AIDS Day

Yorkshire’s lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender paper Issue 192: December 2012/January 2013
www.shoutweb.co.uk
World
AIDS Day
Here’s a quick, last-minute roundup ofWorld AIDS Day events around Yorkshire
Check your local bars and clubs for more
events.
Bradford and Wakefield
Begin and the OUR Project are working
with the British Red Cross, service users
and local artists to create artwork and personal stories that should be displayed on
December 1st in the Made in Bradford
gallery in the city centre.
Leeds
Leeds Skyline is organising a remembrance
evening at Leeds City Museum on November 30th, from 6.30-8pm.
There will be an update on HIV and AIDS
and light refreshments will be served.
North Yorkshire
Yorkshire MESMAC will be holding events
in the Victoria Hall in Settle on November
30th from noon-3pm and at York St John
University on December 1st, along with
events in Scarborough and Ryedale. Contact Pete Blackburn or Karen Chapman:
01904 620400, p.blackburn@mesmac.
co.uk or k.chapman@mesmac.co.uk.
Some pupils are gay... Justine Ventress, Assistant Head Teacher at Easingwold School in North Yorkshire, and former pupil
Simon Rodgers. See pages three and seven for more.
Are you a true friend of Dorothy?
Local amateur theatre company LIDOS
are looking for some Friends of Dorothy!
They’ll be holding auditions in January
for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (RSC version) to
be performed at The Carriageworks in
Leeds from 11th-15th June next year.
So if you think you fit the bill to be a potential, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man or
Lion here’s your chance.
‘Of course,’ says Simon Field from
LIDOS, ‘there are some other great characters to play. The RSC version is very
much like the film where the characters
in Dorothy's home become the characters on her journey in Oz. The original
RSC production in London starred
Imelda Stauton as Dorothy with male
actor Billie Brown playing the Wicked
Witch of the West.’
An initial get-together will take place on
Tuesday 22nd January, 5.45pm at The
Carriageworks; auditions be on Sunday 27th January.
Take a look at www.lidos.co.uk or email
e_lidos@yahoo.co.uk
for further information.
Wakefield
Saturday 1st Dec @ The Rainbow Pub.
‘Time to help combat HIV/AIDS by raising
money at our army-themed night, with a
prize raffle and fancy dress competition!’
Saturday 1st Dec @ The New Union.
‘With fab drag acts, singers and entertainers performing for free all in aid of HIV
and AIDS awareness.’
Sheffield
Saturday 1st Dec @ The Winter Garden from 5.30-5.15pm.
‘An open event to remember those
who have been lost to HIV and AIDS,
and to show our support for those living
with and affected by HIV, and a collection
with all proceeds going to HIV charities in
Sheffield.’
Sexual Health Clinics
Attend for free, confidential sexual health
screening and HIV testing
We also provide condoms
Under 16s welcome
Please ring for an appointment
Chadwick Clinic, Dewsbury & District Hospital WF17 6QB
P: 01924 816120
Josephine Butler Centre for Sexual Health,
King Street Health Centre, 47 King Street WF1 2SN
P: 01924 542924
Sexual Health Clinic, Pontefract Hospital WF8 1PL
P: 01977 747902
2
SHOUT!
Yorkshire’s queer paper
Issue 192
December 2012/January 2013
e: shout.magazine@ntlworld.com
t: 0113 248 5700
Shout!, Leeds LS9 6XG
website: shoutweb.co.uk
Editor
Mark Michalowski
Contributors
Grizz Br
Belinda O’Hooley
Anna Glypta
Heidi Tidow
Nick Tyldesley
Published at the start of each
month. The advertising/editorial
deadline for the February ssue is January 18th.
(Gawjussly printed by Smallprint
(0113 237 4600). © Shout! 2012.
A year’s sub (11 issues) costs £12 cheques made out to ‘Shout!’
Please make sure you tell us your
address and the issue you’d like
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Shout! is available to download as
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venues across Yorkshire and
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Winter Wunderbar concert
Heart Core and Piece of Peace will be returning to Sheffield on December 1st,
following the recent visit to Germany of
the city’s queer choir - Out Aloud where they sang in a joint concert with
the two groups. They’re hoping to create
an exciting event for this year’s World
Aids Day featuring all three choirs.
‘Heart Core is an anarchic and theatrical
group of women,’ they tell us, ‘who have
been singing together for over 20 years.
Their songs are great to look at (!) and
often send up modern life - for example
cosmetic surgery or advertising aimed at
women.
‘Piece of Peace is a group of young
singers in their early twenties, many of
them sons and daughters of Heart Core,
who love to sing themselves. They are
talented and original and a joy to listen
to.’
