A massive petition calling on Apple and Google to remove a ‘gay cure’ app has been partially successful as iTunes removes the application.
The app, called Setting Captives Free, which offers to cure users of their homosexuality, was a free download available for iPhone users and people with an Android phone.
Yesterday iTunes seemingly removed the app after over 50,000 people signed a petition at AllOrg.org.
However the app still remains available on the Google Play store.
If you’d like to sign the petition visit:
https://www.allout.org/en/actions/gaycureapp?utm_source=platform&utm_medium=email&utm_content=english&utm_campaign=gaycureapp&t=dXNlcmlkPTE2MDU3OTQxLGVtYWlsaWQ9MjE5NzE=
An app that offers users to cure their gayness, is currently available to download from the Apple and Google Android stores.
AllOut.org have published a petition which calls for the iPhone maker Apple and Google’s Android store to pull the smart-phone app. The petition has already garnered over 26,000 signatures.
A statement from the AllOut website reads,
‘Gay ‘cures’? There shouldn’t be an app for that. But, there’s a new one called “Setting Captives Free,” available in both the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores, meant to teach you how to stop being gay.
It’s a 60-day course that tells gay people they are not “born this way” and offers to help them find “freedom from the bondage of homosexuality.”
These so-called treatments can cause terrible harm to lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people, or anyone forced to try to change who they are or who they love.
Apple and Google have policies against these kinds of apps but so far this one has escaped their notice. Sign now to tell them to drop this and all other gay ‘cure’ apps!’ Sign the petition now
Oxford Pride is readying to kick off its Pride week with its launch on the 31st May.
The Pride which celebrates its tenth year, is kicking off its Pride week with a launch party at the Boiler Room Gallery, Jam Factory, 27 Park End Street OX1 1HU – Featuring speeches & entertainment including an interactive performance by Stavroula Kounadea
Then later on there is the after party at The Plush Lounge, 27 Park End Street OX1 1HU – Sponsored by Plush. Open to the public from 10.00pm to late.
In March 2013 Oxford Pride received registered charity status.
NOT THERE YET
Oxford Pride’s theme for Pride 2013 is “Not There Yet”, examining that whilst we have come a long way in recent years in terms of LGBT rights, we still have a way to go to achieve full equality.
Globally, there are over seventy countries that outlaw homosexuality, and far more where same-sex marriages are not permitted, whether labelled as ‘marriage’ or otherwise. Despite the fact that homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty in Uganda, LGBT Ugandans held their first Pride
Parade last year with nearly a hundred risking their lives and turning ut for the festivities.
Whilst we in the UK don’t have to fear legal repercussions for our orientation or gender identities like many in other countries do, we still have a way to go to achieve full equality, and the ability to live free from discrimination.
OXFORD PRIDE is a 10-day arts and cultural festival from Friday 31 May to Sunday 9 June. You are invited to join in the celebration of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer life in Oxfordshire.
A vote due to take place on Monday 3rd June to legalise same-sex marriage in the UK has been delayed by a day.
The bill, which is to be voted upon in the Lords will now take place on Tuesday 4th June 2013 in the daytime after ‘supporters warned voting in the early hours could put the bill at risk’ reports Pinknews.co.uk
Around 80 peers are due to debate the bill which raised concerns that the vote could have been delayed until 2.00AM.
Speaking to Huffington Post, shadow equalities minister Baroness Thornton said, ‘significant number of peers who wanted to support the bill would not be “strong enough to stay until 3am in the morning”.
The bill was debated and voted upon in the House of Commons and must be voted on in the House of Lords in order to become law.
Manchester Gay Village has a long history that makes it truly vintage. Starting as an underground scene in the sixties, through the decades it has transformed to what it is today: one of the most vibrant gay scenes in the UK. In this article, we’ll cover the significant events that led to this transformation, describe the Village today and briefly contemplate its future.
In the 60s the area that would become the Village was deserted following the collapse of the cotton industry. Having been industrialised it was a gloomy part of the city with little life. The night visitors to the area were either men looking for prostitutes or the prostitutes themselves.
At this point it was still illegal for men to have sex with men, gay people were isolated, not seen as part of society and often encouraged to conform and get married to someone of the opposite sex.
