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MOBIfest – a Virtual Pride Festival for Queer Communities of Colour

While Pride events around the globe have either been cancelled or postponed, Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative (MOBI) has announced that MOBIfest, its annual free wellness festival for queer communities of colour, will gather audiences virtually on Thursday, June 4 at 6pm ET / 11pm BST with live DJ sets, comedy segments, and performances from dancers, musicians, and the house and ballroom community.

Now in its third year of programming, MOBI has opted to curate a lineup of queer-only talent such as trans pop activist, Mila Jam; POSE choreographer and ballroom icon, Twiggy Pucci Garcon; Miami sensation, Saucy Santana; and Chicago’s rising 17-year old rapper, Kidd Kenn.

In the wake of coronavirus, MOBIfest will be live-streamed on the MOBI website – Despite the challenges faced by organisers, a few things remain the same: MOBI is peer-led and powered by a team of black gay and queer men eager to carve out spaces for their community, and all the festival events are free for viewers.

DaShawn Usher, MOBI founder and GLAAD’s Programme Officer, said: ‘The goal for MOBI has always been to link our community with various health and wellness activities while celebrating contributions to the arts, entertainment, and culture.

 ‘The pandemic has negatively impacted the world, especially queer people of colour, so it was even more important for us to be resilient and continue to build community because there just aren’t that many options for us. Many Pride events already exclude black and brown bodies. MOBIfest seeks to centre the most marginalised and showcase our continued resilience.’

The initiative is funded by a grant from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) with support from community partners including GLAAD, Gilead, Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the New Group, Out in Tech, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), New York Blood Center, SOULE, Bisi Alimi Foundation, and more.

MOBIfest will also curate MOBIflix, a queer film festival on Saturday, June 6, featuring works from known directors and upcoming creators from public submissions.

For more info and to tune into MOBIfest on Thursday, June 4, visit: www.mobifest.live

Lemn Sissay MBE to return as Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2021

Following Brighton Festival’s digital programme, Brighton Festival at Home, during lockdown, poet and author Lemn Sissay MBE has confirmed he will return as guest director in 2021.

The online programme featured a selection of artists and events that were due to take place across the city in May. The alternative version attracted online audiences from across the world – from local school children and families taking part in their own mini children’s parade to Lemn Sissay’s live reading with viewers joining from Africa to America.

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Festival, said: ‘We are delighted that Lemn has agreed to stay on as guest director and we are determined to plan ahead for next year with live events, as well as using the lessons learned from this digital experience. The public’s support, through donating back ticket purchases, making a voluntary donation or accepting a credit voucher, shows the level of affection for Brighton Festival. There has been a huge gap in the city’s cultural life this year and we want to deliver a Festival that is stronger than ever but is also responsive to how arts events will need to adapt to make audiences feel safe.

‘Lemn’s artistic vision and the way he can speak to all of us about the things that really matter feels vitality important now. We can all look forward to Brighton Festival 2021 infused with his creative input and imagination.’

Lemn Sissay is a BAFTA-nominated award-winning writer, best-selling author, prolific speaker and performer who has inspired audiences across the world. He was the official poet of the London 2012 Olympics and his Landmark Poems can be found on the walls of hospitals, libraries, pubs, universities and train stations, bringing his writing to communities in public spaces every day.

On his re-appointment as guest director, Lemn Sissay commented: ‘This year has taught us that everything cannot be mended but the act of trying is everything. The arts bring people together, whether they are in a physical space or on a digital platform. Artists are resilient, creative and forward-thinking in making sense of the world and we can take this exciting opportunity to shape Brighton Festival for a brave new world. I’m honoured to see where it will take us and to be with you to experience it together.’

Due to the coronavirus crisis, Brighton Festival 2020 was cancelled for the first time in its 53-year history and as a registered charity, lost almost 65% of its income that would have come from ticket sales.

Brighton Festival 2021 is due to take place from May 1-23, 2021, to help secure its future, donations can be made by Text BTNFEST to 70970 for £5 or 70191 for £10 or visit www.visitbrightonfestival.org/donate

Have your say on changes to the waste and minerals local plan

You can now comment on proposed changes to the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Local Plan.

The changes have been made following a review aimed at making sure planning policies for waste and minerals in the county remain up to date and in line with national policy. Waste and mineral plans must be reviewed by law every five years.

The Waste and Minerals Plan is used to guide planning applications for waste management and minerals activities in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex including part of the South Downs National Park.

