Joan Armatrading marries girlfriend

Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading and her partner, artist Maggie Butler, had a civil partnership on 2 May in Shetland.

Armatrading began her music career in the 1970s and quickly gained a strong lesbian following with singles ‘Drop the Pilot’ and ‘Love and Affection’.

She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and two Brit awards, and she received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection in 1996.

Read the full story in Lesbilicious, here.

Lesbian Teacher Receives First Honour for Pride

Quaker lesbian Clare Dimyon was presented with an MBE by Prince Charles at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday 29 October.

Clare Dimyon, 45, a teacher and Quaker, is being honoured for “services to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Central and Eastern Europe”.

Clare was first inspired to take part in gay PRIDE marches in Central and Eastern C&E Europe in Riga in 2007 and has since participated in PRIDE marches throughout the former Soviet bloc. Her first parade was 25 years ago, in London in 1985.

Clare’s engagement has prompted the flying of rainbow flags from British embassies overseas and the translation of the FCO Guide to LGBT People into local languages so that it is available to young people and their parents. In her work, Clare often highlights higher levels of suicide among young LGBT people and is acutely aware of the isolation of young LGBT people in C&E Europe who have less advice and support available to them.

She has been instrumental in increasing the number of countries whose embassies routinely support PRIDE parades and the human rights of LGBT people from seven in 2007 to twenty two in 2010...and counting!. This year alone saw the first ever PRIDE marches in Vilnius and Bratislava, both with significant support from the diplomatic community... including and especially the Brits!

Clare Dimyon says: "Slovak LGBT are kind enough to call me the “mother of Slovak PRIDE” but really I am more like the delinquent aunt of PRIDE in C&E Europe. They do all the work and take all the risks and I show up in support. "

A Stonewall Veteran, 89, Misses the Parade

At noon on Sunday, thousands of marchers filled Fifth Avenue for New York City’s annual gay pride parade. Nearly six miles away, on the sixth floor of a nursing home in Brooklyn, the frail, white-haired woman in beige pajamas and brown slippers in Room 609 sat motionless at the edge of her bed, staring out her window.

Read the story of Stonewall veteran Storme DeLarverie in the New York Times here.

Black British Lesbian History Project: Contributions and Volunteers Needed

Like so much of LGBT History the specific experience of black British lesbians is being lost. The books are out of print and the memories are fading for not always being shared. Nazmia Jamal has created a new online chronology to try and preserve this memory.

The basis for the Black British lesbian timeline is the chronology printed in Valerie Mason-John & Ann Khambatta's 1993 book Lesbians Talk Making Black Waves.

This is the first step in a larger archive project. Nazmia is planning to apply for funding over the summer to set up a proper website. But in the meantime she needs your help. If you have any images, documents, publications, banners, memories etc that you would like to share please do get in touch.

If you know of any groups, events, meetings or publications (however short lived) that should be added to this timeline please add them to the blog (as a comment) or email nazmiaijamal@gmail.com

Nazmia is particularly interested in lesbian, queer or feminist history around the UK from 1993 onwards.

Please email above if you

* have information that can be added to the timeline
* would be interested in being interviewed for the history project
* are able to conduct an interview or do some research for the timeline
* could build us a proper website

Note that Nazmia is using the definition of 'black' that the London Black Lesbian and Gay Centre used, i.e. those who are “descended (through one or both parents) from Africa, Asia (i.e. the Middle East to China, including the Pacific nations) and Latin America, and lesbians and gay men descended from the original inhabitants of Australasia, North America, and the islands of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.”

South African Lesbian Football Team Offers Sanctuary

Many people see South Africa, with its famously liberal constitution, as a bastion of sexual freedom on the continent.

But in some townships, gay women in particular experience homophobic abuse, rape and murder.

The BBC's Andrew Harding has been finding out how football has given one group of gay women sanctuary in South Africa; watch his 2min11 report here.

Barbara Burford Dies

Barbara Burford
1944 - 2010

The poet, writer and equality and diversity expert Barbara Burford died on 20 February. She was much loved and will be remembered by many. She is survived by her partner of 23 years, Joy Howard, and her daughter Sarah Burford.

You can read the Guardian's obituary here.

Soldier Magazine Celebrates 10 Years of LGBT Soldiers

With a picture of openly gay service member Tpr James Wharton on its cover, the British Army's magazine, Soldier, celebrates ten years since being gay in the UK Armed Forces stopped being illegal and takes stocks of the army's commitment to diversity.

