LGBT History Month UK

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 28th November - 4th December

2009-11-27T22:30:00.003Z

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV
New
Dirty Dali: A Private View at 11.25pm on More4 Saturday. Brian Sewell assesses the artist’s tastes, which included a fondness for androgyny. Not for the faint-hearted I gather. Die-hard fans of Dolly Parton might choose to watch Fern Britton Meets…on BBC1 at 10am Sunday, where the C and W icon talks about the impact of religion on her life and in her work. Andy Warhol’s Factory People on Sky Arts1 at 7pm.
Stephen Fry guests on The Graham Norton Show at 10.35 on Monday (repeated Tuesday 11.55). Kristian Digby in South London in Open House on BBC2 at 1.45pm. BBC2 also repeats last Thursday’s QI at 10, while C4 is airing Ugly Betty. If you want to know about Rudolf Nureyev, there’s Margot on BBC4 at 9pm followed by a repeat of the performance of Marguerite and Armand at 10.25. Christopher Biggins on The Wright Stuff on Five at 9.15am.
On Tuesday there’s lots of QI on Dave and Watch repeats Russell T Davies’ version of Casanova, with David Tennant in the leading role, at 10pm.
Tracey Chapman on Bio at 8.30pm Wednesday.
Eddie Izzard on Paul O’Grady at 5 on C4, plus Sandi Toksvig on QI on BBC1 at 9.30pm Thursday.
On Friday there’s Nureyev on BBC4 at 8pm (Romeo and Juliet) and 10 (From Russia with Love). Eddie Izzard in performance on More4 at 11.10pm.

Ongoing
On Saturday morning Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers on BBC1 at 11.30. C4’s Come Dine with Me on Saturday at 4. Doctor Who and Torchwood on Watch at 8 and 9pm. X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. Celebrity Get Me Out of Here all week on ITV1 until they kick out or if they keep that gay couple that do people’s houses. The Final is on Friday at 8.30pm.
Come Dine with Me comes from Colchester and includes tantrums on Sunday at 8pm on C4.
Frasier at 8am,Will and Grace at 9am and Ugly Betty at 11, plus the Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. True Blood on Wednesday C4 at 10pm. The Restaurant at 8pm on Thursday BBC2 (if you like watching people break down and cry in front of Raymond Blanc). Alan Carr Chatty Man at 10pm on C4. Beautiful People at 10pm on BBC2 Friday.

Films
Monday on Screen 1 at 8pm there’s Mamma Mia! Carry on Doctor on C4 at 1.35 Tuesday. 1.35pm Tuesday night on Film4. Frears’ Prick up Your Ears, the bio-pic of Joe Orton, on Film4 at 1.30am Wednesday night. Psycho at 10.15 on Sky Movies Christmas Thursday night. Denholm Elliott stars in Vault of Horror at 1.55am Friday night on Film4.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 28th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4- 10am: Excess Baggage. Sandi Toksvig presents.
BBC Radio 4 - 2.30: Saturday Play: The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial. In 1925 Tennessee tried to outlaw the teaching of Darwin
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends

Sunday 29th
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 3 - 10.45: Words and Music. With Derek Jacobi
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 11.15am: Desert Islands Discs. Morrissey
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 8pm: Where Angels fear to Tread. E.M. Forster
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Monday 30th
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread

Tuesday 1st
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30: He’s Not the Messiah, He’s a Very naughty Boy. Sanjeev Bhaskar on Python’s Life of Brian, remembering Graham Chapman
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread

Wednesday 2nd
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15pm: Afternoon Play: A Dangerous Thing, by John Sessions. The friendship of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift
BBC Radio 4 - 8: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
BBC Radio 7 - 6.30pm: Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread

Thursday 3rd
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30: Alan Carr’s Comedy Outings
BBC Radio 7 - 6.30pm: Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread

Friday 4th
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15: Afternoon Play: Number 10; A Failed State. 4/5 of a series starring Anthiny Sher as PM
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Any Questions? A.A. Gill joins the panel
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 6.30pm: Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Stop Messing about
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread
BBC Radio 7 - 11.30: The 99p Challenge. Presented by Sue Perkins

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Ofsted supports LGBT History Month

2009-11-25T19:08:00.002Z

A message of support from Ofsted for LGBT History Month. Ofsted is setting up its own LGBT staff forum as part of its single equality scheme.

Ofsted’s strategic plan puts equality and diversity at the heart of everything it does. And that commitment is not only about ensuring equality of opportunity for our workforce, but also that the organisations we inspect and regulate fulfil their responsibilities to promote equality and diversity.

‘We are pleased to share celebrating the contributions and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through dedicated events like the LGBT History Month and to combat prejudice and discrimination,’ says Sonia Gandhi, Head of Equality and Human Rights.

A month of events to celebrate the lives and achievements of the LGBT community takes place every year. In 2010, its November pre-launch has been timed to be part of Anti-Bullying Week.

To strengthen the way we inspect equality and human rights, our new inspection frameworks actively promote positive relationships and respect for human rights, and understanding and respecting people’s differences. Our guidance means inspectors must be on the lookout for, and report, bullying and harassment, including homophobic bullying, as well as highlighting good practice.

To support our own staff, we are setting up an LGBT staff support group. This, along with individuals and organisations that represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, will help is shape our single equality scheme, which we’ll publish in April 2010.

London Metropolitan Archives: Flights of Fancy

2009-11-24T10:31:00.000Z

The London Metropolitan Archives will be holding another of their LGBT study days early next month. The arts are powerful. Sometimes they are disturbing, dangerous and real instruments of change. They provide people with ways of making their presence felt, their thoughts known and voices heard. Be inspired and challenged by FLIGHTS OF FANCY, past and present.

Programme:
The First Gay Kiss? Sex, Scholars and Ancient Egypt.
Dr Richard Parkinson, British Museum
Richard Parkinson will discuss controversial images of men kissing from Ancient Egypt and how they have been used in studies of ancient sexuality. He’ll consider how Ancient Egypt has featured in gay works of art and how ancient same sex desire can be presented in Museum displays, drawing on the British Museum’s recently launched webtrail.