Tickets are £10/£7 and will be available
from Rare and Racy on Division Street
or by emailing info@outaloud.org.uk
See their website - www.outaloud.org.uk
- for more information on the choir.
Some pupils are gay
continued from front cover
‘There is no place for bullying in this school,
in any school’ was the message that Simon
Rodgers (pictured), a former pupil of Easingwold School, delivered when he returned to speak to pupils as part of
anti-bullying week.
Rodgers recently returned from the One
Young World Summit in Pittsburgh (see inside for more details), and seeing the video
clip of his speech on YouTube, Assistant
Head Teacher Justine Ventress invited him
to Easingwold School last month to speak
to pupils about his experience. ‘It was an
enormous honour,’ said Rodgers, ‘and I
leapt at the opportunity to speak to pupils
about my experience at school, what I have
done since school and share a message of
tolerance and the importance of embracing
diversity’.
Rodgers experienced homophobic bullying
when he attended the school between 1997
and 2002. He suffered physical violence,
but says he could deal with that: ‘The pain
inflicted by someone elses hand was only
temporary,’ he says. ‘Destroying me inside
were words. Every comment, every vile
thing someone said to me, hurt me deep
inside. I lost confidence, I lost self respect,
and I lost a feeling of self-worth. That is why
it is important to share how damaging this
can be, but also to reassure them that it
does get better, and that no one can stop
you achieving what you want to achieve’.
Justine Ventress said: ‘We are so fortune to
have such an incredible role model as a former pupil, keen to change behaviours and
attitudes towards homosexuality, and discourage bullying amongst young people.
The impact of Simon’s talks this week is
being felt across the school. He has brought
the issue of bullying and specifically homophobic bullying, to the attention of every
pupil, who are all telling me that they have
been inspired by Simon.’
Homophobic bullying continues to be
widespread in Britain’s schools. More than
half (55%) of LGB pupils have experienced
direct bullying. Gay people who are bullied
are at a higher risk of suicide, self-harm and
depression. Two in five (41%) have at-
tempted or thought about taking their own
life directly because of bullying and the
same number say that they deliberately
self-harm directly because of bullying [figures taken from Stonewall’s ‘The School Report’ - www.stonewall.org.uk]
Rodgers is keen to work with other schools
locally, and nationally to help educate
young people, and bring greater acceptance of diversity in schools.
“FRIEND” - BRADFORD
Gay? Lesbian? Bisexual?
....Unsure?
Need somebody to talk to? Listen?
Ring 01274 723802
Mondays, Wednesdays 6.30-8.45pm
Or write “Friend” c/o CVS,
19-25 Sunbridge Road, Bradford BD1 2AY
CALL US IN CONFIDENCE
3
Reclaim the night in
Leeds on December 1st
Pic: Anne-Marie Atkinson
Christmas cheer
Leeds’ queer choral group Sacred Wing invite all and everyone to their ever-popular
annual concert and carol sing-a-long.
Sacred Wing’s performance of Karl Jenkins’ Songs of Sanctuary takes place on Sun-
day 16th of December at 7.30pm at All Hallows Church in Burley, Leeds. Entry, as always, is free!
See www.sacredwing.org.uk for more details and info about Sacred Wing.
Happy Ho-hohomosexuals!
2013 been a tough year for many of
us, but (somehow!) Shout!’s managed to make it through its seventeenth year. Blimey heck!
Big hugs and thanks to all our readers, advertisers, contributors, distributors and printer for helping to keep
us going through 2012.
Have a great, safe, queer Christmas
and New Year - see you in 2013!
Festive Factory
Mark Michalowski, editor
xx
On Saturday 1st December, Leeds
women will be taking to the streets for
this year’s Reclaim the Night Leeds
march through Leeds city centre to assert
their right to feel free from the fear of
rape and male violence in any form.
Reclaim the Night Leeds will begin with
a free drop-in from 2.30-5pm at Leeds
Metropolitan University Students’ Union
and is open to all women and girls. This
will cover healthy relationships and staying safe, and will be run by Women’s
Health Matters, who deliver domestic violence support and educational work
across Leeds.
Women will gather outside Leeds Art
Gallery and at 6.30pm will begin the
march around Leeds City Centre. From
7.30pm there will be a reception, open to
all, at LMU Students’ Union with speakers, refreshments and representation
from many local women’s and feminist
groups.
na !
a
n
a
b
e
n
Make mi
If you’re looking for a Christmas present or even just a treat for yourself - Bradford’s
Factory Street recording studios might
have the solution.
‘If you’re looking to really set the bar this
year,’ they say, ‘ and treat your colleagues
or friends to an incomparable Christmas
party then come and do it in a professional
recording studio - with access to our VIP
bar and lounge with pool table, pinball
machine and fancy dress wardrobe!
