This week, fisting is back in the news, with a man on trial under the recent extreme pornography laws for receiving an email containing images of fisting.

The defendant, barrister Simon Walsh, has been charged with the possession of extreme pornographic images, under section 63 of the recent Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. The Act defines ‘extreme’ as “grossly offensive,disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character”, and elaborates with: showing “an act which results, or is likely to result, in serious injury to a person’s anus, breasts or genitals”. The prosecution’s case now rests on being able to prove that fisting (which is legal to perform) is an activity that is likely to result in serious injury.

Since being charged, the defendant has lost both his professional and political positions: if convicted, he faces three years in prison and inclusion on the sex offenders’ register. No pornography has been found on his work or home computers – this is all because he received an email. Some commenters have also linked the defendant’s charges to his previous job as a barrister, where he prosecuted corrupt police officers.

Fisting is an activity more likely to be performed by queer people, and this latest case seems to tie in to a general trend of queer sex being seen as ‘dirtier’ and more extreme. The non-negotiated facial shots, dubious consent and terrifyingly long fingernails common to mainstream porn are under no question here – instead, it is a legal act that is included in most resources on sexuality, recognised by practitioners as requiring great care, and even discussed in new mainstream novel 50 Shades Of Grey that is under question here.

Earlier this year, pornographer Michael Peacock was charged, under the Obscene Publications Act of 1959, with distributing films classed as obscene: they depicted male-on-male fisting, and the prosecution mentioned they would not have distinguished legally between anal and vaginal fisting. He was found innocent, in what was seen as a landmark case for sexual freedoms, though the 1959 law has not yet been dropped. The introduction of the 2008 Act received a great deal of criticism from BDSM activists, who pointed out the vague-ness of the guidelines and the breaches of privacy they could entail. It was also a significant development in the law in shifting responsibility from the producers and distributors for ‘extreme pornography’ to the consumers.

This is a trial that could determine the future of sexual freedoms in the UK – it can be followed live on Twitter using #porntrial.

The upcoming UK Black Pride is taking place in London on Saturday, the 18^th of August 2012. The 7^th edition, supported by Stonewall, will bring together renowned artists and LGBT people from ethnic minorities at nightclub Ministry of Sound.

Many LGBT and LGBT friendly people are not necessarily aware that an alternative Pride is happening alongside the ‘official’ Pride of July, so spread the word to make this event universal and multiethnic!

The fight for the Black Civil Rights coincided with the one for Gay people in the 60’s, and yet they are often seen as two distinctive movements, which barely interact with each other. In the collective imaginary, contemporary homosexuality is still mostly seen as a ‘White’ thing. The amount of non-White LGBT characters in the mainstream medias, for instance, remains derisory.

UK Black Pride therefore opens a space for reflection and interaction around those topics, and creates a rare opportunity for LGBT people from different ethnic backgrounds to meet amongst themselves, but also to meet and exchange with all kinds of people about the visibility and the challenges of LGBT people from ethnic minorities in contemporary British society.

‘Together we are strong!’

The theme for 2012 is ‘Together we are Strong’, which is a broader invitation to gather not only the African, Asian, Caribbean and Middle Eastern LGBT people, but also all the LGBT people and their friends regardless of ethnic origin and sexual identity.

The famous slogan from the 70’s ‘God is a Black lesbian’, which was used at the 2010 Paris Pride, reminds us that we can all be Black Lesbians and that everybody can identify with this event.

 Soul musician OMAR to be the headline of this year

After successful previous years starring Jessie J and Ms Dynamite, this year’s special guest is the singer OMAR, a soul musician with previous collaborations as prestigious as Stevie Wonder and Estelle. There will also be a variety of DJs, cabaret, performances, films and educational workshops, several bars and even a VIP corner for the more Lesbian chic.

 Practical information and contact

Tickets are on sale on the official website of the UK Black Pride.

You can also follow the event on Facebook and Twitter for more detail.

Visit the Ministry of Sound website for info or directions.

Get involved!

There are plenty of ways to get involved for the event, so if you want to perform, volunteer or propose a workshop, just get in touch at [email protected].

So, the Olympics are finally here. And unless you’ve been living in a box for the past 7 years (or unless you are a London commuter), my guess is that you’re at least a little bit excited about it.

For me, one of the most exciting elements of the Olympics is that this is possibly the one time when women’s sport gets comparable coverage to men’s.

After all, Olympic events are Olympic events: we will all be cheering on Jessica Ennis just as loudly as we will be cheering on Dai Greene, Rebecca Adlington will be getting as much praise as Liam Tancock and well, at the time of writing, Hope Powell’s women’s football team are already outperforming Stuart Pearce’s motley crew.

So, very little sexism there then. However, in this article I will attempt to address another Olympic ‘ism’; namely, ‘eventism’.

Oh yes, eventism is a sad state of affairs that tends to occur every Olympiad. We’ve already seen evidence of the fact that ticket sales for more popular events such as swimming, gymnastics and, of course, athletics have rocketed, whereas other events, such as weight-lifting and archery, struggled to put bums on seats.

This article is my own one-woman crusade to right this wrong. Sit back and enjoy as I run you through some of the more minority, yet still ‘scream and shout at the tv exciting’ events in this Olympics.

I’ll be telling you what they are, why you should watch them and who the key runners and riders are: I’ll even let you pass off all this knowledge as your own, and be the envy of your friends and family as you throw around your sporting wisdom with wild abandon. Of course, the focus will still be on women’s events (I have to tick my feminism box somewhere…!)

Here we go…

Archery

Deepika Kumari

What it’s about: Competitors shoot at a target placed 70m away. Points are scored by embedding the arrow in the 122cm target. Hitting the ‘gold’ (the bit in the middle – apparently it’s only called a bullseye in darts) is worth 10 points and then scoring decreases the further away from this point the arrow hits.

Why you should watch: Archery has to be the ultimate test of skill. Shooting an arrow from a distance of over an Olympic-sized swimming pool away from a target is pretty amazing in itself.  Add to that the pressure of having an Olympic medal at stake and you can be sure the final will be a true nail-biter.

