood Press)
• Out in the Army by James Wharton (Biteback Publishing)
Polari Literary Salon launched in 2007 in the upstairs room of a pub in Soho, was named ‘London’s peerless gay literary salon’ by The Independent on Sunday and is happily housed at the Southbank Centre where monthly events showcase the best in established, new and up-and-coming LGBT literary talent and performance. The Prize’s media partner is Square Peg Media, publishers of g3 and OUT In The City magazines.
Paul Burston, Chair of the judges, said:“The judging panel had a tougher job than ever this year, thanks to the increased number and overall quality of submissions. This is reflected in the fact that we have a long list of twelve books, rather than the usual ten.”
Legends will once again be staging their annual cabaret fundraiser to raise money for the Rainbow Fund on Pride Sunday, August 3.
The Rainbow Fund makes grants to LGBT/HIV organisations providing effective front line services to the LGBT community in Brighton and Hove.
The event starts at 3pm and will be hosted by Lola Lasagne with Tammy Twinkle hosting from 5-7pm when Lola is performing her traditional Pride slot at the Queens Arms in George Street.
The Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Cllr Brian Fitch, was joined yesterday on the site of the controversial i360 project by local politicians, business owners and the i360 team.
The Mayor cut a ribbon to open the newly restored arches between Alfresco Restaurant and the future i360 site, which has undergone extensive restoration creating eight units for independent firms to trade from.
Dignatries present included Leader of Brighton & Hove Council, Cllr Jason Kitcat, former Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council, Glynn Jones, Cllr Geoffrey Theobald, leader of the Conservative group on Brighton & Hove City Council and David Marks, the architect behind the i360 and the London Eye, who put the first ceremonial spade in the ground to formally start the building works for the world’s first vertical cable car observation tower, which is hoped will attract additional visitors to Brighton.
Cllr Jason Kitcat, who is not seeking re-election at the local elections in May 2015 said:“This is a momentous occasion for Brighton & Hove, which will kick start the regeneration of the wider area, both down on the beach and including Preston Street.
“Our seafront is our most important asset that helps make our tourism industry such a great success in Brighton & Hove. Our innovation here will make all the difference to helping the city continue as one of the UK’s most desirable and successful tourist destinations in the years to come. Bold decisions by the council and our partners have made sure this work has happened.”
Cllr Ian Davey, deputy leader of the city council, who is also not standing for re-election in May 2015, added: “The restoration of the arches has been carried out as part of ongoing work to strengthen the A259 seafront road by the council’s transport team, with external funding from the Local Transport Plan.
“The arches are stunning, with some really superb businesses already leasing them and helping to make a very special new creative retail quarter on the seafront.”
David Marks of Marks Barfield Architects, said:“It has taken over eight years to get to this point, but the Brighton i360 will now be a reality and will be one of the most exciting visitor attractions in the world. The i360 will be the world’s first vertical cable car; an engineering wonder and a major new performing arts, conference, dining and hospitality venue for Brighton. It will generate more footfall to this part of Brighton – and we hope bring about the sort of transformation that the London Eye helped create on the South Bank.”
Cllr Warren Morgan, leader of the Labour and Cooperative group on Brighton and Hove CIty Council, concluded: “Labour voted against the £36million loan to the i360 underwritten by the council as we felt the risk should have been met mainly by the private sector, not the council taxpayer.
“Now that the Greens and Tories have voted for this to go ahead and construction has started, we sincerely hope that the predictions for visitor numbers for the viewing platform are not over optimistic, and that revenue is enough to pay off the taxpayer loan.”
The team that wins next month’s Bingham Cup will also win some great products from one of Australia’s most iconic brands!
The Bingham Cup, the world cup of gay rugby, is being held in Sydney from August 24 to 31. Sponsors include Destination NSW as the Strategic Partner, and Commonwealth Bank, Telstra and aussieBum as Principal Partners.
The biennial tournament is being hosted by the Sydney Convicts in partnership with the Melbourne Chargers and Brisbane Hustlers (Australia’s other gay rugby union teams). Approximately 1,000 players and supporters are expected to attend the event as well as the international gay media.
Award-winning Australian swimwear and underwear company aussieBum is a principal partner of the rugby games and week of parties and events.
