MASTI is an opportunity for Asian Gay/Bi men to talk with other Asian Gay/Bi men. To discuss their experiences of sex, relationships and life, explore their culture, identity, religion and sexuality. The weekend will develop confidence to make stronger informed decisions by a mix of fun reflective activities in a confidential safe place.
LGBT History Month 2014: Your definitive guide to celebrating diversity in Manchester through music – Manchester has long been the spiritual home of Britain’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. Over the coming month people from far and wide will descend on the city for LGBT History Month, an annual celebration of the LGBT community that takes place in February
Eire: “I’ve had enough”: Complaint letter sent to RTE over Saturday Night Show ‘apology’ – by Brian Merriman, Artistic Director International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. Radio Television Eireann (Ireland) probably thought they were doing something ‘avant garde’ in inviting one of Ireland’s most articulate and talented drag artistes/advocate, Panti on the ‘Saturday Night Show’. The interview named a few ‘right wing’ journalists and a ‘catholic’ funded Iona Institute as being homophobic in their activity. Themes like religion, politics, media, history, etc. are unpacked in his analysis of the importance of telling our modern LGBT lifestyle and culture on the stages of the biggest International Gay Theatre Festival in the world.
Update 7th February 2014: Irish state broadcaster RTE pays out €85,000 compensation for suggestion that the legal discrimination of ‘Gays’ does not = ‘homophobia’
Channel 4 to flood peak-time advertising slots with “Gay Mountain” Anthem. Tonight (6th February) watch out for an extremely camp version of the Russian national anthem, set to a disco beat and performed by a ‘bear’ in front of a rainbow of necoloured lightbulbs as Channel 4 wishes ‘Good luck to everyone in Sochi’
The video of the November launch of LGBT History Month 2014 is now available here!
We hope seeing the student workshops, guest speakers and musical performances inspires YOU to stage an event yourself, or to help your local, school, museum, gallery or where you work celebrate the unifying power of diversity through music.
Every year HM is represented by a famous ‘face’, to inspire you to create….this year we have 4! Find information on “Faces of ’14” here – Ethel Smyth, Benjamin Britten, Bessie Smith and Anglea Morley.
Want to get involved during 2014? Look inside…
Russian girl, 14, punished for ‘gay propaganda’ – First minor is punished for a law intended to protect minors from ‘non-traditional sexual minorities’
London rally against Russia’s anti-gay Olympics – Urge Olympic sponsors to speak out against Russian homophobia. Join the Sochi Winter Olympics protest:Wednesday 5 February, 6-7pm, Downing Street, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AA. Nearest tubes Charing Cross & Westminster… WEAR RED FOR LOVE!
We currently have three competitions ‘live’ – with a fourth planned for later in the year. Follow the link inside to find out what they are and the great prizes we are offering!
Review: ‘LGBT People and the UK Cultural Sector’ By JOHN Vincent Ashgate, 2014 (isbn 97814094386656). At Schools OUT we have consistently worked since 1974 to change the law and culture on LGBT people and issues. We have been acutely aware that they are two distinct and linked areas that are crucial in enabling the safety and visibility of the diversity of LGBT people in a country. John Vincent’s book is a useful and pretty comprehensive look at what happed in the UK in both areas since 1950.
The Brutal, Bloody Horror of Gay Life in Putin’s Russia – Ever since virulently homophobic Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed through a law effectively outlawing openly gay people, the country’s LGBTQ community has, predictably, been plagued by violence. Now a study published in Harvard University’s Health and Human Rights journal confirms what myriad horrific anecdotes suggest: Gay people in Russia are being beaten, raped, and murdered at record rates—and the government is doing little to stop it.