Women to watch: Deepika Kumari (India) is currently ranked world number one. As India isn’t a country that tends to be greatly successful in the Olympics, and isn’t exactly famed for its vast number of female athletes, this is quite refreshing.

Basketball

The Aussie powerhouse

What it’s about: If we were American, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  But we’re not, so… Teams aim to score points by shooting the ball into the other team’s basket (or ‘hoop’). 5 players are allowed on court at one time although subs can be made as often as the coach fancies. Games are played in 4 10 min quarters.

Why you should watch: It’s easy to see why this is one of the USA’s national sports; it’s fast-paced and requires both a high level of fitness and a high level of skill.  You’ll never get bored as scores for games are always in double (and sometimes triple) figures and the rules are fairly simple – after watching one game, you’ll feel like a seasoned veteran.

Women to watch: Naturally, the US are the top team in both the men’s and women’s pools, but Russia and Australia are the joint second women’s teams and could push America all the way.  Especially when the Oz side includes Liz Kambage, a 6’8”, 98kg power-house, who is sure to ruffle some US feathers.

BMX

Shanaze Reade

What it’s about: Female competitors race around a 440m track, full of bumps, jumps and tight turns.  Races start from an 8m high ramp and usually take about 40 seconds to complete.  Obviously the aim is to be the first competitor to battle across the line.

Why you should watch: BMX stands for Bicycle Motor-Cross; do I need to say more?  It’s fast and furious and, with races lasting less than a minute, you can’t fail to stay engaged from beginning to end.  And if that doesn’t tempt you, let’s face it, there’s bound to be some good crashes…

Women to watch: Shanaze Reade is our girl, the 6^th most decorated rider in the world, and a genuine medal contender.  However, she will have to deal with the World Champion, French rider Magalie Pottier and the 2^nd most decorated rider in the world, New Zealander Sarah Walker, to get her hands on one.

Boxing

Nicola Adams

What it’s about: There are 3 weight categories in the women’s event: fly-weight, middle-weight and light-weight.  Points are awarded by judges for every punch successfully landed on an opponent’s head or upper body.

Why you should watch: This is the first year that women’s boxing has been an Olympic event; for this reason alone, you definitely need to watch!

Women to watch: Both Team GB and Ireland have good medal hopes here, with Nicola Adams (GB) ranked 2^nd in the fly-weight category, Savannah Marshall (GB) ranked 2^nd in middle-weight and Katie Taylor (Ireland) ranked number 1 in light-weight.  Get ready to wave those flags…

Handball

What it’s about: This is a 7-a-side game; the aim to is to score points by throwing the ball into your opponents’ goal (this looks a bit like a hockey goal).  It’s quite a physical game and the referee’s discretion comes into play a lot when calling fouls; usually if they don’t affect possession of the ball the game just carries on.

Why you should watch: If you like a sport with a bit of physical aggression, this one’s for you.  As an ex-rugby player, I love the fact that one of the potential rule infringements is for “playing too passively”; brilliant!

Women to watch: Norway are the current Olympic champions, but Russia are the number one ranked team; the latter is not good news for Team GB, who are in Russia’s group in the pool stages.  However, with only 12 teams in the competition in total, the odds aren’t completely against us.

Modern Pentathlon

Mhairi Spence

What it’s about: An Olympic event for women since Sydney in 2000, this consists of 5 events, all completed over one day of competition.  Each event is very different: fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and a 3000m run (the last 2 events are combined at the end of the day).

Why you should watch: If nothing else, you’ve got to be in awe of athletes who can successfully master such a wide range of skills and then successfully show-case them all in one day.  Even the horses they ride aren’t their own; they are brought in by event organisers and after a quick 20 min warm-up athletes must take them straight into competition.  Tough isn’t the word.

Women to watch:  Again, this is an event where we have some real medal contenders: GB has 3 athletes in the top 12 in the world, the highest of which is Mhairi Spence, currently sitting at number 2.

Triathlon

She swims, she bikes, she runs...

What it’s about: A 1500m swim, a 43km bike ride and a 10km run make up this gruelling endurance event.  Be the first to cross the finish-line, and the title is yours.  Top-flight triathletes will complete all of this in less than 110 mins.

Why you should watch: Triathlon is a fairly new Olympic event, having only been introduced at the Sydney games.  This event also takes place in some of London’s most beautiful surroundings – Hyde Park and Green Park.  Not that the athletes will be thinking about that, probably…

Women to watch: We have a female competitor ranked number 2: Helen Jenkins.  Again, we will almost certainly see a medal here and it could be gold…

Weight-lifting

Tatiana Kashirina

What it’s about: Like boxing, this event is divided into weight categories, from 48kg and under all the way up to 75kg+.  All competitors must compete in two events: the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk.  The winner is the athlete with the highest combined weight lifted.  In the event of a draw, the athlete with the lowest body-weight wins.

Why you should watch: As displays of pure strength go, this is pretty phenomenal.  And whilst the men have been allowed to compete in this event since the start of the modern Olympics (1896), this has only been a female Olympic event since 2000.  As a vehicle for ‘girl power’, you’ve got to get behind it.

Women to watch: Sadly, Team GB don’t really seem to have any credible medal hopes here.  However, you can get over your disappointment by watching current world number 1 Tatiana Kashirina (Russia) strut her stuff.  Weighing only 100.79kg herself, her best combined lift is 328kg and her favourite event is the snatch. But then, would it really tempt you to watch if I told you that Tatiana has a good snatch?

Want more?

• Read which Olympic competitors are openly gay, and why more won’t come out
• See event times, athletes’ profiles and and more on the official London 2012 website

Rikke Skov (handball)

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London will feature 21 athletes who are openly gay or bisexual, and 18 of those are women.

While it is encouraging that there are some gay sportspeople who are out, the number is incredibly, ridiculously, painfully low.

There are 12,602 athletes competing in the Olympic games. According to the 2010 Integrated Household Survey, approximately 5% of the UK population is lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Assuming this figure is representative of other countries, and that sports stars’ are no more or less likely to be queer than the general population, statistically speaking we should expect 609 of the competitors to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.

The list of 21 athletes, compiled by Outsports, only includes sports people who have come out publicly. It doesn’t include sports men and women rumoured to be gay.

