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I S S U E S I X T Y-T W O 0 2 /12
W W W.O U T M AG .C O.UK
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INSIDE
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
FORT LAUDERDALE
KEN LIVINGSTONE
LA JOHNJOSEPH
Azari & III
YO U R D I S C O N E E D S T H E M
PLUS... READERS’ AWARDS... COULD YOU ADOPT?... STUDENT PRIDE
OUT IN THE CITY FEBRUARY 2012
THE TEAM
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Whenever a city hosts the summer Olympics, it also
hosts a collection of ‘houses’ for each participating
nation – allowing the athletes, their friends,
families and their nation’s dignitaries, somewhere
to meet and socialise. When London hosts the
Olympics this summer, there are plans for the first
Olympic Pride House – an area for LGBT athletes,
their friends, supporters and members of the
public. Pride House is scheduled to be sited on
Clapham Common and will stay open for 26 days –
covering the Olympics and Para-Olympics. The
space will have big screens on which to show
Olympic events, and will also host some live
performances and concerts.
The event application has been approved in
principle, and as long as the organisers comply with
local council’s requests, should go ahead. However,
a couple of local councillors have registered
objections to the event, as have the ‘Friends of
Clapham Common’ group. “The Pride House event,
taking place in the same month as Gay Pride, is
highly likely to become a magnet for undesirable
elements of that community,” was one of a list of
objections that they registered.
Undesirable elements? Charming language indeed!
The event application has been approved in
principle, but if you want to add your voice in
support of the event – an historic development in
terms of LGBT sport in the UK – you can email your
comment to [email protected]. At the time of
going to press, there is also a petition collecting
signatures, which can be signed at the
2 Brewers, Kaz Bar and Halfway 2 Heaven.
Read about Pride House, and other developments in
LGBT sport in the UK, in our feature on LGBT
History Month on pages 43-45. Elsewhere in this
issue, we also speak to gay couples who have
adopted or fostered children, ahead of the UK’s first
LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week. Again, this is a
landmark event that shows how attitudes within
society are changing for the better. Check out our
article on these amazing families on pages 56-50.
The next issue of Out In The City hits the streets on
28 February. In the meantime, receive updates by
liking our new Out In The City Facebook page or
follow us on Twitter.
[email protected]
@OutInTheCityMag
CONTENTS
04 LETTERS
Send your
correspondence to
editorial@outmag.
co.uk
06 MY LONDON
Performer La
JohnJoseph gives us
his capital highlights
08 SHOPPING
Voguing
remembered,
Valentine’s sweets
and the Pet Shop
Boys
12 AZARI AND III
Canada’s hot new
disco export hits
British shores
14 READERS
AWARDS
We announce the
winners of our first
annual readers
awards
16 KEN
LIVINGSTONE
We have an
exclusive chat with
PHOTO © CHRIS JEPSON
Neil Geraghty, Nick
Levine, Steven Sparling,
Soren Stauffer-Kruse,
Richard Tonks, Michael
Turnbull, Josh Winning
32
Labour’s mayoral
candidate
19 DIARY
February’s cultural
highlights and arts
listings
20 MUSIC
New albums from
Lana Del Ray and
Band of Skulls
22 FILM
The Descendants,
Carnage and The
Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel reviewed
26 THEATRE
Execution of Justice
reviewed and theatre
news
28 FOOD
The Angel and
Crown reviewed
16
31 OUT THERE
Scene highlights for
February, plus
coverage of The
Cambria and the
revamped Edge on
Soho Square
43 OUTREACH
Details of February’s
LGBT History Month
events and Student
Pride in Brighton
48 OUTNEWS
The new Stonewall
Workplace Equality
Index
54 FAMILY
Could you adopt or
foster? We chat to
gay couples who
have created a
family through
adoption and
fostering
62 PROPERTY
New items for the
home and the end of
the Stamp Duty
holiday
70 TRAVEL
Fort Lauderdale and
Exclusively Pride
79 BODY AND
SOUL
Agony uncle, PH
Therapies and Body
Talk
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
3
READERS’ LETTERS: FEBRUARY 2012
FEEDBACK
S E N D YO U R P R A I S E , R A N TS O R C O M M E N TS TO
E D I TO R I A L@ O U T M A G . C O . U K - A LL L E T T E R S P R I N T E D W I N A P R I Z E …
SEEING RED
Re: Gay and ginger, [OITC –
January 2012] I’m happy for
you. But bottom of the gay
barrel is East Asian (or
oriental, as you Brits still say).
Don’t believe me? Just look
around in ‘personals’ profiles.
wanting ‘special rights’. All we
want is to be treated the same
as everyone else – to grow up
in a world that doesn’t vilify or
demonise us. Some people are
gay, get over it!
Chris, Seven Sisters
Ah134, via www.outmag.co.uk website
SEEING RED #2
RE: Gay and ginger, [OITC –
January 2012]. Runt of the
litter? Umm, try being a gay
person of colour in London or
anywhere for that matter. Just
sayin’.
GAY, via www.outmag.co.uk website
IN THE RED
I was very interested to read Gary Nunn’s piece about being gay
and ginger [OITC – January 2012]. I am also ginger, and although
no one has told me to my face that they don’t fancy me because I
am a redhead, I have sometimes been shocked by comments that I
have read on the internet, or the odd comments that I have
overheard.
I still remember meeting one guy who, despite having seen photos
of me online, seemed taken aback by my appearance. “Wow, you
really are very ginger, aren’t you?”… he semi-joked (whilst also
appearing to be semi-aghast!). I could tell immediately that he
found it a bit of a turn-off and the date went rapidly downhill from
there.
Thankfully, I am now with a wonderful man who never tires of
telling me how much he loves my red hair and pale skin. I also love
my red hair, but it does bother me that some guys seem to have a
hang-up about it.
Martin, Hammersmith
‘Like’ our new
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US AND WIN
A PRIZE...
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TRAGIC TALE
Thank you for your lengthy
feature on Roger and Dominic
Crouch [OITC – January 2012].
I was shocked and saddened to
read their story. What a truly
tragic waste of life. My heart
goes out to his family,
especially Roger’s surviving
wife and daughter. I do hope
they have the strength and
support to pull together.
Suicide can rip apart the lives
of loved ones left behind. Their
story illustrates how
homophobia can have
devastating consequences. It
angers me when some people
harp on about LGBT people
DADDY DEAREST
I was pleased to read your
piece with Richard Hutchings
[January 2012] – the gay man
who had a child with a couple
of lesbian friends. I have been
very seriously thinking about
embarking on the same path. I
can’t afford surrogacy, but am
interested in being a father.
The arrangement that he has
reached is exactly the sort of
thing that interests me, so I
was glad to read about it. I’d
like to be a dad but don’t think
I have the finances or lifestyle
to be a full-time parent, but
reading his story inspired me.
Most importantly, from what
he says, his child sounds lucky
to have three devoted parents –
and that’s surely the most
important thing.
Darnell, Crouch End
Anyone who had a
letter printed this
month won a copy
of new DVD We
Were Here
Anyone who has a letter published in the March issue of Out In The City will win a copy of the Pet Shop Boys’
new CD compilation, Format – a collection of B-sides and bonus tracks spanning 1996-2009. It’s released 6
February on Parlophone.
The writer of March’s Star Letter will win a copy of Format and acclaimed new gay movie August. Set in LA, it
follows the plight of Jonathan, who is dating Raul, but finds himself tempted to stray when an ex-boyfriend Troy
returns to the US after several years abroad. It’s released on 13 February by Peccadillo Pictures.
Send letters to [email protected], and please include your name and address if you want to be in
with a chance of winning a prize.
LISTED LONDONER
MY LONDON
PERFORMER LA JOHNJOSEPH GIVES
U S H I S C A P I TA L H I G H L I G H TS …
Portrait by CHRIS JEPSON
Where do you come from
originally?
Liverpool, la; like Cilla herself!
Where do you currently live
and when did you move there?
I live in London Fields, just off
Broadway market. Before that,
I lived all over London – all
over the world in fact, but I
always end up back here. I’m
an ersatz Londoner, really: a
Londoner by default rather
than intent.
What’s the best thing about
living in London?
The museums are free:
amazing; inspiring. It’s a
privilege to live in a city with
such a huge amount of
accessible art.
…and the worst?
Financial inequality. I imagine
this is how it must have felt to
live in Ancient Rome:
ostentatiously rich people
living side by side with people
who can barely make ends
meet. Worse: people sleeping
rough just a stone’s throw away
from hotel rooms that cost
£2,500 a night. This satanic
cabal of a government has done
nothing to help that.
What are your favourite
restaurants?
Where do you escape the city?
I am a creature of the city: I
like to be alone with everyone.
When I do slip away I go to see
my family in Lancashire, we
take trips to all the stately
homes up there. Or Cornwall:
most magical place in England.
Summertime, it’s beautiful.
What’s the most you’ve paid for
a cab, and to where?
I never take cabs. I walk
everywhere as it helps me
think. I also hardly ever take
the tube. I like the bus. It’s the
perfect place to discover new
strains of lunacy, and develop
your homicidal impulses.
If you were mayor for a day,
what would you do to improve
London?
Enforced attendance for all
members of the Greater
London Authority to
contemporary dance classes;
and turn Buckingham Palace
into a bath house.
Name a place or location of
sentimental value to you…
The cheese counter at Fortnum
& Mason.
Favourite London song…
Amyl Nitrate’s version of ‘Rule
Britannia’ from Derek Jarman’s
film, Jubilee.
Daquise in South Kensington is
a dusty old treat; it looks as
though it hasn’t been renovated
since 1976, but the food is
great: Polish, very hearty. Also,
Made in Italy on Old Compton
Street has great pizza.
What’s London’s most beautiful
building?
Where do you go drinking?
Are you single, partnered or
dating?
I like cocktail parties, and I like
to patrol the guest list. I’m
usually involved in a feud with
someone, so I like to know in
advance whom I’m going to
have to put up with on any
given occasion. My friend (and
musical director) Jordan Hunt
throws marvellous clothingoptional soirées at his
penthouse on the Thames.
Favourite tourist haunt?
Isaac Newton’s grave, of
course!
Favourite green space?
Regent’s Park. The foliage
there has a real air of restraint,
which I appreciate, probably
because I don’t have any of my
own.
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St Etheldreda’s Church, near
Holborn; it’s one of the oldest
Catholic churches in the
country: centuries’ worth of
spirituality vibrating in there.
I am in love with the world!
And also, my boyfriend.
Invite us to a party…
My top tip here is to find out
what A Man To Pet is doing on
any given night and go there.
She is hilarious and so
charismatic and sexy. We had a
wild weekend performing last
year in Zagreb! I’ve never been
able to look a Waldorf salad in
the face since!
La JohnJoseph stars in Boy In A Dress
at the Oval House theatre from 14
February until 3 March (8pm and
2.30pm Saturday matinees).
www.ovalhouse.com
www.boyfriendrobotique.blogspot.com
SHOPPING: FEBRUARY 2012
SHOPPING
P E T S H O P P R O D U CT, S W E E T VA L E N T I N E S ,
S E X Y V O G U E S C E N E A N D L E AT H E R H E A R TS .
FACE OFF
Following news that Precious director
Lee Daniels is working on a drama
series about the underground ball
scene, which gave rise to voguing,
comes this new book from Soul Jazz:
Voguing and the House Ballroom
Scene of New York City 1989-92 (Soul
Jazz Books). The photographs by
Chantal Regnault perfectly capture this
underground scene at its peak. It
features dancers such as Willi Ninja,
Jose and Luis Xtravaganza – as well as
the legendary ‘mothers’ of the gay and
transgender world – Avis Pendavis,
Peppa LaBeija, Carmen Xtravaganza,
Dorian Corey, Paris Dupree and more. With an introductory essay
about the scene by Tim Lawrence, the book is available now priced
£17.99 from www.souljazzrecords.co.uk and there is also an
accompanying CD out now.
PHOTOGRAPH © CHANTAL REGNAULT. COURTESY OF SOUL JAZZ BOOKS
NEW FORMAT
A double album of rare Pet
Shop Boys material? Yes
please! Neil Tennant and Chris
Lowe release their new B-sides
collection as a double CD
entitled Format this month.
The collection boasts a
whopping 38 tracks, pulling
together B-sides from 19962009. Highlights include Pet
Shop Boys and Elton John
tackling ‘In Private’, ‘We’re All Criminals Now’, ‘The Truck Driver and
His Mate’ and ‘Friendly Fire’ (from their musical Closer To Heaven).
It’s out 6 February on Parlophone.
SWEET STUFF
With Valentine’s
coming up, you
need little excuse
to invest in
something
sugary for your
beloved. As a
change to
chocolates, we like
the Sweets in the
City range of
products, such as
these sweet shakes
from £4.50. Available
from Harvey Nichols,
Scribbler and online at
www.sweetsinthecity.
co.uk
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ALL HEART
A small, simple gift to the man you love this Valentine’s Day: this
Love Heart Key Ring from Byron and Brown, made in red,
super-soft, Italian Nappa leather. It comes boxed and tissuewrapped and costs £10 from www.byronandbrown.co.uk
BAROMETER: FEBRUARY 2012
THE WORD
D E E P D E S I R E S , C E N S O R E D ST R I P P I N G A N D
C A L M I N G A P P S F O R I P H O N E O R I PA D
ON FIRE
PERFUME GENIUS
...otherwise known as Mike
Hadreas. Album Put Your
Back N 2 It is out this
month, preceded by tender
single ‘Hoods’. Check out
the video on Youtube.
APP
OF THE
MONTH
MYHIV.ORG.UK
A year after launching, this
groundbreaking website
has over 3,000 users and
has been heralded as the
UK’s largest online support
for people with HIV.
KEEP CALM
AND CARRY ON
Hit gay film: Weekend
DEEP DESIRES, BROKEN DREAMS
Deep Desires & Broken Dreams is the name of gay film festival
taking place in Hammersmith this month. Riverside Studios will
be playing host to this ‘celebration of classic and contemporary
gay cinema’ from 16-22 February. The festival will include the UK
premiere of eCupid (Sunday 19 Feb) and Judas Kiss (Wednesday
22 February), acclaimed recent releases Weekend (17 Feb), We
Were Here (19 Feb) and The British Guide To Showing Off (18 Feb),
plus classics such as Suddenly Last Summer, screening on the
afternoon of Sunday 19 February. Tickets cost £8.50 for single film
screenings or £12.50 for two films
Full details and booking information at www.riverside.co.uk
The old ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’
poster, originally created by the
British Ministry of Information during
World War II, has become something
of a contemporary phenomenon. Now
you can adapt and create your own
variations with this fun App that
offers a range of different images and
wording variations. It’s only 69 of your
hard-earned pence from iTunes.
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The sort of banal but funny
nonsense only found on
the internet: random
pictures of Ross Kemp.
Folded. http://kempfolds.
blogspot.com/
THIS
MONTH’S
RISE AND
FA L L
OLYMPIC
BEDSPREADS
FAMED AMATEUR STRIP UNDER THREAT
BJs White Swan, one of London’s most famous gay bars, may be
facing a battle with Tower Hamlets council to allow it to continue
running it’s long-running Wednesday Amateur Strip Night. The
local authority has recently embarked on a consultation process
to enforce new legislation to close venues that offer lap-dancing,
pole-dancing or striptease. Barry Kirk, joint-owner of the White
Swan, told the BBC, “We’ve survived a lot over the years; but
Wednesday is our only busy weeknight. If they kill off our
Wednesday nights, we’ll be threatened with
closure.”
A council spokeswoman said, “No decision has
been made in relation to which premises
would be deemed to be sex
establishments. The council is part way
through the analysis and evaluation of
the sex establishment consultation that
took place in autumn. There were a record
number of responses to the consultation and
it was clear that residents felt strongly about
the matter. A consultation meeting was held
with [local LGBT organisation] Rainbow
Hamlets and these views, along with all
of the others collected as part
of the consultation
process, will be
considered.”
ROSS KEMP
FOLDS
QUOTE
OF THE
MONTH
‘My mum said she would
disown me if I did
Celebrity Big Brother!’
Boy George explains why you’re not
likely to catch him participating in
reality TV any time soon…
Olympic merchandise goes
into overdrive… resulting
in possibly the nastiest
bedspreads we’ve come
across in many a month...
SIMON COWELL’S
DJ TALENT SHOW
The X Factor supremo has
hinted at plans for a show
to discover the world’s
next great DJ. Sounds like
a very bad way of
discovering DJ talent.
LIONEL RITCHIE
We admire Mr Ritchie and
were interested to read
about his new duets
album… until we read that
it includes a duet with…
um, Pixie Lott.
ON ICE
C O V E R S TA R S : A Z A R I & I I I
THE I’S HAVE IT…
A H E A D O F T H E R E L E A S E O F T H E I R N E W S I N G L E A N D A N I N T I M AT E LO N D O N
S H O W, M I C H A E L T U R N B U LL TA L K S TO H O U S E M U S I C LO V E R S A Z A R I & I I I …
Toronto may not seem the most obvious
place for the emergence of an
intergalactic, polysexual, funky house,
all-singing, all-voguing quartet, but
that’s exactly what’s happened with the
formation of Azari and III.
Dinamo Azari and Alixander III had been
DJ’ing for years until one Boxing Day they
found themselves spinning against each
other in a fierce clubland competition. The
pair united, picked up Fritz Helder and the
bizarrely named Starving Yet Full along
the way, and – in the shape of their
eponymous debut – created one of the
darkest, sexiest, electro-pop albums since
Fischerspooner’s Odyssey.
The new single, ‘Reckless (With Your
Love)’, will not only having you sprinting
for the dancefloor, but it also carries a
political message on the dangers of HIV.
With rumours of Madonna asking them to
tour with her and fans including Johnny
Depp, Tinie Tempah and The XX, Azari
and III are without doubt ones to watch in
2012.
Michael Turnbull talks to Alixander III
and Starving Yet Full to find out the real
story on how they met, when is the right
moment to wear a furry codpiece, and
their definition of a ‘Man Hooker’.
Do you go out much when you’re in
London?
Alixander: Not so much; we’re normally
working. My hotel room was the best place
I went. Did we have a party in our hotel
room? Ha ha... sadly, no.
You have great stage names, is there some
mythology behind how you all came
together?
A: That’s the question we hate most; so
whatever is out there is probably not true.
We sometimes lie about where we all met.
Starving: Oh, we totally met on the Drop
Zone ride in Wonderland Theme Park. We
were all holding hands, wished each other
good luck and then met at the bottom.
Was there an artist you bonded over?
A: Not really, we just met through the
Holy Ghost team who brought us together.
And within 49 hours of meeting him we
had written the music for both ‘Man
Hooker’ and ‘Hungry For The Power’. We
liked the image of a ‘Man Hooker’ being
one guy in the darkness, looking for love
and sex, and being lost at night and
sleeping all day.
Is the guy gay?
A: Not really. I guess gay culture came
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‘above ground’ in my teenage years. But
everyone is gay. What does it mean? OK,
well, it means you’re a homo; maybe it
means you’re flamboyant; who knows what
it means any more? It’s a very blurred line.
There are more people thinking, ‘You
know what? I could fuck that guy. I’d never
really thought of it before, I’ve always
thought of myself as a straight guy but hey,
why not?’ The social attitude no longer
makes people fear that if they go and fuck
a guy they will be ostracised by their jock
buddies.
Is Toronto very gay-friendly?
S: Canada is known for being open and
proud; it is famous for having one of the
biggest Gay Prides in the world.
A: You might have a harder time in rural
Canada, but we wouldn’t know! Entering
Toronto is like entering the safe zone. It’s
like Babylon, you can get away with
anything.
What music did you grow up on?
A: Whatever came on the radio really, from
Jerry Lee Lewis to Eddy Grant. That was
until I was old enough to form my own
opinions. Then it was like the original 80s
British indie shoegazing stuff. I would
enter local radio show competitions to win
tickets. I saw Happy Mondays on the Pills
and Thrills tour. I saw My Bloody
Valentine on their first tour.
S: The radio was never really on in my
house. But I do remember there being a
one-hour special TV show on a Saturday
and they played a bunch of different stuff
from Stevie Wonder to George Michael to
Celine Dion.
So now when you’re on stage you’re
channelling Naomi in George Michael’s
‘Freedom’ video?
S: Exactly!
Voguing seems to be big again. Is it
happening to Toronto too?
S: Not really. I remember about four or five
years ago I first caught on to voguing and
then, before I knew it, everyone was going
home and learning to dance. At the time it
was to R’n’B, then dance, then house. But
now everyone vogues to anything! Hell, I’ll
vogue to rhythm dancehall!
A: Why be limited? I used to listen to
techno all night. I was like “Fuck house
music!” Voguing has modified. It’s a little
less harsh... not as confrontational.
S: At the time when the houses mattered,
you had Old School; you had Old Way,
which was pretty much the Madonna
‘Vogue’. Then that gave way to New Wave,
where everything is more about who can
spin better, who can dip harder, who can
do a better hand performance – it’s huge.
How was coming out for you?
S: I’ve never been that ‘in the closet’ kid.
Even from the clothes I wore as a kid and
the way I carried myself, people would say
to my parents, ‘Oh I think your son is going
to be gay when he grows up.’
A: Starving Yet Full is beyond gay, straight,
human! He’s definitely his own creature.
Are you seeing anyone?
S: Not at the moment, I just want to focus
on what we’ve got going on here. But I’ve
got a date on Friday, actually. I got a
random text yesterday from a guy I gave
my number to. So we’ll see...
Alixander, are you gay?
A: Majority straight. I don’t have time. I’ve
had a girlfriend for the last ten years. Back
then I would say I was straighter.
What’s your audience like?
S: Being at the front, I can see that
normally, the first rows are our gay fans
with a bunch of girls, then right at the
back are the super-straight boys.
Do you prefer playing your own gigs to
festivals or club nights?
A: We like to play shows. Festivals are
great – whether it’s five in the afternoon
or five in the morning, you just go out on
stage and there’s a crowd of people. We’d
rather play a beautiful hall with a nice
balcony so people feel like they are seeing
an actual show. Even though our music is
considered dance music because of the
beat, when we perform it live you don’t
need to be in a club. It’s almost better in an
environment where you can hear and see
the performance not just lasers.
What’s your wardrobe inspired by?
A: We’re all a little different. I’m stuck in
this Mod look. I’m a slim Italian. I like
crispy shit.
S: He likes to be comfortable. Normally, I
wear a chiffon shirt or something flowy. I
like to move around a lot with my hands. It
depends on the mood I’m in. There was a
fur cod-piece for Lovebox.
A: Maybe we’ll all be in suits one day, but
Fritz is definitely the more S&M-y one out
of us. And Cedric [aka Starving Yet Full] is
like a bag of Skittles. Everything is bright
colours...
‘Reckless (With Your Love)’ out on 12 February and the
band’s self-titled debut album on 19 February. Catch
them performing a full show at Heaven on 2 February.
http://azariandiii.com/
ALIXANDER III
STARVING YET FULL
FRITZ HELDER
DINAMO AZARI
READERS’ AWARDS
OUT IN THE CITY
READERS’ AWARDS
The votes have been counted and the winners revealed. Last month we
announced the nominees – as suggested by you – for our first annual readers’
awards. We ran online voting for a month over Christmas and January and can
now announce who came out on top!