Take part in the public consultation:

The updated plan includes a review of the supply of aggregates such as sand, clay, gravel and crushed stones. Maintaining a reliable supply of aggregate is important for the construction of buildings and for future local development.

There are no proposals for new mineral extraction or waste management sites and all three authorities encourage developers to use recycled aggregates wherever possible.  Supplies will be imported by ship, rail and road and will also include recycled aggregates.

This approach maintains capacity for transferring minerals at wharves such as Shoreham and Newhaven, and sites to process recycled aggregates.

Another policy change includes a new requirement to secure net gains in biodiversity through planning applications.

East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority have carefully considered whether to proceed with the consultation given the current emergency measures put in place by the government.

In the light of this we have agreed to extend the period of consultation to 12 weeks, which we will extend further if required. Closing date for comments on the changes is 3 August.

If you are unable to access the consultation online and require printed copies of the consultation documents, please contact our planning policy team on by email wasteandmineralsdf@eastsussex.gov.uk

Your comments will be taken into account when drawing up the final version of the revised policies in the Waste and Minerals Local Plan.

First look at trailer of LGBTQ+ thriller, ‘The Ground Beneath My Feet’

Lightbulb Film Distribution has revealed the official poster and trailer for upcoming LGBTQ+ psychological thriller, The Ground Beneath My Feet, directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Valerie Pachner (A Hidden Life).

The award-winning feature, which had its worldwide premiere at Berlin International Film Festival last year, and its UK premiere at the BFI Flare Film Festival, will be released across all major streaming and download platforms from Monday, June 15.

Commenting on the release, Matthew Kreuzer, Commercial Director at Lightbulb Film Distribution, said: ‘We are thrilled to be partnering with Picture Tree International to bring this wonderful feature to UK audiences. It’s a complex, intense thriller with an incredible central performance from Valerie Pachner.’

The Ground Beneath My Feet will be available to stream or download from all major UK digital platforms – including Sky Store, Virgin Media, Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and the BFI Player – from Monday, June 15

Represent the Queer community with Libertipix

Libertipix is a new locally based LGBTQ+ sart-up and a stock-photo library whose ambition is to provide the world with images that represent the queer community, in an authentic way.  Their aim is to go beyond the clichés and stereotypes defined by gender identity and show members of the LGBTQ+ communities as real people with real jobs, real families and real hobbies. Libertipix are also looking for you to be in their team of models.

It doesn’t matter if you have never been in front of the camera before and they are not looking for professional models – genuine faces that people can relate to. As one of their models (post-lockdown and subject to social distancing rules), you’ll make money, have fun on set, and at the same time help better represent the LGBTQ+ community in mainstream media.

Libertipix would love to hear from anyone identifying as queer between the ages of 18 and 108; single lesbians, lesbian couples, single gay men, gay male couples, single people and couples who identify as trans, gender-fluid or non-binary.

If you want to be part of this new LGBTQ+ initiative, you are invited to submit two pictures to info@libertipix.com, shot on your mobile phone.

You will need to send a full-length shot (showing yourself from head to toe) and a close up of your face. You need to be smiling, showing your gnashers!

 

Pink Triangle Trust’s £1,000 donation to Rainbows Across Borders

The Pink Triangle Trust (PTT), the UK LGBTQ+ humanist charity, has made a further donation of £1,000 to Rainbows Across Borders (RAB), a Croydon-based voluntary self-help group for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution of oppressive homophobic/transphobic regimes.

In a letter of thanks to PTT, RAB wrote: ‘It is noted that the PTT has been our constant supporter, not only in the encouragement given for what we constantly try to achieve, but, also for the regularity of the of financial support provided to enable the group to cover the cost of its meetings.’

Last year RAB received £500 from PTT.

George Broadhead, PTT secretary, added: ‘Our latest donation of £1,000 to RAB recognises the terrible persecution suffered by LGBT people worldwide, especially in Muslim countries. Only recently the authorities in the Islamic state of Indonesia are warning that they will face exorcisms as the country prepares to enact a law that will force them into conversion therapy. The so-called Family Resilience Bill would make homosexuality illegal across the southeast Asian islands.’

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population with over 267 million people and the Family Resilience Bill would push thousands into ‘rehab’ to ‘cure’ their sexuality. Four Indonesian parties have backed the new bill and it’s on parliament’s priority list for the 2020 to 2024 period.

