Pride Life 2017

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A love letter from Pride in London

A

lthough there have been Pride events in London since 1972, the Pride in London team only took on the challenge of organising one of London’s biggest events in 2013 – making this year our 5th birthday.

There are a number of things that make Pride in London special, and unique in the UK. It’s the only major Pride run entirely by a team of volunteers, over 100 of whom work on the event on a year-round basis. It is also the only major Pride event that is free to attend. Pride in London is the only event in London to completely take over the West End and Europe’s busiest shopping areas allowing hundreds of thousands of people to come together and celebrate diversity, equality and the community.

Our mission has always been clear and unambiguous: to provide a platform for every part of London’s LGBT+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, questioning, intersex, non-binary, asexual, polysexual, genderqueer and gender variant people) to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and campaign for the freedoms that will allow them to live their lives on a genuinely equal footing.

Our job is about helping to make London’s

LGBT+ community – in all its forms – visible, speaking loudly to the rest of the city and beyond about what we have achieved, how far we have come and what still needs to happen to make true equality a reality.

Our ambition is to make Pride in London world famous, not just for being a great day out, or a brilliantly diverse Festival. We want to this event to reflect the difference we make as a community to help bring about the change as to how LGBT+ people are seen and treated not just in the UK, but across the globe, where the battle to win rights of any kid, let alone equality, is still very much alive.

We’ve come a long way in five years. Our first year may have felt a bit like conquering Everest, but it also gave us the blueprint for the Pride we wanted to create. Last year, saw the biggest Parade yet, and a million people enjoying the day on the streets of London. This year – the 50th anniversary of partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK – will be even bigger and, we hope, better.

But we don’t judge our success in terms of numbers.

We do this because we are activists, not party planners. We know that Pride can help change lives for the better. That’s why we are a

FEATURE

campaigning organisation, and just this year we have demonstrated this by doing things like supporting equality for women, making representations to the Foreign Office about the persecution of gay men in Chechnya and launching, such as, our own “Facebook TV” where we discuss topics like racism and transphobia within the LGBT+ community – taking our message global. Then, of course, there is our #LoveHappensHere campaign, our response to the rise in homophobia and hate crime on our streets.

Five years on, we’ve learned and achieved a lot, but we could not have done any of it without the help and support of our amazing volunteers, the Mayor of London and his team, Westminster Council, Transport for London, the emergency services, our sponsors (with a special shout out to Barclays) and many more besides. Thank you all.

Finally, we want to save the last and most important “thank you” to London’s LGBT+ community and its allies. It’s our privilege to be custodians of this lovely, important, iconic, slightly bonkers thing called Pride in London.

Alison Camps & Michael Salter-Church, Co-chairs, Pride in London 005

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CONTENTS 005 A LOVE LETTER FROM PRIDE IN LONDON

052 PRIDES TO THE LIMIT

007 MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

059 REMEMBERING PULSE

The wettest, the hottest, and the highest Prides around the world

CONTENTS

Welcome to Pride in London 2017

Copyright Pride Life Limited. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the copyright owners. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. In the interest of independence and impartiality, many features in Pride Life have been written on behalf of the publisher by third-party experts. It should be noted that any opinions and recommendations expressed therein are the views of the writers themselves and not necessarily those of pride life or its publisher.

Sadiq Khan lends his support

A personal look back at the nightclub massacre one year on

012 LOVE HAPPENS HERE This year’s theme for Pride in London

014 GALLERY

How you partied in 2016

016 TEAM PRIDE

Meet the volunteers

018 ACCESS ALL AREAS Here to help

019 THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD Keeping Pride accountable to you

020 WEEKEND PROGRAMME What to expect over the big weekend

022 WATCHING THE PARADE

063 RISING HIGH

LGBT+ activist Cleve Jones

072 FAMILY MATTERS

Who will be the lucky winners this year?

026 PRIDE’S GOT TALENT

Simply the best in outstanding LGBT+ talent

029 SPONSORS

Thanking the wonderful supporters of Pride in London

030 BLACK PRIDE

073 PIXEL PRIDE

LGBT+ Pride in cyber space

075 QUEER CAPITAL

Peter Ackroyd on the history of LGBT+ London

079 JOAN COLLINS

Joan Collins on her LGBT+ fan base

083 SEVEN YEARS TRANSITIONING

One trans woman’s experience

088 PROUD TO BE BI

Being bisexual in 2017

090 QUEER ART

A look at Tate Britain’s current LGBT+ exhibition

093 13 REASONS WHY

Why Pride events are still important today

104 WE ARE FAMILY

Being disabled in the LGBT+ community

Picnic and party in the Park

033 BAR DIRECTORY

111 PROUD COMPETITORS

034 ALL THE FUN OF THE FESTIVAL

116 HAMBURG HEAVEN

Where to drink and party

Bigger and better than ever before

041 DRINK UP

Classic cocktails for the Pride season

042 ON BOARD WITH SHARLEEN

Sharleen Spiteri on her LGBT+ fans and equal marriage

045 GLAD TO BE GREY

The experiences of older gay men and women

SALES DIRECTOR STEPHEN SOHAL 020 7580 4345 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NIGEL ROBINSON ART DIRECTOR MATT ALABASTER

Parents of LGBT+ children

Tips on enjoying the Parade

024 PARADE AWARDS

UNITED KINGDOM / EUROPEAN UNION

UNITED STATES EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BRIAN GOOD ART DIRECTOR WARREN MASON POLITICAL EDITOR ANNE-CHRISTINE D’ADESKY HEALTH EDITOR ADAM BIBLE LIFESTYLE EDITOR CAT PERRY ADVERTISING AND SALES SALES MANAGER AND EDITORIAL ADVISOR JOE JERVIS +1 646 512 1687 SALES MANAGER ROBBYNE KAAMIL +1 347 383 6801 PRIDE LIFE.COM MANAGER OF DIGITAL CONTENT ANNE BREGAR

Out and proud athletes LGBT+ life and more in Hamburg

118 FREE FALLING

Autumn in New England

128 COMIC TURNS

LGBT+ super heroes and heroines on the big screen

135 I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO TELL YOU…

CORPORATE OFFICES PRIDELIFE COMPANY LLC 401 COOPER LANDING ROAD C-18 CHERRY HILL, NJ 08002 856 779 8990 MANGING DIRECTOR DAVE METTILLE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCE TOM SOWINSKI

Ways of coming out

160 TAKING PRIDE IN 2017 Prides around the country

NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR IPAD All the content of the print magazine specially designed for the iPad including: • Scrolling vertical features with iFrame text for reading • Fully animated interactive cover • Pull out extra content tabs • Video and audio content

WORLDWIDE EXECUTIVE OFFICES PRIDELIFE LIMITED SECOND FLOOR 52 TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LONDON W1T 2EQ 020 7637 1389 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JEFF ALTMAN MANGING DIRECTOR DAVID ELLINGHAM PRINTED IN THE UK BY ACORN WEB OFFSET LIMITED

• Featured image galleries + pan and zoom content A fresh new digital alternative

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STATEMENT OF SUPPORT

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR I

t’s been just over a year since I was elected to be Mayor of the greatest city in the world, and during that time, I’ve been touched and humbled by the generosity and kindness I’ve received from London’s LGBT+ community.

When I was elected, I promised to be a Mayor for all Londoners and, just a couple of months after taking office, I was proud to march in the 2016 Pride Parade, alongside members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and many others from all backgrounds. It’s a day I’ll never forget – celebrating London’s diversity in full technicolour.

Here in London, you’re free to love whoever you want to love and be whoever you want to be.

That is a big reason why I feel our city is seen as a welcoming home for the LGBT+ community and has such a vibrant, thriving scene – one that is bursting with colour, and contributes hugely to the life and soul of London.

It’s so important to me that London is seen as a city where LGBT+ people feel valued, happy

and safe. That doesn’t just mean celebrating Pride once a year, it means acting on issues that matter to the LGBT+ community all year round.

Pride can also send a message of solidarity and hope to LGBT+ people across the globe who continue to live under oppressive regimes: that together we can achieve change and improve human rights.

One major area of concern for many LGBT+ people is the threat of hate crime. Since the day I became Mayor, I’ve made it clear that homophobic, transphobic and biphobic abuse has no place in our city, and I will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police and anti-hate organisations to stamp out all forms of hate crime. Recently, I launched a new police unit – the first of its kind in the UK – to help tackle online hate crime and improve support for victims across London.

Another hugely important issue is the worrying decline of LGBT+ venues. Last year, I appointed Amy Lamé as the UK’s very first Night Czar. She is working with bars, clubs and

pubs across our city to champion London’s buzzing night-time economy and to implement plans to help protect LGBT+ venues.

At City Hall, we’re helping to celebrate this year’s Pride. During Pride Week, you’ll see the rainbow flag flying proudly outside City Hall, and once again, I’ll be marching. The Pride Parade promises to be the biggest ever.

Pride in London is one of the iconic festivals of our city and underlines our reputation as one of the most LGBT+ friendly places on the planet.

It is central to London’s position as a beacon of inclusiveness and acceptance as well as being one of the top gems in our city’s cultural calendar.

Above all, it shows that London is open to all people, regardless of background, religion, race, gender, disability, age or sexuality. It shows that #LoveHappensHere.

However you, your family and friends are celebrating – have a fantastic Pride!

Sadiq Khan Mayor of London 007

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SPONSORED FEATURE

Happens here We’re really excited to be back as headline sponsor of Pride in London for the FOURTH year running

F

or over 325 years Barclays has been working to build a better tomorrow for everyone.

We want to help all our colleagues, customers and clients to achieve their ambitions, no matter how they identify or who they love.

That’s why, this year, we’re not just celebrating #LoveHappensHere on parade day.

We’re encouraging everyone to #shareyourlove every single day.

At Barclays we encourage our colleagues to bring their whole selves to work every day and to support and encourage each other.

“I am a Barclays Spectrum Ally. To me, every person is beautiful and should have a voice” Harriet Baylis, Barclays

“Barclays helps me to bring my whole self to work every single day’’ Dom Moore, Barclays

Come and celebrate with us at Trafalgar Square or follow @barclaysuk on Twitter or like BarclaysUK on Facebook to keep up with all our parade day activity.

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“I MET MY WIFE AT BARCLAYS. THE SUPPORT WE RECEIVED FROM OUR PEERS AND MANAGERS WAS OVERWHELMING” AMY, BARCLAYS

#LoveHappensHere

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AMAZON MUSIC PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL MUSIC SPONSOR OF PRIDE IN LONDON 2017 Visit Amazon.co.uk/pride to start your 30-day free trial

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LOVE HAPPENS HERE IS THE THEME OF THIS YEAR’S PRIDE IN LONDON

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ondon is a city of many parts. A melting pot of culture, ideas and values all living together to create something unique in the world. A journey across any of London’s Underground lines will take you through unique and diverse spaces. Each different from another. The vast majority of Londoners champion and proudly celebrate this variety of cultures and enjoy the opportunity to meet people from different communities.

However, it wouldn’t be right to say everything is OK. Whilst freedoms have been enshrined in law, they are far from universally accepted by everyone. Stories of serious hate crimes against LGBT+ people are all too common. And then, there are the smaller impacts, the everyday struggles that people in the LGBT+ community face. Ask someone from the LGBT+ community

if they have ever had to say, “Yes I do want that double bed” when checking into a hotel with their partner. Ask a trans person if they have ever had to struggle with a phone call because they don’t sound like the person on the other end assumed they would. Ask someone bi if they have ever had someone say, “You just can’t make up your mind.” Whilst these stories might not make the news, they make an impact on people every single day.

So, with that in mind, we have been asking Londoners to confront this prejudice, and beat it with something more powerful: Love. This year’s campaign, Love Happens Here, acts as a catalyst for this.

First, we are exposing the hate. In partnership with the Metropolitan Police, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, we are showing the hate

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FEATURE

crimes that LGBT+ people face. Along with our partners’ brandwatch, we are also highlighting the abuse and language on social media directed at our community. Expose the hate, show people what happens as a result, and give them an easy way to report hate crimes. If we can show the problem, we can start to solve it.

The main focus of our campaign is about conquering hate with love to show the world the true character of real Londoners. We have gathered stories of LGBT+ love from across London, the small moments, the big moments the important moments, and plotted them on a map you can see on our website. We have taken many of these stories and created bespoke illustrations of them. You can find them on digital billboards, in print, online, on taxis and in bars. We’ve partnered with Channel 4 to do something really special on the day of Pride and alongside their LGBT+ programming. We’ve also got an incredible programme of videos made with Endemol/ Brown Eyed Boy that tell the stories of LGBT+ past and present on this, the 50th anniversary of partial decriminalisation in the UK.

All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible pro-bono support of partners from across the creative industries in London. First up, our creative partner WCRS who have joined us for a second year. Next, all the out of home billboard suppliers who have gifted us space which we could only have dreamed of. Production partners Pulse who made our TV adverts, and Endemol as well as Channel 4 who continue to be a beacon for equality.

Finally, the incredible Pride in London Marketing team. We ask a lot of our volunteers, from media buyers to creatives to graphic designers; they have all worked so hard to make this happen for a virtually non-existent budget.

We are now the largest Pride marketing campaign in the world, but this is all down to them and their incredible dedication, passion and knowhow.

We are lucky to live in a city of love and a champion of diversity, but freedoms are fragile.

Love Happens Here in London, but it’s up to all of us to keep it that way.

“The main focus of our campaign is about conquering hate with love to show the world the true character of real Londoners”

ALISON CAMPS & IAIN WALTERS 013

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PRIDE IN LONDON 2016 GALLERY PROUD AND PARTYING AT LAST YEAR’S PRIDE IN LONDON

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FEATURE

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TEAM PRIDE PRIDE IN LONDON COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT ITS WONDERFUL BAND OF VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT PRIDE IS THE BEST CELEBRATION OF OUR DIVERSE LGBT+ COMMUNITY. WE TALK TO OPERATIONS DIRECTOR SIOBHAN LINARD ABOUT CO-ORDINATING LONDON’S BIGGEST AND MOST DIVERSE ONE-DAY EVENT

How does your role as Operations Director contribute to Pride in London?

As Operations Director, I’m responsible for the brilliant team that plans and coordinates the overall events on Pride Weekend, linking in with all agencies (the Mayor’s Office, Westminster Council, TfL, police, ambulance, our production partners etc.) and ensuring we have a safe, smooth-running event. My team gives the platform for all spectators, paraders, performers and volunteers to create London’s biggest, most diverse one-day event.

What’s your history with Pride in London and how has that led you to being the Operations Director?

I’ve volunteered for 5+ years now, starting as a senior steward and each year taking on a

different or bigger role in the Operations Team.

I’m fortunate to have worked with two great previous Directors to show me the ropes. My day job involves complex projects with lots of moving pieces, the same skills I apply to Pride in London. I’ve also sought out professional events organisers as advisors/mentors to build on my expertise.

Just how many hours do you typically spend working each week on Pride in London?

What takes up most time?

Many. A typical week is 10 hours of work but it varies a lot and ramps up in the last months.

It’s my first year in the role, and we have great ambitions for the future so a lot of time is about setting up the team for our future goals, as well as making 2017’s event brilliant. We

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FEATURE spend a lot of time working with all the agencies, thinking about how we run an event in Europe’s busiest shopping streets, it’s quite different to planning a festival in a field!. My role is a mix of strategic planning and operational detail.

How big is the operations team?

On the day we need 1,000+ volunteers; we run 4 stages, a community stalls marketplace, a parade that would fill the O2 and the Albert Hall and shuts down roads in central London. Trafalgar Square alone sees 65,000+ people enjoy the space over the day. This is London’s biggest free oneday event. Every volunteer can make a difference and there is a role for everyone.

We have a year round planning team: parade, Soho, stages, volunteer management, event control, access, Pride in the Park, resident and business liaison.

Who are some of the surprising names or organisations you have to meet to make Pride in London happen?

I love our planning meetings at City Hall, all the key organisations running London on a daily basis sit in them; it’s a great privilege. We talk and go behind the scenes at other excellent London events to ensure that we’re learning from them – it’s a delight personally and professionally to meet legends who organise the New Year’s Eve Fireworks, the London Marathon and the New Year’s Day Parade – these are World Class Events.

What is the most challenging aspect for the Operations Team pre and during Pride Day? Having a day job in the run up, should something exceptional need to change last minute. As an organisation we flexed plans and responded well after the Orlando attacks; that’s thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, taking holiday days to focus on Pride.

Everything is in the planning so the day runs smoothly; thinking in advance of all Plans A, B, C, D... It’s like anything you plan in your personal life; if you’ve planned it well you can relax a little and enjoy the day too.

What’s your most memorable moment while volunteering for Pride in London?

Too hard, too many.

Watching a marriage proposal, hundreds of volunteers smiling through the rain, a lift-ride with a balloon-clad Sinitta, the near-constant moments of delight seeing people experience their chance to live their lives as they want for at least one special and important day.

If you could swap roles for a day which role would you want to do and why?

Community Engagement or Sponsorship Director – both have the incredible opportunity to link with so many organisations that can be a positive voice for the LGBT+ community. There’s so much to listen to and learn from each different organisation.

What would you be doing if you weren’t volunteering for Pride in London?

It’s in the DNA now! LGBT+ rights are important to me but equality for all is my main personal driver, so I’d like to support in that arena. I’ve also a side habit of occasionally cycling long distances.

What would you try to see if you were a spectator on the day?

Everything! Golden Square for a more relaxed family feel. Definitely the Parade for the vibrancy and diversity (and I know the quieter spots to watch – the south end of Regent Street for one). Then finish off at one of the stages.

Obviously, on Sunday it’s off to Vauxhall for Pride in the Park with UK Black Pride and Pride in London.

“This is London’s biggest free one-day event. Every volunteer can make a difference and there is a role for everyone”

VOLUNTEER ZAINAB ANTOINE IS A STRAIGHT ALLY OF PRIDE IN LONDON. HE TALKED TO VOLUNTEER COMMS MANAGER PHIL HARRISON ABOUT JOINING TEAM PRIDE How did you end up volunteering for Pride in London?

I started working as Legal PA for a US Law Firm Shearman Sterling. The firm has approximately 850 lawyers from over 80 countries, speaking 60 languages and practising in many different legal systems around the globe. The firm organises a lot of seminars and brings in a lot of speakers from different areas and topics of life. There were a few from Pride in London and I was inspired by the work that Pride is involved with, especially what they stand for. It pierced, my heart just because someone is different does not mean that they have to be rejected, no matter their colour, gender or belief.

Why did you want to volunteer?

I decided to volunteer to help change the world’s perceptions of people that are different - I want to help show that there really is no difference at all. I have experienced a lot of rejection so I understand how difficult it can be. Also I seem to fight for other people better than I fight for myself.

As a Straight Ally, what does Pride mean to you?

For me, being a Straight Ally means being there for someone who doesn’t always have anyone. Sometimes life gets in the way and people cannot reach out for help because they feel helpless and that no one is really there, well - I actually want to be there!

What do you think of the Love Happens Here campaign?

I think the Love Happens Here campaign is brilliant, because when I think of people coming together to celebrate our differences and uniqueness it sends a message that we shall love each other no matter the circumstances, it’s very inspirational.

What is the one thing you’re looking forward to the most on 8 July?

I am looking forward to the atmosphere which will be filled with people celebrating Love and everyone just embracing the day and celebrating the diversity life has to offer!

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FEATURE

ACCESS FOR ALL

LOVE HAPPENS HERE ISN’T A SELECTIVE CAMPAIGN. IT IS AN INCLUSIVE ONE AND AT PRIDE THAT MEANS THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE.

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hether you just want to visit the website, become a yearround volunteer or just turn up on the day and take part in the parade, the aim of everyone at Pride is to remove barriers to participation.

Pride in London is an amazing event that everyone can enjoy so we try our best to make the entire Pride weekend as accessible as we can.

Although London is full of pavements and flat roads, there are steps, curbs and a lot of grass that can make conditions difficult if the rain comes.

Just as Pride prepares for all conditions (from strong winds and rain to a heatwave), we ask that you do the same! Consider the ground conditions and unpredictable British weather when deciding what facilities you may need and what equipment you need to bring.

For wheelchair users or anyone who is concerned about walking the whole parade route, you can join us in the Parade Safe Space.

This marshalled area, near the front of the Parade, has specially trained Access Volunteer Stewards including a BSL interpreter. Directly behind the Safe Space is an air-conditioned minibus for those who may need to rest during the parade. Our volunteers are also on hand to provide any advice on the day.

Please note however, that our volunteers are not healthcare professionals and therefore you should make your own arrangements if you need help with tasks that include the pushing of a wheelchair, carrying of objects or assisting with personal care needs.

Everyone is welcome in the Parade Safe Space whatever your disability or additional support needs. Located near the front in a quieter section of the Parade, we are also service animal friendly.

We ask that you meet us at the Safe Space Assembly Area no later than 30 minutes before the start time. There are wheelchair accessible toilets in the Safe Space Assembly Area.

The Safe Space then travels the route of the Parade; this normally takes around two hours.

During that time, whilst you can leave the Parade, it is not possible to re-join so if you have plans to meet friends, arrange to do so when the Parade has finished.

When the Parade reaches Trafalgar Square, the Safe Space proceeds to the Viewing Platform in

the main square where we have a direct view of the stage. We have ensured to provide speech to text and BSL interpreters on the screens within Trafalgar Square. While providing “changing spaces” mobiloo toilets, a wheelchair charging point, a rest area for service animals and quiet rest tent if you require space away from the crowds.

The Viewing Platform in Trafalgar Square is also managed by the Access Volunteer Stewards who can answer any questions about the event and provide information to help you enjoy the rest of your day!

Activities in Trafalgar Square come to an end at 8pm when the event closes, while duties for Access Volunteer Stewards finish at 8.15pm.

Please remember London will be extremely busy with some roads closed and public transport likely to be heavily affected.

Visit us at prideinlondon.org/access for more information about our commitment to participation, including other ways we can help you celebrate that Pride in London.

GETTING TO PRIDE Our dedicated Access pages on the website have all the latest information and links, with details on the road closures and parking suspensions on Pride day. Check tfl.gov.uk and our website for the latest updates.

ACCESS SHUTTLE BUS

Two accessible shuttle buses will run between the northwest corner of Trafalgar Square, (outside St Martin-in-the-Fields Church), to the safe space assembly area at the crossover of Riding House Street and Great Portland Street. We hope to run these every 30 minutes. The bus will be clearly identifiable with Pride signs in the windows and our Access volunteers (with bright orange T-shirts) on-board. The first bus is at 8.45am and the last bus leaves Trafalgar Square at midday.

ACCESS ASSEMBLY AREA

This year, the Access Assembly Point is at the crossover point of Riding House Street and Great Portland Street. Pride’s volunteer Access Managers, Access Stewards and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters will be there from 10.30am to answer any questions about the rest of your day. There will also be an accessible toilet in this area.

PARADE SAFE SPACE Join us in the Safe Space! You need to aim to arrive at the Access Assembly Area no later than 12.30pm, as the parade starts promptly at 1pm, and organisers need time to move the Safe Space from the assembly area into the parade. You are welcome to bring anything with you, but our volunteers cannot help you carry any banners, and we do not allow whistles etc. in the Safe Space as service animals are present. Our volunteers control the Safe Space and are there to answer any questions you may have. Once the parade has started, unless in a medical emergency, it is not normally possible to leave the parade. However, we do have a shuttle directly behind that can be used for rest, or as somewhere quiet. The shuttle continues with the Safe Space to Trafalgar Square – again with our volunteers on board. When the parade leaves at 1pm, the Safe Space follows the same route – except the Safe Space and shuttle will leave the parade at Trafalgar Square – just a few minutes before the rest of the parade ends on Whitehall.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

A viewing platform will be right in the heart of the square on the North Terrace, staffed by a dedicated Access Manager and volunteer stewards, with support from our Security provider. Due to the structure limitations, it will not be possible to provide cover from adverse weather conditions, so please bring an umbrella (and, if needed, an umbrella clamp) that can be used to shelter from rain or excess heat! We will have a service animal rest area, a wheelchair charging point, an access tent (which can be used for rest or as somewhere quiet) and an accessible toilet next to the Safe Space. We will also have an induction loop running around the entire viewing platform.

On the main stage, we will have a BSL interpreter. Our screens will have both an interpreter, and a live text-to-screen service.

For more accessibility information, including access at Pride in the Park on Sunday 9th July: visit prideinlondon.org, or email access@prideinlondon.org

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The Community Advisory Board ENSURING PRIDE REMAINS ACCOUNTABLE TO YOU THE WORK OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

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ride in London is organised by a volunteer Community Interest Company Board under a contract with the Mayor of London and is accountable to him for the public funding it receives. Beyond that, the Board has a broader accountability to the capital’s LGBT+ communities on whose behalf it organises the Parade and other events that make up Pride in London.

It does this through three open meetings to which any members of the public are welcome to attend and through the formal Community Advisory Board, which meets monthly throughout the year. The CAB advises the directors of Pride in London and scrutinises their decisions. It provides guidance on inclusion, governance and other operational issues, and publishes an annual report, which reviews Pride in London events yearly.

The CAB specifically provides advice on the Pride theme, event plans, parade design and management, festival events and acts, diversity and

inclusion, financial governance, and succession planning for the Pride in London Board. For example, the CAB is consulted on the order in which groups are arranged in the Parade and the acts and speakers booked to appear on the various stages. Members of the CAB are also invited to act as judges of the Pride’s Got Talent competition.

• Sports Rep: Fabian Valencia (Out for Sport) • Straight Ally Rep: Jacqueline Briggs (Families Together London) • Trans People's Rep: Megan Faulkner (Trans Network London) • Young People's Rep: Lukasz Koniezcka (Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre)

The current membership of the Community Advisory Board is: • Chair: Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett • Deputy Chair and Bisexual People's Rep: Edward Lord OBE (BiUK) • Arts and Literature Rep: Simon Tarrant (Winter Pride UK) • Black and Minority Ethnic People's Rep: Ozzy Amir (Queen Mary Students' Union) • Local Groups Rep: David Robson (Wandsworth LGBT Forum) • Older People's Rep: Peter Scott-Presland (Opening Doors London)

The Secretariat to the CAB is provided by Mark Delacour of LGBT Consortium.

There are also vacancies on the CAB for representatives of: Campaigning and Political Groups, Disabled People, Faith and Belief Groups, Health Organisations; Performers, Professional Networks; and Women, as well as an “open/at large” place. If you would be interested in supporting Pride in London as an advisor in one of these areas and can demonstrate a link to the constituency you seek to represent, please apply through a link on the CAB page on the Pride website.

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WEEKEND SCHEDULE TRAFALGAR SQUARE MAIN STAGE 12:00 – 12:50 The West End MAD Trust Drag Dreamgirls feat. Amber Riley John Galea Above The Stag Theatre ‘He Shoots, He Scores!’ - A musical with balls!

A West End Journey - A Tribute to Disney

12:50 – 14:15 Pride’s Got Talent UK Pride Michael Twaits and the Pride’s Got Talent family Pride’s Got Talent 2017 Finalists Saara Aalto

14:30 – 15:55 The Queens Mary Mac Mzz Kimberley Silver Summers Vanity Von Glow The Board of Pride in London La Voix

15:55 – 20:00 The Afternoon The Tailormade Dan Koek BETTY Mary Bousted from The TUC Pink Singers with Rainbow Voices Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett and the Community Advisory Board London Gay Big Band Ozzy Amir Jaimie Wilson Alex James Elisson, Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Winner 2016 Sinitta Toby Corton, Pride’s Got Talent Winner 2017 Fleur East Impulse Presents: Drag Race Beyoncé Experience Gay Men’s Dance Company Alex Palmieri Velma Celli Michael Twaits and Drag Idol 2017 020

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PROGRAMME RADIO DIVA WOMEN’S STAGE, LEICESTER SQUARE 12:20 – 14:00 Diva Presents Monika D Heather Peace Miri Sonia Leigh Jennifer Paige Netflix Sinitta

14:00 – 17:30 July Jones Scarlett Randle Sophie Kilburn Sarah Jane Morris Kirsty Murphy Grace Parry Ava Cantrell Sarah Walk Horse McDonald Bekka - Nightgeist Natalie Gray

17:40 – 19:30 Laura Tapp Lots Holloway Betty Stooche

CABARET STAGE, DEAN STREET 12:15 – 14:00

ILLUMINATION STAGE, GOLDEN SQUARE 12:30 – 14:20 Laura Nadia Hunt Heart and Soul

14:20 – 16:10 Pride’s Got Talent Kids’ Karaoke Big Fish Little Fish

16:10 – 18:30 Pride’s Got Talent Bed Time Story All acts and times are subject to change

SOHO Soho is the home to the Cabaret Stage at the end of Dean Street where you can be entertained by some of the LGBT+ community’s amazing groups.

Leicester Square is the new home of the Women’s Stage, giving more space to this wonderful set of entertainers, Radio Diva, and even more stalls for you to explore. The Family Area is the Illumination Stage which you’ll find in Golden Square, so get along to this more family-friendly environment for all or part of your day.

PRIDE IN THE PARK Join us in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens on Sunday 9 July for a picnic and live music with UK Black Pride in London.

Dom Warwick Lord Hicks Kara Van-Park Verónica Montenegro Woe Adams Holly DunnSomething Marcus The Magician Margaret Thatcher Queen Of Soho

Pride in the Park is a community-style event with all kinds of entertainment. There’ll be a cake baking competition, sports awards, the Parade awards, dog shows, music, performances and drink, and new for 2017 a Spoken Word Tent – all in a relaxed atmosphere that everyone is welcome to be a part of. It’s the perfect way to relax with friends and finish off the weekend of celebration.

14:00 – 16:00

Turn over for all the details of the Parade

THE PARADE

Stephanie Von Clitz Fanny Fierce - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret OIa Samspon - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Darren & Vishesh - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Caitlin Downie- Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Danny Polaris - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Wilma Ballsdrop - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Pondskater - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret River - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Ateeque Bhatti - Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret Trolly Dolly Keith

16:15 – 19:30 FKA Vinegar Strokes King Frankie Sinatra Marnie Scarlet Ren Stedman Sadie Sinner The Songbird Jacqui Swallows Sum Ting Wong Benjamin Butch Drag Idol Finalists 2017 Son of A Tutu Adam All Lick Von Dyke Silver Summers LoUis CYfer The Vixens 021

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WATCHING THE PARADE THIS YEAR IS LONDON’S 45TH PRIDE AND HAS GROWN TO BE ONE OF LONDON’S FAVOURITE EVENTS AND A TRADITION SINCE 1972. THIS YEAR WE EXPECT TO SEE PASSIONATE CAMPAIGNING, ALONGSIDE PERFORMERS AND THOSE CELEBRATING THE ORGANISATION TO WHICH THEY BELONG. THE PARADE WILL BE A MIXTURE OF PEOPLE AND OVER 40 FLOATS, HIGHLIGHTING THAT LOVE HAPPENS HERE...

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ow you’re probably thinking, “OK, but how do I get to watch this amazing event?”

There are many ways to view the Parade, whether you want to throw down the big money on somewhere overlooking the route, view from the pavement, or simply watch the highlights online.

We’ve recapped some of our favourite tips for getting the most out of your day. Of course, the best way is to stake out a space on the street and watch the Parade as it passes by. To secure a good spot and have the most enjoyable experience, you’ll want to get there bright and early!

Spectators typically start lining the streets around 11am or earlier. We suggest you do not leave once you get a good place to watch.

The Parade tends to reach Oxford Circus at around 1.15pm before continuing on along the rest of the route. Like any major event or even just a normal Saturday, avoid arranging to meet friends directly outside a Tube station or major tourist area (such as Piccadilly Circus): it will be

incredibly busy and near impossible to find anybody. We highly recommend you choose somewhere quieter!

