On Wednesday, May 24 2017, the Judicial Yuan, Taiwan’s highest court, ruled that restricting marriage to only a man and a women was unconstitutional.
The court voted in favour of marriage equality. Taiwan has made history as the first Asian country to vote in favour of same-sex marriage. The 14 grand justices demanded that current laws be amended within 2 years to allow for same-sex marriage, in the event laws have not changed in that timeframe, couples will be able to register their marriage anyway.
Jessica Stern
Jessica Stern, Executive Director of OutRight Action International, said:“This is a great victory for Taiwan and for all of Asia. Taiwanese activists have been campaigning for years to achieve this outcome and all of their efforts have paid off in full. Amidst conservative pushback against LGBT+ rights and equality in other parts of Asia, this is much welcomed good news and reason to celebrate. Love trumps hate.”
Jean Chong, OutRight Action International’s Program Field Coordinator, reflecting on how this decision might impact the wider Asian region said: “The historic ruling in Taiwan paves the way for other Asian countries to follow suit. It says you can be Asian, be valued for who you are and who you love, and be on the right side of history. Taiwan might just start a positive domino effect where we will see other countries like Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand following in these footsteps.”
The ruling did not clarify whether the civil law will be changed or whether a new law will be enacted to allow for same-sex couples to marry. Activists in the country have been advocating for a change in the civil code. Regardless of how the laws will be changed the ruling is a guarantee for marriage equality for Taiwanese citizens.
Golden Handbags to celebrate 21st birthday in style.
Myra DuBois
Voting in the Golden Handbags 2017 closes at midnight on Monday, May 29. The results and winners for what is the most glamorous evening on the LGBT+ community calendar, will be announced at The Golden Handbag Awards in the Oxford Suite at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on Sunday, June 11 starting at 7.30pm sharp.
Who will win the special community awards? Who will win best bar and which DJ will be voted top of the charts? Will anyone be recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017?
Maisie Trollette: Photo Hugo Michiels
This year the show will be opened by Maisie Trollette now approaching the 84th year of her reign. Maisie opened the very first Golden Handbag Show, 21 years ago at the Brighton Dome along with the much missed Phil Starr, Dockyard Doris and the original Tiller Girls.
Maisie will be joined on the bill by the comic genius that is Myra DuBois, cross her and you will be sorry; the girl with the BIG voice Gabriella Parrish and the glamorous and very talented Kara Van-Park.
Kara Van-Park: Photo Hugo Michiels
A record number of awards will be presented this year in what is shaping up to be the closest vote on record. The awards will be hosted by the entertainer with the sharpest tongue and quickest wit on the drag circuit, the indefatigable Lola Lasagne.
All VIP tables have sold out. There are a few non-reserved tickets (£20) still available on the public tables available from Prowler at 112-113 St James’ Street, Brighton.
Prowler don’t charge a booking fee so you will have to pay cash in person in the shop to obtain your tickets.
Telephone 01273 683680 to check availability.
Gabriella Parrish: Photo Hugo Michiels
To vote in the Golden Handbags 2017 (voting closes May 29), click here:
There are two ‘introduction to volunteering’ days over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May for residents interested in volunteering in the city’s parks and open spaces.
Preston Park
The events, will include meeting park rangers, walking around the site and discussing ideas about what volunteers could do.
They will be held on:
Saturday, May 27, 2pm, at St Ann’s Well Gardens. Meet by the park well;
Sunday, May 28, 11am, at Stanmer Park. Meet at the Lower Lodges park entrance;
A further introduction to volunteering event will be held at Ladies Mile on Friday, June 2, starting at 11am.
Brighton & Hove City Council has organised the events after 3,500 people responded to the council’s Big Parks Consultation last year – and over a thousand said they would be interested in volunteering.
The events will provide an opportunity to meet parks staff, discuss ideas and find out how to get involved. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Volunteers in Hove are also invited to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into a clean up session at Hove Park on May 28, starting at 10am. Meet near the play area.
The session will include meeting rangers, helping clean up and finding ways to help keep the park clean.
Il ballo delle Ingrate Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
In a striking concert opera performance based on Pierre Audi’s production of Madrigals for Dutch National Opera, there was an exquisite fragment from the lost opera L’Arianna alongside the ‘Lamento’, the only part of L’Arianna to have survived. Il ballo delle Ingrate was a dance which shows the living what to expect if they resist the arts of Cupid, while Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda told the tale of Tancredi, who, in seeking revenge on his enemy, mistakenly kills his lover, Clorinda.