The New Union Pub started out as a place for men to meet female prostitutes, but it soon started to attract a small number of gay men. Female prostitutes and gay men might sound like an odd combination, but it was a relationship of mutual legal protection. If the Police ever raided, the prostitutes would pretend to be the gay men’s girlfriends so that neither could be arrested for their respective crimes: prostitution or men that are having sex with men.
In 1967 after campaigning in Manchester, London and other cities the law was changed so that men having sex with men were no longer doing anything illegal, but societal attitudes would take longer to change.
In the 70s the civil rights movement in Manchester continued to campaign for equality. The Rembrandt Pub opened as well as one or two others; but these few venues were regularly raided by the police aiming to catch gay men engaging in sexual activity in public places. The police applied the law unfairly, as it was only applied to gay men and often the attitudes of police officers were perceived as homophobic.
Then the early 80s came and along with it HIV/AIDS. This caused an increase in homophobia in society but caused the gay community to stand together. In the Village the Thompson Arms seemed to have opened at around this time, if not slightly earlier.
By the late 80s more gay people were coming out. In Manchester protests against Section 28 took place that passed through the city centre, the Village and ended at the town hall. At one of these Manchester protests around 20,000 people marched and what was significant was that: they weren’t all gay. In the Village New York, New York, Queen Club (now Company Bar) and Napoleons opened at around this time. The New Union and Rembrandt were still going strong.
In the late 80s Manchester Pride was also born, although it wasn’t named as that until many years later. It started with the owners of Rembrandt, Napoleons and the New Union wanting to do something on the August Bank Holiday weekend, the main event in the first year was an afternoon bring and buy sale. The vigil aspect came a few years later, when the gay people of Manchester started losing their friends, lovers and life partners to HIV/AIDS.
The 90s brought a glass-fronted revolution started by the newly opened Manto bar. Before Manto the Village had a very “behind closed doors” feel to it, and this glass-fronted venue was symbolic of being: out and proud. New bars sprang up including Metz, Prague 5 (now G-A-Y), Vanilla and Via Fossa. Poptastic and Cruz 101 clubs opened around this time as well.
The late 90s brought Queer As Folk, a TV programme that dramatised life of three gay men in the Village. It was aired on Channel 4 and signified that there had been a major shift in societal attitudes towards gay people.
By the noughties the Village was similar to as it is now but the construction of The Beacon of Hope was significant. The Beacon of Hope stands on the edge of the canal in Sackville Park. It is a beautiful artistic steal structure that lights up in the evening symbolic of remembrance. Although we’ve moved on, we’ve not forgotten our gay brothers and sisters who’ve been lost to HIV/AIDS.
The Village today is a clean and bright setting with plenty of bars and clubs that gives it a vibrant atmosphere. It has the Village Business Association (business owners group), the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (a charity aimed at improving the health & well-being of gay people), Manchester Pride (one of the biggest pride events in the country) and a myriad of community groups around every sort of leisure activity you could imagine. If you want to find out more about Manchester Gay Village, see our guide to gay Manchester
Looking at the Village’s history one thing that is clear: it has always brought the gay community of Manchester together. Once together gay people have always instigated the change they want to happen. As long as the Village continues to bring the gay community together, be a part of the changes and keep up with them, it’s future will remain secure.
Antony Simpson, writer of this article wasn’t born until the mid-eighties. So in addition to speaking to some of his older friends who witnessed to some of the historic events in this article, he would also like to reference the following sources:
The number of people who attended an anti-gay marriage rally has been revised from the organiser’s estimation of 1 million down to 150,000
Seen as a last-ditch attempt to derail the new bill that legalises same-sex marriage in France, thousands of protesters demonstrated.
PinkNews.co.uk has reported the number of those taking part at around 150,000 whilst the rally’s organisers, La Manif Pour Tous (Demo For All) have reported extreme figures of one million demonstrators.
The new bill, which was signed into law by President Francois Holland, has caused much controversy in France, after it made France the 14th nation to recognise same-sex marriage earlier in May 2013
Thousands of riot police were mobilised after an increasing number of the crowd became violent, when illegal teargas canisters and fireworks were reportedly used as weapons.
Around 50 people were arrested – and a vehicle was seized after masks, banners and smoke bombs were discovered inside.
The Independent reports:
About 200 young people, many of them masked, pelted police lines with bottles, stones, fireworks and flares. The crowd – led bizarrely at one stage by a lone bagpiper – chased and beat up TV crews and press photographers. Police and gendarmes responded with tear gas and baton charges.