Major stations directly on the Parade route often become “exit only” or even temporarily closed to avoid congestion so be prepared to walk to use public transport. Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus become exceptionally busy, so consider using Baker Street or Embankment, with both being about a 10 to 15 minute stroll to the start of the Parade or Soho respectively.

There are more than 1.5 miles of public viewing spots, but we have found that the further away from any major interchange you go, the more space there is so you can probably get closer to the Parade. The lower ends of both Regent Street (the junctions of Conduit Street to Air Street) and Waterloo Place are traditionally a bit quieter and may provide good viewing opportunities. If stewards are advising there is space in an alternative location, please help and move along. They do know the route and you’ll likely have a much better viewing spot.

You’ll want to dress appropriately for the British weather. Previous Prides have seen thunderstorms and heat waves all on the same day so plan accordingly. With the right attitude, you’ll have the time of your life when the Parade reaches you.

Make sure you know this year’s Parade route (as it has changed in the past). Check out the official site for the complete line-up, Parade route, and much more info.

Use the bathroom before you arrive. Although Pride installs hundreds of gender-neutral toilets over the event footprint – there are very few public facilities on the Parade route. Bring plenty of snacks for you and your loved ones just in case there are no convenient options nearby.

Expect massive crowds and be cautious with your children. Keep the family together at all times!

Lastly, be aware that Pride closes roads and the crossing of the actual route is restricted.

Check our website for all the latest information, plan carefully with a few Plan Bs and you will have a fantastic Pride!

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FEATURE

START Por t la n c d P la e

ROUTE MAP

FINISH

ROAD CLOSURES AND ACCESS RESTRICTION SATURDAY 8 JULY This year the Parade will again begin at the top of Portland Place.

The Parade will travel along Portland Place until arriving at Oxford Circus where it shall then continue along via Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, St James’s, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and ending in Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue. Parking and vehicle access will be affected along the route; it will also attract many spectators, so pavements will be extremely busy.

Road Closures Road closures along the Parade

route will be staggered. A detailed street-by-street list of all road closures and parking suspensions will be published before the event on the Pride in London website at www.prideinlondon.org/ planyourpride. Access for emergency vehicles will be facilitated at all times.

Parking Parking suspensions will be in place along the route from midnight on Friday 7 July and suspension signs will be in place at all affected locations.

To help you find alternative

parking and minimise disruption from the Pride event activities, resident permit holders in zone G will be able to park in resident permit holder spaces in zones D, E, F and G, from 6:30pm on Friday 7 July 2017 to 8:30am on Monday 10 July 2017.

If your vehicle is parked in any of the car parks along the route and you need access to it on the day of the Parade, you should move it by midnight Friday 7 July, as there will be no access until the event has finished at approximately 6:30pm on Saturday.

Parade Route The Parade forms up on Portland Place from 9:00am and starts moving at approximately 1:00pm.

The Parade starts from the junction of New Cavendish Street and travels along Portland Place until meeting Oxford Circus. From Oxford Circus, the Parade goes down Regent Street and St James, along Pall Mall and Cockspur Street, into Whitehall where it then disperses on Horse Guards Avenue. The Parade is expected to be finished in Whitehall by 4:30pm.

Roads along the route will re-open behind the Parade. We expect all roads to be open by 6:30pm.

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Parade Awards

The Parade awards for the Pride in London 2016 Parade recognised those groups in the Parade who most embraced Pride in London 2016 and our campaign “#nofilter”

“#

nofilter” celebrates the spirit of Pride and asks you to do something very simple: Live your life as you. Many LGBT+ people feel the need to filter their behavior, to self-censor or to hide who they are. Well, not today. We’re encouraging people to live as themselves, nothing more, nothing less. So, stand proud, show us your authentic-self and celebrate authenticity. Live life with #nofilter.

overjoyed to win the ‘Best Community Group’ award, and we’re really excited to return in 2017 to try and top our performance!” -GLADD

• Best Walking Group - for the walking group that best celebrates LGBT+ life, fights for equality and challenges prejudice and was the most creative and interactive while marching

Corporate Award (for corporate group that most embraced Pride 2016 during the Parade)

• Best Float - for the float that best celebrates LGBT+ life, fights or equality and challenges prejudice and had the most creative, interactive and fun float.

These will be voted for by a panel of judges which will be announced nearer the day.

The Parade Awards 2016 were:

The Winner of the Corporate Award 2016 Levis - a long-time supporter of the LGBT+ community with a collection celebrating key moments in gay rights history and supporting the Harvey Milk foundation.

Community Award (for community group that most embraced Pride 2016 during the Parade)

Newcomer Award (for a new group that most embraced Pride 2016 during the Parade)

The Winner of the Community Award 2016 - GLADD - LGBT+ Doctors and Dentist from all over the UK

The Winner of the Newcomer Award 2016 (with 95 new groups joining this year!) Skittles - who gave back the rainbow to the LGBT+ community on one our biggest and best days.

“The Pride in London Parade is one of the highlights of the year for our organisation! The Parade is a fantastic experience for us, bringing together our members from across the UK in a colourful celebratory way. Being visible is key for our work supporting LGBT+ doctors and dentists, and the Pride in London Parade gives us an amazing platform to achieve this. In 2016 we were

For the Pride in London Parade 2017, the awards will be as follows: • Best New Group - for the group that has not participated in the Parade before and best celebrates LGBT+ life, fights for equality and challenges prejudice

• The Parade Team Award - given to the group that fully embraced the spirit of Pride in London, best represented the theme and was the most enjoyable group to watch and work with in the Parade.

This will be voted for by the Parade Team (Section superiors, stewards etc.).

• Pride in London Special Recognition Award - voted for by the Pride in London board of directors and given to the group that has supported Pride in London over the last 5 years.

This will be voted for by the Pride in London Directors.

The award winners will be announced on Saturday 8 July 2017 and presented on Sunday 9 July 2017 during Pride in the Park.

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FEATURE

“The Pride in London Parade is one of the highlights of the year for our organisation!” GLADD

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PRIDE’S GOT PRIDE’S GOT TALENT IS BACK AND IT’S BIGGER THAN EVER! THIS YEAR PRIDE’S GOT TALENT STARTED IN STYLE WITH A FABULOUS LAUNCH PARTY AT THE TWO BREWERS IN CLAPHAM. WITH PAST PERFORMERS SHOWING THIS YEAR’S CONTESTANTS WHAT IT TAKES, IT WAS A GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE COMPETITION

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uditions take place in every corner of the LGBT+ London scene and give new and emerging talent the chance to perform onstage at Pride in London. Each year hundreds of artists apply, and dozens are invited to audition before a panel of industry professional judges and a live audience.

This year Pride’s Got Talent has not one but two grand finals. One for pop music and another for cabaret offering each one of our finalists a chance to show us why they should be crowned the winner.

Godmother of Pride’s Got Talent Sinitta said: “I’ve been a huge supporter of Pride’s Got Talent since the beginning. It’s a fantastic way to get new talent in front of London’s very discerning audiences. The performers coming forward this year are more exciting and original than ever and the talent levels are through the roof! Come on down to one of our events and get to see stars in the making!”

From drag queens to pop singers, R&B starsin-the-making to cabaret artists, classical singers to boybands – there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Ian Massa-Harris-McFeely, Pride in London’s Executive Producer and creator of Pride’s Got Talent said: “Each year the competition gets hotter and hotter and the sheer diversity of the talent pool gets wider as performers from every part of London’s beautiful LGBT+ community show us their true colours.”

The grand finals are being held at the Charing Cross Theatre, and you can also see our finalists performing all over the Pride in London festival.

“The performers coming forward this year are more exciting and original than ever and the talent levels are through the roof!”

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FEATURE

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Love Happens at Starbucks ÂŽ

Inclusion is ingrained in our DNA and we are so proud that our employees share who they truly are, as they reflect the diversity of the communities and customers we serve. #LoveHappensHere

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SPONSORS

OUR SPONSORS at

at

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FEATURE

BLACK PRIDE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE UK BLACK PRIDE GIVES AN UNFILTERED TAKE ON THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF BLACK LGBT+ PEOPLE

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K Black Pride is Britain’s biggest event focused on giving clear visibility and voice to the lives and experiences of African, Asian, Arab, and Caribbean heritage LGBT+ people.

In an age where Black LGBT+ people are not always given space in mainstream community activities, UK Black Pride is an event for Black LGBT+, as well as our allies, to come together and celebrate the outstanding contributions Black LGBT+ people have made, and continue to make, to the success of Britain and the world from which our members emanate.

Over the past 13 years, UK Black Pride has grown in size and stature for the simple reason that it is rooted in the communities it serves and puts the principle of Pride before Profit at the forefront of its efforts as the only way to ensure that Pride is an inclusive event for all. In fact, UK Black Pride is the only Black LGBT+ community-led Pride that is wholly designed and delivered by a diverse group of Black LGBT+ people. This principled approach has attracted support from Prime Ministers, MPs, trade unions, Black LGBT+ community and voluntary groups, public service providers, employers, as well as young people and students. It has also helped UK Black Pride attract the support of top-notch entertainers who have performed over the years, from Jessie

J to Beverley Knight, from General Levy to Ms. Dynamite, as well as comedians Gina Yashere and Stephen K. Amos, and artists Asifa Lahore to Munroe Bergdorf.

Through a unique blend entertainment and education, UK Black Pride gives an unfiltered take on the needs and aspirations of Black LGBT+ people. Not only does it celebrate the many good things that happen, but it also confronts those barriers that are present inside, outside, and across our inter-sectional lived experiences in the Black community, the LGBT+ community, and wider society, both in the UK and beyond its shores. UK Black Pride’s message to the world remains uncompromising: No to racism and homophobia. Yes to justice and equality.

The theme of the 2017 event is: Past, Present, Future… Love Happens Here. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Act to decriminalise homosexuality in the UK. It is also a chance to organise and inspire the next generation of LGBT+ activists and supporters for battles we must still confront and win.

This year, UK Black Pride will be held on 9 July in Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens, the heart of south London’s thriving LGBT+ scene. Although the announcement of the lineup of artists and entertainers is not yet public, what you can be assured of is that UK Black Pride will bring its

distinct blend of live music and human rights to deliver a family-friendly festival of community pride and entertainment that offers something to everyone! On top of the entertainment from fantastic singers, DJs, dancers, and spoken word artists, you will be inspired by speakers representing diverse sections of the Black LGBT+ community giving ideas on how to get involved and make a difference.

With more than 5,000 attendees expected at the event you are sure to meet like-minded people, make new friends and contacts, as well as engaging in education and welfare workshops, eating delicious food from around the world, and having a drink to relax as you enjoy a fun-filled day of family-friendly pride and partying.

For more information please visit: www.ukblackpride.org.uk UK Black Pride will take place on 9 July at Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens

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Wear it with Pride ÂŁ1 from the sale of each Pride T-Shirt will be donated to our charity partner Diversity Role Models Charity Number 1142548 Order your online now at tesco.com/pride

In partnership with

Tesco will donate ÂŁ1 from the sale of each Pride T-Shirt sold in Tesco stores and on Tesco.com between 1st of June 2017 and 1st September 2017 to Diversity Role Models Charity Number 1142548

PRIDE IN LONDON

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SOHO 1 100 Wardour Street 100 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0TN www.100wardourst.com 2 Admiral Duncan 54 Old Compton Street London, W1D 4UB www.admiral-duncan.co.uk 3 Balans Soho Society 60-62 Old Compton St, London W1D 4UG www.balans.co.ukbalans-soho-society

MAPS: GOOGLE

4 Balans Soho Society Café 34 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4TS www.balans.co.uk 5 Bar Soho 23-25 Old Compton Street, London, W1D 5JL www.barsoho.co.uk 6 Century Club 61-63 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6LQ www.centuryclub.co.uk

7 Circa 62 Frith St, London W1D 3JN, www.circasoho.com

14 Retro Bar 2 George Court, London, WC2N 6HH www.retrobarlondon.co.uk

8 Comptons 51 – 53 Old Compton Street, London, W1D 6HN www.faucetinn.comcomptons

15 Rupert Street Bar 50 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DR www.rupert-street.com

9 Freedom Bar 66 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0TA www.freedombarsoho.com 10 Halfway to Heaven 7 Duncannon Street, London, WC2N 4JF www.halfway2heaven.net 11 Ku Bar Leicester Square 30 Lisle Street, London, WC2H 7BA www.ku-bar.co.uk 12 Ku Soho 25 Frith Street, London, WC1D 5LB www.ku-bar.co.uk 13 Prezzo 116 St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BF www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk

16 She Soho 23a Old Compton Street, London, W1D 5LB www.she-soho.com 17 Six Storey Soho 11 Soho Square, Soho,London, W1D 3QE www.sixstoreys.com

21 Village 81 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6QD www.village-soho.co.uk 22 Zebrano Bars 18 Greek St, London W1D 4DS www.zebranolondon.com

SOUTH LONDON 23 Two Brewers 114 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UJ www.the2brewers.com

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18 The Duke of Wellington 77 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6QA 19 The King’s Arms 23 Poland Street, London, W1F 8QJ www.kingsarms-soho.co.uk 20 The Light Lounge 1 Newport Place, London WC2H 7JR www.thelightloungelondon.com

Our Pride Partners are an amazing collection of venues that financially support Pride in London and the LGBT+ community all year round.

Why not pay them a visit!

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All the Fun of the Festival CREATED AND PROGRAMMED BY THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY, PRIDE IN LONDON FESTIVAL IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST LGBT+ FESTIVALS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

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his year it runs from Saturday 24 June to Sunday 9 July and we’re delighted to present the Festival in collaboration with VisitLondon.com 2017’s Festival is bigger and bolder than ever before. With nearly 100 events across 15 days in over 50 venues with hundreds of collaborators, there’s really something for everyone.

The Festival launches on Saturday 24 June in collaboration with Tate Britain. Queer & Now is a celebration of everything LGBT+, focused around the gallery’s Queer British Art 1861-1967 exhibition. Kicking off at 2pm, there’s talks, interactive art works, performers and food and drink in a kaleidoscopic array of activities sliding into an evening party of DJs, music, vogueing and performance. And on the same evening over in Southwark, you can celebrate the end of Ramadan in A Big Gay Iftaar.

The Science Museum Lates will host a special Pride Festival after-hours event on sexuality. See the museum come to life with drag queens and kings running drag workshops, choir performances, live music, science experiments and everything in between. Sorry folks, this one is strictly 18+. But if you’re under 18 don’t worry - we’ve planned an under-18s Pride Prom in collaboration with Mosaic, for London’s LGBT+ youth.

The Pride in London Spectacular is back showcasing the best established and upcoming performers from across the community in the

glorious surroundings of the Paradiso Spiegeltent at Underbelly Festival on the Southbank. The Hospital Club is hosting an evening of talks, performance and general Sunday lazing in The Social Mix. And the official Pride in London’s Women’s social event is over at Zebrano, Soho.

And an all-transgender cast perform in Summer of Love at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

If you don’t want all the hustle and bustle of an evening out, you can relax on a Sunday at one of our Pride Picnics, in Victoria Park, Hackney or Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Or try out life drawing with Starkers at RIBA. And we’re tackling some of the most important issues in the community; from discussions on LGBT+ parenting and adoption to the history of activism in the last 50 years and a special event for trans children and their families. And the Wellcome Trust, celebrating our Love Happens Here campaign, get to grips with the science of “love”.

We’ve teamed up with the National Theatre on a programme of mouth-watering events. The seminal gay play Angels in America holds its place as a centre piece, surrounded by platform talks and a new exhibition tracing the history of LGBT+ work, In Visible Ink. And over parade weekend join us for rehearsed readings of classic LGBT+ plays directed by Stephen Daldry, Polly Stenham and Oscar-winning Moonlight screenwriter Tarrell Alvin McCraney.

If films are your thing try the line-up at the Prince Charles Cinema with iconic urban

fairytale Beautiful Thing, Oscar-winning Moonlight or dress up and party along with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. You can discover LGBT+ Britain archival footage at the BFI Southbank and noted filmmaker Jake Graf will be discussing his short films and experiences of transgender life in the 21st century.

If you’re looking for a night out, you could do worse than attending the country’s biggest Bollywood-and-pop-fused night, Club Kali; battle for lip sync glory against drag queens at Freedom Bar; or get yourself along to any of our official afterparties on Saturday 8 July.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The London Gay Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 21st birthday with a spectacular one-off concert, and broadcaster Rosie Wilby is launching a new book at Gay’s The Word bookshop.

For those feeling active, London’s LGBT+ sports clubs are offering free taster sessions, or pull on your trainers or hop on your bike with Run for Rights and our big Pride Ride. Or see our amateur boxers compete in Pride Boxing.

With nearly 100 events, you need to get online to see the full breadth of performances, discussions, socials, meet ups, exhibitions, sporting events and taster sessions throughout the city. Don’t miss it.

Go to: prideinlondon.org/plan-your-pride/pride-festival

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: LGBT+ FAMILIES; QUEER BRITISH ART 1861-1967; LA VOIX; A BIG GAY IFTAAR; LGBT+ BOWLING; BEAUTIFUL THING; ROTTERDAM; MARLENE DIETRICH THE ULTIMATE GAY ICON; CARNABY STREET; GIN AND HARMONICS; AZ MAG; CLUB KALI BIRTHDAY; MOONLIGHT; LOVE, DESIRE, IDENTITY; SAUCY SOHO

FEATURE

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SPONSORED FEATURE

EY - Proudly supporting LGBT+ equality PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM EY IS COMMITTED TO EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE

EY

wants to build a better working world for our people, our clients and our communities. It’s why we have long supported the LGBT+ community and are deeply committed to equality, diversity and inclusiveness. It makes sense individually, socially and economically.

Over the last few years we’re pleased to say we’ve continued to make great strides in our support of the LGBT+ community. One recent example is the guide we launched for our people last year on gender identity, expression and transition. This progressive guide contains

information and advice on how best to support people, whatever their gender identity, as well as those going through gender transition.

Anjeli Patel, an Indian transgender female and one of the key contributors to the guide, has been listed fifth in the EMpower top 30 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders List. As a passionate LGBT+ and equality ambassador, Anjeli has spoken at high-profile events on trans inclusion, such as Stonewall’s annual conferences in London, Cardiff and Leeds.

Upon receiving the recognition, she said she felt “incredibly honoured” to be recognised as a future leader, adding, “I hope that my experiences as a 037

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What happens when great minds don’t think alike?

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SPONSORED FEATURE BAME transgender female will help to encourage others to be themselves in the workplace and achieve their true potential.”

More recently, our focus has been on raising our profile amongst the younger generations within the LGBT+ community. This year we were headline sponsor for National Student Pride. We’ve been involved as lead sponsor since 2011, and the event continues to be a great way of introducing young people from across the LGBT+ community to forward thinking employers who value diversity in the workplace.

Last month, EY was one of the only organisations from the professional and financial services sectors attending a careers fair for young transgender people run by Gendered Intelligence. Associate Director Nicky Burr attended the event, and had amazing conversations with young people, parents and carers. “It was a great opportunity to speak about EY’s inclusive culture and my experience of transitioning in the firm,” said Nicky. “I also found it a privilege to speak with some really smart young people.”

However, we’re proud to say that we have been forward-thinking for some years. Our UK and Ireland LGBT+ employee network – Unity – was set-up in 1995, and was one of the first of its kind in the private sector. Since then, this global “network-of-networks” for LGBT+ people and their allies has become established across the world, with 4,500 members in 77 countries.

The Unity network is open and inclusive to everyone, whether LGBT+ or an ally, which is why it’s known as EY’s “LGBT+A” network. For us “Ally” doesn’t just mean straight people, to us it means anyone on the broad spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity who is supportive.

Unity member Chris, Assistant Executive in London, says, “For me being out at work has not affected my career in any but a positive way; I have diversified my professional network thanks to Unity’s great connections with other LGBT+ networks across other companies. I have never felt so confident and comfortable in myself and in my professional working environment.”

We’re proud that our commitment over the years has had an effect – and been noticed.

EY is a Stonewall Star Performer in the UK and continues to be named one of the Sunday Times Top 25 Best Big Companies to work for, thanks to our spirit of diversity and inclusion.

Recognition as a top employer for the LGBT+ community is great but we can’t rest on our laurels. We remain firmly committed to driving workplace equality in the UK, Ireland and beyond. Many are following our lead, because organisations are now realising that allowing people to feel free to be themselves makes excellent business sense.

“I have never felt so confident and comfortable in myself and in my professional working environment”

Go to: www.ey.com/LGBT

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DRINKS

DRINK UP Throwing a party this summer? Beer and simple drinks like vodka and coke or even a margarita are a given.

Step up your game and go for something a bit more elevated and unexpected – like these whisky cocktails from master mixologist Duane Fernandez, Jr. Duane’s advice for the perfect Pride gathering: avoid purchasing pre-made mixes – you can do it better yourself. And focus on great cocktails. These four get his expert stamp of approval. “They’re all very light, refreshing, and perfect for summer.”

The gayest bartending trick ever RAINBOW SHOTS! Want to really impress your friends? Imagine pouring out 6 shots in all the shades of the rainbow, from a single shaker cup.

It’s easier than it sounds.

What you need: 1½ parts vodka (citrus flavoured, if possible) 1 part blue curaçao 5 parts orange juice 1 part grenadine How to do it: 1. Pour the grenadine into a cocktail shaker.

2. Slowly fill the shaker with ice.

THE DEWAR’S DRAMBLE

THE GOLD FASHIONED

FOGGIE MOSS JULEP

DEWARS SMASH

2 oz Dewar’s 12 Blended Scotch Whisky

2 oz Aberfeldy 12-Year-Old Scotch Whisky

2 oz Aultmore 12-Year-Old Scotch Whisky

2 oz Dewars 12 Blended Scotch Whisky

1 oz lemon juice

¼ oz honey syrup

½ oz Orgeat syrup

2 wedges of lemon

½ oz simple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

8 mint leaves

3. Pouring over the back of a bar spoon, slowly add a layer of OJ to the shaker, followed by a layer of vodka.

3–4 fresh mint sprigs

4. Line up 6 shot glasses.

2 dashes orange bitters

2 dashes chocolate bitters

Seltzer

Orange twist

Mint sprig

To make: Muddle the lemon, fresh mint leaves, and syrup in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add whisky, shake, and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Top with seltzer and garnish with additional mint leaves.

5. Slowly pour the blue curaçao over the back of your bar spoon into the cocktail shaker, then quickly and carefully empty the shaker of booze into the shot glasses.

½ oz Crème de Mûre (blackberry flavored crème liqueur) Blackberry garnish To make: Add all ingredients (minus the Crème de Mûre) to glass, fill with crushed ice, and stir. Top with more crushed ice, then drizzle the Crème de Mûre on top.

To make: Blend honey syrup: Combine honey and hot water in equal parts, stir and let chill.

To make drink, add honey syrup and bitters to glass, add cubed ice, add Aberfeldy, and stir. Top with more ice and stir if needed. Twist orange zest oils over the drink and then add to drink as garnish.

Lemon twist To make: Add whisky, syrup, mint, and bitters to a glass, fill with crushed ice and churn with bar spoon thoroughly. Garnish and serve.

¾ oz simple syrup

How it works: Since all the liquids involved are different densities, they will sit on top of each other in the shaker as long as you don’t mix them up.

Practice making the shots a few times—pulling it off does take some practice.

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ON BOARD WITH SHARLEEN A FAVOURITE WITH THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY SHARLEEN SPITERI OF TEXAS TALKS TO CARY GEE ABOUT HER MUSIC, HANGING AROUND WITH THIERRY HENRY, AND WHY EQUAL MARRRIGE IS SO IMPORTANT

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t’s been almost thirty years since the sliding guitars and deep southern rhythms of I Don’t Want a Lover slithered into the top ten. Since then, Sharleen Spiteri with her band Texas has gone on to sell 35m records, including seven top ten albums, three of which entered the charts at Number One, and 13 top ten singles. By now you’d probably better revise those figures upwards. Texas is back, and sounding better than ever on new release Jump on Board.

Did frontwoman, the delectable singer and songwriter Sharleen Spiteri, who’s just arrived home in London after shooting a video in her native Scotland, ever imagine that three decades later she’d still be here to write another chapter in her, and the band’s, extraordinary story?

“God. I don’t think anyone ever thinks that far down the line do they? It is quite extraordinary. I feel very proud, and pretty damn honoured to have had so long. That and the fact that we still love it so much.”

Not that Sharleen enjoys the actual business of being a pop star.

“I don’t enjoy that at all. I enjoy making music, I enjoy being on stage and performing live. It’s about what I’m able to create with my band.

That’s what I love.”

Sharleen says that “when you’ve got music in your DNA, what’s gone in will come back out.”

I ask her what has gone in, and what’s come out on Jump on Board?

“So much goes in. You don’t realise you’re storing things up. Then suddenly your mind accesses certain points and emotions. At certain points in your life you decide you are ready to let them out. To show that side of you. I think when you’re younger you are a lot more guarded about what you’re prepared to let people see.”

Sharleen is not talking simply about musical references. “I’m talking more lyrically, about emotions. But yes, Texas has always referenced different styles of music.”

Texas has never followed a set-pattern when it comes to making an album. “It’s always different.

Myself and Johnny (McElhone), my songwriter partner in Texas, write most of the music together

INTERVIEW and then introduce the songs to the others.”

Can a songwriter listen to other people’s music when they are in the studio recording or do outside influences prove a distraction?

“To be honest with you it’s sometimes nice just to switch off and listen to somebody else. Even just having the radio on in the background can add a certain clarity, and prevent you from you getting too bogged down in your own stuff. I’m pretty much always listening to music. Even during the school run in the morning the radio’s always on.”

Sharleen’s daughter is now 14 years old. Is she a fan? “She’s a proper ‘K’ pop girl. That’s what she listens to and enjoys. You’ve got to allow your kid to do their own thing and find their own way. But she does take pride in what I do, in my work ethic and the fact that I take what I do seriously.

Hopefully that will pass onto her.”

Unusually in this day and age Jump on Board features just ten tracks. Was it a deliberate decision to opt for quality over quantity?

“We always try and go for quality. For me it’s always a conscious decision to have an ‘A’ side and a ‘B’ side. We really wanted to create that feeling and to keep the album nice and short.”

Texas is perhaps one of the few pure pop rock bands to have endured in an ever-changing musical landscape. Is making music simply a means of escape for Sharleen?

“For me it’s a way of escaping. It’s also the one way I know how to communicate because I’m not very good at it any other way.” This sounds a little disingenuous coming from a woman who clearly communicates with clarity and great thoughtfulness.

In the video for single Let’s Work it Out, a coruscating 70s inspired disco floor-filler, Sharleen is driven about town in the company of a rather familiar, not to say, incredibly handsome date. Who is he and how did he come to be in her video?

She laughs. “You mean Thierry Henry?

Thierry is one of my oldest and best friends. We happened to be sitting in his kitchen having lunch together. I played him the song and he loved the whole Soul Train feel to it. So I said,

‘Great. Why don’t you be in the video?’”

Is Henry a good mover? “Yeah, but I didn’t let him dance in the video ‘cos I didn’t want him to outshine me!”

Given that Sharleen is shown dancing up a storm in a dress and a pair of gold strappy sandals it seems unlikely that anyone could have outshone her. It also seems unlikely that she herself has ever danced in those sandals, but she corrects me immediately. “I actually wore my little Gucci sandals and that very same dress to a party a few weeks before I wore them in the video!”

Sharleen is well aware that she has a legion of LGBT+ fans, boys as well as girls. It’s no coincidence that her song So Called Friend appeared in the titles to Ellen DeGeneres’ eponymous sitcom. But which came the first?

Were the LGBT+ fans already present before she got the call from Ellen, or did appearing in the show expose her and her music to a whole new fan base?

“I think the gay following has always been with us which is great. And then it grew even larger after we appeared on Ellen.”

Did she ever deliberately set out to cultivate that market? “I don’t think you ever set out to cultivate any specific market. You do what you do and hope as many people out there as possible will like it.”

Spiteri was also a very vocal supporter of equal marriage, particularly in Scotland. She even recorded and uploaded a video calling for equal marriage legislation. Why was this issue of such importance to her?

“Because love is important. Relationships and trust are important. I think it’s a basic human right.” Since then Sharleen has not just been to a gay wedding. She went to the gay wedding. “I was at Elton and David’s!”

Did she feel a responsibility as a celebrity to make her views on equal marriage known?

“I was asked if I’d be interested in voicing my opinion. I was honoured to be asked, honoured that my voice and opinion was considered valid.

I was badly bullied at school as a teenager. I don’t like bullies. I feel that human beings should be equal in all things.”

“Love is important.

Relationships and trust are important.

I think it’s a basic human right”

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INTERVIEW

Having been one of the most famous faces in music for so long, a face that was immortalised by photographer Juergen Teller on the cover of multi-million selling album White on Blonde, it’s no surprise that Sharleen has occasionally received the attention of “serial-fans”, fans who think nothing of displaying their adulation in screamingly inappropriate ways.

“I’ve always had fans like that. It can be a little bit crazy at times. One fan sent us heroin through the post! That wasn’t so good. Yeah, we’ve had many strange bits and pieces sent to us over the years.”

This summer sees Texas embarking on a tour of the UK and Europe. Can fans expect to be treated to a few old favourites as well as songs from the brilliant new album?

“You’ve got to play a good mix-up. It’s important to entertain people. To give them a great time. Not just to ram something down their throats before they even know it.”

Doesn’t Sharleen ever tire of singing the same old songs? “No. I like our old songs!’ It’s not like I listen to them at any other point. Sometimes I don’t play one for a few years. Then I’ll decide ‘let’s add this one in.’”

Does she have a personal favourite?” it depends on my mood. But I always play Say What You Want, and I love Inner Smile.

Sometimes you go back to something like I Don’t Want a Lover, I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved since that song, and look back on it really fondly.”

After thirty years in the business does Sharleen believe she is a better singer and performer than when she first recorded the song back in 1989? “Yes. Definitely!”

The tour begins in Glasgow. Is there a special frisson to singing in her hometown? “There’s always so much expected of you. People think,

‘You’ve been away, let’s see what you’ve got. But it’s always good.”

Glasgow’s burgeoning LGBT+ scene has been described as one of the friendliest in Europe.

When did Sharleen last visit it?

“I’ve lived in London for 25 years but I used to be a hairdresser in Glasgow so trust me, I’ve spent most of my years in gay clubs! The last time I went out gay clubbing was about four months ago. But I was wearing a suit, not my strappy sandals!”

Given the multi-platinum discs that Sharleen and Texas have been awarded over the years it’s unlikely that she’ll ever need a day job, but does she still have her scissors, just in case it all goes down the pan?

“I still cut my own hair a lot. I cut my daughter’s hair, I cut my partner’s hair. I still have my scissors and I haven’t lost my touch.”

When I dare ask when she last had a celebrity meltdown she feigns not to know what I mean.

Then I realise that she actually doesn’t know what I mean. Such behaviour would be anathema to this most grounded of superstars.

“I don’t see myself as a celebrity, or put up with that bullshit! If I ever see someone behaving like that I think ‘what a wanker’.”

A perfect night in for Sharleen “starts at lunch, with my family, my friends and their families, and goes on through the early hours.”

And a perfect night out? “Me and my girls, and my little gold shoes!”

Finally, does Sharleen have a message she’d like to pass on to the boys and girls preparing to celebrate Pride this summer?

“I’d just like to say thank you to all the people celebrating Pride this summer. Thank you for thirty years of support. And the fight that you continue to fight. I didn’t write a song called Say What You Want for no reason!”

“I’d just like to say thank you to all the people celebrating Pride this summer.

