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  • FILM REVIEW | Private Romeo

    ★★★★★ | Private Romeo

    Over a weekend eight male high school cadets are left behind when the rest of the McKinley Military Academy go away on an exercise and they are ordered to carry on with their studies regardless.

    In the English Literature Class, they are studying ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the two young men reading the leads begin to take it all very seriously and live their roles as the star-crossed lovers for real.

    Rather than the city of Verona, the setting is the hallway, gym and dorms of the School, and whilst the script is punctuated with occasional references to their daily routine, it sticks faithfully to Shakespeare’s glorious text. It transforms the piece into a modern-day gay tragedy.

    This totally enchanting production by writer/director Alan Brown of shirtless teenagers falling in love with each other and spouting this magical prose is a real breath of fresh air. The energy and exuberance of the talented young cast oozes through, and what they may occasionally lack in technique certain more than compensates with such enthusiasm which makes all of their performances so very watchable, especially Hale Appleman as Mercutio.

    This is not one for Shakespearian purists but if you ever had the same good fortune of ever catching Joe Calcaro’s play ‘Shakespeare’s R & J’ (which I was lucky enough to see Off Broadway in the late 1990s) which served as the inspiration, then you will love this one.

    A refreshing wee gem of a movie.

  • UK YouTube Sensation Georgie Comes Out As Gay

    UK based Vlogger Georgie, 16, has officially come out on YouTube on his one year anniversary of Vlogging in a video called simply, Coming Out.

    During his 12-minute video, Georgie talks about his experience of coming out at school and the bullying he was subjected to. His torments were so bad after the news spread around his school, he said he had to get changed for PE/gym class, at a separate time from the rest of his male classmates and had to be escorted to the changing rooms by a teacher.

    He posted the video along with this message:

    “This video is in honor(sic) of my Channelversary, some of you may’ve known and some not. This was a very hard video for me to post, I’m not sad in this because I can now say that i’m happy and confident with who I am, I hope this helps some of you who are going through the same thing or something similar, just remember that you’re never alone. I hope you still support me, love you always x”

  • ISIS Execute “Gay” Man By Stoning As He Lays Defenceless On Ground

    Islamic State fighters have reportedly thrown another man, accused of being gay, off a building and stoned him to death after he survived the fall.

    The campaigning group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a Syrian-based campaign against ISIS and the Assad regime, have reported that a man accused of being gay was thrown from a building in Iraq and stoned on the ground after surviving the fall.

    A crowd on the ground watched as a number of masked men, some of whom were pointing assault rifles at the victim, threw the man from a two storey building, a fall that would not have resulted in his death, but one that would have resulted in painful injuries.

    One of the photos published shows the man mid-fall from the building, as up to eleven men are seen on top of the building. One of the men is flying a flag apparently bearing the symbol of ISIS. Meanwhile, a photo shows a large crowd of spectators, including children, watching the entire execution.

    Homosexuality is forbidden under Islamic State. Men who are accused of homosexuality are often thrown from building tops, before being stoned to death as they lay defenceless on the ground from injuries sustained by the fall.

    The pictures surfaced less than a month after two men were hugged by ISIS fighters before being put to death in Homs, in Syria.

  • INTERVIEW | Coco Peru: Up To Old Tricks

    The irrepressible Clinton Leupp has been performing as the fabulously hilarious Miss Coco Peru for over 24 years now.

    With his razor-sharp wit and those deer-in-the-headlights attention-grabbing eyes, his latest hit show ‘Have You Heard’ reaffirms his position as one of the best drag performers trotting around the globe these days. A storyteller, monologist, actor, singer, comic, entertainer, mentor and passionate gay activist, Miss Coco is sharp, sassy and sophisticated and has this remarkable natural ability to make sure that we all see the funny side of life. Outspoken and outrageous her one-woman-show in 2012 summed her up beautifully: it was called ‘She’s Got Balls’. When I caught up with Clinton after a recent performance the first thing that struck me was his wonderful warmth and his loud infectious laugh. He is unique in the fact that unlike most cutting and somewhat sarcastic drag performers he exudes happiness on and off stage and was a sheer joy to spend time with. Over a martini (or two) he shared his views of life, love and laughter with me for THEGAYUK.

    Let’s start at the very beginning and talk about your ‘Coming Out.’