HOUSING PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
WVINNER – NEWLON
RUNNER-UP – BARRATT
weren’t surprised to find that Apple came out top in
this category – closely followed by your favourite
dating website.
www.apple.com/uk/
NEWLON
Congratulations to Newlon, developer of eyecatching London properties such as Hale Village in
Tottenham Hale.
www.newlon.org.uk
CHARITY OF THE YEAR
WINNER – TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST
RUNNER-UP – STONEWALL
HOLIDAY DESTINATION OF THE YEAR
WINNER – ISRAEL
RUNNER-UP – SWITZERLAND
Given the growing popularity of Tel Aviv Pride, and
the country’s reputation as an LGBT-friendly hot
spot, Israel romped to victory in this category.
www.thinkisrael.com
The UK’s largest charity dedicated to fighting the
spread of HIV and AIDS, and supporting those
affected by the disease, the Terrence Higgins Trust
just pipped equal rights charity Stonewall to top
position.
www.tht.org.uk/
TEL AVIV
CAMPAIGNER OF THE YEAR
RECRUITER OF THE YEAR
WINNER – BARRIE & TONY DREWITT-BARLOW
RUNNER-UP – BEN COHEN
WINNER – ERNST & YOUNG
RUNNER-UP – SELFRIDGES
Not only did Ernst & Young top the latest Stonewall
Workplace Equality Index, but the organisation also
came out top in our poll – followed by the famed
department store Selfridges.
www.ey.com/uk
For their work in highlighting issues around gay
parenthood, gay Essex dads Barrie and Tony clearly
struck a chord with our readers... as did lovely former
rugby player Ben Cohen and his Stand Up Foundation!
www.britishsurrogacycentre.co.uk
GAYDAR
GAY ICON OF THE YEAR
DATING SITE OF THE YEAR
WINNER – GAYDAR
RUNNER-UP – GRINDR
LADY GAGA
Gaydar and Grindr fought it out for this honour, but
in the end, Gaydar emerged as still being the most
popular gay dating site with our readers.
www.gaydar.co.uk
WINNER – LADY GAGA
RUNNER-UP – WILL YOUNG
Having released a single called ‘Born This Way’, and
announced the launch of her own Born This Way
Foundation to help combat intolerance and to
empower young people, we weren’t shocked to find
Lady Gaga heralded as the year’s top gay icon.
http://ladygaga.co.uk/
GAY FAMILY INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
BAR OF THE YEAR
WINNER – BSC
RUNNER-UP – PRIDE ANGEL
WINNER – KU BAR
RUNNER-UP – G-A-Y BAR
British Surrogacy Centre, which exists to help UK
residents create families through surrogacy abroad,
won this award, followed by the Pride Angel sperm
and egg donation organisation.
www.britishsurrogacycentre.co.uk
BSC
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
PRIDE LONDON
KU BAR
WINNER – PRIDE LONDON
RUNNER-UP – BRIGHTON PRIDE
CLUB OF THE YEAR
WINNER – XXL
RUNNER-UP – POPSTARZ
Congratulations to the team at Pride London on
scooping this honour – and to departing Pride
London chair Paul Birrell. Here’s looking forward to
World Pride in London this summer!
BRAND OF THE YEAR
WINNER – APPLE
RUNNER-UP – GAYDAR
Our readers do love well-executed design products –
APPLE
not to mention their iPhones and iPods – so we
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Many congratulations to guv’nor Gary Henshaw and
his teams at the Ku bars. With a constant rotation of
top nights and drinks promotions – not to mention
the gorgeous bar staff – Ku was crowned your
winner this year – just ahead of the G-A-Y Bar.
www.ku-bar.co.uk
XXL
Beyoncé
Again, huge congratulations to Mark Ames and his
team at XXL for scooping the ‘Club of the Year’
accolade from our winners – the night has a large
and loyal following, and has been consistently
judged one of the best men’s nights on the scene.
They were followed by Popstarz – another longrunning institution with its own hardcore following.
www.xxl-london.com
feature
CARRY ON KEN
Ken Livingstone is a high-profile politician with both the experience and
credentials to run the greatest capital city in the world. After all, he’s run it
before – spending eight years as mayor from 2000-2008. Still ambitious, it
makes him a real threat to the incumbent Tory, Boris Johnson, when they clash
again at the polls later this year. Out in the City quizzed him on his past record
and new vision for the city…
Not as brave as the people who came out!
In my new autobiography: You Can’t Say
That, I mention what the papers said about
it: I was ‘encouraging perverts’, blah blah. I
got so much flak in 1981. In The Telegraph,
Boris [Johnson] wrote: ‘Why don’t we just
allow a man to marry his dog?’. I think the
fact that the world didn’t go mad when we
introduced the CP register is what gave the
Labour government the courage to make
them legal.
this idea that you can’t discuss it in school.
Homophobic bullying in schools is bad; it
needs to be openly talked about.
What are your campaign targets this time?
Three main issues: the cost of transport,
policing numbers and crime, and the
shortage of housing and cost of rents.
How will you tackle travel fares?
We can cut the fares by 7%, an average
£1,000 per person saved over a mayoral
term. They will spend this in the
community and help sustain jobs. All
projects Boris inherited from me that
weren’t contractually committed, he
Why did you take a stand on LGBT rights?
I grew up in a time when it was illegal to be
gay. Dirk Bogarde, a big matinee idol, did a
massive breakthrough film [Victim] where
he played a closet gay barrister. The film
caused uproar; ended his mass appeal; he
only did niche films after that. It seemed
shocking to the audience that here were
real people with real feelings. I came of age
politically when homosexuality was made
legal in 1967; but, legal or not, it was
unacceptable: ministers resigned if they
were found out. Twenty year later, MPs
still stepped down if they were outed.
Chris Smith came out in the ‘87 or ‘88 and
it was still ten years after that before it
stopped being an issue.
London’s a tolerant city for gay people. Is
that one of your major accomplishments?
We have a big LGBT community because
London has a tolerant attitude. There are
so many here because gays and lesbians are
basically refugees from intolerant parts of
the country. In some countries, they still
put people to death and outside of a few
Western nations, there’s a long way to go.
The LGBT community have come a long
way towards equality, but what changes
still need to be made?
Simple things, like reinstating the
reception for Pride at City Hall. I can’t
believe Boris ended that! It was only a
couple of glasses of vino each; it seems
really petty and spiteful. Also, the mayoral
office should re-commit to Stonewall’s
Workplace Equality Index, which he also
stopped. We still live with the legacy of
[Conservative 80’s legislation] Section 28:
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“When
we were bidding
for Olympics, the
media thought it was
a Blair/Livingstone
wet dream and
didn’t pay much
attention.”
cancelled; so when I get elected, we’ll
restart work on the trams: Camden/
Islington; Oxford Street, and Croydon/
Crystal Palace and the DLR to Barking.
the concept of a London Living Wage,
about £8.30 an hour: the minimum wage is
about £2 less than you need. If the rent is
taking more than a third of the wage, all
you do is work to pay your rent. In New
York City, you still have rent controls.
Before Thatcher got in, there were rent
tribunals. Thatcher stopped councils
building homes and used the money to set
up housing benefit, which allowed the
government to top up the difference
between what the tenant could afford and
what the landlord wanted: a licence for
developers and landlords to make money.
But agencies rip off tenants too. Can you
change that?
We will set up a London-wide agency and
allow good landlords to use it; 3% is more
acceptable. Thatcher and Blair both made
the same catastrophic error of judgement
that one day everyone would own their
own home. In France and Germany half
own, half rent. It can be a big mistake to tie
yourself down to a mortgage as it leaves
you less flexible for the job market.
What other ideas do you have for London?
I nicked one from the mayor of Austin,
Texas: I think there should be a yearly
music expo outside the normal tourist
season. There could be music in every
venue from village halls to the 02. It would
generate jobs and money for the city.
You started the Olympics bid for 2012. How
do you feel about how it’s going?
We want more police; more street patrols.
Boris froze every vacancy in the police; if
someone retired from the murder squad or
was just on a neighbourhood beat patrol:
that post wasn’t filled. In the four-year
budget, he allowed for a reduction of 1,800
in police numbers after the Olympics. We
will cancel any planned cuts.
When we were bidding, almost everyone in
the media thought it was a Blair/Livingstone
wet dream and didn’t pay much attention.
But that allowed me to structure it with the
IC so it could not be interfered with after we
won. It couldn’t be changed without all five
stakeholders agreeing, even with a changed
government who might want to cancel
things. This would have caused last-minute
delays. It is rolling as we planned: on time,
under budget. We didn’t predict the entire
Armed Forces of Great Britain patrolling the
city during the games, though!
Half of all Londoners earn under £26k,
and a two-bed, private rented flat will take
two thirds of their income. I have set out
An LGBT fundraising evening for Ken Livingstone’s mayoral
campaign will take place at The Grand Connaught Rooms on
Monday 12 March 2012. It will include a three-course meal
with wine, raffle, auction and entertainment. Tickets are
£250 per person or £2,500 per table of 10. Info: www.
kenlivingstoneformayor.co.uk or call 07964 062766.
Will you up police numbers, given the
increase in stabbings and homophobic
attacks in the capital?
London rents are expensive and buying
your own home almost impossible for
many people. What can be done?
interview: SARAH GARRETT
PHOTO: BOOM
You have always been known as a rebel in
the Labour party. Didn’t you set up a civil
partnership register before it was legal?
That was brave of you.
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C U LT U R E C A L E N D E R : F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2
DIARY DATES
F E B R U A R Y ’ S C U LT U R A L H I G H L I G H TS I N A N D A R O U N D LO N D O N
LGBT History Month
kicks off with another
special edition of the
quarterly Queer
Question Time. Names
from the world of sport
will be debating
‘Tackling homophobia
and transphobia in the
world of sport’ at The
Banqueting Hall
Glaziers Hall, 9
Montague Close, SE1
9DD. Advance booking
is advised. Contact
Helen Laker at
Southwark Council on
0207 525 0848 or
Helen.Laker@
southwark.gov.uk – and
feel free to submit
questions via askqqt@
gmail.com
01-02 FEB:
This month’s cover
stars, the fabulous
Azari & III, play a
couple of intimate
London gigs. Catch
them this evening when
they host a DJ session
at the WYLD Bar at the
W Hotel, off Leicester
Square, followed by a
fuller gig at Heaven on
2 February.
www.azariandiii.com
04 FEB:
One of our favourite
acts, cult Swedish
rockers The Sounds
return to these shores
with an intimate
London gig at Kings
College. Tickets cost
£14.75 via Live Nation.
1-29 FEB:
The BFI on London’s
Southbank will be
celebrating the unique
vision of one of
American cinema’s
most highly-respected
auteurs throughout the
month of February.
David Lynch: A
Reputation Precedes is
a month-long festival
screening almost
everything that the
inconic film maker and
artist has ever
committed to celluloid.
Expect several
screenings each for
such classics as Blue
08 FEB-04
MAR:
1-10 FEB:
TOM WILKINSON- GREEN RAY (1999)
One of our favourite drag performers, the wonderful Miss Hope
Springs (creation of performer Ty Jeffries) returns to London
with a string of dates at the Leicester Square Theatre Lounge.
Expect the “down-on-her-luck ex-Vegas showgirl turned
nightclub chanteuse” to attack the piano with an array of witty
and poignant material from her repertoire, along with anecdotes
about her “Ritz to the pits” life story.
Catch Hope on 1-4 and 8-10 February at 9.30pm, or the Sunday
matinee at 4pm on 5 February. Tickets cost £10 or £8
concessions.
Openly-gay American
singer Ezra Axelrod
launches his debut
album, Songs from the
American Motel, with a
month-long West End
residency at Leicester
Square Theatre. Catch
him performing
Wednesdays to
Saturdays at 7pm (and
Sundays at 5pm).
Tickets £15. Catch more
details and snippets of
the album at www.
ezraaxelrod.com
PRIVATE COLLECTION © THE LUCIAN FREUD ARCHIVE
O1 FEB:
www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/
09-12 FEB:
Now one of the London art scene’s most
arresting annual events, the Kinetica Art
Fair returns to London this month. It will be
taking place at Ambika P3 (35 Marylebone
Road, NW1 5LS). As always, Kinetica
specialises in artworks that utilise light,
movement and/or electronics, and always
features impressive and astounding work
from artists from around the world.
Alongside the exhibition, expect a
programme of special events, performances
and tours. Tickets available via Ticketweb.
www.kinetica-artfair.com
Velvet, The Elephant
Man, Lost Highway,
Inland Empire and Wild
at Heart, among others.
www.bfi.org.uk
02, 09, 16, 23
FEB:
Besides hosting the
Monday evening bingo
session at the Royal
Vauxhall Tavern, culture
vulture Timberlina is
also involved with
events at the National
Portrait Gallery. He will
be presiding over some
of the gallery’s Late
Shift evening sessions
this month, which take
place on Thursday
evenings. Expect him to
make his DJ debut in
the main hall on
Thursday 2 February
(6-8.45pm), while
artists Sadie Lee hosts
a ‘Queer Perspectives
Gallery Tour’. This will
be followed by another
tour of gay interest on
Thursday 9 February at
7.30pm, entitled
‘Defining Sexuality &
Gender in Portraiture
for LGBT Communities’.
Timberlina is joined by
Boogaloo Stu for
another walking tour at
7.30pm on Thursday 16
February, exploring
some of Stu’s particular
portraits of interest and
influence, while on 23
February it is the turn
of Bourgeois & Maurice
and a ‘Parental
Guidance’ tour,
exploring pictorial
signifiers of childhood
in their favourite
portraits. All talks are
free to join.
www.npg.org.uk
09 FEB-27 MAY:
The National Portrait
Gallery hosts Lucian
Freud: Portraits – the
first, major posthumous
Tyne Dalyof the late
exhibition
painter’s work. The
show will feature over
100 works drawn from
museums and private
collections around the
world.
www.npg.org.uk
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19
MUSIC: REVIEWS
EMELI SANDÉ
OUR VERSION OF
EVENTS (VIRGIN)
BAND OF SKULLS
SWEET SOUR (ELECTRIC
BLUES RECORDINGS)
Given the fact that guitar
bands currently seem about as
welcome in the higher
echelons of the singles chart as
gonorrhea at a swingers’ party,
it would be unwise to expect
Band Of Skulls’ brilliant new
track, ‘Bruises’, to necessarily
trouble Jessie J or Rihanna’s
dominance of the top ten.
However, here’s hoping that it
helps drive both fans and the
curious alike to check out their
second album, Sweet Sour,
which effortlessly positions
them as possibly the UK’s most
exciting new rock act. OK, so
they’re not exactly new: the
Southampton trio – comprising
singers Russell (guitars) and
Emma (bass) and drummer
Matt – first pricked up ears on
the rock circuit with 2009’s
intriguing Baby Darling Doll
Face Honey. Sweet Sour
follows very much in the same
vein, but finds the band
boosted in confidence and
20
songwriting skills. In a
nutshell, think grungey, bluesy
rock of the Led Zeppelin
variety, with a dash of the
White Stripes and a pinch of
folky melancholia (usually
when Emma steps to the fore).
Simple, repetitive riffs are the
hallmark of their best
numbers, such as opener
‘Sweet Sour’, the
aforementioned ‘Bruises’ and
previous single ‘The Devil
Takes Care Of His Own’.
Following in the same vein is
‘You’re Not Pretty But You Got
It Goin On’ – another strutting,
70s rock homage that should
come clad in its own pair of
tight, leather trousers.
Alternating between these
grooves are the slower
numbers, the most noteworthy
being ‘Hometowns’, which
finds them casting a cynical,
wary eye over provincial
mundanity: ‘No idea, why
you’re here or on your own, it’s
just kids having more kids for
fear of being alone’. That it
bears more than a passing
resemblance to The Jam’s
‘English Rose’ is no bad thing,
either.
A sterling second offering from
a band who appear to growing
in stature but at their own
majestic pace. DH
Out: 20 February
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
Simon Cowell has declared Emeli Sandé
his “favourite songwriter of the minute”,
even tapping her talents for the last
Susan Boyle album. It’s easy to see why
the savvy mogul’s so smitten. The
Scottish lass makes music that’s
melodic, modish and mainstreamfriendly: much less quirky than her
bleach-blonde Mohican haircut might
suggest.
The epic trip-hop sound of her recent
singles, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Daddy’, is also a
bit misleading because Our Version Of
Events is a more subdued affair. The
album’s default setting is the classicyet-contemporary romantic soul ballad
– think Leona Lewis, whom Sandé’s
written for, or Alicia Keys, whom she’s
actually written with. Tellingly, the
record ends with Sandé’s solo take on
‘Read All About It’, the Professor Green
rap smash whose chorus she crooned.
Sandé does show some range across
the album’s 14 tracks. But her sturdy
songwriting and fabulous vocal
performances don’t make up for the
record’s lack of uptempo moments. For
that reason, Our Version Of Events is a
rare beast indeed – an impressive, and
very listenable debut album that’s also
just a tad disappointing. NL
Out: 13 February
LANA DEL REY
BORN TO DIE
(POLYDOR)
Who transformed plain old Lizzy Grant
into retro femme fatale Lana Del Rey?
Why did she make such a mess of her
recent Saturday Night Live
appearance? Has she really gone the
whole Leslie Ash pout on her lips?
Blah blah blah… What’s not up for
discussion is the quality of her music.
‘Video Games’ was 2011’s most
mesmerising single and this album
often comes close – very close – to
matching its cinematic splendour. It’s
NL
Out: 30 January
TYSON
DIE ON THE
DANCEFLOOR
(BACKYARD)
Former Out In The City cover stars
Unklejam briefly threatened to scatter
some of their particular brand of electro
glitz and glitter over the charts back in
2007. Sadly, they never caught on and
have been on an extended hiatus since
the release of their eponymous debut
album. One third of the group, falsettovoiced singer Tyson, is back gaining
plaudits with his dancefloor-friendly
brand of electro stompers. It’s been a
long time since we received a press
release that proudly labelled its product
‘hi-nrg’, but since Horse Meat Disco
dragged late 70’s clone culture back
into the spotlight, hi-NRG was surely
not far behind.
There is much to admire here – from
the blatant Sylvester/Bobby O homage,
that is ‘Die On The Dancefloor’ to the
‘Voyage Voyage’ stirrings of opener
‘Before I Love Again’. Others invoke
classics such as Alphaville’s ‘Big In
Japan’ (‘On The Radio’). The only
problem is that there’s little here that
can truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder
beside those aforementioned
influences. Sylvester was a sublime
creation, but to follow in his footsteps,
someone really needs to have their own
‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’ up
their sleeve to back up the warbling and
wailing... DH
Out: 20 February
REVIEWS: NICK LEVINE AND DAVID HUDSON
ALBUMS OUT IN FEBRUARY
-
ALBUMS
got guitar twangs straight off a
Morricone soundtrack. The strings
glisten and there are some elegant nods
to hip-hop. If this is ear candy, it’s the
aural equivalent of the darkest
chocolate.
She spends much of Born To Die
singing about bad boys. She’s lustful on
‘National Anthem’, obsessive on ‘Dark
Paradise’, and she indulges in the
outright macabre on ‘Summertime
Sadness’. “Got my bad baby by my
heavenly side,” she sings ominously.
“Oh if I go, I’ll die happy tonight.”
Yet, as seductive as Lana Del Rey is, by
the end of the record she remains an
enigma… so expect the speculation to
continue. For now, just enjoy the music.
FILM: REVIEWS
THE DESCENDANTS
G E O R G E C LO O N E Y I S T I P P E D F O R A N O S C A R I N
T H I S W E LL- R E C E I V E D , I N T E LL I G E N T D R A M A
This
Month’s
DVDs...
TYRANNOSAUR
Set in Leeds, this modern-day
kitchen-sink drama is the debut
directorial feature from British actor
Paddy Considine. It charts the
evolving friendship between
unemployed drinker Joseph (Peter
Mullan) and charity shop worker
Hannah (Olivia Colman) – a prisoner
in a violently abusive marriage to
James (Eddie Marsan). It’s bleak, but
it remains an assured debut.
Out: 6 February
DOOGIE HOWSER, M.D.
Hey may now be a big, openly gay
star on Broadway, but Neil Patrick
Harris began his showbiz career in
the fondly-remembered and muchloved Doogie Howser, M.D – the lighthearted tale of a 16-year-old boy
genius who passed his medical exams
while still a teen. The first series,
which originally aired in the late 80s,
is released on DVD for the first time
in the UK this month – featuring all 26
episodes.
Matt King (George Clooney) is a workaholic property lawyer in Hawaii. His life is thrown
into disarray when his wife suffers a boating accident and falls into a deep coma. He is
suddenly made to confront the fact that, for the past few years, he’s been merely a parttime husband and part-time father to daughters Alexandra and Scottie. Doctors inform
him that his wife will not regain consciousness and will be removed from her life support
machine. He has just days to tell friends and family to say their goodbyes. It’s at this point
that his elder daughter reveals that her mum had been having an affair with another man.
Matt is devastated. His comatose, dying wife is no state to provide him with any answers,
so – with his daughters in tow – he sets out to find his wife’s lover. He feels the need to
inform him of her imminent death and to seek answers to his own questions. At the same
time, Matt’s extended family are putting pressure on him to sell a chunk of Hawaiian land
that has belonged in the family for generations – and which can potentially earn them a
fortune.
Money, family, inheritance, betrayal, love and death… The Descendants, from director
and screenwriter Alexander Payne (Sideways), may sound heavy going. As if to counteract
this, the theatrical trailer plays up the film’s more comic moments but does the film a
disservice by doing so. Payne has again served up a near-perfectly balanced, intelligent tale
that, although executed with a lightness of touch, offers stirring pathos and thoughtful
drama. Clooney’s character finds himself in a predicament that none of us would ever wish
to find ourselves – and it’s one that just seems to get worse. Clooney’s a fine actor but even
he struggles to fully convey the maelstrom of emotions that his character experiences, but
then again, it’s hard to think of any other actor that could have carried this any better.
Although his performance in 2008’s Michael Clayton was more solid, he’s surely favourite
to finally scoop his ‘Best Actor’ Academy Award. The film also features a star-making turn
from Shailene Woodley (who plays elder daughter Alex).
The Descendants will make you laugh, and – unless you have had an emotional bypass –
will make you cry. It’s already picked up the Golden Globe for ‘Best Motion Picture’, and is
sure to sweep up many more prizes in the months to come. DH
Out: 27 January
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Out: 20 February
AUGUST
When Troy moves back to LA after
many years of living in Spain, he
meets up with former boyfriend
Jonathan, who’s now dating Raul – a
South American immigrant who
quickly picks up on the renewed
sexual tension between the former
lovers. Set against a sweltering L.A
summer, August is an arty, languid
but involving gay drama – which
scooped last year’s Iris Prize feature
film award.
Out: 13 February
THE STRANGER IN US
Atmospheric and serious gay indie
filmmaking from the US, courtesy of
first-time director Scott Boswell.
Anthony moves to San Francisco to
move in with boyfriend Stephen, but
when the relationship quickly turns
volatile and violent, he finds himself
alone in a strange city – leading him
to hook up with street hustler Gavin.
Confusing in its non-chronological
narrative, but an effective debut.
Out: 27 February
REVIEWS: DAVID HUDSON
THE DESCENDANTS
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23
FILM: REVIEWS
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
CARNAGE
Screaming, crying, vomiting… Roman Polanski’s latest cinematic offering definitely lives
up to its determined title. Starring, not one, but three Oscar winners, Carnage is the Polish
director’s first film since he was released from house arrest in Switzerland in 2010, and it
finds him on typically tidy form.
When their children get into a playground altercation, two sets of parents meet in
order to discuss how the situation should be handled. Convening in the plush apartment of
the Longstreet’s (Jodie Foster and John C O’Reilly), the Cowans (Kate Winslet and
Christoph Waltz) at first accept the blame for their son’s unacceptable behaviour. But, as
the day wears on and the two couples start to rub each other up the wrong way, all
pretences of civility begins to crumble, until they’re all squabbling like the children
they’ve met to discuss.
Based on the Tony Award-winning play Le Dieu du Carnage by Yasmine Reza,
Carnage’s stage origins are evident in the film’s sole location – the Longstreet’s fancy New
York apartment. With so much star wattage on display, though, any concerns that the
single-location conceit might result in a static, patience-testing film are quickly
eradicated.