The Netherlands’ gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Marilyn Agliotti (field hockey)
• Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel (field hockey)
• Maartje Paumen (field hockey)
• Edward Gal (equestrian)

Maartje Paumen (field hockey)

Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel (field hockey) and Edward Gal (equestrian)

Marilyn Agliotti (field hockey)

Germany’s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Judith Arndt (cycling)
• Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (cycling)
• Imke Duplitzer (fencing)

Imke Duplitzer (fencing)

Judith Arndt (cycling) and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (cycling)

France‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Jessica Harrison (triathlon)
• Carole Péon (triathlon)
• Alexandra Lacrabère (handball)

Carole Péon (triathlon)

Jessica Harrison (triathlon) and Alexandra Lacrabère (handball)

Sweden‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Lisa Dahlkvist (football)
• Jessica Landström (football)
• Hedvig Lindahl (football)

Jessica Landström (football)

Hedvig Lindahl (football) and Lisa Dahlkvist (football)

The USA‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Seimone Augustus (basketball)
• Megan Rapinoe (football)
• Lisa Raymond ( tennis)

Seimone Augustus (basketball)

Megan Rapinoe (football) and Lisa Raymond (tennis)

Australia‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Natalie Cook (beach volleyball)
• Matthew Mitcham (diving)

Matthew Mitcham (diving) and Natalie Cook (beach volleyball)

Denmark‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Rikke Skov (handball)

Great Britain‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Carl Hester (equestrian)

Brazil‘s gay athletes at the 2012 Olympics

• Mayssa Pessoa (handball)

Mayssa Pessoa (handball)

Of the 21 out athletes, 15 are from Europe. Some contintents – North America, South America, Australia – are barely represented. Entire continents – Africa, Asia – do not have a single out gay competitor.

It’s no coincidence that the continents with zero out athletes are home to the most homophobic countries. “In 150-plus countries, gay athletes have to hide their sexuality to get selected for the Olympics and are at risk of imprisonment and even execution,” explains human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

It’s not just countries that still criminalise homosexuality which are the problem. No country in the world is truly represented by gay athletes.

Even in the countries which have some out sportspeople they are clearly centred around specific sports, most notably team sports such as field hockey in the Netherlands and soccer in Sweden. In these instances it seems as though when one player is brave enough to come out, their gay team mates do the same.

Athletics does not have a single out gay competitor from any country.

Why should we care if sports stars are gay or straight?

Carl Hester (equestrian)

But does it really matter if an athlete is gay, bi or straight? Surely the important thing is how well they play, not their sexual orientation?

The problem with that argument is that actually we do know the sexuality of many athletes. Dull moments in sports are the time for the cameras to zoom in on family members in the crowd. But while the camera will always pick out a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, it never seems to zoom in on a same-sex partner.

It’s not that we want to pry in gay athlete’s private lives, we just want them to be visible. The world will be watching the London Olympics, and it’s important for those watching to know that some of these these incredible sportspeople are straight, and others are gay.

Sport can be an incredibly homphobic environment – just look at the issue of homphobia in men’s football. The more gay sports people who come out, the more courage they’ll give to the ones who want to be honest with their fans but who are too nervous to fully step out of the closet.

Here’s hoping that by the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro the number of out gay athletes will be a little closer to the truth.

Want more Olympics? Read our guide to the women worth watching in London 2012

It’s not too often I feel proud to be Scottish. We’ve not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, our accents have to be subtitled abroad and we’re always up the top of those horrible lists for teenage pregnancy, obesity or being generally bloody miserable.

But today (Wednesday 25^th July, 2012) being Scottish felt amazing, because we’ve done a fantastic thing. It’s a progressive thing, a fair thing, the right thing. Within three years, if they want to, LGBT people will be able to get married. No inverted commas, no hierarchy, no arguments over semantics. Just equality.

My wife and I, we had two weddings. Not because we’re extravagant attention seekers (we are) but because although we wanted a humanist ceremony it wouldn’t have been legal. So, we had a really simple, intimate gathering of only our closest family at our local registry office and the next day did it all over again, this time with a much more meaningful and personal ceremony that allowed us to express and share our love with more than just legal jargon. The decision today means that in future, couples like us will have saved a bit of money and avoided the stress of trying to find two outfits.

After a long and hard fought battle, Scotland is set to become the first part of the UK to introduce equal marriage. The government has also said it will work with ministers in London to amend equality laws to protect the religious freedom of those who do not wish to conduct same-sex marriages. Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal and that is why we intend to proceed with plans to allow same-sex marriage and religious ceremonies for civil partnerships – we believe that this is the right thing to do.”

And without a shadow of a doubt it is. Don’t listen to the Catholic Church in Scotland when they say this is a “dangerous social experiment” because the consequences of this decision are nothing but positive. Contrary to what they believe, the world will not end because of this. The ice-caps will not melt. Nuclear missiles will not be launched. The Scottish government have shown that they’re not afraid of bully boy tactics and cheap bribes from a certain Cardinal. Your homophobic bile didn’t work. We’re not scared of your ‘backlash’. Alex Salmond and co. have finally stood up for what is right and not cowered away from a difficult decision.

This is about much more than the sanctity of marriage or which venue you want to say your vows in. I feel so, so proud that when my wife and I decide to have children, they will grow up in a more enlightened country.

It’s impossible to say how many couples will take advantage of the change in the law when it does happen, but I’m excited by the prospect of my friends Nathan and Rob getting married again. Nathan said: “I am delighted that the government have made the right decision today. Opening up marriage to all, regardless of gender, is a sign that all LGBT people are equal citizens. My partner and I have the same love for each other as other couples and we can’t wait for our marriage to be the same as well.” I better buy a hat.

It gets better, they said. This is proof that it does. Feel free to thank the Scottish government here.

I would like you to do something for me. Think back to your day, your week, even your month and count the times you have heard the word ‘gay’ as a ‘synonym for shitty’. Are you surprised by the results? 

‘that’s so gay’

According to Stonewall’s School Report 2012, a staggering 99% of gay pupils hear, ‘that’s so gay’ and ‘you’re so gay’ in school.

“It’s incredibly widespread-“ the report says, “90 per cent or more of students refer to anything broken, defective or unwanted as gay.”