    It may seem ridiculous to people who come to my show and see me wearing a dress and being as flamboyant as I am now, to think that I ever had to ‘come out’ in the traditional sense, but I did have to go through the same process just like every other gay man. There was a time when I was in a theatre programme in college and closeted and was constantly told to ‘butch up’. And for years I did try to be someone who I wasn’t, especially as I wanted to be accepted as an actor and you had to pass for straight back then as there was not that many gay roles.

    When I was 23-years-old I had a boyfriend and we went to the Gay Pride Parade in Manhattan and I was in seventh heaven as I had never ever seen such a large and diverse crowd of gay people in one place. However, on the train on my way back home to the Bronx afterwards my elation quickly subsided and all my old fears and worries came rushing back. It was at that very moment that I decided that from now on I wanted to only be myself and that I wasn’t prepared to go back even part way into the closet.

    I was very lucky as when I came out to my parents they were actually relieved that I was both healthy and happy especially as we had just lost my sister to cancer. I had all the usual fears and dread of coming out just like anyone else but it was only when I addressed them that life got better for me. Being effeminate in a working class area of the Bronx had been torture and I had been picked on and bullied during my entire childhood and adolescence. Now that I was an openly gay man I started to embrace everything I had learned to hate about myself. I was determined not only to accept this side of me but as Miss Coco I was going to dress it up and glorify it, and become the gay man who I chose to be.

    There is something wonderful about owning who you are. I learnt then if people did not respect me, that it was of no consequence as they didn’t control me anymore.

    How did Clinton Luepp morph into Miss Coco Peru?

    I didn’t know anything at all about Drag and then I went to see the great drag icon Charles Busch in his play ‘A Lady In Question’ and I was completely mesmerised. I could see that he and the entire cast were having THE best time EVER. And that included Julie Halston playing Countess Kitty in the same broad Bronx accent that the college had insisted I lose. I just thought, I want to do what Charles is doing and in my own voice and style.

    I’m a great reader and all through my life books have a habit of arriving in my library at the exact moment I have needed them. It was at this time that I came across one about a Native American called ‘Two Spirits’ which was all about being a third gender. When I read that I thought ‘Oh My God’ this is it. In my life until then I had been searching for something that I could truly identify with, and now I had found it. I decided that I’m going to do Drag and I’m going to be this third gender. As soon as I said it, everything started falling into place. It felt like my calling and that I had found my vocation.

    You once said ‘I’m not impersonating a woman: it’s just an extension of me.’

    Well, I never intended Miss Coco to be a real woman per se because the stories I tell are all-autobiographical and so I’m often talking about when I was a little boy. So for me the goal when I started Coco was to confuse people a little telling his stories whilst wearing a dress. Then after a while I just wanted audiences to know the stories just by connecting to someone who was simply another human being.

    You have a remarkable gift for observation, which comes through in the stories that you tell on stage, are they all true?

    Yes, every one of them are based on my life. I have always been very resourceful at finding humour in everyday incidents right from the very beginning. My parents had me late in life so my childhood was spent amongst a group of old people who had grown up through WW2 and who had not had an easy life. They were all heavy drinkers and heavy smokers and as a little kid I became their bartender.

    Really? (laughing)

    Yes, I even went around with a tray emptying all the ashtrays, but I just adored them and I loved being there listening to this wealth of funny stories and jokes being surrounded by these wonderful larger than life characters.

    Do you tell the stories straight as they happened?

    Well, I do add a little spice to them naturally to bring out the funny element, and that seems to work. Sometimes so much that they appear so over the top that people will come up to me and say ‘You didn’t really physically chase that group of little old Indian ladies around Sydney Harbour because they were giving you the evil eye did you?’ And I have to say yes, it was all-true, which totally shocks them. (laughs)

    Tell me the story behind your famous copper-toned hair, and the fact that you must be one of the few Drag Performers who never changes her wig.

    When I first started performing I had a great big fussy Ann-Margaret wig but that was such hard work maintaining it and to be perfectly honest, it was a real drag. Then the moment I found my wig and had it styled with flip ups I instantly knew that this was perfect for Miss Coco.