Much of the thrill in Carnage comes with watching so many A-listers working the
smartly-written material that positively crackles with subtext. Reilly in particular
impresses, holding his own against more celebrated dramatic actors. Meanwhile, Winslet
makes for a surprisingly convincing drunk, and gets some of the best lines. A
claustrophobic, ticking time-bomb of a dramatic comedy, Carnage excels in depicting four
individuals with their own unique neuroses. Shutting them in an apartment together,
Polanski cranks up the heat and revels in watching them sweat out their prejudices and
imperfections – the resultant carnage is nothing short of riveting. JW
Lucy (Sarah Paulson) hasn’t seen her sister, Martha
(Elizabeth Olsen) in two years – during which time her
younger sibling has cut all contact. Unknown to Lucy,
Martha has been drawn into joining a small, ruralbased cult. When she flees the clutches of her fellow
cult members, it’s Lucy to whom she turns. Lucy takes
her in, pleased to be reunited with her sister, but it
soon becomes apparent to both Lucy and her
husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), that Martha has been
scarred by her time away. Lucy – who begins to
behave in an increasingly erratic manner – cannot
bring herself to confess to her sister where she has
been or what she has been doing, and it’s only
through flashbacks that we begins to realise how she
has been grossly abused and manipulated by the cult
leader, Patrick (John Hawkes) and his followers.
Martha Marcy May Marlene has earned itself
critical plaudits and award nominations at a range of
film festivals – primarily for writer and director Sean
Durkin and female lead, Elizabeth Olsen – the younger
sibling of the famed Olsen twins. This is her first major
film role, and it’s as far removed as the anodyne,
mainstream fluff that the sisters are better known for
producing as it’s possible to be. It’s a moody,
accomplished and atmospheric piece of American
indie filmmaking.
It makes for an impressive debut from Mr Durkin,
but it’s far from perfect. Although his depiction of the
small, farm-based cult over which Patrick presides
comes across as authentic, we are offered no back
story to explain what drew Martha towards it, or why
her life should have taken such a different path to her
sister’s. In this sense, the characters lack depth,
sometimes appearing as little more than pawns in a
stylish docu-drama. An ambiguous ending is also likely
to frustrate many. DH
Out: 3 February
Out: 3 February
A stellar cast of much-loved British actors star in this golden-oldie adventure. Judi Dench, Billy Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie
Smith and Celia Imrie are amongst the seven British retirees who find themselves tempted by glossy brochures advertising a
new, luxury hotel and retirement home to uproot and relocate to India. Each have their own reason for relocating, but all are
tempted by the dream of living out their remaining years in balmy, exotic comfort… except, that is, for Smith’s racist former
housekeeper, Muriel, who is purely seeking a cheap and speedy hip-replacement operation.
When they arrive to find a dilapidated hotel run by budding entrepreneur Sonny (Dev Patel), it falls far short of their
expectations. How they individually embrace the challenge of their new living conditions, and explore their own motivations
for emigrating, makes up the rest of this bittersweet drama.
There is much to enjoy in this latest offering from director John Madden’s (Mrs Brown, Shakespeare In Love), and it’s
refreshing to find a mainstream cinematic offering that explores some of the issues around ageing – whether it be loneliness, debt, or society’s attitude toward the elderly. All
concerned turn in decent performances, particularly Dench, who is struggling to accept the penniless state in which her deceased husband has left her; or Wilkinson, a gay,
retired barrister who is returning to India to track down a former lover. On the downside, the plot, on occasion, seems laboured, and tries too hard to alternate the humour and
pathos. It suffers from some particularly choppy editing, and the script hurls in some very well-worn Indian clichés. One never doubts that the film’s heart is in the right place,
but it somewhat clumsily stomps through its storyline. The end result is all rather One Foot In The Grave meets Slumdog Millionaire. Thankfully, there are enough laugh-outloud moments to make the whole shebang worthwhile, with an ending that satisfyingly pulls together the loose ends. DH
Out: 24 February
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REVIEWS: JOSH WINNING AND DAVID HUDSON
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
T H E AT R E : R E V I E W S A N D P R E V I E W S
THEATRICAL
TRIAL
Book
your
tickets
ST E V E N S PA R L I N G R E V I E W S
E X E C U T I O N O F J U ST I C E …
SEX WITH A STRANGER
26
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James Turner; projections by Sepehr Malek;
lighting by Richard Williamson; sound by
George Dennis), is simple but effective, and
the traverse setting with the audience on two
sides of the action creates a real courtroom
feel. While Law & Order makes court cases
seem interesting on television, a court trial is
often less dramatic on stage – especially one
where you already know the outcome. With
virtually no suspense, Execution of Justice
feels long, even though it isn’t.
Perhaps picking up the pace of delivery
would help to move things along; but most
of the fault lies
with the
playwright and the
concept to re-enact
a trial. The most
theatrical and,
therefore, most
interesting moments
are when multiple
stories cascade over
each other, creating
a more layered,
dramatic texture.
The audience has to
work harder to
follow the separate
strands, which make
it more engaging.
Then the play
returns to a single
narrative and we
settle back down to
more pedestrian
storytelling.
This is no fault of
the hard-working
cast of 20 (massive
for a fringe theatre
production), who
play 42 different characters.
At times, it really does feel like you have a
cross-section of San Franciscans contained in
a railway arch. Often, it’s the characters that
make the briefest appearance who make the
most lasting impact.
Execution of Justice is frequently performed
in North America, where Milk and
Moscone’s assassinations have a much
greater resonance than in this country. It’s a
well-performed, educational night out at the
theatre. If only it had a little more dramatic
bang.
Running till 4 February – www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Many of you are big fans of the
Russell Tovey, the openly-gay actor
who earned himself many admirers
after his starring roles in BBC3’s
Being Human and Him & Her. Tovey
teams up this month with actress
Jaime Winstone for a new theatre
production Sex With A Stranger by
award-winning writer and comedian
Stefan Golaszewski. It tells of a man
who finds himself tempted to cheat
on his girlfriend while out at a club for
a mate’s birthday. It opens at The
Trafalgar Studios, from 1-25 February.
Trafalgar Studios: 14 Whitehall,
London, SW1A 2DY. Tickets cost £25
(or just £12 on 1-2 February).
© HUGO GLENDINNING
“Say Harv, can I see you for a minute?”
said Dan White, sticking his head around the
door of San Francisco’s City Hall.
Moments later, Harvey Milk, the first openlygay elected official in America, was dead,
shot five times at close range.
White, the clean-cut, heterosexual former
colleague-turned-killer of both Milk and San
Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was
indicted for murder and the outcome of his
trial shocked America.
Execution of Justice, now running at The
Southwark Playhouse, tells the story using
excerpts from Dan White’s trial transcript,
interviews, news
reportage, and
stories from the
average San
Franciscan on the
street.
Playwright Emily
Mann has woven
these narrative
threads together into
a 100-minute play
that acts as a tribute
to both Milk and
Moscone and
highlights how the
justice system can
sometimes be
anything but just.
There was never any
doubt that Dan
White committed
the crime; the
question lay in his
motivation and
mental state. His
trial resulted in the
famous ‘Twinkie
defence’ (Twinkie
being a well-known
US sweet biscuit), where White’s lawyers
produced various ‘experts’ who opined that
White’s diet of sugar-laden snacks and CocaCola were contributing factors to his
depression and clouded mental judgement.
The jury bought this argument and convicted
White of two counts of voluntary
manslaughter. He was sentenced to seven
years and eight months for the murder of two
men.
The play reveals that truth is often stranger
than fiction. But is it more interesting? This
is where Execution of Justice may
disappoint.
The piece is well cast and well directed by
Joss Bennathan. The design (set/costumes by
WATER, WATER,
EVERYWHERE…
Based on the best-selling book by gay
Irish author Jamie O’Neill, a revival of
At Swim With Two Boys comes to the
Riverside Studios in Hammersmith
this month. The production, by
Earthfall dance company, made its
debut in 2005, and is now returning
to mark the tenth anniversary of the
publication of O’Neill’s book, which
reflects on the developing love
between two boys against the turmoil
of the political revolution during the
1916 Easter Risings. Featuring two
male dancers and two musicians, the
story unfolds against a cascading wall
of water that slowly fills the stage.
Runs: 7-25 February at Riverside
Studios, with tickets £15/£12.
www.atswimtwoboys.com
LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
All Star Productions open their 2012
season with Love & War – a new revue
casting an eye over Goodall’s entire
catalogue. This intimate four-hander
uses Goodall’s evocative music to
weave a story about two couples. The
men are called off to war and all are
changed when the war is over.
Performers are Zoe Demetriou,
Michael Stacey, Terrie-May McNulty
and – our very own theatre critic –
Steven Sparling!
Runs: 21 Feb - 10 March at Ye Olde
Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe
Street, Walthamstow, E17 4SA. www.
allstarproductions.co.uk
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27
FOOD: REVIEW
CROWN HEIGHTS
D AV I D H U D S O N R E V I E W S T H E A N G E L A N D C R O W N
5 8 ST M A R T I N ’ S L A N E , W C 2 N 4 E A
0 2 0 7 7 4 8 5 2 4 4 . W W W.T H E A N G E L A N D C R O W N . C O M
Since launching their first
gastropub back in the mid00s, brothers Tom and Ed
Martin have built
themselves quite an empire.
They now operate half a dozen
of the capital’s finest
gastropubs, including The Gun
in Docklands and the Prince
Arthur in London Fields.
Having first set down roots in
the East End, they have, more
recently, added Kensington
locations to their portfolio,
with the Cadogan Arms in
King’s Road and The Botanist
in Sloane Square. However, if
they’ve so far passed under
your radar it may be because
they’ve not – until now –
ventured into the West End.
That all changed just before
Christmas, when they took over
and relaunched the Angel and
Crown on St Martin’s Lane.
This historical
establishment has been in
operation since 1727. Given its
location, it has always proved
to be a popular hostelry,
although it has undoubtedly
been overshadowed by the
larger and more visually
impressive The Salisbury,
which stands directly opposite
on the other side of St Martin’s
Lane. Tom and Ed, and their
ETM Group, have completely
revamped the place, but have,
thankfully, not set about trying
to re-invent the wheel.
Utilising the template
successfully honed in their
other venues, they’ve set out
to reaffirm the Angel and
Crown’s British credentials,
playing up its historic
pedigree. The small groundfloor bar offers wood
panelling, silver tankards,
brass foot-rails and red leather
bar stools, with a range of real
ales to complement the lagers
and spirits, and an all-day bar
menu that includes such
dishes as pheasant sandwich
with parsnip crisps and
Clonakilty black pudding
Scotch eggs.
For the full dining
experience, reserve a table in
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the first-floor dining-room.
Again, the atmosphere is
traditional without being too
chintzy. There’s a real
fireplace on one side of the
room, a stuffed pheasant above
the bar, wooden tables and
chairs, and windows
overlooking St Martin’s Lane.
The menu is an
imaginative selection of
British classics. We began our
(£8.50). The black pudding
was delicious – perfectly
complemented by the lightly
poached egg in its own egg
coddler (a small ramekin). The
cod pie was also served in its
own pie dish, topped by a puff
pastry lid. Our waiter had
warned me that it was a subtle
dish, and “not as fishy as you
might imagine”. He wasn’t
wrong. Once I’d removed the
meal with a complimentary
amuse bouche – small cups of
white onion and Madeira
sherry soup topped with a
truffle froth and served with
truffle croutons and a strip of
streaky bacon. They looked
like small cups of cappuccino
and offered a salty and earthy
combination of flavours.
For starters, we opted for
Black pudding, coddled egg
and tarragon (£6.50) and the
arresting-sounding cod cheek,
cod tongue and fennel pie
pastry lid and allowed the
scalding hot fish sauce to cool
to an edible temperature, I
found it strangely lacking in
flavour. On the plus side, both
portions were generous.
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Our main courses were
also plentiful: braised rabbit
with grain mustard, faggots,
bacon and peas (£14) and
grilled salmon, brown shrimp,
dill butter sauce and greens
(£14.50). On this occasion,
both hit the spot. The rabbit
was perfectly cooked, being
both moist, tender and packed
with flavour – served with
cabbage, peas and chunky
lardons of streaky bacon and
the faggot parcels of pork. The
salmon was also top notch,
drizzled with dill butter and
scattered with small brown
shrimps. We shared a side dish
of chunky, hand-cut chips
(£3.50), although you don’t
really need a side dish, given
the size of the portions.
Finally, we forced
ourselves to check out the
desserts (£5 each), and the
portions were again generous.
I opted for chocolate mousse,
cornflakes and crème fraiche
sorbet – the chocolate-covered
cornflakes being served as a
small cake for an instant hit of
childhood nostalgia. More
childhood memories were
summoned up by the likes of
Angel Delight butterscotch
crème brûlée, or crown
cobbler with apple, blackberry
and Bird’s custard; but my
companion – an Italian – went
instead for Cashel Blue cheese
with truffled honey and raisin
toast – which offered a rich
and luxurious end to his meal.
We’re not sure why there
were bread plates but no offer
of bread (plates vanished
when the starters were
removed), but we’ll put that
down to teething problems.
Besides that, service was
friendly and competent. Some
may find the room a little
cramped; others may enjoy the
intimacy. Either way, the menu
is well thought-out and good
quality.
Custom was busy on the
evening of our visit, and the
maitre d’ confirmed that
business had been brisk since
the launch, with both pre- and
post-theatre menus (5-6.30pm
and 10-11pm) ensuring a rapid
turnover of seats. Given its
location and the care with
which the Martin brothers
have tackled their first West
End venue, it’s difficult to see
how it could fail.
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: A C C E S S A LL A R E A S
F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 2
A
A
SCENE HIGHLIGHTS
OUR PICK OF THE BEST EVENTS IN TOWN...
DJ Uto Karem
FEBRUARY 2012
ACCESS
ALL
AREAS
OUR GUIDE
TO EVENTS
IN AND
AROUND
TOWN
AT YOUR SERVICE
Room Service has established itself as one of the
scene’s best midweek parties. Presided over by DJ
and scene host Jodie Harsh, it runs every Thursday
from 10pm-3am at Miabella (formerly Diu), 12-13
Greek Street, Soho, W1 4DJ. Last year, the team
hosted DJ sets from Jake Shears, Smokin’ Jo and
Ariel, whilst the gorgeous Francois Sagat popped in
to do some guest hosting. Resident DJs include Kris
Di Angelis, Severino, Steve Pitron and Matt Bogard.
They have also teamed up with the nearby Circa bar
to bring you the Late Check-In Pass. Go to Circa,
buy a drink, and you’ll be given a pass to allow you
entry to Room Service for £5 between 1am and
2am. Without it, entry is £5 before 11pm and £10
afterwards. Check: www.clubroomservice.com
TAINTED TRADE
Trade is back. The legendary club now just returns for 3-4 big parties each year, which makes them ‘must-go’
events. Following last autumn’s 21st birthday, the next big bash will be taking place just before Valentine’s
Day, and is accordingly themed ‘Trade – A Tainted Love Affair’! The whole shebang will take place on
Saturday 11 February at Electric Brixton – the venue formerly known as The Fridge. Expect the main
dancefloor to be transformed by the Trade production team; special guest behind the decks will be Italy’s DJ
Uto Karem. He’ll be joined in the main room by Trade’s resident talent, including Pagano, Nick Tcherniak, Pete
Wardman and Rosco. Meanwhile, taking care of the Lite Lounge will be Fat Tony, Guy Williams and Italian
stallion Anto. Doors open from 11pm till 7am; event will be followed by an official afterparty at Ultimate – a
joint production from Trade and Beyond (6am till super late). Earlybird tickets: £10; advance £15. A joint
ticket with Ultimate costs £25. Check: www.clubtickets.com for ticket details – or go to www.tradeuk.net
BURGER QUEENS
Following its success in 2011, Burger Queen returns
for 2012! Devised and hosted by performance artist
Scottee (pictured), this tongue-in-cheek beauty
contest has a serious message – that people of all
sizes are attractive and that some people are
perfectly happy with being overweight!
The event will run every Thursday throughout March
at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, beginning 1 March and
culminating in a grand final 29 March. Scottee will
also be testing out various celebrity fitness DVD’s
and endorsed diets; guest performances from Myra
Dubois, Timberlina, Russella and Tenor Ladies,
among others.Check the Facebook page at ‘Burger
Queen 2012’. To take part email [email protected] or go to burger-queen.info
LIPSINKING FOR THEIR LIVES
The fabulous Lipsinkers will be returning to their
spiritual home, Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green, with
weekend performances this month on 3, 4, 17, 18, 24
and 25 February. This troupe of drag performers,
which includes Ryan Styles, Richardette, Lisa Lee,
John Sizzle and Blanche Du Bois, have resurrected
the drag art form of lip-synching and taken it to its
most surrealist end point. Show’s start at 8.30pm,
with admission £12 or £10 for anyone who dines in
the upstairs restaurant beforehand. Bistrotheque is
one of Bethnal Green’s hippest hangouts, boasting a
high-end restaurant and a ground floor bar/
performance space. Bistrotheque, 23-27 Wadeson
Street, London, E2 9DR, and for more details or
bookings go to www.bistrotheque.com
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O U T I N T H E C I T Y: A C C E S S A LL A R E A S
FEBRUARY 2012
Johnny Woo
We do love it when a club promoter puts in a
huge amount of effort to a night, and this was
certainly true for the most recent outing of
Deviate – presided over by DJ and host Pagano.
Pulling a crowd in the middle of January when
many clubbers are still in their post-New Year
hibernation is never easy, but that was only part
of the reason that Pagano pulled out all the
stops to create one of the best Deviate’s yet. The
night took place in the smaller confines of
Factory, which remains one of our favourite
Vauxhall venues. It suited the club perfectly,
with Pagano himself spinning the deep house
on the main floor alongside Nic Fisher and
Marco Gee, and Tasty Tim and Massimo
Paramour offering a lighter alternative in the
second room. Besides the irresistible tunes, the
night also offered an abundance of visual
treats, with projections and videos from
Prickimage, and a variety of club freaks shaking
their money-makers on the podiums, including
a delicious, hooded muscle bear and the always
outrageous Jonny Woo. Was that really an
abominable snowman we saw stomping
through the club at some stage!?
Deviate will be back at Factory on Saturday 10
March – for more details, keep checking the
website at www.deviateuk.com
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DJ Pagano
PHOTOS © CHRIS JEPSON, WWW.CHRISJEPSON.COM
DEVIATE
A
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: A C C E S S A LL A R E A S
FEBRUARY 2012
THE EDGE
PHOTOS © CHRIS JEPSON, WWW.CHRISJEPSON.COM
We were a little bit shocked to learn that The
Edge celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
How time flies! For its 20th anniversary, the bar
has a host of celebrations planned. These
kicked off with a very special ‘Thank You’ party
on Thursday 26 January for all its regulars. The
purpose of the party was three-fold – to give
something back to its supporters, to celebrate
recently being granted a later 3/4am licence,
but also to unveil the venue’s latest
refurbishment – with the two upper floors
having been totally revamped. The event was
hosted by the bar’s own Felicia Van Cartier, with
music from hunky DJ Zach Burns and DJ
Alabaster. Free canapés were passed around,
with free Champagne for everyone on arrival.
And the verdict on the new look? Gorgeous! The
second floor is definitely one of the most
glamorous locations for a cocktail in Soho, while
the top floor offers a more clubby vibe, with a
bespoke, underlit, multi-coloured dancefloor.
The bar has plenty more parties planned for the
next few months, with the first being the big
20th birthday celebrations taking place over
three days over Valentine’s weekend in midFebruary, followed by more parties for the
Olympics and Queen’s Jubilee later in the year.
The Edge, 11 Soho Square, W1.
www.edgesoho.co.uk
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A
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: A C C E S S A LL A R E A S
FEBRUARY 2012
DIRTY
THIRTIES
RICHARD TONKS
MISSES HIS MIDWEEK
MALIBU AND COKE...
I’m 32, yet I still get asked for identification for
the odd bottle of wine in Waitrose by the 16year-old who has to get her line manager’s
permission to sell it to me. Where that lies in
your average gay boy’s psyche is a great place to
be: no longer ravaged by debt and harassed by
the hostile landlords of my twenties, yet still
young enough to carry off haircuts that disguise
my grey patches… and no Botox bill to add to my
monthly outgoings… yet!
Nevertheless, there is a side-effect of the
so-called ‘dirty decade’ that has made me pause
and consider my future. It’s been fairly easy for
me to make friends up to this point. I had large
and diverse social circles while growing up, and
in university, but as I moved to university number
two in London, I maintained only a couple close
friendships from those formative years.
At my second university, I quickly
established an international group of friends,
but they, in turn, left me in London as they
returned to sunnier climes, higher standards of
living, and, in some cases, personal staff.
Over the last few years, I’ve led a rather
cavalier existence, partying through the coolest
neighbourhoods. I have found friends from work,
from dancefloors and from internet liaisons that
morphed into hilarious friendships: friendships
that enrich my life wonderfully, make me laugh,
make me cry and mostly keep my nasty habit of
hyper-analysis at a mildly irritating rather than
trauma-inducing level.
But while friendship groups are not exactly
shrinking, we’re finding it harder to stay in touch.
Sure, we’ve all connected through various social
media and smartphone apps, but there are
people I used to see on a weekly basis in my
twenties that I now only ever hear reported about
in the third person, online. I would spend entire
weekends with friends and get swept out with
the trash somewhere on South Lambeth or
Hackney Road on a Sunday lunchtime. The same
friends now have been reduced to one sentence
a week of communication, or might get tagged in
a photo with a baby or their property renovations.
Feeling a little bit lonely is not the same as
being comfortable in your own company, but
my go-to network with whom I could grab a silly
midweek Malibu is disappearing. My friends are
increasingly pairing off with people with whom
they work, and are making, or ordering, babies
from the States or China at an alarming rate. Am
I the only one left who would rather go out on a
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“FEELING A LITTLE BIT
LO N E LY I S N OT T H E S A M E
A S B E I N G C O M F O R TA B L E
I N YO U R O W N C O M PA N Y.”
Saturday to a club that hosts an ‘Adult Baby
Night’ out of sheer curiosity rather than stay in
and make one?
It seems that, despite all my enabling
technology designed to ‘connect’ me to other
people, we don’t invest in ‘new friends’ because
we feel we just don’t have the time to maintain
the old ones.
After an enjoying brief, Bohemian
existence: unemployed and homeless, I was
asked if I’d like to join the hunt for that elusive
‘character property’ recently by a kind gay pal of
mine and an ex-flatmate of his whom I barely
know, but about whom I have heard many good
things. Just as I was wondering where my realtime face-to-face social network had gone, an
opportunity to discover an entirely new one has
landed in a bedroom just the other side of the
bathroom from mine. And he likes to go out too.
Even on a school night. Aspirations for my own
bolt-hole suddenly didn’t seem as much fun.
Staying in and ‘growing up’ is not going to
define this chapter of my life. We all have
increasing work, financial and personal
commitments. It’s time to give new friends a
chance and take a chance at trying new ‘offline’
activities with new groups of people.
And that isn’t a euphemism for being a slut
by the way...
GETTING
ON THE
GUEST LIST
The Trade collective
returns with a hot
Valentine’s Day party –
‘A Tainted Love Affair’
– on Saturday 11
February at the newlyrefurbished Electric
Brixton super-club,
(formerly The Fridge)
1 Town Hall Parade,
Brixton. Expect risqué
stage performances
and state-of-the-art
production values from
promoter Lawrence
Malice and his crew.
Doors 11pm till 7am;
£15 in advance from
wwwclubtickets.com,
more on the door.
www.tradeuk.net
Amateur strip night at
The White Swan may
be forced to close if
local authority Tower
Hamlets adopts new
strip club regulations.
Show your support by
joining the crew for a
midweek outing. Make
this Wed a boozy one;
amateur strippers to
suit everyone’s taste
with £100 going to the
winning exhibitionist.
It’s one of the
friendliest and longestrunning East End
boozers on the circuit.
Doors from 9pm till
3am every Wednesday
for the strip-a-thon and
entry’s free all night.
Go on, check it out; it’s
a great giggle...