There were surreal battle scenes on the Esplanade des Invalides beside the foreign ministry as 200 gendarmes in riot gear formed into defensive squares to beat off attacks from running bands of protesters. Although a hard core of about 200 hard-right youths started the fighting, many hundreds of other, soberly dressed, middle-class protesters cheered them on.
Based in the fictional Cutlers Grammar School in Sheffield, this award winning play tells the story of a group of young students as they prepare for university interviews at Oxford and Cambridge.
The headmaster of the school is determined to propel the school up the ranks of the league tables by increasing the number of pupils who are accepted by the prestigious establishments. In his resolve to do so, he enlists a supply teacher called Irwin, whose sole responsibility is to fully prepare the boys by employing a rigid teaching structure and encouraging them to stick strictly to stock answers, whether they believe what they are saying to be true or not. This approach is in stark contrast with that taken by the boy’s favourite teacher, Hector, who is eccentric and laid back, revelling in the joy of knowledge, whilst encouraging the boys in their free thinking and exploration of their own interests, allowing them to forge their own educational path. Unfortunately, one of Hector’s interests is taking the young students out on his motorcycle and touching them up, something that the boys seem to readily accept as harmless fun, but which eventually leads to a confrontation between Hector and the headmaster. As the two teachers and their respective teaching styles clash and the young boys turn into young men, the relationships between the students, both with each other and with the staff, is examined which leads to tension, sexual angst and divided loyalties.
Sheffield Theatres once again excels, this time with their production of this award winning Alan Bennet play, which has a wordy, warm and witty script. Within its critique of the education system and its social commentary on the almost hierarchical nature of learning, the play also explores, both gently and more blatantly, a number of themes surrounding the often painful transition into adulthood and aspects of accepting and coming to terms with homosexuality and sexuality in general. Posner (beautifully played by Oliver Coopersmith) says at one point “I’m a Jew. I’m small. I’m a homosexual. And I live in Sheffield. I’m f***ed”. This neatly sums up his frustration at his status as the youngest of the class and more importantly, his unrequited and unconditional love for his fellow pupil, Dakin (played by Tom Rhys Harris). Dakin is a cocksure and bravado filled young man, who relishes in his ladies’ man status, yet who develops a deep admiration for and relationship with his teacher, Irwin. This leads to the point where Dakin propositions Irwin and offers himself readily; causing Irwin to face his own closeted sexuality. There is also the darker undertone running through the play of the abuse of position and trust by the teachers, Hector who is touching the boys when he takes them out on his motorcycle (much to Posner’s annoyance that it is never “his turn”) through to the direct confrontation between Dakin and Irwin whereby Irwin’s teaching of the importance, or otherwise, of the truth is challenged.The set made excellent use of the Crucible’s unique stage, effortlessly merging the scenes and creating a real school hall feel, from the parquet gym floor to the strip lighting, the PE benches to the plastic chairs. The play was well directed, ensuring the whole audience felt included and addressed. The performances were all of a very high quality, especially from Edwin Thomas who excelled as Irwin in what is his professional stage debut. Matthew Kelly undertook his role of Hector with a quiet confidence, but his performance was overtaken by the lead boys, namely Will Featherstone as Scripps, Tom Rhys Harris as Dakin and Oliver Coopersmith expertly demonstrating the teenage angst of burgeoning sexuality.The play was scattered with bridging sequences for the set changes, which involved short, loud blasts of electro new romantic and punk music accompanied by over exaggerated schoolboy dancing. These segments which sharply transported you back to your own school days were entertaining and nicely contrasted with calmer, more classic aspects of the script. The script was wordy, with long soliloquies delivered by the characters, but was punctuated with warm and gentle comedy delivered by likeable characters. The play was slightly long for me (perhaps it could have been around 20 minutes shorter), but this is not a criticism of the production in any way and more a reflection on the type of theatre I prefer. Overall, it was exceptionally well performed, staged and presented and was a memory invoking, through provoking piece of quasi-nostalgia tinged theatre which tackles head on a number of social issues within the education system.
The History Boys is currently at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until the 8th June 2013.
Tesco has become the second major retailer to be criticised in recent months for gendering the sale of its children’s toys.
