It’s September, which means the city will soon start getting busy again as the students return. Whether you are new to Sheffield, a returning student, or here year-round, we have plenty of queer happenings for you to explore. Kicking things off this month, we have Mandala Fest 24 [Sun 1 Sep], a day-long musical jamboree extravaganza featuring 20+ back-to-back local acoustic artists and poets at Mandala’s recently expanded home in Heeley. Mandala’s own Adam Heys will also be taking to the stage at Diversity Fest [Sat 28 Sep], which returns to Sharrow Community Forum at the end of the month, also featuring Nisha Lall Dance, Sunrit Culture Group, Unbeatable Energy, Mulembas D’Africa, Fretworks, Kinaara, and The Skintones. There’s more live music over at Sidney and Matilda at Earwig Presents [Thu 5 Sep] from gender-bending feminists Piss Kitti, with support from Yutaniii and GTFODODGE. Andro and Eve are also heading to Sidney and Matilda for the seventh instalment of their Reyt Queer Do 7 – Back to the 90s Edition [Sun 22 Sep], an evening of queer performance hosted by drag queen Bipolar Abdul. If you want to create or further develop your own drag monster performance, there are two more instalments of Camp Cryptid [Tue 3/10 Sep] this month, hosted by the iconic King Confuza, who will be sharing his insight into the world of alternative drag and guiding participants through the process of creating your monster persona, working towards the goal of producing a show on Saturday 14th December, platforming new and up-andcoming alternative drag artists (keep an eye on future columns for details of the night). If your dressing-up vibes are more camp than monster, then head to Dempseys for their Musical and Disney Night [Wed 11 Sep] – dressing as your favourite character is optional but highly encouraged. We have plenty more drag happenings this month, with Emma Maezin playing host and getting the party started at Wadsley Bridge WMC,
LGBTQ+
SCHOOL’S IN! supporting Dan Budd as Robbie Williams [Fri 13 Sep]. Emma will also be joining forces with Ditzy O’Darlin at Crystal Bar for Summer Drag Bingo [Sat 21 Sep]. Expect lots of dancing, confetti cannons, and maybe a bit of table dancing! DJ Tanya Minge will be hosting Drag Queen Bingo [Fri 20 Sep] at Malin Bridge Inn with a night full of naughty shenanigans, including the infamous bumhole bingo. Finally, we have the latest of RuPaul’s queens to visit the Steel City as Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard [Wed 11 Sep] heads to Leadmill with their full live band for a 5-star night of killer vocals, snappy comedy, put-downs, and pick-me-ups. We also have live comedy over at the Three Tuns with We Digress – A Post-Ironic Stand-Up Comedy Night [Thu 19 Sep], a queerfriendly space for acts outside of the mainstream comedy circuit. In community happenings, we have NeuroQueer [Wed 18 Sep] at Central Library, where CJ DeBarra will be discussing their book, drawing on academic research and
personal experience to explore the raw realities of heartbreak, love, and sexuality, and delving into the complexities of desire. Sheffield’s queer youth charity, SAYiT, will be running LGBTQ+ Domestic Abuse Training [Wed 11 Sep], an online workshop to find out more about this important topic (keep an eye on their socials for a range of talks, training sessions, and educational events throughout the year). And we have another busy month at our members-only queer venue, Gut Level. FLAW DJ Workshop & Social [Tue 3 Sep] is a space where LGBTQ+ people, women, and gender minorities can learn DJ skills or just share music and hang out with likeminded people in a welcoming space. Gut Pleasers [Wed 4 Sep] will be serving up a tasty communal meal because feasting with friends is one of life’s greatest pleasures! Peak Queer Adventures will be back for Craft Social [Wed 11 Sep]—come for a pint and a sew in good company. Bring along your craft or mending
projects on the go or learn some crafting skills. Mondo Radio [Fri 6 Sep] takes over the bar for the evening with Solid State, bringing Real House, Disco, and Soul, Techno, Bass, and other eclectic flavours to the dancefloor. Effective Relief [Sat 7 Sep] have a lineup of Alex Aubyn, darkmavis, DJ Deep Heat, and Henderson with euphoric, glistening trance, squelchy progressive house, thumping techno, and everything in between and around. Finally, we have two editions of GL X Monkey Shoulder Presents [Thu 12/Sat 28 Sep]. On the 12th, the lineup features Nick Granata (Shovel Dance Collective), Kit Knight, Jennifer Reid, and Sheffield Rapper Team, and on the 28th, we have Marjai, Korra, and Diessa. That’s your lot for this month. Make sure to check out the latest event announcements at www.facebook.com/ sheffieldlgbtevents.
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