For more info on Pink Triangle Trust, visit: www.thepinktriangletrust.com

For more info on Rainbows Across Borders, follow them on Facebook @RainbowsAcrossBorders

Queer women take over ‘Manchester Pride In Your Living Room’

Week seven of Manchester Pride’s series of Friday night shows will see queer women take over the LGBTQ+ charity’s social streaming channels with DJ sets and dance performances on Friday, May 29 from 8pm.

It is the third in a series of four weeks of original shows that have either been curated or funded by the LGBTQ+ charity to offer a platform to showcase the very best of Manchester’s queer talent.

The show will feature four DJ sets, from Mix-Stress of RebeccaNeverBecky, Jungle Julia, Black Betty and NIMMO, each accompanied by performances from dancers J and Ivy Profemme.

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said: ‘This week it’s a bit of a rave. We’ve curated a show packed full of eclectic queer music with dance performances to compliment it. Tune in and dance round your loving room with LGBTQ+ people everywhere.’

The performances will be hosted on Manchester Pride’s YouTube at 8pm.

Donations received on the night will go to the Manchester Pride. Anyone who wants to donate £3 can text MCRPRIDE to 70450. Texts cost £3 plus one standard rate message and donors will be opting in to hear more about the charity’s work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you would like to give £3 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text MCRPRIDENOINFO to 70450.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Manchester Pride has launched a new online consultation process to ensure that it is able to continue to engage with the region’s LGBTQ+ communities throughout 2020 in spite of the current period of uncertainty and isolation for many.

Friday, June 5 from 5-7pm will be the women’s listening group.  To ensure that every guest’s voice is heard, the group is open to a maximum of 15 people per group using online platform Zoom.  The information gathered from this and other online groups will be used for the development of plans for the charity’s year-round community offer in 2021.

More info:

Lesbian lockdown marriage proposal via Zoom

There’s been no shortage of online creativity during the current crisis, but this story of Brighton lesbians Jessie and Julia also has romance at its heart and a proper fairytale ending.

At the start of the lockdown Jessie approached local comedy songwriter/performer Hannah Brackenbury and asked her to write a personalised song about Julia so she could use it to propose with.

Hannah takes up the tale: “She sent me lots of info about their relationship and I put together a funny/romantic song. I then performed it at the end of one of my online shows on Zoom that Jessie and Julia were watching.

“Julia had no idea what was going to happen and Jessie had invited lots of their family and friends to be in on the call too.

“The whole thing was very cute and made a lovely video, which has done the rounds on social media this weekend.”

You can see Hannah’s performance, Julia’s reaction (no spoilers…) and their friends’ delight here:

Polish couple visit ‘LGBTQ+ free zones’ to give away rainbow masks

Do you remember Polish gay couple Jakub and David who gave away rainbow masks on the streets of Poland? Well, they did it again but this time decided to visit ‘LGBTQ+ free zones’ in Poland to hand out hundreds of rainbow masks to the people they met.

Jakub an David faced a few threats, some people were a bit nasty, but as they say – ‘Watching so many people with rainbow masks on their faces in these areas was absolutely worth it!’

Jakub and David visited three ‘LGBTQ+ free zones’ in East Poland – small towns called Mordy, Trzebieszów and Biała Podlaska, giving away over 200 rainbow masks in each spot. Watching their film you can see that it wasn’t very safe and anything could happen. Some people didn’t like rainbow masks, one man threatened to punch their faces if they didn’t leave, but people’s reactions were mostly very positive.

Giving away rainbow masks is Jakub’s and David’s way to fight against Covid-19 and homophobia in their country.

To see our original report, click here

Follow Jakub and David on Facebook by clicking here. 

A nest is feathered. Micheal James celebrates

15.12pm Sunday 10 May 2020

Glory Be.  I can finally say without any contradiction that Mrs Gimpy Gull has finally laid something of note across on the roof opposite.  She or both of them have now been nest sitting for over 24 hours. I believe they do share the chores but I don’t know when he takes over to give her a break.  Is it from the outset soon after she has struggled to produce another miracle of nature into this traumatic, fearful locked down world?  Or does he take over sometime later? Perhaps as late as when the chicks actually emerge?

I’ll be counting down now to see when these cute golf sized balls of feathers begin to strut their stuff across the roof.  Then in mid July when they seriously begin to exercise their wings by flapping and hopping up and down onto various roof top obstacles.  Then one day they are gone  Never to be seen again if these past 3 years are anything to go by.

15.30pm

My Sunday lunch has just been delivered.