Boots previously displayed science toys for boys and ‘domestic games’ or Tea Sets for girls. Clearly boys or men do not drink tea and girls cannot be expected to understand the science behind every day things? It is not only sexist, it is socially damaging
Segregating toys by gender, and denying children the chance to develop their interests, damages formative education and perpetuates gendered constructs into later learning. The World Bank’s 2012 report on Gender Equality and Development argues that it is “stereotypes within the education system, norms governing gender roles in the household that constrain a woman’s choice of occupation.” Indeed, early learning impacts educational and academic choices and leads to limited talent pools for ‘atypical’ occupations.
Children’s author Megan Peel writing in the Guardian highlights that “Boots is a science-based company that employs many female pharmacists, opticians and chemists and should know better than to discriminate in this way.” Indeed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) suffers from low representation of women in their sector and therefore compete for the few candidates in order to attract a diverse workforce. A 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce found only one in seven engineers is female and less than 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees in computer science go to women, even though female graduates hold 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees. Industry news site The Engineer suggests that women constitute just 8.7% of professional engineers in the UK – much lower than China where more than a third of engineers are women. So Tesco’s defending of their chemistry sets as ‘for boys’ and toy cookers as being ‘for girls’ is aggravating existing gender imbalances; which are clearly socially constructed.
What also perplexes me – why is it always down to the women to challenge unconscious bias? I watched the BBC Breakfast covering this story and Suzanna Reid proudly asserted that ‘there is nothing wrong with a boy playing with dolls’ but she was met by a stifled sneer from Bill Turnbull who quickly deflected to a spokesperson from @LetToysBeToys. Even the sample of ‘everydaypeople’ spoken to on the street reflected a very gendered approach – one man said that he didn’t expect a boy to play with Barbie while a young mother (her baby boy in tow) said ‘if he wants a doll, he’ll have a doll!’ Why do men feel they have to police gender?
This also has further implications for the LGBT communities. Men feel they are expected to reinforce the differences between them and women, with gay and bisexual men seeming to blur these boundaries; whether through alternative choice of toys, clothing or employment.
The Gay British Crime Survey 2008 conducted by Stonewall highlights that the majority of victims of homophobic hate crime are young gay men, administered by males under the age of 25. For me gendering toys is homophobic and misogynistic, the two often linked. Every gay friend of mine at university had a My Little Pony. In fact when I had my tonsils out as a child I was rewarded with a toy of my choice – and what did I choose? Yes, a My Little Pony. Despite some initial reservations, my parents did not deny their child his wish and I feel that their support for my ‘different’ behaviour has helped my creativity and ability to seek out what I really want in life, rather than what I feel is expected or demanded of me.
Institutional gendering of toys perpetuates negative and limiting constructions of gender. They also reinforce the binary of male or female, thus excluding those along the gender spectrum leading to the disproportionately high levels of isolation, depression and suicide amongst the transgender community. The National Centre for Transgender Equality (NCTE) estimates that between 30-50% of the transgender community has attempted suicide at least once. Although this is not immediately correlated with gender construction alone, it does highlight one barrier to be overcome by those transitioning between one gender and the other, especially when considering the young.
The EverydaySexism.com site lists reams and reams of cases where prejudice against the gender spectrum is enacted on a daily, and often unchallenged, basis. Much of the examples are ignored or disregarded as too widespread, low-level or unchangeable. But if we all do not challenge these consistent inequalities and unfairness then they will not change. It is not ‘petty’ to demand equal pay (as it was deemed until 1975), women and men are not simply ‘acting up’ if they do not want to be spoken about as sexual objects and it is not acceptable as a mother or father to deny your daughter a science kit or your son a tea set; if they prefer an Action Man or Barbie then at least you have a child who knows and speaks their mind – isn’t that what a self-fulfilled adult is all about?
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According to director, Steven Soderbergh, the Hollywood studios refused to finance “Behind the Candelabra”, so it ended up being made as a TV movie by HBO.
t seems the movie was deemed too gay (post Brokeback Mountain, really?) and so, though it is getting a cinema release here in the UK (out on June 7), in the USA, it will only be seen on television.
If I’m honest, the movie does rather betray its origins as a TV movie, albeit a very enjoyable one with high production values and excellent performances.
