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PREVIEW: Miss Moneypenny’s presents A Night at the Proms @Symphony Hall, Birmingham

The legendary Miss Moneypenny’s present A Night at the Proms on November 24.

It was the glamorous club brand that put Birmingham on the map in the early 1990s. Now, marking 25 years since Miss Moneypenny’s began, Birmingham’s dance music heritage will spectacularly fuse with the powerful world of orchestra to bring music lovers a new sensational show.

A Night at the Proms will mark their first show in Birmingham for nearly 10 years. Curated by Musical Director Jim Ryan and orchestrated by Martin Higgins. The lavish production and mind-blowing theatrical visuals that were integral to each Miss Moneypenny’s event will also be an essential part of the show.

 

Think of the passion of last night of the proms crossed with the creativity of Cirque du Soleil and intertwine the vivacity of Chuff Chuff and you have Miss Moneypenny’s – A Night at The Proms.

This will be Miss Moneypenny’s first show in Birmingham for eight years and will be the catalyst to their 25 year celebrations in 2018.

A night to remember a night never to forget!

Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Event: Miss Moneypenny’s presents A Night at the Proms

Where: Symphony Hall, Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EA

When: Friday, November 24

Time: 8pm

Cost: £38 – £48

LGBT+ submissions wanted for Photoworks Annual journal

Photoworks call for LGBT+ submissions from photographers for their annual journal.

Photoworks Editors are currently looking for fully resolved projects responding to photography’s role within LGBT+ communities and invite UK and international artists at any stage of their career to submit suitable new or previously unpublished work.

The international photography and visual culture journal, Photoworks Annual, is known for showcasing emerging talents alongside established names and for pairing writing from the forefront of photographic thinking with expertise from beyond the conventional art world.

Each themed issue includes a presentation of four projects chosen from open call, alongside an essay about the selected works, commissioned from a high-profile writer.

Looking at contributions from both the UK and beyond, Photoworks Annual Issue 24, to be published in November 2017, will chart contemporary and historical contributions to the debate, present first-hand accounts from practitioners, explore representations of communities with overlapping identities, look at the formation of groups that exist only online and present research of photography projects aiding LGBT+ suicide prevention.

Asking ‘what is the relationship between photography and these communities?’ and ‘why is this important now?’ the aim is to produce an informed and engaging publication, maintaining interest and relevance for years to come.

To find out more information about Photoworks and how to submit your work, click here:

American Express continue their support for Brighton Pride

American Express employees hit the streets to help promote diversity in the run up to this year’s Brighton and Hove Pride.

Amex merchants across the city, (including shops, cafés, restaurants, bars and small independent businesses) are being asked to display a specially designed ‘Proud to celebrate diversity’ sticker (a rainbow coloured thumbprint) in doors, windows and at till points, in a show of support for Brighton and Hove’s diverse and inclusive LGBT+ communities.

Amex is a longstanding supporter of Brighton and Hove Pride and is one of the main partners for 2017.  Amex employees will join the Community Pride Parade on August 5, 2017, sporting ‘Proud to celebrate diversity’ T-shirts.

BOOK PREVIEW: A secret history – The London Gay Men’s Chorus

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In 1990 gay people were frequently despised and generally considered to be diseased perverts.

Just twenty years later an organisation named the London Gay Men’s Chorus were being hailed as cultural ambassadors and invited to perform at 10 Downing Street.

This significant book is written by a founder of that group of idealistic individuals who helped to bring about such a rapid and unlikely social revolution.

Why the Gay Men’s Chorus got started, and how they managed to survive against all odds is an extraordinary story. A Secret History is an adventure that needs to be told. The tale weaves together passion, politics and prejudice, and shows what happens when the weight of human rights crashes into the glitter of show-biz.

The origins of the London Gay Men’s Chorus were humble. The group grew from a joke in a damp and derelict basement in a no-go red-light district, to become the largest gay arts organisation in Europe. However, the journey was not a smooth one.

At the height of the AIDS crisis in 1990 the political climate was blatantly homophobic and the media was having a witch hunt. A group of gay men with a grievance singing protest songs and celebrating their sexuality would not have seemed an acceptable idea, but this particular group had a stubborn dream. Driven by anger and a hunger for justice they stuck together, refused to play the role of victims and raised their voices loud and proud.