‘Now imagine everyone in your party
recording a song of your choice. And from
only £8 per head, you also get a photographer and a CD of the pictures along with
the song, recorded and mixed.’
They’re also offering vouchers to allow a
friend time in the studio to record a song,
an EP - or even a whole album - from £99
for a half day.
For more details on the services they offer
and the fun you could have, check out
www.factorystreet.co.uk
Forty years since gay liberation!
Lets have some fun, with song, dance, story telling and dressing
up or down - you chose!
28th-30th December 2012
Write Up Your Street - creative writing weekend
Unstone Grange near Chesterfield.
From £70 all-in (sliding scale).
1st-3rd February 2013
For info, call Stonewall Breaks
on 0115 9780124
or email dunedin10@yahoo.co.uk
4
Sheffield’s Affinity bar and
club on Arundel Gate is hosting a
new club night - Milkshake.
‘It’s the first urban gay event
in Sheffield,’ says Natalie Gunn,
Affinity’s manager, ‘and it’s
generated quite a lot of hype on the
Sheffield scene.’
Milkshake takes place monthly,
and the next one is on
Saturday December 29th.
Smallprint - 88mm wide x 62mm high
10 inches of...
Men’s self-defence
Following their popular women-only self
defence classes, The Equity Partnership
in Bradford is to run a series of men-only
classes on Saturdays from 10am-11.30
running from January 12th until February 16th 2013
‘It’s a chance to learn some self defence
techniques in a gay-friendly environment,’ says Jakeb Braden from The Equity Partnership, ‘and learn these skills
in the company of other gay men. We
hope by the end of the six sessions you
will have helped increased your confidence should you get into a confrontational situation - as well get to keep fit as
well.
They’re asking for a financial contribution of £20 if waged, £5 if unwaged and
are asking you pay in advance. YContact
themon the numbers below or pay the
first week that you attend.
See www.equitypartnership.org.uk for
more info, or contact Braden on
jake@equitypartnership.org.uk or call
01274 727759 or 727779.
The sessions are hosted by The Equity
Partnership and supported by NHS
Airedale, Bradford and Leeds
Plastic Ivy sauna
Describe yourself in 3 words
Thin and gorgeous.
Love of your life
Latest LGBT research online
The term ‘LGBT community’ is increasingly used in policy, practice and research, yet there is little explicit discussion
of what the application of the concept of
‘community’ means to LGBT people.
A recent study by Eleanor Formby at
Sheffield Hallam University looked at understandings and experiences of LGBT
communities, and assesses implications
for their health and wellbeing.
‘The study had two elements,’ says
Formby. ‘First to bring together existing
(predominantly UK) literature from a
range of subject disciplines, including geography, health studies, history, psychol-
Andrew Castle
ogy and sociology; second to consult with
a range of LGBT people via an interactive
website, short online survey (627 respondents), and a series of in-depth interviews
and discussion groups (44 participants).
Question areas were geared towards understanding views on, and experiences of,
communities currently, in the past, and in
the future.
To read the full report along with other
information about LGBT community research, visit www.lgbtcommunityre
search.co.uk or www.shu.ac.uk/research
/ceir
Milo, our Jack Russell.
Your typical Saturday night?
At the moment it’s wine, sofa
and X-Factor.
Best ever moment
My civil partnership ceremony to Paul
in May 2006.
Describe your sexuality
Gay.
Best thing about your body
My brown, come-to-bed eyes.
Next issue....
The next issue of Shout! is the
February one: email us by January 18th with your bits’n’bobs.
And don’t forget to keep an eye
on www.shoutweb.co.uk where
you can also download pdfs of
previous issues
Sacred Wing presents
Karl Jenkins’
Songsof
Sanctuary
Plus sing-a-long-a-carols
Sunday 16th December at 7.30pm at
All Hallows Church, Regent Terrace,
Burley, Leeds LS6 1NP
All welcome and entry is free
with a collection for charity.
www.sacredwing.org.uk
Two Prides for Doncaster
Doncaster's first ever Winter Pride will
take place at Crystals on the weekend of
the 2nd and 3rd of February and will feature the first ever ‘drag-a-thon’ - with a
sensational line up of the best drag performers the UK has to offer.
And Doncaster’s summer Pride will take
place on Saturday 6th July,
again at The Keepmoat Stadium.
Visit www.doncasterpride.co.uk for the
latest info, or email info@doncaster
pride.co.uk
J & D ACCOUNTANTS
Holiday heaven
Mexico.
Holiday hell
Caravan and rain.
What’s hot
The sun.
What’s not
The North Pole.
With over 30 years of experience we offer a professional yet friendly
service and will guarantee to beat your current accountancy fee.