Thank you for thirty years of support. And the fight that you continue to fight”

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FEATURE

GLAD TO BE GREY

IT’S BEEN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY SINCE MALE HOMOSEXUALITY WAS PARTIALLY DECRIMINALISED IN ENGLAND AND WALES. BUT HOW HAVE THINGS REALLY CHANGED FOR GAY MEN AND LESBIANS IN THE PAST 50 YEARS? XAV JUDD TALKS TO SOME OLDER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY 045

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I

n England and Wales 50 years ago, the Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalised same-sex activity between two men, as long as it was in private and they were both over 21. Hitherto, individuals who engaged in such relations could be imprisoned for indecent assault or buggery. As well as this extreme injustice, gay males faced being ostracised if they came out, and might well be blackmailed if they didn’t, and homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder (up until 1968).

So, incontestably, it was an exceptionally difficult time for anybody who just happened not to be straight. Consequently, I tracked down some older non-heterosexuals to ask them about their experiences of exploring their sexuality during such an oppressive era.

Furthermore, now that they’ve reached a certain age, I wanted to know their thoughts and impressions about living as a senior citizen.

Do they feel neglected by society at large, and by an LGBT+ community that’s frequently portrayed in the media as revolving around a hedonistic, narcissistic youth where the body aesthetic is king?

Alan was born in London in 1942, although he spent his teenage years in Sutton: “I first realised I might be gay at school; a mutual attraction developed between a friend and I, but neither of us acted on it because we were afraid to do so. And at 15, I became aware of other guys who liked guys for the first time; I was picked up by a bloke in a swimming baths, taken back to his flat, where we had sex – it was an enlightening experience. Afterwards, I read about the Wolfenden report [it was the conclusions of a Departmental Committee to consider both homosexual offences and prostitution, which had been set up by a Conservative government in 1954] in the press, and tried to find information about nonheterosexuality in the local library but there was nothing available - I definitely wasn’t going to ask the librarian!

“Later, I discovered other places to meet fellas such as a secret membership club in Soho, various cottages, and cruising grounds, for example, Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common. Although setting off for the latter knowing one could be arrested added a sort of excitement, there was a need to be tremendously careful.”

Alan was right to be so cautious, as in the 1950s and 1960s thousands of men who weren’t straight were locked up for gross indecency or buggery. Indeed, the police force even used entrapment - undercover officers attempted to solicit gay people in public places.

“To be frank,” says Alan, “growing up in Great Britain in the 50s and 60s was a very lonely existence. There was no Internet and I knew I could never discuss my feelings with my parents or my brother, five years older than me, so they were internalised. This led to bouts of depression and there were two suicide attempts using sleeping tablets.” Sadly, Alan’s aforementioned school mate did kill himself, at just 15.

In such an intolerant and repressive climate where one’s liberty might be taken away at any moment, it’s hard to guess exactly how many other gay men attempted to end their own life or actually succeeded, but one can estimate

that it ran into thousands.

Alan continues: “In my early twenties while I was working as an industrial chemist, my family exerted a lot of pressure on me to get married, since it was thought the thing to do in those days. And never having a female companion got noticed, so I was often asked ‘What’s wrong with you?’ or ‘Why don’t you find a girl and tie the knot?’ It was terribly dejecting. So when I met a woman at a party who fancied me and several days later said she wanted to get hitched, I agreed. On the eve of the wedding I kept questioning why I was doing this and should I go through with it, but I understood that if I didn’t I’d have to explain why to my parents and hers. By this time, the 1967 Act had come in, yet it made little difference to the attitudes of the public at large or my nearest and dearest. Therefore, I went ahead with the ceremony thinking that I’d end it after a couple of years. However, my wife became pregnant within 12 months. I couldn’t just walk away, and vowed to keep it going until my son was old enough to leave home. At that point, I told my spouse I was ending the relationship and why, including that I’d been leading a double life and seeing blokes.”

Unfortunately, Alan’s troubled experiences are typical for many gay males during this time but it wasn’t the same for everyone. Chris, who was born in South London in 1945, also recognised he might not be straight while at school: “I was attracted to the other boys’ physiques, so understood that I was probably different. As I got older, I consolidated those feelings which meant I didn’t really ever have a problem with my sexuality, so never actually

“Growing up in Great Britain in the 50s and 60s was a very lonely existence”

OPENING DOORS LONDON

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FEATURE ANNIE WORKS AS AN AMBASSADOR FOR OPENING DOORS LONDON

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felt that there was a need to come out.”

Unlike many families from his generation, who would have kicked their son out or even tried to have him sectioned, Chris’s parents were very liberal concerning his sexual identity.

“They weren’t especially interested in what I got up to or with whom, just as long as I was happy. And, actually, my folks encouraged me to think for myself and not to give a damn about what others thought. Career-wise, I did a job in a gay-oriented and friendly environment, as a hairdresser, so I was lucky in that sense too. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to meet men in my teens and early twenties; there wasn’t any social media back then or magazines such as Time Out, so the only way to find out about places was by word of mouth. I’d heard of a couple of pubs or clubs like the White Bear or Madame Jo Jos, but ended up going to the usual suspects of pick-up spots: saunas, cottaging areas and cruising grounds. Of course, instant gratification was on tap, yet I sought more than that.”

There’s no doubt that for the overwhelming majority of non-straight men pre-1967 life was exceedingly hard if not damn near impossible – it just wasn’t viable to be out in the open. But fast forward 50 years, and having come through that extremely repressive period, what are older LGBT+ individual’s thoughts about the modern world – do they consider they are totally forgotten by society at large and even neglected by their own community?

“If I do venture into your average gay bar or club these days, it’s almost unfeasible for me not to feel like I’m some sort of ancient relic.

I’ve even had a couple of young guys look at me as if to say, ‘What the hell is that dinosaur doing here?’ And I’ve been chatted up by others who think I’m some kind of well-to-do sugar daddy - they are only interested in conversation if they believe I’ll provide them with free booze the whole evening. Everything’s got worse in the last ten years due to so many venues having closed. I used to enjoy popping into the Black Cap or Green Carnation, but they’ve both gone now,” says Chris.

Durham-born, sixtysomething Annie, who used to work as an operations manager for the NHS, agrees: “The lack of inclusivity in the gay scene is massive. Stonewall, the LGBT+ rights charity, has done a lot of research and discovered that the more mature members of our community do not feel particularly welcomed. And they can experience anxiety or awkwardness even by just walking down Old Compton Street or visiting a bar.”

In truth, it might not be a surprise for nightspots in general, to concentrate on the youth market. The number of these types of establishments that have shut their doors for various reasons -snowballing rents, a more integrated society, an ever-increasing stay-away public due to the proliferation of online dating communication, etc. - attests to the fact that it’s a harsher economic environment to operate in than ever. And in such a cutthroat marketplace where every pound counts, it’s the 18-35s that bring in the real spondoolies. And besides, why would a venue focus on and try to attract an older clientele when there’s a strong

argument it’s less certain they’d want to come anyway because they are more expected to have developed other interests; possibly don’t have the stamina or inclination to stand around until well past the witching hour, as their eardrums are assaulted by the thud of dance music; are perhaps heavily invested in a career; or could be occupied 24/7 with a wife and kids.

Well, if they are straight, they might be; a YouGov survey (1,050 heterosexual and 1,036 LGB people who were 55-plus were questioned) carried out by Stonewall at the start of the decade identified that although 90 per cent of older heterosexuals have children, it drops to just 25 per cent for gay and bisexual men and approximately 50 per cent for lesbians and bisexual women. Added to which, there’s a bigger chance that elderly LGB individuals are single.

“This could be down to a plethora of factors: bad relationships. a partner passing away, that this generation was forced to lead closeted lifestyles, or because they didn’t form a large circle of friends,” posits Annie. Whatever the reasons, when also taking into account the (lack-of-) offspring stats, this group obviously faces a huger risk of loneliness or isolation than their non-homosexual peers. and it’s significantly less probable that they will have regular contact with their families. The inference from these figures, is that this group face a huger risk of loneliness or isolation. And there’s been a substantial amount of research from charities such as Age UK and Mind that link solitude with depression, other mental

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FEATURE

ALL PICTURES: MEMBERS OF OPENING DOORS LONDON

“ Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength”

health problems, and a wide range of additional illnesses. Thus, a homogenised scene that makes more mature females and males consider they are out of place or surplus to requirements cuts off an important avenue for them to socialise.

Maybe it’s wrong to attempt to paint the whole gay scene as one entity - a twink-laden landscape, full of plastic people with plastic smiles. In fact, a lot of younger individuals in this sliver of society have got a completely different mindset: “I’ve found that most treat the older LGBT+ community with great respect and are very interested in hearing about our experiences. Some even say they are humbled by what we had to endure and thank us for moving attitudes or influencing legislation that came into being,” states Alan.

Nonetheless, for the older ones within our community who do imagine themselves cut adrift or need more than just alcohol and loud music when they head out, in a country-wide sense there is a lack of specialist agencies who can offer any assistance. Indeed, despite a 2017 Age UK report calculating that there are over one million 55-plus LGBT+ folk in Britain, a quick perusal online only turned up two useful entities – one being a project run by LGBT+ Health and Wellbeing in Scotland.

Notwithstanding, in the capital, the situation is a bit brighter. Although she has retired, Annie serves as an ambassador for Opening Doors London (ODL), a charity that expressly caters to LGBT+ people over 50. “We have a befriending service made up of younger volunteers who want to spend time with our members. Also, we arrange a plethora of social gatherings for said clientele, which occur in non-threatening, noncruisey environments. These include things such as walks, theatre visits, scrabble or pub nights, and even gentle exercise evenings or creative writing get-togethers.”

As well as offering such programmes, ODL trains organisations on issues relating to non-

heterosexuals over fifty. One area where this is vital is with respect to the neglect and other unreasonable treatment this group are subjected to in care homes.

“Many older LGBT+ people go back in the closet when they know they must rely on care from state providers [According to Tonic Housing, a residential space dedicated to LGBT+ living for those who are more advanced age-wise, 73 per cent of this bracket would feel uncomfortable declaring their sexuality to care staff].

Indeed, recently I heard a case where an elderly lesbian was told when she entered a care home that she had to wear a skirt instead of trousers so she fitted in!

“Personally, what worries me is if I lost my partner or my health deteriorated to such an extent that he couldn’t look after me so I’d have to move into a similar type of facility - I’d rather be dead, than have to hide my true identity again, having previously done that for so many years of my life,” asserts Alan.

Notwithstanding, there is a beacon of light, the aforementioned Tonic Housing are planning to build a care home that would be exclusively for the senior citizens in our community.

The writer and activist Betty Friedan once said, “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” One would like to believe that this should be the case for everyone, whatever their sexuality. However, all too often, older LGBT+ individuals, who already suffered so much before 1967, are not furnished with circumstances that allow them to have an engaging social life, or adequate, unprejudiced care home provision.

One of the names in this article has been changed for anonymity.

For more information on Opening Doors London or to get involved in any of their initiatives go to www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk 049

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S G E L , S M R A R U O Y D N E EXT AND LIFE EXPECTANCY stinct If you fall into water, fight your in k passes to swim until the cold water shoc

FLOAT TO LIVE

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Registered charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland

WHILE PRIDE IN LONDON IS OBVIOUSLY THE BEST IN THE WORLD (NOT THAT WE ARE BIASED, OR ANYTHING) THERE ARE ALSO SOME OTHER AMAZING EVENTS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE GLOBE. GET YOUR PASSPORTS AT THE READY AS MATT NEWBURY REVEALS SOME OF THE UNOFFICIAL RECORD-BREAKING PRIDE FESTIVALS, FROM THE COLDEST TO THE HIGHEST, AND FROM THE SMALLEST TO THE MOST REMOTE

GAY

Y FOR THE DA

CHICAGO PRIDE

PRIDES TO T AMSTERDAM

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FEATURE

BURNING MAN

SAO PAULO

PictureS: BURNING MAN CC CARNAVAL.CM STUDIOS; SAO PAULO CC CRISTINA GALLO

o the limit!

WETTEST PRIDE

REMOTEST PRIDE

LARGEST PRIDE

Amsterdam Pride (late July/early August) is the only festival whose parade is held entirely on water, with over half a million people lining the canal banks along the 3.7 mile route.

And with 80+ brightly decorated party boats, there’s no excuse for you not to get in the wet and wild spirit.

The Alice Springs Pride Carnival (September) is a weekend of parties, fairs, art and film events taking place in the remote town where the pink Priscilla Queen of the Desert bus was headed. The inclusive event embraces the culture of Brotherboys and Sistergirls (trans Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

According to the Guinness Book of Records, São Paulo Pride (June) is the biggest in the world. The parade attracts a staggering three million party people, packing the streets of Brazil’s largest city with a show of infectious rhythms, colourful costumes and carnival spirit.

in New York in 1969, you would think that the city could claim the oldest pride. However, while commemoration events were held in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco exactly one year later, Chicago beat them all by a day, organising their first march on the Saturday, believing it would be busier.

SMALLEST PRIDE

MOST ENERGETIC PRIDE

The entire population of Pennington, New Jersey turned up for a Pride parade to support the town’s one gay resident, Paul Webster. (Sadly the news story turned out to be a brilliant satire from The Onion.)

As the Chinese government won’t allow a parade at the annual Shanghai Pride (June), a Pride Run is held instead. In the lead up they also organise the Rainbow Bike Ride. Six teams of cyclists representing the six colours of the rainbow flag start from every corner of the city to meet for a picnic and to form a human rainbow flag.

HOTTEST PRIDE Burning Man (late August/early September) is a 100 per cent popup festival of debauchery in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, which includes various LGBT+ activities and entertainments, including an outrageous LGBT+ pride parade best described as Mad Max meets Max Factor.

HIGHEST ALTITUDE PRIDE At the annual Whistler Pride Ski and March (January) skiers and snowboarders transform the resort’s Olympic Run (1660 meters above sea level) into a blur of rainbow colours, finishing at the Pride House, a safe space established for competitors at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

MOST NORTHERLY PRIDE Nuuk Pride (June) in Greenland’s capital city attracts around 1,000 participants each year to the Land of the Midnight Sun for a colourful evening parade, followed by a party in Manhattan - which must be the most remote gay-friendly nightclub in the world.

MOST HIGH-TECH PRIDE Digital Pride (April) is the world’s first online LGBT+ Pride with events and debates streamed live across the world, allowing people to celebrate Pride even if they live in countries where it may be difficult for them to do so publically.

ACTUAL SMALLEST PRIDE The beautiful Irish village of Easkey in Country Sligo (population 250) is believed to be the smallest Pride in the world, even handing out honorary “Gay for the Day” badges to the endearingly supportive heterosexual community.

OLDEST PRIDE As Pride events across the globe can be traced back to the Stonewall Riots

MOST DANGEROUS PRIDES From Uganda to Ukraine and Serbia to Turkey, brave LGBT+ campaigners continue to stage pride events, even though they are met with violence and the threat of imprisonment. We should never take our rights to march, campaign and celebrate for granted.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev is proud to partner with Pride and to share its Dream of bringing people together for a better world, which transcends race, faith, gender and sexuality

www.ab-inbev.com 23 IN BEV CORRECT.indd 1

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SPONSORED FEATURE J.D. AND K.D. FROM THE USA WITH THEIR DAUGHTER

Building families

DOCTOR DOUGLAS J. AUSTIN IS THE PHYSICIAN AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE FERTILITY CENTER OF OREGON AND SEES HIS ROLE AS HELPING PEOPLE BUILD THE FAMILIES THEY WANT

T DOCTOR DOUGLAS J. AUSTIN

he Fertility Center of Oregon was founded nearly 30 years ago. For the past 15 years, comprehensive advanced fertility services including in vitro fertilisation, oocyte donation, surrogacy and sperm banking have been offered.

After spending my 20s working with emotionally disturbed adolescents in residential care, the care of healthy adults became very appealing. I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology at Portland State University and moved to New York City for medical school.

After receiving my degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, I opted for specialisation in obstetrics and gynecology. I was particularly

attracted to a specialty which allowed both medical and surgical treatment. My residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston exposed me to many subspecialties and I was attracted to Reproductive Endocrinology (RE).

RE includes the care of both men and women, has ample opportunity for surgical and medical interventions and requires clinicians to develop deep, supportive and informative relationships with patients. The practice of RE is immensely rewarding as I facilitate family-building.

The Fertility Center of Oregon welcomes all patients. For many lesbians, selecting a known or anonymous sperm donor is a daunting task.

Through consultation and education, I and my 055

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There are Many Paths to Parenthood Let the Fertility Center of Oregon help you find yours At the Fertility Center of Oregon, we understand the passionate desire to become a parent even when the obstacles are significant. Since 1978, we have worked with hopeful parents to help them reach their goal of having a baby. We welcome all parents, regardless of sexual orientation and marital status. Whether your circumstances are straightforward or complicated, we will help you through the course of consultation, diagnostic evaluation and treatment.

Oregon is an internationally recognized location for surrogacy.

Through the generosity of women in this community and with

the very favorable political and legal environment, Oregon is a destination for third party reproduction.

Fertility services include: • In vitro fertilization, semen analysis & cryopreservation • Intrauterine insemination (IUI) • Anonymous & directed egg donors • Gestational surrogacy • Traditional surrogacy • Preimplantation genetic screening of embryos

About Our Team The team at Fertility Center of Oregon is here for you.

Dr. Douglas Austin, a fellowship-trained reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, founded the center. He and his team have brought their depth of experience with fertility treatment to parents from all over the world.

Eugene, OR, USA • P: 541.683.1559 • F : 541.683.1709 • FertilityCenterofOregon.com

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SPONSORED FEATURE GOETZ FAMILY GERMANY

GOETZ FAMILY “It was and is a pleasure to work with Doctor Austin’s team and clinic! We’re on our second journey with our surrogate and Doctor Austin’s clinic now and are very happy to know the pregnancy and the mother of our child are in best hands there. Especially as we’re so far away and cannot experience the pregnancy as close as we’d like to, it is good to know he and his team are there whenever needed and support and advise our surrogate the best way possible”

staff are able to steer individuals and couples to an acceptable sperm source. Often women would like to use sperm from a partner’s family and I am available to assist in the sometimes difficult discussions about third-party reproduction.

Lastly, some women will not readily conceive with donor insemination so may require additional diagnostic or therapeutic investigations which are offered at The Fertility Center of Oregon.

For many gay couples, starting a family is difficult and involves multiple steps. Not only is an egg donor (known or anonymous) necessary but finding an appropriate gestational surrogate can be difficult. Oregon is an internationally recognised location for surrogacy. Through the generosity of women in this community and with the very favorable political and legal environment, Oregon is a destination for third party reproduction. After a phone conference to develop a plan is completed, sperm is frozen here. It is quarantined for at least six months prior to initiation of fertility treatment.

During the wait period, an egg donor from our fully screened pool or from an agency is selected and a gestational surrogate is chosen in conjunction with a number of private affiliated agencies. Dads select donors and surrogates in conjunction with myself

“Because of our size, we are nimble: we can modify plans to fit each individual or couple’s needs. We are creative and always search for the right solution for any difficulty” and my staff. Some men elect to have children through the process of traditional surrogacy: insemination of a woman who conceives with her own egg and carries the baby to term. Essentially the dads will adopt their child following birth.

Oregon law allows for both options.

At The Fertility Center of Oregon, transgender men and women and those who are non-binary receive medical services.

M.C. AND V.L. The gender transition is FROM SPAIN complex and generally WITH THEIR progresses from selfCHILDREN recognition to community recognition, hormonal reassignment and surgical treatments. Partnering with children, adolescents and adults is essential to maximize emotional and physical well-being.

The Fertility Center of Oregon is intimate. With a staff of 16, myself, and Sue Armstrong who is a nurse practitioner, every patient is well known to the staff. Because of our

size, we are nimble: we can modify plans to fit each individual or couple’s needs. We are creative and always search for the right solution for any difficulty. IVF pregnancy rates are excellent due to an exceptional embryology team. Egg donors, gestational and traditional surrogates are plentiful and exceptionally easy to work with.

Eugene is a beautiful, liberal, regional city with much to offer to visitors. Because of our location, costs are lower than clinics in larger cities. Lastly, we care about the patient’s experience before, during and after treatment.

While the vast majority of men and women who utilise third-party reproduction are successful, all are not. Adoption is a wonderful option to build families; however, many men and women live in communities which do not allow adoption by gay men, lesbians or single individuals. Oregon does not have restrictions on adoptive parents, but it is quite rare for nonAmericans to adopt American children. Many people desire a genetic connection with their children which can be achieved through the use of egg or sperm donors.

While I am delighted every time I get a birth announcement or have a visit with a newborn, I get the greatest satisfaction by developing relationships with men and women which facilitate their family building. Reproduction is complex so not everyone will succeed with their original plan. Partnering with people so that goals and directions can be refined results in a deep sense of purpose.

Go to: FertilityCenterofOregon.com

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Proud supporter of Pride in London CMS has been the Pro bono legal adviser for Pride in London since 2012.

CMS believes that an inclusive environment and a diverse workforce are key to having a successful business.

cms.law

MEMORIAL

Remembering Pulse Picture: PRESS ASSOCIATION

Looking back on the tragic Pulse nightclub MASSACRE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA, one year later By Joe Jervis

I

t was Sunday, June 12, around 8 a.m. I began my day, as usual, by examining my phone. I usually sleep with the ringer off, so I hadn’t heard the many calls that had poured in while I slept.

Noticing a call from my mother, I immediately called her back. Without saying hello, she blurted, “Did you see what happened at Pulse?

Have you talked to Thomas? I can’t get him on the phone and he hasn’t said anything on Facebook!” As she spoke, I turned on CNN and was stunned by the headline, “Dozens Killed at Orlando Gay Nightclub.”

Thomas is my oldest friend. We met at Orlando’s Parliament House in 1982 while we were students at University of Central Florida.

He and my mother are longtime friends, and she always invites him for Christmas dinner with our family. They also both live quite close to Pulse.

Standing in front of the unfolding scene on my television, I promised to call my mother back and began calling Thomas. Voicemail. I texted him. “PLEASE CALL ME.” I called again.

Voicemail. And again. Voicemail.

Finally, after an agonising ten minutes, he answered, also without saying hello. “Baby, I’m

OK.” We spoke for two minutes as his call-waiting tone beeped incessantly. I let him go to respond to other calls surely as frantic as mine had been and called my mother again. She picked up on the first ring. “Did you find him? Was he there?”

I said, “Good news. He didn’t go out last night.”

As I said it, I felt a strange twinge of survivor’s guilt by proxy. Our dear friend was safe, but it felt wrong to use the words “good news” in any context. My mother audibly exhaled.

After returning a few more calls from friends, I moved to my computer to find about two hundred horrified emails and Facebook 059

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Connecting with Pride We’re proud to connect all of our people on LGBT+ matters at work and in the community. #PrideinVodafone

Vodafone Power to you

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MEMORIAL Honoring the victims, volunteers at Wilton Manors Pride (located near Fort Lauderdale) march just one week after the Pulse attack.

To those we lost, we will keep you in our hearts, this year and every year…

PictureS: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency

“I kept wondering, ‘Why did this happen at a gay bar? And why did this happen at a gay bar in Orlando, of all places?’ ” messages from readers of my website, Joe.My. God, most of whom knew I’m from Orlando. I dashed off a blanket note of thanks on my social media accounts and began what would become a 16-hour day of the most gruesome blogging I’ve ever done.

For the first couple of hours, with few details available, like many in the world I kept wondering, “Why did this happen at a gay bar? And why did this happen at a gay bar in Orlando, of all places?”

You see, for some reason I still tend to see Orlando frozen in amber as the small town it was when my family moved there in 1971. A terror attack on that Orlando didn’t make sense. I still tend to see it as the town where kids would race to the Jordan Marsh at the far end of Colonial Mall because it had escalators. Escalators! In a department store! Why would ISIS care about that Orlando? Heck, when I first came out, my friends would often just tell each other, “See you tonight at the bar.” THE bar. No name needed. Parliament House was the bar.

Of course, thanks to a shrewd real estate purchase made by a movie mogul several years before my family arrived, that Orlando is long, long gone. The new Orlando, I kept reminding myself, is a sprawling multi-county metropolis with millions of residents and more hotel rooms than NYC. The new Orlando, the real Orlando, the relentlessly booming Orlando where people from all over the world enjoy the most American-style vacations one can imagine, made sick “sense” as a terror target. That thought made it feel oddly less personal somehow.

But not long after I put up those emotional deflector shields, we all learned that the killer was a local man.

And with that, I circled back to my Orlando,

the Orlando targeted not for its inherent Orlando-ness, but simply because it was there, local, known, familiar, comfortably within reach.

My Orlando, not a mythic emblem of capitalism and the decadent West. My gay Orlando. My fleeting disconnect fell apart.

Later that day, a CNN commentator grimly noted that first responders and investigators had forced themselves to tune out the cacophony of ringing phones rising all day from the 49 bodies strewn about Pulse. “All of those people, their phones kept ringing,” he said. That gutwrenching image, mentioned only once, has haunted me more than the days and weeks of memorials and tributes that followed that terrible day. I thought about my own mother’s call that morning. I thought about all those calls to Thomas.

Three days later, I flew home to Florida.

Exactly one week later, I attended Wilton Manors Pride, where mobile SWAT command trailers from three counties perched ominously just off the parade route.

Leading the parade were 49 men and women dressed in white shirts. Each of them held a stark white sign bearing the name of a Pulse victim. I maneuvered through the hushed crowd to take a few photos.

The solemn group of 49 marched slowly, deliberately, each holding their sign over their

Stanley Almodovar III Amanda Alvear Oscar A. Aracena-Montero Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala Alejandro Barrios Martinez Martin Benitez Torres Antonio D. Brown Darryl R. Burt II Jonathan A. Camuy Vega Angel L. Candelario-Padro Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez Juan Chevez-Martinez Luis D. Conde Cory J. Connell Tevin E. Crosby Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez Deonka D. Drayton Mercedez M. Flores Juan R. Guerrero Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz Paul T. Henry Frank Hernandez Miguel A. Honorato Javier Jorge-Reyes Jason B. Josaphat Eddie J. Justice Anthony L. Laureano Disla Christopher A. Leinonen Brenda L. Marquez McCool Jean C. Mendez Perez Akyra Monet Murray Kimberly Morris Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez Luis O. Ocasio-Capo Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez Eric I. Ortiz-Rivera Joel Rayon Paniagua Enrique L. Rios Jr. Juan P. Rivera Velazquez Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan Christopher J. Sanfeliz Xavier E. Serrano Rosado Gilberto R. Silva Menendez Edward Sotomayor Jr. Shane E. Tomlinson Leroy Valentin Fernandez Luis S. Vielma Luis D. Wilson-Leon Jerald A. Wright

head. And as they passed, I could hear several phones ringing from the pockets of the marchers. The signs remained aloft. Their phones kept ringing.

At last Year’s Pride in London in Trafalgar Square, Pride Life raised over £10,000 for all those affected by the shootings at Pulse.

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Picture: CC GIL GOLDSTEIN

INTERVIEW

RISING HIGH

“S

WHEN WE RISE HAS BEEN HAILED AS THE BEST LGBT+ DRAMA ON NETWORK TV SINCE ANGELS IN AMERICA. CARY GEE TALKS TO ACTIVIST CLEVE JONES ON WHOSE MEMOIRS THE SHOW IS BASED

ome people witness history; others actually make it happen,” said Armistead Maupin in a review of Cleve Jones’ memoir When We Rise.

Subtitled My Life in the Movement, Jones’ remarkable and deeply moving account of his journey from small town Arizona to San Francisco where he became a lynchpin of the modern LGBT+ rights movement has recently been turned into a major primetime US miniseries starring Guy Pearce as Jones.

Of course, Jones is far from the first young gay man to flee his conservative upbringing, but does he think his flight to the big city resonates with young LGBT+ people nowadays?

“I think it’s still a very typical pattern. Even though San Francisco has become so expensive it makes it difficult for young people to come here you still see young people fleeing the hinterlands and arriving all the time. We make 063

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a mistake if we think things have become that much easier for young people. I meet young guys who have grown up in quite liberal parts of the States who are going through every bit as much trauma as I experienced.”

But surely, thanks in part to crusaders like Jones, today’s generation of gay men must look forward in a way that Jones’ own could not?

“Well, ironically, as our new president beats the drums of war they have national service to look forward to! The obvious legal rights are very important of course, but as importantly, fewer and fewer queer kids are coming of age feeling they are completely alone. That experience is completely buried in the past.

Hopefully forever.”

When We Rise has been hailed as the most important LGBT+ drama on network TV since Angels in America. How much of the action is based directly on Jones’ actual experiences?

“My story is interwoven with the stories of a number of other people, many of them close friends of mine. The TV series is heavily dramatised. There are composite characters, distortions of time and place. It’s not terribly accurate but manages to remain truthful! For example, one scene shows me in San Francisco hospital recovering from a stabbing. And then I meet Ricardo, the man who became my partner.

Actually I met him in an entirely different time and place. I don’t think the details are really consequential’.

There is a lot of sex in Jones’ book. In fact he has sex everywhere from treehouses to bath houses.

Did that present a problem for network TV? “Obviously there are restrictions on what can be shown. But given that ABC television is known as the ‘family network’ the show is remarkably frank. There are depictions of sexual behaviour, loving behaviour. I was surprised at how much is actually shown.”

Filmed largely in Vancouver, Jones spent time on set as historical advisor, a role he reprised from the Oscar-winning biopic Milk, about his former mentor, San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, who was assassinated by fellow supervisor Dan White in 1978.

In Milk, Jones was played by Emile Hirsch.

Whose version of him does Jones prefer? Is Hirsch or Pearce the better actor?

“I won’t go there but I will say that Hirsch

“Everything we have won, everything we have achieved can be swept away”

was my first!’

Was it at all weird seeing his life recreated on set? “It’s beyond weird,” he says, “a very peculiar experience. Many of my closest friends and greatest loves didn’t survive so it was a very emotional experience reliving it.”

Jones begins and ends his memoir by crediting the LGBT+ movement with saving his life.

“That is absolutely true. It’s not hyperbole. I tried to kill myself when I was 15. I did not want to be homosexual. I felt I would be condemned to a life of misery and loneliness. Then I read an article about gay liberation. I realised there was a community, a movement, a place called San Francisco. I survived. We all know LGBT+ children continue to commit suicide at an appalling rate. It’s a sad reality of our existence.

Then later, when I became sick with HIV, I came very close to dying, but because of the movement, because of Larry Kramer (of ACTUP) and so many other heroes who lobbied to get funding for research I got access to medication that saved my life.”

Jones describes his health now as “Good. I’m very healthy and strong and work full time. I’m profoundly grateful to be alive and aware every day that I owe my life to the movement.”

Jones describes the process of writing his book as hard. But were there particular episodes, or even decades, that he found more difficult than others?

“Absolutely. The chapter about losing Harvey Milk I put off for months. Every time I tried to tell the story I’d get overwhelmed by the memory of it. When I started writing the book I imagined two equal parts. The time before AIDS and the time after AIDS. Then I discovered I really enjoyed writing about the 1970s, a time when we were still marginalised, still illegal. It was a pleasure, but that time is largely forgotten because so many people didn’t survive. I’m fortunate to interact with a lot of young people today. And I’ve become aware that they have no clue what life was like for us back then. I think these stories are worth preserving and passing on to the next generation.”

One of the greatest acts of remembrance is the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Conceived by Jones in 1985 to commemorate people who lost their lives to AIDS, it is the largest community art project in history, bearing the names of nearly 100,000 people who died and weighing in at an estimated 55 tons.

“People thought it was most stupid idea they’d ever heard,” he recalls.

Although Milk was not the first openly gay candidate to win an election, Jones believes that the timing of his election was important. His election coincided with a right-wing campaign against us led by Anita Bryant. Although his election, and subsequent assassination,

garnered a lot of media attention “even Harvey was in danger of being forgotten until Sean Penn won the Oscar playing him. His Academy award reminded us of the power popular culture has to change public opinion and to inform us.”

Would more highly visible LGBT+ officials make a difference to the public discourse in the US? “Visibility remains a very important issue.

