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Scotland celebrates first same-sex weddings

Scotland’s first same-sex weddings took place on the stroke of midnight as two couples became the first to tie-the-knot following the passage of Scotland’s historic equal marriage legislation earlier this year.

Joe Schofield and Malcolm Brown
Joe Schofield and Malcolm Brown

THE FIRST two weddings both took place at the same time in Glasgow, when Joe Schofield and Malcolm Brown were married in a humanist ceremony at the Trades Hall, and Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott, were also married in a civil ceremony at a private venue.

The couples were joined by their families and friends, as well as guests, LGBTI equality campaigners, Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Convenor of the Scottish Green Party, Patrick Harvie MSP, who acted as witnesses at the marriage of Susan and Gerrie, while Scots Makar Liz Lochhead and Scottish Government Minister Marco Biagi MSP acted as witnesses for Joe and Malcolm.

Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott
Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott

Seventeen same-sex couples are set to marry today throughout Scotland. Over 250 couples have converted their civil partnerships to marriage since the new law came into effect on December 16, 2014.

The Equality Network, Scotland’s national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality charity, who ran the Equal Marriage campaign in Scotland, attended the first weddings and celebrated the occasion as a “milestone moment for Scotland”.

Tom French
Tom French

Tom French, Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator for the Equality Network, said: “It was an honour to be invited to one of Scotland’s first same-sex weddings, which really showed what this new law is all about – love, family and equality. This is a big day for many couples and their families, but it is also a milestone moment for Scotland as a whole. After many years of campaigning, we have overturned discrimination in the law and same-sex couples now have the equal rights and recognition that they should always have been entitled to. There is undoubtedly more that we need to do as a society to tackle prejudice and ensure equal treatment for LGBTI people, but today is a day of celebration and a chance to reflect on just how far we’ve come. In recent years Scotland has become a leading light on LGBTI equality, and we now have one of the most progressive equal marriage laws in the world, helping to create the fair and equal society we all want to see.”

Joe Schofield (42), a public health worker, and Malcolm Brown (42), a former DJ, from Tullibody in Clackmannanshire, have been together for nine years and were married by Humanist Society Scotland celebrant Ross Wright.

Joe and Malcolm said: “Today we are finally recognised as a married couple. We are very proud to be one of the first couples in Scotland to be able to officially call ourselves husband and husband. This is an amazing chapter in Scotland’s history which we are all witnessing and can be proud of. Scotland is leading the way in fairness and equality for all, and we would like to thank all those who campaigned so tirelessly for this change. We’d particularly like to thank the Humanist Society Scotland for a fantastic ceremony, the Equality Network and the Scottish Government who made equal marriage possible, and to everyone else who made today such a memorable occasion. At last, we and so many other same-sex couples can finally say ‘we’re married!’.”

Susan (54) and Gerrie (59) Douglas-Scott, who are both humanist marriage celebrants themselves, live in Glasgow where they first met 18 years ago and have five grown up children. They originally had a civil partnership in March 2006 and decided to convert it through a full marriage ceremony.

Susan and Gerrie, said: “We are delighted that, at long last, after 18 years together our love finally has the same recognition in law and society as all other married couples.  As humanist celebrants ourselves we have had the privilege of marrying many hundreds of people over the last few years and so we know how special and important marriage is. Having Nicola Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie as our witnesses has been wonderful and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts not only for tonight but for everything they have done and will continue to do in support of LGBTI people.  We are also very thankful to our lovely celebrant Mandy Evans-Ewing and to Fiona Borland the City Registrar of Glasgow.  Both women have made our ceremony so special and meaningful and we are especially grateful for them volunteering to marry us at midnight. We are excited to be the first lesbians to have a legal marriage ceremony in Scotland. 2014 has been quite a year!”

Marco Biagi MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment has been responsibile for bringing the new law into effect.

Marco Biagi MSP
Marco Biagi MSP

He said: “It is a privilege and a pleasure to be invited to watch Joe and Malcolm make their vows in front of their family and friends.  With a New Year nearly upon us, there really is no better way to celebrate than by watching these two people get married and make that lifelong commitment to each other. The historic legislation that the parliament passed earlier this year really has now come to fruition with couples in a same-sex relationship now able to legally marry as any other couple can. I am proud of our parliament in passing the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 and proud of Scotland and the country that we are fast becoming. One that is tolerant and fair and that recognises the rights of all its citizens regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. This promises to be a very happy New Year.”