The Coming Out of Comics
Paul Gravett, author, curator, lecturer and director of the Comica Festival, London
LGBT comics creators have traditionally been published episodically, producing newspaper strips in the LGBT press, short pieces in pornographic magazines and in sporadic fanzines and underground anthologies. Graphic novels offer an exciting platform through bookshops and libraries for extended, complete strip narratives in book form. This select survey will consider the distinct qualities, techniques and contents of six key contemporary international graphic novelists who have developed long-form "literary" comics: Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby, USA), Ralf König (Maybe, Maybe Not, Germany), Ariel Schrag (Potential/Likewise, USA), Kiriko Nananan (Blue, Japan), Fabrice Neaud (Journal, France), and Alison Bechdel (Fun Home, USA).

National Gay Icons
Professor Richard Dyer, King’s College, London
Recently the National Portrait Gallery held a well mounted exhibition entitled 'Gay Icons', the first of its kind anywhere in the world. What did they have in mind? What is a gay icon? This presentation will look at a wide range of images of people who were and were not chosen for the show.

Richard Dyer teaches Film Studies at King's College London.
The Creation and Reception of ‘Victim’.
Brian Robinson Senior Programmer, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
The BFI National Archive owns Dirk Bogarde's personal collection of scripts which includes a heavily annotated script of 'Victim'(1961)and the film is available at the BFI

Mediatheque alongside some key BBC documentaries of the period. This presentation explores the context of the campaign for law reform, other Basil Dearden social

issue films, the impact of 'Victim' and its marketing campaign.
Gay Sweatshop, Section 28 and Community
Dr Catherine Silverstone - Lecturer in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Queen Mary, University of London
From the mid-1970s to the late-1990s Gay Sweatshop produced a substantial body of work including plays, readings, workshops, pantomimes, cabarets, and performance clubs. In this paper Catherine will consider elements of Gay Sweatshop’s archive of their 1988 production This Island’s Mine, held at Royal Holloway, University of London, in relation to Section 28, homophobia and community.

sh[OUT] or should that be sh[OOSH]
Dianne Barry - documentary filmmaker, artist and curator
Before it was even launched, the Daily Mail released a ‘tirade of homophobic rhetoric’ against GoMA’s exhibition on contemporary art and LGBTi human rights, sh[OUT]. The paper’s concerted opposition to the exhibition and community arts projects intensified over the summer months. Rather than defend freedom of expression Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art chose to censor artists’ work. In this session filmmaker and artist, Dianne Barry, describes how GoMA’s response enraged and alienated the artists and communities it had aimed to represent, provoking a storm of creative protest.

Plus practical workshops and discussion groups.

This year we are joined by Poet and Musician Nick Field who will perform a selection from his repertoire
Nick is a produced playwright, harpist and spoken word artist. His poetry is soulful, bittersweet and lyrical, exploring themes as diverse as identity and the joys and heartaches of travel. Nick has performed his work widely, highlights this year included the vaults at Shunt the Green Man Festival and a commission from Apples and Snakes to write and perform a one-man show.

Flights of Fancy
Saturday 5 December 2009 9.30am - 4.30pm £10 / £7.50
London Metropolitan Archives, 40, Northampton Road, EC1R 0HB
Booking / Further Information: Call on 020 7332 3851 email ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Making a Gay Scene at the V&A

2009-11-22T10:32:00.000Z

The V&A Museum late opening event on 27 November will have something a little queer about it.

That week, Making a Scene will tap the surface of Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans & Queer culture to celebrate making visible what for so long has been hidden. From clandestine liaisons to the joy of serendipity, the art of cruising to radical activism, Making a Scene explores the relationship between sexuality, performance and public space.

All this and more, through a selection of talks events, workshops and happenings and performances. All events are free and unbooked, unless stipulated otherwise.

Find a full list of the events on the V&A's site here.

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 21st - 27th November

2009-11-21T11:57:00.004Z

Thin Blue Line at 7.40pm and Gimme Gimme Gimme at 11.55 on Gold Wednesday.
New series (yes! New series!) of QI on BBC1 at 9.30pm Thursday.
On Friday there's Will Young on GMTV from 6am. Susan Sarandon guests on Paul O'Grady at 5. Sky Arts 1 has Andy Warhol's Factory People at 7 and Freddie Mercury at 8 and midnight. Rock Hudson on Bio at noon.

Ongoing
C4's Come Dine with Me on Saturday at 4. X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm on Monday and 11.55 Tuesday on BBC1.

BBC1's The Big Questions on Sunday at 10am often features LGBT issues. No Stephen K Amos last week though he was billed. Come Dine with Me on Sunday at 8pm on C4.

Frasier at 8am, Will and Grace at 9am and Ugly Betty at 11, plus the Paul O'Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday. True Blood on Wednesday C4 at 10pm. The Restaurant at 8pm on Thursday BBC2 (if you like watching people break down and cry in front of Raymond Blanc). Alan Carr Chatty Man at 10pm on C4. Beautiful People at 9.30 on BBC2 Friday.

Films
Monday on Classics at 11.10pm there's Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Two gay icons Bette Davis and Joan Collins in one of the sickest films ever made. Bright Young Things, adapted from Waugh and directed by Stephen Fry at 1.35pm Tuesday night on Film4. Carry on Dick on C4 terrestrial at 1.40pm Wednesday. 80s gay classic My Beautiful Laundrette on Film4 1am Thursday night. Boys Don't Cry on More4 at 10pm Friday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 21st
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton's Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents.
BBC Radio 4 - 2.30: Saturday Play: The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial. In 1925 Tennessee tried to outlaw the teaching of Darwin
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman's Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 6.15: Loose Ends
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Moral Maze. Bear pit that sometimes touches on LGBT issues

Sunday 22nd
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page. Features Priscilla
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O'Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Monday 23rd
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread

Tuesday 24th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30: I Will Not Let You Go. The story of Bohemian Rhapsody
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread

Wednesday 25th
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread

Thursday 26th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30: Alan Carr's Comedy Outings
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30pm: Off The Page. Pub closures. Features Simon Fanshaw
BBC Radio 4 - 3.30: An Important Passenger. Part 3 of a fantasy drama. Noel Coward is one of several artists stuck on a train
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread

Friday 27th
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Stop Messing about
BBC Radio 7 - 11am & 9pm: EM Forsters Where Angels Fear to Tread
BBC Radio 7 - 11.30: The 99p Challenge. Presented by Sue Perkins

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Biggest ever pre-launch event for LGBT History Month

2009-11-20T13:34:00.001Z

The British Museum hosted a day of presentations and workshops yesterday, to encourage celebrations of LGBT History Month, next February, whose theme will be Education and Young People.