The fact my story is being shown on network television in this country is a really big deal.

People live such compartmentalised lives, where access to LGBT+ issues is restricted. For something like this to reach every single home is huge.”

Given the huge strides towards equality made under Barack Obama, who celebrated marriage

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Picture: HACHETTE BOOKS

INTERVIEW

equality by flooding the White House in rainbow illuminations - it was actually a close friend of Jones, Gilbert Baker, who first designed the rainbow flag in 1978 - has the battle for equality finally been won?

“I don’t believe this kind of movement has ever finally been won. The pendulum swings back and forth. Everything we have won, everything we have achieved can be swept away.

In this country, and in yours, there remain very real threats to our freedom.

“To prevent this from happening we must stay engaged in the political process, not take anything for granted, and inform our young people with the knowledge and resources they need to continue the fight. Right now, across the western world we’re seeing the emergence of very troubling ideologies. These are complicated times.”

If there is a message Jones would like people to take from his book, it is that, “Especially in the light of the political situation.... it is possible to endure great defeats. So many times I have thought my life was over. That the movement was over.

“But if you persevere, and love life, there is

no limit to what we can accomplish. We have managed to change the lives of millions of people. We did that because we believed in each other and loved each other, and kept fighting.”

Does the movement still exist? “It better. Or we’re doomed,” he laughs.

Jones still lives in the Castro area of San Francisco, but warns that we must protect our gaybourhoods from gentrification which has seen San Francisco “develop an appalling dichotomy between extreme wealth and grinding poverty. We need to pay attention to what this change means to our community.

“The reality is that the concentration of gay people in specific neighbourhoods brought political power, cultural vitality and specialised social services so needed by our most vulnerable. We need to protect that.”

It would be easy to forgive Jones if, after half a century of activism, he ever decided to take a well-earned break. But the idea of putting his feet up is clearly anathema to this remarkable and seemingly indefatigable campaigner.

As we celebrate Pride in London and around the UK, Jones warns that “This is not a year for parties, but for organisation. A time to be as

strong and supportive of each other as possible.

“Of course, people should have a good time, but remember we are in a very grave situation.

Everything we have won could be lost if we do not remain vigilant and stay strong.”

When We Rise by Cleve Jones is published by Constable. £14.99

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THIS IS BELONGING

PROUD TO SUPPOR T LONDON PRIDE

FIND WHERE YOU BELONG

SEARCH ARMY JOBS 048491-297x210-LondonPride.indd 1

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SPONSORED FEATURE

THE BRITISH ARMY - STANDING ALONGSIDE LGBT+ IN THE SUMMER OF 2016, THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE ARMY MADE A FORMAL DECLARATION “TO MAXIMISE THE TALENT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL, REGARDLESS OF HIS OR HER RACE, FAITH, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY”.

LGBT+ Pride events around the country and this has now been given the go ahead.

What is clear is the sincere enthusiasm of Army personnel. no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity, to do their bit to promote LGBT+ inclusion. The 2nd Battalion the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, has been nominated for a National Diversity Award due to the unit’s overwhelmingly positive approach to diversity.

The Battalion has a thriving LGBT+ community and Diversity Advocates throughout the unit, and encourage their personnel to be out and authentic at work. Also shortlisted for a British LGBT+ award this year is Warrant Officer Class Two Karen Styles for her work promoting LGBT+ in the Army. She was a passionate Chair of the LGBT+ Forum for two years and presided over an effective Forum.

Helping other organisations develop their policies on LGBT+ matters is part and parcel of LT GEN PATRICK SANDERS, ARMY LGBT+ CHAMPION

T

alent is the key word, as the Army adapts to the new challenges presented by an uncertain global situation. This recognition that talent is to be found in a diverse pool of individuals is very much part of the message given by the Army’s Diversity Champions. These senior officers work to promote and raise issues on behalf of minority groups. Last year, the work of Lieutenant General James Everard was recognised by the British LGBT+ Awards who awarded him the accolade of Corporate Straight Ally.

His successor as LGBT+ Champion is Lieutenant General Patrick Sanders who made this pledge in his first communication to the Army LGBT+ community: “I give you my word I will fight for you and stand alongside you.” In his

WO2 KAREN STYLES

36 years of service General Patrick has commanded on operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and is well qualified to state that “Under fire; no one cares if someone is black or white, gay or straight, because they value the individual for who he or she is, what he or she can do, and because they are so utterly dependent on him or her.”

As a Stonewall Top 100 LGBT+ employer, the Army is proud to celebrate our LGBT+ personnel and last year we lit up the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where all Officers are trained, in rainbow lights during Pride week and a sizeable contingent of personnel from all three services marched at London Pride. LGBT+ Service personnel, keen to march proudly in uniform, have pressed for permission to take part in other

“What is clear is the sincere enthusiasm of Army personnel. no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity, to do their bit to promote LGBT+ inclusion” 067

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SPONSORED FEATURE promoting LGBT+; Major Damian Jenkins was the guest speaker at a conference in Warsaw telling other European Armies how we have developed LGBT+ friendly policies since the ban on homosexuality was lifted in 2000. We haven’t forgotten about the “T” in LGBT+ – numerous organisations seek assistance from the Army policy team on how we have developed our transgender policies to ensure that transgender Service personnel are properly supported by their units throughout transition and beyond. We are lucky to have fantastic mentors in Captain Hannah Winterbourne and Sapper Mel Scott who have supported many soldiers. Thanks to them and the policies in place, those who come out as transgender feel they are able to continue with their military careers and be truly accepted by their colleagues.

The message is clear: Today’s Army is a place where you can be yourself and make the most of your talents.

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SPONSORED FEATURE

Banking on diversity

DANIEL SOUTH IS THE HEAD OF DIVERSITY and INCLUSION FOR EUROPE, the MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA (EMEA) AT BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH AND BELIEVES THAT PEOPLE PERFORM THEIR BEST WHEN THEY CAN BE THEIR TRUE SELVES

DANIEL SOUTH

You are head of Diversity and Inclusion for EMEA at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

What does the role involve?

My role is to help make things happen – whether it’s engaging our senior managers on the topic of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I); driving new initiatives and programmes; or working with our nine Employee Networks who support our diverse internal and external communities. Creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves at work is something we work hard to achieve. We want our LGBT+ employees to feel that they can be out at work; our women to have a brilliant career in financial services; those with a disability to get the support they need and for all employees to have the chance to succeed regardless of their background.

Prior to this, what was your background?

I’ve always worked in the “people” space – I’m fascinated by the dynamics of individuals and teams in the workplace and helping them to perform at their best.

What attracted you to this role?

At my previous organisation I helped to set up an LGBT+ Employee Network. This was my first experience of understanding the importance of supporting and developing employees from diverse backgrounds or who are underrepresented. I saw the move into my current D&I role as a way to be a “culture-changer” for the company – to push us to be as diverse as possible and for everyone to understand that the more inclusive we are, the more effective we are as individuals, as teams and as a company.

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welcome

allies Bank of America Merrill Lynch is proud to attend the Pride in London Parade 2017.

We are proud of our global Ally Programme where over 21,000 of our employees globally have signed up as allies to show support for their LGBT colleagues. The programme helps us build a supportive, open culture where everyone feels comfortable being themselves, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

To learn more about our company please visit http://careers.bankofamerica.com/emea.

“Bank of America Merrill Lynch” is the marketing name for the global banking and global markets businesses of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., member FDIC. Securities, strategic advisory, and other investment banking activities are performed globally by investment banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“Investment Banking Affiliates”), including, in the United States, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., both of which are registered broker-dealers and members of SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. are registered as futures commission merchants with the CFTC and are members of the NFA. Investment products offered by Investment Banking Affiliates: Are Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • Are Not Bank Guaranteed. THE POWER OF GLOBAL CONNECTIONS is a trademark of Bank of America Corporation, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ©2017 Bank of America Corporation. AR8648XK

SPONSORED FEATURE How important are Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace?

For us they’re truly ingrained across the company. We don’t see D&I as a bolt-on or something to think about a few times a year: that approach wouldn’t drive change or make our company – or indeed the individuals who work here – stronger. We embed D&I into everything we do, whether it’s our intern and graduate programmes, our training and development, discussions with senior managers or how we interact with clients and suppliers.

Would you encourage LGBT+ employees at Bank of America Merrill Lynch to be open about their sexuality?

It’s a personal choice. Recently, we had an employee of 17 years come out at work and he has talked openly about how much happier and more productive he is now. We believe that people perform at their best and enjoy their work more when they can be themselves, and for our LGBT+ employees that can mean being “out” at work which we encourage everyone to consider. We work hard to ensure managers create inclusive cultures within their teams for this to happen.

What positive steps is Bank of America Merrill Lynch taking to promote diversity in the workplace, especially with regard to your LGBT+ employees?

We are really proud of our Ally Programme which was developed by our LGBT Pride Employee Network to drive positive change and engagement. It allows colleagues who aren’t LGBT+ to show their support of LGBT+ colleagues, join training sessions to better understand what it means to be L, G, B or T, and to attend events and talks that discuss some of the issues facing this community. This year we have reached over 21,000 allies globally, which shows just how much support there is across the bank for our LGBT+ employees.

What role does your LGBT Employee Network play?

Our LGBT Pride Employee Network is at the centre of everything we are doing to create an LGBT+-inclusive culture and to bring allies with us on our journey. Network members focus their efforts across five key areas: business strategy, recruitment, development, culture and community. So whether our volunteer members are out on campus talking

“Recently, we had an employee of 17 years come out at work and he has talked openly about how much happier and more productive he is now”

to graduates; hosting talks internally with senior leaders or engaging with our charity partners, everything they do is helping to engage our workforce on LGBT+ topics and challenges. I already mentioned our Ally Programme: the Network is incredibly proud of this initiative and the amazing support our LGBT+ colleagues have received from 1000s of allies across the company since its launch a few years ago. It’s initiatives like this – involving allies or advocates who want to show their support for others – that is making us a truly inclusive company and a great place to work.

On a personal level, what has given you the greatest satisfaction as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for EMEA at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’?

I’m really inspired by how many employees and senior managers are involved in our D&I efforts.

Across our nine Employee Networks over 170 people are volunteering to run events and activities, and this is on top of their busy day job! They don’t see D&I as something that is done by HR or a standalone D&I team, they are actively involved because they believe that everyone should play their part in helping to make this a great place to work.

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15/06/2017 17:18

FEATURE

Family matters

FFLAG (FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS) HAS BEEN A REGISTERED CHARITY IN THE UK SINCE 1993. THEY ARE DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING PARENTS AND THEIR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, GENDER FLUID AND INTERSEX CHILDREN AND LOVED ONES

F

FLAG members are mainly parents and family members of LGBTQI sons and daughters. These young people and their families face serious opposition in our society, which brings in its wake prejudice, bullying and alienation.

• We offer personal support through our affiliated local groups. These are where people get the face-to-face encouragement when they need it.

• We also provide educational material for individuals, businesses, the media and other contacts, to assist them in their efforts to help parents and families understand, accept and support their LGBTQI children with love and pride.

• We provide a central point for support and exchange of information between affiliated parents’ groups and likeminded organisations.

• FFLAG supports the full human and civil rights of everyone irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Janet’s Story A few years after we found out about our son, my husband and I went along to Bristol Families and Friends which is affiliated to FFLAG. I must say going along, was one of the best decisions we’ve made. I found a group of people who understood and accepted us. The first time I went along I think it would have been okay if I’d just cried the whole time because there’s been no expectation that I have to act in a certain way but just be myself and that is a very healing thing.

• FFLAG speaks out and acts to defend and enhance those human and civil rights.

FFLAG’s Vision FFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are equally respected, valued, and affirmed irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

FFLAG’s New Beginning Historically FFLAG simply supported parents of LGB daughters and sons because that’s who we were ourselves - and, as such, felt most able to support those whose experiences were similar to our own.

But times are changing and many of the enquiries we currently receive from parents are from those with trans youngsters. The difficulties they face are not the same as those for LGB youngsters (who face issues relating to their sexuality), inasmuch as theirs relate to their gender identity.

We came to recognise that we were ill prepared to provide the support for them that we wanted to, so we are now extending our remit to include support for family and friends of trans people. It won’t happen overnight because we have a lot to learn and we want to get it right. FFLAG has no paid staff and we are just seven trustees. Local groups which are affiliated with us are becoming trans inclusive to varying degrees.

We are starting now to enlarge our scope and this will include the following actions.

• Update the FFLAG web site to include trans issues.

Christine’s Story One day I read an article in a magazine about FFLAG - Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. I went along to a meeting in Manchester.

It was a wonderful release to talk openly for the first time, knowing that I was supported and understood and to listen to the experiences of parents like myself. We meet monthly and the bond of friendship within the group is very firm.

• Allow inclusion of trans issues to be led by trans people themselves and their families.

We are not setting ourselves up as the experts but rather are looking to those who have personally faced these situations themselves to work with us for the sake of those who are looking for help now.

It’s a huge task and we are grateful for any help in our campaign to support those who need it.

We welcome volunteers to unite with us in joining (and starting new) local support groups, actively fundraising and donating, marching with us at Prides around the country, spreading the word at every opportunity and championing the work of fulfilling our vision.

Go to: www.fflag.org.uk

• Work in partnership with trans organisations to avoid replicating their work.

• Review and update our current literature and also produce new material, where appropriate, which will cover issues specific to trans matters.

• Look to be adding parents of trans youngsters to our Board of Trustees.

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15/06/2017 15:14

GAMING

Pixel Pride

Marching for our rights isn’t just a global phenomenon—today it’s even become a staple of online gaming communities. by Josh Rivers

ILLUSTRATION: jordinn west

M

ore than a decade ago, in June of 2004, a group of roughly 100 individuals gathered in front of a majestic, imaginary, digital city hall. Some took human form, others were in the shape of outlandish fantasy creatures.

Huddled together, a mass of deep, crimson red outfits and countless exposed muscles, they had one goal in mind—to show that they were both here and queer and that LGBT+ people existed in what was then considered one of the farthest reaches of cyberspace: massivelymultiplayer online games (MMOs).

This digital demonstration drew a huge crowd of onlookers and participants, and, based on the event’s success, the group’s leader, Benjamin Hardin, decided to take things a step further. He decided it was time to found an actual community within the game.

Fast-forward to 2017 and this small

demonstration has blossomed into a global, organization with a visible presence in five massive online games and thousands of active members. It’s called the Rough Trade Gaming Community (RTGC). And every year since that fateful gathering in 2004, RTGC has organised a Pixel Pride—a virtual march of rainbow-flag-clad elves, burly bipedal bison-men, and every other type of video game character imaginable, organised into groups and floats just like the real world.

The event takes place regularly in some of the biggest MMOs in existence: Revelation Online, Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and World of Warcraft.

In the group’s introduction and rules, Hardin writes: “The RTGC franchise is much more than guilds with a bunch of gay people. You will find players from every walk of life, every sexual orientation

and gender identity, every hue, and from many places, all of over the world. We welcome every style of game play and provide a great place for everyone from casual to hardcore gamers.”

In addition to bringing players together and helping to foster community, the RTGC works to fight the ever-present threat of homophobic slurs and bullying that is all too common in online gaming. And perhaps most importantly, since players are taking part in events from the safety of their home, the RTGC has created a way for individuals to embrace their identity and interact with members of the LGBT+ community even while remaining largely anonymous. This means that under the guise of simply “playing a video game,” countless closeted men and women are still able to enjoy their first full hint of Pride.

For more info on the Rough Trade Gaming Community and their events, visit rtgc.enjin.com.

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15/06/2017 15:14

Creating value through diversity.

Be yourself.

Be different.

GLEE@PwC is our inclusive business network for Gays, Lesbians and Everyone Else. You don’t need to be gay or work for PwC to join.

We value and respect the diversity of views, needs and aspirations of all our members.

We are proud to sponsor Pride in London 2017. pwc.co.uk/glee

@gleePwCUK

Š 2017 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved.

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gleepwc

Pride@PwC 31/05/2017 17:55

FEATURE

QUEER CAPITAL IN HIS LATEST BOOK, LONDON’S FOREMOST HISTORIAN PETER ACKROYD TALKS WITH ULI LENART ABOUT LGBT+ LIFE IN THE CAPITAL DOWN THE CENTURIES

P

ublished to mark the diverse range of exhibitions and events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act and partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, comes this fascinating new LGBT+ history of queer London.

Teeming with incredible stories, amazing characters and extraordinary detail, Queer City is the fascinating story of LGBT+ London from the Romans to the present day and reveals the incredibly rich history of London’s LGBT+ past.

Your latest book, Queer City unearths the incredibly rich history of London’s LGBT+ past. What inspired you to write it?

Well, it came about by accident. Someone suggested it from Chatto & Windus [the publishers] and I thought it was a very good idea.

I’d written a long life of London but I’d never really engaged in the queer aspects of London and I thought it was about time I did.

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15/06/2017 15:42

PETER ACKROYD

“Lesbianism did exist, it was all over the place. It was widely noticed, almost as much as male homosexuality” Would you say that sexuality in the past was more fluidly bisexual than today?

It was certainly more fluid: amorphous, nondeterminate to a certain extent. So that, whether you were a fetishistic transvestite or transsexual, it really didn’t mean that much. It was just another aspect of ordinary sexual behaviour.

How intertwined would you say is power and class with London’s queer history?

They are very important in terms of power in particular because, even from the very beginnings, a Roman citizen could have sex with a slave or a boy but not with another citizen. That was forbidden. So from the very beginning we have sexual practices determined by social conventions.

Queer City is teeming with some rather evocative and inventive terminology in relation to same-sex sexuality. I’m thinking baedlings, rump riders and rubsters; do you have any favourites from this lexicon that you uncovered?

I quite like the slightly saucy ones. The 18thcentury ones. The fribble or whiffle [the character of Fribble from David Garrick’s farce Miss in her Teens, 1747], they were part of the slang of the period. And from the Molly Houses, terms like Miss Muff and The Duchess, and the rest of them. I rather like those transgressions of normal social behaviour.

With those Molly House terms, you can almost hear the queens of the period talking to each other from history.

Oh, yes, and the same kind of language is still being used today. It just a subversive, theatrical phantasmagoria of titles.

London has however experienced an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and condemnation. What are the forces behind those cycles?

It’s a mixture of things, public morality at a certain point, it is social morality at a certain point. It is to do with the prominence or visibility of homosexuals in certain circles and it is to do with pervading sexual mores. It has changed more rapidly than can be imagined.

There is this sense in your book of the body and sexuality being political, of homosexuality being somehow treasonous and having implications for social order and being dangerous.

Oh yes, that is certainly true. Gays were conflated with heretics and with traitors. It was considered part of the same counter-cultural disgust.

Despite always being forbidden, same-sex activity between men didn’t become a capital offence until the 16th century with the Buggery Act. What were the forces behind that legislative shift?

Well, in that case, the Buggery Act was designed to specifically counter the monks of the period. So it didn’t really have any significance beyond that; it was essentially an attempt to suborn any renegade Roman Catholics.

One of the recurring themes of Queer City is public space, and the ways in which queer people always found places in which to gather and have sex. Do you think the rise of hook-up apps such as Grindr represents a threat/disruption to this, or a continuation?

I don’t know. There were plenty of private spaces

for gays to meet in every century, it’s not a new thing. But the public spaces were, I do think, somehow more important. If you think of London Bridge – the latrines – Chancery Lane, the Royal Exchange, Ludgate Hill, Whitefriars, Saffron Hill, Clerkenwell, St. Paul’s. All these places became well known for their amenability to same-sex coupling and I think that has, to a certain extent, been changed.

There are many characters throughout the book who could perhaps be said to be transgender. Writing the book did you feel at all hindered by a need to use contemporary terminology regarding trans issues?

Not really because it seemed the most appropriate way to describe them. I mean, things like genderbending, transsexuality, transvestitism are, of course, as old as London itself. It didn’t strike me as being odd to continue the tradition.

For those who may not have heard of them, could you tell us a little about Boulton and Park, or Fanny and Stella?

Fanny and Stella were around in the 1870s and 1880s, and they were boys about town who liked to dress up as girls in order to attract men as clients. But the peculiar thing about their trial was that their defence was that they were just a couple of actresses – actors, and even brought their mothers in to talk of their interest in amateur dramatics, and they were eventually acquitted to huge celebrations from the crowds outside the Old Bailey, which suggests that the effeminacy and transvestism of these boys were of no great concern to the London public, who in fact rather enjoyed their exploits.

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15/06/2017 15:16

FEATURE

“Sexuality was certainly more fluid: amorphous, non-determinate to a certain extent” The book reads like a refutation of the idea that historical documentation of queer women simply doesn’t exist. Was this an intentional choice on your part?

Was it important for you to correct this misconception?

It did exist, it was all over the place. It was widely noticed, almost as much as male homosexuality. It just struck me as being true so I decided to put it in the book.

Researching this book, what would you say was the ratio of source material in terms of information about gay and then lesbian history?

Well, the male would often come up in trials and the female would often come up in diaries.

Can you tell us a little about the lupanaria, “wolf dens” or public pleasure houses that dotted Roman Londinium?

They were the brothels of Roman London. They were well known, little huts with thatched roofs with pink or coloured plaster on the walls. They had a curtained entrance and then within were the booths were the clients would congregate.

I was fascinated to learn that there was once a brothel on the present site of Buckingham Palace and that they had a roster of male prostitutes working there; was that common, male and female sex workers plying their trade from the same premises?

Yes, in Mulberry Gardens, I think it was called. I imagine so, yes, it seems to be a way of dealing with demand for prostitutes if nothing else.

For those who may not have heard of them

can you explain what a Molly House was and what they might be like to visit?

A Molly House was a place of assignation for men who wanted to have sexual orgies with their partners. They were well known but they often got prosecuted or closed down. They were an intrinsic part of the London sex scene. They were sort of like gay orgies today, I suppose. They were like drinking dens. They weren’t polite or decorous; they were quite the opposite. You went there for sex and the more the merrier.

July is the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences act and partial decriminalisation of homosexuality. Do you view that as a key historic piece of legislation?

I suppose it was. It didn’t strike me like that at the time, I rather ignored it. But I presume that was its purpose. In those days gay legislation was never considered to be that important, it was just a sort of sideshow.

Yes, the case of John Rykener, also known as Eleanor, who was arrested in 1394 for having sex with a man for money and I hadn’t realised that even then sex was infinitely fluid; it could take many manifestations. Was he a homosexual? Was he a transvestite? Was [s]he transgender? We don’t know. The funny thing is all the areas on which we concentrate today are already present in the previous centuries.

This notion that there is nothing new?

No, nothing new at all in any of these activities.

Queer City by Peter Ackroyd is published by Chatto & Windus and is out now

If you could go back in time and have one day and one night in London, when would you go to and why?

I would probably go to the time of Oscar Wilde.

I’d be interested in the courtroom and I’d be interested in the public reaction.

You grew up in East Acton. Did you go out on the London gay scene as a young man?

Yes, I got the bus to Earl’s Court and to Piccadilly to wherever the latest thing was and then just cruised around.

Was there anything you discovered researching this book that really shocked or surprised you?

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15/06/2017 15:16

INTERVIEW

“Y having

Joan the time of her life SIMON GAGE CATCHES UP AT CLARIDGES WITH JOAN COLLINS AND TALKS ABOUT MOVIES, DYNASTY, AND BEING A GAY ICON

ou tell me and then I’ll tell you!” snaps Dame Joan Collins from her chair in a sort of private tea parlour in Claridges.

Well, not snaps exactly, snips maybe, if that’s a verb. It’s just that very clipped, 90 per cent posh English/10 per cent soft-consonant mid-A’lan’ic thing she has that makes you feel you’re always about three seconds away from getting a telling off. In my long interviewing career, I’ve done the A B C of celebs (that would be Adele, Beyoncé and Celine) and I’ve never felt nervous like this.

And just before we get into it, I should say that, even close up, Dame Joan is a showstopping beauty at the age of 84. The hair, the skin, the teeth, the big gold lion-head earrings, the immaculate smart-but-sexy suit… pristine and sparkling with glamour and mischief from head to toe.

Anyway, we’re talking about why Dame Joan Collins is a gay icon (the previous question was “Did you know you were a gay icon?” which was greeted with that tinkling movie-star laugh and a “Yes! How could I not be aware?”). She wants me 079

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15/06/2017 15:17

INTERVIEW

JOAN COLLINS, PAULINE COLLINS AND FRANCO NERO IN THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES

to start the ball rolling, maybe because she doesn’t want to give herself any credit I wouldn’t give her.

“Strength,” I tell her. “If you look at gay icons, there’s no wishy-washy. It’s all women who know their own minds…”

“Streisand,” she says, starting a list. “Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland… but she wasn’t strong. Is Doris Day a gay icon? A little too girl-nextdoor, right?”

Another reason for her gay icon-dom might be Alexis Colby Carrington, Dame Joan’s character from Dynasty, the high-powered, high-budget soap that revived her flagging career in the 1980s after her previous come-back in movie versions of her sister Jackie’s books, The Stud and The Bitch, which I ask if she regrets, bearing in mind they were fairly racy, lingerie-in-most-scenes super-soft porn… “No!” she snips back. “I think I look pretty good. And I did Playboy when I was 49 and said, ‘Right, this is the last time I do seminude pics…’”

“I think Steven was the first gay character on mainstream TV,” she says of her on-screen son in the soap. “And I wanted to show that I loved my gay son equally to the other two. Blake Carrington [Stephen’s mogul father] did not approve at all of his son’s lifestyle and made it perfectly clear. He was a bit like that in real life…” she says, mischievously, of John Forsythe who played the character of Blake. “Sssssh, he’s dead now. Mustn’t speak ill of the dead.” And she does one of those mouth-pulled-to-the-side cheeky looks of hers.

“Anyway, I think it’s very nice that I’m a gay icon,” she says, matter-of-factly. “I think all of my male friends are gay, come to think of it. I don’t have any single male friends that aren’t gay.”

One of those friends is, of course, Ivan

Massow, super-successful entrepreneur, journalist and now gay dad. He was originally a friend of Joan’s daughter Tara, and he actually credits Joan with saving his life.

“Well, it was outrageous,” says Joan. “He came to stay with me and I went into the kitchen the next day and there were like eight bottles of wine and two bottles of vodka and I said, ‘You’ve drunk most of this!’”

“We were in the swimming pool and I gave him a lecture: I said, ‘You’re going to kill yourself. You can’t go on like this, it’s the most destructive thing!’ My third husband died because of drugs and drink, drugs mostly, and basically I told Ivan what I thought.

I was amazed that he listened. Tough love is good sometimes.”

We’re actually here to talk about Joan’s latest film, The Time of Their Lives, where she stars as a washed-up actress living in an old people’s home who escapes to go to a movie mogul’s funeral in the south of France, hoping to re-connect with Hollywood and so revive her career. Pauline Collins as a downtrodden suburban housewife somehow gets dragged along for the ride.

“I’m an actress!” she announces when I mention that it was brave to let us see behind the perfect make-up/hair we are so used to from red carpets. “I don’t think it’s brave.”

In fact, she liked the role so much when she first read the script four years ago, that she decided she would get involved on the production side, raising money, casting… Celia

Imrie was mooted for the role but Joan had worked with Pauline Collins before so that was a perfect fit.

As executive producers, it meant working with Percy Gibson, her husband of 15 years, but then that’s everyday for Dame Joan. “We’re together 24/7,” she says of the relationship, “and it works very well for us. We have our spats but we basically care enough about each other to forgive each other’s irritations.”

As I get up to go, she shows starts scrolling through her phone to show me a picture of her with a drag queen doing Alexis from Dynasty.

Oh, you’re much better looking than him, I say.

“Well, I hope so!” she snips.

But you look great in the picture, I tell her.

“That’s the main thing!” she says, doing the cheeky side smile. “Looking good is the best revenge.”

The Time of Their Lives is out on DVD on 31July

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15/06/2017 15:17

INTERVIEW

“I think all of my male friends are gay, come to think of it. I don’t have any single male friends that aren’t gay”

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15/06/2017 15:17

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08/06/2017 13:37

7

FEATURE

SEVEN YEARS TRANS IT’S ALMOST EIGHT YEARS AGO THAT REBECCA MANNING STARTED HER OFFICIAL TRANSITION. SHE TAKES A PERSONAL LOOK AT HER EXPERIENCES AS A TRANS WOMAN ALONG THE WAY AND AT THE THINGS THAT STILL NEED TO BE DONE FOR TRANS PEOPLE

U

nless you’ve been in a cave for the last couple of years, then you will have noticed that trans has become the talking point, not just in our community but in society at large.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the trans journey is like a Hollywood rom-com, where the hero of the show goes through the transition, has a few hilarious and frustrating mishaps, but the minute that operation is done, life is happy ever after, exit stage left.

However, if the cameras kept rolling past the credits and we could see into our hero’s world, then I can guarantee the couple would be arguing about who takes the bin out, the position of the toilet seat and why did you use my razor for that!

Transitioning is pretty similar. For me the credits rolled after 18 months of intense change, firsts, challenges, discrimination and relationships made with a team of professionals who were concerned with nothing other than my welfare (and, of course, as I was private, taking my money!) And there were a lot of professionals; from hair removal specialists, psychiatrists, hair stylists, surgeons, not to mention the NHS

professionals you meet along the way.

Then as the physical side is over, the appointments get further with those who helped you on this journey and further apart and there can be this massive hole in your life.

You are left with a loneliness, and the question, what do I do now? Well, you get on with life, pay the bills, go to work, look in the mirror and vow that the diet will start next week, like most people in the fifth largest economy in the world. Life goes on, you live, you get hurt, you make choices and hope that you make the best of it.

If things go well, you feel “normal” whatever that is, but that doesn’t negate the feelings that you are different, the evasive discussions about your past the demons can come along, voices in your head saying, “Do they know?” and wondering at what point you should tell anyone about your past, whether they have sussed it or not, and the constant barrage of questions that follow. Like a Groundhog Day, fielding comments and queries that you haven’t thought about for months, or even years, it reminds you that you will always have this past.

Speaking of which, it is a weird disconnect

with memories, whether you meet someone new or an old friend, I have so many wonderful times as him, some of those memories just can’t be explained without disclosure, and then there is this weird mind melt where I see me doing the stuff he did. (I wonder if this is what Adam Woodyatt has to put up with, over 30 years as EastEnders’ Ian Beale, does his life too merge with his character?)

I am conscious that it will be 58 years 6 months and 12 days old when I have finally been me longer than him. The him who feels like a me from a different universe in some sort of reality bending sci-fi show Of course, life as trans is easier now; there is government recognition of your acquired gender and a new birth certificate to boot. This makes most of life a lot easier but when you get DBS (police) checked, the service still brings up old you, my professional body also wants to know, yet oddly, set up a business and Companies House doesn’t. And getting that paperwork was really f**king hard. It took years to get something that most people take for granted. A new birth certificate.

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15/06/2017 15:20

Landsec supports Pride

landsec.com

We believe great places are for people to experience and made with the experience of great people. This philosophy runs right through our business, investing in people, understanding people and building relationships with people is how we can build experiences.

Everything is experience.

FEATURE

“The amount of young people questioning their gender identity is on the rise and may surpass those questioning their sexuality” The media has put the spotlight on the trans community. Back in 1995 when my journey really started, there was no internet and the world saw trans as perverted, and just wrong. People hiding out in closets, stockings and suspenders under macs and hats. A Channel 5 documentary late, late, late at night was my first insight into this world.

Life is better, despite the criticism, Caitlyn Jenner has made trans a mainstream talking point and along with Kellie Maloney, they have shown that however masculine your pre-transition life, there is hope. Of course, we all wish we had their money and that certainly helped.

Stonewall taking its monumental decision to include the “T” and its subsequent steps to make up for lost time, show that trans people are being taken seriously. The amount of young people questioning their gender identity is on the rise and may surpass those questioning their sexuality. Not being open to trans is not an option as our numbers grow.

