Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Gay and Lesbian Humanists Celebrate 30 years of Achievement

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) celebrates its 30th anniversary at a free public event on Friday 10th July 2009.

The event will include an exhibition about GALHA’s work, reflections and recollections of GALHA founding members about the organisation’s early years, and talks exploring the historical context of LGBT campaigning. Speakers will include celebrated human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, and Member of the European Parliament, GALHA Vice President Michael Cashman.

In addition, the CHE/Derek Oyston Award in conjunction with GALHA will be presented to the winning campaigner who has made a particularly outstanding contribution to the LGBT community. This new annual award which is seen as a replacement for the Mike Rhodes Award will consist of £1,000.

GALHA is also pleased to welcome the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) to this event to celebrate their own 40th anniversary.

GALHA secretary David Christmas, commented. “This is expected to be a fun event, but it also has a very serious point. Both GALHA and the LGBT Community in general have achieved even more than we could have dreamt of in the dark days back in the 70s and 80s when people like Mary Whitehouse tried to use the law to bully us into silence.”

“However, while we may have seen off the bigots of 30 years ago, our very success has provoked a new generation of religious fundamentalists who are determined to roll back gay rights across Europe and North America, and to ensure that gay people continue to be denied freedom and equality in other parts of the world.”

“The next 30 years will probably determine whether gay equality becomes a permanent fixture across the globe.”

“However GALHA is about much more than exposing the intellectual and moral flaws of religion. Through our program of regular events and activities, and our campaigns, our aim is to build a community in which gay people with no religious beliefs gain a sense of belonging, and contribute to building a better, fairer and happier society.”

The Bishopsgate Institute, the venue for the event, recently added the GALHA’s archives to its historical and radical library.

The event starts at 6:30pm
Bishopsgate Institute
230 Bishopsgate
London EC2M 4QH
www.bishopsgate.org.uk

Find out more about the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association here.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Stonewall Riots Remembered

It is 40 years today since the Stonewall Riots took place. Jim Fouratt, later founder of the Gay Liberation Front, who was there, and Kenneth Partridge, who was on the London gay scene at the time, discuss the lasting significance of the riots with Evan Davies on Thursday's Today Programme.



Raymond Castro remembers taking part in the Riots and reflects for the Associated Press on 40 years of struggle here, while Peter Tatchell provides a UK perspective and deplores the LGBT community's retreat from the radicalism awaken by the Riots in the Guardian here. The New York Times also has a piece here.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 27th June - 3rd July

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV

New
Stephen Fry cameos on Top Gear at 8pm Sunday on BBC2. The Supersizers Eat… their way through the 50s on BBC2 at 9pm Monday. Imagine onBBC1 at 10.35pm Tuesday follows David Hockney at work in the Yorkshire countryside.


Ongoing
One or two Ls and a G and 2 Bs on BB on C4. Totally Saturday on Saturday night at 7.30pm is hosted by Graham Norton. Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brünoguests on Jonathan Ross at 12.40pm on BBC1. Alan Carr’s Chatty Man repeated on C4 at 11.10 on the same evening. Stephen Fry as the eponymous Peter Kingdom on ITV1 Sunday at 9pm. Alan Carr hosts his own show Chatty Man at 10pm C4. Ugly Betty on C4 at 10pm Wednesday. C4 repeats Ugly Betty at 9pm and Skins at 10 on Wednesday. On Thursday, Matt Lucas in Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire on BBC2 at 9pm followed by Psychoville at 10. C4 repeats Derren Brown’s Trick or Treat 11.45pm Thursday.

Usually there’s some LGBT content on The Big Questions on BBC1 on Sunday morning at 10am. Ellen is on Fiver every weekday morning at 6. Will & Grace 9 and Come Dine with Me at 5.30pm on C4.