    I was always drawn to the silhouette that I adopted for Coco. I wanted it to be very long and sleek and not over the top as Coco never wears a lot of jewellery or glitzy dresses. It was to be sophisticated but understated and I wanted her to be different than what most people expect of drag. Coco and I are both very happy with how she looks and the one night I actually dared to wear a shorter version of the same wig people HATED it! (laughs)

    Tell me about your breakthrough role in ‘Trick’ where in one small scene you ‘stole’ the movie and our hearts.

    I was not originally meant to be in the movie at all but Jim Fall the Director is a good friend of mine, and asked me to help him out in the audition process. I ended up reading the Tori Spelling part whilst he tested potential male leads, and suddenly everyone told Jim ‘you’ve got to keep the Drag Queen in the movie’. So they wrote a part of me and were kind enough to allow me to rewrite my infamous bathroom monologue in my own voice. Some years previously somebody had actually tried to lure me into bed by saying ‘It’s Big It’s Beautiful …you’re gonna love it’ and I always knew that I would have to use that line in a performance one day.

    How deliberately was it that you looked more like Tori Spelling than she did? (laughs)

    When Tori flew to NY to audition, she had blonde hair. However when it came to filming she showed up on the set with red hair, and when Jim Fall tried to question it, her hairdresser said ‘honey, don’t touch her hair it will just fall out as she has dyed it way too often!’ We didn’t do a scene together so the penny never dropped until we saw the completed movie on the screen at Sundance, and I thought ‘Oh My God, we could have been sisters or something more tragic’. (laughs)

    Did you ever imagine that this one small movie part would make such a major effect on your career and life?

    Well, I remember the first time that I ever saw a gay movie and it impacted me so much I just hoped that one day I would get to be in one and help others feel the same way. And now 15 years later when young people come up and tell me that ‘Trick’ was the first movie that made them feel good about themselves and helped them come out, it makes me so very happy.

    I never ever get tired of people shouting out “It Burns” * to me in the middle of the street. Anytime anyone wants to celebrate my work, I embrace and enjoy it, and I never ever take it for granted.

    How much fun was it making the ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ movie with Jack Plotnick & Varla Jean Merman?

    Actually, the first couple of days were not that much fun at all as in my own shows I am used to playing it for laughs but now I had to play a sad sack. The crew were laughing their pants off when Varla and Jack were acting, but looked so down and miserable when it was my turn as my role was a bit of a downer.

    Confused, I phoned Jim Fall who just said ‘play it for real’ and that’s what I did, and I found the craziness in my character, and I was so happy with the result.

    As were audiences as you all picked up Best Acting Awards for that. When is the sequel coming out?

    Soon I hope. We have filmed it all and our director Richard Day is now doing the final edit.

    Tell me about your experiences taking Miss Coco to London?

    The thing I loved most about London were the audiences, and one of the best compliments I have ever had in my career was from one of the Soho Theatre staff who said ‘we love working your shows because people come in a good mood and leave feeling even happier.’

    I got another different buzz when I was eating in Balans restaurant one night and the doorman recognised me and thought that he and I could do a version of the bathroom scene in Trick with me performing on him. I was very flattered but I am very married too. (laughs)

    You love mentioning your husband Raphael often in your Show, and you always have such a wicked grin on your face when you do.

    I was worried that being so happy would take away my edge, but it hasn’t and I can still be as cutting as the next person. Sometimes people want me to be miserable and bitter as they perceive that’s where real comedy is, but that just isn’t so. I am really fortunate that I have such a good husband who supports me and finds joy in my performance, and also I find some great comedy within our own lives. Like the time we first met his sister and he just happened to fail to mention that she was a naturist and we were all going to be naked (Laughs).

    I’ve noticed that unlike most great comedians you don’t use Raphael as a comic foil as is the normal tradition.

    I have never ever thought of that. I do play up the whole thing of him being from Spain where everyone is meant to be romantic, in the same way that I think British people are all so posh. But all you need to do is to take one trip to Southern Spain and see the Brits on holiday, and honey you soon realise they ain’t so posh at all. (Laughs) They can be just as trashy as the rest of us.

    What’s next for you and Miss Coco?

    I’m travelling all over with this new show, which I am dying to bring to London. I am collaborating with a composer on a new musical. Busy, busy, busy… but you know Roger, the reality is that I have a pretty great life regardless of whatever happens next.

    One question I almost forgot to ask, did you really perform in a Nudist Colony?