Production designer Howard Cummings, and set designer Barbara Munch-Cameron went to great pains to ensure the movie looks authentic, and many of the props, the pianos and the cars, are actually ones that Liberace himself owned, found on extensive scavenging trips to various antique dealers and prop buyers; some on loan from the Liberace museum. Liberace’s Las Vegas mansion and Los Angeles penthouse are revealed in all their lavishly over the top, glitzy, rococo splendour and the costumes, by Ellen Mirojnick, are detailed reproductions of ones worn by Liberace and Scott Thorson.
Not wanting to make a traditional biopic, Soderbergh has concentrated on the period spanning the relationship of Liberace and Thorson, adding a short coda that takes in Liberace’s death from AIDS and his funeral, and is mostly based on Thorson’s book “Behind the Candelabra”. During this period, Thorson gained a lot of weight, then lost it again, and both Liberace and Thorson underwent plastic surgery.
Even if one knows little about Liberace, the story is a familiar one, basically a celebrity marriage that goes wrong. The end of Liberace’s relationship with Thorson is already there in the beginning. When Thorson first meets Liberace, we also meet Liberace’s current lover, a relationship that has obviously soured, so it is no surprise when the scene is replicated later in the film, this time with a young dancer taking the Thorson role, and Thorson taking the role of the disgruntled lover. There is no doubt about the love and affection the two men have for each other at the beginning of the relationship, but things take a bizarre turn when Liberace decides he would like to adopt Thorson, and asks Thorson to undergo plastic surgery to make him look more like Liberace’s younger self.
Having settled into domestic bliss, they have both gained weight, and the idea comes to him after Liberace sees himself on TV on the Jonny Carson show, declaring he looks like his father in drag. He enlists the help of Dr Jack Startz, a plastic surgeon and dietician (brilliantly played by Rob Lowe, with a completely immobile face). Quite how the make-up department achieved the amazing before and after transformations I am not sure, but they have done so brilliantly.
Soderbegh’s direction is not always sure footed, and the film drags a little in the middle, which might be less noticeable in the context of a TV movie. He does however get wonderful performances out of his all star cast. Aside from the aforementioned Rob Lowe, there are some great cameos from Dan Ackroyd, Scott Bakula and Debbie Reynolds (remember her?), but the movie succeeds or fails on the work of its two stars, and both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon give faultless performances. Damon is thoroughly believable as the star struck young innocent who gradually descends into drug addiction, and Michael Douglas quite simply gives one of the best performances of his career.
It would have been so easy, and so tempting, to overplay the role and come up with a clownish caricature, but Douglas completely avoids that trap, and comes up with a performance of great subtlety. If the movie had a cinema release in America, he would no doubt be in line for an Oscar. As it is, surely he’ll walk away with the Emmy.
Whether you’re looking for a film about a gay icon or whether it is a gay icon in a starring role, the cinema is the perfect place to track down your favourite idol.
The question of what defines someone as a vintage icon is a difficult one, whether it is their looks, their sexuality, their personal life or their work for equal rights. But taking the definition in its widest sense, here are six of the best films which, for various reasons, are perfect examples.
Evita
Icon status – Madonna is undeniably a gay icon for many reasons. A long and successful career and a devil may care attitude combine with her longstanding dedication to bringing gay rights to the attention of the public. Whether it is by dressing up as a boy scout, in her song lyrics, in the company she keeps or by expressing her sexuality through her creative output, she has been prominently in the public eye when it comes to issues of equality, HIV and AIDs or commenting upon change.
The film – What could be better than Madonna doing what she does best in this film which is, in essence, a two hour music video? But in the expert hands of director, Alan Parker, Madonna gives a career defining performance as Eva Peron, a poor villager who sleeps, manipulates and carefully plots her way to the arms and bed of the Argentinian President, becoming adored by the people and a strong political influence behind the scenes. But all the time, her self-serving ways are never far from her and as the people around her start to realise her motives, a split in the country and the political party starts to appear. Based on the concept album and subsequent stage show by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, this is a sumptuously filmed movie with a golden globe winning performance from Madonna, who has never been better in an acting role, excellent support from Antonio Banderas and a soundtrack which you just can’t help singing along to.
