“It’s a weird time,” says Becky Blomfield, a week before the release of Milk Teeth’s eponymous second album. COVID-19 has seen the punk rock trio cancel live gigs for now, “the right thing to do,” the singer/bassist states, “because we don’t want to contribute to travelling and spreading. But it’s definitely uncertain times for people […]
Milk Teeth: Health First, Band Second

A Journey to Jupiter

Stopping the Stigmas of Sex-Work Originally doing adult performance to support his undergraduate degree, for Enby Jupiter, it has become so much more. What was once a hobby has now blossomed into a passion, filling him with confidence and allowing him to inspire others. Describing himself as politically-driven, his new stage show From My Bedroom […]
Love, Difference and the Soul of Oxford

Queer Art For Everyone Jack Smith is a self-taught artist, taking inspiration from the beauty of Oxford and its LGBTQ+ community. The 23-year-old’s work is currently part of the Queering Spires exhibition, his depiction of the Dragprov Revue – drag double act Christian Adore and Eaton Messe – just one of the pieces decorating the […]
Phizzical Productions Presents: Stardust

This autumn, Amar Rajvani and Seth Truman become the first characters in a South Asian-led production to be united in a same-sex wedding on a British stage. Making its world premiere in at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Stardust is an original musical, drawing inspiration from the popular reincarnation thrillers of Bollywood cinema to explore the […]
“I Looked Down… It Was the Best Feeling in the Whole World”

Summer in the City, the UK’s largest and longest-running online video festival, returns to ExCel London 9-11 August. Sunday’s Gender Identity panel discussion features YouTuber, musician and trans dude, Jake Edwards. We catch up with them to discuss top surgery, mental health and terminology. Hi Jake, how was your weekend? Have you been Priding? No, […]
The Wrong Kind of 80s Revival

I’ve written in these pages previously about Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988; a pernicious little sinew of discriminatory law that referred to homosexuality as a ‘pretended family relationship’. This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the 30th anniversary of the eponymous charity that was the focal point of efforts to repeal Section 28 in the UK. However, amidst celebration of milestones have been some […]
What God Says I Am

Passion, Fashion and the Plight of LGBTQ Refugees Toby Hambly Lubega Adrac Musa, director of Lunko Haute Couture, speaks to me from a town south of Nairobi, but that’s not where he started life. He’s Ugandan, but was forced to leave the country when his sexuality was discovered. His voice is calm, delicate even, but his words carry unimaginable […]
“We Have to be Continually Vigilant”

Co-founder of Stonewall Lisa Power talks evil, the Aids pandemic and remembering our history. Stonewall celebrates its 30th birthday this year – how proud are you? Very proud, although I’m not directly related to Stonewall these days. I think it’s done a fairly amazing job over the years. I haven’t always agreed with everything it’s done but I think it’s made a massive […]
A Queer History of Hampshire

What have Clare Balding, Rupert Everett, Lord Alfred Douglas and Patrick Gale got in common? They all have connections to Hampshire; either having been to school in the county or living in the county, and all can be identified as noteworthy lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender (LGBT+) persons. Over the last two years Y-Services LGBT+ youth […]
WIN! An Extensive Visual History of Gay Rights

PRIDE: Fifty Years of Parades and Protests From the Photo Archives of The New York Times By The New York Times | Introduction by Adam Nagourney | Chapter Introductions by David Kaufman It began in New York City on June 28, 1969. When police raided the Stonewall Inn—a bar in Greenwich Village known as a […]