    Yes, but I was fully clothed (laughing). I have to tell you for a bunch of people who are meant to be free-spirited and relaxed, they really were not a fun audience. They were kind of limp!

    But where did you look as you performed? (laughing).

    Well, straight into their eyes naturally!
    * ‘It Burns!’ is a warning about getting sperm in your eyes.

    www.cocoperu.com

    by @RogerWalkerDack

  • COCKTAIL RECIPE | Winter Breeze Non Alcoholic Cocktail

    COCKTAIL RECIPE | Winter Breeze Non Alcoholic Cocktail

    Winter Breeze | Bottlegreen do such a fantastic wide variety of cordials, and now tonics! Here’s a recipe that use the cordials.

    Winter_breeze

     

    Ingredients.

    25ml bottlegreen elderflower cordial

    25ml apple juice

    25ml cranberry juice

    ginger beer, to top drink up with

     

    Method.

    Shake all ingredients together with ice. Strain into a highball glass and top up with ginger beer. Garnish with lemon peel.

     

    Buy these ingredients.

    Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial

    Apple juice

    Cranberry juice

    Ginger beer

  • FILM REVIEW | Futuro Beach

    ★★★★★ | Futuro Beach

    Karim Ainouz’s mesmerising melancholic drama starts and ends in a very similar fashion.

    In the opening scenes we see two motor bikers racing across the sand dunes and when they reach the end of the beach discard their bikes and clothes and run off into the high rolling waves. They soon get caught in riptides and despite the efforts of the lifeguards, one of them drowns.

    Donato one of the lifeguards is so shaken by his first ever death whilst on patrol, he takes it upon himself to break the sad news to Konrad the swimmer who they had managed to rescue. He is repaid for his kindness by Konrad working out his grief on him sexually. The two men spend the next few days together whilst the authorities search for the missing body. When it’s time to give up on that, neither of them are prepared to let go of each other, so Donato makes the decision to leave his sun-kissed beach in Brazil to try life with Konrad in his native Germany.

    In the second chapter of the story that Ainouz has called ‘A Hero Cut in Half’ (the first was ‘The Drowner’s Embrace’) we see the two lovers trying to make a go of urban living in the middle of a dreary winter in a country that is alien to Donato. They almost seem to succeed but Donato obviously misses not only Aryton his younger brother that he was extremely close too and his mother, but he feels he cannot live without a beach. The fact that he doesn’t catch his return flight to Brazil when his visit is over is covered in the third chapter called ‘A German Speaking Ghost’.

    It’s 8 years later and Donato has a new life, still swimming, but now as a maintenance diver in a city aquarium. He and Konrad are no longer an item but still important to each other as is apparent when an angry Aryton turns up on his doorstep unannounced. It appears that Donato had abandoned his family when he decided not to return back to Brazil and they have had to fend for themselves ever since. Now all grown up, and with their mother dead, Aryton wants to confront the brother he so idolised and who ruthlessly deserted him without a single word.

    Together the three men try and establish some form of forgiveness and reconciliation to be able to move forward. The final scenes are of them in the middle of winter roaring down the fog-drenched Autobahn to a stark desolate beach. It has another kind of beauty totally different from their precious Futuro Beach back home but just as stunning, and it’s where they realise that this is where home is now.

    Ainouz’s movie, co-written with Felipe Braganca, is light on plot as it focuses much more of the sensuality of each moment. There are certain pivotal scenes, which are sparse of dialogue where he allows the camera to remain much longer than the norm with such riveting effect. Whether it be Donato letting off steam dancing rather manically in a club, or when he and Konrad are making rough and passionate sex together, or in the closing scene of the final motorbike ride. It’s also clever that the script is guarded in revealing too much detail or any real insight into the three men and we are simply left to observe and imagine what emotional state they are in at any time.

    It is unquestionably a real visual treat from the wild untamed uninviting ocean in Brazil to seeing young Aryton acting out his ‘Speed Racer’ fantasy racing through the deserted streets of Berlin. The acting is astoundingly good with award-winning Brazilian actor Wagner Moura as the over sensitive Donato, handsome German Clemens Schick who’s prior claim to fame was that he played a baddie in ‘Casino Royale’, and young Jesuíta Barbosa, who stole our hearts last year in ‘Tatuagem’ was the bewildered Ayrton.