Students from three local schools took part in a field trip with a difference. They had a special tour of the museum’s LGBT exhibits and had a lesson in a rainbow coloured double decker bus on the museum forecourt.

In the afternoon, teachers and youth workers heard about successful celebrations involving young people, in previous years. Teachers also had the opportunity to question some of the speakers in a special session afterwards.

The main prelaunch, in the evening, included speeches from politicians and presentations from other organisations.
Co-chair Tony Fenwick thought the event was the best ever:

‘The whole day was a series of highlights, but my personal favourite was primary teacher John Harold talking about his opera project based on the true story of two gay penguins in a New York zoo who raise a chick. We were all deeply moved by musician Naechanè V Romeo talking about his experience as a trans man. Kate Sicolo’s anti homophobia work in Cornwall shows that every local authority should employ a specialist like her.’

Culture minister Ben Bradshaw2 presented youth activist Ben Hall with the Diana Anti Bullying Award1, in recognition of his outstanding voluntary work. Ben is only 16, but he has accomplished many things in the past 2 years. He is the chair of his local LGBT youth group committee, has run workshops on homophobic bullying at Schools Out conferences and has created workshops with parents to highlight the dangers and signs of online bullying.

Schools Out co-chair Sue Sanders said: ‘Ben is an extraordinary young man. His energy and enthusiasm are an inspiration to us all, and his ICT skills have helped us no end. He’s very mature and a pleasure to work with.’

Ben was delighted by the award and commented: ‘It’s a great feeling, to know you’re helping – in whatever way – to make the world a better place. It’s taught me a lot, and I feel more confident. One of the highlights was when Sir Ian McKellen attended my workshop!’

The event was bizarrely picketed by a small Christian fringe group, who claimed the event was ‘promoting evil’.
Co-chair Sue Sanders said: ‘The protestors are a perfect example of the need for education – about LGBT history, culture and identities, including Christians. The sort of censorship they are demanding leads to ignorance, hatred and even homophobic murder, as we’ve seen in the news recently.’

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 14th - 20th November

2009-11-14T09:25:00.003Z

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

3D week on Channel 4. Free specs at Sainsburys

TV
New
On Saturday morning Clare Balding presents The Lord Mayor’s Show on BBC1 at 10.45. QI on Dave at 8.20. Torchwood on Watch at 9pm.
BBC1’s The Big Questions on Sunday at 10am often features LGBT issues. This week Stephen K Amos is on the panel so it’s more than likely. Ugly Betty on C4 at 3.30pm. Dr Who one-off at 7pm on BBC1. I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here on ITV1 at 9pm. Samantha Fox and TV-interior-designer couple Colin Macallister and Justin Ryan fly the rainbow flag. Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 at 8pm. Raymond Burr features on Bio at 6pm and midnight.
Sue Perkins presents The Art on Your Walls on BBC2 at 9pm Monday. Derren Brown in 3D at 10pm the same night. Skins at 11pm on E4.
Alan Carr guests on Paul O’Grady at 5 on Tuesday. What the Dickens on Sky Arts 1 at 10.30pm.
Grayson Perry in Where is Modern Art Now? on BBC4 at 9pm Wednesday. The Thin Blue Line repeated on Gold at 7.45pm and What the Dickensagain at 10.30 on Sky Arts 1.
Alan Carr guests on This Morning at 10.30am ITV1 Thursday. Boyz II Men on The Alan Titchmarsh Show at 3 on the same channel. At 8pm on BBC1 Children in Need features Shirley Bassey and Mica. Unfortunately it also features Chris Moyles. Alan Carr: Chatty Man starts again at 10pm on C4. QIon Dave at 9pm. The Thin Blue Line at 7.45 on Gold and Stephen Fry goes American on Bones at 9pm on Sky 1. More Dickens on Sky Arts1 at10.30pm.
Stephen Fry in America on Dave at 8pm. Sky Arts 1 has What the Dickens at 10.30pm and Arts 2 has Simon Callow at 11.30am.
Beautiful People at 9.30 on BBC2 Friday. Children in Need night on BBC1 features the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert after midnight.

Ongoing
C4’s Come Dine with Me is from Kent on Saturday at 4. X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm on Monday and11.55 Tuesday on BBC1.
Come Dine with Me on Sunday at 8pm on C4.
Frasier at 8am,Will and Grace at 9am and Ugly Betty at 11, plus the Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday. True Blood on Wednesday C4 at 10pm. The Restaurant at 8pm on Thursday BBC2 (if you like watching people break down and cry in front of Raymond Blanc). Syed and Christian are still trying to find their way on Eastenders on BBC1 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8pm with an omnibus on Sunday at 1.25pm.

Films
On terrestrial Saturday there’s Contact with Jodie Foster at 5pm on Five and Four Weddings and a Funeral on C4 at 9.30pm.
St Trinians with Rupert Everett as headmistress at 6.15pm Comedy Sunday. Repeated Thursday 9.30pm.
Flesh for Frankenstein with gay icon Joe Dallessandro at 12.40am in 3D on C4.
Psycho on Sci-Fi/Horror at 4.35pm on Thursday with the creepily gorgeous Anthony Perkins.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 14th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4 - 10.30: Armatrading for Mayor. Joan on the history of the office and its inhabitants
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents.
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Moral Maze. Bear pit that sometimes touches on LGBT issues
BBC Radio 7 - 12: midnight Dr Who: The Commentaries

Sunday 15th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: John Barrowman. Features La Cage aux Folles
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Monday 16th
BBC Radio 2 - 2pm: Graham Norton. Covering Steve Wright