Further suggested viewing – In Bed with Madonna; I’m Going to Tell You a Secret; A League of Their Own
The Colour Purple
Icon Status – Whoopi Goldberg has a cult following in America and is a prominent activist for gay rights. In 2010, Whoopi joined Cyndi Lauper for the launch of the Give A Damn campaign, to raise awareness of LGBT discrimination. She frequently defends the LGBT community on her talk show The View and in 1987 spoke at the historic March on Washington for Gay Rights. In 2013, she has been honoured by the Human Rights Campaign as the 2013 recipient of the organization’s Ally For Equality Award, which is “given to allies outside the LGBT community who stand up on behalf of equality for all Americans”. But she is also an Academy Award winning actress, singer, songwriter, and comedienne and, to top that list off, has appeared in the Absolutely Fabulous special “Gay”.
The Film – Adapted from the novel by Alice Walker, the Colour Purple tells the story of a black woman, Celie, growing up in 1930’s Georgia. Forced into marriage and living under the hand of her tyrannical husband, known as Mister, the film follows her transformation from a shy and awkward youth to empowered and a strong and independent woman. She empowers herself by being surrounded by people who love, support and care for her. She also forms a friendship with, and a deep love for, a beautiful and sultry lounge singer, Shug, and the two women form a bond which allows Celie to realise that she does not have to be the person that she has been told she has to be. This simply stunning film was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, was directed by Steven Spielberg and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. This touching and beautiful film is an often forgotten gem.
Further suggested viewing – Ghost; Sister Act; Made In America.
Milk
Icon Status –Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected into public office in California. Initially, gay rights were not at the forefront of his agenda, but as his time in politics grew, so did his passion for the subject. During his relatively short 11 months in office, he passed a stringent gay rights ordinance for the city of San Francisco (where he lived), using the increasing political and economic power of the Castro District (San Francisco’s gay village) to push through changes. Tragically assassinated in 1978, he remains an icon and martyr in the San Francisco community and has been described as “the most famous and significantly open LGBT politician ever elected in the United States”.
The Film – Starring Sean Penn, the film tells the story of the political career and the tragic end to the life of Harvey Milk. Addressing his movements into politics, detailing his political battles against the limitation of the rights of gay people and his ideals in life, the film was a critical and commercial success. Securing a total of 8 Academy Awards, Penn won an Oscar for best actor in a lead role and the film also won for best original screenplay. Released in 2008, at the time when California were debating Proposal 8, an anti-gay marriage proposal which in some way mirrored the anti-gay rights legislation in Proposal 6 which is addressed in the film itself, it proves that the themes explored from the 70’s are as relevant today as they were then.
Further suggested viewing – The Times of Harvey Milk (a 1984 documentary).
Rebel Without A Cause
Icon Status – James Dean has long been considered a gay icon. His rugged, chiselled good looks, his masculinity and his status of the epitome of cool set him apart from other actors of his era. There were questions about his ambivalent approach to sexuality and debates about his sexuality have long been circulated. He is alleged to have slept with both men and women, but whether that was true and if so, whether it was for pleasure or to forward his career will forever remain a mystery. When asked if he was a homosexual, he replied “No, I am not a homosexual, but I am also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back”. The Gay Times Readers’ Awards have previously cited him as the male gay icon of all time. He is often said to be the epitome of cool and effortlessly projected an image of rebellion, non-conformity and, more importantly, living his life how he wished to live it.
The Film – Dean plays Jim Stark, a 17 year old young man who moves with his family to LA where he runs into difficulties with the local gang, finds love with a beautiful young woman and becomes a father figure to a 15 year old local trouble causer. He is increasingly frustrated by his family who don’t understand him and finds himself drawn into a feud with the local gang leader which results in tragic consequences. The film about confused, middle class adolescents was seen as an antithesis of the films around the time which depicted delinquents in the urban slums. Dean radiates charisma in his role and the film was ground-breaking in its portrayal of the moral decay of American youth.
Further suggested viewing – Giant; East of Eden.
Burlesque
Icon Status – Cher has been a stalwart of the idolisation of gay men for many years, especially in the USA. Her ability to transform her image and her musical style, coupled with her catchy, camp tunes, her high-spirited stage shows and her daring and non-conformist attitude confirm her icon status. But aside from her ability to not take herself too seriously (her appearance in Will & Grace is evidence of this), her music and her acting career, she is also a strong advocate for gay rights (supporting both the community and the parents of GLBT people) and has publically supported her oldest child, Chaz Bono who stated that he was transgender in 2009.