    Futuro Beach is one of those movies that linger with you for days as you run it through your mind time and time again. It’s Karim Ainouz’s fifth feature film. And it’s been 12 years since he gave us ‘Madame Sata’, and this new one is every bit as good, if not better as that. Winner of the Sebastiane Award for Best LGBT film at the San Sebastian Film Festival, it was nominated for a Golden Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival too.

    P.S. Interestingly enough Mr. Ainouz is a Brazilian who has now settled in Germany, so maybe there is part of his life in this story too.

  • London Gay Bar The Yard Safe For Now

    A London gay bar is safe as plans to turn the popular venue into luxury flats has been thrown out by Westminster council.

    London has lost a number of gay bars in the last 2 years including, Profile, Lower Profile, Green Carnation, The Black Cap, Manbar and Escape. The Yard, seemed to be next on the chopping block after a planning application to build flats above the site were lodged with Westminster Council.

    However, plans have now been rejected and a second proposal was withdrawn by the developer. The site has been designated as an area of historical importance as the site is the last carriage yard in the area. The venue is one of the only sites in Soho with a sky opening, making it possible to drink and smoke within its confines.

    Pinknews reports that Andy Jones, owner of The Yard, said:

    “It is a great relief that the second application has been withdrawn from the Council by the landlord. The application would have severally damaged the last remaining 19th Century stables in Soho.

    “I would like to thank everyone for their support towards the campaign.

    “Hundreds of objections were formally made against both applications by residents, customers and the greater Soho community.”

    Campaigners had sent over 600 messages to the council slamming the plans, which could have resulted in another London gay bar closing.

    It is not known if the developer plans to lodge anymore proposals.

  • FILM REVIEW | Hooked Up

    ★★★ | Hooked Up

    Technology is moving so fast and we now own more powerful processing power in our pockets (I mean your phone) than ever before. The cameras are better, image storage immense thanks to cloud storage and video quality crisper than ever.

    So, when I got the chance to review a horror movie filmed entirely on an iPhone, you can imagine how it piqued my curiosity, I am after all, a complete iFan.

    The storyline is fairly straightforward for schlock horror movie fodder, two stereotypically loud Americans go to Europe to get drunk and get laid. Both come across as quite unlikable characters, and in a horror movie, I always found you need to invest some feelings towards at least one character – otherwise why watch?

    With this, I didn’t really care for either – felt no emotion that one had just split form his long-term girlfriend, didn’t care what happened to them but was curious about the film and how it looked as it was shot on a phone.

    However, once they get to Barcelona and get out there, things take a more interesting turn and, after picking up two girls, they are invited back to one girls “grandmothers” house for the usual rumpy-pumpy. I must stress, the grandmothers house was supposed to be empty and said rumpy-pumpy did not include the grandmother.

    And this is where the film gets interesting. Obviously, there are nasty things going bump in the night, lights going out, strange happenings, lots of blood and a bit of gore – but the best thing for me was that the iPhone filming felt right?

    I know that sounds odd, but not once did I question why they were filming things – I use my phone all the time, without it, I feel like someone cut off my hand. To use one to film and take images whilst on holiday is now normal so this film didn’t feel contrived in that sense.

    Co-writer and director, Pablo Larcuen, has a good stab (yes, i went there) at writing something that tries to move the found footage genre along a little by the inclusion of something we all own – a smart phone.

    The performances are, on the whole, good with my only issue being the characterisation I mentioned earlier – give me one person to care about and I’ll stick with a film to the bitter end to see what happens. When you don’t really care, you’re just looking for the inventive ways they’ll die!

    My other issue, and not just with this film, but with all found footage films is who found the film?

    A decent 3 stars – it won’t set the world alight but a decent watch with a good pizza and a nice white wine.

  • OP ED | 10 reasons to vote Conservative: Nick Boles

    We invited each of the major political parties to create an OP ED telling our readers why they thought it was important for the LGBT community to vote for their party. In the first of these columns the Conservatives’ Nick Boles, the Minister of State for Skills and Equalities, gives his top 10 reasons to vote Conservative.

    Equal opportunity, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is at the heart of the Conservative Party. Our commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of LGBT people is absolute – I am proud of our record so far, but I’m always mindful that there is more to do. Here’s why I think THEGAYUK readers should vote Conservative:

    1. The right plan for Britain. Like everyone else, LGBT people value the security of work, a good home, and strong public services. We have the right plan that is creating more jobs and helping people get on the housing ladder, whilst increasing spending on the NHS: We have pledged an additional £8bn, which is only possible because we have created a strong economy.