Films
Rocky Horror Picture Show on Indie Saturday at 10pm. The original Psycho on Classics at 1.35 am Sunday. West Side Story 7.45am Drama Monday; Gypsy 7.15am TCM. Rocky Horror again on Screen 1 7am and 11.50pm Wednesday. On Thursday there’s X-Men on Action/Thriller at 8pm andPsycho again on Classics at 2am. James Dean’s last film Giant, with Rock Hudson, on Friday Classics 9pm.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 27th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Pick of the Pops. Dale Winton. 1969 & 1979
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini. US hits
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4 - 10am: Excess Baggage. Sandi Toksvig’s back
BBC Radio 4 - 10.35: A Funny Sort of Sound. Julian Clary on musical novelty acts
BBC Radio 4 - 3.30pm: Menotti. Music writer Michael White tells the life story of composer Gian Carlo Menotti, lover of Samuel Barber.
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour. Highlights
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis.
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Reith Lectures. Michael Sandel on the moral dilemmas of eugenics
6 Music - 12midnight: BBC Introducing. Tom Robinson

Sunday 28th
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady. Lively words and music show
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 12.04pm: I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue. Stephen Fry
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 4 - 10.45: Dave’s Friends in the North. Two-parter looking at why the Tories can’t cut the mustard north of Watford. Features Alan Duncan
BBC Radio 7 - 8pm: Vanity Fair. Narrated by Stephen Fry
BBC Radio 7 -10pm: The News Quiz

Monday 29th
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30pm: I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Stephen Fry
BBC Radio 4 - 7.15: Front Row. Interview with Russell T. Davies

Tuesday 30th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30pm: Stonewall: The Riots that Triggered the Gay Revolution. Tom Robinson presents a special on the 40th anniversary of the riots that started the modern LGBT movement. Includes previously unaired archive interviews with Craig Rodwell and Barbara Gittings
BBC Radio 2 - 11.30: You Heard it the Movies. People who compose for films, including Leonard Bernstein
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Reith Lectures. Michael Sandel, Harvard’s professor of Government, on consumerism

Wednesday 1st
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30: Media Show. Paul Gambaccini guests
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15: Torchwood. Same cast; no pictures. Three-parter
BBC Radio 4 - 7.15pm: Front Row. John Wilson reports on The National Portrait Gallery’s Gay Icons
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. Aggressive debate that often touches on LGBT issues

Thursday 2nd
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15pm: Torchwood
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. With Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis

Friday 3rd
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15: Torchwood
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word. Obituary show that has featured LGBT figures in the past
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
BBC Radio 7 - 11: Saturday Night Fry

Local

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Friday, June 26, 2009

Stonewall Riots 40th Anniversary - London Event

The 'Stonewall Riots' on 28 June 1969, in New York, are remembered as the start of the global LGBTQ rights movement. This year is the 40th Anniversary.

That's 40 years of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer people fighting for our rights in the streets, in the courts, in the workplace, in communities around the world!

Be part of this story yourself! Join us for London's celebration of this key moment in our community's story, on Sunday 28 June 2009.

Stage 1: March from the London School of Economics, via Soho Square, to Central Station in Kings Cross.
Stage 2: Enjoy a FREE cabaret and consciousness-raising event.

There is a Facebook event here.
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STAGE 1: March from London School of Economics, via Soho Square, to Central Station
Sunday 28 June 2009 (1pm to 3pm)

Estimated journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus 30 minutes in Soho Square.

1. Gather at the London School of Economics and Political Science at 1pm
2. Leave via Houghton Street at 1.30pm prompt
3. Turn right onto Aldwych A4
4. Turn right onto Drury Lane
5. Turn left onto High Holborn A40
6. Bear right onto Saint Giles High Street A40
7. Bear right towards New Oxford Street
8. Turn left onto New Oxford Street and walk a few yards to cross roads with Tottenham Court Road Tube on it
9. Go straight over traffic lights onto Oxford Street
10. Turn left onto Soho Street
11. Arrive at Soho Square, W1D 4

12. Walk completely around Soho Square. Take a seat in Soho Square, enjoy the sunshine, listen to the birds, have a chat about life, the universe and everything. A small group of (quick) marchers will split off to distribute leaflets on Old Compton Street. When they get back, we can move off again…

13. Go back down Soho Street to Oxford Street
14. Turn right onto Oxford Street
15. Turn left onto Tottenham Court Road A400. Walk up Tottenham Court Road (pass Goodge Street tube and Warren Street tube).
16. Turn right onto Euston Road. Walk along Euston Road (pass Euston Station, Fire Station, British Library, St Pancras Station, Kings Cross Station)
17. Continue onto Pentonville Road A501
18. Turn left onto Northdown Street
19. Turn left onto Wharfdale Road (A5200)
20. Arrive at Central Station on corner of Wharfdale Road and Balfe Street.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
STAGE 2: Cabaret and Consciousness-Raising Event at Central Station, Sunday 28 June 2009 (3pm to 8pm)

You are invited to a FREE cabaret and consciousness-raising event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots on Sunday 28 June, from 3pm to 8pm, at Central Station, 37 Wharfdale Road, London (how to get there)

We have a fabulous line-up of performers, singers, dancers, poets, rappers and speakers...and we have the wonderful, witty, willing and beautiful Bird La Bird compering throughout this his/herstoric event!