With an inspired innocence and energy they invented a new way to communicate ideas and emotions through choral music and provocative performance. Show tunes became anthems of liberation, pop songs acquired unlooked-for depth and double meaning, and conventional classical repertoire gained contemporary relevance.

The group worked tirelessly and their audiences grew. They performed everywhere from back-street bars to the largest London stages, and eventually began touring internationally. Perhaps their controversial participation in competitions and frequent appearances on TV is where the current popularity of choral singing started.

By the time the twenty-first century began the expanding chorus had developed a communal dynamic, it had become its own experiment in male bonding and surrogate family; both a manifesto for queer living and a post-modern musical library.

Long established social structures were shifting all around, the internet was omnipresent and it felt as if history was happening on an epic scale.

In 1994 the UK age of consent for gay men had been reduced to 18, and eventually in the year 2000 equalised at 16.

Also in 2000 Lesbian Gay and Bisexual people were allowed to join the armed forces. In 2002 equal right were granted in adoption applications, and in 2003 it became illegal to discriminate against L.G.B. people in the workplace.

2017 is the 50th anniversary of the ‘Sexual Offences Act’ which began the process of decriminalising homosexuality, and compared to other places it feels as if gay people in the UK are in a privileged position.

We are able to marry if we should choose, and live our daily lives with more or less equal rights. Meanwhile, The London Gay Men’s Chorus now reaches out to a worldwide community and continues to educate and entertain.

Robert Offord the author was born in 1951 and raised in North London. His teenage years were constructively derailed by psychedelic folk music, and in the 1970’s a passion for pop-art and punk revolution consumed him. After a brief diversion into scientific study, and some experimentation with existentialism and alienation, he gained a BA(hons) in 1981.

His career as a part-time art teacher was cut short when he accidentally achieved international success as a graphic artist. The London Gay Men’s Chorus was founded in 1991, and the author considered the writing of this historical account to be a long-term activity until September 2016, when he received a diagnosis of advanced cancer.

Publication of A Secret History became a priority whilst the author attempts to come to terms with his diagnosis.

The book is published by Robert Offord in conjunction with WRITERSWORLD, and is produced entirely in the UK.

It is available to order from most bookshops in the United Kingdom, price £9.99 and is also globally available via UK-based Internet book retailers.

To book online from Amazon, click here:

 

‘Accessibility Matters’ to work with The Village MCC at Brighton Pride

Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF) join with the Village Metropolitan Church this year to deliver some activities taking place within the Access tent/area for Accessibility Matters at Brighton Pride.

Rev Michael Hydes
Rev Michael Hydes

Free activities will include art workshops, card readings, temporary tattoos, and trained helpers if anyone needs a listening ear.

Rev Michael Hydes of the Village MCC, said: “As a church rooted in the LGBT+ communities, serving the LGBT+ communities, we call for a world where we can all live free of discrimination. We believe that if we are to empower all of our communities, and not just some of our community, that accessibility really does matter. The Village MCC is proud to be working with Accessibility Matters at Brighton Pride this year.”

Billie Lewis
Billie Lewis

Billie Lewis, Volunteer Chair of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, added: “We are delighted that The Village MCC are working with us this year at Pride. They were instrumental in the delivery of the Soul Sundays during our B.Right.On Festival at the Phil Starr Pavilion. Their experience and commitment to positive community development and cohesion is infectious and must be applauded.”

The Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF) work in partnership with Brighton Pride to facilitate all aspects of accessibility at Brighton Pride on Saturday, August 5, 2017.

This will include the Access Tent and general access issues to Preston Park for the deaf, elderly and disabled communities.

For more information about the LGBT Community Safety Forum, click here:

 

PREVIEW: First ever ‘Pride Improv Festival’ for London

Zeal is the first ever improv festival to officially run as part of Pride In London!

Zeal, a week-long event will take part in venues across the city from July 1-7, offering a diverse mix of improvised entertainment to celebrate the LGBT+ communities.

Featuring improvised games, comedy, theatre, musicals, drag acts, stand-up and cabaret from both queer improvisers and those who support the community, the festival will showcase a mix of established acts, fresh young talent and brand new teams, formed especially for this year’s event!

There will also be opportunities for the audience to get up on stage and give it a go in friendly and supportive jam sessions, as well as chances to learn the basics of improv and improve existing skills through the Zeal workshops.