Tuesday 17th
BBC Radio 2 - 2pm: Graham Norton. Covering Steve Wright
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30am: Parting Shots. Matthew Parris on diplomats and ambassadors
BBC Radio 4 - 4.55pm: 1989 Day-by-Day. A Labour Peer asserts that men cannot contract HIV through heterosexual relations and police in Prague beat protesters
BBC Radio 4 - 7.15pm: Front Row special: interview with Alan Bennett

Wednesday 18th
BBC Radio 2 - 2pm: Graham Norton. Covering Steve Wright
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Back to Your Post. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942.
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns

Thursday 19th
BBC Radio 2 - 2pm: Graham Norton. Covering Steve Wright
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30: Alan Carr’s Comedy Outings
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown

Friday 20th
BBC Radio 2 - 2pm: Graham Norton. Covering Steve Wright
BBC Radio 2 - 7.30: Friday Night is Music Night
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. With Sue Perkins
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Stop Messing about
BBC Radio 7 - 11.30: The 99p Challenge. Presented by Sue Perkins

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

An officer and a gentle woman: the sex-change aristocrat

2009-11-11T11:27:00.000Z

He led a life of privilege — game hunter, Guardsman and gentleman farmer. But Rhodri Davies had only one desire: to be a woman. So he changed his gender, lost his family, and found a new career as a nurse.

Read the full article in The Times here.

Miranda was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4's The Choice on Tuesday 5 November. The programme is available to listen online for the a week here.

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 7th - 13th November

2009-11-10T07:51:00.001Z

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.
With our apologies for the delay due to a technical problem.

Warning: One film not to see is The Execution of Gary Glitter on C4. It examines what would happen to Paul Gadd (Glitter’s BC name) if capital punishment came back to the UK. Anne Widdecombe and Gary Bushell have cameo roles, as does Miranda Sawyer (what on earth did she think she was doing?) C4 Monday 9pm

TV
New
On Saturday morning Nigel Slater cooks Simple Suppers on BBC1 at 11.30. In the evening Mika and La Roux perform on 4Music: Live from Abbey Road on C4 at 11.20. Alan Cummings investigates The Real Cabaret on BBC4 at 11.30pm. Lindsay Lohan at 9am and Freddie Mercury at 11pm onBio. What the Dickens on Sky Arts 1 for insomniacs at 1.10am.
I bet you never thought All Star Family Fortunes would be in this guide. Well, the ludicrously-cheesy-yet-made-almost-pallatable-by-Vernon-Kaye ITV1show features John Barrowman and his at 7.15pm Sunday. Simon Callow’s Classical Destinations on Sky Arts 1 at 7pm. QI on Dave at 9 and Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive on Blighty at 10pm. Best wishes to him because I believe he’s on a downer at the moment.
Sandi Toksvig is Paul O’Grady’s guest on Monday at 5pm C4. Stephen Fry in America on Dave at 8pm. Sky Arts 1 has What the Dickens at 10.30pmand Arts 2 has Simon Callow at 11.30am
Stephen K. Amos guests on The Wright Stuff on Five at 9.15am from Tuesday through till Friday. Also on Tuesday, a double helping of QI on Dave at8.20pm. Lots of What the Dickens on Sky Arts 1, with Dirk Bogarde By Myself at 11pm. Ballet Boyz at 8pm Sky Arts 2.
On Wednesday Sandi Toksvig pops up on ITV1’s This Morning and Simon Lycett, Elton John’s flower arranger, will be on hand with his tips at 3pm onThe Alan Titchmarsh Show. What the Dickens is on Sky Arts 1 again.
On Friday QBoy’s Coming Out to Class in repeated on C4 at 9.35am and there’s Peter Kaye: Raider of the Pop Charts on C4 at 9pm. But Beautiful People is back! Simon and Kylie become wedding designers in Jonathan Harvey’s comedy designed on the childhood of Simon Doonan. BBC2 10pm

Ongoing
C4’s Come Dine with Me is from Cambridge on Saturday at 4. X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm on Mondayand 11.55 Tuesday on BBC1. Frasier at 8am,Will and Grace at 9am and Come Dine with Me on Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm onC4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday. The Restaurant at 8pm on Thursday BBC2 (if you like watching people break down and cry in front of Raymond Blanc). True Blood is on C4 on Wednesday at 10pm. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 11. Syed and Christian are still trying to find their way on Eastenders on BBC1 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8pm with an omnibus on Sunday at 1.25pm.

Films
On terrestrial Saturday there’s The Full Monty on C4 at 9.30pm and The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino as Shylock on BBC2 at 12.20am. Why? Because the hero’s a woman and Antonio and Bassanio are obviously more than just good friends. Mamma Mia! on Family at 8pm.
Meet Dorothy and her friends on Five 3pm Sunday with The Wizard of Oz. Bogarde in Doctor in Distress at 5.05 Film4. On Wednesday there’s X-Men onModern Greats at 11pm and O Lucky Man on TCM at 11.30pm. Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love on Film4 4.30pm Thursday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 7th
BBC Radio 2 - 10am: Jonathan Ross. Morrissey guests
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 3 - 8.45pm: Britten in the 50s
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Archive on 4: This is the Army, Mr Jones. JohnBarrowman on Irving Berlin’s morale boosting wartime show
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Moral Maze. Bear pit that sometimes touches on LGBT issues. This week it’s about Twitter and brings up that Jan Moir article on Stephen Gately

Sunday 8th
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Tuesday 10th
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Choice. Michael Buerk talks to Miranda Ponsonby about her decision to have gender reassignment surgery
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30: Parting Shots. Matthew Parris on diplomats and ambassadors
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15pm: Afternoon Play: Albert’s Boy. Victor Spinetti plays Albert Einstein in a tragi-comic look at his twilight years
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30: The Choice. As 9am

Wednesday 11th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Back to Your Post. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942.
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
BBC Radio 7 - 5.30pm: The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere. 1987 comedy features Tim Curry and Simon Callow

Thursday 12th
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown
BBC Radio 7 - 6.30: The Canterville Ghost. Alistair McGowan reads from Wilde’s satirical ghost story

Friday 13th
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 31st October - 6th November

2009-10-31T08:12:00.001Z

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

Warning: Emmerdale is running a story about a woman faking domestic abuse to seek attention. You might like to complain to ITV1. In the past Emmerdale has had a major lesbian character: Zoe. She came out, chucked her girlfriend, went mad, turned into a nymphomaniac and conceived a baby in the back of a car with the local thug, lived with him for a while and then fled with the baby to Brazil. Yeah, like you do!