The White Swan is at
556 Commercial Road,
Limehouse, E14.
www.bjswhiteswan.
co.uk
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: A C C E S S A LL A R E A S
F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 2
A
Mzz Kimberley
Mr Mistress
UPSTAIRS
AT THE
CAMBRIA
PHOTOS © CHRIS JEPSON, WWW.CHRISJEPSON.COM
Upstairs at The Cambria offers something
unique. It runs each Sunday afternoon in the
stylish surroundings of the upstairs dining room
at the Cambria pub, near Brixton, hosted by the
lovely Mzz Kimberley and Pip. Venue owners
Aimi and Steve serve up a delicious, filling
Sunday lunch at 3pm, which is then followed by
live cabaret at 5pm. Mzz Kimberley sings a few
songs before introducing the guest act. On the
day of our visit it was the turn of the genderbending Mr Mistress, who showcased several
numbers of barrier-breaking drag artistry.
“The Cambria is a hidden gem that has become
so popular because it’s a place where you can
relax, have great food with a fantastic
atmosphere,” Mzz Kimberley told us afterwards.
“It’s a chance for the gay community to see
friends they haven’t see in ages and to see
different acts each week – some of which they
wouldn’t normally see on the gay scene.”
This month, look out for opera diva Tamar Stein
(5 Feb), Lady Imelda (9 Feb), the Fabulous
Russella (19 Feb) and Belgium dragster Le Diva
(26 Feb).
The Cambria, 40 Kemerton Road, Camberwell,
SE5 9AR. Bookings on 0207 737 3676.
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O U T I N T H E C I T Y: S C E N E G U I D E
FEBRUARY 2012
GOING OUT
SCENE GUIDE AND PARTY SUGGESTIONS...
VENUES:
CENTRAL
LONDON
Square tube. Friendly,
famous, traditional gay
pub – look out for the
purple and pink exterior!
79 CXR, 79 Charing Cross
Road, WC2. 020 7734
0769. Leicester Square
tube. Mon-Sat 1pm-3am,
Sun 1pm-10.30pm. Cover
charge after 11pm. Large,
cruisy, bar – always busy
after 10.30pm with those
who don’t want to head
home too early.
CANDY BAR, 4 Carlisle
Street, W1. 020 7494
4041. Tottenham Court
Road tube. Mon-Thu 511.30pm. Fri & Sat 5pm2am. Sun 5-11pm. Longrunning and famed lesbian
bar.
ADMIRAL DUNCAN, 54
Old Compton Street, W1.
020 7437 5300. Leicester
CIRCA, 62 Frith Street,
Soho, W1D 3JN.
Tottenham Court Road
tube. Soho gay bar, offering
pop and r’n’b tunes, drag
Emeli Sandé
EVENTS AT G-A-Y!
The fabulous Emeli Sandé, who’s is about to
release her stunning debut album, Our Version of
Events, performs her first headline show at G-A-Y
on Saturday 11 February. Emeli has been making
waves amongst tastemakers over recent months,
and has already scooped this year’s BRIT’s
Critics Choice Award. Before this, host Jeremy
Joseph will be hosting the G-A-Y Top 100 Dance
Floor Fillers on Saturday 4 February, which the
G-A-Y masses have been feverishly voting for
over recent weeks – with Jeremy promising
donating £1 to the Elton John AIDS Foundation
(EJAF) for everyone who casts a vote! It’s all
helping the club to reach its whopping
fundraising target – to raise £150,000 for EJAF
by the time Jeremy completes his run in this
year’s London Marathon!
G-A-Y takes place at Heaven, 9 The Arches, off
Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NG. More details
at www.g-a-y.co.uk
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hosts and cute bar staff.
Open 4pm till 1am daily.
www.circasoho.com
COMPTONS, 52 Old
Compton Street, W1. 020
7479 7961. Leicester Square
tube. Noon-11pm. A Soho
institution. Large,
traditional gay boozer on two
floors, attracting a butch,
manly crowd. www.
comptons-of-soho.co.uk
THE DUKE OF
WELLINGTON, 77
Wardour Street, W1. 020
7439 1274. Piccadilly Circus
tube. Mon-Thu noon-11pm,
Fri & Sat noon-midnight, ‘til
10.30pm on Sun. Traditional
fun gay pub over two floors,
attracting a cross-section
from across the scene.
MAKE A DATE
WITH KU!
A new
development for
the Ku Bar on Frith
Street (the smaller
Ku Bar in Soho) is
the introduction of
Speed Date
Mondays! Aimed at
those who have
perhaps grown tired of only exchanging messages with guys online and
never actually meeting up, Speed Date Mondays offer a way to meet and
chat with a whole range of guys in one evening. Even better, unlike other
speed dating events, there are no fees to participate! You will be given 5-10
minutes with each participant in which to chat or flirt, and it will all take
place by candlelight in the basement bar of the venue. It all kicks off at
8pm, and takes place every Monday evening. Check it out at Ku Bar, 25 Frith
Street, W1.
In other Ku Bar news, the Lisle Street premises will be celebrating their fifth
anniversary with a special Valentine’s Party on 14 February – marking the
occasion when Ku Bar took over the larger establishment following 12 years
on Charing Cross Road. Expect celebrations on all three floors until late in
the night. Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H. www.ku-bar.com
THE EDGE, 11 Soho
Square, W1. 020 7439
1313. Tottenham Court
Road tube. Noon-1am,
Sun 2pm-11.30pm. Stylish,
hip gay bar spread over
four intimate floors, with
regular nights from top
DJs, regular piano bar and
tasty food.
G-A-Y BAR, 30 Old
Compton Street, W1. 020
7494 2756. Leicester Square
tube. 12pm-12am. Huge,
poptastic gay bar, with a
multitude of video screens,
pop tunes and drinks
promotions. www.g-a-y.co.uk
ESCAPE, 10a Brewer
Street, W1. 020 7734
2626. Piccadilly Circus
tube. 5pm-3am. Cover
charge after 11pm. Every
night’s a party at this latenight video dance bar.
G-A-Y LATE, 5 Goslett
Yard, off Charing Cross
Road, WC2. Tottenham
Court Road tube. 11pm-3am.
Late-night sister venue to GA-Y Bar – more video
screens, camp pop fun and
cheap drinks.Gets very busy
most nights of the week.
FREEDOM, 66 Wardour
Street, W1. 020 7734
0071. Piccadilly Circus
tube. Opulent style bar, with
late-night club promotions
for a mixed, metrosexual,
trendy crowd.
www.freedombarsoho.com
FRIENDLY SOCIETY, 79
Wardour Street, WC1.
Piccadilly Circus tube.
Trendy and unique, intimate
basement bar with quirky
décor and fun atmosphere –
attracts a mixed crowd.
THE GREEN CARNATION,
4-5 Greek Street, Soho,
W1. 020-7434 3323.
Stylish, three-floored late
night gay venue, with bar,
dancefloor and nightly
promotions. Attracts a very
mixed crowd. www.æ…
greencarnationsoho.co.uk
HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, 7
Duncannon Street, WC2.
020 7321 2791. Charing
Cross tube. Mon-Thu noon11pm, Fri & Sat 12pm-
12am. Old-style gay pub
spread over two floors.
HEAVEN, The Arches,
Villiers Street, WC2.
Charing Cross Road tube.
Huge, world-famous gay
club, which is now home to
G-A-Y, along with mixed/
studenty Monday nighter
Popcorn. Check www.g-ay.co.uk for details
THE KINGS ARMS, 23
Poland Street, W1. 020
7734 5907. Oxford Circus
tube. Mon-Thur 12pm–
11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-12am,
Sun 12pm-11.30pm.
London’s bar for bears and
blokes. Traditional
atmosphere plus pool
table. Sunday night
karaoke very popular.
KU BAR, 30 Lisle Street,
Leicester Square, WC2.
020 7437 4303. Leicester
Square tube. Large, awardwinning, upmarket gay bar
spread over three floors,
open till 3am daily; always
busy throughout the week.
www.ku-bar.co.uk
KU BAR SOHO, 25 Frith
Street, W1. Leicester
Square tube. New, smaller
sister venue to Lisle Street
Ku Bar, with entrances on
Old Compton Street and
Frith Street - open till 11pm
daily. The first floor houses
a Gay Tourist Office from
noon-6pm each day (www.
gaytouristoffice.co.uk).
www.ku-bar.co.uk
LO-PROFILE, The
Basement, 84-85 Wardour
Street, W1. Swanky,
sophisticated, 400capacity late-night
basement bar and club
space – from the people
that bring you gaydar.co.
uk. Open 11pm-3am
Thursdays, and 10pm-4am
on Fridays and Saturdays.
www.loprofile.com
MADAME JO JO’S, 8-10
Brewer Street, W1. Longrunning, late night gig
venue, nightclub and
cabaret bar - open to very
mixed crowd. Home to
popular Wednesday
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: S C E N E G U I D E
F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 2
nighter Trannyshack. www.
madamejojos.com.
MOLLY MOGG’S, 2 Old
Compton Street, W1. 020
7434 4294. Tottenham
Court Road tube. Small,
intimate little gay pub, with
regular drag shows
attracting a mixed crowd
of theatre folk and tourists.
NEW BLOOMSBURY SET,
76 Marchmont Street,
WC1. 020 7383 3084.
New, intimate basement
bar/lounge, beneath
Snappy Snaps on
Marchmont Street between Russell Square
and King’s Cross tubes.
Open 4-11pm Mon-Sat (210.30pm Sunday). www.
newbloomsburyset.co.uk.
PROFILE, 84-84 Wardour
Street, W1. 020 734 3444.
Piccadilly Circus tube.
Upstairs bar above LoProfile, owned and run by
the team behind Gaydar.
Stylish gay bar/diner, open
for food and drink from
early morning through till
11pm – when the action
moves downstairs. www.
profilesoho.com
THE QUEBEC, 12 Old
Quebec Street, WC1. 0207629 6159. Marble Arch
tube. Long-running and
huge pub, on two floors,
attracting an older crowd.
Open till 3am at weekends.
Off the beaten Soho track
but worth checking out.
www.thequebec.co.uk
THE QUEEN’S HEAD, 25
Tryon Street, SW3. 0207589 0262. Sloane Square
tube. Popular, very longrunning, cosy gay pub – a
Chelsea institution.
RETRO BAR, 2 George
Court, WC2. 020 7321
2811. Charing Cross tube.
Mon-Fri noon-11. Sat 5pm11pm, Sun 5pm-11pm. A
traditional boozer for the
gay scene’s indie,
alternative and studenttypes – Tuesday’s pop quiz
is an institution.
RUPERT STREET, 50
Rupert Street, W1. 020
7292 7141. Piccadilly
Circus tube. 12-11pm, Sun
10.30pm. Large, designerstyle bar, popular with
professional gay boyz and
post-work drinkers.
SHADOW LOUNGE, 5
Brewer Street, W1. 0207287 7988. Piccadilly
tube. Exclusive, gorgeous,
late-night bar and club for
A-list gays and celebspotters. Open from late
each evening.
www.theshadowlounge.
com
THE STAR AT NIGHT, 22
Great Chapel Street, W1.
Tottenham Court Road
tube. Relaxed, mixed gay/
lesbian bar – in traditional,
bistro-type surroundings.
Great food menu and
cocktails. Open 6-11.30pm
Tue-Sat. www.
thestaratnight.com
SWEATBOX, 1-2 Ramillies
Street, Soho, W1. 0203214 6014. Exclusively gay
gym (ground floor) and
sauna (basement levels),
with occasional late-night
parties. Friendly and fun.
Open Sun-Thurs noon2am, and till 7am Friday
and Saturday. www.
sweatboxsoho.com.
VAULT 139, 139 Whitfield
Street, W1. 020-7388
5500. Central, daytime
and evening intimate
cruise club, for a men-only
crowd. Open 1pm-1am
seven days a week. www.
vault139.com
VILLAGE, 81 Wardour
Street, W1. 020 7434 2124.
Piccadilly Circus tube. 121am, Sun 11.30pm. Late
night door charge. Soho’s
original gay café bar,
spread over four floors,
and now with basement
dancefloor and discos.
Popular with a youngish
crowd of boys and girls.
THE YARD, 57 Rupert
Street, W1. 020 7437
2652. Piccadilly Circus
tube. Mon-Thur 4pm-11pm,
Fri & Sat 1pm-11pm, Sun
1pm-10.30pm. Busy gay
bar with hugely popular
courtyard area, outdoor
balcony and cosy loft bar.
SAUNAS
CHARIOTS WATERLOO, 101
Lower Marsh, Waterloo, SE1.
020 7401 8484. Waterloo
tube. Well-presented, popular
sauna, open 24/7. www.
gaysauna.co.uk
PLEASUREDROME, 124
Cornwall Road, Waterloo,
SE1. Waterloo tube. Big
venue with lots of different
areas – open 24 hours,
365 days of year. www.
pleasuredrome.com
SAUNABAR PORTSEA, 2
Portsea Place, Marble
Arch, W2. 020 7402 3385.
Marble Arch tube. Small
and friendly gay sauna
with masseurs. www.
gaysaunabar.com
SAUNABAR COVENT
GARDEN, 29 Endell Street,
Covent Garden, WC2. 020
7836 2236. Covent
Garden tube. Basement
sauna with pool, sauna
and rest rooms. Check
website for discount entry.
www.thesaunabar.co.uk
SWEATBOX SOHO,
Ramillies House, 1-2
Ramillies Street, Soho, W1.
020 3214 6014. Oxford
Circus tube. Gay-owned
and run gym and large
basement sauna area.
www.sweatboxsoho.com
NORTH
LONDON
THE BLACK CAP, 171
Camden High Street, NW1.
020 7485 0538. Camden
Town tube. Shufflewick
Bar: Mon-Thu Noon-1am,
Fri-Sat 12noon-2am, Sun
Noon-10.30pm. Club: MonThu 10pm-2am, Fri-Sat
10pm-3am, Sun 10pm1am. Long-running, famed
gay pub – probably the
most famous cabaret pub
in London. www.
theblackcap.com
CENTRAL STATION, 37
Wharfdale Road, N1. Tel:
A
TAVERN TALENT
We may still be in the depths of winter but
you can be sure of a very warm welcome at
the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which offers
another month jam-packed with comedy,
entertainment, music and club nights.
Dates for your diary this month include the
Comedy Cabinet on Wednesday 8 February,
featuring Ben Fogg, The ElectroFuture
BeardClub and Viv Groskop, among others.
Tickets for the 8.30pm show cost £5 on the
door, or pick up 2-for-1 via the RVT website
in advance.
This is followed on 15 February by the
return of Dr Sketchy, who presents cabaret Alp Heydar
and rather ‘adult’ life-drawing classes: all
audience members are provided with
pencils and paper and encouraged to join in
by sketching the lovely burlesque dancers.
Tickets cost £10 in advance or £15 on the
door. Comic Alp Heydar returns on
Wednesday 22 February and Thursday 23
February with his new show, ‘Alp Heydar’s
New Vagina’. Expect a peformance that
mixes live performance with ambitious
video work – together creating a breathless,
schizophrenic, one-man pantomime.
Tickets for the 8.30pm show cost £7.
One of the scene’s finest up’n’coming drag
comics, Myra Dubois, returns to the stage
Myra Dubois
on Wednesday 29 February with a new show
entitled Sing Out Louise! A tribute to musical theatre, we’re told to expect “a
low-brow evening of cheap laughs and naff show-tunes!” Joining Myra on the
night will be the folk from Radio Jiblets, who’ll be reviewing Myra’s
performance live and in front of her – and providing audience members with
a post-show podcast that they can take home. Tickets are £7.50 in advance
or £9.50 on the door.
Thursdays in February see the return of Ophelia Bitz with her continuining
Artwank! session (2 and 9 February). This adult show will feature screenings
of “Antique Porn”, accompanied by anarchic cabaret and contemporary
burlesque. Expect extreme bawdiness for a straight and gay audience!
Tickets cost £8 and the show kicks off at 8.30pm sharp (doors at 7pm).
Ophelia will be followed on Thursday 16 February by another date with Alp
Heydar, who will be presenting his show ‘Erotic Adventures in Atlantis’ – a
new performance piece exploring what happened when, having survived a
plane crash, “Alp and his Jihadist boyfriend Mohammed fight for survival on
a mysterious island!” As usual with Mr Heydar, expect socio-political themes
to be thoroughly explored through wanton eroticism, original songs and onstage video visuals.
The rest of the week at the RVT offers bingo with Timberlina each Monday
and the fabulous Bar Wotever on Tuesdays (equally embracing boys, girls,
TS, TV and ‘wotevers’). The long-running and hugely popular Duckie and
S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out rule the roost on Saturdays and Sundays respectively,
while Fridays offer a rotating line-up of monthly club nights. These include
Rooster (3 Feb), Club Wotever (with its Female Masculinity Appreciation
Society on 10 February), Anthem – Old Skool Reunion on 17 February (with
special guests Wayne G and Porl Young) and Push The Button (24 February).
Advance tickets for most performance nights can be bought at www.
ticketweb.co.uk
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 5HY. Check
www.rvt.org.uk or Facebook Group: /thervt
020 7278 3294. Kings
Cross tube. Big, lateopening gay bar on three
floors, with ground floor
cabaret and infamously
cruisy cruise nights in
basement. Upstairs B&B
accommodation. www.
centralstation.co.uk
CLUB KALI, The Dome, 1
Dartmouth Park Hill,
Tufnell Park, N19. World’s
biggest lesbian and gay
Southern Asian music
night, running every third
Friday of the month.
Always busy and rather
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O U T I N T H E C I T Y: S C E N E G U I D E
FEBRUARY 2012
South Lambeth Road,
SW8. 020 7735 9972.
10pm-late. Door charge
and strict dress code. One
of London’s most famous
dress-code and cruise
clubs - busy with a menonly crowd. Open FridaySunday and occasional
Thursdays (SM Gays every
third Thursday of the
month - www.smgays.
org). www.thehoist.co.uk
JACKIE’S JUKEBOX,
Rivoli Ballroom, 350
Brockley Road, SE4. First
Saturday of the month,
7pm-midnight (£7). Gay
ballroom and Latin
dancing night, attracting
up to 300 dancers a
month to the glam 1950sstyle Rivoli Ballroom.
Crofton Park BR. www.
therivoli.co.uk
unique. www.clubkali.com
EGG, 200 York Way,
King’s Cross, N7. 020
7609 8364. King’s Cross
tube. Bespoke club space
on three floors, hosting
occasional gay club nights
and after-hours sessions.
www.egglondon.net
KW4, 77 Hampstead High
Street, NW3. 020-7435
5747. Large, cosy,
traditional old gay pub,
with regular
entertainment, beer
garden and food. One of
London’s longest-running
gay establishments. www.
kw4.co.uk
THE LOAD OF HAY, 207
Pinner Road, Watford,
01923-441113. Watford’s
only gay pub, with big
beer garden and regular
entertainment. www.
loadofhay.co.uk
THE OAK BAR, 79 Green
Lanes, N16. 020-7354
2791. Manor House tube.
Friendly, diverse gay bar
with late-night club
promotions (open ‘til 3am
at weekends). Very popular
with lesbians and male
friends. www.oakbar.com
SUPER STUFF
The folk at the fabulous Dalston
Superstore has been in touch to tell us all
about their club bookings for the month of
February. Highlights include the following:
legendary women’s night Twat Boutique
returns on Thursday 2 February between
9pm and 3am. Admission is free.
Bi-monthly rave session Breed featuring
Rex The Dog waves its glo-sticks on Friday
3 February (again, free admission), with
John Sizzle and A Man To Pet taking care of the performance element.
Saturday 4 February sees the return of B(EAST), bringing together beastly
beats from the East End with hot bears and electronic beats from Berlin
courtesy of DJs Borja and KevinFunkt (pictured). Doors are open from 9pm
till 4am, with entry free before 11pm and £5 after. Monthly party monster
Back To Back stomps back into town on Friday 10 February (£5 after
midnight), with special house hero guest Spencer Parker joining James
Cooper and Alex Who?. This is followed on Saturday 11 February by Sink The
Pink’s ‘Happy Shopper’ night. Prince Nelly, Attack Attack Attack and James
Philips spin the sounds. Admission is £5 after 11pm.
For a change of pace, check out pop trivia quiz Let’s Get Quizzical on
Thursday 16 February, hosted by Holestar and Prince Nelly. Doors are open
from 9pm till 3am, with admission being free. Or, for a chilled out end to
your weekend, enjoy a free taste of Tutti Frutti each Sunday, offering soul,
disco and authentic house courtesy of DJ Squeaky (Downlow Radio).
You’ll find Dalston Superstore at 117 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB.
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SOUTH
LONDON
AREA, 67-68 Albert
Embankment, SE1.
Gorgeously-designed,
hard dance club and
cabaret rooms, with
eclectic roster of different
gay nights and one-off
promotions, including
Friday nighter Onyx and
new Sunday nighter
Booster, amongst others.
www.areaclub.info
BARCODE VAUXHALL,
Arch 69, Albert
Embankment, SE11. 0207
734 3342. Vauxhall tube.
Open 7 days a week. MonThu 4pm-1am, Fri-Sun
4pm-4am. Very popular
club bar, with dancefloor
and mezzanine chill-out
space - gets busy at
weekends.
CLUB COLOSSEUM, 1
Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall,
SW8. Huge, late-night
venue for after-hours
crowd – hosting various
monthly promotions such
as Bootylicious (www.
bootylicious-club.co.uk).
THE EAGLE, 349
Kennington Lane, SE11.
020 7793 0903. Mon, Tue,
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat 9pmlate, Tue 9pm-2am, Sun
9pm-late. Vauxhall tube.
Large, club-bar with
nightly promotions.
Tonker (Fridays) and
Horse Meat Disco
(Sundays) are particularly
popular. www.
eaglelondon.com
FACTORY, 65 Goding
Street, SE11. Stylish,
railway arch Vauxhall
venue, hosting occasional
dance and cruise nights,
such as Rude Boyz and
the infamous Hard On
(www.hardonclub.co.uk).
FIRE, South Lambeth
Road, Vauxhall, SW8.
Vauxhall tube. Infamous,
late-night gay venue
beneath the Vauxhall
railway arches, host to the
likes of Orange, Later and
Juicy. Open around the
clock at weekends. www.
fireclub.co.uk or www.
myspace.com/firelondon
or www.clubtickets.com
KAZBAR, 50 Clapham
High Street, SW4. 020
7622 0070. Clapham
North tube. Mon-Thu
4pm-midnight, Fri 4pm1am, Sat noon-1am, Sun
noon-midnight. Clapham
video bar, popular
throughout the week, with
DJs at weekends.
LITTLE APPLE, 98
Kennington Lane, SE11.
020 7735 2039.
Kennnigton tube. Open 7
days a week. Small,
traditional gay boozer for
local gay boys and girls open till 1.30am Fri-Sat.
PARIS GYM, 73 Goding
Street, Vauxhall, SE11.
020 7735 8989. Vauxhall
tube. Huge, well-equipped
men-only gym with large,
devoted following. Regular
classes. Tourists welcome.
Check website for entry
details and membership.
www.parisgym.com
THE GEORGE &
DRAGON, 2
BlackheathHill, Greenwich,
SE10. 020 8691 3764.
Deptford Bridge DLR. MonThu 4pm-1am, Fri & Sat
4pm-4am, Sun 4pm-2am.
Late-night pub with nightly
entertainment and cabaret.
www.gandd.org.uk
PULSE, 1-4 Invicta Plaza
(corner of Blackfriars
Road and Southwark
Street), SE1. Southwark
tube. State-of-the-art,
5,000-capacity megaclub,
hosting occasional gay
parties/one-off events.
www.pulse-club.info
THE HOIST, Arch 47c,
ROYAL VAUXHALL
O U T I N T H E C I T Y: S C E N E G U I D E
F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 2
BEYOND CLUBBING
For serious lovers of all-night
partying, Vauxhall’s most essential
weekend date has to be Beyond.
The club enjoyed a hugely
debauched Christmas season, but
the team have kicked off the New
Year as they mean to continue –
with more of the same!
Beyond is where clubbers head
when other venues have closed.