The inteview with Tpr Wharton can be read here. The magazine also features an article about Helen and Elspeth De Montes-Davis, two partnered captains with careers as health professionals. The article can be found here.

The whole issue of the magzine can be viewed online here

Rosalie Davies Dies

Rosalie Davies

1939 - 2009

A British-born attorney who spent decades fighting for the rights of lesbian mothers has died after suffering a massive stroke. She was 70.

Obituary:
- Rosalie Davies, 70, lesbian activist, Philadelphia Gay News.

Breaking News: Lesbian Poet Becomes Poet Laureate

Carol Ann Duffy has been announced as the UK first ever female Poet Laureate. Duffy, 53, is thought to be the most widely read living poet in the English language.

A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events. The plural form is poets laureate.

In the United Kingdom the term has for centuries been the title of the official poet of the monarch, since the time of Charles II. Poets laureate are appointed by many countries. In Britain there is also a Children's Laureate.

Duffy was almost appointed the British Poet Laureate in 1999 (after the death of previous Laureate Ted Hughes), but lost out on the position to Andrew Motion. According to the Sunday Times, Downing Street sources stated unofficially that Prime Minister Tony Blair was 'worried about having a homosexual poet laureate because of how it might play in middle England'. Duffy later claimed that she would not have accepted the laureateship anyway, saying in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that 'I will not write a poem for Edward and Sophie. No self-respecting poet should have to.'

Woman's Hour has Duffy first interview a Poet Laureate here.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick Dies

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick

1950 - 2009

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, a prominent theorist who is often cited as one of the founders of queer theory, has died of breast cancer. She was 58. She was the other, among others, of Epistemology of the Closet.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick on Wikipedia

13 Love Stories

13LoveStories.com is a multimedia advocacy project that profiles the stories of thirteen couples whose lives were profoundly affected by Proposition 8 - the recent California ballot initiative that eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry.

This mobile photo exhibition and video project is presented by UCLA Art | Global Health Center and directed by Gideon Mendel. It debuted at UCLA on March 5th.

www.13lovestories.com

Iceland Selects Lesbian Prime Minister

Iceland’s next leader will be an openly lesbian former flight attendant and union organiser.

Last night the two parties forming Iceland’s new coalition Government backed Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, a Social Democrat, to take charge until new elections are held, probably in May.

The previous conservative-led Government resigned on Monday in the wake of an economic crisis triggered by the country’s big banks last year.

Find out more in the PinkNews article here and read their profile of the woman here.

'Space Girl Pukes' Author Dies

The LGBT movement and the wider feminist movement have lost a committed activist.

Katy Watson, founder of the collective Shocking Pink and the lesbian mothers’ organisation Out for our Children, has died at only 42. She is probably best known today for her children’s book Space Girl Pukes, a favourite with primary school children thanks to the No Outsiders project. A second children’s book, Deborah Puts Her Foot Down, is to be published soon, although she wrote her first book, a novel about heroin addiction entitled High Life, six years ago.

The Guardian obituary can be found here.

Out for our Children

New Lesbian Lutheran Minister Ordained

Jodi Barry, an openly lesbian pastor, was ordained Saturday at the Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis as part of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries efforts to test a new policy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church to avoid disciplining those who ordain openly gay people.

Jodi Barry is not the first lesbian to be ordained into a Lutheran ministry. But her ordination Saturday was a new step toward what supporters hope will be greater acceptance of gays and lesbian pastors by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Read the full article from the Minneapolis StarTribune here.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life

A new exhibitions opened yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery until 1 February 2009. Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990–2005 includes over 150 photographs by the celebrated lesbian photographer, encompassing well-known work made on editorial assignment as well as personal photographs of her family and close friends. "I don't have two lives," Leibovitz says. "This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it."

Find out more here.

A Night with Andy Warhol's Superstars

Holly Woodlawn will be appearing with Bibbe Hansen and Mary Woronov at the Purcell Room on October 9th.

Woodlawn is the subject of Lou Reed's song Walk on the Wild Side and the star of Trash. Hansen, the youngest Warhol Superstar, is the daughter of Fluxus artist Al Hansen and the mother of the recording artist Beck and appeared with Edie Sedgwick in Prison and Restaurant. Mary Woronov appeared in The Chelsea Girls and danced with the Velvet Underground as part of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable.

The stars of Warhol's underground movies will discuss the decadent glamour of the scene that revolved around Warhol.

To find out more about Warhol's stars visit www.warholstars.org.