In February, the Scottish Parliament passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 by an overwhelming 105 votes to 18, the third strongest majority for any same-sex marriage legislation in the world. The Act received Royal Assent in March and, following the passage of the necessary secondary legislation, the law came into effect on December 16, 2014.

From December 16, 2014 same-sex couples have been able to give notice to marry in Scotland, and after the usual 15 day notice period for marriages the first same-sex marriage ceremonies took place at midnight on December 31, 2014. Same-sex couples in an existing Scottish Civil Partnership have been able to convert it to a marriage since December 16, through a simple administrative process that remains free of charge for the first year of the new law (until December 15, 2015).

Scotland’s First Minister celebrates first same-sex weddings

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has recorded a special video message to mark the first same-sex weddings in Scotland, which will take place at the stroke of midnight tonight (December 30), following the passage of Scotland’s historic equal marriage legislation earlier this year.

Nicola Sturgeon MSP

In the video message the First Minister says: “2014 has been a momentous year for equality in Scotland. Back in February after a long process of consultation and legislation, the Scottish parliament voted overwhelmingly to legalise same-sex marriage in Scotland. That was a very special moment, it’s a moment that will live long in my memory, perhaps one of the most special days I’ve experienced in the Scottish Parliament; MSPs applauding the campaigners in the public gallery who had worked so hard to make that day a reality. It’s now fantastic to think on Hogmanay same-sex couples will have the opportunity to get married, and I look forward to attending one of those weddings myself. I give my warm congratulations to couples all over Scotland who on Hogmanay and in the days, weeks, months and years to come will celebrate their love by deciding to get married. There’s no doubt that we’ve come a long way in Scotland on the issue of equality. There have been some great examples of progress in my lifetime but we’ve still got a way to go. There are still attitudes that we need, collectively, by coming together, to challenge. But for now, I think we should all take the moment to celebrate this milestone for equality. And as we do, wish everybody across Scotland who take the decision to get married all the best for their future together.”

The Equality Network, Scotland’s national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights charity, who ran the Equal Marriage campaign in Scotland, said it was “important that the First Minister had chosen to personally mark this milestone.”

Tom FrenchTom French, Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator for the Equality Network, added: “While our campaign for Equal Marriage in Scotland was fundamentally about changing the law it was also about changing attitudes too. That’s why this public message from the First Minister is so important, because on the day of the first same-sex weddings it sends out a strong message that Scotland – our government and our political leaders – are proud to stand up for LGBTI equality. When many young LGBTI people still face prejudice and lack confidence, and when so many countries around the world still criminalise LGBTI people, it can’t be overestimated how important it is to see this kind of visible leadership from our politicians.”

At midnight tonight (December 40), the First Minister will attend one of the first same-sex weddings, where she will be a witness at the marriage of Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott in Glasgow.

The Equality Network acknowledges that Nicola Sturgeon was ‘instrumental’ in delivering same-sex marriage in Scotland. It is understood that she played a significant role in ensuring the SNP made a manifesto commitment to consult on same-sex marriage at the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections, and in her role as Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing she was responsible for launching the consultation on introducing same-sex marriage in 2011 and for developing the policy during 2012.

Scottish Government figures reveal that 17 same-sex couples are set to marry in Scotland on Hogmanay (31 December 2014) and, in addition, over 250 couples have converted their civil partnerships to marriage since the new law came into effect on December 16 2014.

Same-sex marriages have now been registered in at least 28 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas, from Dumfries and Galloway to the Shetland Islands.

In February, Scotland became the 17th Country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage after the Scottish Parliament passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 by an overwhelming 105 votes to 18, the third strongest majority for any same-sex marriage legislation in the world.

The Act received Royal Assent in March and, following the passage of the necessary secondary legislation, the law came into effect on 16 December 2014.

From December 16, 2014 same-sex couples have been able to give notice to marry in Scotland, and after the usual 15 day notice period for marriages the first same-sex marriage ceremonies took place at midnight on December 31, 2014.