You’ll find it every Sunday morning
from 6am till 1pm at Area on the
Albert Embankment. Ten years
down the line, the team have honed
their formula to perfection. Now
with Steven Sharp (of the Sharp
Steven Sharp
Boys) leading the promotional
team, the enhanced line-up of
resident DJs now includes Steve Pitron, Paul Heron, the Sharp Boys and
Alan K in the main room, with Fat Tony, The Oli, Jamie Head and Jonny M
in the Terrace. Paul Christian, HiFi Sean, D’Johnny and Guy Williams take
care of the Chapel – presenting a very alternative form of Sunday worship!
Elektra Paris and Shaun Capewell present the super-sexy dance shows,
while the team throw every production trick in the book to create a visually
spectacular and trippy experience. Pick up up £10 advance tickets from
www.orangenation.co.uk and watch out for forthcoming exclusive offers in
collaboration with sister venue Fire. www.orangenation.co.uk
TAVERN, 372 Kennington
Lane, SE11. 020 7840
0596. Vauxhall tube.
Opening times vary. Huge,
traditional and historic
gay pub, with long history
of hosting cabaret. Packed
to rafters on Saturday
(Duckie) and Sunday
(S.L.A.G.S/Chill-Out).
Check www.rvt.org.uk or
the facebook group RV
Taverners for information.
THE STAG, 15 Bressenden
Place, SW1. 020 7828
7287. Victoria tube. Mon &
Tue midday-midnight,
Wed-Fri midday-2am, Sat
5pm-2am, Sun 4pmmidnight. Dark and
atmospheric gay bar in
Victoria, occasional
cabaret,DJs at weekends,
upstairs theatre space.
www.abovethestag.com
286, 286 Lewisham High
Street, SE14. 020-8690
7648. Large, late-opening
gay venue, with regular
entertainment, DJs and
cabaret. Open till 2am
Sun-Thur and 4am Fri-Sat.
www.two8six.co.uk
THE TRAFALGAR ARMS,
148 Tooting High Street,
SW17. 020-8767 6059. A
spacious, lively, attitudefree, gay-friendy pub.
Excellent food served all
day. Weekly DJs on Friday
and Saturday nights. .
THE TWO BREWERS, 114
Clapham High Street,
SW4. 020 7819 9539.
Clapham Common tube.
Mon-Thu 5pm-2am, Fri &
Sat 5pm-4am. South
London’s most famed gay
cabaret venue. Large bar
and separate dancefloor
room. www.the2brewers.
com
UNION, 66 Albert
Embankment, SE1. 0207793 9262. Cruisy dance
club which hosts regular
promotions. Plays areas
and hot go-go’s. www.
clubunion.co.uk and
www.ma1.co.uk
XXL, Arcadia, 51-53
Southwark Street, SE1.
London Bridge tube. Huge
world-famous club for
bears, big men and
admirers, on Sat and
Wed. Pulls in 1,000+
customers each Saturday
with uplifting dance
anthems and occasional
guest DJs. www.xxllondon.com
SAUNAS
CHARIOTS STREATHAM,
292 Streatham High
Road, SW16. 020 8696
0929. Streatham station.
Large sauna, with weekly
theme nights (bears, men
of colour, etc). www.
gaysauna.co.uk
CHARIOTS VAUXHALL,
63-64 Albert
Embankment, Vauxhall,
SE1. 020 7247 5333.
Vauxhall tube. Large,
modern sauna in
converted railway arch.
www.gaysauna.co.uk
THE LOCKER ROOM, 8
Cleaver Street,
Kennington, SE11. 020
7735 6064. Kennington
tube. Long-running,
intimate gay-owned and
run sauna. www.thelockerroom.co.uk
STEAMWORKS, 309 New
Cross Road, New Cross,
SE14. 020 8694 0606.
New Cross/New Cross
Gate station. Small, longrunning establishment.
www.steamworkslondon.
co.uk
EAST
LONDON
THE ANGEL, 21 Church
Street, E15. Tel: 020 8555
1148. Stratford BR and
tube. Big gay pub, always
popular at weekends, with
regular cabaret, DJs and
disco nights.
THE BACKSTREET,
Wentworth Mews, off
Burdett Road, E3. 0208980 8557. Over 25 years
old – small but legendary
East End dress code
leather club, open ThurSun. Very strict rubber
and leather dresscode,
ensuring a wide and loyal
following. www.
thebackstreet.com
BISTROTHEQUE, 23-27
Wadeson St, E2. Tel: 020
8983 7900. Bethnal
Green tube. Very mixed,
gay/straight crowd of
trendy metrosexuals.
Great bar, restaurant, plus
separate cabaret room.
www.bistrotheque.com
DALSTON SUPERSTORE,
117 Kingsland High Street,
E8. 020 7254 2273.
Highbury & Islington tube.
New, two-floor mixed gaystraight venue - café by
day and fashionable
performance space and
club promotions at night.
Open from breakfast until
2am every day.
EAST BLOC, 217 City
Road, EC1V 1JN. Old
Street tube. Small,
trendsetting, 250capacity basement club
near to Hoxton and
Shoreditch, hosting a
variety of different
promotions each
month.
http://eastbloc.co.uk
GAY LICK, Club Lick, 58
Hoe Street, E17.
Walthamstow tube. Twicemonthly gay promotion at
a cruisy club space. Every
first and third Friday from
9pm-4am. Entry £4
before midnight and £7
after. www.gaylicke17.co.uk
THE JOINERS ARMS, 116
Hackney Road, E2. Tel:
020 7739 9854.
Debauched decadence –
old-skool boozer popular
with post-club crowd at
weekends. Gets busy later
in the evenings.
KINGS HEAD, 11 Church
Street, E15. Tel: 020 8534
0197 Stratford BR and
tube. Intimate and
welcoming East End gay
pub – regular cabaret.
Open till late throughout
the week.
THE OLD SHIP, 17 Barnes
Street, E14. Tel: 020 7790
4082. Limehouse DLR.
Small, local, traditional
gay pub, with regular
cabaret - five minutes’
walk from BJ’s White
Swan (see below).
VOGUE FABRICS, 66
Stoke Newington Road,
N16. New, underground
and arty hangout for the
Dalston set. Mixed crowd
but regular gay events.
BJ’S WHITE SWAN, 556
Commercial Road, E1. Tel:
020 7780 9870.
Limehouse DLR. A large,
legendary, long-running
gay pub and club, open
throughout the week.
Wednesday’s Amateur
Strip is an institution.
www.bjswhiteswan.com
SAUNAS
CHARIOTS LIMEHOUSE,
574 Commercial Road,
E14. 020 7791 2808.
Limehouse rail station.
Multi-level, wellestablished sauna.
Themed parties such as
‘Big and chunky’ each
Monday evening, amongst
others. www.gaysauna.
co.uk
CHARIOTS SHOREDITCH,
1 Fairchild Street,
Shoreditch, EC2. 020
7247 5333. Liverpool
Street station. Biggest gay
sauna in UK, with a maze
of rest rooms. Very
popular (particularly at
weekends). www.
A
gaysauna.co.uk
E15 CLUB, 6 Leytonstone
Road, Stratford, E15. 020
8555 5455. Stratford
tube. Deceptively large
sauna behind a discreet
facade. www.londonnoise.
com/e15
WEST
LONDON
THE HOPE & ANCHOR,
20 Macbeth Street,
Hammersmith, W6. (020
8748 1873). Gay pub for
Hammersmith and
Chiswick. Traditional
boozer with nightly
entertainment – open
noon-11pm throughout
week, with popular
karaoke at weekends.
THE RICHMOND ARMS,
20 The Square, off
Princes Street, Richmond.
020-8940 2118. Longrunning, traditional gay
pub, with regular cabaret
and entertainment. One of
gay London’s better locals.
TED’S PLACE, 305a
North End Road, West
Brompton, W14. 0207
385 9359. Earls Court or
West Brompton tube.
Mon-Fri from 7pm-late,
closed Sat & Sun. Small,
West London cruise club.
Dark and sleazy. www.
tedsplaceuk.co.uk
WEST 5, Popes Lane,
South Ealing, W5. 0208579 3266. Large,
popular gay pub with
Piano Room and cabaret
bar, open till late at
weekends with
entertainment and DJs.
Attracts a big local crowd
- particularly at weekends.
www.west5ealing.com
WINDSOR CASTLE, 152
Bath Road, Hounslow,
TW3. 020 8577 6590.
Hounslow West tube.
Large, local gay pub with
regular cabaret and
entertainment throughout
the week. www.thewinz.
co.uk
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41
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
HISTORIC TIMES
LGBT History Month takes place throughout February. This year’s emphasis
is on sport, to coincide with the Olympics and several exciting developments
in the gay sporting world…
The annual LGBT History Month returns to the UK each
February, and this year’s festivities boast more events than
ever before. The theme for both 2011 and 2012 is ‘sport’, to
coincide with the UK hosting the Olympics in 2012, and to
highlight the fact that the world of sport – which offers role
models to so many young people – can still be a difficult place in
which to be an out LGBT person. Correspondingly, many of this
year’s events are concerned with a sports theme, while others
look at wider aspects of LGBT history and equality.
On the following pages, we are highlighting just a few of the
events taking place in London as part of LGBT History Month.
We also highlight some of the exciting things happening in UK
Gay Sports arena in 2012…
QUEER QUESTION TIME
LGBT History Month is launched with
a special edition of Queer Question
Time, which will take place at The
Banqueting Hall, Glaziers Hall, 9
Montague Close, London, SE1, on
Wednesday 1 February. The event will
be opened by Suran Dickson (CEO
Diversity Role Models) and Sue
Sanders (co-chair LGBT History
Month), with a performance from the
Pink Singers at 7pm, followed by a
panel discussion at 7.30pm on the
subject of “Tackling homophobia and
transphobia in the world of sport.”
The panel will include five local,
national, and international LGBT
icons and commentators, including
Bob Ballard (Radio and TV sports
broadcaster), Claire Harvey (GB
Sitting Volleyball Women’s Team &
Head of Corporate Responsibility,
FSA), Dave Merchant (founder of
Marlin Swimming Group) and Peter
Tatchell (human rights campaigner).
Submit questions by emailing
[email protected]
Admission is free, but advance
booking is advised as places are
limited. To book your place contact
Helen Laker on 020 7525 0848 or
[email protected]
CROYDON LIBRARY LGBT
HISTORY MONTH
EXHIBITION
1-29 February at Croydon Library,
Croydon Clocktower, Katherine
Street, CR9.
Croydon Library hosts an exhibition
to tie in with LGBT History Month,
highlighting local LGBT
organisations and photographs
contributed by the local Bridge
LGBTQ youth group.
GALOP’S GREAT
AUSTERITY-BUSTING
PUB QUIZ FUNDRAISER
Thursday 2 February at St. Anne’s
Church Hall, 55 Dean Street, Soho,
W1D.
Help raise funds for London’s leading
LGBT anti-violence charity, Galop. The
quiz runs from 8-10pm. Grab some
friends and form your own team of up
to five people, or you can join another
team on the night. Tickets are £10 in
advance at www.galop.org.uk, or £12
on the door on the night – but space
is limited to 50 people so advance
booking is recommended.
BOY IN A DRESS
THE VINYL CLOSET
Friday 3 February, from 7.30-10pm,
at Brockway Room, Conway Hall, 25
Red Lion Square, WC1R.
Hosted by the Gay & Lesbian
Humanist Association, ‘The Vinyl
Closet’ is an evening of music and
chat with Ted Brown and Brett Lock
(pictured above). The duo aim to
shine a light into the musical closet of
the both the pre-gay liberation era,
investigating how queer gender and
sexuality was represented on records,
and the post-Stonewall period. More
details at www.vinylcloset.org
Running from 14 February until 3 March at the Ovalhouse,
52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE15 5SW. La JohnJoseph
presents this autobiographical – and raucously political –
reflection on his life. Describing himself as “a third-gendered,
fallen Catholic, ex-fashion model from the wrong side of the
tracks”, follow him from the council estates of Bootle to the
strip clubs of San Francisco. The show is just part of the
Ovalhouse’s spring season of LGBT performance work – for
more details check www.ovalhouse.com
LGBT EAST END TOUR
Saturday 4 February, 2-3.30pm. Meet
at the Bishopsgate entrance of
Liverpool Street Station, EC2.
Cost: £5.
From Christopher Marlowe to
Jeanette Winterson, this guided tour
takes in the personalities of LGBT
interest, set against the social
landscapes of Spitalfields and
Whitechapel. For more details,
contact [email protected]
THE QUEENS OF ELTHAM
PALACE
Sunday 5 February at 2pm and
Sunday 26 February at 3.30pm, at
Eltham Palace,Tyne
CourtDaly
Yard Eltham,
London, SE9.
From Edward II’s relationship with
Piers Gaveston to the architects John
Seely and Paul Paget, there is a rich
LGBT history at Eltham Palace. Enjoy
a tour of this stunning site, and learn
about some of the LGBT influences in
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
43
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
HISTORICAL GUIDED
TOUR OF LGBT SOHO
Sunday 5, 12, 19 and 26
February from 2-43pm. Meet
outside the Admiral Duncan
pub, 56 Old Compton Street,
Soho, W1. Cost: £5.
Experience the vibrancy of
Soho whilst walking a heritage trail of diverse LGBT history.
Hear about the characters that have lived challenging and
inspiring lives, making unique contributions to science, the arts,
culture, the community, politics and LGBT rights.
www.kairosinsoho.org.uk/tours.asp
Monday 6 February from 6.30-8.30pm
at University College London, Roberts
G08 Sir David Davies LT, Torrington
Place, WC1E 7JE.
A panel discussion exploring whether
body image anxiety is a particular
problem for gay men, and if so why,
and in what ways does it become
manifest? The panel will be chaired
by Professor Michael King, Head of
UCL Mental Health Sciences, and
panelists will include Jonathan Kemp,
Johan Andersson, Matthew Todd and
Mark Simpson. Registration is
required. Visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/
equalities/training/body.php
www.ucl.ac.uk/diversity_month2012
THE WALLACE
COLLECTION LGBT
HISTORY MONTH
LECTURE
Tuesday 7 February from 1-2pm, at
the Wallace Collection, Hertford
House, Manchester Square, London,
W1.
Director of the Wallace Collection
(pictured above), Christoph Vogtherr,
gives a talk about Philippe Duc
d’Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV
– regarded as one of the most
flamboyant figures at the court of the
Sun King, and looks at the wider
depiction of love at the French court in
the arts. www.wallacecollection.org
44
Wednesday 7 February from 58.30pm at the Wilkins Old Refectory,
University College London (UCL),
Gower Street, WC1.
Are you interested in volunteering
with an LGBT volunteering
organisation? If so, get along to this
LGBT Volunteering Fair, organised by
the LGBT Consortium, to find out
more. Check the events section of
www.lgbtconsortium.org.uk
SPEAKING OUT: VOICES
CELEBRATING LGBT
HISTORY MONTH 2012
Wednesday 15 February at Woolfson
& Tay Bookshop, 12 Bermondsey
Square, London SE1.
A free event featuring Bookernominated author Paul Bailey and
author Will Davis, among others.
Booking is advised. See www.
woolfsonandtay.com
“IT TAKES TWO...” AN
EVENING WITH STELLA
DUFFY AND PAUL
BURSTON
Tuesday 21 February from 7.15-9pm
at Watford Central Library,
Hempstead Road, Watford WD17
3EU.
A special event for LGBT History
Month featuring authors Stella Duffy
and Paul Burston (pictured below),
who will be discussing their work and
their lives. Entry £5.
www.hertsdirect.org/libraries
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
UK GAY
SPORTS 2012
In many ways 2011 was a
watershed for gay sports in
the UK.
More high-profile athletes
came out, and many of the
major UK gay sports
organisations petitioned to host
the Euro Games in 2015 and
Gay Games happening in 2018.
There was never a more
appropriate time for
representatives from British
gay sports to be invited to
Downing Street for the launch
of the new government charter
on homophobia and
transphobia in sport.
Scores of gay athletes
gathered in what was the most
significant acknowledgement
of their efforts to take place in
this country. Prime Minister
David Cameron not only
acknowledged the struggle that
gay sports people had faced to
date, but actively encouraged
the gay, lesbian and trans
communities to participate and
get involved in sports ahead of
the London Olympics in 2012.
Here, some of the
organisations that were present
at this event last June explain
some of the exciting things
happening in the UK gay sports
community both in 2012 and in
the future. Appropriately, the
first gay sporting event
happening in 2012 is LGBT
History Month, giving us all
the opportunity to learn more
about the growth in British gay
sports.
LGBT History Month is
running right through the
month of February and there
are many exciting things
happening around the country
to celebrate the history of gay
sports in the UK. You can also
learn more about Gay Sports
history at the LGBT History
Month website where you can
articles and features relating to
British Gay Sports. Check out
the timeline of the history of
British Gay Sports (1982-2012)
amongst other features put
together by Gay Games
Ambassador and World
Champion Powerlifter, Chris
Morgan.
UK GAY SPORTS 2012 TEXT COMPILED BY CHRIS MORGAN
BEEFCAKE: GAY MEN
AND THE BODY
BEAUTIFUL
LGBT VOLUNTEERING
FAIR 2012
PHOTO © ADRIAN LOURIE
the Art Deco movement of the 1930’s.
Normal ticket prices apply to entry,
and booking is essential. Call 0208
294 2548 or check out www.
facebook.com/elthampalace
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
homophobia message on their
kit in a televised match. In
2012, this could well be
replicated by a Super League
team. Watch this space!
In 2007, Pride Sports Directors
and LGBT Youth North West,
launched what we believe to be
the world’s first annual LGBT
Youth Games. 2012’s Youth
games will be bigger and better
than in previous years, running
over five days. It will
complement Pride Games
activities and the Bingham Cup,
which are being held in
Manchester around the same
time.
Another highlight for 2012 will
be working with Pride House
at the London 2012 Olympics
in helping to shape a relevant
and exciting sports programme
for this once in a lifetime event.
www.pridesports.org
Rugby players compete
for the Bingham Cup
HERE ARE SOME OF THE
EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING
IN UK GAY SPORTS IN 2012:
PRIDE SPORTS –
THE YEAR AHEAD
This year will see Pride Sports
working even more closely
with its strategic partners as it
continues to tackle
homophobia in sports. It does
this through working with
national governing bodies and
by reaching a UK-wide
audience through its alliances
with the UK LGBT Sports
Network and LGBT History
Month. This important work
underpins Pride Sports’
increasing impact on equity in
mainstream sports.
In 2011, the Sheffield Eagles
rugby league club became the
first club winners of the Pride
Sports Cup: a trophy awarded
to the sports club that has
made the biggest improvement
towards tackling homophobia
in sports. They won after team
members wore an anti-
PHOTO © © DAVID HUDSON
GOVERNMENT SPORTS
CHARTER
Despite some progress, for
some people, sport is not as
welcoming as it should be.
Prejudice against people who
are lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender still exists. The
Government wants to provide a
welcoming environment for all,
and ensure people at every
level can enjoy sport without
experiencing prejudice.
Sending out a clear message
that homophobia/transphobia
is not acceptable is good for
fans and for players. It supports
those playing sport to be
themselves, which can have a
positive impact on their and
the team’s performance.
That’s why on 14 March 2011
the Government, together with
major sporting bodies,
launched a Sports Charter
calling for anyone and
everyone with an interest or
involvement in sport to unite in
a common cause to tackle
homophobia and transphobia
Pride House Ambassadors
in sport.
The Charter has a growing list of
supporters such as the Football
Association, the Lawn Tennis
Association, the England and
Wales Cricket Board, the Rugby
Football League, the Rugby
Football Union and the 2012
London Olympics organisers,
and well-known sports names
such as Billie Jean King and Ben
Cohen. This is good news, but
people need to spread the word
by signing up and inviting
friends, family and team mates
to sign up.
To support the campaign and
sign up to the Charter for Action
‘like’ the ‘I love sport, but I hate
homophobia and transphobia’
Facebook page at www.
facebook.com/lgbtsportcharter
PRIDE HOUSE LONDON
2012 - FROM OUR HOUSE
TO YOUR HOUSE
Next summer, all eyes will be
on Pride House London –
which will be open from 26
July to 12 August 2012. Located
in Clapham Common, a
stunning open-air location,
Pride House will become the
capital of the global LGBT
community, hosting some of
the most exciting celebrations
in London this year. People
from around the world will
descend upon south London
for what is billed as a must-see
event and the place to ‘move in’
this summer.
Pride House London will be
the ultimate summer
celebration experience for all
fun-seeking and open-minded
Londoners and international
visitors – gay and straight. It
will be the first Pride House to
join the line-up of Summer
Olympic Houses representing a
significant milestone for the
LGBT community and for
London as an inclusive host
city.
As one of the most exciting
places to ‘move in’ this
summer, Pride House will be
one of the largest and most
distinctive cultural festivals
with 250,000 people expected
over 17 days. Pride House will
offer a jam-packed
entertainment programme,
including live music concerts,
sports tournaments, televised
broadcasts of Olympic events,
pop-up restaurants and much
more to be announced in the
coming months.
Pride House Ambassadors
include Stephen Fry, director
and producer David Furnish,
author, journalist and
newspaper editor Dan
Savage, psychologist, author
and former NBA basketball
player John Amaechi OBE,
member of the Great Britain
women’s sitting volleyball
training squad Claire
Harvey, chairman of the
Stand Up Foundation, Ben
Cohen MBE, journalist,
broadcaster and campaigner
Peter Tatchell, founder and
Chief Executive of Diversity
Role Models Suran Dickson,
and Olympic short-track
speed skater Blake
Skjellerup.
Among its many objectives,
Pride House aims to promote
diversity and inclusion on a
global scale, create awareness
about homophobia in sport,
encourage healthy and active
lifestyles and bring
communities together in the
spirit of celebration.
For more information on how
to ‘move in’ visit www.
pridehouselondon.co.uk, or
‘Pride House London’ on
Facebook and Twitter.
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
45
COMMUNITY
STONEWALL
EQUALITY WALK
PHOTO © REALBRIGHTON.COM
Register now to take part in this year’s
Brighton Equality Walk – raising funds
for LGB charity Stonewall…
SCHOOLS OUT!
National Student Pride 2012 comes to
Brighton on 24-26 February…
Now in its fourth year, and with a move to a new venue,
National Student Pride promises to be bigger and better than
ever before. This year finds the festival taking over the famous
Brighton Dome. You can expect a three-day mix of partying and
political debate, which will take place over 24-26 February 2012.
Approximately 1,200 students are expected in Brighton for the
weekend (from universities and colleges from St Andrews and
Dundee in Scotland to the South Coast).
“After X Factor winner Joe McElderry headlined in 2011, we
are so excited for 2012,” said Danica Histed, Chair of National
Student Pride. “The move to the Brighton Dome enables the event
to get much bigger and better, including allowing the under-18’s in
to the daytime event for the first time.”
Sponsorship from external organisations has been essential
in ensuring that that event is able to continue and expand, and
organisers say that although seeking this has been challenging in
the current economic climate, Ernst & Young – who have just been
announced as 2012 Employer of the Year in Stonewall’s Workplace
Equality Index – have again stepped in with their support.
Liz Bingham, Ernst & Young’s Managing Partner for People, UK
& Ireland commented, “We’re very proud to support National
Student Pride for another year. At Ernst & Young we are passionate
about enabling people to come together in an environment where
they feel included and respected. National Student Pride enables
LGBT students to do just that.”
National Student Pride kicks off on Friday 24 February
with an official pre-pride party at Revenge nightclub, with the
main event taking place at Brighton Dome from 1pm on Saturday
25 Feb. In addition to the Question Time-style debate (which this
year will include former gay basketball player John Amaechi) there
will be stalls and a job fair. There will also be a bar and live music,
plus celebrity appearances from such faces as the cast of hit C4 TV
series My Transsexual Summer.