Quick-fire round
Our services include:
Personal Tax Returns
Company Accounts and Tax Returns
Year End Accounts
Budgeting and Cash Flow
VAT Returns
Payroll Services
Bookkeeping
Business Planning
‘We won’t clock watch or confuse you with jargon!’
Please contact John and Dominic with your details to arrange a free no obligation meeting
or to find out any further information.
Summer/winter: summer
Monogamy/promiscuity: monogamous
love, promiscuous safe-sex
Dogs/cats: dogs
TV/radio: TV
Home/away: home
Night/day: day
Mobile: 07580057131. Email: admin@janddaccountants.co.uk
5
Out and out lads
OutdoorLads is a charity set up and run by gay and bisexual men that organises a range of sociable outdoor activities all over the UK – things like hiking,
hostelling, climbing, camping, biking, canoeing, navigation, sailing and skiing.
They even do social events down the pub!
One thing that characterises every OutdoorLads event is the friendly and welcoming nature of the guys you meet. In a recent survey of its members 85%
of its members said OutdoorLads has had a very positive impact on their lives.
68% said they made loads of new friends. And 78% say they are able to try
loads of new things because they are part of the group.
Member of OutdoorLads can attend any event across the UK although the
regional programme in Yorkshire is pretty impressive. With the beautiful Yorkshire Dales on our doorstep and the wild Northumberland coast and the dramatic Lake District not too far away there is a lot on offer. Whether you have
loads of experience, want to try something new, get fit or just want to get out
in the countryside and meet new people, OutdoorLads could be for you. Rob
Brooks who coordinates the group in the north said ‘OutdoorLads is a great
way to meet new people and get out in the great British countryside, we are
always looking for new members – come and try us out!’
For details and a list of forthcoming events visit www.outdoorlads.com
Almost there...
6
LGBT History Month prelaunch at
Bletchley Park
With LGBT History Month fast approaching, SchoolsOUT is hoping that schools
around the country will be inspired by the
life of Alan Turing and start planning their
activities to celebrate LGBT people. The organisation campaigns for schools to be
safe places for staff and students to be out
and proud, and is taking part in an event
at Bletchley Park, where Turing carried out
his pioneering work.
LGBT History Month is celebrated every
February, and the theme for 2013 is ‘Science, Engineering and Mathematics’. The
pre-launch event on November 15th at
Bletchley Park coincides with the centenary of the birth of Alan Turing the famous
wartime code breaker who is often credited with being the father of the modern
computer. Turing’s groundbreaking work
at Bletchley led him to break the code that
the Germans were using to send messages to their submarines, and so helped
to save many
thousands
of lives.
Howe ver
t h e
prevailing
back-
ward ideas of the time towards homosexuality led to Turing being hounded by the
authorities and he eventually committed
suicide. It is very fitting therefore that an
event designed to celebrate diversity and
challenge homophobia should be
launched at Bletchley Park.
There will be several events on the day. In
the morning, schoolchildren from Milton
Keynes and Birmingham will be shown
around the Park and take part in codebreaking exercises and finding out about
the life and homophobic persecution of
Turing. They will also sample a maths lesson from ‘The Classroom’, an online resource developed by SchoolsOUT to
introduce positive LGBT images into the
school curriculum. There will also be stiffer
challenges for university students in the afternoon, organised by the CEO of Bletchley Park, Iain Standen.
In the evening, from 6.15pm, there will be
events featuring prominent LGBT figures,
including the local MP Iain Stewart. The
centrepiece will be a debate on the question ‘Science and the LGBT Community –
our friend or our enemy?’
Among the speakers will be SchoolsOUT
representative Elly Barnes, a music teacher
who is now working for LGBT equality in
schools in Birmingham. Barnes said: ‘Our
ICT department has studied the work of
Alan Turing with year seven every February since 2005. These students are
now leaving the sixth form having
benefitted from an inclusive LGBT
curriculum for seven years;
they will take that positive and
unprejudiced experience
with them into their universities and workplaces’.
Visit
www.the
-classroom.org.uk
and www.lgbthisto
rymonth.org.uk for
more details.
According to his online biog, ‘Almost
David was born on a precise but undisclosed date in the 1970s in the leafy suburb of Bramley in Leeds’ and ‘first
discovered music at the age of five
when he was introduced to the magic of
ABBA. After exhausting his dance moves
to classics such as 'Nina Pretty Ballerina', 'The King Kong Song' and 'Sitting in
a Palm Tree' in 1982 he put his ABBA albums away and denied ever having
heard of them. Though he secretly could
not understand how they had been so
successful if no one admitted to liking
them!’
Fast forward to December 2012 and Almost David - who might possibly,
maybe, admit to occasionally going
under the ridiculous pseudonym of
Christopher Murray - is releasing his
first single, ‘How did I get here?’, a
lovely, wistful chunk of electropop,
wearing its Erasure, Depeche Mode and
Pet Shop Boys influences on its sleeve.