    2. Strong leadership, home and abroad. David Cameron offers the strong leadership our country needs. He stood up for LGBT rights and marriage equality: He knew it was right, and he led from the front. I admire that.

    3. The right team: Under David Cameron, the Conservative party is modern and inclusive. In the last parliament, the Conservatives had more LGBT MPs than all the other parties put together. We will always value diversity: 14 percent of our new candidates are from BME backgrounds, and a third of new candidates in seats we already hold are women.

    4. Marriage Equality. We have introduced civil marriage equality by giving same-sex couples the same opportunity to get married. As Conservatives we believe in freedom and supporting people who make a commitment to each other.

    5. Correcting past wrongs. We have already made it possible for gay men with historic criminal records for consensual gay sex to apply to have these records deleted. Our manifesto sets out plans for a new law to lift the blight of all such outdated past convictions based on the pardon given to Alan Turing.

    6. Harsher penalties for hate crimes. We’ve ensured people who murder transgender people in hate crime attacks now face life sentences. We will now look at extending hate crime laws to cover crimes committed against people on the basis of disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

    7. Tackling homophobia in schools and sport. We have invested £2 million in schools to help them tackle homophobic bullying and launched a Sports Charter to stamp out homophobia and transphobia in sport.

    8. The UK is now number one in Europe for LGBT rights. Under our government, the ‘Rainbow Europe’ survey conducted by ILGA Europe has ranked the UK number one for LGBT rights for the third year in a row.

    9. Promoting LGBT rights overseas. We will continue to challenge anti-LGBT laws overseas, and we have a track-record of leading from the very top on this: David Cameron has personally raised concerns with President Putin, whilst UK Embassies abroad now support human rights organisations campaigning to change laws and social attitudes. We have also stopped the deportation of asylum seekers facing homophobic persecution.

    10. We value LGBT people for who they are. We are committed to equality, but no-one should be defined purely by their sexuality or gender identity. Our plan is for a stronger economy and security for all – and a country where everyone is free to be who they are and to be given the respect they deserve.

    The ideas and any voting intention expressed in this column are those of the writer and may not necessarily represent TheGayUK.com.

    The Greens, Lib Dems, Labour and UKIP were invited to create content for THEGAYUK

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | 4 X 4 Cast Theatre, Doncaster

    ★★ | 4 X 4 Cast Theatre, Doncaster

    In an original fusion art form, where the gentle poise and delicacy of ballet meets the frenetic pace of juggling, progressive troupe ‘Gandini Juggling’ explore bringing order to chaos using mathematics, numbers, patterns and regularity in 4×4 as two very different sets of skills melt together.

    Using symmetry, routine, repeating themes and the formation of geometric patterns, the intertwining of the two art forms proved to be a serene and strangely hypnotic experience at times. The sound of the original score by Nimrod Borenstein combined with the rhythmic chanting, the gentle thudding of the juggling and the performers bodies as percussion instruments; whilst, visually, the patterns formed by both objects flying through the air and the unison of the cast as they interweaved their respective skills and blended around each other came together to create visual and acoustic patterns which both soothed and stimulated simultaneously.

    Breaking down the individual elements of the performance, the entire cast displayed talent, skill and a dedication to their art. The string ensemble score was beautiful at times, bringing with it the flavour of an Eastern European influence; the dancers were accomplished, supple and foot sure in their performance and the jugglers were well timed, rehearsed and solid.

    However, despite their skill and talent, the show was uneven in its pace and presentation. It certainly had its moments where you were mesmerised by the movements on stage, but equally, the themes of symmetry and repetition led to the show itself feeling rather repetitive and almost as if it were going back over itself. There is absolutely no denying the talent of the cast overall, but despite some interesting visuals, wry humour and skilled performances, this show, unfortunately, didn’t quite come together to equal the sum of its parts.

    4×4 was seen at CAST Theatre, Doncaster, who have a launched their new season, which features a variety of performances from a number of dance companies including Phoenix Dance Theatre and Northern Ballet. For details of their full programme, see http://castindoncaster.com/ .