Taking place in collaboration with seven improv schools across London, the festival is an opportunity to see bold, exciting and unique shows that will never be seen again!

Acts are made up on the spot and every show and every night will be completely different!

Acts include Music Box, who perform an entire improvised musical based on words from the audience, regular Proud Cabaret host Luke Meredith, and improv duo Breaking & Entering, as well as brand new drag king act The Bareback Kings, improvised songs and conversation from Phil Lunn Is… A Cabaret Singer, and The Lemonade Brigade, an all-gay improv team assembled especially for the festival!

For the full line-up of events and venues, click here:

Court of Appeal in Belfast “passes buck” on women’s rights

Court of appeal in Belfast rules that reform of abortion law in Northern Ireland should be left to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and not decided by the courts.

Belfast Court of Appeal
Belfast Court of Appeal

In 2015 the High Court ruled that Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws violate the rights of women to a private life under European human rights law. The ruling involved women and girls who were denied abortions in Northern Ireland either in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or despite their pregnancies being the result of sexual crimes.

However, the ruling was appealed by the Department of Justice and Northern Ireland’s Attorney General, and that appeal has now been upheld. It will now be up to Stormont to decide on whether or not to overturn the ban on abortion in cases of rape, incest, or fatal foetal abnormality. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, which originally brought the case, is now entitled to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.

Andrew Copson
Andrew Copson

Responding to the ruling, Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson, said: “Many today will feel that the court has put politics before human rights, and betrayed women throughout Northern Ireland.

‘This was not even a case that would have seen abortion laws in Northern Ireland fully aligned with those in the rest of the UK. It was a case brought simply to uphold the right of women to terminate their pregnancies if they have been raped or if the foetus is found to have a fatal abnormality. The court’s decision not to defend this right is inhumane, especially knowing – as it does – that the Northern Ireland Assembly is very unlikely to do so. This is deeply disappointing for everyone involved in the pro-choice movement, and we must continue to campaign for the rights of women in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK until they are fully respected.”

For more information about Humanists UK’s campaigns work on abortion, click here: 

PREVIEW: Queer Space @Dalston Superstore

Queer Space is an exhibition at Dalston Superstore Gallery which draws queer artifacts and
ephemera from national archives, personal collections and influential queer meccas to create a
brief but passionate exploration of queer culture over the last century.


The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act (the partial
decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK) with a collection of personal photographic
memoirs, advertisements, news articles, posters and flyers of various LGBT+ events, clubnights
and venues. From the illicit Caravan Club of the 1930s to the ‘original all night bender’
that was Trade in the 1990s, the exhibition aims to provide a brief snapshot of how the
LGBT+ communities have partied and come together throughout the twentieth century.

Speaking about the importance of the exhibition, co-curators Joseph Alloway and Josh Enright said: “As LGBTQ+ people, our story is often written by others as one of exclusion, oppression and tragedy. We aim to show an alternative history of LGBT+ people, one of joy, community and defiance. These places were a world fashioned by queer people to celebrate our identity.”

The project is supported by Queer Tours of LondonA Mince Through Time a tour of London set up to bring forth the visibility of our incredible LGBT+ communities at large and the journey to how we became who we are today.

Contributions are included in the exhibition from:

Club Kali, The National Trust Archives, London Metropolitan Archives, Rukus! Archive at the
LMA), Bishopsgate Archive, Hall Carpenter Archive at the LSE, Jill Gardiner (From the Closet to
the Screen; Women at the Gateways Club), Matt Cook (Birkbeck University of London), Ben
Campkin (UCL), Islington Museum, I Remember the Bell, Shaun Cole (London School of
Fashion), Stuart Feather (Blowing the Lid), Siobhan Fahey (Rebel Dykes), Gay’s the Word, Dan
Glass (Queer Tours of London), Anton Johnson and Jeffrey Hinton.


Event: The Dalston Superstore Gallery presents: QUEER SPACE

Where: Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB

When: From Thursday, July 6 – mid September

Time: 7pm – 10pm

For more information, click here:

‘Out with Allan Jay’ gets the gossip at the Golden Handbag Awards 2017

Allan Jay reports on the winners and the losers, the tops and the bottoms at the 2016/17 Golden Handbag Awards on his Latest TV programme Out with Allan Jay this evening at 9pm.