AND IT IS ALL FOR FREE!
---------------------
Venue Access: Ramp access available on request - just ask bar staff.
Venue Enquiries: 020 7278 3294
Door Policy: LGBTQIN-friendly - all welcome. Under 18s are permitted to attend the event at Central Station if accompanied by an over-18. All under 21s will be asked to show proof of age at the bar. Strictly no under-age drinking.

Gay Icons at the National Portrait Gallery

Will Young and Nelson Mandela will stand side by side in a new exhibition of 'gay icons'. The singer and the former South African president are among 60 figures chosen for the National Portrait Gallery's show.

Gay Icons explores gay social and cultural history through the unique personal insights of ten high–profile gay figures, who have selected their historical and modern icons. The chosen icons, who may or may not be gay themselves, have all been important to each selector, having influenced or inspired them.

The 10 curators are: Labour peers Waheed Alli and Chris Smith; the chief executive of gay campaign group Stonewall, Ben Summerskill; comedian and presenter Sandi Toksvig; actor Sir Ian McKellen; musician Sir Elton John; tennis champion Billie Jean King; and writers Alan Hollinghurst, Jackie Kay and Sarah Waters. Each chose six icons.

Their only constraint was that choices had to be photographic portraits. This creates a timeframe of about 150 years - the period in which homosexuality gradually became accepted and made legitimate, the gallery said.

One of Lord Smith's choices was Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science whose career ended when he was "outed" and criminally prosecuted at a time when homosexuality was still illegal. And Sir Ian chose Harvey Milk, the first openly gay, elected politician in California whose life has just been depicted on film in an Oscar-winning performance by Sean Penn.

The choices provide a fascinating range of inspiring figures – some very famous, some heroic, others relatively unknown. Spanning the worlds of entertainment, art, music, literature, sport and politics they include artists Francis Bacon and David Hockney, civil rights campaigner Harvey Milk, writers Quentin Crisp, Joe Orton, Daphne Du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith and Walt Whitman, composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, musicians k.d. lang, Will Young and Village People, entertainers Ellen DeGeneres, Kenneth Williams and Lily Savage, and Nelson Mandela and Diana, Princess of Wales.

A fully illustrated book accompanies the exhibition, featuring over seventy striking photographs, an introduction by Sandi Toksvig and an essay by Richard Dyer.

Gay Icons
Opening Times: 2 July to 18 October 2009. Open daily 10:00-18:00. Thursday-Friday until 21:00.
National Portrait Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2H 0HE
Tickets: £5/£4.50/£4, free for Gallery Supporters
webpage

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Gilbert and George: the Odd Couple

Gilbert and George have no friends, no kitchen, and dress only in tweed. On the eve of their strangest show yet, the 'living sculptures' talk frankly about art, fashion and faith.

Read the full article in the Guardian and watch a videohere.

George, raised a Methodist, is more sarcastic: "We think religion would be fine if it came under the same legal umbrella as ourselves. They should be the same as a manufacturer of marmalade. You're not allowed to make false claims about your ­marmalade, are you?" He adds: "We think the Pope should be dragged to the Hague in the same way Milosevic was: he's killed more people, anyway."

Queering Asia

Asia is set to become the new dominant economic and cultural pole in the next few decades. There remains many questions about human rights in that part of the world, particularly when it comes to LGBT rights.

It is therefore interesting to see, 40 years after the Stonewall Riots that kick-started the movement, a blossoming of Pride events across the far east.

Earlier this month, Shanghai organised China's first ever Pride event which lasted a week. Despite the fact that homosexuality is not illegal in China, it is still not accepted socially and the government felt obliged to ask the event's organisers to tone things down and no public event took place. Read an AFP article here. www.shanghaipride.com.

At the same time, India, where homosexuality is still illegal, thanks to the British inherited Section 377, will see Pride celebrations in the 5 biggest cities. This follows a massive growth in LGBT visibility and support throughout the country.
Find out more here.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Schools Out call for Pride paraders

Schools Out today called on LGBT education workers and supporters of equality in education to march together at London Pride, on Saturday 4 July.