Same-sex couples in an existing Scottish Civil Partnership have been able to convert it to a marriage since December 16, through a simple administrative process that remains free of charge for the first year of the new law (until December 15, 2015).

To mark the new law the Equality Network has published a new guide to same-sex marriage and civil partnership law in Scotland, sponsored by UK law firm BLM and with a Foreword from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

A digital version of the guide has been published online and 10,000 copies of a printed edition will be distributed across Scotland in January:

To view the guide online, click here:

To view the video, click here:

 

 

Labour aim to gain 15 new Council seats in 2015

Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of the Labour group on Brighton & Hove City Council has announced that the Labour group on the Council aim to gain fifteen more seats at the local election in May 2015 on top of those won in 2011.

Cllr Warren Morgan
Cllr Warren Morgan

NO PARTY of any political colour has had a majority of councillors on the authority since 2003 when the current ward structure was originally established. On his blog Cllr Morgan answers some pressing questions and explains why it is important to have a clear majority after the next elections.

Is doubling the number of Labour councillors a realistic target? “Yes. In several recent local elections, Labour have increased their number of seats by similar amounts: in Hammersmith and Fulham in 2015 Labour gained 11 seats. In Lancashire in 2013 Labour gained 23, Staffordshire 21. In Cardiff in 2012 Labour gained 33.”

Surely Labour is third on the council? “Yes, in terms of the number of current councillors, but in 2011 we finished second in almost all of the 21 wards, sometimes by very narrow margins. Overall we won 32% of the vote citywide, more than the Tories and just 1% less than the Greens, so we are well placed to make significant gains from both. Our organisation and campaigning is vastly improved on 2011.”

Which wards are you targeting? “The local elections are on the same day as the General Election where we are also aiming to win all three Parliamentary seats, so we are campaigning for every Labour vote in every ward across the city. Historically Labour supporters vote in greater numbers on General Election day than they do in local elections. So we may win seats in wards where we might not normally be in contention. Clearly those with smaller Green or Conservative majorities are more likely to be Labour gains.”

So are you targeting Green or Conservative-held wards? “Both. We expect to gain between five and ten seats from both parties. The Green vote is collapsing due to their running of the council and they are struggling to find candidates, and the Conservatives have dwindling numbers of activists to support their campaigns, only money. They are losing significant support to UKIP. The Greens are effectively abandoning anything outside of Caroline Lucas’s Pavilion constituency.”

Why 15 in 15? “We need a majority. The city council faces incredibly difficult decisions as its finances are cut and social care and infrastructure challenges grow, but we have exciting major projects in the pipeline, key pledges to deliver and ambitions for the city. Under a committee system-council, the Tory opposition and a rump of Green councillors could and would frustrate and block everything Labour seeks to achieve.”

What are your policies and goals? We’ve set out our Contract With Brighton and Hove,and have a strong team of candidates in place. I’ve written about my goals and ambitions for the city here.

 

REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty

Doug Devaney’s Sleeping Beauty at Emporium on London Road is a delightful Christmas offering incorporating all the features expected of a traditional pantomime, wrapped up in a clever script and featuring very strong individual performances by the actors and children.

Sleeping BeautyWHILE EVERYONE knows the story of Sleeping Beauty, this version set in the Kingdom of Floribunda is done in flashbacks and narrated by the royal cook, Bilberry, who delivers the narrative in a broad Lancashire or is that a Yorkshire accent, oh and yes, the Prince and Princess do live happily ever after, eventually!

Best described as a traditional Pantomine, this at times dark presentation of the classic fairy tale has something for everyone. However, I found the storyline at times a little complex and while Bilberry does a wonderful job keeping us up to speed with events I think at times the script was challenging for some of the very young children around me.

That apart the show is a wonderful romp and about the quality of the individual performances, which are all very impressive.

Bilberry’s (Conor Baum)  is at times mesmerising and very, very funny. His performance is pivitol to the success of the storytelling and the children loved him. He postured and posed his way through the show and to top it all had a fine singing voice.