The evening festivities commence with the Brighton Tour,
great drink deals and games around Brighton’s Gay Village;
climaxing with the massive club night at Brighton Dome Corn
Exchange. Students can continue in to the early hours at the
official after-party at Brighton’s Revenge nightclub from 2am,
before finishing it all up with the ‘hungover’ Sunday lunch.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.studentpride.co.uk
46
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
On Bank Holiday Sunday 6 May,
hundreds of lesbian, gay and
bisexual people and their friends
and families will descend on
Brighton for the ninth annual
Stonewall Brighton Equality
Walk.
The 10K Walk, which winds
through the heart of the seaside
city, is a firmly-established date
in the LGB calendar and many
Harry Derbridge
walkers make a day of the event –
with pre-walk picnics and a post-walk celebration.
The Stonewall Brighton Equality Walk is once again kindly
supported by American Express with media partner Square Peg
Media – publisher of Out In The City and g3 magazines.
Celebrity hosts this year
include Jane Hazlegrove,
named entertainer of the year
in the 2011 Stonewall awards
for her role in BBC1’s
Casualty and fellow awardnominee Harry Derbidge,
star of ITV’s The Only Way Is
Essex. The route for the 10K
walk is designed by BLAGSS –
the Brighton Lesbian and Gay
Sports Society – for the fifth
Jane Hazlegrove
year.
At the end of the Walk there will be a post-walk party, and
all participants receive an exclusive T-shirt, a medal to say
they have completed the challenge and a glass of bubbly or soft
drink. And there will be prizes for the top fundraiser and the most
successful fundraising team.
The Walk raises funds for Stonewall’s Education for All
programme which tackles homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools
and makes schools inclusive for children from all families. YouGov
polling for Stonewall showed that 90% of secondary school
teachers say pupils in their schools are bullied, harassed or called
names for being – or perceived to be – lesbian, gay or bisexual. Yet
nine in ten teachers have also not received any specific training on
how to tackle homophobic bullying.
In the past year, Stonewall has published the first
Education Equality Index which showcased how well local
authorities are tackling homophobia and homophobic bullying
in their schools, with Cambridgeshire County Council securing
the top position. Stonewall’s Education for All programme
provides tailored support and guidance to primary and secondary
schools in challenging homophobic bullying and celebrating
difference.
It costs just £10 to register for the Brighton Equality Walk, and under-12s can
walk for free. For more information visit www.equalitywalk.org.uk or call the
Equality Walk team on 020 7593 1875.
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
47
NEWS
IN THE NEWS...
Gay stories from the UK and further afield...
PRIDE CHAIR STEPS
DOWN
OBSCENE?
NOT GUILTY!
Pride London has announced that its
chair, Paul Birrell, has decided to
step down from his position after
serving 18 years on the Pride board.
On announcing his decision, Paul
said: “Leaving Pride London after 18
years was a difficult decision but with
plans firmly in place for WorldPride
2012, now felt like the best time to
step down, and I’m confident I’m
leaving the charity in good hands. I
wish Pride London every success in
the future and cannot wait to enjoy
WorldPride later this year.”
Vice Chair Dr Patrick Williams, who
has been with Pride London for over
five years, has been appointed to act
as Chair to steer the charity through
to WorldPride 2012 on 7 July.
A male escort has been found
not guilty of distributing
obscene DVDs by a jury at
Southwark Crown Court in
London. Michael Peacock,
aged 53, has been working as
an escort in London for
several years, and also sold
hardcore porn DVDs
depicting extreme sexual
activities such as fisting. An
undercover policeman visited
him in January 2009 and
purchased several DVDs.
Police subsequently raided
his home and arrested him,
charging him with six counts
under the Obscene
Publications Act. The case –
described by some civil rights
campaigners as “the most
significant obscenity trial of
the decade” – took place over
five days at the beginning of
January. The jury were asked
to decide whether the
ALAN TURING STAMPED
The work of celebrated codebreaker
and mathematician Alan Turing is to
be marked with a commemorative
stamp by the Royal Mail this month.
Turing contributed a huge amount of
work during World War II to breaking
secret Nazi codes, and is heralded as
one of the fathers of modern
computing. However, after the war, in
1952, he was arrested and prosecuted
for being homosexual, and forced to
undergo ‘chemical castration’. He
committed suicide in 1954. Since that
time, his reputation and the
importance of his work has steadily
grown. The computer pioneer’s legacy
will feature as part of a series of ten
stamps entitled ‘Britons of
Distinction’.
SCHOOLS OUT
CONFERENCE
This year’s Schools Out Conference
will take place on Saturday 4 February
at the Drill Hall in central London. The
theme for this year’s event is
‘Educating out prejudice through the
LGBT lens’. This annual event attracts
dozens of teachers, students,
policymakers and activists to explore
and debate how LGBT issues are
handled within schools.
48
Michael Peacock, flanked
by supporters, outside
Southwark Crown Court
material was likely to “deprave
and corrupt any person likely to
read, see or hear it.” Nigel
Richardson, a lawyer with
Peacock’s defence solicitors
Hodge Jones and Allen LLP,
argued that the films were only
likely to be seen by “gay men
specifically asking for this type
POPE SPEAKS OUT
AGAINST GAY
MARRIAGE
Pope Benedict XVI has again spoken out
against the notion of gay marriage. In a
New Year address to the Vatican diplomatic
corps drawn from 180 countries around the
world, he listed gay marriage as one of
several threats to the traditional family
that “undermined the future of humanity
itself ”.
In the speech, which was delivered in the
Vatican on Monday 9 January, he stressed
that the education of children needed
proper “settings” and that “pride of place
goes to the family, based on the marriage of
a man and a woman”. He added, “This is
not a simple social convention, but rather
the fundamental cell of every society.
Consequently, policies which undermine
the family threaten human dignity and the
future of humanity itself.”
The Vatican and Catholic officials around
the world have protested against moves to
legalise gay marriage in Europe and other
developed parts of the world.
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
of material”. None of the acts
featured in the films were
illegal. The jury found
Peacock not guilty on all
charges. It’s believed that the
verdict may result in a review
of the guidelines on obscenity
by the Crown Prosecution
Service.
“The Merchant of Venice, centering on how the world treats gays as well as
Jews, has a love triangle between an older man, younger man and a woman.
And the complexity in his comedies with cross-dressing and disguises is
immense. Shakespeare obviously enjoyed sex with men as well as women.”
Sir Ian McKellen has no doubt about the sexuality of William Shakespeare, in an interview with the Daily Mail.
AND
FINALLY...
WORLD
NEWS
TIMBERLAKE TO PLAY
ELTON JOHN?
L-R: Max Zachs and Broken Rainbow’s Helpline Manager, Charlie Parker
BROKEN RAINBOW LAUNCH TRANS HELP
LGBT domestic violence charity Broken Rainbow UK will be marking
Valentine’s Day with the launch of its new phone helpline for trans people
across the UK. Hosted by Bar Wotever, the free weekly showcase for queer art
and culture in London, the launch event will take place on Tuesday 14
February at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern from 6pm until midnight. The evening
will feature celebrities, DJs, star performers and a diverse range of trans
organisations who support the project.
Trans people can now call the helpline (0300 999 5428) and speak to a trans
helpline worker on Tuesdays 1-5pm and all helpline staff are having transawareness training. One of those supporting the helpline’s launch is Max
Zachs, one of the stars of Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer, who said of
the initiative: “I know that as queer people we are already working hard to
reclaim the streets. If you need to, now is the time to call and make your
home safe as well.”
The helpline is for all those experiencing domestic violence from their partner,
ex or family. For more details, check the website at www.brokenrainbow.org.
DERBY MEN GUILTY OF GAY HATE CRIME
In a landmark case, three defendants accused of stirring up hatred on the
grounds of sexual orientation have been found guilty by a jury in Derby. The
three men – Ihjaz Ali, 42, Kabir Ahmed, 28 and Razwan Javed, 27 – were
found guilty of a gay hate crime after handing out leaflets calling for
homosexual people to be given the death sentence. The men distributed a
leaflet titled ‘Death Penalty?’ – which carried an image of a mannequin
hanging from a noose and quoted Muslim texts – at a local mosque and
through letterboxes. It is the first prosecution of its kind since new laws came
into force in 2010. Two other men were cleared of the same charge.
Sentencing of the guilty men was adjourned until 10 February. The charges
carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and an unlimited fine.
The accused have defended themselves by claiming that they were not
homophobic and were merely following their religious beliefs. During the trial,
Kabir Ahmed had told the Derby Crown Court that he saw it as his “duty as a
Muslim to spread what God says about homosexuality. The references on the
leaflets are historical facts and quote from the Koran.”
However, following the judgement, Sue Hemming, head of the CPS Special
Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Everyone has a right to be
protected by the law and we regard homophobic crimes, along with all hate
crimes, as particularly serious because they undermine people’s right to feel
safe. While people are entitled to hold extreme opinions which others may
find unpleasant and obnoxious, they are not entitled to distribute those
opinions in a threatening manner intending to stir up hatred against gay
people.”
JAMAICA
Portia Simpson-Miller has again
become Prime Minister of
Jamaica. In an encouraging sign
for LGBT rights within the country,
the politician has recently spoken
out in favour of gay rights, saying
that she planned to review the
criminalisation of homosexuality
in the country and would not
forbid gays from serving in her
cabinet – as her predecessor,
Bruce Golding, did. SimpsonMiller, of the People’s National
Party, was previously Prime
Minister in 2006 and 2007.
Jamaica has an extremely poor
record concerning LGBT rights,
and attacks against LGBT
individuals have been widely
reported. Simpson-Miller was
elected PM at the end of 2011 and
sworn in at the beginning of
January.
ECUADOR
The South American country of
Ecuador had significantly
improved its reputation on gay
rights with the appointment of an
openly gay health minister.
Ecuadorian president, Rafael
Correa, announced the
appointment of Carina Vance
Mafla. As one of her first
proclamations, Vance Mafla
announced that the health
ministry will be working closely
with lesbian rights group
Fundacion Causana , and other civil
rights groups, to shut down the
remaining religious clinics which
promise to ‘cure’ lesbians in the
country.
Singer and actor
Justin Timberlake is
apparently being
lined up to take on
the role of Elton John
in a big-screen biopic
of the rock
superstar’s life. The film, which
currently doesn’t have a title, will be
co-produced by Elton himself. The 64year-old told the LA Times earlier this
month that the picture would be a
“surreal look at my life, and not just a
factual look at my life; more in the
manner of a Moulin Rouge”. He
expressed a desire for Timberlake to
take the role, and sources close to the
former N’Sync singer say that he is
considering the idea “very seriously”.
ALAN CUMMING TIES
THE KNOT (AGAIN)
To celebrate the fifth
anniversary of their
UK civil partnership,
actor Alan Cumming
and partner Grant
Shaffer have enjoyed
their second marriage
ceremony in New York. The couple
took advantage of the fact that in
2010 New York became the sixth US
state to allow same-sex marriage
ceremonies. Cumming announced the
news and posted pictures on his
Twitter site.
BEAN’S GENDER SWITCH
Actor Sean Bean, who
is famed for a string
of tough guy roles,
will play the part of a
trans character in an
episode of the BBC’s
legal drama Accused.
Ben Stephenson, Controller of Drama
Commissioning at the BBC, said the
character would appear in the third
episode of the second series, to be
filmed later this year. Speaking of the
role, Bean said: “I’ve wanted to work
on a Jimmy McGovern drama for a
while and I think this cracking script
really delivers a powerful, emotional
drama for the audience.”
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
49
CAREER
STONEWALL TOP 100
The annual Stonewall Workplace Equality Index has just
been announced. It’s Stonewall’s annual list of the top 100
gay-friendly employers – those judged to be the very best
for LGB employees based on their recruitment and antidiscrimination policies, good practice, networks and events.
Laura Doughty (right), Stonewall’s
Deputy Chief Executive, tells us about
the importance of Stonewall’s Top 100
Workplace Equality Index and
Diversity Champions Programme.
Q
What is the Diversity Champions
Programme?
The Diversity Champions Programme is
Britain’s good practice employers’ forum
on sexual orientation. It helps businesses
and public services develop inclusive
workplace cultures, ensuring that all staff
can perform to their full potential.
Q
HOW HAS IT GROWN SO SUCCESSFUL?
The first Index, published in 2005,
attracted just over 130 entries – with six of
the Top 100 requesting anonymity. Nearly
370 employers submitted entries to the
2012 Index and competition to secure a
place was fiercer than ever. The staff
satisfaction survey, introduced two years
ago, gives gay staff the opportunity to give
anonymous feedback. This ensures that
the Index is also based on the actual
experiences of LGB staff and, with over
7,500 staff participating, is one of the
largest annual surveys of LGB staff in
Europe.
Q
WHY IS DCP IMPORTANT?
The Diversity Champions programme
plays a key role in ensuring that lesbian,
gay and bisexual staff can reach their full
potential. Members of the programme are
the first to hear about new developments
50
1.
2.
3.
4.
WHAT IS THE STONEWALL TOP 100?
Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers award
recognises the pioneering efforts of
leading businesses to create workplaces
where lesbian, gay and bisexual staff can
reach their full potential. Based on the
results of the 2012 Workplace Equality
Index – the comprehensive benchmarking
exercise on sexual orientation issues in
the workplace – the list is now an
invaluable tool for talented LGB
jobseekers looking for potential
employers. Free to enter and open to all
employers, the Index is so highly regarded
that its principles have been adopted and
adapted by diversity organisations
overseas keen to develop diversity policies
in their countries.
Q
THE STONEWALL WORKPLACE
EQUALITY INDEX 2012
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
11.
13.
14.
15.
16.
and research and work closely with
Stonewall to make their workplaces
inclusive and operationally effective.
Every member of Stonewall’s Diversity
Champions Programme understands that
equality makes good business sense as
people perform better when they can be
themselves.
Q
WHAT CRITERIA GAIN COMPETING
FIRMS A TOP 100 PLACE IN THE
INDEX?
Any employer who secures a spot in the
Top 100 has performed well, particularly
in a year where the Index has been
revised. Every three years, the Index is
reviewed to ensure it remains current and
drives sexual orientation equality in the
workplace forward. As the Index evaluates
eight areas of policy and practice,
employers who successfully secure a Top
100 place will have spent time developing
their work across areas such as employee
policy, employee engagement, staff
training and development, monitoring,
supplier policy, LGB community
engagement and the ‘pink plateau’.
The 2012 Index is the first time Stonewall
has set additional award criteria for global
employers. These recognise world-wide
support for LGB equality, covering topics
such as global non-discrimination policy,
world-wide partner benefits and
relocation support.
16.
18.
19.
20.
21.
21.
23.
23.
25.
26.
27.
27.
27.
30.
30.
30.
33.
33.
33.
33.
37.
37.
39.
39.
41.
41.
41.
41.
45.
ERNST & YOUNG
HOME OFFICE
BARCLAYS
SUSSEX PARTNERSHIP NHS
FOUNDATION TRUST
METROPOLITAN HOUSING
PARTNERSHIP
GOLDMAN SACHS
ACCENTURE
IBM
GENTOO
SIMMONS & SIMMONS
THE CO-OPERATIVE
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE HEALTHCARE
NHS TRUST
HAMPSHIRE CONSTABULARY
BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY FOR
ENGLAND AND WALES
LONDON BOROUGH OF TOWER
HAMLETS
LLOYDS BANKING GROUP
BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES
EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD
LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
SOUTH WALES POLICE
BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND
PENSIONS
ITV PLC
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA BOROUGH
COUNCIL
LONDON BOROUGH OF ISLINGTON
MERSEYSIDE POLICE
NORTH WALES POLICE
GENESIS HOUSING ASSOCIATION
IRWIN MITCHELL LLP
NACRO
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
CITIZENS ADVICE
LEEDS CITY COUNCIL
BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
ST MUNGO’S
BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL
CORE ASSETS GROUP
NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE
PINSENT MASONS LLP
CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
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51
CAREER
45.
45.
45.
49.
49.
49.
49.
53.
53.
53.
56.
56.
56.
56.
60.
60.
62.
62.
62.
65.
65.
67.
67.
67.
67.
71.
71.
73.
73.
75.
75.
77.
77.
77.
80.
80.
82.
83.
83.
83.
83.
87.
87.
87.
90.
90.
92.
92.
94.
94.
94.
94.
98.
98.
100.
52
MORGAN STANLEY
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP
VICTIM SUPPORT
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
KENT POLICE
SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY
WEST MERCIA CONSTABULARY
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
NEWHAM COLLEGE OF FURTHER
EDUCATION
RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CARDIFF COUNCIL
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES
UNIVERSITY
OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS
ROYAL AIR FORCE
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
TYNE & WEAR FIRE AND RESCUE
SERVICE
AMERICAN EXPRESS
HOGAN LOVELLS
THE SECURITY SERVICE (MI5)
BARTS AND THE LONDON NHS
TRUST AND TOWER HAMLETS
COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
SOUTH ESSEX HOMES
CLYDESDALE BANK
SKILLSET SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL
WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
YOUR HOMES NEWCASTLE
CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR
FISCAL SERVICE
KENT COMMUNITY HEALTH NHS
TRUST
EVERSHEDS LLP
HERTFORDSHIRE PARTNERSHIP
NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
DYFED POWYS POLICE
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
ROYAL NAVY
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF
ENGLAND
HERBERT SMITH LLP
LONDON BOROUGH OF HACKNEY
GWENT POLICE
BERNESLAI HOMES
J.P. MORGAN
SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
DEVON & CORNWALL POLICE
LIVERPOOL COMMUNITY HEALTH
NHS TRUST
PLUS DANE GROUP
THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
LONDON BOROUGH OF WALTHAM
FOREST
NATIONAL OFFENDER
MANAGEMENT SERVICE
BARNARDO’S
LONDON AMBULANCE SERVICE
NHS TRUST
SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE
WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
AVIVA
PROCTER & GAMBLE
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS
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NUMBER ONE EMPLOYER
Ernst & Young have gained first place in this
year’s Stonewall top 100. The firm is leading
the way in diversity at work for the LGBT
community. A company spokesperson
explained their delight in topping the list.
“We are thrilled to have been named
Stonewall’s 2012 Employer of the Year. This is
a great achievement for the firm and for our
people. Ernst & Young is at the forefront of
developing the idea of Inclusive Leadership.
We see this as an important area for focus,
especially when trying to bring about
transformational change within an
organisation. Over the past year, our Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Network
(EYGLES) has supported this in many ways,
for example, the network held a joint event
with the EY Women’s Network on Inclusive
Leadership, with Beth Brooke (our Global
Diversity and Inclusiveness leader). They have
used Inclusive Leadership as a theme for an
event targeted at our leadership pipeline and are
also planning an event in early 2012 around
Inclusive Leadership in the Armed Forces. At a
practical level, EYGLES members have been
instrumental in coaching our teams in what
homophobic bullying might look like and how to
respond if it occurs. EYGLES has existed for over
15 years and now boasts 200 members, with
branches in some of our regional offices.
EYGLES continues to align its activities with our
business, holding events addressing sexual
orientation as a workplace issue for clients.
We are proud to maintain a focus on attracting
talented new LGBT people into the firm, and in
2011, we became the headline sponsor of
National Student Pride, the only national LGBT
Pride event for students. We are pleased to be
continuing that relationship into 2012. We also
continue to support the Diversity Careers Show.
Our regular Global People Survey (GPS) is a key
indicator of how our people are feeling over a
wide spectrum of different areas. We are able to
analyse the results by a number of different
strands and our 2011 GPS showed that 92% of
the firm’s LGBT employees agree that the firm
has created an inclusive environment where
people with diverse backgrounds and
experiences can succeed. We see this as a
powerful endorsement of our ongoing
commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.”
Tower Hamlets Council remains the most gay-friendly
employer across local authorities in London, coming in
at number 16 on the Workplace Equality Index – a
result that Mayor Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets
Council, is delighted about.
“It’s great news that Tower Hamlets has been
acknowledged, for the seventh year running, as being one
of the best working environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people in the country.
“I am determined to lead the borough in its fight against all
forms of discrimination and to work towards a more
harmonious environment, free from prejudice. This result is
an indication of our work to achieve One Tower Hamlets.”
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
https://my.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Genesis Housing Association were placed at
number 33 in this year’s Stonewall
Workplace Equality Index. Genesis’
Kulbir Shergill commented on its placing and
why the organisation place such a premium
on embracing diversity.
“Most housing
associations, like
Genesis, have
their roots in
providing housing
to those most
disadvantaged
and excluded, so
using diversity as
a business tool
helps us to live up
to our values of equality and fairness but also
to deliver services that are cost-effective.
Because housing associations deliver public
services; they have to show that they are fair
and accessible and meet legislative
requirements.
“We have to deliver services and make sure
that the people delivering those services
understand who our customers are and what
their housing needs are. We still need to
recruit, and we know that having a diverse
workforce and being an employer of choice
means that we are more likely to retain and
attract the very best talent.”
For more information about Genesis Housing
Association, check the website at
www.genesisha.org.uk
PARENTING
BE A HERO...
BECOME A DONOR!
Toyin Jegede, Donor Recruitment and Campaign Officer for the London
Sperm Bank, explains why they want to hear from anyone interested in
donating their sperm to help others achieve parenthood…
In the UK, there is a huge demand for
donor sperm, and this has led to some
patients having to go on long waiting
lists. The London Sperm Bank has
grown to become one of the largest
sperm banks in the UK and, thanks to
our donors, we have successfully helped
to create 1,661 families through our
parent clinic The London Women’s
Clinic.
To our patients, donors are heroes
because, without their help, their
beautiful family unit would not exist.
Sperm donation is a vital part of a long
journey that some women must take in
order to have a family.
At the London Sperm Bank we are
pleased to have a growing number of
gay and bisexual donors, especially as
we are big supporters of alternative
families and continue to help a growing
number of same-sex and single women
at The London Women’s Clinic.
Besides their desire to do something
selfless and to help with the national
shortage of sperm donors, gay and
bisexual men tell us that they have
chosen to come forward for a range of
different reasons. Here are just a few:
54
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
1. To pass on genes: Although not wishing
to procreate themselves, genetic
preservation seems like a satisfactory
alternative for some men.
2. As a safer alternative to co-parenting.
Because we are a licensed sperm bank, we
are governed and regulated by the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
This means that such issues as the legal
parenthood of a child are safeguarded by
the law.
3. To help the LGBT community: gay and
bisexual donors can relate to lesbian
couples in relation to their inability to
create a family based on the absence of the
opposite sex. Furthermore, recent changes
in the UK law have made it possible for
same-sex couples to be named on the birth
certificate of donor- conceived children,
increasing the number of same-sex couples
coming forward and wanting to start a
family through a licensed fertility clinic.
There are many more reasons for
becoming a donor, with each reason
unique to the individual. It makes the
recruitment process all the more fun for us!
The initial process is fairly simple; fill out
an enquiry form on our website
www.londonspermbank.com or call us on
020 7935 4305 to register an interest.
The basic requirements for sperm
donation are as follows:
n Aged 18-45
n Healthy and free from infection
n Free from hereditary disease
n Donor must agree to make up to 25
donations over a period of 3-6 months
The initial screening tests to join the
programme will be completed within the
first two visits to the clinic; they consist
of a semen analysis and a blood and
urine test. All loss of earnings and travel
costs incurred by visits to and from the
clinic are reimbursed.
Once you have completed the donor
programme you can also find out from us
specific information about the outcome of
your donations: the number of live births
you have had as well as the sex and year of
birth of any offspring created as a result of
your donations.
Pass on your genes and make this
year the year you choose to be someone’s
hero. Make this year count.
PICTURE POSED BY MODELS © DREAMSTIME.COM
PARENTING
COULD YOU ADOPT
OR FOSTER?
The UK’s first LGBT Adoption and Fostering week takes place this month. If you’ve
ever thought about offering a home to a child, it’s the perfect opportunity to find out
more from people who’ve already been through the process…
The UK’s first LGBT Adoption and
Fostering Week will place from 20-26
February 2012. Raising awareness about
adoption and fostering is the LGBT
adoption support charity New Family
Social. They are inviting gay men and
women to events to coincide with the
week.