Organiser Milena Gravenhorst has set up a Facebook group, ‘Schools Out at London Pride 2009’, to bring people together. She explained:

‘I’m always disappointed I can’t march with fellow teachers at London Pride. The police and the armed forces have a prominent presence now – so why don’t we?

'LGBT teachers have been making a difference to many students´ lives for decades but this fact is neither acknowledged nor celebrated. In fact, in the public eye, LGBT teachers still don’t seem to exist!

Schools have a legal duty to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying. This can only be implemented effectively if LGBT teachers and other education staff themselves feel able to be fully out to pupils, staff and parents. Research has shown that ‘meaningful personal contact’ with an LGB person cuts homophobia by half.

The Facebook group can be found here. Alternatively, you can send an email to schoolsoutlondon@yahoo.co.uk to register interest and find our more.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

'Come out, come out, wherever you are'

Sir Ian McKellen explains why everyone has the right to live openly, as we approach the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

I remember when Michael Cashman, now an MEP, was the first chairman of the lobby group Stonewall. He said that gays would have full equality in ten years. It sounded hopelessly optimistic, but he wasn’t far off the mark. I didn’t know anything about the original “Stonewall” until we were setting up the group. It might as well have been a cricketing term.

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which began on June 27, 1969 in reaction to a police raid on the gay Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village. It became a defining moment in gay history.

Read the full article in the Times here.

Peter Tatchell is London Citizen of Sanctuary 2009

To mark Refugee Week 2009, Peter Tatchell was one of three public figures honoured with the London Citizen of Sanctuary Award 2009, in recognition of his work campaigning on behalf of refugees. The other winners were Labour MP Neil Gerrard and actress Juliet Stevenson.

All three were honoured at a ceremony at the New Players Theatre in London on Sunday night, 21 June 2009, which included a performance of the Asylum Monologues by the troupe, Actors for Human Rights.

London City of Sanctuary is part of a growing network of British cities and towns dedicated to promoting a culture of hospitality and welcome to people seeking sanctuary from persecution, including persecution on the grounds of their politics, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Accepting his award, Peter Tatchell said:
"I accept this award with honour, gratitude and humility. I am just a small part of a vast
network of individuals and organisations who support refugees fleeing persecution. Many of these refugees have suffered arrest, imprisonment, torture, rape and attempts to kill them.

"I would like to pay tribute to the magnificent work of organisations such as the Refugee Council, Refugee Action, Medical Justice, Bail Circle, Bail for Immigration Detainees, No Borders, National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, Lesbian and Gay Asylum Team and many others.

"Together, over the years, these organisations have made a huge positive difference to the lives of tens of thousands of refugees," said Mr Tatchell.

For more information, visit the City of Sanctuary website here. and Peter Tatchell's website here.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 20th - 26th June

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV
Totally Saturday on Saturday night at 7.30pm is hosted by Graham Norton. Repeats of Supersizers on BBC2 at 10.40pm and Alan Carr’s Chatty Man repeated on C4 at 11.10 on the same evening. Stephen Fry as the eponymous Peter Kingdom on ITV1 Sunday at 9pm. Alan Carr hosts his own showChatty Man at 10pm C4. Wimbledon from Monday. Sue Perkins joins Giles Coren in The Supersizers Eat on BBC2 at 9pm Monday, followed by Clare Balding in Have I Got News for You at 9.30. Ugly Betty’s back on C4 at 10pm Wednesday. On Thursday, Psychoville at 10pm on BBC2. Matt Lucas inKröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire on BBC2 at 9pm. An L and a G and 3 Bs on BB on C4. C4 repeats the first series of Dirty Sexy Money at1.05am Wednesday. C4 repeats Derren Brown’s Trick or Treat 11.40pm Thursday.
Usually there’s some LGBT content on The Big Questions on BBC1 on Sunday morning at 10am. Ellen is on Fiver every weekday morning at 6. Will & Grace 9 and Come Dine with Me at 5.30pm on C4.