The word ‘gay’ has become normalised, its meaning shaped and reformed so that it takes up room in our daily lexicon – we have become almost numb to it.

“Some teachers and pupils don’t challenge such language because they suggest ‘the word “gay” is now used so commonly as an insult it shouldn’t be taken as anything personal’, that it’s ‘not meant to be offensive to gay people’.”

But the fact of the matter is, the use of the word in this context may be insulting, but it may also be harmful. Damaging pupil’s academic progress, self-esteem and mental health. With, according to the report, 41% of pupils who have suffered from homophobic bullying contemplating suicide or self-harm.

children learn by example

I heard from one teacher (who I will refer to as Miss X) working with children aged 3 to 11 who told me that she hears children taunting each other using the word gay from a very young age.

“The younger ones copy the older ones and they don’t usually begin to understand what it means until they are in year 5 and 6 (9-11). I can think of a very recent incident where a parent taunted a pupil (aged 9) and the boy’s mother reported the incident to school. We dealt with the issue but it makes me sad that even parents get involved in bullying at an early age.”

The School Report goes on to say that 17% of gay pupils have heard school staff and teachers making homophobic comments. They support this with a number of quotes including this one from a 14 year old in a North East based boarding school.

“I hear teachers using the word ‘gay’ in a negative way just as much as I hear the word being used by students. I don’t think in a way directed towards people, just in the slang term that it’s become. It still isn’t great.”

Elly Barnes

There are of course many good people doing their part for diversity and tackling homophobia in schools. I am thinking here of Elly Barnes, a music teacher working at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form. In the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Award, Barnes was highly commended in the ‘most inspirational teacher’ category for acting as a role model and educating pupils around LGBT issues (Gay Star News). You can find more about Elly Barnes and the work at Stoke Newington by reading this Ofsted report ‘Good Practice resource – A whole-school approach to tackling homophobic bullying and ingrained attitudes: Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form.’

There is also good work being done in primary education within some schools. Miss X told me that her school takes instances of the use of the word ‘gay’ very seriously and they have strict measures in place to avoid the situation escalating. The pupils at Miss X’s school are lucky because they have two openly gay staff members who, ‘lead by example’ and ‘celebrate diversity’. She went on to say however,

“Unfortunately, it is not like that in every school. I think people need to be educated. It is very effective when a child says to his or her parent that they don’t like them to use the word gay in a bad way. Parents tend to listen to their children.”

This is a powerful message. Acceptance and diversity should be taught as early as possible, and sometimes it is the young who must teach the old what kind of future they want for themselves and the world in which they live.

‘gay’ as a ‘synonym for shitty’

Aside from anything else, the use of the word gay as a ‘synonym for shitty’ is just plain old lazy. I despair that our wonderful and rich lexicon is being ‘dumbed down’ in such a way. In 1948 George Orwell wrote the classic 1984, and personally I believe that he sums things up rather well.

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? … Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsiding meanings rubbed out and forgotten … Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller…”

what can you do?

Well if you are really interested then click onto the Stonewall website and read the report in full. It is really accessible and highlights some key problems within the education sector. You also might discover some tips and advice on how to move forward. But if you don’t have a few hours to spare, there is one thing that each and every one of us can do. It is really simple and actually involves doing nothing…absolutely nothing. Together, you can…we can…remove the use of the word ‘gay’ as a ‘synonym for shitty’. Simple. So if you do say it…

stop

…hang it up on the shelf and let it gather some dust. It’s easier than quitting smoking and helps everyone involved. Say no to passive smoke. Or something like that.

On Wednesday, July 18^th, former Cub Scout leader Jennifer Tyrrell upheld the boy scout slogan, “Do a good turn daily”, but she multiplied that by 300,000.

After a disheartening vote on Tuesday the 17^th, one in which the Boy Scouts of America ruled to uphold the gay ban first implemented in 2000, Tyrrell fought back with a petition asking the Boy Scouts to end the discrimination. With over 300,000 signatures, it is clear that Tyrrell is not alone in the fight.

A committee of eleven members has been debating this issue in the Texan Scout headquarters for two years. When a decision was finally reached and released on Tuesday, they were met with polarized reactions. Local church members rallied to show their support of the decision, while Jennifer Tyrrell, and other mothers whose sons have been affected by Tyrrell’s dismissal, represented with a large and ready voice.

She is a woman on a mission, and rightly so, having experienced discrimination by the Scouts firsthand in April of 2012. She was a den leader of her son’s tiger cub scout chapter in Bridgeport, Ohio, for over a year. She led her troop through various volunteer activities, working with local churches, shelters, and the Salvation Army. Shortly after she was elected treasurer of her pack, she received notice that her membership had been revoked, claiming she did not “meet the high standards of membership that the BSA seeks”, simply because she was gay.

This sudden and hurtful severance affected Jennifer Tyrrell, her partner, her son, and the families she had bonded with over her year of volunteer service. It of course affected the LGBT community as a whole, yet another reminder that discrimination is not always found in the obvious places.

Tyrrell’s determination is unfaltering, newsworthy, and heroic, and she has made it her goal to gather more support to eventually revoke this discriminatory policy in the BSA. Zach Walls, LGBT activist and author of My Two Moms, is asking that the policy be reviewed again, this time more openly. Walls is a Scout graduate, himself, and of course is not the only boy scout with gay parents.

Yes, it is 2012, and yes, the BSA promotes many positive moral values so it is shocking to think that they would continue to uphold this ban. If you are anything like me you are sitting there, fuming, shaking your head in consternation and wondering if you should boycott the Boy Scouts.

But how does one actually move forward with such an action? Surely you can’t slam the door in the face of a young cub scout or push a scout out of the way if he reaches his hand out to help an elderly woman cross the street. It’s not like they sell high-caloric, deliciously addictive and unhealthy boxes of cookies that you can refrain from purchasing in order to make a statement (and save your waistline). Luckily for us there is a quick and easy way to support Jennifer Tyrrell and get our voice heard, without having to stomp on any actual scouts.  Simply go to change.org  and sign your name.  Take a stand for human rights.