I still don’t believe it is nearly eight years ago since I went out on a cold January morning: make up, high-heeled boots, skirt, blouse and a massive coat (but not a mac lol) and I started my official transition. On the way to London to see my doctor who would be the care coordinator of the next 18 months of physical, mental and emotional change.

As I help and support those who now take those first steps I did in January 2009, I’m like a training officer at the cadets’ training barracks. I see the highs and lows and am proud of those who graduate, and while society has made transitioning a lot less taboo, there are still not the services to help, support and guide those who transition. This is why the incidence of suicide, self-harm, depression, anxiety and poor physical health outcomes are far higher in the trans community than in the general population.

The system can’t cope with the increase in demand for services.

In the old days, transitioning was called the Real Life Test, if you could make it through, you got the NHS help, it feels that is more prominent than ever.

While I get on with life and in the main people would never know my past and as I get older, most wouldn’t care, I do see the pain and challenges of those who follow me on this journey. We need better services and more understanding in the general population and despite how far we’ve come, we still have a lot further to go.

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15/06/2017 18:21

Everybody has the right to have a workplace that they’re comfortable in.

Law around the world nortonrosefulbright.com

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12/06/2017 09:05

SPONSORED FEATURE

RAINBOW CAMPAIGNERS FOR GLOBAL LAW FIRM NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT, THE POWER OF UNITY AND INCLUSION IS AT THE CORE OF THEIR BUSINESS

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he Stonewall riots in 1969 taught many people the value of standing together. There is strength in numbers when people stand side by side and are committed to a cause. Many recent events have reminded the LGBT+ community of the power of unity. The power of unity is at the core of our business principles and we continue to take inspiration from these examples of human resilience and strength in our own LGBT+ campaigns and use these to educate and inspire our people around the world.

The tragic hate crime shooting in Orlando in June 2016 served as a catalyst for our Pride network to launch our Rainbow Campaign. With the support of our senior management, the London office displayed four large rainbow flags in the main atrium. The campaign, coinciding with London Pride 2016, reinforced our commitment to the LGBT+ community, supporting the rights and inclusion of our people, by creating a dynamic LGBT+ community. This marked the start of what was to become our global LGBT+ flagship campaign.

Following the successful engagement and support from employees with the rainbow flag display, our Pride network expanded the

campaign’s reach by engaging with the global community. Global senior management were photographed wearing rainbow shoelaces as a visible commitment to LGBT+ inclusion. The response was immediate and positive. These images were revealed, mounted on canvas, during our annual Global Inclusion Week (September 2016). In the end, over 200 photos of employees, senior managers and partners were taken from across multiple locations with selected photos displayed on our website and intranet, printed in our official magazine, Re:, and global corporate responsibility brochure.

The display of the rainbow flags in the building entrance and the rainbow shoelaces photos have proven to be a visible step-change in our inclusive culture.

Our Rainbow Campaign was an exceptional success - the concept was simple, yet powerful. It started in London and captured the imagination of colleagues worldwide resulting in an overwhelming number of unsolicited photo submissions from across the globe, including from those countries not typically associated

“We proactively promote a culture of inclusion, whether that is with our own people, our clients or the communities in which we operate”

with LGBT+ inclusion, which made the campaign all the more emotive and significant.

The campaign is a clear statement that we truly believe in a culture of inclusion. Across the world we recognise that people are unique in many different ways. By embracing people with diverse views and experiences, we attract and retain the best talent to provide clients with the most measured and innovative advice. We proactively promote a culture of inclusion, whether that is with our own people, our clients or the communities in which we operate.

We initially featured in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in 2012, ranked in 212th place. Since then, we have continued to go from strength to strength and this year we ranked within the top ten of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in 2017. The considerable jump in rankings has been the result of an innovative series of initiatives including LGBT+ mentoring circles, roundtable discussions about faith and LGBT+ issues, panel events about trans inclusion, management toolkit videos, speakers on lesbian visibility, mental health discussions and exclusive film screenings, in addition to a series of activities aimed at engaging with our clients and the wider LGBT+ community more closely.

In early February 2017, the four large rainbow flags were proudly displayed again in the main entrance to our London office to celebrate the top ten ranking in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.

We believe everybody has the right to feel comfortable enough to be themselves in the workplace.

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Proud to be bi BISEXUALS ARE SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED ON THE LGBT+ SCENE. JEN YOCKNEY TAKES A LOOK AT BEING BI IN 2017

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y first Pride was back in 1993 when it was a case of taking a coach down from university in Manchester to find myself surrounded by more queer people than I could ever have imagined. The fabulous outfits! The thrill of the huge crowd! The headache from all those damn whistles!

I’ve been organising bi presences at Prides most years since, waving the pink, purple and blue bi flag and giving out resources like the pocket guide “Getting Bi in a Gay/Straight World”. One of the weirdest questions as you stall-hold or banner-wave is “what are you doing here?” from lesbian or gay people who only saw

the first two letters in the name LGBT Pride.

Of course, Pride wouldn’t be there without the bisexuals - people like activists Brenda Howard and Sylvia Rivera who created this way of remembering the Stonewall riot and championing queer equality and liberation.

We’ve come such a long way in the 48 years since Stonewall and the five decades since the 1967 Act we’ve been remembering this year.

Pride back in the early days was an angry protest held under fire and with all the legal and social change since then it’s natural that it has evolved, to become more of a blend of politics and celebration.

But it’s still political, because we have tons to

celebrate in how much has changed, but there’s still loads to do for all our LGBT+ communities, not least those of us attracted to people of more than one gender.

Just over ten years since it became illegal to discriminate in the workplace on grounds of sexuality, surveys show about 50 per cent of gay and lesbian people feel they can be out at work - but only one in four bi women and one in eight bi men do. And in a sense they’re right - after all, last year researchers found bi people earn less than their straight and gay colleagues.

Likewise with mental health statistics or those on experience of domestic violence and abuse: far from living “straight privilege” it © Bi Community news

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FEATURE

Jen Yockney

turns out bi people’s needs were often overlooked when LGBT+ equality issues were talked of as simple binaries. It’s heart-breaking when I hear from people who experience biphobic abuse from their partner but then get turned away from LGBT+ support agencies because they are perceived as being in a “straight” relationship.

A big part of our challenge is isolation there’s not a “bi scene” in the same way as there are gay spaces, for all that organisations like BiPhoria, Bisexual Index, and the annual London BiFest work to balance that out.

It’s almost unbelievable now that in the 80s and 90s, bi exclusion from gay groups saw us barred from helping out on equality campaigns, support helplines and the like.

It’s a welcome shift that the past decade, particularly since the publication of the

Bisexuality Report from BiUK and the Open University, has seen a step change with organisations like Stonewall and the LGBT Foundation getting more bi inclusive. There’s a growing tide of people in the media coming out as bi too - so despite the additional challenges of our identities and attractions being respected we are getting toward the visibility tipping point that made being gay or lesbian “normal’ “in the public eye. There’s a real sense of change in the air.

Have a fantastic Pride, but the big parade is just one day and I hope you’ll go home emboldened to wear your pink, purple and blue with pride the rest of the year round.

“There’s still loads to do for all our LGBT+ communities, not least those of us attracted to people of more than one gender”

Jen Yockney MBE is editor of Bi Community News magazine and last year received the MBE for Services to the Bisexual Community. @jenyockney 089

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Queer British Art S

ome of the works in Tate Britain’s current exhibition dedicated to LGBT+ art, and marking the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales. The exhibition covers the years 1861 to 1967 and shows how attitudes to sexuality and gender identity changed over the years. Works on display include fine art from the Pre-Raphaelites to David Hockney, musical hall cards of crossdressing artists such as lesbian favourite Vesta Tilley as “Burlington Bertie”, the erotic drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, and the door of Oscar Wilde’s prison cell.

British Queer Art Queer British Art 1861-1967 is at Tate Britain until 1 October Go to: tate.org.uk

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP OF PAGE: Duncan Grant - Bathing 1911; Laura Knight (18771970) - Self-Portrait 1913; Henry Scott Tuke (18581929) - The Critics 1927; Hannah Gluckstein 19851978 - Gluck 1942

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/ National Portrait Gallery, London

ART CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Angus McBean (1904-1990) - Quentin Crisp 1941; John Craxton - Head of a Greek Sailor 1940;Solomon - Simeon 18401905 Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene 1864

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13

FEATURE

REASONS WHY

I N THE UK TODAY, LGBT+ PEOPLE HAVE FULL LEGAL EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW. SO WHY DO ALMOST A MILLION PEOPLE STILL GATHER FOR PRIDE IN LONDON AND DOZENS OF OTHER PRIDE EVENTS IN TOWNS AND CITIES ACROSS THE UK? MATT NEWBURY GIVES HIS PERSONAL REASONS WHY PRIDE EVENTS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TODAY AS THEY WERE BACK IN THE EARLY 1970S

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CELEBRATE THE GOOD TIMES

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER

Each Pride has become a celebration of how far we have come and the many victories we have won along the way. Over the past five decades there have been so many landmark moments to celebrate, from police once outnumbering participants at Pride marches to uniformed officers joining in the parade themselves. And from LGBT+ people being banned in the military, to the military actively recruiting at Pride events. Placards demanding everything from the scrapping of Section 28 to an equal age of consent and employment protection to marriage equality have all been consigned to the scrapheap of history and these victories should be celebrated at Pride events. People fought hard for the rights we deserve and enjoy today and that should be commemorated and celebrated.

Although we now have almost complete equality under the law, until someone being LGBT+ is seen as being as normal as someone being lefthanded, we still have a way to go. It’s attitudes not laws that still need some attention.

Heteronormativity is still very ingrained in society and, while it’s a battle we are winning, ignorance and prejudice can still be dark forces.

Last year more than 75,000 young people were bullied for being LGBT+ and 41% have thought about suicide, rising to 48% amongst young trans people. One in six of us has experienced a homophobic or biphobic hate crime over the past three years. Pride events remind us that we should be proud of our sexuality and gender identity, and while it may not seem like it at times, things are getting better.

WE ARE FAMILY

DANCING IN THE STREETS

Pride is a great big rainbow celebration of the diverse community we are part of. At a time where LGBT+ people seem to be more segregated into tribes than ever before, thanks to dating apps and chat rooms and bars and clubs that cater to just one type of the community, it’s great to be reminded what a gloriously miscellaneous group of people we are. We come in all shapes and sizes, genders and sexualities, races and religions, ages and styles, making a Pride event the best place ever for people-watching. Take a pause, look around you and try and resist the urge to be too judgemental - we can be our own worst enemies. Instead, take it all in and soak up the atmosphere. Revel in the spectacle and sense of community that Pride provides.

It’s certainly not all about the politics and Pride should also be about having an unashamedly brilliant time. At a time when more and more LGBT+ venues are closing and people are increasingly relying on online interactions, it’s great to just getting out there, meeting people and having a good old laugh. At Pride events, people let their hair down and there’s that sense of rebellion and celebration in the air. You can talk to strangers, meet new people, go a little bit crazy, dance in the streets and grin a lot. And we all need that, whether you are the most jaded of city dweller, or a wide-eyed visitor from an isolated country village. And who knows, if you are single, you may even meet that special someone and that will be your anniversary party sorted for life. Stranger things have happened...

“And who knows, if you are single, you may even meet that special someone and that will be your anniversary party sorted for life” 094

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FEATURE

WE ARE THE WORLD “It’s all about the PR, sweetie” - as Eddy might have said to Patsy when Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley opened last year’s Pride in London. Surrounded by drag versions of their popular Absolutely Fabulous characters, it was a brilliant PR stunt that makes a very good point. We have the ability to share the Pride spirit right across the planet, thanks to the mobile phones in our pockets. So take photos and videos of the sights and the sounds, the speeches and performances, the fun and the love.

And share, share, share. A million people doing this, can reach many more millions across the world. Combined with digital media, newspapers, magazines and TV coverage, it means the PR value of pride is immeasurable. We can show the world what we have achieved, how far we have come and what is still needed, both at home and abroad.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT Pride isn’t just about the parade and the parties, it also attracts a staggeringly diverse range of satellite events that celebrate all aspects of LGBT+ life. At this year’s Pride in London Festival (24 June - 9 July) you can expect art and history exhibitions, sports events, theatre productions, talks, concerts, proms, cabaret and comedy

nights. Without Pride, these events certainly wouldn’t be able to take place on this sort of scale and be able to reach such large and perfect audience demographics. With around a million people taking part in Pride in London, events can be created that explore, entertain, challenge and celebrate every aspect of gay life. Check out the Pride in London website (prideinlondon.org) and this guide and why not go to something to something you wouldn’t normally?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE Pride events around the world should be held in solidarity for those LGBT+ people living in countries where taking part in events like this could lead to imprisonment or even death.

Having sex with someone of the same sex is illegal in 75 countries – that’s 40% of the world’s population. Over 400 million people live under laws which punish same-sex relationships with the death penalty. The sickening stories coming out of Chechnya of torture camps and genocide have shocked the world, while reports of barbaric Daesh terrorists throwing gay men to their deaths is impossible to comprehend by those of us fortunate to live where we do. We should march, campaign and force our politicians to do whatever they can to stop these atrocities from continuing.

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“By taking part in Pride we are taking a stand against hate and celebrating who we are”

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME?

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Pride is so important for young people, especially those taking part for the first time. It might even be their first visit to the Big Smoke and boy, are they are in for an eye-opening experience!

Regardless of their background and the attitudes of their family and schoolmates, they are certainly going to feel an incredible sense of acceptance when marching with other members of the LGBT+ community. Never forget how liberating your first Pride experience can be, being open about your sexuality while being cheered on and applauded by hundreds of thousands of people. It’s why Stonewall enable 150 young people to join in the parade every year, to show them that they are not alone, that’s things do get better and that being gay is both normal - and a lot of fun.

One of the most common criticisms of Pride events is that they are too corporate these days, with everyone wanting a slice of the rainbow cake.

But the financial support of big companies also mirrors the desire for these corporate organisations and public services to become more inclusive of LGBT+ employees. And Pride events cost a fortune to stage, so these are relationships that need nurturing. Don’t forget that it wasn’t long ago that some companies wouldn’t have been seen dead supporting a LGBT+ event. The fact that such a high value is now being placed on being involved in Pride events shows how much progress we are making and it’s an incredibly positive thing that organisations want to celebrate their staff and their inclusive cultures. Keep it up!

REACH OUT

The sheer number of people taking part in Pride events in London and across the rest of the UK has made politicians of all parties take note over the years. After all, people taking part in parades are also potential voters. While certain parties have a checkered history when it comes to LGBT+ rights, today they are all universally supportive of LGBT+ people. While today politicians often fall over themselves to become involved, Pride in London are using their clout to help make London the best LGBT+ city in the world. They have created a pledge for politicians to sign that calls for our community to be given the freedom to be safe, the freedom to be healthy and the freedom to be visible. It’s an intelligent and practical campaign, using the collective might of Pride to secure genuine equality, inclusion and respect and to make London a beacon to LGBT+ people across the country and across the world.

Pride is also a marketplace and a valuable way for groups and organisations to reach people with information and support. Participation in this year’s parade is packed with an incredibly diverse range of groups taking part, including charities, trusts, businesses, global brands, religious groups, local authorities, educational institutions, sports groups, LGBT+ social groups, the armed forces, the NHS, youth groups, police officers, ambulance services, the fire service, political parties and LGBT+ venues.

Information stands will also be also operating in Trafalgar Square following the parade and at various events over the Pride in London Festival. Without Pride, it would be impossible to reach this number of people with such valuable information and support.

THE POLITICS OF DANCING

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FEATURE I FEEL LOVE Last year’s Pride in London was the biggest ever, with 40,000 people joining the parade and as many as a million people taking to the streets to both celebrate and make their voice heard. The event was held in the aftermath of the shootings in Orlando and our community took to the streets to show that love should never triumph over hate. In a city that has had more than its share of atrocities, some even aimed directly at the LGBT+ community, this is a vital message that can be shared by Pride attendees. It’s why this year’s Pride in London campaign is called Love Happens Here. This year it is sending a defiant message to anyone who wishes the LGBT+ community harm either at home or abroad. By taking part in Pride we are taking a stand against hate and celebrating who we are.

It’s what Pride has always been about and a message that is more important today than ever.

I AM WHAT I AM We’ve all heard people say things like “I don’t care what people do in the privacy of their own homes, but why do they have to rub our faces in it,” with absolutely no sense of irony. Well, this is 2017 we shouldn’t be hiding away behind closed doors or in hidden back alley venues any more. Following the Orlando nightclub massacre, a pastor asked, “Why can’t these people refrain from exposing themselves with their nakedness and boastfully demonstrating their lifestyles?!” He also claimed that “If the ‘Pride culture’ continues to be provocative in this way, the event in Orlando will be repeated, in other cities and in other countries.”

Suggesting we should go back in the closet is letting the bigots win. At Pride we can make a song and dance about who we are and who we love, sticking two perfectly manicured fingers up at prejudice.

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takes after his mums For your next step

SPONSORED FEATURE

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP – LEADING IN DIVERSITY

AT LLOYDS BANKING GROUP INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IS CENTRAL TO OUR BUSINESS SUCCESS

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e have a diverse culture with a scale that creates a vast range of roles and opportunities, far wider than banking, with a wealth of options for continual personal growth in an organisation that reflects 21st century Britain in the diversity of talent, skills and thinking of our team.

Ours is an agile culture with an open and agile working environment that encourages people to build the career that they want, whatever their ambitions.

We estimate that there are some 2500+ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) colleagues within the Group. We’ve made public commitments to increasing the engagement scores of our LGBT+ colleagues to 70% by 2020, in our Helping Britain Prosper Plan. This will be measured via our Colleague Survey.

If we are to become the best bank for

customers then we must ensure that this vision is inclusive of the LGBT+ community. As an organisation we’ve made great strides forward, and are acknowledged as a leading-edge employer when it comes to LGBT+ equality.

Our commitment to our LGBT+ agenda is led from the top. Our Executive Sponsor for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Karin Cook, champions our LGBT+ programme and activities.

Recognition of our work We are proud to have created an inclusive and open working environment for our LGBT+ colleagues, evidenced by our continued strong performances in external benchmarks.

Lloyds Banking Group was named number one in the 2017 Stonewall Top 100 employers list, which celebrates the pioneering efforts of leading organisations to create inclusive workplaces.

The achievement is the culmination of a

journey that has seen the Group placed third in 2015, second in 2016 and first in 2017, recognising the progress made and our continued commitment to LGBT+ inclusion.

Several of our LGBT+ role models have been recognised externally with awards, and our Rainbow Network was named Network of the Year at the 2016 British LGBT+ Awards.

Career Development We have continued to run our LGBT+ leadership programme throughout 2016. Over 200 colleagues have completed the programme so far, with some describing the experience as life changing.

Support for transgender colleagues We are committed to providing a safe and supportive working environment for all colleagues and the way in which they wish to express their gender identity. We have a specialist support 099

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team who have received specific training and are experts in the field of transgender and transitioning at work. In 2016, we were the first UK-owned company to extend our Private Medical Benefit to include gender dysphoria.

We also include multiple gender options in our colleague survey to include colleagues who identify as gender non-binary.

Rainbow network Our LGBT+ colleague network, Rainbow, plays a pivotal role in our approach, and with over 5000 members and supporters, is one of the largest networks of its kind in the UK. Rainbow is committed to connecting, developing and supporting our LGBT+ colleagues across the Group. Rainbow was named network of the year at the 2016 British LGBT+ Awards. Rainbow has an active Twitter following @LBGRainbow.

Supporting the LGBT+ community The Stonewall Young Campaigners Programme gives young people aged 16-21 the skills, confidence and support they need to lead change in their local communities by running their own anti-homophobia campaigns.

Over the past four years, our support has helped more than 200 young people become Youth Volunteers, and develop the skills and confidence to deliver these campaigns in their local schools, colleges and communities.

How we work to improve LGBT+ colleague’s experiences Both our colleagues and our leadership are committed to making Lloyds Banking Group an environment where LGBT+ colleagues can thrive. Some of the actions we’ve taken are: • In May 2016, the Group extended its private healthcare provision to include treatment and support for gender dysphoria. We worked closely

with our private healthcare provider BUPA to become the first UK-owned company to make the policy addition. Transgender colleagues that associate with gender dysphoria now have access to the appropriate level of care, treatment and support depending on their individual needs and preferences as part of the Group’s private healthcare scheme, ranging from counselling to full gender reassignment surgery. This has been described as “life-changing” by colleagues and “life-saving” by trans* charities.

“Lloyds Banking Group was named number one in the 2017 Stonewall Top 100 employers list” • Our 2016 Lloyds Banking Group campaign ‘for your next step’ featured a same-sex marriage proposal. This was reported in the LGBT+ and mainstream press and has received positive feedback from both colleagues and the wider LGBT+ community.

• We’ve made a public commitment in our Helping Britain Prosper plan to consistently increase the engagement levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) colleagues.

Colleague engagement for LGBT+ colleagues increased in 2016, though we recognise there is more to do.

• Our Rainbow Network is vibrant, has an active social media following @LBGRainbow, supports our strategy, and has 5,000 members and supporters. Rainbow focuses on professional

development, and promoting visible role models and allies, and was named Network of the Year at the 2016 British LGBT+ Awards.

• We launched a Transgender Awareness “idesk” in 2016 for all colleagues. This interactive tool is designed to give colleagues across the whole Group a basic understanding of trans* related topics, showcase best practice and highlight where we sometimes go wrong.

• The Group supported nine 2016 Pride events with participation in each of the parades (1,000 colleagues coming together to show support for the LGBT+ community), and we once again branded our Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group and Bank of Scotland ATMs as ‘GAYTMs’ with rainbow colours to show our solidarity with colleagues and customers.

• We supported Bisexual Awareness Day and Transgender Day of Visibility, with events, social media campaigns, and by flying the bisexual flag and transgender flag at 35 of our key sites.

All of this work helped us achieve the Stonewall Top employer award and our Group Chief Executive, António Horta-Osório said: “We are honoured to be recognised by Stonewall as the leading employer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Lloyds Banking Group is committed to supporting diversity in its workforce so that we can harness all of the qualities and talents of our colleagues to achieve our aim of helping Britain prosper.

We recognise, of course, that there is always more to do. We will continue to improve our LGBT+ colleague experience, work hard to ensure that all of our customers’ needs are met with understanding, dignity and respect, regardless of who they are or how they identify. We’re already starting to think about how we build on the successes we’ve achieved and what more we can do to make Lloyds Banking Group a place where inclusion is just part of who we are.

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SPONSORED FEATURE We have a whole range of LGBT+ activities and initiatives internally and external. We put a lot of focus on building a culture where everyone understands that they have a role to play in creating an inclusive working environment. Allies, therefore, are very important, and in May we ran a whole month of activities around allies. It’s important that allies signal that Lloyds Banking Group is a welcoming and inclusive place for LGBT+ colleagues.

SHANE DICKINSON

SHANE DICKINSON IS THE CUSTOMER ADVOCACY DIRECTOR OF RAINBOW, LLOYDS BANKING GROUP’S LGBT+ COLLEAGUE NETWORK Who are you and what is your professional role in Lloyds Banking Group?

I’m Shane Dickinson and I’m the Customer Advocacy Director for the Lloyds Banking Group’s LGBT+ professional network – Rainbow. My day job within the Customer Products and Marketing team allows me to focus on what I am passionate about, putting customers first and helping our colleagues.

In 2017 Lloyds Banking Group was named Employer of the Year in Stonewall’s workplace index of the Top 100 Employers in the UK. How important was that for you?

Extremely important. As part of the Group’s ongoing ambition to help Britain prosper, we are immensely proud to be named number one in the Stonewall Top 100 list. We are committed to ensuring our LGBT+ colleagues feel included and can bring their whole selves to work and are as engaged as everyone else.

How does Lloyds Banking Group go about encouraging an atmosphere of diversity in the workplace?

How important is to be out in the workplace?

And what advice would you give someone considering coming out in the workplace?

For me, it’s incredibly important that I am my “whole self” at work. I’ve found, through personal experience, that people are far more effective when they don’t have to expend energy on keeping secrets about themselves.

Of course, whether to come out or not (be that at work or more generally in life) is an individual choice. Being gay doesn’t define me, but it is part of who I am and I feel it’s important that I’m able to be who I am at work as well as at home.

I also help and support colleagues who are looking to come out in the work place.

It’s often the unknown that discourages people from coming out at work in my experience. Organisations can continue to play their part by ensuring their culture and place of work is an inclusive environment for all.

What does Lloyds Banking Group’s LGBT+ Rainbow Colleague Network offer its members?

Our Rainbow Network, which aims to connect, support and develop colleagues across the Group, has gone from strength to strength and now has 5,000 members and allies, hosts regular events, campaigns and has an active Twitter following. We launched a job shadowing scheme last year called Rainbow Connect where members of the network can learn from each other. We offer a mentoring scheme which resulted in 10 promotions last year.

What do you think has been the greatest achievement of Lloyds Banking Group’s Rainbow Colleague Network?

We doubled the network membership last year

through a successful allies campaign, and, as a result, were proud to be named The British LGBT+ Awards network of the Year.

Have you ever experienced any homophobia in any work place?

I’m more about education. Educating those who don’t understand the challenges or affect that homophobia can have on an individual. For example, instead of asking a male if they are married or have a girlfriend, perhaps ask them instead if they have a partner. Small things like this really can make a big difference!

“It’s incredibly important that I am my ‘whole self’… people are far more effective when they don’t have to expend energy on keeping secrets about themselves” Will you and your colleagues be taking part in this year’s Pride event in London?

We certainly will be! Lloyds Banking Group has, over the last two years, grown over more overt in its support for Pride and what it represents. We were the first UK financial services company to include same sex-couples in our marketing back in 2010. Since then we’ve developed both our internal and external presence in relation to LGBT+. For example, the Lloyds Banking Group campaign “He said yes” attracted phenomenal feedback from our colleagues and customers alike.

Last year we supported nine Pride events throughout the UK (including London), over 1,000 colleagues marched in those events, we’ve raised more than £38,000 for LGBT+ charities in the last year and our plans continue to grow.

A lot of what we’re able to achieve is made possible by how committed the Group is to supporting the LGBT+ community. Our executive sponsor Karin Cook is relentless when it comes to raising awareness and making a difference for our colleagues and customers.

Supported by over 5,000 members and allies of the colleague network, we will continue to develop our culture and deliver what our customers and colleagues need to be accepted as their whole selves without exception.

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Feel at home with Knight Frank  Proudly supporting your global property aspirations.

Connecting people and property, perfectly.

KnightFrank.com

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SPONSORED FEATURE

DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

SISI LAGREM IS THE CO-CHAIR OF THE LGBT+ NETWORK GROUP OF PROPERTY CONSULTANCY KNIGHT FRANK AND BELIEVES THAT DIVERSITY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORKPLACE When was Knight Frank founded and where are you based?

Knight Frank LLP is a residential and commercial property consultancy founded in London in 1896. Together with its New Yorkbased associates Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and Douglas Elliman, it is one of the world’s largest global property consultancies.

My name is Sisi Lagrem and I work in the international commercial business and I am based at our global headquarters at 55 Baker Street for the last five years having previously been a client of the firm.

Which types of properties do you manage?

And what makes Knight Frank different from other real estate services?

Knight Frank manage properties from all asset types; from residential sales and lettings, to industrial units and well known London landmarks such as the Shard and the Walkie Talkie.

Knight Frank differentiates itself from its peers by most obviously being a Partnership business.

Unlike our competitors we are not driven by shareholders which allows us to be entirely independent in our advice to clients and to have their best interests at the core of what we do.

SISI LAGREM

What is your role at Knight Frank and what does your job involve?

I personally work with international commercial companies to identify and respond to their property requirements all over the world. Which means within Knight Frank I work closely across our network of offices globally to deliver locally driven solutions that meet the client’s needs.

You are also Chair of Knight Frank’s LGBT+ network group. What does the group do?

The group is in its early days and is one group of six we have identified as part of our Respect, Diversity and Inclusion. To date, the focus group has met a couple of times to discuss our experiences at the company and what we can do to make sure we reach new people joining the company. Externally we have hosted a Freehold Networking reception (Freehold are an LGBT+ Property Network), we have had a lunch in the office, and we will be hosting a cinema night later in the year.

How important is diversity in the workplace and what benefits does it bring to the workplace?

A positive effect of diversity in the workplace is that employees belonging to different backgrounds usually have different ways of thinking and can analyse a matter at hand from a variety of perspectives. It also means that we look more like our client base and ultimately we can be our authentic self at work which leads to both a better work/ life balance and happier more productive people.

team, that is who you should be. We have regularly let it be known that you can contact either me or a male colleague to talk about being LGBT+ at Knight Frank if you want to.

On a personal level, what gives you the greatest satisfaction at Knight Frank?

From the moment I joined Knight Frank I’ve been open about my sexuality. I’m also a working parent in a mixed-race relationship and a member of a synagogue and all of these elements make me who I am today. I’ve always been encouraged to be my genuine self and this has benefited my performance at work.

It’s a great pleasure to work for a leading property firm who value what I contribute to the business, both in terms of skills and life experiences. As the network lead for LGBT+ I am now helping others to be confident about their sexuality in the workplace, growing our Ally network and raising awareness of LGBT+ across our global partnership.

What have you been proudest of during your time at Knight Frank?

My proudest moments at Knight Frank workwise have been about bringing people from across our global network together for workshops where we have built new relationships with colleagues and furthered our shared business goals. It’s also absolutely worth saying that during the last five years, I have been invited to join several steering groups that shape the future of the company, not least chairing the LGBT+ focus group which makes me immensely proud to be part of the future of Knight Frank.

What efforts does Knight Frank make to ensure that its LGBT+ employees are encouraged and supported?

Knight Frank promote internal events, external events and the message that whoever you are, if you’re contributing to the productivity of your 103

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WE ARE FAMILY DR JU GOSLING, AKA JU90, A CO CHAIR OF REGARD, THE NATIONAL LGBTQI+ DISABLED PEOPLE’S ORGANISATION, WRITES ABOUT THE CHALLENGES DISABLED PEOPLE FACE IN THE COMMUNITY

JU GOSLING © PRIDE LONDON

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FEATURE © JU GOSLING

O

ne in three of the LGBQI+ community has a long-term health condition, learning difficulty or physical or sensory impairment, compared to one in four of the general population. This is partly because of the higher incidence of HIV in our community, but mostly because of the long-term impact of bi/ homo/ transphobia on our health. The results of discrimination include stress, depression and other mental health difficulties; physical damage from coping mechanisms such as drug and alcohol use; and the impact of physical injuries from assaults.

LGBTQI+ disabled activists share a similar philosophy to the LGBTQI+ movement as a whole: we are all equal to and have just as much right to be fully included in society as everyone else. This is a liberating philosophy which firmly positions disability rights as a civil rights issue. The Social Model of Disability accepts that impairment is an intrinsic part of the human condition, just like being gay, bi, lesbian, intersex, trans or queer. What disables us are social, environmental and attitudinal barriers, which is why we identify as “disabled people” rather than as “people with disabilities”.

When LGBTQI+ people face disabling barriers, though, the impact is more severe than on other people, particularly when the barriers prevent access to community events. Social isolation significantly increases our vulnerability to hate crime, including “mate crime” which is an increasing problem as care provision continues to be cut back. The research is very limited, but it is believed that the majority of LGBTQI+ hate crime victims in

the UK today are disabled – hate crime is opportunistic, and isolated adults provide an obvious target. Social isolation also increases the likelihood that we will develop mental health difficulties, and abuse drugs and alcohol.