Films
Milk gets its first small screen showing in the UK but you have to pay. Sky Box Office and FFlex from Monday. Mamma Mia Saturday-Friday at 8pm (6pm on Wednesday) on Premiere. X-Men yet again on Family at 10pm. Boys Don’t Cry on Indie at 10pm Sunday. St Trinians with Rupert Everett at11.40pm on Family Tuesday. Public school 60’s cult classic If… on Film4 12.50am Thursday. La Vie en Rose on Indie 10pm Friday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 20th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Pick of the Pops. Dale Winton. 1971 & 1980
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini. US hits
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30: News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig
BBC Radio 4 - 1.10: Any Questions? Alan Duncan
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour. Highlights
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis.
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Reith Lectures. Michael Sandel on the moral dilemmas raised by same-sex marriage
6 Music - 12midnight: BBC Introducing. Tom Robinson

Sunday 21st
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page on Sunday. Looks at Gypsy and The Sound of Music
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady. Lively words and music show
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 12.04pm: I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue. Stephen Fry and The Rippling Sven
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30pm: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10pm: The News Quiz

Monday 22nd
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30pm: I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Stephen Fry in the shoes of the late Humphrey Lyttleton.

Tuesday 23rd
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Reith Lectures. Michael Sandel, Harvard’s professor of Government, on manipulative medicine, including gender reassignment
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30pm: Menotti. Music writer Michael White tells the life story of composer Gian Carlo Menotti, lover of Samuel Barber.
BBC Radio 7 - 9.15pm: The Master and Mrs. Tucker. Play chronicling Noel Coward’s relationship with E. Nesbit

Wednesday 24th
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. Aggressive debate that often touches on LGBT issues

Thursday 25th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30pm: Does the Team Think? With Julian Clary
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. With Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis

Friday 26th
BBC Radio 2 - 10pm: Claudia Winkleman. Sarah Waters guests
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word. Obituary show that has featured LGBT figures in the past
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
BBC Radio 7 - 11: Saturday Night Fry

Local

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Before Wilde: Sex Between Men in Britain's Age of Reform

Gay rights activist and author, Larry Kramer, reviews a new book by Charles Upchurch, an assistant professor of history at Florida State University.

This book examines changing perceptions of sex between men in early Victorian Britain, a significant yet surprisingly little explored period in the history of Western sexuality. Looking at the dramatic transformations of the era--changes in the family and in the law, the emergence of the world's first police force, the growth of a national media, and more--Charles Upchurch asks how perceptions of same-sex desire changed between men, in families, and in the larger society. To illuminate these questions, he mines a rich trove of previously unexamined sources, including hundreds of articles pertaining to sex between men that appeared in mainstream newspapers. The first book to relate this topic to broader economic, social, and political changes in the early nineteenth century, Before Wilde sheds new light on the central question of how and when sex acts became identities.
Read Kramer's review on gaybookblog here.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Video: 100 Years of Gay Pride

In the US, June has been named as Gay Pride Month by both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton and this year will mark 40 years since the Stonewall Riots that were such a landmark in the gay liberation movement and kick started the yearly return of evermore numerous Gay Pride events around the world.

To celebrate this anniversary and because "It's time to celebrate all the colours of the rainbow", artist Jon Gilbert Leavitt has reworked and extended a song he wrote for the 20th anniversary of the riots. The song comes with a video including a variety of iconic video footage and photographs to showcase LGBT life since the beginning of the 20th Century.



The updated song, entitled Pride 2009, is part of a CD by Leavitt, titled Pride at 40, The Music of a Movement. The Lyircs of the song can be found here (pdf file). More information about the album can be found here.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Jake Arnott: Joe Meek and Me

Jake Arnott, author of The Long Firm, tells the Evening Standard of the influence the gay music producer Joe Meek had on him on the occasion of the release of Telstar, a biopic of Meek.

Joe Meek's sound has always haunted me, his weird and wonderful tunes echoed through my childhood.

This wildly imaginative and innovative record producer was one of the great English eccentrics, whose mad genius transformed cheap pop music into something wildly expressionistic and strangely ethereal. [...]

Joe was quite a character. Addicted to amphetamines and obsessed with séances and the occult, he created techniques in recording that were years ahead of their time.

Gay when it was still illegal, he was immersed in the demi-monde of Swinging London and was destroyed by a paranoia that drove him to shoot his landlady before turning the gun on himself.

My research into his life took me to some strange places.
Read the full article here.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Patrick Newley Dies

Patrick Newley
1955 - 2009
The writer, raconteur and agent Patrick Newley has died, aged 54.