Starbucks Zombies outside Belgravia police station following their release

Last year, I wrote an article on Lesbilicious about the arrest and alleged sexual assault of individuals intending to participate in a “zombie flashmob” organised in part by anti-cuts group Queer Resistance. (more…)

‘Black Swan’, the tale of a young ballet dancer who loses her mind, was the most complained-about film of 2011, due to its lesbian sex scene.

Black Swan

The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, has received complaints after viewers found the homosexual scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis too explicit for the ‘15’ age rating it was given.

Whilst the film rocketed through the box office and saw a record number of 2.7 million pay to see it, it also had more complaints than any other film in 2011.

Many viewers claimed they thought the film was “about ballet, not about lesbians”. Some viewers complained because they felt the sexual violence shown should have meant it was branded an 18-rated film.

The love scene, which caused so much uproar, between Nina (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis) may have been explicit to some, yet the BBFC stated that the scene was “discreet” and was fitting well within their guidelines for what a 15-rated film could and should contain.

But was it the explicitness that the viewers were complaining about, or the fact that Kunis and Portman were portrayed as homosexuals? Whilst some viewers claimed the sexual violence led to complaints, it seems the lesbian involvement was the main crux of their argument.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

Considering 2.7 million people went to watch Black Swan, a mere 40 complaints doesn’t seem a great deal to brag about. Woman In Black received 120 complaints about its 12A rating, Black swan only got 40, hardly any in comparison.

The BBFC stated that they have “a clear policy in the guidelines” and they “don’t differentiate or discriminate whether it’s a straight or gay or lesbian scene.”

What do you think?

Should ‘Black Swan’ have been granted an 18-rated film because of its sexual violence, or because of its lesbian scenes, or perhaps even both? Or is it right to be a 15-rated film?

The final frontier: internet dating.  Once a cultural taboo, now an engrained part of our culture but is it really enhancing our community or simply leading to a generation of the socially inept?

Of course, I do appreciate that it can be it can be a valid tool for LB women.  The scene can be very off-putting to those of us past a certain age, usually about 15.  Off-scene can often be a guessing game which leads to speculation, embarrassment and disappointment.  Friend set ups tend to lead to awkward social situations down the line with those friends that were so convinced you two would get on ‘like a house on fire’.   For those of us that lack confidence or have been burned before it can appear like an oasis of choice.  Ultimately though, there is no escaping that these sites attract crazies like moths to a flame.

So where does it all go wrong and does it ever really pay off?

Go to internet dating site – check.

Build a profile.  (First potential pitfall – to exaggerate, lie or pick a bad photo)- check.

This is like the x-factor auditions; you get a feel of how people perceive themselves versus the reality of the situation.  Are they the quietly understated rock star or the misguided circus freak with a trail of cats behind them?

Now to the nitty-gritty, time to build a checklist of likes and dislikes and draw up a list of potential candidates.  Then the second potential pitfall emerges: the photographs.

Pictures, pictures, pictures. 

What do they truly tell us about someone? I think that there is a common misconception that someone who does not upload their picture is automatically a crazy.  Actually I have found the reverse to hold true.  Generally these are the more normal of the lot.  These are the people that do not want to show their picture to every crazy on the internet. The scene is too small and open to manipulation.  By the by, I have also found that anyone that uses a famous person as their profile picture has anxiety issues and anyone that uses a cat should be avoided. Firsthand experience.

Friend 1:  Stalked on the scene based on her profile.

There is no getting over the fact that there is no conversational or prescribed method of making first contact.  The key is somewhere between conceited, confident and comical and finding a happy medium can be a delicate balance.  Be realistic, you will need a contingency or 5. Send out a few lines and see which one catches a fish.

Friend 2:  Met her now wife on dating website.  The first message she sent was ‘the flower you are holding in your profile photo is my favourite’.

So first contact is checked off the list and you move on to emails and text messages. (Third potential pitfall – so rarely is included at this stage).  Speaking to someone is critical, it allows you to test whether you have a natural flow and rhythm with the person.  To assess their tone and intonation and whether it is potentially a voice you could listen to for the rest of your life.

Friend 3:  Invested two months in this ‘get to know you process’ then met the girl only to find out the girl spoke a hundred miles an hour and rarely took the time to listen.  I think she ended up sending her an email to let her know it was not going to work out.

The First Date

Then the big day comes, the first date. If you can check this off the list then you are on the home straight.  Inevitably, though, this is where every lie, exaggeration or omission is going to come out.  This is where you find out whether the person you have build up in your head can match up with the person that is about to sit across from you.

 Friend 4:  Met this girl online, they had sent each other a few messages which naturally moved on to text messages. Everything seems to be going well and they appeared to have a real connection.   Date night comes and everything is going smoothly, so much so that they had already agreed on their next date.  To finish the night off, they headed to a local vegan bar which seemed to unsettle the girl.  When questioned what had caused the shift in atmosphere she simply replied ‘well, my grandfather always taught me that ethnic cleansing was necessary to bring Britain back to being great’.  And so the date ended.  Frightening and hilarious at the same time but more importantly showing how easy it is for the internet can hide a multitude of sins – on this occasion the ‘conservative views’ option on the profile parameters seemed somewhat lacking.

Of course that is not to say that internet dating is always unsuccessful. I know at least two couples that are happily married from meeting online and obviously quite a few of my friends (and I) have used it and lived.

So…

For me, the bottom line is this; more often than not it is not any specific reason why these dates do not work out. There is just a lack of cohesion or ‘ju’ (as I like to call it) that you either have with a person or you don’t. It cannot be manufactured or falsified . It is a combination of body language, mannerisms and attitude that cannot be illustrated in words but only felt in the presence of that person.  It is ‘lust at first sight’ and ‘chemistry’ and everything in between.  It is not a meeting of minds and really, not your interest in fly fishing that is going to make or break the relationship; though your willingness to lie on a crucial interest might.

Another concern I have always had about internet dating is that, it takes away a social skill that is fundamental to our existence – that of story-telling. An ability to relate to people in a world that is increasingly becoming ‘virtual’, we are losing the ability to build cohesive sentences and relationships with people without smiley faces or abbreviations.