Another issue for LGBTQI+ disabled and older people (two-thirds of disabled people are over the age of 60) is that we are more dependent on the social care system than the general population. This is because we are more likely to have left the area where we grew up; are less likely to have close family members who will support us (wherever they live); and are less likely to have children to care for us. Despite this, LGBTQI+ people face widespread discrimination in the social care system, with many LGBTQI+ disabled people feeling that they cannot come out to the workers being paid to support them. In the autumn, Regard will publish the first research into the challenges

“We are all equal to and have just as much right to be fully included in society as everyone else” facing LGBTQI+ disabled people who use selfdirected support, in partnership with the University of Bristol, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and Stonewall.

What can all of us, disabled and non-disabled, do to achieve change? First, we can be more aware of whether LGBTQI+ bars, venues and events are accessible to people with a wide range of access needs, both as organisers and customers. Ask yourself, would someone with a visual, hearing or mobility impairment, dyslexia, learning difficulty, social anxiety etc. be able to enjoy this? For Prides, Regard publishes the Pride Access Guide (http:// regard.org.uk/pride-access guide) providing practical guidance on all aspects of making Prides and similar events accessible.

Second, we can look out for each other — we are each other’s family in a very real sense.

Social care users, and people who use support from biological family members, are often unable to access that support to attend LGBTQI+ events; the majority of LGBTQI+ disabled people have no paid-for or family support in the first place. Making our community as easy to access as possible for everyone, and providing support so that disabled people can be included in it on an equal basis, is what will give us real Pride.

© TIM HOY

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We are British Transport Police – the national police force for the railway.

Look out for our officers and ask them for our hate crime information card.

#WeStandTogether Tackling hate crime You can text 61016 to let us know about a crime or incident on a train or at a station.

It’s a way of getting in touch with us discreetly when you might not want to make a call.

WE WILL BE MARCHING WITH YOU IN THE PARADE AND HAVE OFFICERS AT TRANSPORT HUBS ACROSS LONDON TO REASSURE EVERYONE THAT WE’RE HERE TO KEEP YOU SAFE.

All of us at British Transport Police are honoured and privileged to take part in this year’s London Pride, marking 50 years since the vote to legalise homosexuality in the UK. We’re marching with you to demonstrate our support, acceptance, hope and friendship in a defiant stand against hate.

We know some of you feel confident to report incidents to us, but we’re also acutely aware that there are others in our community who don’t feel able to let us know when they experience abuse, violence or other unacceptable behaviour. We want to change that.

We hope that by joining you at Pride we can assure you of our commitment to be there for you when you need us.

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In an emergency call 999

POLICING WITH PRIDE Every year, we look forward to Pride.

Not only because we’re given such a warm welcome, but, more importantly, because it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate that we stand together in the face of hate crime and prejudice.

ADRIAN HANSTOCK DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE

Follow us on Twitter @btp @btpdiversity

Our promise is that if you’re targeted because of who you are, or made

to feel uncomfortable when using the train or tube, we’ll take your complaints seriously, treat you with sensitivity and respect and do everything we can to catch those responsible.

At British Transport Police, we are proud of our inclusive and positive attitude to ‘difference’. As a senior police officer, who is also gay, I am pleased to be able to say that our officers and staff reflect all sections of our great society. They are respected for the skills and professional outlook they bring to their role, and for the service and compassion they show to their communities. This is what distinguishes us.

So on this important anniversary for Pride, we would like to reflect and acknowledge the contributions of those who over the years pushed the boundaries, who challenged prejudice of all kinds, and paved the way for all LGBT people – including those who happen to be police officers – to enjoy the freedoms and protections we now have.

If you’re interested in working with us to keep the travelling public safe, visit our website and consider applying for a career as a police officer or member of our specialist support teams. We’d love to hear from you.

See you on 8 July! btp.police.uk

17/05/2017 15:31

THE AWARD-WINNING DARK COMEDY RETURNS FROM THE PRODUCERS OF SELL-OUT HITS THE BOYS IN THE BAND AND BEAUTIFUL THING

DIRECTED BY MICHAEL FENTIMAN

CAST INCLUDES

CALVIN DEMBA SAM FRENCHUM SINÉAD MATTHEWS

PARTNERED WITH

@JoeOrtonLoot

17 AUG – 24 SEP ParkTheatre.co.uk Finsbury Park, London

28 SEP - 21 OCT Watermill.org.uk Newbury

During Pride, only one rainbow matters…

So we’ve given up ours to show our support

Going starkers to raise money for Tesco’s LGBT+ charity partners #onerainbow

Visit www.outattesco.com for more information

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12/06/2017 08:56

FEATURE

PROUD COMPETITORS THIS YEAR SEES THE WORLD PARA ATHLETICS AND THE IAAF WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS TAKE PLACE IN LONDON. KEPH SENETT TAKES A BRIEF LOOK AT LGBT+ VISIBILITY AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ATHLETICS

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Spotlight: Claire Harvey Claire Harvey began her Paralympian career when she was in her 30s, and by 2012 had earned the title of captain of the Team Great Britain sitting volleyball team. In 2015, she switched to track and field, competing in throwing events. “[At the start of my career] I was at a point in my life where going back in the closet and not being authentic just wasn’t even worth contemplating,” she says, adding that being out has had a positive impact on her athletic performance. “Elite sport, particularly in a Paralympic cycle, requires you to give 100 per cent and leave nothing behind.”

Harvey sees the World Para Athletics Championships as an opportunity for the world at large. “Sport can be a vehicle whereby people come together, celebrate the things that bind us rather than not. I hope London 2017 uses the platform to call for inclusion and compassion.

Also, I want it to be a moment in time when people see beyond demographics. I don’t want people to say, ‘There’s the lesbian discus thrower’; I want them to say, ‘There’s a brilliant discus thrower. Oh, I didn’t know she was a lesbian… But look at that technique!’”

the United States who came out in 1981, when she was in the US military.

Up-and-Coming Talent Large-scale sporting events like the World Championships whet spectator appetites for the promise on display by up-and-coming talent.

Keep an eye out for these out LGBT+ athletes.

Yulimar Rojas Rojas is a young Venezuelan track and field athlete, Olympian, and record-holder in Women’s Triple Jump. At only 21 years old, she’s already established herself as her nation’s best jumper, earning the top spot in six events since 2014. She became Venezuela’s first world champion in athletics at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon in 2016.

Rojas has never been secretive about her sexuality, posting freely to her social media accounts. During the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rojas posted images of herself with her girlfriend, to whom she publicly dedicated her silver medal in Triple Jump.

In November of 2016, she signed with FC Barcelona Athletics.

Spotlight: Tom Bosworth

Jaron Thomas

In late 2015, Team Great Britain race walker Tom Bosworth came out in an interview with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire. He timed the interview so that it wouldn’t divert focus from his performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he broke five British records and finished sixth in the Olympic 20 kilometre walk.

“In sport at the elite level we say you need to find those ‘one per cents’ to increase performance,” Bosworth says. “Maybe being able to live as me the last few years has been a one per cent and that’s why my performance has increased.” Bosworth is looking forward to the London World Championships, “by far the biggest sporting event to happen in the world this year,” and notes that the 13 August race, which he will almost surely qualify for, is free to view on the Mall. “It’s going to be incredible.”

Other seasoned out hopefuls likely to qualify include South Africa’s Caster Semenya, the middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medal winner who married her partner in early 2017; Germany’s Nadine Müller, the Olympic discus thrower who married her girlfriend on New Year’s Eve in 2013; Sunette Viljoen from South Africa, the Olympic silver medallist in javelin; Germany’s Martina Strutz, a World Championship veteran pole vaulter who married her partner in 2015; and, Angela Madsen, a Paralympian shot put and javelin thrower from

Colorado University’s Jaron Thomas is one of the first openly gay athletes on his campus, and one of the best hurdlers his school has ever seen.

Thomas came out at the end of high school, and the mixed reactions from his peer group convinced him that he wanted to be out from the beginning of college. “The term ‘coming out’ is actually more of a ‘letting in’ process, and I wanted to let my teammates into my life and who I was — so I was honest with them,” Thomas told his college paper. The Division I athlete has had a stellar track and field career, with strong showings in early 2017 that may earn him an NCAA postseason spot.

Emmonnie Henderson This University of Louisville hurler has been making waves for the last couple of years, earning several conference titles. At the 2017 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championship in February, Henderson won in shot put, came in second in weight throw, and was named conference Indoor Field MVP—the third MVP accolade in her athletics career. In 2016, Henderson came out in the press and got engaged to her long-term girlfriend. Although she was invited to Olympic trials for Rio in 2016, she declined due to injuries. If her performance in early 2017 is any indication, she’ll be one to watch.

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FEATURE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ANGELA MADSEN; YUKLIMAR ROJAS (CATHOLYMPIQUE); TOM BOSWORTH; CLAIRE HARVEY ; NADINE MULLER ( © ROLF ROLETSCHEK) ; CASTER SEMENYA (CC TAB59)

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Rainbow Riding BEN LYON, THE CHAIR OF OUTBOUND, TfL’S LGBT+ STAFF NETWORK GROUP, LOOKS FORWARD TO THIS YEAR’S PRIDE

K

eeping London moving, working and growing is no mean feat and it takes all different types of people and skills to achieve this. When thinking of Transport for London (TfL), people often assume that we simply run the Tube and the Bus networks when, in fact, we look after much more than that, including London River Services, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and the Capital’s major streets. With so many different services, it is unsurprising that we need a diverse range of people to provide the best possible experience for our customers.

We don’t just have a diverse workforce for the sake of it. We want to reflect the city that we serve and believe that a diverse workforce encourages a culture of innovation and creativity that will allow us to continuously improve. It’s vital that we support our customers as they travel around the capital, which makes it key that we support our employees too, as they are the ones helping them to do just that. That is where I come in. TfL has several staff network groups and I am the chair of OUTbound, which supports TfL’s LGBT+ staff.

OUTbound gives staff the opportunity to meet people outside of their day-to-day workplace and enables them to get advice too. It also plays a role in raising awareness for the LGBT+ community both inside and outside of the organisation.

Pride is a key event for us every year, that gives us the opportunity to do that and 2017 will be no different. We take part in the parade every year, where we celebrate our sexuality and diversity in the centre of the capital. That’s not to say that only our staff who identify as LGBT+ take part.

Plenty of our straight allies join us on the parade too, including senior management, which sends the strong message to our customers and our colleagues that we are an inclusive organisation, running an inclusive public transport network.

We also have a legacy of coming up with new and exciting ways to show our support for the LGBT+ community too, especially around the time of Pride. In previous years, we have wrapped a DLR train, a bus and a taxi in the rainbow colours – making sure that they would stand out and have an impact. We also had a rainbow crossing to celebrate Pride in 2014, the year that same-sex marriage became legal, and lots of couples had their photos taken to mark the passing of the Marriage Equality Act. Last year, we even installed around 50 pedestrian traffic signals that had their “walk” images replaced with diversity symbols instead. These initiatives have all been fun ways to support Pride, but it’s important to raise awareness all year round too.

That’s why we host a variety of different events – for example, for World AIDS Day, we worked with the London Gay Men’s Chorus and the Terrence Higgins Trust. The chorus gave rousing renditions of a variety of songs at Angel Tube Station, brightening up the journey of those travelling through and raising vital funds for charity. Last November, we also hosted the UK’s largest HIV workplace testing event for the second year running, which helped to tackle the stigma around getting tested.

We love to work with different organisations and meet lots of different people. Make sure you keep an eye out for us during the parade and we look forward to celebrating Pride again this year.

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FEATURE

PICTURES: TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

“We take part in the parade every year, where we celebrate our sexuality and diversity in the centre of the capital”

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HAMBURG HEAVEN FOR XAV JUDD THE LGBT+ SCENE OF GERMANY’S SECOND LARGEST CITY HAS MUCH TO OFFER

I

am not going to lie. When I asked a German friend about this city he said to bring a good novel, because many of his countrymen call it Hamboring.

But, as soon as I arrive and sample the bonhomie of the locals and the unique waterfront atmosphere of the third largest port (after Antwerp and Rotterdam) in Europe, I feel somewhat relieved. Why? I already know my trip is going to be oodles more exciting than a lot of the other places I’ve visited.

Nestling on the banks of the River Elbe and taking its name from a castle (Hammaburg) constructed by Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD, like loads of other Teutonic metropolises this town was severely devastated by the Allied bombing campaign in World War Two. Of course, nothing can ever make up for the countless numbers who perished, but a chance did arise for the new cityscape to be shaped into one of the most majestic on the continent.

Indeed, architectural gems such as the Elbphilharmonie (Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, elbphilharmonie.de/en) and the Staatsoper (Grosse Theaterstrasse 25, staatsoper-hamburg. de) embellish the horizon like diamonds in a seam of coal.

The LGBT+ scene here is split into two main enclaves. St Pauli is a miasma of neon, where hordes of locals (Hamburg’s population is 1.7 million) and tourists size up fast food outlets, strip joints, nightspots and sex shops in an area that encompasses the red-light district, the Reeperbahn. Conversely, along the narrow road

of Lange Reihe – in the St. Georg quarter – is a more urbane affair, chocker with bistros, boutiques and chic restaurants.

In this latter milieu, I stop at the glass-fronted lounge Generations (Lange Reihe 81, generationbar.de) and kind of get the impression I have fallen into a Mondrian painting – its glowing yellow and cherry backdrops are a phantasmagoric whirl. This is a watering hole where denizens pose, gossip and devour the region’s favourite shandy (Alsterwasser) or funky cocktails, as DJs add to the ambience with their exhilarating sets. Literally just around the corner, the trendy, Italian-influenced Bellini Bar (Danziger Strasse 63, bellini-bar-hamburg.de) is another drinking haunt to savour.

Not to forget the opposite side of town’s Wunderbar (Talstrasse 14): inside, there is a huge sign on one of the walls which says “Showtime”.

Believe me, it nearly always is with the gorgeous bevy of twenty- and thirtysomethings who can’t seem to keep their eyes or hands off each other.

There may be only one major LGBT+ club in this city, but the house and electronica music-playing 136˚ (Reeperbahn 136, 136grad.com) more than satisfies. As it’s Hallowe’en weekend, an assemblage of creeps, ghouls and even one Lady Ga Ga impersonator abound – and they are just the motifs on my dodgy Y-Fronts! At one stage, I freak out when I detect my body brush into some sort of carpet. Step forward, Kaye, the glorious drag queen with the mostest, who is wearing a super-hairy white ensemble - just picture Chewbacca from Star Wars having

slipped into a bath of bleach. Although she doesn’t glide onto the dancefloor, hundreds of others do, underneath a ceiling that’s so illuminated it looks like the outside of a spaceship from the aforementioned George Lucas movie.

After such a thunderous night on the tiles, the next day it’s time to take it easy. Nowhere’s better to chill than the über-refined, Café Gnosa (Lange Reihe 93, gnosa.de). It’s the grande dame of LGBT+ eateries, having served our community for over 20 years. Their array of scrumptious native mains and heavenly homemade cakes – try the eggnog Torte – means you probably won’t want to leave until you’ve consumed your whole bodyweight. Further up the same thoroughfare is the more traditional (think old-fashioned, dark-coloured wooden interiors) but still cosy Café Uhrlaub (63, cafeuhrlaub.de). As well as functioning as a guesthouse, and having a beautiful garden which is open in the warmer months, they dish up a similar smorgasbord of hot meals, sweet treats, and alcoholic beverages.

This year, Hamburg’s Pride – all such events are referred to as Christopher Street Day (or CSD) in Germany (and Switzerland) – runs from 29 July until 6 August (hamburg-pride.de). Its slogan is “Come with us! Discrimination is no alternative”, which fits in with the organisers’ ideals of a free and equal society, cultural openness and the acceptance of differences, gender diversity, and equal rights for sexual minorities. Activity-wise, expect speeches,

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TRAVEL Chilehaus

Way to go Getting there Eurowings (eurowings.com) have regular flights to Hamburg from London Heathrow and Manchester. Tourist info: hamburg-travel.com

Staatsoper

GAY INFO hamburg.gay-web.info and travelgayeurope. com are good sources for facts and data in relation to the city.

Elbphilharmonie

LOCAL INFO expatsblog.com/portal/germany/hamburg has various articles about life in the eponymous metropolis. Or peruse Lonely Planet Germany: lonelyplanet.com.

TOP TIP Purchase a Hamburg Card (hamburg-travel. com/search-book/hamburg-card) for unlimited U/S-Bahn, bus and ferry rides, plus 50% discounts on entrance fees to museums and certain other attractions.

Lake Alster

WHERE TO STAY 25Hours Hotel One of a group of nine establishments run by the Twenty Five Hours chain, this particular one is located in the area of town known as Hafen City. Housed in a 1950s building, the 128 rooms’ interiors have a cool retro aesthetic. Überseeallee 5, 25hours-hotels.com

discussions, performances, and a host of happening parties, with the whole shindig coming to a close at a street festival at Jungfernstieg on the last Sunday.

Later on, a stroll along the harbour reveals something as out-of-place as Simon Cowell’s high-waisted trousers: a gigantic 90 metre-long, 3,000 tonne Russian submarine. Although it’s berthed, the gleaming pitch black U-434 (St. Pauli Fischmarkt 10, u-434.de) still has all of the menace and poise of a killer whale, just before it rips into a sea lion. Manufactured in 1976 and in service as recently as 2002, luckily the nonnuclear Tango class vessel has been turned into

“The LGBT+ scene here is split into two main enclaves: St Pauli, a miasma of neon, and the St. Georg quarter, a more urbane affair, chocker with bistros, boutiques and chic restaurants”

an engaging museum. Carefully, I walk past gangways and climb through hatches of a leviathan - it supported 32 personnel - whose primary use was spying. It is intriguing to see the command centre with all its switches, dials, knobs and levers; the Officers’ Mess; and the torpedo chamber still with a number of shell casings. And with regard to the measly bunk bed-styled crew’s quarters, you’d probably find more room in the underpants of Dirk Diggler of Boogie Nights fame.

To catch a thrilling drama that’s been running even longer than Game of Thrones, why not rock up to the opera? This art form, which was created in the 16th century, arguably still has certain class connotations in the UK. Yet, when I venture into one (the Staatsoper) for the first time, there is none of the upper crust haughtiness one might reason would be encountered back home. And I am also fortunate to be watching Georg Telemann’s Flavius Bertaridus – a storming tale of murder, lust, passion and revenge. Peering down from one of the boxes, it does not matter that the unfolding yarn is not in English (explanatory production notes in our language are provided), as the feeling, mood, posture and vocalisation of the actors remarkably convey the story. Indeed, it truly is a magical occasion, with the music produced by the penguin-clad orchestra, and the ethereal articulations of the singers, sending a gigantic buzz throughout the acoustically enhanced auditorium.

You’d be as crazy as a sumo wrestler

The George Situated in the eclectic St. Georg neighbourhood, this place is inspired by the best of Britain. Expect colonial era décor and an English-type bar, the DaCaio. And don’t miss their sixth-floor day spa. Barcastrasse 3, thegeorge-hotel.de

attempting to balance on a ping pong ball, if you left town without checking out the worldfamous, 1703-founded Fischmarkt (Fish market - Grosse Elbstrasse, fischauktionshalle.com).

Positioned next to the slew of luminous, opaque waves that methodically rise and fall in the Altona – the westernmost urban borough section of the harbour, it’s not just the eponymous marine creatures that are on sale here. Every Sunday morning (5.00am – 9.30am April until October and from 7.00am - 9.30am the rest of the year) this expanse is a riot of thousands of people. Merchandise for sale on the dozens of stalls includes: round cheeses the size of wagon wheels; bread so fresh the delightful smell caresses one’s nostrils; and clothes and souvenirs. As I wander around the hall attached to this bustling extravaganza, there’s a slick band called Mcream who are rolling through a Ninaesque (remember ‘99 Red Balloons’?) number, before breaking into a cover of Robbie Williams’s Let Me Entertain You. And boy, this rock combo unquestionably did enthral me, as has this dynamic metropolis. In fact, there’s absolutely nothing mundane about Hamburg – it’s the real deal.

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Free Falling

MATT NEWBURY JOINS THE “LEAF PEEPERS” AND VISITS NEW ENGLAND IN THE FALL, TAKING AN EPIC ROAD TRIP THROUGH MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT AND MAINE

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TRAVEL

NEW HAMPSHIRE

L

ike most New England holidays, our adventures begin in Boston, which, thanks to budget airlines like Wow Air and Norwegian Airlines forcing down the prices, is now one of the cheapest places to fly to in the States. And you’ll need to save every penny you can since the pound took such a nosedive against the dollar.

It’s an amazing city and one I’ve longed to return to since I was humiliatingly thrown out of Cheers Bar (The Bull and Finch) for being underage back when I was 18. It’s a smart city (there are over 50 universities and colleges here), as well as being liberal (Massachusetts was the first state to legalise same-sex marriage) and rather attractive, with cobbled streets, historic buildings, stunning parks and a vibrant waterfront serving some of the best seafood in the world.

We checked into the ultra XV Beacon, a stylish boutique hotel on an historic gas-lit street in the heart of the financial district. Like the city itself, the Beaux Art building oozes classic European-style charm, with an impeccably-dressed bellhop, art deco furnishings and original cage elevators. All of the luxurious bedrooms have fireplaces,

cashmere throws, Italian marble bathrooms, rainforest shower heads, 42” LCD TVs, surround sound and a mini bar stocked with Château Lafite Rothschild and Krug Champagne (we didn’t dare even touch that).

It’s not at all surprising that the hotel has just been voted the second best in the entire United States in the Travel and Leisure World’s Best Awards 2016. They are also part of the Preferred Hotel Group’s Preferred Pride Programme (preferredpride.com), a collection of independently owned and operated hotels that are known for equality in their employment policies and services and are active supporters of the LGBT+ community. LGBT+ travellers who book through the programme will also get a chilled bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries - the perfect way of starting any holiday. And with the hotel also close to the theatre district (its proximity to New York means that lots of Broadway shows transfer here) the bubbly proved a perfect pre-show aperitif for The Book of Mormon.

The hotel is also right on the edge of leafy Boston Common and the start of the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile walking tour through the history of the city, with historic markers telling the story of the American Revolution. We booked a tour with the Freedom Trail Players (thefreedomtrail. org) and were shown around the various sites by one “Isaiah Thomas”, who was looking incredibly animated for someone born in 1749. The whole experience was like something out of Horrible Histories and is both educational and fun. In brief there was quite a bit of fighting, a lot of tea ended up in the sea, America won their independence and named lots of craft beer after the various characters involved.

Considering the time of year, we also booked onto a guided Fall Foliage Bike Tour with Urban AdvenTours (urbanadventours.com). Boston is a perfect city for cycling and this four-hour tour takes you through all of Boston’s famous system of parks, which have been dubbed The Emerald Necklace. Covering about 15 miles, our brilliant guide led us through some stunning historic parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Other highlights of the tour included the Charles River Esplanade, cycling through historic universities and a stop at Copley Square to see the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church and the John Hancock building (named after the man who

STOWE

BAR HARBOR

invented the celebrity autograph).

Following the calm of the bike tour, it was then a quite frankly terrifying drive out of Boston to find out what all this “New England in the fall” fuss was all about. There are various circular routes you can take, but after a stop at Six Flags to ride some rollercoasters and to visit their Fright Fest, we took a three-hour drive up to Stowe in Vermont, slicing through some stunning New Hampshire scenery. The glorious decay of autumn was running a bit late due to global warming, so it made sense to head straight up to this stunning ski resort where we’d heard the colours, they were a-changin’.

“Nature herself holds her annual fair in October, not only in the streets, but in every hollow and on every hill-side,” said Thoreau, and, for us, a far better way to enjoy these spectacular “autumnal tints” is not from the roadside, but while travelling at 60-miles per hour on the world’s fastest and most exhilarating zip line.

Following a training session, we were taken in a

NEW HAMPSHIRE

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MARTHA’S VINEYARD

ARCADIA NATIONAL PARK

PORTLAND

high-speed gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield with spectacular views over what becomes the ski area in the winter months.

Three separate zip lines take you back down the mountain, each with two cables side by side so you can enjoy the adventure (or race) with a companion. It certainly wakes you up!

Following our zip wire adventure, we set out to explore the charming town of Stowe itself, before making a pilgrimage to somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit – The Von Trapp Family Lodge. It’s where the real-life musical family from The Sound of Music settled after their escape, with the mountains of Vermont reminding them of their beloved Austria. The 96-room alpine lodge is set in 2,500 acres of beautiful countryside with the sort of views that could inspire a musical sequel. We left with lumps in our throats after walking past the family graveyard and seeing the headstone of Maria Von Trapp.

We continued our adventures (after an obligatory stop at the Ben and Jerry’s Factory, thank you very much) by travelling across to Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine. This attractive seaside town was a resort for the wealthy back in the 19th century, while today it attracts nature enthusiasts drawn to nearby Arcadia National Park. A spectacular 27-mile scenic loop drive takes you through the park, from the golden shores of Sand Beach to the blustery delights of Thunder Hole and the beauty of Jordan Pond, before climbing up Cadillac Mountain for epic views across the island below. It’s the centennial of the National Park Services in the States this year and this has to be up there with the very best.

After an evening of delicious clam chowder and craft beers, it was on the road again. We followed the coast down to Ogunquit, which means “beautiful place by the sea” and it’s certainly an apt description for this pretty bohemian town, boasting more than three miles of white sandy beach. The colourful village has a laidback feel, with delightful galleries, gift shops, lounges and restaurants and a playhouse to explore as well as some great walks. We took a

“The LGBT+ capital of America has long been a haven for alternative types from beatniks to hippies”

Provincetown

stroll along the cliff walk to Perkins Cove, a pretty working harbour and another excuse to enjoy some chowder. The town also has a substantial LGBT+ population, many of whom can be found upstairs in the near legendary Front Porch Piano Bar come sundown, singing along to show tunes and camp classics. Needless to say, I woke up with a sore head and my boyfriend with a sore throat after making his way through most of Les Mis and the collected works of Stephen Sondheim.

Our next stop was Portland for the Old Port Culinary Walking Tour, organised by Maine Foodie Tours (mainfoodietours.com). We’ve never been on one of these sorts of tours before, but it’s a great way of learning about a destination complemented by some delicious food and drink. The former fish houses, mills, factories and mills are now home to some amazing craft businesses and we sampled the likes of artisan cheeses from local farms, pizza made with Maine lobster, craft beers, scones topped with blueberry preserves, clam chowder (a theme is developing here) and even an original Whoopie Pie. We also visited the fish market to learn more about lobsters and shell fish and a bar that only serves mocktails created from Maine bitters. It was a deliciously fascinating few hours, a brilliant hangover cure and something we’d highly recommend.

Being nearly Halloween, there was no way that we could resist visiting Salem for their Haunted Happenings (hauntedhappenings.org), a series of spooky events that attracts over 500,000 visitors

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TRAVEL each October. Today there are believed to be between 800 and 1,600 witches openly living in the town, which is somewhat ironic as it was a fear of witches which led to the tragic witch trials of 1692 (as featured in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible).

It’s bustling, with endless witch-themed attractions and people queuing up to have their photo taken next to the statue of Elizabeth Montgomery as her character Samantha from the witchy sitcom Bewitched. However it’s definitely worth taking the Salem Witchcraft Walk (salemhistoricaltours.com) and to learn the truth about the remarkable and heartbreaking events that led to the infamous trials.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The perfect way to finish a New England tour is by exploring Cape Cod. Our first stop was a boat trip out to the swanky island resort of Martha’s Vineyard. The island, located six miles off the coast of Massachusetts, has a quaint historic small town feel and is a popular holiday resort for presidents and film stars. However I have always wanted to visit as “The Vineyard” served as the fictional location for Amity Island in the film Jaws. The best way to explore is by bike and we headed straight off to Joseph A Sylvia State beach, where Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) watched in horror as the shark kills young Alex Kitner on his lilo.

The shark then swims under the American Legion Memorial Bridge – now known as “Jaws Bridge” into the “safe” inlet of Sengekontacket Pond where Brody’s son and his friends are having a sailing lesson. The sailing teacher isn’t quite as lucky as the traumatised boys.

Jumping from the bridge into the water has become a rite of passage for millions of youngsters over the years, undeterred by the area’s filmic history. Obviously I had to give it a go, although being late October and in my mid40s, I did get some very odd looks from passing cars. We finished our visit to the island by cycling onto Edgartown to spot even more locations from the film including the town hall, the police station and the charming Chappy ferry, which only carries two vehicles.

For the final few days of our tour, we drove out to Provincetown on the northern tip of Cape

Way to Go In Boston, Matt and his partner stayed at XV Beacon, which is part of Preferred Hotel Group’s Preferred Pride collection.

Go to: preferredpride.com Tourist info discovernewengland.org bostonUSA.com Gay info provincetowntourismoffice.org

Cod. The LGBT+ capital of America (also known as “P-Town”) has long been a haven for alternative types from beatniks to hippies, although we managed to coincide our visit with Women’s Week. While there is nothing at all wrong with this, it wasn’t quite the debauched weekend of gay male fun we had in mind. That said, it’s a really lovely place to visit and a stroll down Commercial Street, checking out the colourful galleries, speciality shops, cabaret bars and restaurants is a must. The architecture is as wonderful as any we have seen on this epic tour of New England and the charming beach made the perfect place to watch a final sunset before our return to Boston and our flight home.

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Proudly flying the nation

30

Thousands of seats at

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Book now at Monarch.co.uk

Flights | Holidays | City Breaks

94% of customers rated our service as good or excellent on Feefo.com during January 2017. *Terms & conditions apply, see www.monarch.co.uk for details. 0% fees on credit card bookings. Seats subject to availability. Offer applies to travel on selected dates between 15.05.17 & 10.12.17. Offer valid from 03.05.17 until 28.05.17. 4,996 seats available at ÂŁ30 & correct as of 07.04.17. Prices are one way per person including taxes & charges. Flights are sold by Monarch Airlines Limited. Package Holidays & City Breaks are sold by Monarch Holidays Limited under ATOL number 2275. All of the Package Holidays & City Breaks sold by Monarch Holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. ATOL protection does not apply to flight only bookings sold by Monarch Airlines Limited or other travel services. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection & the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate ABTA No.V0531

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SPONSORED FEATURE

FLY Monarch with Pride MONARCH IS THE UK’S LONGEST ESTABLISHED AIRLINE AND HOLIDAY COMPANY – PROUDLY SERVING THE LGBT COMMUNITY SINCE 1968

W

ith Monarch it’s all about the service. Monarch has great prices, great frequencies and flight times, an excellent choice of European destinations and the very best in customer service – there are many reasons to book your flights and holidays with us.

With Monarch you can expect a warm welcome and from the minute you step on board your holiday is off to a flying start. And it gets better – we don’t charge you for booking on credit card, there’s no fees at all, and we will get you to and from your chosen holiday destination on time - we were delighted to have been recently recognised as “The world’s most punctual low cost carrier 2016” in OAG’s Punctuality League 2016.

If you’re holidaying with us, the unique service continues with our Monarch Concierge Service.

It’s there for you from the moment you book - this unique offering is a completely free service that allows us to share our expert knowledge of resorts to help you plan your trip and answer any questions you have about your chosen destination. From special requests like a

particular hotel room, booking a table at your favourite restaurant, to letting you know where the best beaches are and even the best place to buy groceries – the Holiday Concierge team is on hand to help.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion and would like advice and assistance with planning a surprise then the Concierge team can help you, or perhaps you’d like some pointers on memorable sunset walks or even where the best clubs are: just ask our Holiday Concierge Team.

We want you to get the most out of your time away and recognise that it’s often the small details that can really make a difference.

So, where to go with Monarch? Summer sun, winter sun, and city breaks – or a flight to your favourite ski resort. There are more than 40 destinations to choose from across our network – many of them favourite LGBT holiday spots.

We operate from five bases across the UK London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, and Luton offering six million sector seats per year across Europe.