Obituaries:
- The Times
- The Daily Telegraph
- The Stage

Friday, June 12, 2009

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 13th - 19th June

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV
Quite a lot this week. Sandi Toksvig stars as Geraldine alongside Stephen Fry as the eponymous Peter Kingdom on ITV1 Sunday at 9pm. Alan Carrhosts his own show Chatty Man at 10pm C4. Sue Perkins joins Giles Coren in the return of The Supersizers Eat on BBC2 at 9pm Monday. This week it’s the 8os and they shall have dinner with Norman Tebbitt and Jeffrey Archer. Let’s hope Sue can keep it down. On Thursday, Syed falls for Christian inEastenders at 7.30pm BBC1, and Stephen K Amos is a celebrity chef in Celebrity Masterchef at 8. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, makers of The League of Gentlemen give us creepy comedy with Psychoville at 10pm on BBC2.
An L and a G and 3 Bs on BB on C4. Totally Saturday on Saturday night at 7.30pm is hosted by Graham Norton. Matt Lucas in Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire on BBC2 on Thursday at 9pm.

C4 repeats the first series of Dirty Sexy Money at 12.30am Wednesday. C4 repeats Derren Brown’s Trick or Treat 11.40pm Thursday.
Alan Carr’s Tooth Fairy Live is repeated on C4 at 10pm Saturday. Usually there’s some LGBT content on The Big Questions on BBC1 on Sundaymorning at 10am. Ellen is on Fiver every weekday morning at 6. Will & Grace 9 and Come Dine with Me at 5.30pm on C4.

Films
St Trinians with Rupert Everett at 10pm on Family Saturday. Rocky Horror Picture Show at 9am and 8.15pm on Indie Sunday. Philadelphia at 10pmon Five on Monday and Hairspray on Screen 1 at 8. Scream and Scream Again for sheer campness on Classics at 10.40pm on Tuesday. X-Men onFamily at 10pm at 1.30 and The Krays at 11.05pm on Screen 2 the same evening. St Trinians again on Family at 10.10pm on Wednesday. Dirk Bogarde in Hot Enough for June on BBC2 at 1pm Thursday; Scum on ITV4 at 10pm and The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 8pm on Screen 1. Hairspray at 10pm on Screen 1 at 10pm on Friday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 13th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Pick of the Pops. Dale Winton. 1967 & 1978
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini. US hits
BBC Radio 2 - 10: The Fourth, the Fifth, the Final Fall. Repeat of covers of Cohen’s Hallelujah; including KD and Wainwright
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding in Dorset
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30: News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig and Sue Perkins
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour. Highlights
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis. The only man who can corpse over a Telegraph news article.
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Archive on 4: The First A&R Man. EMI Hayes examined by Paul Gambaccini
BBC Radio 4 - 11: Counterpoint. Paul Gambaccini presents the music buffs’ quiz
6 Music - 12midnight: BBC Introducing. Tom Robinson

Sunday 14th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page on Sunday. Looks at Hairspray
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady. Lively words and music show
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 4.30: Poetry Please. Carol Ann Duffy
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30pm: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10pm: The News Quiz

Monday 15th
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30pm: I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Stephen Fry in the shoes of the late Humphrey Lyttleton. No pressure there then

Tuesday 16th
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Reith Lectures. Michael Sandel, Harvard’s professor of Government, on Morality in Politics, including same-sex marriage

Wednesday 17th
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. Aggressive debate that often touches on LGBT issues

Thursday 18th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Bill Mitchell: The Man Who Wrestled Pumas – Probably. Miriam Margolyes on the gravelly Canadian voiceover who featured on many a 70s and 80s ad
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. With Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4- 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis

Friday 19th
BBC Radio 2 - 10pm: Claudia Winkleman. Sarah Waters guests
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word. Obituary show that has featured LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig and Sue Perkins
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Any Questions. Alan Duncan represents the Tories
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
BBC Radio 7 - 11: Saturday Night Fry

Local
For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian

Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast at: www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The 2009 Outburst UK Pride Festival


The third annual Outburst UK Pride Festival takes place on Saturday, 27 June 2009 on the banks of the Thames River in east London close to London city airport and with breathtaking views of London.

The Outburst UK Pride Festival is a celebration of the achievements of the Black, Minority & Ethnic community in the United Kingdom. An inclusive event regardless of race, nationality, age, gender or orientation, the festival will be a part of the Pride London festivities this year and will be the first BME Pride event that will be included within the two week celebrations.

