History Boys and Desperate Romantics star Samuel Barnett plays Second World War Enigma code breaker Alan Turing in a new radio drama part of a pioneering experiment between The Independent and award-winning production company Made in Manchester (MIM).
Turing’s Test is a fictional take on what might have been going through Turing’s mind in his dying moments after he’d eaten the apple laced with cyanide in 1954.
Just a few weeks ago, Alan Turing, often referred to as the father of modern computer science, received a posthumous apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the persecution he suffered at the hands of the state for being gay in the 1950s.
In Turing’s Test, Alan is confronted by a ‘machine’ (played by Paul Kendrick – Consenting Adults, BBC4) about why he’s taken his life and about the future consequences of his pioneering computer work.
Roger Alton, Editor of The Independent, said: "Alan Turing was one of the great British heroes of the 20th Century, and whose death is a terrible scar on British justice. It is a great privilege to make this new drama available on The Independent website, and is part of the great tradition of innovation which has always characterised The Independent."
Turing’s Test is downloadable from The Independent website.
Turing’s Test is written by Phil Collinge and Andy Lord and stars Samuel Barnett as Alan Turing and Paul Kendrick as ‘the machine’. It is directed by Mike Heath and Neil Gardner and is produced by Ashley Byrne and Iain Mackness. It is a Made in Manchester/Dark Smile Production.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Radio Drama: Turing’s Test
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Day In Hand Honoured
A Day in Hand, LGBT History Month's sister campaign, has been awarded the prestigious Sheila McKechnie Foundation Award for Social Inclusion.
The Foundation is the UK’s only charity dedicated to connecting, informing and supporting campaigners. The awards aim to recognise individuals who are campaigning on issues that matter, locally and globally.
The awards were presented by Jon Snow (Channel 4 news) and Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty) and the winners were invited to 10 Downing Street on October 7th, to meet the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. A video of the award ceremony is available on the Sheila McKechnie Foundation website here.
David Watkins (A Day in Hand coordinator) said “It’s great that an activist who fights for LGBT rights is being recognised by the Prime Minister. Homophobia is a human rights issue and increasing visibility of LGBT couples will help to ultimately challenge discrimination. Gaining support from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and the Prime Minister enables me to more visibly fight for the rights of LGBT people to express their love openly in public without fear of abuse.”
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Keith Goddard Dies
Keith Goddard
1960 - 2009
Peter Tatchell, his friend, writes:
Members of the British LGBT human rights group OutRage! extend their condolences to our comrades in Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and to the family and friends of Keith Goddard, following his illness and tragic death on 9 October 2009.
He was a true hero of the freedom struggle in Zimbabwe, and made a major contribution to GALZ’s campaigns and successes over a period of nearly two decades.
OutRage! is very proud and honoured to have worked with Keith and GALZ from the early 1990s onwards, supporting their many struggles against the homophobia and tyranny of the Mugabe / ZANU-PF regime.
We stood with Keith and his courageous GALZ comrades as they resisted state harassment, defended individual LGBT people, demanded their rightful place at successive Book Fairs and defied President Mugabe’s many public theats and attacks on LGBT Zimbabweans.
When OutRage! attempted its two citizen’s arrests of President Robert Mugabe, in London in 1999 and in Brussels in 2001, Keith offered his congratulations. He reported that these attempts had a huge positive effect inside Zimbabwe. They prompted, he said, the Zimbabwean media to interview GALZ many times over and to report LGBT human rights issues to an extent that had rarely, if ever, happened before. Keith was usually the GALZ person interviewed and he used these media opportunities very effectively to challenge homophobic ignorance and prejudice – and to eloquently set out the case for equality.
Politically astute and a highly effective campaign strategist, Keith built links with other human rights activists in Zimbabwe in a successful bid to put LGBT equality at the heart of the mainstream Zimbabwean human rights movment. He and his GALZ comrades have done magnificent work to build broad support for LGBT rights in a future post-ZANU-PF Zimbabwe, when Mugabe is history.
On a personal level, Keith was an immensely kind, generous, supportive, warm-hearted person. I remember some wonderful, enjoyable evenings with him during his periodic visits to London.
A non-sectarian bridge-builder, he despised personal attacks and infighting. He was supportive of myself and OutRage! at times when others were not . In 2007, a number of African LGBT activists were goaded by false allegations into a signing a letter denouncing us. Keith refused. He knew, from many years of working with OutRage!, that these allegations were untrue. We were very grateful for Keith’s honourable stand against political sectarianism.
Keith was also, like all GALZ activists, very brave: unafraid to take a public stand for LGBT human rights, despite police and government repression. He risked his liberty and life many times, speaking out against homophobia and transphobia, even though this marked him as a potential target for state and vigilante violence. The danger of kidnapping, arrest, imprisopnment, torture and murder never deterred him.
Keith will be remembered as a pioneer and hero of the LGBT liberation struggle in Africa.
We salute him.