‘It’s all written from a gay perspective,’
he says. ‘And it’ll be released in December or January by www.dancethrough
liferecords.com and three mixes have
already been completed!’
Have a look - and a listen - at www.reverbnation.com/rpk/almostdavid# for
more tracks from him, or visit www.al
mostdavid.com
Celebrate, let go - and write!
Unstone Grange
This year is the fortieth anniversary of
‘gay liberation’ and Forty Years On! offers
a weekend at Unstone Grange in North
Derbyshire, with other gay and bi men to
celebrate, relax and chill out after the
hecticity of Christmas.
‘The event is co-hosted by Joseph
Nicholas and Richie McCance - that’s
me,’ laughs McCance, ‘and we’ll both
make sure you have a good time. Singing
around the piano, story telling, playing
games, or just doing your own thing,
toasting your toes round the fire, with a
cuppa: you chose! Sometimes its just
nice being with other men who love
men. And if you are into dressing
up/down then Joseph's your man, and
he's a dab hand at leading circle dancing
too! ‘
Nicholas is no stranger to Leeds, having
lived and worked here for many years
and been involved with a number of
groups including Yorkshire MESMAC,
whilst Nottingham-based McCance set
Joseph Nicholas
up Stonewall Breaks in the late 80s.
McCance will be offering a workshop on
'Letting go', showing hat it is possible to
make changes in our lives whatever our
age.
And because the weekend is in the gap
between Christmas and New Year, you
can get there on public transport.
It runs from 28th-30th December.
Tony Challis
Richie McCance
And those feeling that they might just
have a novel (or even just a short story)
inside them will be interested in the
Write up Your Street, creative writing
weekend, running from 1st-3rd February.
It’s run by Tony Challis (pictured, above,
with Nicholas and McCance) and you
don't need to have won the Booker Prize
or had articles printed in 'The Lady' to
go along!
Rates for both events run from £70-£110,
and include three-course candlelit dinners, lunches, and self-serve breakfasts
and refreshments - and only two to a
room on divan beds!
For more details, call McCance on 0115
9780124
or
emaildunedin10
@yahoo.co.uk
egate wrote a note, which he gave someone else to read out because of his concern for his own safety when he returned
to his country, which: “Everyone is born
equal they say, but when you have to live
everyday pretending to be someone else,
you know they aren’t.
“I am gay and from a Muslim majority
country. I am a proud gay man but I can
never let anyone know because it would
be equal to hiring an assassin to kill myself.
Every day is a struggle, I can’t love, can’t
be who I am. I have to live a lie.
I am not asking for the right to get married
to a man. All I am asking is the right to love
a man... I cry every night, I weep deep inside at all times because I know there is
no way out. It’s either help others and live
a lie or run away and be myself.”‘
Many people wanted to take pictures, especially of the Stonewall ‘Some people are
gay. Get over it!’ t-shirt he was wearing
‘One person who stands out in my memory,’ says Rodgers, ‘told me he was homophobic - until he heard my speech. He said
I had changed his mind. I had tears in my
eyes as I hugged him. Knowing I changed
one person’s mind makes it all worthwhile,
and encourages me to change many
more.’
Rodgers plans to work with other One
Young World delegates from around the
world, and his and his colleague Carolina’s
speech
can
be
seen
at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw37rcQbu9
g&feature=plcp and his blog can be found
at www.simonrodgers.org, documenting
his experience, and he regularly tweets at
@simonrodgers
Visit www.oneyoungworld.com for more
information about One Young World.
One Young World
‘Some people are gay. Get over it!’ was the
message that Simon Rodgers, an Aviva
employee from York, delivered at the recent One Young World summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an event which
brought together 1300 young delegates
from 180 countries to discuss key issues
affecting the world.
Simon Rodgers, a passionate supporter of
LGBT equality (see front cover and page
five), was selected to speak at the human
rights session, using this opportunity to address the diverse audience on LGBT equality around the world.
Rodgers says: ‘Being LGBT is still illegal in
77 of 190 countries around the world, so
being provided with the opportunity to
speak to delegates from all over the world
about my belief that everyone is born
equal and should not persecuted based
on sexual orientation, made me enor-
mously proud.
‘My goal was to show delegates that LGBT
people were just like them, and that homophobia is wrong, so everyone has to
stand together to fight it. At Aviva, we work
with the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity
that supports young people who have
been made homeless or mistreated for
being LGBT. Therefore my message to the
more developed nations was that we cannot be complacent and must focus on
changing hearts, minds and perception...
to eliminate tragedies of LGBT youth
homelessness and homophobia.’
In less ‘developed’ nations, says Rodgers,
many people risk their lives by being
openly LGBT.