To me internet dating is not an answer, but half way to a solution. So in conclusion, if you are going to do it my advice is meet soon, speak sooner and avoid knowing someone on paper (virtual or otherwise).  Oh and expect to kiss a lot of crazy frogs along the way.

Where are all the Helena Peabody’s?  That’s the question that was on the tips of the tongues of Tatler editors, who have compiled a list of some of the loveliest of lesbians here in the UK.  Tatler, the high society magazine that’s been running since 1709, is taking a rather exciting new approach in its August edition by showcasing some ladies who love to love ladies and the positive influence this has in a sphere that we don’t usually think about how the role of the LGBT community plays in this more exclusive strand of society.

One of the most attractive characteristics about a lady, for me, is ambition and success.  No, not money before you jump to some ridiculous conclusion, but the power, determination, passion and drive to work hard to achieve something you’ve got your heart set on.  Yep, that is probably one of the most inspiring and striking qualities I could possibly ever desire in a woman

Tatler’s approach to giving high society ladies a platform is a fantastic step forward to exposing the fabulous women who are running the world, who we may not even know about, and more excitingly, are also part of the LGBT community, to a completely different audience.  They’ve raised some highly important issues as well as having fun with the feature.  We live in a world where stigma is still attached to the LGBT section of society, although you probably don’t need me to point out the obvious.  What we probably don’t realise though, is that this stigma can sometimes be felt greater in the some more ‘privileged’ spheres than we’d first consider.

Tatler’s August issue states “Tatler is out-and-out proud to present seven of London’s smartest and loveliest lesbians. Come on now, there’s no need to be nervous or titillated. Don’t be a cliché. They’re not …” This is a powerful and beautiful message that will no doubt make a difference to a tremendous amount of girls across the nation.  For some reason, being an out and proud business owner or lady is something of a rare species, but with publications with a powerful brand such as Tatler flying the flag for these ladies, its evident that society is craving more of them to stand up and be counted for because we’re all looking up to them.  The concept of ‘coming out’ has always been a hurdle and will always remain a hurdle as it’s a personal realisation and acceptance of your own sexuality, as well as having to anticipate the reactions of those around you, yet with more focus on the positive and the inspiring, the easier our own personal journey gets.

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Traditionally, the term ‘gay’ is associated with men more than women, and if a family friend comes over for a weekend and brings his partner or boyfriend, then there’s more acceptance towards his sexuality rather than if a daughter would toddle off home from a term at boarding school and states that she’s fallen in love with a girl.  Gay men are more prevalent and a bigger part of this upper class world than lesbians are, on the whole.  They’re running the designer shops, they’re the ‘gay best friend’, and they’re the talented artists and creatives, and have become an important frame of reference

Tatler’s editor, Kate Reardon, took to the airwaves on July 5^th and appeared on Radio 4’s ‘Women’s Hour’ to discuss the idea behind the lovely lesbian feature and she hopes that even if the feature only makes a difference to three people, it’s been worth while.

“The one thing Tatler has control over, is stating what’s socially acceptable.  I’m acutely aware of our place in the food chain, we don’t claim to have the influence of a national newspaper, most of the time we’re talking about handbags and makeup, but we do have a very specific power and if in this one instance we can do something good, then why not?”

The following evening in Marylebone, on July 6^th, Tatler put on a rather splendid knee’s up, and it was given the title ‘The Lesbian Ball’.  A whole host of beautiful women attended in celebration of Tatler’s lush lesbian August edition, including the likes of Claire Balding, Sue Perkins, Mary Portas, Jane Hill, Gillian Anderson, Alison Goldfrapp and a plethora of more delightful darlings.  Women were invited from all areas of London and beyond to come and drink, socialise, and most importantly, celebrate what makes being a lesbian so special and fabulous.  The entire cast were splendidly dressed, eloquent and symbolically demonstrating that it’s not just OK to be out and proud in Tatler’s bubble, but wonderful in every way possible.

It’s a rather altered look on the different elements of layers that have been woven into the rich tapestry of the LGBT society. As a girl of only 23 who’s an editor of one of the UK’s biggest music tastemaking websites, AltSounds.com, a girl who’s already been a director of a company and a co-founder of an ever growing PR company, I am proud to be an ‘out and proud’ member of a rather traditional community in North Wales where ‘coming out’ really isn’t the easiest of things.  As ever, I will continue to look up to the Helena Peabody’s of the UK as they gave me a huge amount of strength to face my fears, that were primarily built up in my own head for far too long, when I was dealing with my own personal torment.  Even now I find it thrilling and inspiring to learn of other ladies who have shaken off the guises and wear their ambition and sexuality together on the sleeve of their suit jacket because, quite frankly, it’s ridiculously sexy and makes me weak at the knees.

You must have heard of Cardinal Keith O’Brien. He’s the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, and he doesn’t like us very much. So much, in fact, that he has promised to spend another £100,000 to stop us having the same marriage rights as our heterosexual counterparts, which he describes as a “grotesque subversion.”

The most senior Catholic in the UK has pledged £100,000 to 'protect marriage'. Photograph: mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk

He’s declared war on you and me. He says that: “the Catholic Church will bear any burden and meet any cost” to protect marriage. You might remember O’Brien and the Catholic Church also opposed the equal age of consent, the repeal of Section 28, civil partnerships and same-sex adoption. You know what they all have in common? They all passed into law.

Whether the Cardinal likes it or not, and no matter the amount of money in his pocket, the times they are a-changing. It’s incredulous to even think it, but if the Scottish Government decide not to go ahead with plans for equal marriage, there is nothing he can do to stop the ferocious wave of public opinion that is strongly in favour of greater equality. Sooner or later, same-sex marriage will be legal. I’ll bet my hat on it.

By declaring war on gay marriage, the Catholic Church are declaring war on themselves. Perhaps not today, or even tomorrow, but quite soon, they’re going to wake up and realise they’re completely out of step with their congregation and with the wider public in Scotland and the UK. If you don’t adapt and change, you will be left behind. Then you can shout as loud as you like and throw all the money you’ve got at lavish advertising campaigns, but they’ll be no one left to hear you.