The two villains, Bindweed (Jenny Rowe) and Dandelion (Coco Hennessy) screeched and cackled their way through the evening. The pair were gloriously evil and a credit to all panto villains. They frightened me, so I particularly felt for the very little girl on the front row who went to sit on her mothers lap cowering for protection and safety when this pair were in full evil flow.

The King (Doug Devaney) and Queen (Peta Taylor) were suitably regal and traditional in the approach to their roles, they worked solidly together and together were a perfect foil for Bilberry’s posturing and ‘Kenneth Williams’ facial expressions.

Prince D Vine (Duncan Drury) looked good, sounded good and has a great pair of thighs. His comic timing was spot on as was his ability to mock himself. He created a real presence while on stage, at times almost, but not quite, stealing the show.

The Princess, Briar Rose (Laura Sillett) looked the part of a Princess, sings beautifully and brings a wide range of dynamics to her performance.

The seven lead actors make a real team, working for each other, complementing each other and along with the lovely children from Drama Queens they create a tight professional ensemble.

The music and lyrics composed by Christopher Andrews are very strong and some of the numbers are very memorable, however, I felt less comfortable with the pre-recorded musical arrangements which at time detracted from the strong melodics lines of the music.

The show is directed by James Weisz, designed by Gary Blair and choreographed by Nathan Potter.

Sleeping Beauty runs at the Emporium, 88 London Road, until Saturday, January 17.

For details of performances and to book tickets, click here:

 

Vote for George, ‘The Oldest Gay in the Village’

George Montague, affectionately known as ‘The Oldest Gay in the Village’ is one of the top three nominations in the Activism and Awarness category in this years New Year’s Recognitions List organised by TheGAYUK website.

George with Ian McKellen at Brighton Pride 2014
George with Ian McKellen at Brighton Pride 2014

GEORGE 92, who was elected a Brighton Pride Ambassador in 2014, came to prominence after appearing in successive Brighton Pride Parades on his mobility scooter bearing the sign, “The Oldest Gay in the Village.”

He has since appeared on both the London and Manchester Pride Parades and published a book titled “The Oldest Gay in the Village” about his double life growing up with his wife and children while living a secret gay life at night.

He has been nominated along with Human Rights Campaigner, Peter Tatchell and the Gay Star News website.

George said: “I am so proud to have been nominated at all, let alone be in the top three along with the great Peter Tatchell.”

In the last month thousands of people who surf TheGAYUK website have nominated individuals, projects and companies in each of eight categories including; education, sports, health, entertainment, politics, business, activism and awareness and community project of the year.

The results will be announced on January 1.

To vote for George, click here:

 

Man attacked near Brighton railway station

Police in Brighton are searching for a suspect who attacked a man near the city’s railway station at night.

Sussex Police

At 2.05am on Friday, December 19 the 31-year old victim arrived at the railway station after attending a Christmas Party in London.

He was approached by a man described as white, in his early twenties, 5’7″, slim, with short dark brown hair and speaking with a southern accent. He was wearing either jeans or jogging bottoms, a hoody and had a large traveller style rucksack on his back.

The man spoke aggressively so the victim pushed him away and walked off towards the top of Trafalgar Street. However, he was closely followed by the suspect, who hit him causing him to fall to the ground, landing awkwardly and sustaining a serious hand injury, possibly a broken wrist.

The suspect then ran off down Trafalgar Street and under the tunnel.

PC Paul Baker said: “We are appealing for anyone who may have been in the area at that time, and who may have seen or heard anything that may assist our investigation. If you can help in any way, please get in touch via 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting serial 102 of 19/12. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.”

Student Pride will celebrate 10th anniversary in London in 2015

Student Pride will be held at the end of LGBT History month (Feb 27 – Mar 1) centred around a daytime festival at the University of Westminster’s Marylebone campus opposite Madame Tussauds.

Student Pride 2015THE CITY OF BRIGHTON & HOVE lost the honour and kudos of staging Student Pride to London in 2014 through spiraling costs of staging such an event in the city and failure of the city council and local councillors to do anything to help this unique Pride remain.

The 2014 event in London was a huge success with over 120 Universities and colleges attending, attracting celebrities, activists and comedians including Zoe Lyons, John Waite (Great British Bake Off), John Amaechi and Lisa Power (former Head of Policy at THT).