‘Following my speech, I heard a number
of comments from the delegates during
the Q&A session - one really touched me,
making my heart heavy. An unknown del-
7
MESMAC latest
Reaching out
‘The persecution of people because
of their sexual orientation and gender identity is not a new phenomenon. It is only in more recent years
that a growing number of asylum
claims has been made by LGBT individuals’
- UNHCR Guidance Note on Refugee
Claims Relating to Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity, 2008.
ReachOUT is an advocacy and support
group for LGBT refugees and asylum
seekers, which strives to promote and
protect the equality and dignity of
those seeking refuge from harm in the
UK due to their sexual/gender identity.
The purpose of ReachOUT is twofold:
to support LGBT refugees and asylum
seekers by providing a safe space for
friendship, support and integration via
a biweekly meeting; and to research
and monitor relevant legal and political
developments and issues in relation to
LGBT asylum matters (both in coun-
tries of origin and within the UK asylum process). The group meets on the
first and third Tuesday evening of every
month at Yorkshire MESMAC. We are
a friendly, open and inclusive bunch of
people who like to welcome new faces.
For more information, please contact
Jess MacIntyre on 07707809925, email
reachoutleeds@gmail.com; or Pat McCusker on 01132444209, email p.mc
cusker@mesmac.co.uk
ReachOUT for change!
Older LGB needs
When planning services for older people who are socially isolated, perhaps
the most important step is to ask people what they actually want.
Are you interested in being involved in
a new project which is finding new
ways to reduce social isolation for
older LGB people?
Research shows that older LGB people
are more likely to live alone, more
likely to have no partner, less likely to
have children to call upon in time of
The free, fast, flexible, confidential and
convenient way for you to get an HIV test
in Leeds, and coming soon to Bradford,
Wakefield and North Yorkshire.
Contact your local office for details.
To arrange an HIV test or
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Bradford
Wakefield
York
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0113 2444209
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crisis, less likely to request professional
support, and feel an increased sense of
vulnerability compared to their heterosexual peers. We are interested in your
ideas, contacts and bringing people together.
To receive more information or register
your interest as a volunteer, contact either David or Clive on 07543 801 135,
or email d.hutchinson@mesmac.co.uk
or c.spendlove@mesmac.co.uk, or
write to ‘The Mental Health Team’,
Yorkshire MESMAC, P O Box 267, Bradford BD1 5XT.
Time flies
The release of Skyfall celebrates fifty years
of Bond movies. They are now an integral
part of our popular cinema culture and we
expect them to follow familiar lines. A good
Bond film needs exciting chases, plenty of
explosions at the climax and a display of
technical gadgetry, and all the villains have
to be psychopathic creeps who deserve
their fate. Martinis need to be shaken and
not stirred and we readily forgive Bond his
outdated and casual sexism. So, how does
Skyfall measure up to these benchmarks?
In one sense the film is an homage to its
predecessors. It begins with an obligatory
chase along the rooftops of Istanbul and
then onto a moving train where Bond is
shot and wounded by one of his fellow
agents. His Aston Martin, last seen in
Goldfinger and bristling with hidden guns
is used as a weapon in the final shoot out.
The exotic settings include a floating casino
in Macao with komodo dragons as guard
lizards . There is a deserted island full of
crumbling buildings and broken classical
statues which is the hideout of the chief villain, Raul Siva, played with gusto by Javier
Bardem. Silva is a typical villain with the
usual ambition of taking over the world via
cyberspace. He is a laughing lunatic with
very bad hair and dentistry. There is brief
homoerotic moment when Silva slowly unbuttons Bond's shirt and caresses a scar on
his chest. Generally speaking this is a very
testosterone-fulled movie. So far our expectations seem to be met.
But in many ways this is a deeper, darker
version of the 007 genre. Bond himself has
aged and actually fails the physical examination to get back into active operations.
We are told about his unhappy childhood
in Scotland and the film returns to the family home - called Skyfall - for the final denouement. National treasure Judi Dench
as M also has become frailer and seems
less acerbic and confident in her decision
making. But she does get drawn into the
dangers of the fight between Bond and
Silva as she is forcibly abducted by 007 and
driven up north. She gets wounded during
the shooting. Albert Finney plays the classic, dour Scots gamekeeper who brought
up Bond on the death of his parents but
proves a doughty fighter. The sex interest
between James and his girls does seem
rather curtailed as he concentrates on the
seriousness of the day job. However, boys
who like toys and Q's technical wizardry
are going to be rather disappointed. Q is
the geeky Ben Wishaw who is more at
home with a computer mouse than exploding pens. Fancy weapons are exchanged for the family shotguns at Skyfall
and Finney and Dench make homemade
bombs out of lightbulbs filled with dynamite for the climax. Skyfall is probably the
first Bond movie that makes some classic
cultural references. Q and Bond meet at
the National Gallery in front of Turner's
The Fighting Temeraire although Bond is
not appreciative of great art - but he does
recite from Tennyson's Ulysses -”to strive,
to seek, to find and not to yield” - as a personal mission statement. The turbulent history of the Reformation is mentioned with
the use made of a priest's hole as a means
of escape out of Skyfall.