While adoption rates are at their
lowest in ten years, New Family Social
(NFS) says authorities have come to value
gay parents, whom they say often have
the right mix of skills and experience to
raise children who have been in care.
In a survey of social workers, carried
out in co-ordination with Cambridge
University, NFS found that 72% saw the
“amount of energy and enthusiasm”
LGBT adopters bring to the process as a
significant strength. In addition, 76% saw
“openness to difference, and supporting a
child with a sense of difference” as
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equally important.
During the week beginning 20
February, events will be held in
Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cornwall,
Edinburgh, Ipswich, Leeds, Liverpool,
London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham,
Reading, South Shields, Swansea and
Thameside to provide potential parents
with information and resources.
Andy Leary-May, Director of New
Family Social, said: “More and more
LGBT people are choosing adoption and
fostering as a way to form a family, and
we want prospective parents to see how
rewarding it can be, and how much
advice and support is on offer from our
huge community of families around the
UK”.
The free events include talks from
local LGBT adoptive and foster parents
about their experiences and information
on how to start the process.
Ahead of LGBT Adoption and Fostering
Week, David Hudson talked to three
gay men who have adopted or fostered.
DAVID AND IAIN
David and Iain are aged 38 and 48. They
have been together for 17 years and live in
West Sussex. They adopted two brothers
four years ago. The boys are now aged 9
and 11. Iain works in retail operations and
communications and his partner David is
a retail manager. They had a civil
partnership in 2007.
When did you first discuss the idea of
having children, and how quickly did
you settle on the idea of adoption?
Iain: We kind of talked about it for years,
on and off, and we talked about the
possibility of having a child with some
female friends – both gay and straight
PARENTING
L-R: DAVID AND IAIN
female friends – but for one reason or
another that never happened. I think
what swayed us was when we learned
that the law was going to change in
January 2006 with regards to gay people
adopting, which allowed both of us to be
regarded as the child’s parents. My niece
is adopted and I’m adopted as well, so it’s
always something that’s been in the
family, so it wasn’t a really foreign
concept to us.
How did you find the process and how
long did it take?
We were dealing with Haringey, because
we were living in London then. The
approval process was swift. Our first
meeting was in the January, and we went
on the training in the May then had our
home viists and all the other processes
and were approved by early October. The
bit that took longer was the matching,
and although it was four years ago, in
regards to the way social workers look at
LGBT couples, it’s
changed vastly in four
years. We were the
first male gay
couple in Haringey
to be approved. We
never saw any
outright homophobia,
but there were some
decisions probably made
in ignorance, and I think
we had to wait a bit
longer because they
weren’t used to matching up
children with LGBT couples
at that time. Now, it’s become
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easier. And from my experience, it’s
easier to have younger children, too.
When we were adopting, they wouldn’t
have really considered us for young
children, or they told us that it was
unlikely. It was more 4, 5 and 6-year olds,
but people we know about now are
adopting babies and 2 and 3-year-olds.
Also, they’ve relaxed the regulations
about children from different
backgrounds. We were told at the time
that we were adopting that we would not
be considered for any children of eastern
European descent, or any children that
weren’t from the UK, but now that
attitude has changed, and they are
placing abandoned eastern European
children with UK couples, and are more
flexible about ethnic background.
How did it feel when your children
were finally placed with you?
It was amazing; an incredible experience.
It’s a really tough experience, as well. I
think when we actually drove away with
them in the car, it felt surreal. But once
they’ve moved in, it was exciting and
thrilling but strange suddenly
becoming a parent. It was amazing
and fantastic, but also
challenging. It was a new
experience for all of us
and it probably
takes a few
months for you
all to bond.
Did the
children settle
quickly?
It’s difficult to say.
I took six months off work. I was working
for the Body Shop at the time and it has
really good policies, offering six months’
fully-paid adoption leave. My youngest
son’s behaviour was particularly
challenging to start with, and then, when
he calmed down, the older son became
more challenging. It probably took nearly
two years before it was all relatively
normal. The majority of the time now, it’s
like they’ve always been our kids, but
every now and again their history catches
up with them and their behaviour is out
of the normal spectrum by quite a long
way. That’s only occasionally now, but at
the beginning it was a lot of the time. It
was challenging. What we always try to
remember is that it isn’t their fault. They
didn’t ask for the life that they’ve been
given, and that’s what we say to them. We
say, ‘We’re not blaming you for your
history, or for what happened to you, but
you do need to take responsibility for
your actions and work with us to move
forward as a family’. They are loving,
kind, considerate boys who, for the
majority of the time, are fun to be around
and be with and that’s great.
What advice would you have for any
other gay people thinking of adopting?
I would say: think about doing it, because
it’s becoming more commonplace and it’s
not as scary as it might seem to go
through the process. It’s a big step to
make the decision to become involved
with the process, but once you’re
involved with the process, people are
supportive and willing you to be
successful. You shouldn’t underestimate
the type of impact that it’s going to have
on your life though. Be realistic about the
challenges, but at the end of it, if it’s the
right thing for you, it’s really rewarding.
I know it’s a cliché, but there are issues
that adopted children, whatever age they
are adopted, tend to have. I just say be
open and honest and realistic about what
you want, and be open and honest and
realistic with the children as well.”
IAN AND PAUL
Ian and Paul are 44 and 41. They live on
the south coast having met in Brighton
14 years ago. They adopted two
brothers, aged 4 and 3, in August 2011.
Ian is an actor and Paul runs an
electronics business.
When did you and Paul first discuss
the idea of having children?
Ian: It was about five years ago. We
talked about it every year for five years
and about two years ago I was
performing in a pantomime with lots of
children in the cast, and I just thought
that if we’re going to do it then we might
as well get on with it.
How quickly did you settle on the idea
of adoption?
More or less straight away. We just
PARENTING
thought that it was only the really viable
option open to us. Neither of us wanted
to go down the road of asking a female
friend, and neither of us wanted to
consider surrogacy.
How did you find the process of being
accepted and how long did it all take?
We started in February 2009 and the boys
arrived in August 2011. It took about a
year to be assessed. We went to
Barnardo’s in the end because the
councils we approached were pretty
ineffectual. We approached about eight
councils and the time limits they gave us
were just dreadful, and because of
government cutbacks in budgets, their
services were being cut and cut, so
training courses and social workers to
interview us weren’t so readily available.
Barnardo’s, being a charity, and set up to
do this almost as a business, were pretty
efficient. We hadn’t really considered
them, to be honest, because we didn’t
really know what they did, but someone
else mentioned them to us and they were
fantastic.
And when did you first get in touch
with Barnado’s?
It was May 2009. And we were approved
in March 2010. And I think for us,
because we were fairly able to travel and
quite flexible, it happened quite quickly
compared to a lot of the couples we
talked to.
You adopted brothers – how did it feel
when they were finally placed with
you?
It’s a complete whirlwind, really. Nothing
can prepare you. You think “yeah, it will
all be fine’, and then suddenly, these two
little bodies arrive in the house and your
whole self goes out of the window and
you have to do everything for them.
Overnight it was like ‘Oh my word – I
don’t exist anymore! ‘These two little
bodies now need me,’ sort of thing. There
are ups and downs. There are days when
I think ‘what the hell have we done?’ and
there are other days when they might say
something really cute and adorable or
funny, and it suddenly feels
like the greatest gift on
earth. It’s a mixture of
emotions every day.
Did the boys settle
with you quickly or is
it still early days?
Yeah, well they only
arrived in August. They
settled pretty quickly.
There were a few
issues that we had –
power struggles over
food, toys, bedtime,
that kind of thing,
but you know,
normal kids
stuff. Kids are
pretty resilient
and they’ve
accepted the
L-R: IAN AND PAUL
whole thing pretty quickly, and they’ve
also never really questioned why they
don’t have a mummy but have two
daddies. They tell people on the bus “I’ve
got two daddies!” very proudly, and so
on. It’s very different nowadays.
What’s been the most challenging
aspect for you of becoming a parent?
Oh, early mornings! Every morning starts
at 6.30pm. I used to sleep to 9 or 10, but
those days are gone!
And the most rewarding?
When the boys call you daddy and cuddle
up to you. You think ‘Oh my word, this is
so peculiar’ – it just melts your heart.
Have both your families been
supportive?
We’re very lucky in that both our
families have always been
supportive of us, even before we
mentioned that we were going to
do this. It’s extended their
family as well. My mum now
has grandchildren whereas
before she had written it off, and
Paul’s parents are only living five
minutes away and we see so much
of them now.
Are you in a civil partnership?
We haven’t as yet, but we plan to
when the boys are old enough.
Rather than it just being a civil
partnership, we thought we’d make
it almost like a family wedding, so
the boys can feel more part of
the process too, so it might
make them feel more part of what is
going on.
What advice would you have for any
other gay people thinking of adopting?
I would thoroughly recommend it. Think
twice and then think twice again, and
then bite the bullet and go for it. It is
completely exhausting but very
rewarding.
And don’t be immediately be put off if
you don’t have success with local
councils?
No. I think try and find a support
network, be it friends, family,
professionals or New Family Social –
there are lots of support groups out
there. Because it is a minefield and social
workers can be ineffective, and you’ll
become frustrated at how they can lose
paperwork or forget your name.
ALLEN AND ADAM
Allen and Adam, aged 45 and 40, are civil
partners who live in Leicester. Allen is a
qualified nursery nurse and Adam is a
self-employed hairdresser. They have
been foster carers to a teenage boy for
the past two and a half years.
Why did you choose to apply for
fostering over adoption?
Allen: Basically, I saw an advert in a local
newspaper briefly saying what fostering
was all about, and explaining that there
are so many children in care who need
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59
PARENTING
L-R: ALLEN AND ADAM
the security of a family. That sparked
my interest. I phoned up the number in
the advert and spoke to someone and
they said “come along to an open evening
and we can tell you more.” I think the
main reason was that when we went to
the open evening, they explained that
there were so many children in care who
needed either short-term or long-term
fostering, and we thought well, rather
than adopt, which is very permanent,
we’d do fostering, which is semipermanent, if you like. We’re helping out
a young person and then they move on
hopefully to independent living, and then
we can help out another person. It’s more
of an ongoing process.
How did you find the whole process of
being accepted as a foster carer?
It did take quite a long time, almost a
year, to be approved by our council,
purely because our social worker felt we
needed the time to be sure that we were
doing the right thing for ourselves and
our lives. The initial process can feel a bit
intrusive, because they have to find out
about the individuals who are applying to
be foster carers, and also the whole
family background as well. It’s not just us
as individuals because our families have
an input into our lives as well, and into
the life of the child that we’re caring for.
So, it is a bit intrusive. Once we’d got
over that fact, and accepted that yes,
social services do need to know
everything about us, then it was
relatively smooth going.
So in 2009, after being approved, how
soon was it before you had a young
person placed with you?
Relatively quickly. It must have been a
month and a half after being approved. I
believe our social worker had someone in
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mind for us already. And then we met
with the young person that’s now living
with us. He was 14. He’s now 16. He came
over. We took him to the park for a few
hours and played football. Then he went
away again, and then the next time he
came he stayed overnight, and he
gradually got to know us better. That
second time, he was already bringing
stuff with him from his previous foster
home – he was that keen to move in.
And how will this play out in the
future? Will he stay with you until
he’s 18?
Well, he has the option, now that he’s
turned 16, to leave care if he chose to do
so, but he’s decided that he wants to stay
with us until at least 18. So, at the
moment we’re in the process of trying to
teach him some life skills – cooking,
budgeting, etc, so that he has
more of an ability to live on
his own when he turns 18.
But we have said that once
he turns 18, he doesn’t have
to leave. He’s got a home
with us for life. It’s not like
we’re going to chuck him
out and say ‘Right,
that’s it – you’ve got
to go out into the big,
bad world now.’ But
we’ve got an inkling
he will leave
because he wants his
own independence,
obviously, but we’ve
told him he’s welcome
to come back any
time.
When you embarked
on this process, did
social services
discuss the issue of age with you?
Were you expecting a teenager or were
you expecting someone younger?
Well, because myself and my partner
both smoked at the time, we wouldn’t be
able to foster a child under the age of
five. Although we didn’t smoke in the
house, we smoked in the garden, it was
still an issue with the council – which we
understood – and we didn’t particularly
want a child under five at that particular
time anyway. But apart from that, we
didn’t really have any preference, from
five to whatever age really. Boy or girl.
We just wanted to make a different to a
young person and we didn’t have any
criteria to go by.
What’s been the most challenging
aspect of being a foster carer?
I think, behaviour wise, with the young
person we have, when he first came to us
he did have anger-management issues. At
times, that could be quite challenging.
We had to remain consistent and quite
firm, but without being unkind. At times
that could be quite problematic, but it’s
died down a lot now. He realises that we
care for him, that it’s his home, and there
aren’t so many issues around that any
more – he’s calmed down a lot.
What are the more rewarding aspects?
Well, I could go on all day about that!
The crux of the matter is that we’ve made
quite an impact on his life. We can see
the changes in his behaviour, in his
general attitude to his life and history. He
didn’t have a brilliant start in life but he’s
more positive about his future, and he’s
going to college once a week and he can
look towards bettering himself, if you
like. We find that very rewarding, that
he’s not so negative about things. And
just little things, really. He’ll sort of turn
round and say ‘I really enjoyed going out
to the pictures today – thank you.’ And
just that small thank you is worth it, it
makes you think that he’s come a long
way, and it’s just rewarding for you. The
positive aspects outweigh the negative
aspects a hundred-fold.
And at some stage he will move on and
live independently. Can you imagine
fostering another child or children?
Oh yes, definitely. We’re already
considering that and speaking to our
social worker about a second
placement. It may happen when
Craig is still with us, or it may be
that we wait until he’s moved
and then have the second
placement, but either way, it
will definitely be happening
again.
Some names have been changed
www.newfamilysocial.co.uk
www.lgbtadoptfosterweek.org.uk
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61
PROPERTY
THE RETURN OF
STAMP DUTY
Looking to get on the property ladder? Be warned – the stamp duty holiday is
due to end in late March. We look at how this could affect your purchase price…
In the March 2010 Budget, the previous
Labour government introduced a twoyear Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief
for first-time buyers of residential
property on transactions of no more
than £250,000. This meant that first-time
buyers were exempt from paying the 1%
SDLT normally levied on residential
property transactions of between £125,001
and £250,000. Properties purchased for
less than £125,000 are permanently exempt
from SDLT.
This SDLT relief was introduced on 25
March 2010, but will expire on 24 March
2012. With the expiration date fast
approaching, first-time buyers need to act
quickly so they can save themselves up to
£2,500 in tax.
It is easy for buyers new to the property
market to forget that purchasing a property
can take a long time. There are various stages
in the process from finding a property,
securing a mortgage, completing the surveys
and searches, to finally completing the
purchase. And all of this can take time,
particularly when unexpected problems
crop up.
Many firsttime buyers
struggling
in the
current
economic climate face the challenge of
obtaining a mortgage, affording high
property prices and struggling to save up a
sufficient deposit, so the SDLT relief has
been one of the few aspects of the housing
market that has made it easier for
newcomers.
There is still time for first-time buyers to
take advantage of the SDLT relief, but they
must ensure that they and the property
they want to purchase meet the following
government criteria in order to qualify for
the ‘first-time buyer’ relief, including:
n The property must be residential. Nonresidential or mixed-use properties do not
qualify.
n The property (if leasehold) must have a
lease term of more than 21 years.
n The property must be £250,000 or less
(if the property is bought for between
£250,001 and £500,000, the buyer will have
to pay 3% SDLT).
n The buyer (including joint buyers) must
intend to live in the property and it must
be their only or main residence. For
example, the property cannot be used as a
holiday home or a buy-to-let. Also, a buyer
cannot purchase a property for someone
else to live in (e.g. a family member) and
claim relief.
n The buyer or joint buyers must not have
previously owned, or acquired an
interest in, a residential freehold
property, a residential
leasehold property, or land,
in either the UK or its
equivalent anywhere else
in the world. (This
includes, for example,
inherited property,
property bought
with someone else,
interest under a trust,
or interest in a
houseboat).
n The transaction must
not be linked with any
others for SDLT
purposes, unless it is to
do with the same
property (e.g. a separate
lease on a garage).
So, if you are in the
fortunate position of
being able to afford your
first home, act now and
save yourself money.
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B U Y I N G YO U R
F I R ST
P R O P E RY …
THOSE
EXTRA
FEES
On top of the deposit you raise to arrange
your mortgage, there will be additional
fees in purchasing your first property.
These include some or all of the following:
n Mortgage adviser – Should you use a
mortgage adviser, they may work for a flat
fee (£500-£1,000) or a percentage of the
mortgage required.
n Arrangement Fee – an administration
fee charged by your mortgage lender
to arrange your mortgage. This may be
waived or is often now added to your
mortgage and not necessarily paid
upfront. Typically between £300-£1,000.
n Legal/Conveyancing fees – You will
have to hire a solicitor to handle the legal
side of the sale and the exchange of
deposit money to the lender’s account.
Typically set aside £1,000-£3,000. A
good solicitor should be able to help you
with information on most of the fees
mentioned below.
n Survey – Including the lender’s
valuation fee (£200-£400), Homebuyer’s
Report (£300-£600) and possibly a
Building Survey for older properties (up
to £1,000).
n Land Registry Fee – Typically between
£100-£300 for properties between
£70,000-£500,00 in value.
n Local Authority Search Fees – To
check on nearby planning permission,
etc. Approximately £50-£70 in London
Boroughs.
n Stamp Duty – as detailed in our main
feature.
n Removal fees – The cost of moving
house – whether hiring a van or paying
a removal company will vary widely,
depending on how many possessions you
have to transport.
n Building and contents insurance
– You must always take out buildings
insurance, as many lenders will insist you
having a policy as a condition of lending
to you. Contents policy is also wise.
HOMES
01
02
04
03
We Want
T H I S M O N T H ’ S H OT
PRODUCTS FOR THE HOME
01. Love print
02. Oriental Butterfly Cabinet
03. Love mugs
Want to send something a bit
more eye-catching than just a
Valentine’s card this year?
Get the message across loud
and clear with this classic
Andy Warhol print design –
‘Heart, 1984 (I love you)’. It
can be delivered direct, with
a gift message if required,
from online art print store
easyart.com. It costs £9.95
unframed or from £59
framed.
4Living offer a range of
Chinese and Japanese items
for the home, such as this
‘Butterfly Cabinet’ styled on
a traditional Fukian Cabinet.
It has been handcrafted in
solid elm wood, and sealed
with a contemporary pale
green lacquer and butterfly
motif. Butterflies symbolise
‘love and bliss’ to the
Chinese – which could make
this a rather thoughtful – if
pricey – Valentine’s gift.
His’n’his mugs, emblazoned
discreetly with the word ‘love’
– these ‘bucket mugs’ have
been designed by Keith
Brymer Jones. They’re
dishwasher and microwave
safe, and come in a gift box
set of two – which we reckon
makes them another perfect
Valentine’s gift. Two for tea,
and tea for two…
RRP From £9.95
www.easyart.com
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RRP £575
www.4living.co.uk
RRP £15.99
www.kiwifunk.com
HOMES
05
06
07
08
04. Love cushions
05. Maintenon lamp
06. Bau Light
07. Oki Nami chair
08. Whitby ceramics
Specialising in “design-led
gifts, homeware and vintage
finds” is web-based retailer
Folly. It offers several items
that would be perfect for
Valentine’s. Go to the site and
check out the prints by Ros
Shiers, or these wonderfully
soft, 100% lambswool, 40cm
x 40cm cushions, by
designers Elsy & Vine –
available in mustard or blue.
This Maintenon lamp from
bespoke furniture makers
Wesley-Barrell is constructed
from black wire with a
mercurised glass lamp
holder. The Oxfordshirebased firm has 15 showrooms
nationwide (including
London), and besides
handmade sofas and chairs,
offers an unusual and striking
range of accessories, such as
this striking piece of lighting.
How about this Normann
Copenhagen BAU pendant
light? Designed by Vibeke
Fonnesberg Schmidt, the
piece offers a marriage of
geometric shapes in a
Mondrian-style, utilising
simple hues and plain,
natural wood. Oh, and in case
you were wondering, BAU
means ‘construction’ in
German.
Heals has just unveiled some
of its additions for spring/
summer 2012. One of its key
trends is ‘Go West’, with a
wide selection of products
that draw inspiration for the
style and traditions of China
and Japan. We love the ‘Oki
Nami’ furniture from
designer Nazanin Kamali.
Typical is this chair – short,
stout, sturdy, combining both
practicality and simplicity.
Another of Heals’ key trends
this year is ‘Beside the
seaside’, with a range of
nautical-themed designs –
from cushions and
lampshades to rugs and
ceramics. We particularly like
these Whitby products – with
plates and mugs adorned
with anchors, seagulls, boats
and lighthouses. After all…
all the boys love a sailor!
RRP £39.95 each
www.follyhome.co.uk
RRP £125
www.wesley-barrell.co.uk
RRP £164 (small) £200 (large)
www.bodieandfou.com
RRP £250
www.heals.co.uk
RRP Plates - £20 (set of four)
and mugs - £8.50 each
www.heals.co.uk
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65
PROPERTY
DOING THE
LAMBETH WALK...
Situated close to the gay-friendly district of Vauxhall, the new Arundel Square
development from Henley Homes is attracting plenty of gay interest…
Lombard Lane
HENLEY HOMES
Arundel Square
Award-winning developers Henley Homes
present their latest London project,
Arundel Square (Old Paradise Street,
Lambeth SE11), a new, gated development of
two houses, two duplexes and five
apartments set in Lambeth, just a 15-minute
walk from London’s Palace of Westminster.
Demand has been exceptionally high for
these homes, which are due to be completed
in the Spring of 2012, with two-thirds of the
properties already reserved through
appointed agents, Barnard Marcus.
The houses and duplexes all offer
three bedrooms. On the ground floor, the
German bespoke kitchens are complete with
an impressive range of built-in Siemens
appliances. There are separate living spaces,
with doors leading to private gardens.
Upstairs, each property comes with two
double bedrooms, one of which has an en
suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, and a
single bedroom that could double as a home
office, as well as a fully-tiled bathroom. The
houses and duplexes benefit from underfloor
heating throughout.
Several of the light-filled apartments
offer terraces with panoramic views across
London’s cityscape, and each comes with two
bedrooms, and an open-plan kitchen/living/
dining area. The bathrooms offer smart,
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white sanitary ware, ceramic floor and wall
tiles. There is a secure video entry-system to
all apartments. All units offer generous
ceiling heights.
A good location for commuters,
Arundel Square is within walking distance
of Lambeth North and Vauxhall
underground stations, and convenient for
a number of local bus and river bus
routes. For after-work entertainment, and
within a mile’s walk of Arundel Square, is
Southbank and The Cut, abuzz with awardwinning restaurants and bars, as well as
home to the National Theatre, Royal Festival
Hall, Young and Old Vics. Vauxhall is just
walking distance away, with its famous gay
nightlife and late-night bars. Just over the
river are the open spaces of St James Park,
while Lambeth Palace Gardens are just a
five-minute walk away.
Prices for the remaining properties at
Arundel Square range from £375,000 for a
two-bedroom apartment, to £600,000 for
a three-bedroom, semi-detached house.
For further information, or to receive a
colour brochure, interested parties should
contact sole appointed agents Barnard
Marcus on 020 7735 0922.
www.sequencehomes.co.uk
With an impressive track record in creating
high-specification new developments across
London, Henley Homes are award-winning
residential and commercial developers.
A new development by Henley Homes is
located at 4-7 Lombard Lane, EC4: a collection
of nine one- and two-bedroom contemporary
apartments, set on a cobbled street in the
historic heart of London, just off Fleet Street. In
this exclusive area, known as Middle Temple,
there are only about 200 private residences so
the developers have restored the attractive
original building to the highest residential
standard.
Specification highlights include bespoke
kitchens, incorporating an impressive range of
stainless steel appliances; and fully-tiled
bathrooms with smart, white sanitaryware.