This year will see Student Pride return to a focus on Trans* issues.

Student Pride 2014

Evan Davis, presenter of Newsnight, the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, hosted the ‘Time for T’ session in 2014 and acknowledged the importance of the T in LGBT in recent years.

The session heard from Trans* activist Paris Lees who was runner up in this years Independent on Sunday Rainbow List.

Paris told the student Pride audience:  “When you give Trans* people the help and support they need they can go on to flourish and prosper as everyone should be given the chance to do.”

48% of trans people in the UK under 26 have attempted suicide because of discrimination they suffer, sometimes even from within the LGBT community.

Student Pride have announced a special focus on the ‘T’ in 2015 by securing the exclusive screening rights of highly acclaimed Boy Meets Girl which won Iris Prize’s Best Feature Film in 2014. The film is a tender romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman.

At the 2014 event, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson congratulated the organisers for sending a message to the world that London is a “safe and welcoming place to be a student”.

Student Pride began at Oxford Brookes University in 2005 as a response to the Christian Union’s ‘Homosexuality and the Bible’ talk and continues this mantra into its 10th year choosing to hold the 2015 event at the University of Westminster which last year allowed notoriously homophobic Sheikh Haitham al Haddad to speak at a charity dinner.

Bridget Nkomo, the Diversity Representative for Student Pride and former president of Westminster LGBTI society said: “Coming to Westminster opened doors so the society could highlight the importance of making the University a constant safe space for LGBTI people.”

Tickets for the event are on sale now at a pre-sale price of £5 for a weekend wristband.

For details of lineup and schedule, click here:

To purchase tickets online, click here:

 

Hastings Pier – set to reopen Summer 2015

Once Hastings, the ancient Cinque Port was one of the country’s most important resorts, and its 910ft‑long pier – thought to be the first of the 99 in Britain that were built for entertainment, rather than as landing stages – was at the heart of its fortunes.

Hastings Pier

DESCRIBED AS “a peerless pier” at its 1872 opening, it took 56,000 people through its turnstiles in just one August week in 1931. In the Sixties, the ballroom at its seaward end hosted concerts by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, Cilla Black and the Rolling Stones.

Over the years is was repeatedly damaged by storms and flames, and was finally closed for safety reasons in 2008.

In 2010, it experienced worse fire devastation than Eastbourne’s pier did in 2014. Hastings Borough Council then bought it and, with the help of £11.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is turning it into what has been hailed “as the coolest-looking pier in the world”.

By the time it opens in summer 2015, 42 miles of hardwood decking will have been laid, held down by 400,000 screws.

Once back in service, it will host a restaurant, circuses, plays, concerts, film festivals, farmers’ markets, urban sports and more. It is expected to attract 325,000 visitors in the first year and contribute £1.2 million to the local economy.

For more information about the Hastings Pier Charity, click here: 

Don’t Die of Heckling …and other sequins of wisdom

After 25 years as Lola Lasagne, Stephen Richards talks to Craig Hanlon-Smith about his life as the Brighton Belle.

Lola Lasagne

2014 marks 25 years of Stephen Richards’ stepping out on the cabaret circuit as Lola Lasagne. In September Lola returned to the venue where it all began, The Vauxhall Tavern, for an anniversary marking performance.

Young LolaI caught up with Stephen to talk the highlights, low-spots and the significance of Lola’s very own Silver Jubilee – we cried a little but we laughed a lot.

I began by asking Stephen to share his memories of that first gig 25 years ago…
“June 7 marks the actual date that I was first paid to perform as Lola. I had been originally booked to play The Two Brewers some nights later but when an act dropped out The Vauxhall (Tavern) asked me to step in. It was a fitting beginning really as when I was at school we used to walk past The Vauxhall on our way to the playing fields. Other kids used to say to me ‘You’ll be going in there Richards when you’re old enough’. They were half right, and I certainly spent more time in The Vauxhall than I did in The Oval Cricket Ground!” (laughs)

Lola and Lily Savage
Lola and Lily Savage

 

Can you remember how those first gigs felt?
“I was shit scared. These venues were legendary entertainment venues. I’d seen Adrella, Lily Savage, Dave Lynn and The Trollettes perform and I knew that most artists also hung out there on their nights off so to walk out on stage and see Paul O’Grady, Pink Gin, Sandra Hush, Ebony and The Misdemeanours, all incognito at the bar was daunting. I still feel that when other acts are in today. No-one enjoys a bad gig and the last thing you need is for another act to tell everyone they saw you die on your arse (roars with laughter), that’s why I’m really honest about my gigs, if I have a blast I’ll tell my friends, if it’s a stinker I’ll tell them that too. I’d rather it came from me!”