A Night with Andy Warhol's Superstars
Southbank Centre
Thursday 9 October, 7pm
website

US Lesbian Pioneer Dies

Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day same-sex couples in California gained that right, died Wednesday. She was 87.
Martin died at a hospital two weeks after a broken arm exacerbated health problems, said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Her wife, Phyllis Lyon, was with her.

Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955. The group evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization.

Martin in 1970 wrote an influential article in the Advocate magazine that criticized what she saw as the gay rights movement's persistent chauvinism. She and Lyon together wrote "Lesbian/Woman," a 1972 book that argued lesbians should be seen for more than their sexuality and simultaneously offered a frank, no-nonsense account of lesbian relationships.

A year later, Martin became the first out lesbian to serve on the board of directors of the National Organization for Women.

Find out more about her life here (Word document) and here. Details about her recent marriage can be found here.

From the Ban to the Booker

Two programmes in which best-selling author Val McDermid examines the development of the lesbian novel. She looks at the furore surrounding Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, banned in 1928 because of its lesbian content. Virginia Woolf's Orlando was published in the same year but escaped the censor. The programme includes a rare BBC recording of Vita Sackville-West, the inspiration behind Woolf's masterpiece. Contributors include Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters and Ali Smith.

From the Ban to the Booker
Tuesday 12 August and 19th august
11:30am - 12:00pm
BBC Radio 4

The programmes are available for listen again on the BBC iPlayer.

Absolut Rainbow

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Rainbow flag, Absolut vodka have released a limited edition of 311,000 bottles sporting rainbow colours. The bottle, which also features a message in support of diversity, comes with a cocktail recipe book with an introduction by Gilbert Baker, the San Fransisco activist who designed the Rainbow Flag all those years ago.

“Absolut Colors builds on our history as a brand that has always encouraged people to be who they are”, says Nina Gillsvik, International Brand Director Absolut at V&S Absolut Spirits. “Almost thirty years ago, when our company decided to do our bit in supporting the rights of the individual, we were considered bold. Today we can look back on those days and that decision with pride. For us, Absolut Colors is a natural way to continue to inspire people to let their true colors shine and be proud of who they are.”

Absotut have created a special microsite with a downloadable interview of Gilbert Baker and an opportunity for members of the public to record their own coming out stories.

In 1978, Gilbert Baker designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colours of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly the flag took hold, and today it is recognised by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. This year the flag acts as a symbol of progress made, and friends of the movement are invited to join the celebrations.

“There are few brands that can honestly say that they have helped to make a difference”, says Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow flag. “In my mind, and with my perspective, Absolut can definitely take pride in being one of few that supported lesbian and gay rights in times when support was needed. I am glad to see that the support continues and it is my sincere hope that Absolut Colors will help encourage people to let their true personality shine through.”

Over the last 25 years, Absolut has invested more than $20 million into the LGBT community, with some of those marketing dollars supporting LGBT organisations and events such as the GLAAD Media Awards, the 25th anniversary of the rainbow flag and the Gay Games. Absolut also has supported various gay and lesbian community centers, film festivals and pride parades.

“We are honored to be a part of the Absolut Colors initiative. Absolut has proven to be a longterm and reliable supporter of the LGBT community, says Russell Murphy, co-president of InterPride. “We will use the funds to support economically disadvantaged members of our organisation so that they can take part in our educational program and become better equipped for carrying out the Pride message on local level.”

The website (and its very annoying background "music") can be found at www.absolut.com/colors/
Read more about the Rainbow Flag here.

Please drink responsibly.

Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health Survey

The largest ever European survey into lesbian and bisexual women’s health, has just been released. The report, carried out by Stonewall and De Montfort University, reveals deeply disturbing levels of self-harm, substance abuse and exclusion from routine testing for cervical cancer.

Prescription for Change, a survey of 6,000 lesbian and bisexual respondents, suggests that health services are failing to identify specific healthcare needs among Britain's 1.8 million lesbian population. They are also failing to address specific mental health needs that many women still experience as a result of discrimination. The survey, the biggest of its kind ever conducted outside America, provides unique new statistics on the mental health, drinking and drug use of lesbian and bisexual women. Find out more here.

BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour discusses the findings with Ruth Hunt, co-author of the report and Head of Policy and Research at Stonewall and Dr Sarah Jarvis, spokesperson for women's health at the Royal College of GPs. You can listen to the programme here.

Copies of the full report and the accompanying case studies are available at www.stonewall.org.uk/lesbianhealth.