The Tereza Joanne Floating Palace and Grounds is this year’s festival venue which runs from 12 Noon till 12 Midnight, with a fireworks display at 9pm.

Additions to this year’s festival are two film screenings, Black Aura on an Angel and Rag Tag, a British film by Adaora Nwandu which was a Centrepiece Screening at the 2007 London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Headlining the festival is Denise Pearson from 5 Star fame who is currently performing in the west end production “Thriller Live”, our very own diva Angie Brown who is also a patron of Outburst UK, French dance sensation Akil Wingate, UK Poet Miss B.L.U., Canada’s drag legend Jackae Baker, US RnB recording artiste Michael Ashanti, plus 4Flava, MC Chewy, Kory McLeod, Gift, Sykes, other International and UK performers and surprise guests. More to be confirmed later. TV presenter Trevor Blackman returns this year as host.

There will be food and community stalls on display from various sections of the community as well as the now permanent feature of the festival: the fashion show showcasing designs from some of the UK’s top young designers and choreographed by SallyAnn Couzens.

Throughout the day, there will be entertainment on the main stage and festival goers will be able to join in by taking part in the Swag Contest, Sexiest Girl Next Door and Walk like a Model contests, with cash prizes and trophies for the winners.

For more information visit: www.outburstfestival.org

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 6th - 12th June

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV
Lisa and Rodrigo are safely inside the Big Brother house. Fingers crossed for Charlie the Geordie gay and Soffia the questioning. And as I write this the posh one has just announced that he’s bi. It’s like Marmite isn’t it? Totally Saturday on Saturday night (bizarrely enough) at 7.30pm is something to do with celebrities and real people and is hosted by Graham Norton. Stephen Fry returns to the role of the eponymous Peter Kingdom on ITV1 Sunday at 9pm. Also on Sunday, Rhona Cameron has to take a break from share everything partner Suran to join unreconstructed 70s comedian Stan Boardman and housewife Viv has to get used to new ways in Celebrity Wife Swap on C4 at 8pm. Matt Lucas on ITV1’s This Morning at 10.30am Wednesday, promoting Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, the camp sword and sorcery adventure that starts on BBC2 the following evening at 9pm. Sue Perkins guests on Jonathan Ross; BBC1 10.35pm.

ITV1 repeats a tribute to the late Larry Grayson at 10.30pm Saturday. C4 repeats the first series of Dirty Sexy Money at 12.30am Wednesday, while Julian Clary presents the repeated Have I Got News for You at 10.20pm on Dave. C4 repeats Derren Brown’s Trick or Treat 11.40pm Thursday.

Ellen is on Fiver every weekday morning at 6. Will & Grace 9 and Come Dine with Me at 5.30pm on C4.

Films
Saturday’s a write-off. Carry on Loving is on BBC2 at 6pm Sunday. I mustn’t speak ill of the dead so I won’t say that the execrable Dick Emery who ruined my childhood stars in Ooh…You Are Awful on BBC1 at 12.35am the same evening. Shame on the BBC for showing such ghastliness. Tuesday sees The Krays on Action/Thriller at 11.10pm and St. Trinians on Family at 10.10pm. Family on Thursday does Hairspray at 8pm and X-Men at 10.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 6th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Pick of the Pops. Dale Winton. 1964 & 1987
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini. US hits
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding in Wiltshire
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30: News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig and Sue Perkins
BBC Radio 4 - 1.10: Any Questions? Caroline Lucas
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour. Highlights
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis. The only man who can corpse over a Telegraph news article.
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends
BBC Radio 4 - 11: Counterpoint. Paul Gambaccini presents the music buffs’ quiz
6 Music - 12midnight: BBC Introducing. Tom Robinson

Sunday 7th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page on Sunday. Looks at Billy Elliot as a contender for the Tony award
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady. Lively words and music show
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30pm: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10pm: The News Quiz

Monday 8th
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30pm: Counterpoint

Thursday 11th
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. With Clare Balding
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis

Friday 12th
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig and Sue Perkins
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
BBC Radio 7 - 11: Saturday Night Fry

Local
For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian

Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast at: www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Monday, June 8, 2009

Channel 4 to Put Back Catalogue Online for Free

Channel 4 is to become the first UK broadcaster to put its back catalogue online completely free of charge - giving viewers the chance to watch homegrown shows such as Queer As Folk or the first lesbian kiss to be shown before the 9pm watershed (in Brookside).