TV
New
C4’s back to back Come Dine with Me comes from Derby and is shown from 3.45-6.15 Saturday. Francis Bacon Night on BBC4 starts with a 2005 Arenaprofile on the artist at 9pm, has the man himself in never-seen-before archive clips on In His Own Words at 10.35 and follows with Love is the Devil (see films) at 11. What the Dickens at 8pm on Sky Arts 1 and Freddie Mercury at 9.55.
On Sunday Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive is repeated on Blighty at 10pm.
On Monday Benidorm is repeated on ITV2 at 10pm. On Wednesday BBC3 airs The Noughties: Was That It? which documents the decade and includes lots on civil partnerships. Rufus Wainwright is featured on Sky Arts1 at 4.35pm Thursday. Barry Manilow on Bio at 4pm. Friday’s Corrie at 7.30 is written by Jonathan Harvey. Brighton Beach Patrol on Five at 8 and Benidorm on ITV1 at 9. Why Benidorm? It’s a modern farce with a gay couple in it. They’re awful, but as in all good farces everyone else is too.

Ongoing
X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm on Monday and midnight Tuesday on BBC1. Will and Grace at 9am andCome Dine with Me on Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. True Blood is on C4 on Wednesday at 10pm. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 11. Syed and Christian are still trying to find their way on Eastenders on BBC1 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8pm with an omnibus on Sunday at 1.25pm.

Films
On Saturday BBC4’s Francis Bacon night winds up with Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon at 11pm. The true-life tragedy stars Derek Jacobi as Bacon and Daniel Craig as the burglar he seduces. X-Men Last Stand on E4 at 7.55. On Sunday there’s West Side Story on Screen 1 at 6.30am and Mamma Mia at 8pm on Family. On Tuesday St. Trinians is on Comedy at 8pm, with Rupert Everett as headmistress.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 31st
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 9.15: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 9: Howard’s End. Dramatisation of the E M Forster classic
BBC Radio 4 - 10.15: The Moral Maze. Bear pit that sometimes touches on LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30: Dilemmas of Modern Martyrs. Sabotage. Aftermath of a gay wedding

Sunday 1st
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: John Barrowman. Features La Cage aux Folles
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Tuesday 3rd
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30am: Parting Shots. Matthew Parris on diplomats and ambassadors

Wednesday 4th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Back to Your Post. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942.
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
BBC Radio 7 - 5.30pm: The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere. 1987 comedy features Tim Curry and Simon Callow

Thursday 5th
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30pm: Off the Page. Rhona Cameron discusses leaving your comfort zone
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown

Friday 6th
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

US Parents Lobby against Homopobic hate Crime

2009-10-28T11:49:00.001Z

Parents of gays and lesbians, teachers and activists carrying photos of hate crime murder victims including Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepard will demonstrate in front of the White House on Wednesday 28 October from noon to 2 p.m. prior to the President signing the Matthew Shepard Amendment. The amendment adds gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities to the federal hate crimes act.

The demonstration is organised by Equality Forum, an international LGBT civil rights organisation with an educational focus.

According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, there were 29 hate crime murders of LGBT Americans among the 2,424 LGBT hate crimes in 2008. Since 1998, when Matthew Shepard was murdered, there have been over 16,000 hate crime victims, on average, about 1,450 LGBT hate crimes per year.

“Homophobia has fueled carnage since Matthew Shepard’s murder 11 years ago,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. “The Matthew Shepard Amendment is the beginning not the end in recognising, addressing and eliminating homophobia in our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods and culture.”

“We applaud those in Congress and President Obama who support the Matthew Shepard Amendment,” stated Susan Wheeler of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the mother of James Wheeler. “My son took his life after being repeatedly harassed in high school. He was surrounded in the locker room and urinated on. Jim never recovered from that humiliation.”

“We demonstrate as a reminder of the over 16,000 hate crime victims since Matthew’s brutal murder,” stated Michael and Barbara Klinman of Havertown, Pennsylvania, who are parents of a gay son. “These crimes are intended to intimidate the LGBT community and their ferocity impacts the soul of America.”

“As we carry the photos of murder victims of LGBT hate crimes, we stand-in for those whose lives have been silenced,” stated Carol Watchler, GLSEN Central New Jersey Co-Chair. “We demonstrate because we are concerned about the safety of youth. We want to ensure that gay and lesbian children are not hate crime statistics and can live without fear of homophobic violence.”

Suspects Bailed after Homophobic Attack in Liverpool

2009-10-28T08:59:00.000Z

Six teenagers have been arrested over a homophobic attack on an off-duty police officer that left him fighting for his life, police said.

Two 15-year-old boys were detained on Monday evening over the weekend assault on James Parkes in Liverpool city centre, and are being questioned by detectives.

Four other boys also arrested on Monday have been released on police bail pending further inquiries, Merseyside Police said.
Mr Parkes, 22, received multiple skull, eye socket and cheekbone fractures on Sunday night after being set upon by a gang in Stanley Street as he walked with friends.

He was admitted to hospital with critical injuries and remains in a serious but stable condition.

The two 15-year-olds arrested on Monday night were from the Kirkdale area of Merseyside, police said. The four others released - two 15-year-old boys, one boy aged 14 and a 17-year-old - were from the same area.

Pc Parkes was a Police Community Support Officer on Merseyside for a couple of years before joining the Merseyside force in May.

Police are scanning CCTV footage of the area as part of their investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Tim Keelan appealed for witnesses to come forward.

He said: "We are treating the assault as a homophobic hate crime and this incident shows there are still some people who have not learnt that crimes of this type are completely unacceptable. People who commit hate crimes can expect the full attention of the police and we will not rest until the offenders are brought to justice."

Merseyside Police said it has also stepped up high visibility patrols in the area to help reassure the public.