Entry to the development will be controlled via a
security card system.
The development is within walking distance
of both Blackfriars and Temple underground
stations, as well as the River Thames and some
of London’s world-renowned landmarks,
including St Paul’s Cathedral.
Prices at 4-7 Lombard Lane start from
£425,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. For
sales enquiries, call Hurford Salvi Carr on 020
7250 1012 (www.lombardlane.com)
Other recent Henley schemes have included
The Lumiere in Clapham Junction, a
development of 60 one- and two-bedroom
luxury apartments set in the listed former
Granada Cinema. The company has recently
acquired the old Lilian Baylis School, a 3.2-acre
site in Kennington, which will be developed to
offer in excess of 200 apartments, including a
high proportion of affordable homes with the
original, listed façades restored and retained.
Henley Homes is pleased to confirm the
appointment of Conran as architects on this
exciting project.
www.henley-homes.co.uk/
TRAVEL
FORT LAUDERDALE
Neil Geraghty finds that Fort Lauderdale, in its centenary year, is dusting
off the cobwebs and reinventing itself as one of Florida’s most stylish
holiday destinations...
The South Florida
beachfront city of Fort
Lauderdale recently turned
100 – and when a city in the
States celebrates its
centenary it means one thing:
it’s time for a face-lift. In
recent years, FL has been doing
just that, but in truth, the city
was overdue a makeover.
From being dubbed the ‘Venice
of America’ in the 1930s –
thanks to its expansive canal
system – Fort Lauderdale’s
languid, millionaire lifestyle
degenerated in the 1960s to
‘Spring Break’ mayhem. For 30
years, tens of thousands of
alcohol-fuelled students
descended on the city in an
annual, orgiastic pilgrimage
that made the lewder episodes
of Benidorm seem more like
Songs of Praise. Eventually, the
city authorities got so fed up
with the Spring Breakers’
debauched behaviour that they
banned drinking on the beach
altogether. Sleazy clubs and
cheap hostels disappeared and
luxury hotels began popping
up... so, once again, Fort
Lauderdale has become a
relaxing winter break
destination for gay travellers
from around the world.
In recent years, some gay
resorts have begun to seem a
little frayed around the edges
compared to their straight
counterparts. However, in the
States, there has been a real
effort to raise standards, and
nowhere is this more evident
than in Fort Lauderdale’s
Royal Palms Resort. The
original guesthouse opened in
1991 and quickly became one of
the clothing-optional grandes
dames on the gay travel circuit.
Twenty years on and The Royal
Palms acquired two
neighbouring 60s hotels,
knocked them together and
created a sparkling new resort
which opened in April 2011.
Spacious rooms have über-cool,
minimalist decor brightened
with giant, male nude
70
photographs by local gay
photographer Mark Dennis.
Rooms have 42-inch flat-screen
TVs, walk-in rain showers and
complimentary use of iPad 2s.
Guests have the choice of two
swimming pools, one with an
outdoor bar. For a real splurge,
guests can hire The Royal
Palms’ private yacht and sail
over to the nearby Bahamas for
an idyllic mini-cruise.
The resort is located a
stone’s throw from the
nearest beach, and it’s a
mystery why the town’s gay
beach hasn’t relocated here
as it’s one of the quietest
stretches of sand in Fort
Lauderdale. As it stands, the
main gay beach is a 15-minute
walk away at Sebastian Street.
Whatever the weather, it’s the
busiest stretch of sand in town.
You can really appreciate the
laid-back friendliness that is a
hallmark of Fort Lauderdale’s
gay scene. The season kicks off
in December; skies clear and
gays from the northern states
arrive in droves. With 23 miles
of pristine, palm-fringed
beaches and an idyllic, subtropical winter climate, it’s
easy to see the attraction. On a
calm day, the swimming is
sublime, but Atlantic breakers
can pummel the beach – expect
plenty of shrieking when the
boys get their hair wet. Serious
swimmers should make a
beeline to the Fort Lauderdale
Aquatic Complex to rub
shoulders with champion
swimmers in one of America’s
most famous training pools.
Don’t miss the International
Swimming Hall of Fame, a
fascinating museum tracing the
history of swimming.
Sightseeing is low-key and easy
by water taxi, which chugs
past the millionaires’ watery
playground of Las Olas Isles.
Here, forests of sleek, white
yachts bob up and down on
sleepy canals, often bigger than
the beautiful Spanish-colonialstyle villas that nestle among
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3
Pictured:
1. Fort Lauderdale beach
2. Downtown For Lauderdale
3. The gay beach at
Sebastian Street
4. Fort Lauderdale beach
5. Las Olas beach
6. Skyline and yachts
7. Skyline at dusk
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5
7
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TRAVEL
TRAVEL NEWS
Waterfront house
the palm trees. You can spot
A-listers shopping in Las Olas
Boulevard, a mile-long stretch
of beautifully-landscaped
boutique heaven. It’s also a
fantastic lunch spot, with some
stylish restaurants such as
YOLO. Grab a seat in the
shady, bamboo courtyard and
order one of its glamorous
salads. Before returning to the
beach, don’t miss the Old Fort
Lauderdale Village Historic
District, which has a cluster of
beautifully-restored early 20th
Century houses from the days
when Fort Lauderdale was a
sleepy backwater.
At night, 99% of the gay
action takes place in Wilton
Manors, one of America’s
most self-contained gay
villages. It’s located quite a
distance from the beach so it’s
worth taking a cab there early
and spending the whole
evening bar-hopping. With
over 150 gay-owned businesses,
you certainly won’t get bored!
Start the evening with dinner
at Rosie’s Bar & Grill with a
‘Big Girl Burger’ and a huge jug
of pink lemonade. From
Rosie’s, head over to Georgie’s
Alibi and get the party started
with one of their famous Long
Island Ice Teas. For mellow
grunge you can’t beat Sidelines
Sports Bar where you can pit
your skills at pool with local
all-American boys. For
international clubbing with
top-notch guest performances,
join the legion of pumped-up
Florida muscle studs at The
Manor. Country and Western
enthusiasts can don their
Stetsons at Scandals and be
prepared for some intense line
dancing and poker
tournaments. From hard sleaze
to Martini bars, Wilton
Manors has something for
everyone and, wherever you
end up, you’ll be struck by the
friendly, attitude-free warmth
of the local gay community. It’s
this that makes Fort
Lauderdale such a perennial
favourite among discerning gay
travellers.
LINKS
ACCOMMODATION
n For more information on
Fort Lauderdale please visit
www.sunny.org
n Virgin Atlantic flies daily
from London Heathrow to
Miami. Return fares in March
and April start at £386.13
return including taxes. To book
visit www.virgin-atlantic.com
or call 0844 209 7310
n Royal Palms Resort, 717
Breaker’s Ave. 001-954-5646444 www.royalpalms.com
n The Atlantic Resort & Spa,
601 N Fort Lauderdale Beach
Blvd. 001-954-567-8020
www.atlantichotelfl.com
ELVEY FARM, KENT
If you’re saving your pennies
and avoiding any long-haul
trips this year, why not instead
book a staycation at one of
England’s most beautiful
boutique hotels?
Run by partners Simon Peek
and Jeff Moody and,
unsurprisingly, very gayfriendly, Elvey Farm is a
countryside retreat that takes
some beating.
Built in 1406, this medieval
farmstead is set in the heart of
Kent countryside, surrounded
by green fields on every side.
With 11 rooms, all en suite,
this bijou former oast house,
stable block and farm offers a
delightful, secluded stopover
and a chance to enjoy south
east England. The rooms are
beautifully decorated, quiet
and private with large,
comfortable beds and
gorgeous evening meals and
breakfasts.
If you delight in birdsong
through the window and
drinkies by an inglenook
fireplace, Elvey Farm is for you.
They are also offering a special
holiday in association the
Wildlife Heritage Foundation
to photograph the big cats,
including photography lessons
and all meals.
Contact Elvey Farm on
www.elveyfarm.co.uk
Tel: O1233840442
FOOD
n YOLO (You Only Live Once) –
www.yolorestaurant.com
n Rosie’s Bar & Grill – www.
rosiesbarandgrill.com
n Galanga Thai Kitchen &
Sushi Restaurant – www.
galangarestaurant.com
n Casablanca Café – www.
casablancacafeonline.com
n ROK:BRGR – www.rokbrgr.
com
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Royal Palms
Resort
VALENTINE’S ESCAPES
Valentine’s Day is a busy one
for the travel industry. Travel
search site KAYAK.co.uk, has
monitored the spike in travel
enquiries around the February
date and has just released
information on some of the
most popular destinations for
those who really want to
impress a loved one. Where do
UK travellers jet off to for a
romantic break? Below are the
top five destinations.
1. Rome
Good food, wine and
architecture!
2. Las Vegas
Amazingly, more than 5% of all
marriages in the United States
take place in Las Vegas!
3. Venice
Another of the world’s most
romantic cities – but take
money – it’s also one of the
priciest for tourists!
4 Paris
Book Eurostar, or Air France,
who are offering return flights
from £106 for a weekend trip
(departing 10 and returning 12
February).
5. New York
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by
going ice-skating in Central
Park or underneath NYC’s
famed Rockerfeller Center
before having dinner in one of
the city’s famed restaurants.
For travel information, check
KAYAK.co.uk
TELLURIDE GAY SKI WEEK
Easily one of the biggest gay
ski weeks in the World, the
annual Telluride Gay Ski Week
returns at the end of February.
Running 25 February through
until 3 March, it all takes place
in the European-style ski
resort of Telluride, Colorado,
which is nestled in a box
canyon surrounded by the
majestic 13,000 ft peaks of the
San Juan Mountains. Like
most gay ski events the world
over, the week will offer a
heady mix of winter sports,
après ski social events and
evening parties, along with
fundraising events for the
Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB).
Official airline sponsor for the
event is American Airlines, so
you might want to check with
them first when sorting out
flights - www.aa.com/rainbow
www.telluridegayskiweek.com
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TRAVEL
EXCLUSIVE AND PROUD
Out In The City talks to Gerla Pusey-de Boer, the globe-trotting owner of the
recently launched Exclusively Pride travel agency. This new company offers
the LGBT community bespoke holiday packages to exotic destinations.
Cape Town
What prompted you
to launch
Exclusively Pride?
Gerla: Exclusively
Pride was born out
of the success of our
previous venture:
Pride of South
Africa, which
focused on travel to
the southern African
Gerla Pusey-de Boer
region. As India
opened up for the
gay market, we were excited at the
prospect and found a fantastic and trusted
partner there. So we engineered a new
brand to encompass our expertise in both
regions and added other exotic
destinations for gay and lesbian audiences.
We’re all about being ahead of the game.
What we call “exotic destinations” are ones
that may not have previously been front-ofmind for gay and lesbian travellers.
What’s your own experience in the travel
industry?
I have worked directly in the industry since
2007, both selling to consumers and trade.
The main focus during this time was
authentic and responsible travel and
because of that, I found that we were
developing a core audience of gay
travellers. But my wider experience in the
hotel, hospitality and food industries, as
well as travelling the globe myself (from
luxury travel to “off the beaten track” trips)
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Cuba
is really what makes Exclusively Pride tick.
Many travel businesses are just about
booking holidays – we’re about creating
something truly special... memorable
experiences that are hard to find
elsewhere.
What dream holiday destinations might
you recommend in 2012?
There are so many great, exotic places to
visit... it really depends on each individual
and what they like to get out of a holiday.
India is a key destination that everyone is
talking about. We’ve been working on India
for years now, so we’re ahead of the game
on the ground when it comes to gay and
lesbian travellers. Our trips are all bespoke,
but authentic things that might take your
fancy include: holidays such as Tribal
Tours, Body and Soul holidays and pure
Rest and Relax holidays. India is a
fascinating country. Many people head off
to Rajasthan first, but Kerala is a
wonderful part of the country. It is rich in
culture, has wonderful beaches and
backwaters, delicious food and the best
place to practise Yoga and enjoy Ayurveda
treatments.
Other emerging destinations that are a
must-go are Mozambique and Cuba. What
many people don’t realise is that
Mozambique is not just a beach
destination. It offers great wildlife
experiences, is rich in culture and you
might want to interact with the local
community, either by giving something
back, or by learning about their way of life.
In Gorongosa you will get an amazing
safari experience – unique to this part of
the world.
We are also working on developing Cuba at
the moment and 2012 is the time to go,
before the country changes. Because there
are many divine reasons to go: the vibe; the
art; the music; the people; the scenery; the
beaches; and not forgetting... it’s the
birthplace of the mojito.
And, of course, there is the favourite –
South Africa. Cape Town is on a roll,
especially on the art front. It is one open
art gallery, it’s a real outburst of creativity.
It is not surprising that Cape Town has
been voted World Design Capital for 2014.
One of our favourite trips is combining
Cape Town with the Victoria Falls. Start
in Cape Town, then move on to the
Winelands, take the plane to Victoria Falls
and followed it by a Big 5 safari.
Some readers may think that parts of
Africa are not gay-friendly, and may be
wary of travelling there. Are they right?
Like anywhere in the world, there are
always narrow-minded people that cause a
media-stir and taint the gay-friendly
reputations of certain destinations.
Obviously, the security and safety of our
guests is of primary importance. We only
work with trusted, vetted partners with
gay and lesbian community knowledge on
the ground. In most cases, we will have a
gay guide there too. Some places are more
gay-welcoming than others, but our guides
will help you blend in and be mindful of
local culture and customs. It’s about
respect – it works both ways. If you want to
kiss your partner in the streets, certain
destinations are not for you as it is
disrespectful of local culture, whether
straight or gay. But we’ll establish all of
this when you plan your trip.
For more details about Exclusively Pride, check
www.exclusivelypride.net
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PROPERTY
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WELLBEING
TELEVISION
TRAVEL
LEGAL
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77
HEALTH / WELLBEING / ADVICE / FITNESS / NUTRITION / GYM
make friends. It can feel like trying to
talk to people in a noisy room with
everyone else wearing headphones.
It can be a harsh and judgemental
place, but it is also full of other gay
men searching for meaning in their
lives. Remember that behind all those
facades, there are hearts feeling just
as tender as yours and it will
undoubtedly help to know some of
them, so that you do not feel so alone
on your journey.
GROOMING
PA G E 7 8
Help me Out!
Soren Stauffer-Kruse offers words
of advice and guidance…
PHOTO © CHRIS JEPSON.COM
HEART IN THE DARK
B O DY TA L K
PA G E 8 2
Dear Out,
I’m feeling completely depressed. I am
25 and I moved to London a year ago
because I wanted to live somewhere
with a gay scene, but I’ve found it a
difficult place to make friends. I have
an office job but I hate the work.
Although I’ve been applying for other
positions, I’ve not been called for any
interviews. My life feels like crap. I’m
struggling to make ends meet and
never have any money to do anything
fun. I’m wondering whether I should
move home, but there was nothing for
me in my home town. Now that I’ve
moved away from home, my family
rarely contacts me, and I spend my
evenings feeling bored and lonely. I
didn’t realise it would be so hard to
make friends in London.
Will
Dear Will,
When Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
suddenly finds herself in
Munchkinland, she realises that
although she desperately wants to go
home, the only way to go is forward:
along the yellow brick road.
You can only go forward in life and
sometimes, it is very hard to see how.
Don’t give up yet. Moving to the big
city is difficult and it takes time to get
it right. You probably know deep down
that going home will not give you the
life you want to live. So hang on to
your dream and remember that it will
take some time to get there.
It’s OK to ask for help and I am really
glad that you have written to me to do
just that.
Try to focus on one thing at a time:
you need a meaningful activity
outside work and you may as well
combine this with the possibility of
meeting other gay men outside of the
scene. London offers everything from
gay sci-fi clubs and gay swimming
club to gay men’s choirs and running
clubs. Signing up is easy and much
cheaper than the scene. Soon you will
not feel bored and lonely anymore as
you build a social network.
The scene can be a difficult place to
You need some real loving in your
life. I have talked to so many gay men
over the years who feel isolated and
lonely in the big city. Sometimes I feel
like starting a ‘lonely hearts’ club! I
wish you could hear their stories so
that you could see that believing in
your dream is the key to achieving it.
You could talk to one of the agencies
that offer free counselling for gay men
and arrange some additional support
for yourself (London Friend offers a
service like this). It may help you
understand how our minds can be the
biggest blocks to our happiness,
because we find it so difficult to hang
on to the belief that what we want in
life can become a reality.
Maybe you need to do some of these
things in order to feel a bit more at
home here before you focus on your
work life and find more direction in
your career. You are only 25 years
old! There is plenty of time to pull
things together. You just need a plan.
Maybe, like Dorothy, you need to find
your own Scarecrow, Tin-man and
Lion to realise that you have a good
brain and a big heart and that your
courage can conquer any fear.
GET IN TOUCH
Soren Stauffer-Kruse is a
Chartered Counselling Psychologist
and an expert in gay relationship and
sexual issues. If you have a problem
and are seeking advice, email
[email protected]
We regret that Soren cannot enter
into personal correspondence.
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75
GROOMING
MAINTAINING BALANCE
David Hudson meets Paul Hack, London Massage Therapist of the Year
and the man behind PH Therapies…
The idea of visiting a
massage therapist is still
regarded as an indulgence by
some, despite the fact that
they offer a range of benefits
for both mind and body.
Stripping down and allowing
another person to massage you
may prompt a shiver of
embarrassment or
apprehension,
thanks to a
reputation tainted
by unqualified
practitioners
offering
unspecified
‘extras’.
Therefore,
announcing that
one is ‘going for a
massage’ can still
prompt a raised
eyebrow or titter.
One of those
therapists looking to change all
that is Paul Hack, who runs PH
Therapies, a professional and
superior massage service based
in Islington. Paul boasts a
fistful of qualifications and
membership of a number of
recognised professional bodies.
He’s also recently been
announced as ‘London
Massage Therapist of the Year
2011’, earning the coveted
accolade after coming top in a
poll conducted online at www.
londonmassageguide.com
A visit to the best massage
therapist in London? Oh go
on… you’ve twisted my arm!
Paul is originally from
Australia, where he trained
as a dancer, performing in
successful musicals such as
Chicago, 42nd Street and Fosse,
From his dance training, he
understands the musculoskeletal system, and of the
injuries that the body can
sustain. This led to his interest
in therapeutic massage. Paul
has since gained a sports
massage diploma from the
London School of Sports
Massage and a Reflexology
Diploma at the London School
of Reflexology to complement
his other qualifications. He
80
launched himself as a massage
therapist eight years ago and,
since 2005, has been at the
Urdang Academy – a dance
school based at Finsbury Town
Hall in Islington. He works at
the school as its Artistic
Director during the day, but
has also held the position of
Treatment
Manager,
offering massage
therapy
rehabilitation in
his private
treatment room.
Entering the
Urdang
Academy is a
little like
walking on to
the set of Fame.
Paul Hack
Lithe young
things bounce
around the hallways in their
dancewear and hooded
sweatshirts. Having previously
made my appointment at PH
Therapies, I signed in and Paul
led me to his treatment room.
He offered me his standard
form to complete, asking about
my medical history, and took
plenty of time to talk to me
about his own background and
the service he offers, and also
about my own massage history
and whether I had any
particular problems that I
needed addressing.
Paul sees a cross-section
of clients – from dancers and
athletes wanting rigorous
sports massage to stressedout city workers who just
want to escape to Nirvana
for an hour with a relaxing
aromatherapy massage.
Given that I probably fall more
into the latter group, I opted
for a relaxing aromatherapy
rub down, with Paul giving
more rigorous attention to my
neck, which is often prone to
stiffness.
From his large collection of
essential oils, we chose three
different types for Paul to
blend. He suggested neroli, a
type or orange oil, while I
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requested basil and lavender –
both of which Paul said
possessed calming and relaxing
qualities. Paul began, working
from my legs up: methodically,
firmly and skillfully, never
applying too much pressure (“I
massage a lot deeper if I’m
doing sports massage”) or
causing any discomfort. It was
incredibly relaxing. I nodded
off on a couple of occasions.
An hour later I felt seriously
woozy… and was dreading
having to take myself off into
the cold January evening to
catch the bus home.
“You should sleep very well
tonight,” Paul said, and I think
I passed out as soon as my
head hit the pillow that
evening: the best night’s sleep
that I’ve had in weeks.
Paul’s prices are very
competitive: £55 for a onehour standard sports
massage, while his
aromatherapy treatment is
£65 for an initial
consultation and then £55
for one-hour follow-ups.
Discounts are available if you
book up to five sessions in
advance.
Massage fans will want to
check out London’s ‘Massage
Therapist of the Year’; but if
you’ve yet to experience your
first massage, I can’t think of a
safer or more knowledgeable
pair of hands in which to place
yourself.
For full prices, check out
the PH Therapies website:
www.phtherapies.com
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81
fitness
My body
Aaron Cage
did you start
QWhen
working out?
At 17. I was the clichéd weakling,
weighing 98lbs… but determined
to get bigger. At 6’4’’, I looked like
the front end of a giraffe… with
arms! Here I am, 27 years later,
and I still love going to the gym.
Q
HOW TO GET A
BODY like
aaron
1. You won’t get
results over night.
Building your body
takes hard work,
dedication and
consistency. If you
are a gym novice,
attending the gym
three times a week
is a good start.
Stick to that
routine for a couple
of months, then
take your workouts
to the next level.
What’s your typical gym
routine?
My routine is two days on, one day
off, but the body part is split into
three: chest/triceps; back/biceps;
and legs/shoulders; with abs
whenever. I don’t do any cardio
(I’m lucky!). Actual exercises vary
from day to day. I go with what I
feel like on the day. I do not bench
press. I find that the taller you are,
the better the results are by using
dumbbells to train your pecs.
Something to do with
biomechanics, I guess. Who
knows? I just know it works.
2. N O Explode is a
pre-training
supplement that
helps boost muscle
efficiency. It’s best
taken half an hour
before a work out on
an empty stomach,
but is aimed more at
serious body builders
rather than at
beginners.
sort of weights do
QWhat
you lift now?
Heavy. If you want to put muscle
on or keep what you’ve got, it’s the
only way. I always start a workout
with two sets of warm- ups for the
body part concerned. The first set
is 50% of the workout weight,
then 75%. These do not count as
my exercise sets, so it’s usually
three or four sets after this, then
three or four sets for all the
following exercises. I’m usually at
the heavy end of the dumbbell
rack for most exercises, but I don’t
like giving out weights. Everyone
is at different stages and anyone
trying to copy my weights may
injure themselves if they aren’t at
the required level. I’ve never had
an injury in training, nor do I want
to induce one in others!
won’t get results. The only other
supplement is N O Explode. This
gives a great ‘pump’ while
working out. I know some who
take it before they go out clubbing.
It certainly gives you a (legal) lift.
you take any
QDo
nutritional
Q
supplements?
Definitely. While nothing replaces
good solid food, a protein shake
before or after gym ensures that
you are going to get protein. It’s
usually carbohydrates that are the
reason most people don’t get
results. They seem to have
developed a bad reputation. If you
aren’t eating enough
carbohydrates to fuel your
workouts and your growth, you
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Do you have any
personal workout
advice or tips?
I used to work as a personal
trainer. Best tip is, in the
beginning, aim small. While it’s
great to have a picture of the final
product you want to be, plan for it
by setting smaller goals on the
way. My first goal, I’d advise
clients, is to get to a gym regularly.
Simple enough to say, but it seems
newbies will find any excuse not
to go. Start off aiming for three
days a week, a whole body
programme. Once going to the
gym is incorporated into your
lifestyle, the next goal –
consistency – will follow. If you’ve
never been to the gym before,
expect some negativity from
friends. This may come in the
form of chuckles, etc. Ignore
them. It’s just not what they are
used to about you. Change that
expectation! With consistency
come results and a goal achieved.
Time for a new goal and then...
repeat until you get to the final
product.
3. Carbohydrate is
not the enemy! You
need a good supply
of protein (for muscle
growth) and
carbohydrate (for
energy) in your diet
to achieve the best
results in the gym.