Daniel Craig is an icon and will have his
faithful followers and whatever role she
performs, Judi Dench is always regarded
with affectionate adoration. Yet no one can
avoid the passage of time.... young Q is
snapping at the heels of 007; M is criticised
by Tory babe MP's in a House of Commons committee for her failures to prevent
the loss of other agents.
Disco queens have to indulge in comfy
slippers and evening cocoa eventually. But
perhaps we can take comfort from the
proverbs that “you can play a good tune
on an old fiddle” and “you are as young as
you feel”.
Are we seeing the end of Bond movies?
Certainly the world of individual agents following in the tradition of Bulldog Drummond and Richard Hannay has been
subsumed by the attacks on national security from cyberspace and viruses. Camp,
odd villains are far removed from the leaders of Al Quaida who threaten the world
today. MI6 has moved on from the fusty
world of George Smiley. Society today is
more diverse and perhaps more tolerant
than the macho world of secret agents and
their slightly embarrassing establishment
patriotism. But rest assured, in the very last
scene, Bond returns to duty after dispatching Silva.
So hopefully we can all look forward to a
reinvigorated Bond in the next movie and
take comfort from a familiar adventure format. Be warned, however, that in Skyfall
there are some strong hints that there are
to be some significant changes within MI6
in the future. Wait and see!
Nick Tyldesley
Queer Yorkshire is just a
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9
Christmas closets Looking forward An L of a year
Dearest readers, It’s that time of the year again where
Auntie Belinda wheels out her Hostess Trolley Royale
packed to the melamine top with Christmas tit-bits to
help get you through that stalwart of the British calendar ‘The Family Christmas Day’.
For the lucky ones whose forward thinking, homofriendly families clutch their son’s boyfriend/hubby
to their collective bosoms and see their daughter’s bisexuality as something to celebrate, Christmas can be
an excuse for a good ole’ knees-up with everyone welcomed into the tribal nest. Of course, there’s always the
possibility that your dad and Uncle Frank will come to
blows after a pint or two of sherry, or that Lucky the cat
mistakes Grandma Hilda’s best handbag for a litter tray,
but at least the day isn’t clouded by something even
more malodourous than cat pee.
Homophobia and families often sit hand-in-hand especially at Christmas. It’s amazing how this supposed celebration-come-shop-a-thon can turn nasty at the hint
of son or daughter letting their sexuality slip at the dinner table. From personal experience, I kept my lesbian
identity tightly zipped at Christmas for many years at
the request of my dad. This meant not bringing my partner to dinner, not mentioning my partner and pretending that I was between boyfriends. I remember one
lovely Christmas where my dad referred to me as having ‘been down the lane quite a few times’ making me
sound like a lady of the night with OCD!
The Christmas closet is a safe but lonely place, which
many of us find is our only way of getting through what
could be a terrible family ordeal. The closet protects us
from the anger or caustic comments that may occur if
our sexuality was revealed to certain homophobic relatives. It can shield us from the prying eyes of suspicion,
the potentially damaging looks from an ashamed parent
or even domestic violence. It also means that we can’t
relax fully into the Christmas spirit, as an element of
caution must be maintained at all times in case our sexuality is accidentally revealed.
So it can be a very difficult and potentially dangerous
decision to throw those closet doors open.
I can only speak from my own experience. I told my dad
that to love me, he had to love that I am gay and not
just pick and choose the more palatable sides of me.
That I would no longer hide my sexuality and my partner from my relatives and that I would be open and
honest if I was asked about my relationship status.
This means that I have effectively kicked down the
closet. It took a while, but my dad now apologises for
his past homophobia. He loves my partner Heidi and
welcomes us with open arms at Christmas. It took a
while for me to forgive him and how he
treated me, but I am so happy that
I stood up to him and refused to
wear his cloak of shame anymore.
I hope that this Christmas,
others find the courage to
walk out of the closet with
their heads held high. So,
with this thought in mind,
I wish you all a happy,
peaceful Christmas and a very
gay New Year!
Belinda O'Hooley-Tidow
10
Well time is once again flying and as I write this we
are hurtling at breakneck speed towards the festive
period, the time of year when I get so happy I could
just spit! I get the feeling that many people aren't
quite as excited about celebrating the fictional birth of
a method of societal control (sorry, I meant to say the
birth of our One True Lord and Ultimate Savior!) this
year. The supermarkets have been pushing festive tat
for weeks already and I'm a bit sick of it all. If it wasn't
for the Steps Christmas album I'd be a total scrooge!