Peter Tatchell, OutRage!, London, UK
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
San Marinian Secretary of State Probed for Alleged Discrimination
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San Marino, Antonella Mularoni, was interviewed today (13th October 2009) by the San Marinian Equal Opportunities Commission about the decision to revoke Federico Podeschi from the role of Honorary Consul to San Marino in Wales.
Honorary Consul Podeschi was allegedly discriminated against by the Secretary Mularoni back in March 2009. The Consul had been admonished for issuing a press release as President of LGBT San Marino, a community group that campaigns for the rights of LGBT people. In the press release, he reminded governments that signed the Universal Declaration on Human Rights of their responsibility to protect all citizens from discrimination and incitement to hatred such as that released by the Pope for Christmas 2008.
Shortly after, Federico Podeschi received an invitation in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of the LGBT Excellence Centre Wales to celebrate LGBT History Month with Gordon Brown at Downing Street. Secretary Mularoni, however, insisted that Mr Podeschi refuse the invitation from the Prime Minister. This was not within the powers of the Secretary to request and she gave no explanation as to why Consul Podeschi should not attend. Mr Podeschi attended the event in a personal and professional, rather than diplomatic, capacity.
Within a matter of days, the Secretary had asked the government to revoke Mr Podeschi's diplomatic title - a move that provoked much political and press comment. When pressed, Secretary Mularoni declared to the press that the relationship of trust with the Consul came to an end because Federico Podeschi had “violently attacked” another head of state (the Pope). She also accused Mr Podeschi of disobeying orders that had been given, but did not reveal what those orders might have been.
On 10th July, Federico Podeschi was called to give his version of the facts to the Commission for Equal Opportunities in the Republic that has the role to establish whether the decision of the Secretary Mularoni was justified or whether she discriminated against Consul Podeschi on the grounds of his sexual orientation.
An important and high profile role for the Commission at the meeting today will be to establish whether a head of state can be guilty of illegal discrimination against another government official. The case could in fact have repercussions on human rights and discrimination case law for gay people around the globe.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Today is National Coming Out Day in the US
The day aims at raising awareness of the LGBT community with the general public in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement.
National Coming Out Day is celebrated on October 12, in the UK.
Find out more on Wikipedia, here.
Stephen Gately Dies
Stephen Gately
1976 - 2009
Stephen Gately - Wikipedia
Boyzone's Stephen Gately is dead - BBC News
Boyzone star Stephen Gately found dead - The Times
Boyzone's Stephen Gately was no pioneer but he broke other barriers, The Guardian
Saturday, October 10, 2009
LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 10th - 16th October
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.
Warning: This is a terrible week for LGBT representation on TV. But for Graham Norton and Paul O’Grady we’re clutching at straws. There’s no initiative or imagination; just repetition of old formulae.
TV
New
An evening of Edith Piaf on Sky Arts 2 on Saturday evening and What the Dickens? with Sandi Toksvig at 8pm Sky Arts 1. On Sunday there’s Alan Carr: Tooth Fairy Live repeated on Comedy Central at 11pm. On Monday Ugly Betty is on C4 at 10pm; at the same time Benidorm is repeated on ITV2. The Graham Norton Show gets its a**e wiped and is moved to BBC1 at 10.35 on Monday. Matt Lucas guests on Paul O’Grady on Tuesday C4 at 5pm, while Ru Paul Drag Race airs again on E4 at 11. What the Dickens? is on Sky Arts 1 again at 9.30am.
On Wednesday Nigel Slater produces Simple Suppers on BBC1 at 7.30pm. Tracey Chapman on Bio at 8.30. Soft Cell and The Pet Shop Boys on the retro Synth Britannia on BBC4 Friday at 9pm. The Ballet Boyz do Swan Lake on Sky Arts 2 at 10pm.
Ongoing
LGBT issues are often debated in The Big Questions on BBC1 at 10am Sunday. Will and Grace at 9am and Come Dine with Me on Saturday and Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 10.40. Benidorm on ITV1 at 9pm Friday.
Films
Sunday’s good if you’re up for camp: Mamma Mia on Comedy at 8pm; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Classics at6.25pm; and Meet Me in St Louis at 6.50pm on TCM. On Monday Rupert Everett stars alongside Kathy Bates inUnconditional Love on Film4 at 6.45pm and X-Men is trotted out again on Screen 1 at 8. The gorgeous and under-used Roddy MacDowell stars in It at 11.25pm TCM Tuesday. Lesbian passion in India in Fire at 4pm Thursday onIndie. X-Men yet again on Modern Greats at 8pm Friday and hippy students go bi in Paris in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers on Film4 at 12.55.