Our city break programme is extensive with hotspots including Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome 123

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SPONSORED FEATURE and Tel Aviv – renowned for their great nightlife, entertainment and Pride festivals. New for this year, we’re jetting off to some brilliant destinations - the beautiful city of Porto, which is increasing in popularity and renowned for its architecture, and Stockholm and Zagreb, two fascinating capital cities, steeped in culture, history and great cuisine.

If it summer sun you’re after then there’s so much to choose from – flights, all-inclusive packages in hand-picked 3-5 star hotels, or selfcatering, there’s a Monarch holiday for you. The Canaries remain popular for a number of reasons: year-round sunshine, fantastic hospitality and easy access from the UK – and the Yumbo Centre! Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma and Fuerteventura all offer brilliant experiences – great beaches, a picturesque natural environment, a laid-back way of life with the added bonus of a great night life for those who want it. Similarly, the Balearic Islands, particularly, Ibiza and Majorca, together with mainland Spain offer sun, scenery, great cuisine and an abundance of nightlife! Or why not try something new for 2017, you can jet off to Valencia or Split from Birmingham. Croatia is increasing in popularity all the time and we now have three destinations to choose from – Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb.

It’s an exciting time for Monarch and, looking forward, 2018 will see our 50th anniversary and the arrival of the first of our new Boeing737 Max-8 aircraft. Our new fleet will offer a better customer experience, has a 40% smaller community noise footprint than other single-aisle aircraft and will be exceptionally fuel efficient.

So, that’s Monarch in a nutshell - if you regularly fly or holiday with us, thank you – and if you don’t, how many more reasons do you need to try us?

Book your next flight or holiday now at www.monarch.co.uk – we look forward to meeting you very soon!

ANDREW SWAFFIELD

ANDREW SWAFFIELD, IS THE CEO OF MONARCH How long have you been CEO of Monarch and what was your background before that?

I joined Monarch in April 2014 as Managing Director of the airline and I was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer in July 2014 – which includes the holiday and engineering parts of the business as well as the airline.

When was Monarch founded and how big a

fleet does it have?

Monarch was founded in April 1968 and we currently have a fleet of 34 Airbus aircraft – A320s and A321s. In spring 2018, we take delivery of the first of our new fleet of 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. By 2020 Monarch’s average fleet age will have fallen from 12 to two years – one of the youngest in Europe. Our new fleet will offer a better customer experience, has a 40% smaller noise footprint than other single-aisle aircraft and will be exceptionally fuel efficient.

Where are you based?

I am based at our head office in Luton, Bedfordshire but spend a lot of time in London too. I live with my civil partner in West Sussex, near Gatwick Airport, another of our five UK bases.

What makes Monarch different from any other airline and holiday company? What does it offer which no one else does?

With Monarch it’s all about the service – our staff are renowned for their all-round niceness.

In fact, in an experiment with Goldsmiths University this year, we proved that our staff are nicer than the national population! It’s the excellent, genuine customer service and that really sets us apart. We also know how important reliability and punctuality are to our customers and we were recently recognised as “The world’s most punctual low cost carrier” in OAG’s Punctuality League 2016.

How would you describe the typical Monarch experience?

Our focus is putting the customer at the heart of what we do. We have pre-flight customer services to help you before you travel with us.

Our pilots and crew will ensure that the flight is part of your holiday – not just a means of getting there. And if you’ve booked a Monarch Holiday package, our concierge service will answer any questions you may have. You’ll have a great flight and holiday with us because we care and we’re renowned for offering a friendly, genuine and nice service from the moment you book and step on board.

As you mentioned, a Goldsmith University study recently concluded that Monarch employees are “nicer” than the employees of other airlines. Why do you think this is?

It’s all about the people we choose to work for us and the company ethos – we look for people who have a passion for travel and the industry, who want to make a difference and will go above and beyond to put customer satisfaction at the heart of what we do. The research showed that Monarch employees scored higher than the general sample of members of the public on psychological tests associated with being nice, such as emotional intelligence, showing they have the ability to read other people’s emotions and react in an appropriate way. That’s hugely important in the service industry.

Which types of holidays and accommodation does Monarch offer?

We offer bed and breakfast, half board and full board as well as all-inclusive and self-catering.

There’s a wide selection of accommodation

available at all of our destinations so sunshine, beautiful scenery, food and great night life are all within easy access of the UK. What other services does Monarch provide?

There’s a range of services to choose from when booking your flight – you can buy allocated seats, extra legroom, priority boarding and check –in and once on board there’s an excellent selection of food, drink and gifts to purchase.

When you’re holidaying with us, there’s our Monarch Concierge Service. It’s there for you from when you book. It’s a unique, free service that allows us to share our expert knowledge of resorts to help customers to plan their trip and answer any questions they have about their chosen destination. From special requests like a particular hotel room to booking a table at a favourite restaurant, the Holiday Concierge team is on hand to help. We want our customers to get the most out of their time away and we recognise that it’s often the small details that can really make a difference.

Which LGBT+-friendly destinations does Monarch fly to?

We fly to many destinations in LGBT+-friendly Spain and Portugal, but especially Barcelona for Sitges, Gran Canaria and Madrid. We also fly to Tel Aviv and Stockholm – both popular choices.

On a personal level, what are you proudest about Monarch?

I’m proud of so many things about Monarch but the employees have to be at the top of the list.

We have been through some challenging times and have been supported by the most incredible teams of people who work for us and who really do care about our customers, the company and its future. 2018 is going to be a very exciting year for us with our 50th anniversary, our new fleet and our new uniforms and I am looking forward to sharing these times with the Monarch family and with our customers.

Don’t forget to enter our competition to win a pair of flights with Monarch! www.pridelife.com/win-a-pair-of-flights-with-monarch

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SPONSORED FEATURE KINGS CROSS CAOL DROPS YARD

Shaping the Capital

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD IS A LEADING GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES FIRM THAT HELPS CLIENTS TRANSFORM THE WAY PEOPLE WORK, SHOP, AND LIVE

T

he firm’s 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries help occupiers and investors optimise the value of their real estate by combining our global perspective with deep local knowledge. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Cushman & Wakefield brand: 100 years of working with clients to turn ideas into action.

A hundred years on, we are in a unique position to take advantage of future drivers of growth, and to continue providing solutions to the most complex real estate problems of today and tomorrow. While we look back with pride, the future is full of new and exciting opportunities for growth, for our clients and for us.

LEADING IN LONDON The projects that Cushman & Wakefield is involved in define and shape the capital. From White City to Canary Wharf, we work on the most innovative developments, landmark investment transactions, the busiest shopping streets, most vibrant office schemes and most significant occupier transactions, transforming the way London works, shops and lives.

BELIEFS Our clients can expect a strong bias for action, a rigorous focus on results, value created through insight, and the right people powered by the right platform — on every assignment, every time. Our capabilities truly reflect client needs, and client success reflects the strategic execution of this business model, our progressive world view, and the value gained from our people worldwide.

A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR LONDON MARKETS TEAMS CAPITAL MARKETS Our investment team, specialists with an unparalleled global reach, works with clients to maximise the value of their assets. We are currently advising on the sale of more than £3bn of commercial real estate assets across Central London.

DEVELOPMENT We are development managers and advisors of around 20 million sq. ft. of the largest mixed use redevelopment and regeneration projects across London. We work with both private and public

sector organisations to assist them in identifying development opportunities, putting together and managing schemes through the design, planning and delivery stages and unlocking value from buildings and sites with development potential.

EMERGING LONDON Specialising in emerging areas of London, we have been advising on the renaissance of King’s Cross, Southwark, and Shoreditch, and understand how to create a new London Quarter, advising developers and landlords from conception to execution, whilst providing an unrivalled leasing strategy.

OCCUPIER REPRESENTATION We work with occupiers to define needs, develop strategies, analyse opportunities and execute acquisition/ lease renewal transactions. We offer unparalleled insight into occupier trends and lead the market in the quality and size of transactions undertaken. That’s why the team enjoys a privileged position as trusted advisor to some of the most forward-thinking owners and occupiers of real estate.

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Transforming the face of London real estate 020 3296 3000 cushmanwakefield.co.uk

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SPONSORED FEATURE OFFICE AGENCY We are the market leaders for pre-letting and post-completion leasing in London and are appointed on 11.8 million sq. ft. of office leasing mandates across the Capital, ranging from skyline towers to refurbished ex-industrial spaces.

provide over 8m sq. ft. of new space, with over 1 m sq. ft. of retail, food & beverage, and leisure.

NOVA A new London landmark, a mixed use development in SW1 including over 500,000 sq.

ft. of Grade A office space and a new destination restaurant quarter set within two acres of landscaped public space.

Go to: cushmanwakefield.co.uk

LEASE ADVISORY We are the advisor of choice for institutional landlords and innovative occupier clients alike, adding value and negotiating optimum terms at every stage of our involvement in reviews, renewals, regears or when providing expert witness evidence.

LANDMARK CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD INSTRUCTIONS IN LONDON KING’S CROSS Cushman & Wakefield’s involvement in the transformational development of King’s Cross into a powerhouse of innovative thinking, education and technology goes back more than a decade. Key office transactions include Google and Universal Music and, by 2020, 50,000 people will be living and working at King’s Cross.

Cushman & Wakefield is also now the joint agent for retail and leisure which is a critical component of the overall scheme, with 500,000 sq. ft. of shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and other leisure facilities.

THE SCALPEL Located at 52 Lime Street, adjacent to Lloyds of London, and rising 623 ft. on the London skyline, the W. R. Berkley Group’s 36-storey office building will be one of the exceptional tall buildings in the east of the City of London when it is completed towards the end of 2017. Cushman & Wakefield is joint letting agent responsible for leasing the 386,310 sq. ft. of office space.

BATTERSEA POWER STATION Cushman & Wakefield is instructed to pre-let the retail, restaurants and leisure units at the Battersea Power Station site, an exciting urban redevelopment project which will see the iconic Power Station re-open to the public for the first time in 30 years. This landmark development will

COLIN WILSON IS HEAD OF UK & IRELAND, CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD AND BELIEVES DIVERSITY IS ESSENTIAL IN THE WORKPLACE

COLIN WILSON

When was Cushman & Wakefield founded and where are you based?

We are currently celebrating our centennial year – the Cushman & Wakefield brand was first established in 1917, growing today into a truly global firm of 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries. I am based in London, one of our leading major markets.

What types of real estate do you manage? And what makes Cushman & Wakefield different from other real estate services?

We are among the largest commercial real estate services firms with global revenue of $6 billion. We provide a broad set of services to our clients, covering everything from buying and selling buildings on behalf of investors, to advising companies where they should base themselves to best achieve their business strategy through to managing offices and shopping centres on behalf of landlords. We cover all sectors – the traditional “core” is office, retail, and industrial space but we are increasingly active in areas such as hospitality, healthcare and student housing. In everything we do we focus on our clients and achieving the best result for them – I think it is our relentless drive to do that which marks us out.

How long have you been Head of UK & Ireland at Cushman & Wakefield, and what was your background prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield?

I have always worked in property and have been at the firm for more than 20 years. I became Head of UK & Ireland for DTZ in 2012 and retained that position following DTZ’s merger with Cushman & Wakefield in 2015.

“A diverse, talented, creative and innovative workforce where each individual feels welcomed, valued, respected and inspired can define the success of a company”

How important is diversity in the workplace?

It is absolutely essential, both for employees and employers. We believe strongly that the most successful organisations are those that appreciate the importance of embracing diversity and recognise that an inclusive culture brings competitive advantage. A diverse, talented, creative and innovative workforce where each individual feels welcomed, valued, respected and inspired can define the success of a company.

Ultimately we are better able to serve our clients if our workforce reflects the world around us. Here in the UK, our diversity and inclusion programme, Inspire, has six pillars: gender, LGBT, work/ life solutions, ethnicity and culture, socioeconomic and physical and mental wellbeing.

Inspire is designed to address both the behaviours and the culture of the organisation.

My ambition is that in the next five years, we can identify initiatives, activities and changes that came about because of Inspire, and that they didn’t just make a difference to our organisation but also made an impact in the wider industry and beyond.

What efforts does Cushman & Wakefield make to ensure that its LGBT employees are encouraged and supported?

By initiating changes through Inspire that create an inclusive environment that is supportive of everyone – regardless of their background.

We have encouraged each of the Inspire sub-groups, including LGBT, to follow its own path to achieve that goal. We recently held an event with Freehold, a Stonewall-backed network for the real estate industry aiming to address the equality gap for the LGBT community and we also hosted a separate event in June for LGBT employees.

The Scalpel, 52 Lime Street, London

On a personal level, what gives you the greatest satisfaction at Cushman & Wakefield?

Working with motivated and talented colleagues and fantastic clients on projects that make a difference to how people work, shop and live across the country.

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c i m o C s n r u t CRAIG STORRIE WONDERS WHY THERE AREN’T MORE LGBT+ SUPERHEROES ON THE BIG SCREEN, AND WHETHER CAPTAIN AMERICA SHOULD HAVE A BOYFRIEND

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FEATURE CHRIS EVANS AS CAPTAIN AMERICA, MARVEL STUDIOS

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arlier this year, a few comic book fans got together to start a campaign to introduce a major gay superhero character into the Marvel Comics cinematic universe, or MCU as it’s known.

Since the release back in 2008 of Iron Man which kickstarted the MCU, there has yet to be a lead or prominent LGBT+ character in any Marvel Studios movie.

The campaign, brilliantly named the Get Cap a Boyfriend campaign, aimed to make Marvel turn Captain America, one of their most popular and recognisable characters and played

by Chris Evans (no, not that one!), into a gay man. Fans of all genders and sexualities supported the campaign and suddenly Get Cap a Boyfriend was everywhere.

It got so huge that even Sebastian Shan, the actor who plays Cap’s best friend Bucky, and funnily enough one of the candidates for the Captain’s possible boyfriend, had heard of it and supported the idea of making the character gay as he said he believed that you can interpret any character in any way you choose. Whilst he said he didn’t see the character as homosexual, he would be open to it if Marvel decided to go in that direction.

Of course, Captain America isn’t gay in the comics and will probably never be gay in the movies either, but are there any other characters who already appear in live action MCU movies that could one day be LGBT+?

The answer is a resounding yes and that person is Thor’s brother Loki. The fact he is played wonderfully by Tom Hiddleston doesn’t hurt and the character is a confirmed bisexual man in the comics. He was also a woman at one point but that’s a story for another time.

Funnily enough, whilst Marvel studios seem to be taking a long time in bringing any of their more well-known LGBT+ characters to the silver screen, Fox Studios, who own the rights to some of the major Marvel characters such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, have managed to bring some of the comics’ LGBT+ characters that they own to the cinema screens.

Although again they are yet to be confirmed as LGBT+ in the movies, these characters are Storm and Mystique of the X-Men, and Deadpool of, well, Deadpool which also happens to be one of the top 10 highest grossing comic book films of all time.

Marvel’s main competitors DC Comics have also beat them to the punch and have been doing it for the last few years on TV. Both Sara Lance, aka the White Canary played by Caity Lotz, Nyssa Al Ghul (Katrina Law) and Curtis Holt (Arif S. Kinchen) on the TV show Arrow are LGBT+. Sara is bisexual, having a long lasting

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GAL GADOT AS WONDER WOMAN, WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES

relationship with fellow bisexual Nyssa, and Curtis Holt is gay and has been happily married to his husband for many years.

Also introduced into the “Arrowverse” has been the magical character of John Constantine, played by Matt Ryan, after the character’s own TV show was sadly cancelled. He is bisexual in the comics, something that has become much more prominent with the character in the last year or so.

DC also have Catwoman and Poison Ivy who between them have appeared in a few films and TV shows, most recently in Gotham which brought younger versions of the characters to the small screen.

More importantly DC recently brought arguably two of their most popular bisexual characters to life this year in both the recent Batman Vs Superman and Suicide Squad movies. Those characters are Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince and played by Gal Gadot, and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Both characters have a massive and dedicated fan base of all genders and sexualities.

Harley struck up a friendship with fellow villain Poison Ivy after her boyfriend the Joker beat and humiliated her. She escaped into the arms of her friend Ivy and they became on and off lovers/ best friends.

Wonder Woman has her own movie which is out now. Not only is it one of the only comic book films to feature a lead LGBT+ superhero, alongside Deadpool and Constantine, it is also the first comic book movie to be based around a female lead.

It’s something Wonder Woman fans have been anticipating for over 40 years since the last time she appeared in live action in the camp, cheesy but oddly brilliant 70s TV show starring Linda Carter.

Being from an island populated solely by women who have never ventured into the outside world, it makes sense for Diana Prince and her fellow Amazons to be either lesbian or bisexual. Diana herself only leaves the island she grew up on after a pilot crash lands on their island and she falls in love with him deciding to head out into the world and protect it as Wonder Woman.

Now that the character of Mr Sulu as played

by John Cho from the new Star Trek film series has been confirmed as a gay man in the alternate timeline, it’s about time we had an LGBT+ comic book character up on the silver screen.

Hopefully, this is something that will happen sooner rather than later as it’s something us LGBT+ fans more than deserve to see in this day and age.

“Being from an island populated solely by women, it makes sense for Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons to be either lesbian or bisexual”

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FEATURE

COMING SOON There’s going to be no escape from live-action superhero movies for quite a while yet. Here are just a few which will flying into a cinema near you some time soon 2017 Spider-Man Homecoming: 7 July Thor Ragnarok: 27 October Justice League Part One: 17 November 2018 Black Panther: 9 February The Flash: 16 March Avengers Infinity War Part One: 4 May Ant-Man and the Wasp: 6 July Aquaman: 27 July

MARGOT ROBBIE AS HARLEY QUINN, SUICIDE SQUAD, WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES

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This article has been sponsored by Gilead Sciences The author of this piece is Tom Hayes of beyond positive

My right to decide Keeping me involved in treatment decisions about me

T

his year marks thirty years since the first drug to treat HIV was licensed.

That first medicine was hard to take and the side effects were undesirable – but it gave people living with HIV one important thing... hope.

Thanks to advances in both prevention and treatment, HIV is now a manageable long-term condition. Like many long-term conditions HIV cannot yet be cured, but it can be prevented and effectively treated – for some, it is as simple as taking one pill a day and an annual check-up.

“Over the past thirty years how we care for those with HIV has changed, we are no longer working blind, unsure of what we are dealing with. The treatments we have work, which means people living with HIV can look forward to their future.

This may mean doing the things that we all should do as we age, watch our diet, exercise, cut down on smoking and alcohol, and prepare for a long, healthy life.

However, as HIV support organisations close and clinic appointments become fewer it is important to look at what other support is available. This may be something simple as having a regular check-up at your GP, a fitness test at the gym or buying a fitness wearable and downloading healthy lifestyle apps.”

Shaun Watson, Chair of the National HIV Nurses Association (NHIVNA)

SHAUN WATSON

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SPONSORED FEATURE ANDREW

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t 69 years old, the NHS is possibly facing its biggest challenge to date, negotiating tighter budgets while still trying to deliver excellent patient care. Specifically in HIV, the NHS is making changes to antiretroviral treatments (ART) by using generics, which could mean patients face changes to the timing, number and frequency of the pills they take. We should not shy away from these cost saving measures; they are used in many other areas of medicine.

However HIV still remains a highly stigmatised condition – to maintain the success we have seen we still need efforts to shift attitudes through education, and ensure innovation in HIV care which is increasingly important as we learn more about how HIV affects ageing and age-related illnesses.

If a good quality of life in HIV is to be maintained, how much input should a patient have in deciding what treatment is right for them? Patient choice is built into the very bones of the NHS as stated in the NHS Constitution: “You have the right to receive care and treatment that is appropriate to you, meets your needs and reflects your preferences” (Section 3a NHS constitution) Andrew, 24, who started ART to protect his partner from HIV talked to us about his treatment journey...

“When I was first diagnosed, my doctors wanted to start me on several pills, one of which I’d heard wasn’t recommended for people who have had issues with their mental health. I explained my concerns, and after discussion they started me on a different combination which I was very happy with. Shortly after I found out that I was undetectable, that was a huge relief.

Since then I’ve been moved from my one pill once a day to two pills once a day. I was asked to do this to save the NHS money, which I agreed to.

It has meant I’ve missed an odd dose here and there because of having to remember to carry two bottles around instead of one.”

One of the documents that the British HIV Association (BHIVA) creates is their ‘Standards of

“Community representation is critical at every level of treatment and care decisions”

Care’, which recommend that “people with HIV be given opportunities to be involved in making decisions about their ART treatment. Trust and good communication between the person receiving care and the health care practitioner are associated with better adherence and outcomes” Andrew’s case is not unique, patients want to support the NHS and save it money, however patients must speak up and say if the changes to their treatment negatively impact them, particularly if this affects their ability to take their medicines correctly. It is essential that patients are properly consulted and come to a decision about treatment together with their doctor.

Professor Chloe Orkin, Chair of a BHIVA and Consultant at the Royal London Hospital, said: “The British HIV Association writes the national HIV guidelines, the standards of care, it runs conferences and conducts national audits into best practice. HIV community members are vital contributors on every single writing group and committee and their involvement is written into our constitution”.

Community representation is critical at every level of treatment and care decisions. However so is ensuring treatment is tailored to each individual, it is ultimately the patient’s responsibility to self-manage their own health across healthcare pathways. Treatment should be based on patient preference; they are best placed to know what a good quality of life looks like for them. So if changes to your treatment don’t quite work for you speak up. Remember there should be no decision about you, without you (GIPA: greater involvement of people living with HIV).

Professor Chloe Orkin

Job Bag No. 001/UK/17-05/CI/1228a Date of Preparation june 2017

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Gilead is proud to support Gay Pride.

© 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. 23 GILEAD CORRECT.indd 1

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FEATURE

I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO TELL YOU...

B

eing LGBT+ can be a roller coaster ride at the best of times, but most of us wouldn’t decide to quite literally come out on one. But that’s exactly what a 16-year-old Californian girl called Gina did earlier this year. Looking for a colourful way to tell her family she was lesbian, she held up a sign on Disney’s Splash Mountain saying “I’m Gay” in rainbow letters, just in time for the ride’s photo opp moment.

Her mum (who was sitting in front of her on the log flume ride) then saw the photo on the screen in the souvenir shop afterwards. Gina also emailed the picture to her brother and father, before sharing it on Twitter writing, “This is how I came out yesterday lolol.” What is most

MATT NEWBURY TAKES A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF COMING OUT AND SOME OF THE UNUSUAL AND QUIRKY WAYS PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN TO REVEAL THEIR SEXUALITIES TO FAMILY, FRIENDS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

impressive about the story is how she managed to both hold up the sign and hold a smile while the flume was plummeting five storeys. I bet she couldn’t have managed that on Space Mountain!

“Coming out of the closet” or simply “coming out” is a concept that came to prominence during the birth of gay liberation following the Stonewall Riots, although the idea was first introduced almost 100 years earlier. A German homosexual rights advocate called Karl Heinrich Ulrichs argued in his dryly-titled book The Sexual Life of Our Time in its Relation to Modern Civilisation that self-disclosure was the best means of emancipation and invisibility was a major stumbling block when trying to change public opinion. While it was to take almost a

century for his ideas to catch on, the phrase “coming out” was already in common use, but in a very different way to how we use it today.

In the early 20th century, and in America especially, “coming out” referred to a homosexual person’s introduction into the gay subculture or “scene”. The idea was borrowed from a debutante’s coming out party, when a young upper-class woman made her debut at a society party when she has reached adulthood and was eligible for marriage.

While it might not have been quite so Pride and Prejudice in every backstreet underground gay bar, and some of the gay men might have been slightly more predatory than Mr Darcy, it was still a positive action, welcoming young people into their new community.

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16/05/2017 09:54

FEATURE SAM SMITH

GINA

GEENA ROCCERRO

ELLEN PAGE

PICTURES: IAN MCKELLEN; CREATIVE COMMONS MAN ALIVE, GEENA ROCCERRO: CREATIVE COMMONS STEVE JURVETSON, SPLASH GINA: TWITTER, ELLEN PAGE: CREATIVE COMMONS NINHA MORANDIN, SAM SMITH: PRESS ASSOCIATION

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Following the Stonewall riots in 1969, activists started using the phrase “coming out of the closet”, mixing metaphors to combine the notion of “coming out” with revealing those skeletons in a person’s closet - in this case their sexuality.

Although this was the 70s, so who knows what other fashion secrets were hiding in there as well?

As gay liberation took hold, the idea was to escape the oppression of the closet and to embrace pride instead of shame. As well as emancipation, it was also about visibility and consciousness raising, challenging homophobia and the prejudices of society.

An intelligent, witty and insightful look back at this era can be found in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City books. Originally a newspaper column in the San Francisco Chronicle, they include a gay character called Michael who comes out to his conservative parents in Florida in an incredibly moving letter. Maupin used the same letter to simultaneously come out to his own parents in North Carolina. In it he says: “I’m sorry, Mama. Not for what I am, but for how you must feel at this moment. I know what that feeling is, for I felt it for most of my life. Revulsion, shame, disbelief -- rejection through fear of something I knew, even as a child, was as basic to my nature as the color of my eyes.

“No, Mama, I wasn’t ‘recruited.’ No seasoned homosexual ever served as my mentor. But you know what? I wish someone had. I wish someone older than me and wiser than the people in Orlando had taken me aside and said, ‘You’re all right, kid. You can grow up to be a doctor or a teacher just like anyone else. You’re

“Celebrities are in the unique position of having to come out twice - once to friends and family, and once to the public” not crazy or sick or evil. You can succeed and be happy and find peace with friends - all kinds of friends - who don’t give a damn who you go to bed with. Most of all, though, you can love and be loved, without hating yourself for it.”

Across the pond and encouraged by Maupin, Sir Ian McKellen became one of the first high profile celebrities to come out. Although he had made his sexuality known to fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public on BBC Radio.

He has described the decision to come out as one of his two proudest achievements, alongside his role in The Lord of the Rings films, joking that his gravestone should say, “Here lies Gandalf. He came out.”

Celebrities are in the unique position of having to come out twice - once to friends and family, and once to the public. Or they can do it in the one big hit. They have enough outlets at their disposal.

Over the years, famous people have revealed their sexuality via interviews, magazine covers, songs and even speeches. Sam Smith addressed his sexuality in the song and video for ‘Leave Your Lover’, while former Olympic champion and Kardashian family patriarch Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender in an interview with Diane Sawyer, as well as debuting her new look on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Each famous person that comes out also raises

awareness of and humanises minorities. Some take it a step further, using their coming out to promote different causes. Juno actress Ellen Page revealed her sexuality during an emotional speech for The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest civil rights organisation working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer equality. Meanwhile supermodel Geena Rocero came out as transgender as part of a TED Talk, using the platform to promote the creation of Gender Proud, a campaign aimed at raising awareness and for trans issues across the globe.

Of course, these days we LGBT+ mortals can also reach a global audience by sharing coming out videos and photographs on social media.

There are some really brave and emotional videos out there of people coming out in school assemblies and graduation ceremonies, although I’m not convinced there is any need to secretly film your unsuspecting family’s reaction for the sake of YouTube views.

Of course, you don’t have to make a song or dance or YouTube clip about coming out. Everyone is different, as are their circumstances. While it’s fairly universally true that if you are in a safe country to come out, being honest with people about who you are will make your life better, it’s still not always easy. Those of us who are already out also need to remember that it still takes a lot of courage to come out and not knowing how people will react can be daunting. And whether you do it in person, or ice it on a cake or print it on a T-shirt or write it in a letter, there is no perfect formula. But there is a lot of information online.

Stonewall (stonewall.org.uk) has some great advice for not only young people and adults, but guidance for parents as well. The LGBT Foundation (lgbt.foundation) also has a great section on their website, as well as a helpline you can call. A quarter of the calls they receive are about coming out, so you certainly aren’t alone. RU Coming Out (rucomingout.com) is also packed with real people’s stories about coming out. There is even a National Coming Out Day, observed every 11 October in the UK and the USA. In the end, you are the only person who can decide if now is the right time to come out or not.

It’s your decision and your life. But I’d just like to finish with one final story that amused me.

After coming out to his mother at the dinner table, a young person called Talorion got a far more nonchalant reaction than they were expecting. “So why isn’t your room cleaner? I thought you people were supposed to be neat?”

The Tales of the City books are published by Black Swan books 137

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Our people are at the heart of our business

Proud to support Pride in London 2017 savills.co.uk

SPONSORED FEATURE

SAVILLS - OUR PEOPLE SHAPE OUR BUSINESS ESTABLISHED IN 1855, SAVILLS IS A GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES PROVIDER WITH AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF MORE THAN 700 OFFICES AND ASSOCIATES, EMPLOYING MORE THAN 30,000 PEOPLE IN OVER 60 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE AMERICAS, EUROPE, ASIA PACIFIC, AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

A

s the UK’s leading multi-sector adviser, our expertise ranges across the entire property spectrum advising clients on a local, national and international level.

As a global company, Savills seeks to create an inclusive culture in which individual difference is accepted and valued. Our employees are increasingly coming from a wide range of backgrounds and have a diverse range of skills and experience. We have established an environment in which those skills, experience and perspectives are nurtured and encouraged in order to support effective performance as well as the attraction and retention of talented people.

We respect our people for who they are, their knowledge, skills and experience as individuals and as valued members of the Savills team. We work together to bring out the best in each other and to sustain the strong working relationship ethic that has nurtured our “can do” attitude.

Savills is a proud founding member of Changing the Face of Property, an initiative run by the country’s major property firms, with a mission to work together to raise awareness of the opportunities open to everyone across the sector. As part of this forum, a number of Savills staff represented the company in the London Pride Parade for the first time in 2016.

Our UK Diversity Group supports the embedding of diversity across the company and exhibiting best practice in the recruitment, training and development of staff regardless of

age, race, religion, gender, disability or sexuality.

In 2016 Savills was delighted to be awarded role model status as part of the RICS Inclusive Employer Equality Quality Mark as well as making a debut on the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. The firm ranked ninth out of the 14 property companies that took part in this definitive list of the best employers for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender staff celebrating the pioneering efforts of leading organisations in

“Our UK Diversity Group supports the embedding of diversity across the company… regardless of age, race, religion, gender, disability or sexuality” creating an inclusive workplace.

Mark Ridley, CEO of Savills UK & Europe, comments: “The property sector has made good progress over the last five years in terms of its approach to diversity with groups such as

Changing the Face of Property making some real headway in helping to reshape the industry. This is something we as a business want to maintain and champion to ensure we are attracting the best talent to the sector.”

Tony Griffiths, Director of Valuation and Head of the LGBT network at Savills says: “To take the personal decision to be out to colleagues is never easy and it is well known that managers who demonstrate strong commitment to diversity and encourage engagement between employers and employees will boost productivity.

In my opinion, what is important is to make step changes within a company to impact across the business as a whole, from the board downwards.

“Savills has embraced diversity across the company with our UK Diversity Group meeting on a regular basis feeding back to the Board on relevant forthcoming initiatives and activities that will develop our support for different areas. We have taken part in events such as the Stonewall Equality Walk in Brighton last year along with attending and hosting a number of industry events through our Freehold membership.

“Looking forward, Savills is attending the first LGBT business diversity conference in July with our UK and European CEO chairing one of the discussion groups. The LGBT group will also be taking part in Savills’ first diversity day in the autumn as part of a number of events this year, continuing to raise the LGBT profile both within the company and the industry.”

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Could you adopt?

The national adoption information service for England

www.first4adoption.org.uk

SPONSORED FEATURE

It’s never too late to start your adoption story THE NUMBER OF SAME-SEX COUPLES ADOPTING CHILDREN IN ENGLAND HAS TRIPLED SINCE THE LAW CHANGED IN 2005. THE ADOPTION AND CHILDREN ACT GRANTED LGBT+ PEOPLE EQUAL PARENTING RIGHTS. BUT WITH MORE THAN 2,000 CHILDREN STILL WAITING TO BE ADOPTED, THE NEED FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS REMAINS AS ACUTE AS EVER.