All aussieBum products are designed and made in Australia and sold in over 135 countries across the globe.
The Bingham Cup is named after Mark Bingham, a member of the San Francisco gay rugby union team who died on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11. It’s believed he was one of the passengers who tackled the terrorists on-board, causing the plane to crash in a field. The Bingham Cup challenges stereotypes and perceptions of gay men.
Andrew Purchas, Bingham Cup president, said: “aussieBum will be hosting the Bondi Touch Footy games and Bondi Social during the Tournament week, helping us add their unique flare and cheeky style to these beachside events!”
Sean Ashby, from aussieBum, added:“We have been supporting the Bingham Cup from the beginning but we’ve been very impressed by the work being done by the organisers in the lead up to the event. We felt it was important to increase our support and help them host an even more spectacular week of events, parties and intense rugby games. Along with equal marriage rights, supporting the LGBT sports community is so important to me and aussieBum are proud to be supporting this great platform for sporting achievements in the gay community”.
As well as helping to host the events on Bondi, aussieBum will also supply the players on the winning team with some of their innovative products with past innovations including the global phenomenon of the Wonderjock, with size enhancing properties.
In the lead-up to the tournament, the Bingham Cup team has organised numerous initiatives and events gaining a commitment by the head of all major professional Australian sports to eliminate homophobia and have launched one of the world’s first studies on homophobia in sport.
Proposal of marriage stops show at gay chorus concert.
The Actually Gay Men’s Chorus show I feel Love was interupted during its Saturday performance by a proposal of marriage live on stage.
Local entertainer Miss Jason was stopped in her tracks as she was presented with a gold envelope containing a message for two guests in the audience.
Ashton Geddes was invited to the stage to read a personal poem to her long term partner Kellie Cuddihy popping the question in front of the waiting audience.
Rapturous applause accompanied as Kellie accepted Ashton’s proposal and they were given a bottle of fizz courtesy of the chorus.
The chorus then dedicated their next song, One Hand, One Heart, to the happy couple which is the marriage song between Tony and Maria from West Side Story.
Ashton said:“I was so nervous during the first act waiting for Miss Jason to get the envelope, but adrenalin took over and it turned out wonderful! Thanks to everyone that made it happen!”
Bill Kelly from Actually, said:“We felt privileged that Ashton should choose the chorus to help celebrate their special moment. We would like to wish Ashton and Kellie all the happiness in their future together ………and look forward to an invite!!”
The latest project from controversial artist and poet Vince Laws was unveiled in Glagow last week during the Commonwealth Games.
The Umbrellas of Love campaign is an artistic protest against anti-gay laws in 41 out of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth.
Vince said:“There are 53 countries in the Commonwealth, and in 41 it is illegal to be lesbian, bisexual, or gay. In 7 Commonwealth countries I could be imprisoned for life for being myself, and in 2 countries – in parts of Nigeria and parts of Pakistan under Sharia law – I could be executed because of who I love and who loves me.
“I decided to paint the names of the 41 countries on white umbrellas and get them seen during the Commonwealth Gaymes. Because I’m a penniless poet, I appealed for donations to create Umbrellas of Love! and soon got enough to do all 86 countries around the world where homosexuality is illegal.
“I chose umbrellas because they are light and easy to carry, and because the Commonwealth is like a giant umbrella, only some people aren’t allowed to step under its protection.
Each umbrella had a giant letter on it, collectively spelling out:
• LOVE IS A HUMAN RIGHT,
• NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL,
• WE ALL BLEED RED,
• LOVE AND LET LOVE, and
• COMMON WEALTH GAYMES.
Vince painted the umbrellas at his Norfolk cottage, then sent them to Glasgow where local activist Amy McLachlan Sayer organised the protest during Glasgow Pride and at the Commonwealth Games.
After Glasgow, the Umbrellas of Love appeared in the Norwich Pride Parade on Saturday, July 26.
Umbrellas of Love will be on display in Brighton during the Pride weekend August 2-3, outside the Marlborough Pub on the Pride Parade Route.
Vince added:“I would like to thank everyone who has helped. Over 30 people chipped in and raised over £500 to make Umbrellas of Love happen. I’m very proud of that.”
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