How did those gigs come about? Were you just chancing your arm?
“I’d been ‘doing’ drag for more than two years before that. I used to work behind the bar at The Brewers and I remember dragging up for Halloween, my mum’s name was Rosemary so I guess I went as Rosemary’s baby! I also fell into an unofficial residency at The Royal Oak in Hammersmith. Dolly DJ in his blouson and high legged tight shorts regularly used to throw show tunes into his Sunday night set, I used to sing along and one night he asked me to attend the amateur drag night the following Tuesday. I did. I was the only contestant (laughs) and remained so every Tuesday for the next two years! The gigs came on the back of that but in those days I was a lip-synching artist, the live work came soon after.”

WEB.600.9

What do you think are the changes both on the gay and drag scene in the last 25 years?
“The scene has changed because the world has changed and for all of us the audience demographic is quite different. It used to be that your audience came out for a show and were there to listen and be respectful of whoever was on stage – that’s not always the case now. The audiences are much younger and you have to be on top of your topical game and tell stories and jokes that compete with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Television is different – you could tell a gag related to the TV schedule as there were only four channels, now there are 404 and it’s tough to keep on top of what might be trending that week. The venues are different too. Improved equality means that there is a large straight contingent in the crowd these days, a much wider gender mix and whilst I welcome everyone into an audience, sometimes bars identify as gay, but really they are straight bars that are gay friendly. It requires a different approach. That said I refuse to dumb down the act and throw in the current song by Little Mix and the like.”

Why not?
“Because I don’t want to!” (laughs)

What constitutes a ‘good’ gig?
“I just enjoy putting on a show. Knowing where to place a particular song, gag, story and knowing when you get out there whether it’s an audience that will respond to more chat, less gags or more songs. I’ve never been interested in knowing beforehand how busy a venue is – even when I’ve worked on straight plays and panto. Some performers when they arrive at the stage door, the first thing they ask is ‘is it a full house?’ For me, every audience large or small deserves the same approach. I’ve played well- established cabaret venues and stepped on stage to a crowd of eleven and stormed it – we’ve had a great show together for an hour and twenty minutes. On other occasions in the same venue, it can be packed to the rafters; the crowd are not in the mood so you do your forty minutes and then off. You have to judge it.”

Stephen
Stephen

What has changed for Lola in 25 years?
“In the past few years I’ve performed as Stephen in a role outside Lola. I was approached to do stand-up at comedy camp as Stephen, which I loved, for the past two years I’ve been an Ugly Sister in panto and I am playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin in Worthing this Christmas. I adored The Boys in the Band (The Theatre Royal) and Diamond (Dome Studio) and really have Dave Lynn to thank for those two opportunities. Dave was asked if he knew nine actors that could then do drag and said ‘I can do better than that, I know nine drag queens that can act’ and I loved those shows, especially as I’ve had no formal training as some will happily tell you who’ve watched me perform for 25 years.” (laughs – he laughs a lot)

(I take a deep breath and pull down my visor for the next question). You have a reputation for a no nonsense approach both to your act as Lola and also to issues which affect us all, which in turn may be described as honest, brazen, and perhaps confrontational. Why don’t you just mind your Ps & Qs and get on with it?        “Whether I’m working in a theatre, an established cabaret venue or a ramshackle apology of a pub standing on an orange crate, IT IS A SHOW; heckle me and you die – if I wanted a double act I’d be in one. Don’t walk across the stage mid-performance as though we’re not there; don’t talk louder than the backing track; it’s not a competition; and I’m sorry, is my performance interfering with your consumption of Jaegar Bombs? No, just no. I was brought up going to the theatre and cinema where you sit, watch and respect the artist, I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

 

And as for issues that matter?
“I couldn’t not use my time on stage to promote and support them. If you’re performing at a charity gig you should at least know what the charity is and who we are collecting for, it’s about so much more than just throwing cash in a bucket. We live in an appalling world at times and whilst there is dark humour to be found in everything and some gags can be close to the mark, hopefully I know enough about my craft to hit the right tone and differentiate between when I’m entertaining and when I’m making a serious point.