From July, more than 4,000 hours of the channel's archived content – about 10,000 programme titles – will be added to the 4oD catchup service.

Read the full article in The Guardian here.

Drop Charges against Russian Art Curators

In Moscow, Yury Samodurov, a human rights activist, and Andrey Erofeev, a museum curator, are facing criminal prosecution for organizing an exhibition entitled "Forbidden Art 2006" at the Andrei Sakharov Museum.

In June 2007, an ultranationalist religious organization, Narodnyj Sobor, submitted a formal complaint about the exhibition to the public prosecutor's office, which brought charges against Samodurov and Erofeev for inciting religious and ethnic hatred under article 282 of the Penal Code.

The two men could be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment. The Tagansky District Court in Moscow is scheduled to resume hearing the case behind closed doors on June 5, 2009.

To sign the petition calling for their freedom go to http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/Art

Friday, June 5, 2009

Inclusive Hate Crime Bill Passes Unanimously

The Scottish Parliament unanimously passed Green MSP Patrick Harvie’s bill on hate crime, the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Bill yesterday afternoon

The bill will ensure that homophobic, transphobic and disability-related hate crime is taken as seriously as racist and religious hate crime.

This is the first transgender-inclusive hate crime bill in Europe, and has the most inclusive definition of transgender identity in any European legislation.

It’s also thought to be the first Member’s Bill in the Scottish Parliament to be passed unanimously by all MSPs with no amendments proposed at any stage!

Iraqi gays condemn Obama/Clinton inaction on pogrom

Iraqi lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT) has spoken of their deep anger and offence at a statement by the Baghdad US Embassy concerning the violence and murder campaign against gays.

In a response to US Rep. Jared Polis, following a meeting with Iraqi government officials, chargé d’affaires Patricia Butenis said "We have no evidence that [the Iraq government's] security forces are in any way involved with these militias."

Iraqi LGBT has been reporting for four years on police involvement with the terror campaign.

Group members speaking from Iraq said that they are "fed up with such 'political' words" and that the Americans are doing nothing to stop the terror campaign against them. They believe that the priority for Hillary Clinton's State Department and Obama's administration is to not upset the Iraqi government as they have no other allies within the country.

They believe that no-one is trying to help them and feel that the current timid diplomacy "will not do much good".

"These words from the American embassy officials are insulting to us, and to those many friends of ours who have murdered. This statement is evidence that the Iraqi government is doing nothing to protect its citizens."

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Prides Extra!

Here are three prides in the UK that didn’t make it into our bulletin's calendar for June:

- Calderdale Pride (Halifax) - June 20th www.calderdalelgbtnetwork.org.uk
- Sheffield Pride - June 20th www.sheffieldpride.org.uk
- Scotia Pride - June 27th www.pridescotia.org

Stonewall Focuses on Bisexuals in the Workplace

With the support of the Home Office and Spectrum, Stonewall is conducting some research into Bisexuals in the Workplace. It is running 4 focus groups this month in the UK, to which you are invited if you are bisexual and you work for a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Your contribution to the focus group will be entirely anonymous – findings will not be tied to specific organisations nor will individual participants be identified in the report.

The Stonewall focus groups are across the UK in the following regions:

· London Focus Group: Tuesday 2 June 5:00-7:00pm Stonewall London Office, 14th Floor, Tower Building, York Road, Waterloo, SE1 7NX

· Edinburgh Focus Group: Friday 19 June 2:00-4:00pm Stonewall Edinburgh Office, 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6TE

· Cardiff Focus Group: Monday 22 June 4:00-6:00pm Stonewall Cymru Office, Media Room, Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9SB

· Leeds Focus Group: Tuesday 23 June 5:00-7:00pm Leeds Social Science Institute, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT

If you would like to participate in this study or require more information, please contact Brent Chamberlain by email (brent.chamberlain@stonewall.org.uk) or on 020 7593 1865.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Danny La Rue Dies

Danny La Rue

Danny La Rue
1927 - 2009

The entertainer and self-styled "comedian in a frock" Danny La Rue OBE died today after a short illness.

Bulletin No 61

The latest edition of the LGBT History Month bulletin is now available, as usual packed-full of news, information, notices of upcoming events and quotations.

To access the latest bulletin please click on one of the links below:
word document
pdf file

You can view all previous bulletins here or register to our mailing list here.