The latest attack comes just over a year after the murder of Liverpool teenager Michael Causer. It is also a month to the day since Ian Baynham was murdered in an attack by a gang of teenagers in Trafalgar Square.

A vigil in reaction to the attack will take place on Sunday 1st November at 8 pm on Stanley Street in Liverpool.

Rocky and Magenta Come back to Birmingham

2009-10-27T19:08:00.001Z

Patricia Quinn, the actress who played Magenta in both the original stage show and iconic Rocky Horror Show film, will appear at a charity event in Birmingham on 28th October.

Rayner Bourton, who played the original Rocky, will also be in attendence. St.Pauls Gallery working with the SHOUT festival will present an ‘audience with’ style event where Patricia will talk about her work in both the stage show and movie.

Commenting on the event, Patricia said: ‘I’m Delighted to be coming to Birmingham to be with you all. Don’t dream it, be it. Let there be lips.’ St.Pauls gallery will be launching an exclusive limited edition run of prints from the original film poster, called ‘Lips’.

The gallery has donated two special prints, both of which will be signed personally by Patricia and be auctioned off on the night to raise money for HIV Charity ABplus.

visit www.getreadytoshout.org for more details

Vigil Against Hate Crime - 30 October

2009-10-27T17:12:00.002Z

On Friday 25th September 2009, Ian Baynham, 62, and his friend were subjected to homophobic abuse in Trafalgar Square, London. When Ian challenged this unacceptable behaviour he was assaulted by three youths: two women and a man. He later died of his injuries on 13th October.

On Sunday 25 Ocotber, James Parkes, 22, an off-duty trainee police officer, was set upon by a group of up to 20 teenagers in the heart of the gay quarter of Liverpool. James was with his partner, another man and a woman when he was attacked. One of his companions was punched in the face. James is now fighting for his life with multiple skull fractures and other injuries.

Ian and James are sadly not alone; They are two among thousands of people who have been victims of hate crime.

People from all communities are invited to come together on Friday 30th October to stand up and say that Hate Crime is unacceptable and that we will no longer tolerate it.

The yigil, which has received high-profile support and will be hosted by Sandi Toksvig, will include speakers from a wide cross section of the community, and musical contributions from a mass choir bringing together members of the LGBT choir of London, Brighton and Hove, Birmingham and Manchester as well as the London Gay Symphonic Winds.

Those unable to attend the event in person, wherever they are in the world, are invited to light candles of hope and observe the two minutes silence, preferably at 9pm GMT.

The vigil, in Trafalgar Square, will start at 8pm and will last 2 hours.

A website (www.17-24-30.com) and Facebook event have been created for the occasion as well as a Twitter account.

Donations can be made here on PayPal or via a dedicated bank account (Sort Code 40-03-22 Account 41446843).

Volunteers to help organise are also welcome.

Queer Question Time @ RVT

2009-10-26T09:11:00.000Z

ANGELA EAGLE MP, Parliament's only out lesbian, KEN LIVINGSTONE, former Mayor of London, ANDREW BOFF London Assembly Member, DAVID MCALMONT, singer/songwriter, and TIM TEEMAN, Times journalist will come together for an evening of debate of issues concerning the LGBT community.

People are invited to submit their questions to Miss Twinset by email or on the night before the debate which starts at 8.30 for an hour. The discussion will be followed by a performance by Dickie Beau (11.15) and an opportunity for some dancing.

Queer Question Time
Friday, 30 October 2009 at 19:00
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London
Entry: £7.50

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 24th - 30th October

2009-10-24T09:05:00.002+01:00

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

Warning: Emmerdale is running a story about a woman faking domestic abuse to seek attention. You might like to complain to ITV1. In the past Emmerdale has had a major lesbian character: Zoe. She came out, chucked her girlfriend, went mad, turned into a nymphomaniac and conceived a baby in the back of a car with the local thug, lived with him for a while and then fled with the baby to Brazil. Yeah, like you do! And according to Nick Griffin on Question Time, the BNP is the friend of the homosexual. Yeah, right!

TV
New
Dame Shirley Bassey on Electric Proms BBC2 10.40pm Saturday. Boy George on Jonathan Ross on BBC1 12.45am Saturday. The Real Cabaret on BBC4 on Sunday at 9pm features Alan Cumming.
What the Dickens? on Sky Arts 1 at 8.30pm Monday. Miriam Margolyes guests with Alan Titchmarsh ITV1 at 3pmon Tuesday. Evan Davis meets Warren Buffett the World’s Greatest Money Maker on BBC2 11.20 Tuesday, but there is no gay content. Clare Balding guests on the panel game show It’s Only a Theory on BBC4 at 10pm Tuesday. The Ballet Boyz on Dance at 8pm Sky Arts 2.
Francis Bacon on Sky Arts 1 8pm Wednesday.
There’s usually a same sex couple trying to open a restaurant with Raymond Blanc in The Restaurant on BBC2 8pm Thursday. Graham Norton Show with Paul O’Grady at 11.40pm on Dave Thursday.

Ongoing
X Factor ITV1 Saturday and Sunday. The Graham Norton Show at 10.35pm on Monday and 11.45pm Tuesday onBBC1. LGBT issues are often debated in The Big Questions on BBC1 at 10am Sunday. Will and Grace at 9am andCome Dine with Me on Saturday and Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan onHow to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 10.40. Benidorm on ITV1 at 9pm Friday. The gay story line is going on in Eastenders on BBC1 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8pm with an omnibus on Sunday at 1.25pm.