The fact of the matter is, the greatest risk facing the Catholic Church in Scotland are themselves. Not you and me. After all, under proposed changes, no one will be forced to conduct a same-sex marriage. In 2010 in Scotland, there were 24,959 weddings. Almost 15,000 couples chose a non-religious civil ceremony, followed by just over 6,000 Church of Scotland weddings. Humanist ceremonies rose by over 30% to 2,030. And the Catholic Church? Bringing up the rear with a mere 1,776 couples. You do the math.

O’Brien would like you to believe this is a religious debate, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re talking about fundamentalists here that are opposing a change that is already legal in many countries. Few Catholics follow strict doctrines, and many support gay marriage. 57%, in fact. He talks about the ‘unprecedented backlash’ that the government will face if they go ahead with new legislation, but perhaps they should be worried about the backlash closer to home.

How many other Catholics feel embarrassed about the Church’s opposition to equality like Heather Peace? Last month she said: “I was brought up a Catholic, and in all honesty, on the happiest day of my life, if you really think I would set foot in any building that would rather I wasn’t there, then you’re having a laugh.”

The Catholic Church are playing a very dangerous game, and they risk alienating a whole generation of young people. The more vehemently Keith O’Brien talks about us, the less people will feel able to identify as Catholic and LGBT and their opposition to same-sex marriage in the face of so many enlightened people supporting it really might damage their reputation in Scotland irreparably.

If you’re in any doubt about which direction we’re headed, one of the cornerstones of the fight for equal marriage is the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Love Equally campaign. It gives me goosebumps to see just how committed young people in this country are to shape the place that they live in. Last year, they voted overwhelmingly to make same-sex marriage their priority. This wasn’t just a group of gay kids, but from a consultation of over 40,000 people from across Scotland who recognised how important an issue this is. They’ve done an amazing job so far, and they continue to do so.

Cardinal O’Brien, if you’re reading. These kids are not just my future. They are yours as well.

The Scottish Government are due to announce the results of their consultation later this month. 

It’s old news that World Pride 2012 has been shambolic to say the least. It’s been plastered across news outlets and the little blue bird of Twitter has been chirping like a thing possessed about how an incredulous embarrassment has been washed across London due to the mismanagement of one of the biggest LGBT celebrations to hit our shores. With Boris Johnson refusing to have anything to do with it, and board members stepping down, it bodes the question, could this have been avoided?

A couple of months ago I was conversing with some friends about which prides to attend this year, and with a collection of fantastic ones dotted around the country, we felt spoilt for choice, especially as we’re based in North Wales so a big old trip was in the making.  Through my pride-search, I came across the website for World Pride 2012, and was seriously impressed with the fact that it was based right here in our wonderful capital city (London not Cardiff). Obviously, intrigue took over and I wanted to take a look at what was on offer, so I jumped on the website only to be met with… a load of nothing. I had no idea how to navigate it, the events page didn’t tell me Jack all, and it looked ridiculously boring. Common sense told me that this surely isn’t right as its World Pride for goodness sakes, so there must be some immense plans organised, so why weren’t they telling me this?

I felt underwhelmed, so that prospect was put onto the back burner whilst I considered other Prides.  If a website, one of the most important information outlets in this digital age, didn’t sell the event to the max, then there must be a problem.  I took to social media to find out more, which was another dead end, so I came to the conclusion that this isn’t worth my time.  If I felt like that a couple of months ago, and I was prepared to travel from North Wales for it, then how do they expect to attract worldwide browsers to come and get involved?

A  flurry of angry comments have been seen smashing onto World Pride’s Facebook page and other publications. People are disappointed and frustrated as the opportunity was a golden one to showcase our wonderfully diverse LGBT community here in the UK.  So, how did it get to be like this?

Many people are asking the big question: where was the funding?  Some are stating that the lack of funding and slashes to budgets is homophobic. Autostraddle claimed:

“There has been no problem with similar events, such as the Notting Hill Carnival, which attracts less people, but still receives the massive present of £250,000 annually, while the queers from around the world get a taped together recycled gift from the year before.”

Of course they are spot on! But, this isn’t a homophobic act, in my humble opinion, but utter mismanagement by a board of members who do not have the skills to meet the issues and problems that faced them.  There is funding potential out there, but the board were clearly unable to sell the event properly or market it as an attractive advertising opportunity (based on the sheer amount of people who had the potential to come and partake in the biggest LGBT party in the world!). Why didn’t the people in charge push for new companies to get involved? Why didn’t they work to paint the picture of how wonderful the values of such a big event are, which in turn would generate some great funding? Why did they think that enforcing a plan B would be OK less than a week before the event was set to take place?

Apparently, the celebrations in Soho are a no go, even though I had no idea there were things planned there to begin with. There are issues with crowd control, but now I wonder if they’ll have a big enough of a turn out to call it a crowd. The famous parade has been downgraded to a ‘procession’, although if the weather doesn’t behave, it’ll be a trudge in the rain. What was the reaction of the board? Well, the director Dr Patrick Williams has ‘stepped down’. Okay so someone has to be seen to be taking responsibility but I was told that running away from my problems never solved them, and I don’t understand why it is acceptable to walk away from a mess you have been involved in creating.

A number of statements were issued by World Pride in response to the fiasco, according to sosogay.com.  This is what they’ve had to say about Dr Williams:

“Pride London is today announcing that long-standing board member Tony Hughes has taken over as Interim Chair of the charity. The appointment follows the resignation of Dr Patrick Williams but will not affect this weekend’s World Pride celebrations.”

Dr Williams resigned from his position following criticism of the Board’s handing of World Pride 2012. The rest of the Board remains unchanged and committed to delivering an event London can be Proud of. As previously confirmed this will be a scaled-down event from the original plans.”

However, with all this grey doom and gloom surrounding an event which is to take place tomorrow that promised all the colours of the rainbow plastering London in such a fantastic fashion, I know that the passion of the LGBT community will be the strength and backbone of World Pride. British resilience to failure will shine through the mess, and I’m confident that the fun loving, beautiful souls who are committed to have an incredible time this weekend will make up for the shortfalls. Keep calm and party on.

With the news that Anderson Cooper has publicly come out as a gay man, we ask: do gay and bisexual celebrities have a moral duty to come out?