The master of Baroque music performance, harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset, and his extraordinary ensemble Les Talens Lyrique brought their rare powers of interpretation and insight to Monteverdi’s riveting masterpieces and this concert performance of Combattimento was much anticipated. The endless complex staging and action stops this piece from being staged these days -thankfully- but the music is allowed to shine in this more easy to access way. Rousset conducted from the harpsichord and kept the music fluid, sharp and with a real palpable energy throughout the evening.
Listen to a preview of the concert here
Nathanaël Tavernier big bold beautiful voice was thrilling, rolling around the dome and giving us an excellent feeling of how this could feel and look. He was a highlight of what was a lovely production. Magdalena Pluta sang Arianna’s Lament with a purity and focus that brought the heady emotional content of this piece to the fore, we felt for her and wandered out into the interval discussing what a wretch Theseus was to her.
The closing piece Combattimento di Tancredi e Clarinda was as perfect as it was balanced and resonate with these three masterworks dealing with love and loss and was a fitting flawless finial to this quality evening, it’s rare we get to hear this music and the festival celebrating Monteverdi’s 450th birthday with such style is a delight for those of us who hanker after his music. The Dome is perhaps nor the best suited venue for this style of performance but to be honest I overlooked this, sat back and with my companion allowed the lush lyrical music to flow over us.
Sink down upon us. Night of love, make me forget I live.
Cornish King Mark is at war: he rules with his head not his heart. But he hasn’t counted on falling head over heels for his enemy’s sister, or expected the arrival of the enigmatic Tristan.
This is the original tale of forbidden desires, broken hearts and the agony of choosing one human being over another. Seen through the eyes of the ‘Unloved’, Tristan & Yseult blend of comedy, live music, grand passion and tender truths lead us into an utterly convincing, engaging and irresistible night of love. This reprieve of the delightful Emma Rice’s acclaimed staging of the Cornish legend catapulted Kneehigh onto the national stage, leading to many other memorable productions including the stunning Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.
Kneehigh always get it just right; this bold, flavoursome reinvention of tradition and their blend of comedy, music, physical chorography, dance and top notch performers bring a superb energy to the theatre and their take on classic situations allow us an intimate depth of connection with the action which is often missing from contemporary theatre. Tristan & Yseult is almost a cult these days with a huge fan base of people who love it and it only seems to get better with each outing.
Writers Carl Grose & Anna Maria Murphy have fleshed out this complex story with a focus on feeling and presence of mind so we are given a real insight into the development of the narrative and how that affects the protagonists, some superbly grubby prurient moments and the sensual delights of their seductive seduction. All the extra fun element of balloons, dancing, music, acrobatics clash and combine with a real verve and the suggestion of intoxicating potions and their hang over effects and a dozen other attention to daft details just thrills the audience who loved every moment of the production last night. My companion was in tears at the distress and tragedy of the final scenes and stayed moved for the rest of the evening, her first time at a Kneehigh production, she also was seduced by their heady blend of art, music and passion. Dominic Marsh gave us superb eye candy and is a real hottie in the role of Tristand, another mention must got to Kyle Lima for his gorgeous dancing and moves, Hannah Vassallo shone as Yseult and the opening at the Club of the Unloved was breathtakingly original, combinations of costume, atmosphere and music combining to set the scene perfectly. This is such a seriously good piece of theatre.
It’s always hard to get a British audience genuinely up on its feet dancing but Kneehigh have the knack of making the theatre joyful, inclusive and fun! Kneehigh are always a festival thrill & banker, they didn’t disappoint last night at the Theatre Royal. And the audience left loud, chatty and in rapture.
All in all a superb evenings’ entertainment balanced with just the right blend of music, excellent engaging performances and some food for thought also.
Full details of this Brighton Festival show can be seen on their website here:
After wowing audiences at London Wonderground in 2016, Trevor Ashley is bringing everyone’s favourite diva back to London this Summer in Liza’s Back! (is broken).
Trevor Ashley as Liza Minnelli. Photo John McRae
His five-star comic tribute to the iconic Liza Minnelli, will play at the Underbelly Festival for 6 performances only from Tuesday, June 27 to Sunday, July 2.
Hear Trevor perform Maybe This Time as Liza!
There is no doubt about it; Liza Minnelli is a true Broadway legend. But her appearances on the musical stage have been few and far between. So what would happen if Liza decided to perform all the great Broadway roles she never got to play, in one special night?
Liza’s Back! (is broken) explores the parts that Minnelli should have played over the last forty years – those great leading lady roles from Grizabella to Norma Desmond, and all others in between. Ever wanted to see Liza tackle Wicked? Then this is the show for you!
Direct from rehab, and live with a 7-piece big band, don’t miss Liza singing Broadway’s greatest hits, including I Have Confidence, Memory, Send in the Clowns, Le Jazz Hot plus her own classics Maybe This Time, Cabaret and New York, New York!