17.15pm

Wow that was lovely for a take away Sunday lunch.  The desert was fabulous.  The dinner as a whole was a treat, leaving me with Happy Thoughts.

12.30pm Monday 11 May 2020

The only good thing about this morning was a phone call to my older sister in Exmouth to find out if she is coping.  She is losing her sight bit by bit so can no longer use her mobility scooter.  She is housebound, without the added extra of Lockdown.  Like me she is more used to being on her own and she has friends and family nearby.  One piece of bad news from her was the fact that her favourite grand daughter Sam, is in hospital with Sepsis.  I have never met any of my sisters family, her son or her daughters let alone their children  I never knew I had an older, older sister until about 20 years ago.  She, my other sister Sheila and I, are the children of her father Arthur who brought her up after stealing her away from my mother before the war.

So when my mum became pregnant with Sheila and then myself, she went back to Ireland so he could not take us as well.  Sheila stayed in Ireland and when she returned after the war she could not speak english.  By which time my mum had another daughter by someone else.  The three of us were brought up as brother and sisters.  Not knowing who our father was.  It was intimated he died in the war as with so many other children down our street.  So life was normal for all of us until Sheila got married and the priest called her by a different surname than the one we were all brought up with.  Secrets and lies as with many of us war babies.  I’ve yet to encounter any friends of my age who does not have some kind of question mark regarding their parentage.  Pat my eldest sister is ok.  She is happy as am I.

I am waiting for Boots to deliver my medication.  I was told it would be somewhere between 9am and 1pm.  Ten minutes to go then by my clocks.

The toner cartridge on my printer is getting low.  I bought a new one but until an hour ago was afraid to attempt to put the new one in.  I geared myself up and managed to expose the workings of the printer without doing any damage.  Fuck my old boots.  I have absolutely no idea how  to remove the old one let alone put in a new one.  I cannot even see the old one.  I have no idea what it looks like or how to change it if and when I do find it.  This is the main drawback of the lockdown.  I cannot ask any of my friends to come over to help me.  To show me what to do and how to do it. It just means I will be unable to print anything until such time as I can ask someone to change the toner cartridge for me.  On my own. Helpless as a kitten up a tree.

The violent dreams have returned.  I made the mistake of reading something about boris…….

13.00pm

The medication has just been delivered.

…… on Facebook.  I get so angry.  I cannot watch the news anymore and now I cannot even read the Facebook news clips.  If I have read an actual article I usually read the comments.  OK so those who make comments on any particular article are not necessarily my friends nor are they lesbian or gay.  I’m finding out there is a kind of cross over of people who read various articles.  What I find difficult to understand is the fact there are so many apologists for the actions of the present governments actions.  Paid party hacks to defend at all costs?  As they do on Yahoo’s comments on various news stories.  In Yahoos case I’m finding it difficult at times to immediately see if the posters are from the States or here.  Those commenting on British politics are nearly all far right wing.  These trolls took over all the first 10 comments spots during the whole period leading up to Brexit.  They monopolised the first page of comments.  I could not understand this at first.  Was Yahoo allowing them to fill these spaces?  Then it dawned on me that no these posters masquerading as common folk like myself were far from common folk.  They had to be being paid by some right wing focus group, working secretly on behalf of the tory party, to clog up any kind of discussion taking place online in these comments pages.  They followed a definite discernible pattern.  Particularly when any story concerned a woman.  The misogynist trolls came out in force.  Every single post were from men.  Heterosexual men who loathed women and did everything they could to attack the woman who happened to be part of the original story.  These same men would dump upon any story involving the LGBT community.  At first I got angry.  Then I told myself this was a golden opportunity to go troll hunting.  The troll hunting has  become a bit of a delightful past time these last two years.  It does however get a bit draining  because I am a single person picking off the Troll hordes one by one.  I could do with a couple of dozen more troll hunters to help me out.

14.31pm

YEEESSSS!  I was right.  I just witnessed Mr and Mrs Gimpy Gull doing a change over.  That is what I wanted to see.

14.58pm

In the middle of that my Waitrose delivery slot page popped up to tell me there were now slots available for Saturday afternoon between 2 & 3pm.  So I‘ve been food shopping. That is always a relief.  The underlying tensions in the past waiting for a delivery slot have been unnecessary.  I seem to have cracked the timescale for slots to come online.  I think about 3 days before I need the slot seems to do the trick.  I’m happy now.  I can relax.  Have a snooze even.

 

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