“The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be”.  With these words, Anderson Cooper dashed away any doubt about his sexuality for good.  Although rumours about the CNN anchorman had circulated widely, no real proof was ever presented until his frank admission, first in an email to a journalist friend and then later in an interview.

Twitter is buzzing with the news and media coverage seems to be wholly positive.  Tomorrow, probably, journos the world over will be back to dissecting the Cruise divorce.  So, does it really matter?  Is it really so important that celebrities proclaim their sexuality, whatever it is, to the world?  And, if they do, is it really that big a deal?

The end of privacy?

Well, firstly, there’s the privacy issue.  Yes, to a certain extent, when celebs decide to live their lives in the spotlight, they do have to accept that they won’t enjoy the privacy that most of us do.  However, where does that line get drawn?  Cooper Anderson is a journalist; his sexuality does not impact on that.  Therefore, do we really need to know about it? Some might argue that public interest in celebrities’ personal lives is nothing more than an unnecessary invasion of privacy.

In contrast to this, though, it almost an accepted fact now, in our media-guided age, that any aspect of a celebrity’s life is ‘up for grabs’.  Let’s face it, many use their personal lives for further financial gain (see the new series of Katie and Peter: the bitchy saga continues) or indeed only became ‘famous’ in the first place because they allowed the public into every last crevice of their intimate goings on (see TOWIE, Geordie Shore, Made In Chelsea, blah, blah, blah…).  In short, if you are a celebrity, Heat magazine owns your ass.

Turning shame to pride

In addition, it’s fair to say that deliberately hiding anything makes it look shameful and sexuality is included in that.  Although not an ‘official’ part of the job, celebrities know that there are people out there who look up to them.  Surely, every celebrity who comes out makes life easier for the whole gay community.

Schemes such as the Stonewall It Gets Better project show the power of celebrity backing.  A whole host of celebrities, speaking directly to the public about how their lives are better for being out and proud.  Fantastic.  The positive impact of this has been well documented through the countless testimonies of grateful people, many of them confused teenagers (the core audience for this project).

So it makes sense, then, that just as this has an affirmative impact, a proportionally negative impact is made when a celebrity chooses to hide their sexuality.  I understand that there may be reasons for this.  For a start, if they themselves haven’t yet told their friends and family, that’s probably the first port of call before they ring the Sun.  Clearly there is also a fear that coming out might ruin a burgeoning or successful career.  However, I still believe that gay celebrities should be out.

Role models

As a teacher, I had a similar battle with myself about whether I should try to hide the fact that I was gay.  For a long time I did.  Then it occurred to me: what message am I sending out to all the students who think they might be gay?  Kids I taught were coming out during their GCSEs and A Levels and dealing with all the flack that comes with that when you’re a teenager and you suddenly announce a conspicuous difference.  I felt empathy with them but I also felt shame.  How much more ‘normal’ could I make being gay seem if I wasn’t so quick to deny the fact that I had a girlfriend?  So, I had a change of approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go running into school the next day wearing a ‘vagitarian’ t-shirt and playing kd lang’s greatest hits through a boom box.  But I was more natural.  I wasn’t so paranoid about what I said and did; I wasn’t so worried about whether I ‘looked gay’ at school or whether I was giving off any vital ‘clues’.  And, finally, when one of my Sixth Form asked me, in a very genuine manner, if I was gay, I told him that yes, I was.

I realize that I haven’t got a whole nation staring at me, but the sense of relief and satisfaction I felt was great.  I like the fact that I can give an assembly about homophobic bullying and the students know that I’m coming at it from an informed perspective.  I know that in a really small, tiny way, I’ve done my bit.

Celebrities have the whole nation, in many cases the whole world, staring at them.  Rightly or wrongly, their actions and their words are crucial in shaping the thoughts of society in general.  I love the fact that Katy Perry kissed a girl and she liked it.  I love the fact that Jessie J is openly gay / bisexual (feel free to discuss the ins and outs of that one amongst yourselves).  I love Cooper Anderson.  I love the It Gets Better Project.  And I would love for every gay celebrity who is still in the closet to come out tomorrow and have one big, gay party.  It isn’t going to happen, of course, but every single celeb who chooses to come out in the future is making life better for everyone.  Fact.

Break open the rainbow champagne – Facebook has added mini double-brides and double-grooms to its Life Events icons!

Hmm. The more astute among you may have noticed that this is hardly gay equality history in the making; more like a gentle acknowledgment from a website used by 800 million people that some of those people are married, and gay, and don’t want that fact represented with an icon of a hetero bride and groom.

No civil partnership option?

If there’s one thing Facebook does well it’s facilitate digital stalking, and this has become much easier with the introduction of the Facebook Timeline and Life Events.

Facebook is no longer satisfied with your mundane statements about how bored you are, or what you’re planning to have for tea. It wants to know the big things: new job. New housemate. New relationship. And for each one, a jolly announcement and icon on your timeline for all to see.

Many of the Life Event options are bizarre (‘Made a Home Improvement’ ‘Started a Hobby’); others are more than a little unnecessary (‘Broke a Bone’ ‘Got a Piercing’). So does it really matter that if you pick ‘Got Married’ and choose someone of the same gender as you, Facebook knows what genders to make the little people in the icon? Well, yes it does actually.

It’s a small detail, but it’s another tiny step towards normalising gay relationships for the not insignificant proportion of those 800 million users who still think there’s something not right about gay marriage.

Facebook’s support for gay equality has been noticed by GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and won it an award in June 2010, although the site’s insistence on making users choose ‘male’ or ‘female’ is still a little outdated.

Another strange anomoly is that, while you can choose from 10 relationship options which include ‘married’ and ‘in a civil partnership’, there is no civil partnership option within Life Events. Either this is a subtle commentary from Facebook about the inherent ephemeral nature of civil partnerships and their inevitable subsumption into marriage, or they forgot to add it.

But in all honesty, who really cares about Facebook, right? It’s just all silly fun, right? That’s what I thought, until I tried to do a little research for this article. I freaked out a friend – a platonic friend, in a committed relationship with someone else – by suggesting that she temporarily change her relationship status. Facebook: you own us all.

At time of writing the happy couple are still together, no thanks to me