★★★★★ “Met by thunderous applause from his first entrance to last bow, Trevor Ashley as Liza is perfection”…..Gay Times
Trevor Ashley is an Australian performer and cabaret artist. His musical theatre credits in Australia include creating the role of Miss Understanding in the world premiere of Priscilla Queen of The Desert – The Musical; Edna Turnblad in Hairspray and Monsieur Thenadier in Les Miserables.
Trevor is the creator and star of a one-man Dame Shirley Bassey tribute Diamonds are for Trevor, which he recently performed to a sell-out audience at Sydney Opera House. As Liza, his smash hit show Liza (On an E) has played seasons all over the world, including a week-long residency at the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End.
Event: Trevor Ashley in LIZA’S BACK! (IS BROKEN)
Where: At the Underbelly Festival, Belvedere Road, Coach Park, London SE1 8XX
When: Tuesday, June 27 – Sunday, July 2 2017
Time: Tuesday – Friday 7.45pm, Saturday and Sunday 7.30pm
Cost: Tickets: From £19.50: Suitable for ages 15 and up
Benny Hill’s is a dreadful little drag bar in Spain that’s dying on its feet.
Allan – or Allan Benjamin Hill to use his full name – aka Fanny – has hit hard times, when his past, in the form of his ex-wife catches up with him and turns his life upside down. His wife’s revelation is that he has a daughter, Jade, shortly to become 18 and therefore at liberty to find her birth father.
It’s a clever idea that just doesn’t come off for a variety of reasons.
The six characters, including a Bear DJ, and two innocent middle-aged women on a hen holiday – are all stereotypical and the 2 ladies particularly are purely there for cheap jokes.
The one character who seems alive is Allan, played by Daryl Bennett. We do feel some sympathy for him but the writing is altogether too superficial and stagey to make his predicament work.
The one moment in the show which does work is when he sings “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now” breaking down as he performs it with more than usual significance.
Generally though, the acting is not quite good enough and at times inaudible.
There’s a good idea trying to get out, and with some writing and stronger direction and acting, it could work. The ending when it comes is predictable and not really as satisfying as it should be. Though largely irrelevant to the plot, the bald-headed Elvis karaoke performer would certainly lighten the show if he had more than a few seconds of stage time.
Miss Sugar Swan takes a trip down memory lane to the Brighton Sauna.
The Brighton Sauna was always a mainstay in my life. When I moved to Brighton at 20, some 15 years ago, bars were open until 12, clubs until 2 and no night was complete without “finishing off”, take that as you will, in the sauna.
I loved the place, as did all my friends, we would come in droves and hang around the jacuzzi or get in the swimming pool as it was back then and as is the very nature of the place someone would catch someones eye and before you know it you would go and find some privacy, much to the amusement of our friends who would be either jealous as you went with the one they wanted, or ridicule you as you were intoxicated enough to make a fool of yourself.
As I matured through my 20’s and into my 30’s, later licensing laws came in, I got older, I went out less, my priorities became different, mobile dating apps became the rage and my usage of the sauna dwindled and it would be reserved for Prides and New Years eves but I was always fond of the place, it held so many memories of a misspent youth.
A few years before I started transition I stopped going to the sauna completely. Almost all sexual contact stopped while I worked out exactly where I was going in life. I could no longer pretend to be proud of a body I didn’t like nor want and bearing it in a venue with 100 men was something that was completely incomprehensible to me. I hated myself and how I looked and I had completely lost my sex drive and the sauna became a no go area for me.
Sugar and Jak
Once I began to transition I learned how to love myself again. Once my endocrine system was flooded with Oestrogen and my Testosterone production stopped I started to feel myself, I started to see myself as a sexual figure once more, my breasts started to come in, as did my hips and ass and very slowly as my outer shell started to align with my gender my sex drive began to return, but this time I realised I was no longer welcome in the sauna, a place that had been part of my life for 15 years was suddenly somewhere I was no longer welcome. That is until the ever so handsome Jak came up with a plan.
Jak is a trans man who has worked at the sauna for the last 2 and a half years and is the brainchild behind a new monthly trans night. Jak’s story and his development of this monthly night for the trans community can be found in May’s edition of Gscene, who had originally asked me to go along to this event and write a review. I tried my best to make the first event and lost my nerve, and then again at the second, but by the third monthly event that was taking place last night (May 22) I had to get over my fear, so as nervous as I was in a bikini and no wig, basically down to my outer shell with no protection I headed to the Sauna.