The Film – Ali Rose, (Christina Aguilera), a young country girl with an extraordinary singing voice, leaves her dead end life in small town rural America and heads to LA to make her fortune. She stumbles across a Burlesque club, run by a good natured and motherly woman called Tess (Cher). Within the amber tinged bar, she finds employment, friendship and a very attractive roommate, Jack Miller (played by the ridiculously handsome Cam Gigandet). Amazed at her remarkable talent, Tess makes her the star of the show. But can the novelty of singing live save the cash strapped club from a hostile takeover and will Jack and Ali ever admit their true feelings for each other? This film is corny and cheesy, but has a charm all of its own. It has a paper thin and highly predictable plot. But that is not the reason to watch this film. The skimpy and seductive costumes coupled with the exuberant and energetic burlesque musical numbers (performed with an almost overdose level of camp), mark the tone of the film. There are two icons for one in here, (both Cher and Aguilera have a huge gay following) and you get a naked Gigandet hiding his modesty under nothing but a packet of cereal. Throw in one of Madonna’s backing dancers and add Cher belting out a power ballad and you have a cheesy campfest which should be watched for what it is, which is just damn good, but terribly corny, camp fun.
Further suggested viewing – Moonstruck; Mask; Mermaids.
Icon Status – The outstanding Sir Ian McKellan has appeared in many successful films, been in Coronation Street, played the Dame in pantomime, has performed on stage in the West End, Broadway and worldwide and is an openly gay man who is prominent in his active campaigning for equal rights. He has won numerous awards for his acting career and appeared in blockbusters like the X-Men series and The Lord of the Rings films, but has also done less mainstream films, such as his update of Richard III. Since coming out in 1988, Sir McKellan has often spoken and written about gay issues. He is a co-founder of Stonewall UK. He has had a high level presence at Gay Pride events in London and around the world and states that his most urgent concern is legal and social equality for gay people worldwide. Coupled with that, he is one of the nicest people you could wish to meet and always makes time for people at Pride events. How could this talented and dedicated man fail to make a list of vintage icons?
The Film –Gods and Monsters is the story of James Whale, the gay 1930’s film director, best known for making the Universal Pictures version of Frankenstein. This film follows the latter part of his life, when Whale is a fragile figure, who is physically and emotionally slowly giving up. He reminisces about gay pool parties of his youth and teases a star struck fan that comes to interview him for a magazine. But his new gardener, Clayton Boone, (played by Brendon Frasier) is a young, attractive and muscular straight man and he and Whale strike up an unlikely and, at times, uneasy friendship. Asking his young muse to pose nude for his life drawing, Whale’s obsession with his friend deepens. But to what end? Sir McKellan was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in this film, and rightly so. The film oozes class and explores the nature of the relationship between Whale and Boone in a sensitive manner. The film draws you in with its subtlety and culminates in an emotional gut punch. It is the perfect vehicle for demonstrating what an exceptional actor Sir McKellan is.
Further suggested viewing – Walter; Richard III; X-Men; Apt Pupil; The Lord of The Rings.
The anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), infamous for its ‘God Hates Fags’ picketing and signage has blamed the death of a soldier slain in Woolwich on God hating the UK, gays and soldiers.
CREDIT: Westboro Baptist Church
Taking to Twitter last night the homophobic Church WBC posted this picture named ‘ First Thoughts’ to its 14,000 followers, which read: ‘Not Blessed, Just Cursed’, ‘Fags Doom Nations’ and ‘God Is Your Terrorist’.
The Twitter post was published just hours after a soldier was killed in a suspected terror attack in Woolwich, London. One man who was captured on camera said he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day. The victim was killed outside army barracks and it is reported he was wearing a Help For Heroes UK t-shirt.
Two men were seen brandishing a meat cleaver and machete, with bloodied hands by shocked witnesses. The attack happened in broad daylight.
Two men were shot by police at the scene and were taken into custody; one man is in hospital in a ‘serious’ condition.
The outspoken Church WBC has repeatedly gotten itself into hot water over its bigotry and controversial means of picketing, even earning themselves a ban from entering the UK in 2009 and in 2007 were ordered to pay $10.9m after its members cheered a soldier’s death as “punishment” for tolerance for gay people in the US.
A petition on the White House’s We The People website has gained nearly 360,000 signatures since December. The petition calls to recognise Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.