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 10th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops. 65 and 78
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 is still in north Northumberland
BBC Radio 4 - 10.30: Robin Hood and the Cuban Revolutionaries. Or how Errol Flynn got along with Che Guevara
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Archives on 4: When Bailey Met Warhol. New York meets East End in 1973
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: Daphne du Maurier – Frenchman’s Creek
Sunday 11th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page. With a Bit of Lion King with Elton
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: The Frankie Howerd Show
BBC Radio 4 - 10: The News Quiz
Tuesday 13th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30pm: Le Chanson de Serge – The Serge Gainsbourg Story. Malcolm McLaren presents. LGBT content unknown
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Choice, Michael Buerk interviews Stuart Howarth, who killed his own stepfather after years of child abuse
BBC Radio 4 - 4.30pm: A Good Read. Gay Independent journalist Johann Hari joins a panel that discusses their favourite paperbacks
Wednesday 14th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Know Thine Enemy. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942. LGBT content unknown
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
Thursday 15th
BBC Radio 2 - 11pm: Suzi Quatro. 70’s Country Music episode includes Anne Murray
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: In Our Time. Melvyn Bragg heads a discussion around the change from Elisabeth I to James I
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in Northumberland. Call the rescue services
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown
Friday 16th
BBC Radio 2 - 7pm: Bassey!
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15: Afternoon Play: A Dose of Fame. A play that deals with E.M. Forster coming to terms with the fact that he was gay
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
Local and online
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, October 8, 2009
Bulletin No 65
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 also right click on the links and "save target as")
You can view all previous bulletins here or register to our mailing list here.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Homosexual Is 140 – And Showing His Age
As you may have noticed, the out-and-proud modern gay, born amidst protest, shouting and flying bottles outside the Stonewall Inn in 1969, is now forty years old. But you may be less aware that this year is also the 140th birthday of a much more discreet and distinguished (if pathologized and sometimes pitiful) figure that Stonewall is often seen as making obsolete: the homosexual.
The offspring of Austrian-born Hungarian journalist Karl-Maria Kertbeny, the homosexual was delivered to the world in a couple of pamphlets he published anonymously in 1869 arguing against the Prussian anti sodomy law Paragraph 143 – the first appearance in print of the word.
Read the full article by Mark Simpson on his blog here. The article also appeared in Out magazine.
Friday, October 2, 2009
LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 3rd - 9th October
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
Kristian Digby does silly things in Hole in the Wall on BBC1 at 5.45pm on Saturday. BBC2 dedicates its evening schedule to Monty Python to celebrate its 40th birthday from 9.15, including archive footage of Graham Chapman. Friday Night with Streisand and Ross on BBC HD at 10.15pm (and 11.05pmBBC1 Sunday). Dr Who on Watch 8pm. Stephen Fry seeks out the kakapo (I’ve seen one! TF) in Last Chance to See on BBC2 at 8pm on Sunday. Also on Sunday, film maker Alison Jackson profiles Andy Warhol and what he would make of our celebrity culture on The South Bank Show on ITV1 at10.15pm. Montgomery Clift on Bio at 10pm.
On Monday there’s the return of What the Dickens? on Sky Arts 1 at 8.30pm.
Ongoing
LGBT issues are often debated in The Big Questions on BBC1 at 10am Sunday. Will and Grace at 9am and Come Dine with Me every weekday at 5.30on C4, as well as Saturday at 4 and other repeatings on More4. How to Look Good Naked with Gok Wan on C4 at 8pm Tuesday, followed by Sue Perkins in the Big Food Fight at 10 and Derren Brown doing things at 10.30. On Wednesday Nigel Slater produces Simple Suppers on BBC1 at 7.30pm. QI onDave at 9pm. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4.
Films
Ian Mckellen as Gandalf in LOOR The return of the King C4 7pm Saturday. Hairspray 6pm Screen 1 Sunday. La Vie en Rose on Indie at 10pm Monday.It’s also on Screen 2 at 6.45am Thursday. On Friday, there’s Anthony Perkins in Psycho at 1.55pm on Screen 1, A Room with a View from the Forster novel at 6.45pm on Film4 and Boys Don’t Cry on Film4 at 10.55.
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 3rd
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops. 62 and 86
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Barbara Streisand: The way I am. Interview with Paul Gambaccini
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding in north Northumberland
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: the Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Archive on 4: In the Beginning Was the Nerd. Stephen Fry reminds us of the Millennium Bug and the panic that surrounded it.
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: Daphne du Maurier – Frenchman’s Creek
Sunday 4th
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 3 - 10:45pm: Words and Music: Feasting with Panther - A sequence of poetry, prose and music on the theme of gay love (rpt)
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 12.04pm: Just a Minute. Graham Norton
BBC Radio 4 - 2.45: Food for Thought. Lionel Blue on being a gay Rabbi, amongst other things.
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: The Frankie Howerd Show
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz
Monday 5th
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: Start the Week. featuring Peter Maxwell Davies (rpt 9.30pm)
Thursday 8th
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. Clare Balding in Northumberland
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
Friday 8th
BBC Radio 2 - 7pm: Bassey! Interview with the gay icon from Tiger Bay
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne
Local and online
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