I asked myself what the fuck I thought I was doing as I approached the sauna, but with a deep breath and with all the confidence I could muster I walked in. I was greeted by Jak’s work colleague Jamie who was expecting me. He was really polite and respectful and after establishing that I had not been to the venue for some years he gave me a tour of whats new and whats gone and while I was in the changing room Jak came in to greet me with a huge beaming smile. He took me upstairs and introduced me to everyone and I soon felt very comfortable. It felt so amazing to be in a truly safe space.
There were ‘pronoun pens’ where people could write their pronoun on themselves and notices up reminding people to be respectful of the diverse mix of people who fall under our trans umbrella. Many Queer nights and venues try their very best to be a safe space for the community but they can’t stop people walking in the door, to get in the sauna you need to get through 2 doors and be vetted and buzzed through so it actually is a safe space for the trans community once a month and I really did feel it. I cannot put into words how nice it was to be in that space with my people, trans people. men, women, non-binary, gender queer identifying individuals varying in age from their early 20’s to 50+.
My bikini soon “fell off” and I was transported back some 15 years where I was sitting in the same Jacuzzi with a bunch of friends, laughing, joking, having serious discussions, chatting about who was venturing off the private cabins with who and noticing the subtle flirting and taking the piss out of each other as a group. It was just like it was in my 20’s, but this time something was different, this time I was being true to myself. I wasn’t pretending to be male. I was sat there, in that very same jacuzzi I had sat in so many times before, but this time I was the woman I always have been and I was surrounded by new friends who were all living their truth.
I had an absolutely amazing time last night and I am so thankful to Jak for making this happen and create this space for the community. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who falls under the trans umbrella. Of course, it is still a club where people can have sex, but the atmosphere on trans night is different, the emphasis not being so much on sex, but on community and friendship with the option of intimacy rather than the expectation which is how it can feel when it is a space only for gay men. There is no obligation for you to ‘lose’ your bikini as I did, you can simply sit upstairs drinking free refreshments, chat, have an all day breakfast and watch coronation street if you prefer, which is exactly what some people were doing.
My preference? Sitting in the jacuzzi flirting with one person with one eye and watching other romance develop with the other, and that is exactly where you will find me next month and then the big exciting one the month after which falls over Trans Pride.
Thank you Jak for making this happen, it is just what the Dr ordered, and trans people REALLY hate doctors.
The next date trans evening will be on Monday, June 26. Entry is £15 for a standard entry or £16 for the day pass.
You must be trans to enter (that includes all trans identities) or the guest of a trans person. If someone is a cis guest, they must arrive with whoever they’re coming with unless the sauna get a heads up beforehand by telephoning 01273 01273 689966.
The sauna does allow SOFFAs (significant others, friends, family and allies)! Some folks may have a cis partner, friend or support person that they wish to enjoy the night with. The sauna have a safer space policy which must be adhered to which is dotted about the building and we everyone is asked to make themselves familiar with it upon entry. Anyone breaking that policy will be asked to leave.
The leaders of the three political groups on Brighton & Hove City Council have released a collective statement about the terrorist attack in Manchester last night.
Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council and Leader of the Labour and Co-operative Group
“We are shocked and appalled by the terrorist attack in Manchester last night. That any person or organisation can target innocent young people at a pop concert is unfathomable. This act is intended to frighten and divide us, but we will not be cowed and we stand together strong; united in compassion with people from all faiths and backgrounds.
“We send our deepest sympathy to all affected by this horrendous attack. Our thoughts are particularly with the families and friends of those who have died and been injured.
“As a sign of respect flags on council buildings in the city will fly at half-mast today. The council will also be writing to the Leader and Chief Executive of Manchester City Council offering support.
Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty, Convenor of the Green Group
“Co-operation between the public and the police is the greatest asset in tackling the challenge the UK faces from terrorism. Sussex Police and Brighton & Hove City Council are asking all residents and communities to remain aware and to report any suspicious behaviour or activity immediately by calling the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 or 999 in an emergency.
Cllr Tony Janio, Leader of the Conservative Group
“One Voice members urge everyone to be aware and are encouraging residents and communities to report any racist, religiously motivated or other hate incidents within our communities.”
Marine Tavern, raised £1,545.73 for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity with a series of events over the weekend of May 12-14.
The centre piece of the fundraising weekend, the Dragon Boat Race was cancelled due to swans nesting at Brighton Marina were the race was due to be staged.
Despite the disappointment the Marine Tavern team spent the afternoon at South Coast Paintballing at Albourne near Henfield. A great time was had by all and the team arrived back at the Marine Tavern a little battered and bruised.
£1,545.73 was raised for the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity at the County and Western Night on Friday 12, a special drag open mic on Sunday 14, both at the Marine Tavern and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses.
The Dragon Boat race has been rescheduled for September at Brighton Marina and the Marine tavern will be entering a team.
If you wish to make a donation or sponsor them, click here:
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