Films
Five airs A Passage to India from the Forster novel at 2.10pm Saturday. X-Men on Modern Greats at 6.10pm andO Lucky Man on TCM at 12.50am.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? on Classics 9pm Sunday. Forget Psycho, Texas Chain Saw, Exorcist and Funny Games; this is the sickest film ever made. Mamma Mia on Tuesday Comedy 8pm. Late Night Shopping Film4 at 1.05am Wednesday. On Thursday there’s St. Trinians on Comedy at 9.35pmand Vera Drake on Film4 at 10.50. For Bette Davis fans there’s All about Eve on Film4 at 2.15pm Friday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 24th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 9.15: Paul Gambaccini US Hits. Smokey Robinson Special
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in north Northumberland, plodging in the clarts and rolling her ‘r’s
BBC Radio 4 - 10.30: The Grand Masquerade. On an enigma created by Kit Williams
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 9: Howard’s End. Dramatisation of the E M Forster classic

Sunday 25th
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Howard’s End. As Saturday
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10: The News Quiz

Tuesday 27th
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30am: Parting Shots. Matthew Parris on diplomats and ambassadors

Wednesday 28th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Back to Your Post. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942.
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns

Thursday 29th
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in Northumberland. Call the rescue services
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown

Friday 30th
BBC Radio 2 - 9.15pm: Brief Encounter. Special performance from the Coward based Lean production
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

SHOUT in Birmingham

2009-10-19T08:54:00.002+01:00

A new LGBT arts festival starts in Birmingham this autumn. Called SHOUT, the festival starts on October 30th and runs through November in a range of venues. It includes an evening with Peter Tatchell, Della Grace, Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray (and Swan Lake!) and a host of other goodies.

To download the brochure click here (pdf file - 4.7Mb) and don't be put off by the image on the front page; it's not real blood!

the website is www.getreadytoshout.org

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 17th - 23rd October

2009-10-17T08:32:00.001+01:00

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

TV
New
X-Factor Live on ITV1 Saturday at 8pm and Antony and The Johnsons appear on C4 at 1.20am Saturday night. On Sunday there’s X-Factor results at7.45pm ITV1 and The South Bank Show features Lee Hall at 10.15pm. Simon Callow’s Destinations on Sky Arts 1 at 7pm (repeated on Sky Arts 2 Monday at 11.30am).
On Monday Jo Brand and Jackie Collins guest on The Graham Norton Show on BBC1 at 10.35 (repeated Tuesday 11.50pm) and C4 runs its documentary Age 8 and Wanting a Sex Change at 9pm, examining the issue of hormone blockers for gender variant children in the US. What the Dickens? on Sky Arts 1 at 8.30pm. Derren Brown messes up a few heads at 11.05 on C4 with Trick of the Mind. On BBC4 at 9pm Alan Cumming talks with Liza Minelli amongst others about what it was about in Berlin during the 1920s in The Real Cabaret at 9pm. The Ballet Boyz on Sky Arts 2 at 8pm. Vintage Graham Norton on Dave at11.40pm Thursday, while Robert Mapplethorpe features 1.05am Skay Arts 1. There’s a ghastly gay couple in the farcical Benidorm on ITV1 at 9pmFriday.

Ongoing
LGBT issues are often debated in The Big Questions on BBC1 at 10am Sunday. Will and Grace at 9am and Come Dine with Me on Saturday and Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 10.40. There is a black gay man and the vampires have "come out" in True Blood on C4 at 10pm Wednesday but it is a crock of s**t to be honest.

Films
Rocky Horror Picture Show on Indie Sunday at 10.40am and 8.15pm. Cabaret on BBC4 at 10.30pm Tuesday and Drew Barrymore in Firestarter onITV4 at 11.10pm. Rupert Everett camps it up as headmistress in St Trinians on Screen 1 at 10.10pm Wednesday. Mamma Mia on Screen 1 at 8pm Friday.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 17th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops. 71 and 83
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in north Northumberland. Call the rescue services.
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents
BBC Radio 4 - 4: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: Daphne du Maurier – Frenchman’s Creek

Sunday 18th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: John Barrowman. Standing in for Elaine Page.
BBC Radio 2 - 5: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 6.06am: Something Understood: on bullying (rpt 11.30pm)
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 10am: The Archers Omnibus - Ian has been the victim of a homophobic attack
BBC Radio 4 - 11.15am: Desert Island Discs: illustrator Jan Pienkowski
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30pm Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 10pm: The News Quiz

Monday 19th
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30pm: Anaysis. Edward Stuorton on gay denier and Holocaust denier Ahmedinajad of Iran

Tuesday 20th
BBC Radio 4 - 9.30am: Parting Shots. Matthew Parris on British ambassadors

Wednesday 21st
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns
BBC Radio 4 - 1.30pm: The Media Show. Should mention the recent Internet storm around the Jan Moir article on Stephen Gately's death in the Daily Mail.

Thursday 22nd
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in Northumberland. I was there for 16 years!
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies

Friday 23rd
BBC Radio 2 - 7pm: Bassey! The Dame speaks of her gay fan base
BBC Radio 4 - 11am: Terry Nutkins in The Ring of Bright Water. In which author Gavin Maxwell’s homosexuality becomes an issue
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org

Radio Drama: Turing’s Test

2009-10-16T08:43:00.002+01:00

History Boys and Desperate Romantics star Samuel Barnett plays Second World War Enigma code breaker Alan Turing in a new radio drama part of a pioneering experiment between The Independent and award-winning production company Made in Manchester (MIM).

Turing’s Test is a fictional take on what might have been going through Turing’s mind in his dying moments after he’d eaten the apple laced with cyanide in 1954.

Just a few weeks ago, Alan Turing, often referred to as the father of modern computer science, received a posthumous apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the persecution he suffered at the hands of the state for being gay in the 1950s.

In Turing’s Test, Alan is confronted by a ‘machine’ (played by Paul Kendrick – Consenting Adults, BBC4) about why he’s taken his life and about the future consequences of his pioneering computer work.

Roger Alton, Editor of The Independent, said: "Alan Turing was one of the great British heroes of the 20th Century, and whose death is a terrible scar on British justice. It is a great privilege to make this new drama available on The Independent website, and is part of the great tradition of innovation which has always characterised The Independent."

Turing’s Test will be downloadable from The Independent website from Saturday 24 October.

Turing’s Test is written by Phil Collinge and Andy Lord and stars Samuel Barnett as Alan Turing and Paul Kendrick as ‘the machine’. It is directed by Mike Heath and Neil Gardner and is produced by Ashley Byrne and Iain Mackness. It is a Made in Manchester/Dark Smile Production.