F

irst4Adoption – the national adoption information service – welcomes enquiries from anyone within the LGBT+ community who could potentially offer these children a safe and loving home. Gemma Gordon-Johnson, Head of Service at First4Adoption, says: “We’re here to offer information and advice to

anyone interested in adoption. Many LGBT+ couples – and individuals – don’t realise that they’re even eligible to adopt.” This is just one of the many myths surrounding adoption.

Single people, those who already have children, people in rented accommodation and those over 40 may also be unaware that they too can adopt.

Rupert’s story The writer, Rupert Smith, and his husband, Marcus, adopted a three-year-old boy in 2012.

“I became a dad at 53 years old. If you’d told me that twenty years, ten years, even five years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. But the great strides towards equality have opened a lot of people’s eyes to the potential of gay people as

P i c t u r e O F RU P ERT : F A N N A R G U D M U N D S S O N

RUPERT SMITH

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SPONSORED FEATURE

“Children don’t care about age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality, as long as they know they can trust you”

Get in touch with First4Adoption today on 0300 222 0022 or via www.first4adoption.org.uk. You can also keep up to date with the latest adoption news by following First4Adoption on Twitter @ First4Adoption or via Facebook First4Adoption

GEMMA GORDON-JOHNSON

GEMMA GORDON-JOHNSON IS THE HEAD OF SERVICE AT FIRST4ADOPTION When was First4Adoption founded?

First4Adoption was founded in January 2013. It is the first national adoption service for people interested in adopting a child in England.

What services do you offer people looking to adopt?

First4Adoption’s award-winning website and information line provide an impartial guide to the adoption process and the type of support available for adoptive parents and families. first4adoption. org.uk also offers free e-learning materials plus downloads and webcasts to help people understand the challenges and rewards of parenting an adopted child. We can also put you in touch with adoption agencies in your area and answer any specific questions you may have about adoption.

What criteria must people who are looking to adopt fulfil? Are there any people who are not allowed to adopt?

The most important things are the desire and ability to provide a safe and loving home for a child. Adoptive parents come from every type of background and community. Successful adopters can be LGBT+, single, co-habiting, married/ civil partners, over 40, have a disability, hold religious views, or already have their own children. The only people automatically disqualified from applying to adopt are: those under 21 years of age, non-UK residents and anyone with a serious criminal conviction.

Are there any specific things which LGBT+ people should take into account when considering adopting a child?

Largely, these are the same things any potential adopter would need to consider. If you don’t have much contact with young children in your daily life, then it’s useful to get some experience before applying to adopt. This could be looking after friends’ or relatives’ children or volunteering at a pre-school or children’s club.

Single adopters, same-sex couples and trans people may want to think about their network of family and friends and where their child might find role models among adults of both genders.

Are there any advantages for a child being adopted by a LGBT+ person or couple?

What are the main stages in applying to adopt a child?

Firstly you need to gather information about adoption to help you decide if it’s right for you. The First4Adoption website has lots of useful reading material and case studies of people who have successfully adopted. Our information line advisers can answer any questions you might have and put you in touch with adoption agencies in your area.

We advise contacting a few adoption agencies and attending their information evenings to learn more.

You then need to choose an adoption agency and submit a registration of interest form.

The adopter approval process happens in two parts. Stage 1 involves the agency carrying out a number of background checks and starting your adopter preparation training. Stage 2 involves more intensive training to help you prepare to be an adoptive parent. Following this, an adoption panel will meet you, consider reports from your adoption agency, and recommend whether or not to approve you as an adopter. After approval, you are matched with an adoptive child.

“The most important things are the desire and ability to provide a safe and loving home for a child” From choosing an adoption agency, how long would one reasonably expect to wait before adopting a child?

Stage 1 lasts two months and Stage 2 should take four months. Approved adopters can currently expect to wait between six and twelve months to be matched with a child.

What would you say are the greatest challenges an adoptive parent or parents face?

Children who are placed for adoption come from many different backgrounds and from a range of different ethnicities and religions. All will have had unsettled lives and need parents who can offer them love and care to help them rebuild trust in adults. They will also have experienced loss and separation, even when adopted shortly after birth. Sadly, many of these children will also have been neglected or abused or have specific medical problems or a learning disability.

And the greatest satisfaction?

Adoption is a lifelong commitment requiring skill, empathy, energy, patience – and a sense of humour! But there’s no greater reward than transforming a child’s life forever and building a happy, fulfilled family.

P i c t u r e : O n t a r i o To u r i s m

parents, mine included. Family, friends and neighbours all accepted us without question.

We knew that with their support, we could do it. Eighteen months later we became fathers to a three-year-old boy. My husband took six months’ adoption leave, while I took a career break. I think, perhaps, as older parents, we were better equipped to deal with some of the challenges that looked-after children bring with them. We’d both been around the block, lived through hard times, experienced loss and separation and many of the questions of identity that are key issues in adoption. I wonder whether the younger me would have been able to summon the patience and empathy I now need every hour of every day. Of course, there are challenges to being an older parent. I won’t have as much time with him as I’d like, and for that reason only I wish I’d done this a lot earlier. But then, he – that individual person whom I love – would not have been my son. I feel, sometimes, that we were waiting for each other.

“Once or twice we’ve had the inevitable remarks in school or playground – variations on ‘Is he your grandson?’ and ‘Where’s his mother?’

For all of these, I have standard answers (which are polite ways of saying ‘mind your own business’) – and, more importantly, I make sure my son can respond with confidence and pride.

He knows his dad is old, and he often teases me about being bald. I’m much, much older than his birth parents, even his birth grandparents, but it doesn’t matter to him any more than having two fathers matters. Children don’t care about age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality, as long as they know they can trust you.

“Having a child has made me feel young again in a way I never expected. It gave my mother, in the last years of her life, great happiness. It has connected me to society in a wholly different and challenging way. I have embarked on the greatest adventure of my life at a time when many of my peers are thinking about retirement and grandchildren. Yes, I’ve come late to the party, but I’m glad I made it.”

Children who are adopted can have questions about their identity, or feel “different” at times.

LGBT+ adopters are often able to bring great empathy to their parenting and can be very wellplaced to deal with these kinds of issues.

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SPONSORED FEATURE

HOME THOUGHTS WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT WORK – IT MAKES SENSE TO BE OURSELVES, WRITES MARK HENDERSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, OF HOUSING PROVIDER HOME GROUP

MARK HENDERSON

W

e spend a lot of time at work!

At least eight hours a day for most people and once you factor in the odd bit of socialising outside of the office it’s easy to see how we can sometimes spend more time with our colleagues than we do our own family.

We don’t tend to hide who we are from our relatives and loved ones, it’s an area of our life where we’re free to be who we truly are and they accept us for it.

So, if we’re spending a significant part of our

life in the office it surely makes sense that the workplace should be an equally open and welcoming environment where everyone can be themselves.

Home Group has, for a number of years now, had an active Pride Network which supports and champions members of the LGBT+ community, both within the business and in our customer and client communities.

I know the Pride Network has made a significant difference to my LGBT+ colleagues. We have a colleague in his early 60s who never came out at work with his previous employers but felt able to at Home Group, and I’ve spoken with another colleague who told me how with a previous employer she dreaded going into work each day

“The workplace should be an equally open and welcoming environment where everyone can be themselves”

because of the unequal treatment she received.

Recently I signed up to be a member of our newly formed Allies Network – a collective of heterosexual colleagues who each pledge to support the LGBT+ community and challenge discrimination wherever they see it.

The idea is that not only will LGBT+ colleagues know the Pride Network has their interests at heart but that their co-workers are also advocates for them.

On a moral level, it makes perfect sense. If you see injustice in life you should challenge it. But on a business level it also makes perfect sense.

I mentioned earlier the lady who suffered from unequal treatment. She only stayed with that employer for six months before feeling she had no choice but to leave.

That employer advertised the vacancy, went through the process of recruiting her and training her, only to see her leave and have to start the expensive and time-consuming process over again. All because they discriminated against her on the basis of who she was!

Ensuring colleagues feel welcome at work improves staff morale, contributes to greater productivity and helps staff retention. That simply is good business practice and why I’m proud to be a member of the group we’re naming Partners in Pride.

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Home Group is one of the UK’s largest providers of housing for affordable rent and outright sale, and an expert in the delivery of integrated housing, health and social care.

www.homegroup.org.uk

SPONSORED FEATURE

LOUISE PAYNE IS THE HOME GROUP PROJECT COORDINATOR What is Home Group’s policy on diversity and inclusion?

Home Group has a positive, top down policy on diversity and inclusion, fully supported and promoted by senior management. In fact, senior management are actively involved in sharing their life stories as examples of the diversity within Home Group at every level. We strive to go above and beyond the legal guidelines and positively celebrate and recognise the amazing variety of individuals we have within our organisation.

Apart from housing what other services does Home Group offer?

At Home Group, our entire mission is to build homes, independence and aspirations.

We are one of the biggest housing providers in the UK. We are also one of the UK’s largest developers of new homes and providers of houses for affordable rent. In addition, we provide long term integrated housing, health and social care. We like to think we make a difference by understanding where our customers are are in their lives and putting them at the heart of what we do.

Does Home Group offer any services which are particularly tailored to LGBT+ people?

All services provided by Home Group are provided by a person-centred approach. We take a holistic view of the people we work with, and work hard to ensure we take into account all the things that are important to that individual. We have a very active, internet based customer led support group, True Colours@Home, providing specific support for LGBT+ individuals who access our services, as well as networking and general information.

We also have a staff specific support group,

“We have a number of people trained as Stonewall Role Models who deliver training to others within the company about LGBT+ issues” Pride@Home, offering the same services and which was nominated for an inclusion award at our annual company awards in recognition of the inclusive work we do.

We have a number of people trained as Stonewall Role Models who deliver training to others within the company about LGBT+ issues and are a point of contact for anyone who needs advice or support.

The Human Library is another innovative way Home Group promotes its LGBT+ philosophy, where both staff and customers share their experiences with others.

A lucky few are even possessors of the coveted rainbow lanyards; a useful visual prompt so people feel safe to approach us if they are unsure of who they can open up to. We are also extremely active in supporting local Pride events where staff and customers participate visibly in the marches.

most, starting in the North East as a charitable organisation. It has always been more than just a ‘landlord’, putting the welfare of its customers at the top of its priorities. In many ways, it was ahead of the game when it came to the holistic approach to service provision. Home Group also values its employees as can be seen by the positive support given to the diverse community that makes up our staff group.

On a personal level what gives you the greatest satisfaction working with Home Group?

I gain the greatest satisfaction when I see a customer I have worked with successfully achieve the goals they set. The difference that helping someone do what we may consider the simplest of tasks makes to someone’s life is incredible, as is the point when they realise that they can achieve these things. In the area I work in we do a lot of work with chaotic individuals with insecure or no accommodation and addiction or mental health issues. Supporting these people to overcome their difficulties, regain control of their lives and see them flourish and prosper, is extremely fulfilling and to know that I played a part, however small, in that individual’s achievements gives me hope.

Why Home Group and not another housing provider?

Home Group has a long history of providing good quality housing to those who need it the 145

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SPONSORED FEATURE

KPMG PRIDE IN THE WORKPLACE FOR PHILIP DAVIDSON, MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG IN THE UK, THE FIRM’S POLICY OF INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF

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iversity is the one true thing we all have in common, and this should be celebrated. We encourage our workforce to “bring your whole selves to work” as we know that only by doing this can we all be extraordinary, both individually and collectively.

We are extremely proud to support Pride in London – an event that vividly brings to life the values that we hold so dear at KPMG. We look forward to taking to the streets to celebrate this special day with the wider LGBT+ community.

This year Pride is especially important as it marks 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. And we want to play our part in commemorating this alongside our

“KPMG is a great place to work whatever your sexuality, gender, ethnicity or background”

colleagues, our clients, and wider society.

During my time at KPMG I have spoken to many of my colleagues about their personal experiences of inclusion in the workplace. While the positive stories are great, it is perhaps the less positive experiences that have motivated me most to make our firm a better place to work for all.

We have come a long way over the years.

Earlier this year we were delighted to be listed in the top ten of the Stonewall Workplace Equality index (WEI) which is seen as one of the most powerful benchmarking tools used to measure equality in the workplace for lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees. This recognition enables us to speak out on the value of LGBT+ inclusion and have important discussions with our clients and communities on embracing the individual and the creativity diversity brings. We’re proud to lead by example, and we keenly feel the responsibility we have to do so.

We have learned that as well as talking the talk, we have to walk the walk. That’s why we have worked hard to develop programmes across recruitment and career development to ensure we are attracting a broad group of people into

our firm and supporting the progression of our existing colleagues. This began in 2014 with the introduction of firm-wide diversity targets to give us clear and representative goals not just on sexual orientation, but across gender, disability and ethnicity too. Targets focus the mind, but we won’t hit them without efforts to change culture and behaviours. We therefore also introduced our inclusive leadership strategy to educate and guide our people, giving them personal responsibility for creating a work environment that values differences in thought, perspective and experience, and allows the individual to call out bad behaviour.

My hope is that training our people to support inclusion while taking a hard line on bias shows the world that KPMG is a great place to work whatever your sexuality, gender, ethnicity or background. We know that our unique, extraordinary people are our best asset and we want them to know how much we appreciate every single one of them.

I’m grateful that our involvement with Pride in London provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.

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SPONSORED FEATURE PHILIP DAVIDSON

this issue the respect it deserves. Ensuring our extraordinary people can embrace their individuality without fear of bias means they are able to be their best selves both in and outside of the workplace. That is vitally important to me, and to our business.

How important is diversity in a company such as KPMG? Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common, and this should be celebrated. No two individuals are the same and for us that is something to be celebrated. After all, diversity of thought is what drives innovation, and diversity of background will help us to build relationships.

We know that our colleagues have a life outside of work and we want to make sure we provide an environment that enables everyone to bring this life to work and in turn, their work to life.

PHILIP DAVIDSON IS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG IN THE UK When was KPMG founded and where are you based in the UK? KPMG was formed in 1987 with the merger of Peat Marwick International (PMI) and Klynveld Main Goerdeler (KMG) but we can trace our history back well over 100 years. Within the United Kingdom the firm has 22 offices in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Crawley, Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Plymouth, Reading, Sheffield, and Watford.

What services does KPMG provide?

KPMG in the UK is a leading provider of professional services, including audit, tax and advisory specialisms - delivering integrated solutions to our clients’ issues.

How long have you been at KPMG, and where were you prior to this?

I was appointed Managing Partner of KPMG in the UK in November 2015. I was previously the Global Chief Operating Officer for KPMG International, following a career as a global restructuring adviser, working on some of the world’s largest financial restructurings in the aftermath of the 2008 crash.

As Managing Partner of KPMG UK, what are you passionate about?

I have been at KPMG for many years, and in that time countless colleagues have shared their personal stories and experiences with me. I am pleased to say that most of these stories have been positive, but, as with everything, there is always a flip side. It is when I have heard colleagues tell me they are anxious about coming out at work, be that with regards to their sexuality, their mental health, or even their background, that I have felt most motivated to create an inclusive culture where our colleagues feel they can truly be themselves. As Managing Partner I feel a keen responsibility to lead by example so that everyone knows KPMG gives

And how does KPMG go about promoting that diversity in the workplace?

Back in 2014 we launched stretch targets across the four areas of gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, the first of any business we are aware of. At the same time, we analysed the diversity profiles of our staff so we could identify areas that required progression.

We expect the best from our people, but we know that it is a two-way street. We absolutely must lead the way on this issue.

We have been vocal both within our organisation and externally about the importance we place on improving diversity. We were thrilled this year to receive a top ten placing in the annual Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, and we are also extremely proud to be named alongside just 11 other organisations as one of the government’s first ever Social Mobility Business Compact Champions, recognising the firm’s work to improve social mobility in the business community.

KPMG has an LGBT+ network – Breathe.

What does it do and what does it offer its members, and, indeed, the entire company?

Breathe was formed in 2003 and provides a forum to explore, understand and debate LGBT+ topics. Members of the network also provide consultation to the firm, most recently on KPMG’s transgender, parenting and travel safety policies.

Breathe has three focus areas: the workplace, the marketplace, and the community. In the workplace, it supports members and colleagues, helps develop policy and training and raises visibility. In the marketplace, Breathe seeks to share and leverage knowledge and events with clients and suppliers, building relationships of trust and hosting sector events. And in the community Breathe supports groups and charities through awareness and fund-raising activities.

stakeholders what those inside the organisation already know, that KPMG is both an ally and an advocate of the LGBT+ agenda.

Something that struck me since we were named in the top ten is just how much it means to so many people at KPMG, not just those from the LGBT+ community. It’s says so much about how we at KPMG define ourselves and our culture, and it’s a huge source of pride for all of us.

Will KPMG be taking part in this year’s Pride event in London?

Absolutely! We have been proud to participate in Pride in London many times. Initially we focused on providing the opportunity for colleagues who identify as LGBT+, and allies, to march under the KPMG banner. In recent years however, I am pleased to see that the number of allies has increased dramatically, and from a small group of about a dozen LGBT+ employees, we now field around 50 marchers, many of whom are straight allies who are there to support and celebrate their LGBT+ colleagues. For me, this is a perfect symbol of what diversity and inclusion is all about – diversity is about each one of us, the variety of unique experiences, qualities and characteristics we possess; inclusion is about all of us, creating a culture that strives for equity and embraces, respects and values differences for all of our people.

That’s KPMG at Pride in a nutshell, really!

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common, and this should be celebrated.

No two individuals are the same and for us that is something to be celebrated”

On a personal level, what did KPMG being named one of Stonewall’s top ten employers mean to you?

I am extremely proud to work for an organisation that really listens to its workforce and what is important to them. This achievement highlights to our external

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Form your family with Barnardo’s Whether you are single, or part of a couple, there are many ways you can start your family as an LGBT person. By choosing to foster or adopt, you could give a child who has had a difficult start in life the chance to fulfil his or her potential.

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For more information, please get in touch with Barnardo’s Fostering and Adoption team on 0800 0277 280 or visit www.barnardos.org.uk/fosteringandadoption

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SPONSORED FEATURE

Doctor Pierre Asmar, Nicole Banks and Michael King, Administrator

Dreams come true

DOCTOR PIERRE ASMAR OF THE WASHINGTON FERTILITY CENTER WRITES ABOUT THE SERVICES HE CAN OFFER TO MAKE DREAMS OF STARTING A FAMILY COME TRUE

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ashington Fertility Center (WFC) was founded in 1994 and is based in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. Its headquarter is located in Annandale, Virginia about 20 minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport. It includes an IVF laboratory, a two-operating room surgical suite and a medical office where clients/patients meet their physicians and complete their fertility testing such as semen analysis and freezing, blood testing, ultrasound, radiological examinations, etc.

WFC has 2 additional satellite offices in Reston and Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Egg retrieval, egg freezing, embryo culture, embryos biopsy for chromosome screening or gender selection and for genetic disease testing,

embryo freezing and transfer are some of the advanced laboratory fertility services performed in our IVF laboratory in Annandale.

WFC offers our LGBT+ clients multiple fertility services including sperm freezing and 6-month quarantine, fresh or frozen donor eggs, gestational surrogates screening and testing, etc.

Egg Donor America offers a choice of over 1,000 anonymous donors! After an egg donor is selected, she will undergo genetic, psychological, infectious, and hormonal testing as well as a physical examination.

Donor Egg Bank America also offers a number of frozen donor eggs immediately available.

We also offer our an extensive list of psychologists experienced and family law attorneys in the Washington Metropolitan area

who will assist them in preparing legal contracts with their selected gestational surrogate and/or egg donor.

Surrogacy America will also make arrangements for our clients to meet with their selected gestational surrogate and attorney of their choice.

We can also arrange for a travel concierge to assist our clients in preparing a destination travel schedule to Washington, New York City, San Francisco, etc. should they so desire.

I have been providing fertility services to thousands of patients for over 40 years. I was most attracted to this very unique medical specialty after I was stricken by a very close family member who was unable to have a baby and build his family. I also came from a family and culture where having and raising children 153

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are so very so important.

I was one of the very first specialists offering fertility services to gay, lesbian and transgender couples in the Washington Metro Area. Many of my same sex clients were able to build their family, become parents and fulfill their dreams.

As they feel I am still a part of their family, they continue to mail me holiday photos of their children who are now graduating from high school and about to start their college education.

This is just the most rewarding feeling! What sets Washington Fertility apart from other centers is that we have more years of experience in the most advanced reproductive technologies and, above all, continue to provide a one on one very personal relationship with each couple.

Our donor egg success rate of 66% is one of the best in the USA.

The intended parent who will provide the sperm must come to our center for blood/sperm testing and sperm freezing for a 6-month quarantine followed by a repeat infectious blood test. This policy is required to offer complete protection to our surrogates We offer our international clients Skype and videoconferencing services to review their medical history and customize their treatment.

They will speak by Skype to the same doctor every time.

In summary, we offer fertility services, donor eggs and gestational surrogates under one roof!

Washington DC, our nations capital, is a diverse beautiful city with museums, parks, five star restaurants and is just an easy non-stop flight from London!

Go to: www.washingtonfertility.com

Nicole Banks

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SPONSORED FEATURE

DOCTOR PIERRE ASMAR

Surgery Center

“I was one of the very first specialists offering fertility services to gay, lesbian and transgender couples in the Washington Metro Area” 155

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SPONSORED FEATURE

FAMILY MATTERS Donor insemination for lesbian women who want to start a family

An increase in donor insemination for lesbians The UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), published in its annual report on statistics and trends in UK fertility treatment that the number of treatment cycles using donated sperm (both IVF and DI) for lesbian women has increased by around 20% between 2013 and 2014. This increase has been similar year on year for the past ten years and can largely be attributable to changes in the law and access to NHS fertility treatment for same-sex ladies wanting to try for a baby.

The rise in donor insemination is mirrored here at Complete Fertility Centre Southampton.

We are proud of our reputation as a fertility centre for lesbian women who want a family of their own.

Donor insemination for lesbians – your options This is where donated sperm is used to inseminate a woman in a same-sex relationship.

Donor insemination can be performed at home using sperm from a friend or an anonymous donor, or at a fertility clinic using an anonymous donor. Sperm at a licensed fertility clinic is screened to ensure it’s free from sexually transmitted infections and certain genetic disorders. Fertility clinics also offer support, counselling and legal information for trying to conceive using donor sperm.

If you choose to go to a fertility centre you have a number of options available to you to help you conceive. These include: Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) with donor sperm IUI helps a woman to conceive by placing specially prepared sperm directly into her womb at the time when eggs are being released.

This is commonly the preferred fertility treatment for same-sex ladies as often there is no other reason for requiring fertility treatment apart from the need for sperm insemination. It is less invasive and less costly than IVF. In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) with donor sperm IVF involves removing a woman’s eggs from her

ovaries and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory dish and then putting them back in her womb.

IVF with donor eggs Quality donor eggs from a partner or anonymous donor are used in IVF treatment. If the eggs of both partners are low quality then donor eggs from an anonymous donor may be required.

“We are proud of our reputation as a fertility centre for lesbian women who want a family of their own” Egg sharing Egg sharing in same-sex women allows both partners to be involved in the creation of their baby. One partner donates half of her eggs to her partner so that her partner can carry the baby. It may be that one partner’s eggs have a better chance of conception and they may choose to use these. Donated sperm is required to fertilise the eggs.

The other half of her eggs are given to an anonymous recipient who is unable to produce good quality eggs of her own and needs donated eggs to have a chance of conceiving a baby.

In addition to egg sharing being a positive and generous act, it also offers financial benefits with reduced IVF fees.

Partner to partner sharing This involves a same-sex woman donating all of her eggs to her partner so that her partner can have the chance of becoming pregnant. This will require the use of donated sperm too.

One partner may have better quality eggs and by donating her eggs, both partners are actively involved in conceiving their baby.

Complete Fertility Centre Southampton for all your donor insemination needs Here at Complete Fertility Centre Southampton we offer a full range of donor insemination options for same-sex ladies including: IUI with donor sperm, egg sharing with donor sperm, IVF with donor sperm and, IVF with donor eggs. You can discuss this in detail with your fertility specialist and dedicated counsellor before making a final decision.

We also offer fertility check-ups to provide you with a comprehensive picture of you and your partner’s fertility health and may support your family planning and fertility treatment options, Competitive prices Same-sex women may be eligible for fertility treatment on the NHS if they are demonstrably sub-fertile. Complete Fertility Centre offers both NHS and private fertility care.

For private patients, here at Complete Fertility Centre we have an inclusive IUI package at £1,000 and, donor sperm starting at £800 if required.

We offer two popular egg sharing packages that have been specifically developed for samesex women and are inclusive of all consultations, screening tests, scans and drugs required, counselling, the attempted fertilisation of at least four eggs, embryo transfer to your partner and a pregnancy scan or follow up consultation within three months. The cost for our complete S3 egg sharing package is £2,000 and our affordable, basic S4 egg sharing package is just £1,000. Both have an additional fee of £300 for donor sperm if required.

A female-only fertility check-up is £320 and fertility check-up for both women in a same-sex partnership is £500.

Contact For more information visit www.completefertility. co.uk, call us on 023 8120 6980 or email info@ completefertility.co.uk 157

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We’re proud of you

HSBC HAS A PROUD HISTORY OF BRINGING DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND CULTURES TOGETHER. DIVERSITY IS IN OUR ROOTS

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oday, we have around 44,000 employees in the UK serving 10.3 million customers from all walks of life.

Embracing different ideas and perspectives helps us innovate, manage risk and grow our business in a sustainable way.

So we’re proud to play our part in supporting the LGBT+ community and taking part in Pride events across the country.

• Displaying LGBT+ imagery and messages of support across all our UK ATMs • Focussing on trans* inclusion with our trans* inclusive voice ID technology and gender neutral titles for customers

• Being a top 100 UK employer on the Stonewall Workplace Inclusion Index and one of Stonewall’s Top Global Employers in 2015 and 2016 HSBC is proud to be here in London celebrating with you and wishes everyone a very happy Pride!

• Introducing guidelines for transgender employees, managers and colleagues to support transition process

Here are some other things we’re quite proud of: • Sharing our people’s stories, like “Jennifer’s Big Day” which now has more than 12 million views on social media channels • Hosting the first-ever Out Women Summit and the 5th annual Out Leadership Europe Summit in London in 2016

• Seeing our HSBC Pride employee network double in size for two years running • Creating an LGBT+ Ally network to help make sure our customers and colleagues feel included • Being recognised as a top 10 employer in the British LGBT+ Awards

“At HSBC we believe that having an inclusive culture is key to our business success. We are deeply committed to an open and inclusive working environment for our LGBT+ colleagues and to ensuring that our products, services and staff are representative of our diverse customer base.” - Ian Stuart, CEO UK, HSBC

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SPONSORED FEATURE CHRIS MADDREN IS THE CHAIR OF HSBC’S LGBT+ NETWORK. WE TALK TO HIM ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE OUT IN THE WORK PLACE AND WHAT HSBC IS DOING TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE Apart from being the chair of HSBC’s LGBT+ network, what is your professional role within HSBC? My role in HSBC is HR Generalist. This means supporting a local business area on various HR focus areas including D&I (Diversity and Inclusion). It’s a great role to be in as a lot of the work I do for the Pride network crosses over into the work I do as an HR Generalist. I can support the business in ensuring that our D&I initiatives and events are landed effectively and our people are engaged and informed of what the bank is doing.

HSBC champions diversity in the workplace. How does it do that, and what effect does that have on LGBT+ staff, and on the workplace (LGBT+ and straight) in general?

There’s all sorts of ways HSBC is championing diversity. One of our most recent initiatives has been the launch of gender neutral titles available for customers and our own people to use. Prior to launch we delivered training sessions across our customer facing teams about the changes and how they can better support our LGBT+ customers. We’ve been the first major bank to do this and our people are rightly proud of HSBC stepping up and leading on this change.

How easy is it to come out as LGBT+ at HSBC, and what advantages are there in coming out in the workplace?

Personally I feel it is very easy to come out at work as we are a very inclusive employer; however, I recognise that not everyone will feel the same. We launched our own ally network last November which is championed by our Group Secretary Ben Matthews. We recognise

“One of our most recent initiatives has been the launch of gender neutral titles available for customers and our own people to use”

CHRIS MADDREN

the value that allies play in promoting an inclusive and tolerant workplace and we’ve provided ally training to senior leaders across the business and gained their commitment to drive its importance across their teams.

What events does HSBC’s LGBT+ network organise – both nationally and internationally, and both socially and professionally?

We aim to deliver four key speaker events each year supported by networking, lunches and social events. We connect with our global chapters in the US, Canada and Asia Pacific and deliver a global focus of Pride events in June.

We also have a very effective regional network with local chapters across the UK ensuring we have events running outside of London.

What do you think has been the greatest achievement this year of HSBC’s LGBT+ network?

Personally, I feel our greatest achievement has been the embedding of our ally network. We’ve gained commitment at senior level to roll out across the entire bank network and we’ve set very ambitious targets for sign-ups by the end of 2017.

HSBC is one of Stonewall’s top 100 employers. How important is inclusion in the list to you?

Inclusion in the index is very important to me.

It shows both our people and potential employees our demonstrative commitment to inclusion and diversity. Being in the top 100 highlights our focus areas and supports us in influencing policy and direction at bank level – that’s something I’m incredibly proud to be a part of.

Will HSBC be at Pride in London this year – and what can we expect from you?

We will definitely be back in Pride in London again this year. The atmosphere last year was electric and our people absolutely loved being a part of it. The final details are still being worked on so that’s all I can reveal for now but we will be there - and in numbers!

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PICTURE: © MAZZIMAGE.COM

THE UK NOW HAS MORE PRIDE EVENTS THAN ANY OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY, WITH ALMOST 100 TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR INCLUDING MORE THAN A DOZEN NEW PRIDES. LOOK OUT FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER UK PRIDES IN OUR PARADE … INCLUDING THE UK PRIDE FIRE ENGINE FROM PRIDE IN HULL!

JULY 15th

22nd

23rd 29th

Croydon PrideFest Isle of Wight Pride NEW! Rotherham Pride Salford Pink Picnic Pride in Hull – UK Pride 2017 Northern Pride (Newcastle) Bideford Pride NEW! Eastbourne Pride NEW! Trans Pride Brighton Chesterfield Pride Herefordshire Pride NEW! Liverpool Pride Norwich Pride Nottinghamshire Pride Pride Sheffield Salisbury Pride West Lothian Pride NEW! Weston super Mare Pride

A UGU S T

19th

26th

S E P T E MBE R 2nd

16th 23rd

5th

Brighton Pride Leeds Pride Belfast Pride Plymouth Pride 10th-13th BiCon, Leeds 12th Happy Valley Pride (Hebden Bridge) Margate Pride Wigan Pride

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Pride Glasgow Chester Pride Doncaster Pride Warwickshire Pride Pride Cymru (Cardiff) Cornwall Pride Foyle Pride Manchester Pride Southampton Pride Walsall Pride

24th 7th

Cambridge Pink Festival Channel Islands Pride (Jersey) Hertfordshire Pride Leicester Pride Pride in Newry Reading Pride Totnes Pride Cumbria Pride (Carlisle) Bolton Pride Trans Pride South West Wolverhampton Pride Worcestershire Pride NEW! Lincoln Pride Sunderland Pride UK Leather Pride (Bristol)

For more information on all UK Pride events, visit www.prideorganisers.uk.

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History Herstory My story.

Introducing gender-neutral titles at HSBC. #HSBCPride #onwards Search ‘HSBC gender neutral’ Issued by HSBC Bank plc. 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ X1838 04/17 ©HSBC Bank plc 2017. All Rights Reserved.