Thank heaven I have been buying wine to drink on the
day since October and have a great way of cooking a
turkey that never leaves it dry (a fiver and I'll tell ya).
Although with 17 very good bottles of Merlot I'm sure
I could eat cardboard and think it was moist and delicious. I'll be sitting in front of the box with the Doctor
trying not to dig out an old Tom story to remind myself
how good we had it.
For the last few years I've used this column to talk
about how things have changed for our community
and my hopes for the future - so why change a winning formula?
‘Do we need a gay scene?’ is a regular topic and it isn't
until you move out of a big that you realise just how
different the scene is in the rest of the country. I was
recently abused and trans friends were victimised and
left in tears in a smaller town. This may not be a surprise to some but what got me so riled was that this
happened on a weekly ‘gay night’ in a straight club
(on a quiet night) which cashes in as us queers cash
our pink giro and spend our pink pounds. It was a bit
of a shock and a wake up call - and the reason we
need dedicated LGBT places. As anyone who knows
me might expect, I didn't react like the local girls did
and laugh it off - I went for the full on Bernadette and
kicked up a fuss. When times are tough financially,
people always look for the reason they're a bit skint
and the gays having all that pink money sloshing
around in their pockets is obviously unfair. Is it just me
or has anyone else noticed the levels of homophobia
and transphobia increasing? I'll be keeping my perfectly mascarad eye on it. As I type this I can feel the
familiar anger building in me and I'm sure my eyes
and skin have just taken on a greenish hue. Don't
make me angry... you won't like me when I'm angry!
I'm finishing this year looking forward in a way that
I've never done before. I have plans and some interesting irons in the fire for 2013 and onwards. This year
has taught me so much about myself, what I want out
of life and about the things that are really important
to me. It has also taught me about the things I can
leave behind without even batting a bejewelled eyelid.
I hope that your December festivities are as happy as you want
them to be, however you
choose to celebrate - or even
if you choose not to. I hope
you nab some right bargains
in the January sales and
I sincerely hope to
see you all at
some point. Rem e m b e r
mine's a diet
coke with just
a hint of
vodka!
Anna Glypta
As we trundle towards the end of another year, I put
my contemplative cap on, turn faffbook off and begin
to write my last Shout article of 2012.
So much has happened, both on a personal and political level. There has been much campaigning for marriage equality here in the UK, with the government
launching a consultation in March to extend the legal
form of marriage to same-sex couples. Closing in June,
we are still waiting for the official response. According
to Stonewall, 7 out of 10 people support marriage
equality, and 3 in 5 people of faith do too. So, despite
upsetting and offensive remarks from some politicians
and church leaders, the majority of people support this
step forward for equality and justice.
However, in what has been an important and encouraging year for us here in the UK has tragically been a
deeply saddening, frightening year for the LGBT community globally. Russia experienced a huge step backwards for equality by the banning of ‘homosexual
propaganda’, and Pride parades for 100 years. In
Uganda, the ‘Kill The Gays’ bill is due to be passed at
the end of this year to legalise the death penalty for homosexuals. I feel sick writing this; to think that in a time
where me and my female partner are civilly partnered,
happy and looking forward to our 7th Christmas together, in another country people are living in fear of
execution on the grounds of their sexuality. Yet another
example of how religion is used as a tool to manipulate,
oppress and control societies and overrule love, peace
and common sense.
For me personally, I’ve had an incredible year of touring, playing at festivals, bringing out an album, seeing
our picture in the Guardian, playing live on national
radio, being filmed for BBC4, winning ‘best act of Cambridge Folk Festival’, and living the dream as an out and
proud, singer-songwriter in O’Hooley & Tidow. If you’d
told me ten years ago that this would happen, I’d have
said ‘No way!’, as back then I couldn’t even ring the gay
switchboard for fear of anyone finding out that I was
questioning my sexuality. I couldn’t open my mouth to
sing in front of my guitar tutor. I was so shy and unconfident that it’s hard to believe what has happened
in the last 12 months. At 32, I’m now living the life I’d
always fantasised about. I feel so lucky to be able to do
this. And thinking about the horrendous struggles that
LGBT people face in other countries makes you realise
how far we have come here in the UK. Thanks to each
and every one of us
that is out and proud,
who is visible, who
stands up to prejudice and fights
against injustice. I
wish you all a wonderful Christmas
and New Yyear,
and in the
words of Harvey Milk: ‘Burst
down those closet
doors once and for
all’ and live life to the
full.
See you in 2013!
Heidi O’Hooley-Tidow
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11