    4×4 is on national tour at a number of venues across the country until 19th September 2015. Full details of the company, their tours and their work can be found at http://www.gandinijuggling.com/en

  • Bruce Jenner And What It Truly Means To Be Transgender

    Over the past few months we have read and heard a lot of opinions on Bruce Jenner former sports hero and field athlete and currently world famous for his part in Keeping up with the Kardashians, starring his famous (step) children.

    Once the world realised that his appearance was gradually changing: more feminine features, nail polish, longer hair the rumour mill started, the jokes started and in the end it was decided that Bruce Jenner could be just another figure for ridicule. It is media, and often human, nature to poke fun at those that are different. It is a defence mechanism we use to make sense of our world, but over the last twenty years the tabloid papers, aided by late night show comedians, have turned it into an acceptable way of dehumanising people they do not care for. The general public usually accepted these views and took them on board, until this week.

    Bruce’s coming out was a big issue in the trans community and gave a face to an often hidden part of society. But after all the attention stories and interviews do people now understand what it is like to be transgender? To not feel at home in your body, to never feel you can be yourself in public? To feel physical pain when you are addressed as “he” when in your mind and soul you feel it’s “she” or vise versa? For most people the answer is probably “no”, because this is the part of the story that got lost in all the chaos.

    The step Bruce Jenner took this week, his public coming out, is neither the beginning nor the ending of his journey. It is a halfway point. Being transgender is a lifelong journey that usually starts at a young age.

    Transgender children often realise they are different when they become aware of gender differences: the ways in which differ from girls in appearance, dress and expected behaviour. This causes upset and confusion in a gender dysphoric child as before, like any other child, it was not aware that this difference even existed. From this moment on the child suddenly becomes an outsider, it doesn’t fit in anymore and a lifetime of struggle begins. Imagine waking up day after day knowing you do not belong anywhere, you are neither a boy nor a girl and people do not understand you. Picture yourself suddenly waking up and finding you are a dog, you know you’re human but no-one else sees it, so they all treat you as someone you are not. How would that make you feel? Then imagine living like this for the rest of your life!! Not good, is it?

    Bruce Jenner spoke and it made a difference: It is now accepted that he wants to continue his life as a woman, something he feels he has been all his life. The media have slowly decided to accept him and slightly changed their tone after his interview, mainly because there has been an unprecedented outpouring of support from the general public.

    His honest interview has touched peoples hearts and created an understanding about his struggle.

    It also saw the birth of a very lovely wave of support via social media via the hashtag #PaintYourNailsForBruce. Via the hashtag male supporters of Bruce Jenner post pictures of themselves with painted nails.


    The fact that many of these men are “Straight manly men” makes it all even better.

    ”But,” you may think, “isn’t it accepted now? A few hormones, a new haircut and a few operations and it’s settled, right?” Wrong. Hormones and operations are but a tiny fraction of it all. There are friends and family who might not understand or support the feelings of the transgender. And even if they accept it, there is the inner psychology to be dealt with: self acceptance, the strength to take a long painful and lonely road. The courage to present yourself to the world, coming out day after day: at work, to new people you meet, making them see what you feel. Then there is the constant threat of violence: the rates of crime against transgender is very high according to transviolencetracker.org.

    Living with gender dysphoria is a constant battle, so it’s not surprising that the suicide rates in the transgender community are very high. At least 1 in 5 has tried suicide at-least once, while two out of three has had considered it at several points in life – even after transition.

    Thankfully we have reached a point where many parents are aware of the existence of gender dysphoria; they seek medical help and advice which means that few percent of the new trans generation can grow up as the gender they feel they are instead of the one they are forced to be. Still, this percent of happy trans teens growing up accepted and understood is still very low. This is such a shame, because if gender dysphoria is discovered early in life a trans youth can be prescribed puberty blockers, causing puberty to delay. This means the characteristics of gender are stalled (breasts, menstruation, Adams apple, hair growth etc.) This gives the child the chance to figure out what they want and if they are certain about wanting to undergo treatment to develop into the gender they feel they are. Once certain medication can be taken and the transformation can start.

    The older you get, the more difficult things can be, even more so if a person is only certain about their identity later in life. Which can happen.

    It is certain that the Bruce Jenner story has put a spotlight on the transgender community. Hopefully this will lead to more trans voices being heard and more acceptance and understanding in the future.

    Thank you for your bravery, Bruce.

     

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