“Take our recent Pride shows; Pride is such an important event where irrespective of gender, identity, race, age we are coming together to say ‘we are equal in the world as human beings’, it’s not about shouting ‘I’m gay and I’m proud’ it’s about being a fellow human. I genuinely am upset by inequality, I just do not understand it. When the cabaret tent closed at the end of Pride this year, a young woman came up to me and said ‘you’re one of the few acts who speaks about what Pride is about’ and I was thrilled to get that feedback.

“My career started in the middle of the AIDS pandemic in 1989 and I am lucky to be alive unlike so many others that I knew. When I was 18 just to have sex with another man was illegal, Section 28 was in full swing and as a community we were persecuted, but in those days we truly looked out for each other.

“All the venues I played in my early gigs were constantly raising money for St Thomas’ and St Mary’s hospitals, London Lighthouse and The Globe Centre. Adrella, Savage, Maisie & Jimmy, Regina were all great advocates for raising funds to help those with AIDS and HIV and my career started in the midst of all that.

“I remember when it was discovered that most of the money raised was being spent on (albeit essential) admin. It was the drag artists who made a point of saying ‘this money is not for paper, it’s for people’. We started asking the hospitals and support centres to name equipment that would help improve people’s lives or just their last few days. It may have been a defibrillator but sometimes a colour TV for the day room, and so we then raised money to buy those specific life enhancing things for people. Always about the people. So when I stand on stage and at the end of my show and ask the audience that whatever they might do please do it safely, I mean it.”

Lola Lasagne

What have been your career highlights from the last 25 years?                                      “There have been highs and lows, (laughs) but what I’m most proud of is building the Pride Cabaret stage into what it now is at Brighton Pride. People come to the Cabaret Tent and stay there all day, rain or shine we are packed, IT IS OUR MAIN STAGE and everyone in that tent is listening to every word, every note and watching every theatrical wink. Cabaret is an important part of our lives and I am proud of making that event exactly what it should be.

“Growing up when I did, starting my career when I did and working with all those great cabaret performers on that scene and in those venues. Of course I’m proud of lasting this long but I’m proud of having been able to start then, and like that. I used to work with a woman in Selfridges and who was quite a bit older than me and she was always saying that her husband fought in the war for me and that I wasn’t grateful. At the time I was young and quite dismissive of her but now I understand. I look out at some audiences and I’m proud to have fought in our war. If it wasn’t for people my age and older and all those other acts I’ve mentioned, younger gay people wouldn’t have this freedom and the opportunities they now enjoy. We helped people to overcome their fears and to be themselves.”

Stephen Richards appears as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at The Connaught Theatre, Worthing, until January 4 2015.

Elf and safety goes mad this Christmas!

More than 100 homeless residents in Brighton & Hove City Council hostels received presents this Christmas after the council’s Health and Safety Team collected more than 600 donations to distribute.

WEB.600

EVERY YEAR the team organises a collection from some of the council’s 7,000 staff and this year’s target of 100 was well beaten.

The gifts were restricted to warm clothing such as socks, scarfs, gloves, hats and underwear as well as toiletries, chocolates and sweets.

The presents will be shared between the 111 residents spread out across West Pier Project, Glenwood Lodge and New Steine Mews.

Cllr Bill Randall
Cllr Bill Randall

Cllr Bill Randall, chair of the housing committee, said: “Christmas is a special time for everyone but for those that are homeless it can be the hardest time of the year.  For many of the residents these gifts will be the only ones they receive this year.

“Any kind of life change from losing a job to a relationship breaking down can lead to homelessness so the work that the council and other organisations do in the city to help people in their hour of need is vital.

“Every year the council’s Health and Safety Team organise this collection and this year they have excelled themselves so that homeless residents can join in with the Christmas spirit.”

 

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