The Golden Handbag Awards celebrating their 21st anniversary, took place in the glamorous surroundings of the Oxford Suite, at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on Sunday, June 11.

Allan interviews the nominee’s, organisers and presenters …. and the lovely Mr Gay England himself, Matt Rood while he takes a behind scenes look at one of the biggest events in Brighton’s annual LGBT+ calender .

Tune in tonight at 9pm on Latest TV on Brighton sussex – Freeview Ch7 – Virgin Ch159
#Goldenhandbag special

 

FEATURE: “We can’t say it any clearer; you cannot pass it on! This is not fake news.”

Alex, a 26-year-old, rugby playing marketing account director, living in Brighton conducts his life secure in the knowledge he can’t pass the HIV virus on to others.

Alex Causton-Ronaldson and his rugby team-mate, Damian
Alex Causton-Ronaldson and his rugby team-mate, Damian

I’d moved back to Norwich in 2014 after living in London for a few years and was enjoying my more rural life again, eating healthily, going to the gym and losing weight. I thought I looked great – the weight that had clung to me for years was finally falling off me. I was so happy, but then the comments started with friends telling me I had lost too much weight, and I had a constant, persistent cold. As my boss put it “Alex, you are the sickliest fit person I know”.

“I was feeling run down and had a rash all over my body. After a failed trip to A&E, followed by a rather fruitless consultation with a confused nurse at my local walk in clinic, they really didn’t know what the problem was. So just to exhaust all the options, my doctor asked me to take an HIV test.

“Monday came and I was day one into my new job in the capital when I got a call. My test was positive. I had HIV. The first thought that crossed my mind was that I couldn’t have kids. I remember the feeling of my heart dropping and my mind spinning out of control. I just needed to get home, somewhere safe.

“A few days later I was booked into see a health advisor and start my new life as an HIV positive man. Popping out on my lunch break from my new job, I sat down for the routine meeting. What wasn’t routine was the doctor rushing me to A&E half way through my appointment. I had late stage HIV and was in a critical condition.

“After a very awkward call to my new boss explaining that I’d need an extended lunch break, because it was clear I wasn’t going anywhere for a while. Thankfully after receiving treatment and care at UCLH, I recovered and went straight on medication.

“When I first heard that being on effective treatment meant I couldn’t pass on HIV, it took a while to sink in. But it was a weight off my shoulders. Passing it on had been something I’d worried about and this responsibility I had to others. I never want anyone to go through what I went though. Going into a new relationship and negotiating safe sex can be quite nerve-racking and difficult, so knowing I can’t pass it on felt liberating and made me feel safe.

“If everyone in the world knew this message, that people on effective treatment can’t pass it on, we could stop the spread of HIV. If everyone knew this, got tested, got on treatment and became unable to pass on the virus, we would find ourselves in a situation where no one is contracting the virus, and we can stop HIV in our lifetime. It’s a little bit of a big deal.

“Sometimes it can be quite exhausting spending your life trying to educate people, and it takes it’s toll. Recently I was really run down and unfortunately I couldn’t go to a match, but my rugby team were amazing – it’s really important to have a safety net and support network around you.

“For me I think there are a few reasons why there is still stigma around HIV. First, there’s stigma where people feel pity for you. They still think of the tombstone ads when HIV meant death, so they think ‘oh poor you, you’re going to die’. And then you say, ‘no I’m not’, and explain what it’s like to have HIV today, and you’re healthy and well and can have relationships.

“But then there is the other side when people think you are a risk to them, and it becomes all about them. People don’t often realise how this can make you feel, and the effect it has on your self-esteem. Suddenly you’re there with someone who ten minutes before wanted to be intimate with you and then all of a sudden they don’t. They don’t think about you, they just think about them. And that can be quite tough.

“The ‘Can’t Pass It On’ campaign from Terrence Higgins Trust is really important because it could change my life, and the lives of those living with HIV. Because today the number one problem with living with HIV is the stigma. You hear about people who are too scared to get tested, because they’re scared of being told their HIV positive and the stigma that’s attached to it. People are then diagnosed far too late. Stigma can be a killer.

“Now I know my HIV status, it’s a weight off my shoulders because I am on treatment and undetectable so I can’t pass it on. I can have sex feeling good about myself, enjoy it and not freak out about HIV.”

 

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