A Day In Hand Honoured

2009-10-15T09:36:00.000+01:00

A Day in Hand, LGBT History Month's sister campaign, has been awarded the prestigious Sheila McKechnie Foundation Award for Social Inclusion.

The Foundation is the UK’s only charity dedicated to connecting, informing and supporting campaigners. The awards aim to recognise individuals who are campaigning on issues that matter, locally and globally.

The awards were presented by Jon Snow (Channel 4 news) and Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty) and the winners were invited to 10 Downing Street on October 7th, to meet the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. A video of the award ceremony is available on the Sheila McKechnie Foundation website here.

David Watkins (A Day in Hand coordinator) said “It’s great that an activist who fights for LGBT rights is being recognised by the Prime Minister. Homophobia is a human rights issue and increasing visibility of LGBT couples will help to ultimately challenge discrimination. Gaining support from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and the Prime Minister enables me to more visibly fight for the rights of LGBT people to express their love openly in public without fear of abuse.”

The winners of the awards meet the Prime Minister.

Keith Goddard Dies

2009-10-14T09:05:00.000+01:00

Keith Goddard
1960 - 2009

Keith Goddard, campaigner for Gays and lesbians of Zimbabwe has died, aged 49. Goddard risked life to campaign for the freedom of LGB people in Mugabe's regime and elsewhere in Africa.

Peter Tatchell, his friend, writes:

Members of the British LGBT human rights group OutRage! extend their condolences to our comrades in Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and to the family and friends of Keith Goddard, following his illness and tragic death on 9 October 2009.

He was a true hero of the freedom struggle in Zimbabwe, and made a major contribution to GALZ’s campaigns and successes over a period of nearly two decades.

OutRage! is very proud and honoured to have worked with Keith and GALZ from the early 1990s onwards, supporting their many struggles against the homophobia and tyranny of the Mugabe / ZANU-PF regime.

We stood with Keith and his courageous GALZ comrades as they resisted state harassment, defended individual LGBT people, demanded their rightful place at successive Book Fairs and defied President Mugabe’s many public theats and attacks on LGBT Zimbabweans.

When OutRage! attempted its two citizen’s arrests of President Robert Mugabe, in London in 1999 and in Brussels in 2001, Keith offered his congratulations. He reported that these attempts had a huge positive effect inside Zimbabwe. They prompted, he said, the Zimbabwean media to interview GALZ many times over and to report LGBT human rights issues to an extent that had rarely, if ever, happened before. Keith was usually the GALZ person interviewed and he used these media opportunities very effectively to challenge homophobic ignorance and prejudice – and to eloquently set out the case for equality.

Politically astute and a highly effective campaign strategist, Keith built links with other human rights activists in Zimbabwe in a successful bid to put LGBT equality at the heart of the mainstream Zimbabwean human rights movment. He and his GALZ comrades have done magnificent work to build broad support for LGBT rights in a future post-ZANU-PF Zimbabwe, when Mugabe is history.

On a personal level, Keith was an immensely kind, generous, supportive, warm-hearted person. I remember some wonderful, enjoyable evenings with him during his periodic visits to London.

A non-sectarian bridge-builder, he despised personal attacks and infighting. He was supportive of myself and OutRage! at times when others were not . In 2007, a number of African LGBT activists were goaded by false allegations into a signing a letter denouncing us. Keith refused. He knew, from many years of working with OutRage!, that these allegations were untrue. We were very grateful for Keith’s honourable stand against political sectarianism.

Keith was also, like all GALZ activists, very brave: unafraid to take a public stand for LGBT human rights, despite police and government repression. He risked his liberty and life many times, speaking out against homophobia and transphobia, even though this marked him as a potential target for state and vigilante violence. The danger of kidnapping, arrest, imprisopnment, torture and murder never deterred him.

Keith will be remembered as a pioneer and hero of the LGBT liberation struggle in Africa.

We salute him.

Peter Tatchell, OutRage!, London, UK

San Marinian Secretary of State Probed for Alleged Discrimination

2009-10-13T21:04:00.000+01:00

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San Marino, Antonella Mularoni, was interviewed today (13th October 2009) by the San Marinian Equal Opportunities Commission about the decision to revoke Federico Podeschi from the role of Honorary Consul to San Marino in Wales.

Honorary Consul Podeschi was allegedly discriminated against by the Secretary Mularoni back in March 2009. The Consul had been admonished for issuing a press release as President of LGBT San Marino, a community group that campaigns for the rights of LGBT people. In the press release, he reminded governments that signed the Universal Declaration on Human Rights of their responsibility to protect all citizens from discrimination and incitement to hatred such as that released by the Pope for Christmas 2008.

Shortly after, Federico Podeschi received an invitation in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of the LGBT Excellence Centre Wales to celebrate LGBT History Month with Gordon Brown at Downing Street. Secretary Mularoni, however, insisted that Mr Podeschi refuse the invitation from the Prime Minister. This was not within the powers of the Secretary to request and she gave no explanation as to why Consul Podeschi should not attend. Mr Podeschi attended the event in a personal and professional, rather than diplomatic, capacity.

Within a matter of days, the Secretary had asked the government to revoke Mr Podeschi's diplomatic title - a move that provoked much political and press comment. When pressed, Secretary Mularoni declared to the press that the relationship of trust with the Consul came to an end because Federico Podeschi had “violently attacked” another head of state (the Pope). She also accused Mr Podeschi of disobeying orders that had been given, but did not reveal what those orders might have been.

On 10th July, Federico Podeschi was called to give his version of the facts to the Commission for Equal Opportunities in the Republic that has the role to establish whether the decision of the Secretary Mularoni was justified or whether she discriminated against Consul Podeschi on the grounds of his sexual orientation.

An important and high profile role for the Commission at the meeting today will be to establish whether a head of state can be guilty of illegal discrimination against another government official. The case could in fact have repercussions on human rights and discrimination case law for gay people around the globe.

Today is National Coming Out Day in the US

2009-10-11T08:26:00.002+01:00

The day aims at raising awareness of the LGBT community with the general public in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement.

National Coming Out Day is celebrated on October 12, in the UK.

Find out more on Wikipedia, here.

Stephen Gately Dies

2009-10-11T07:26:00.002+01:00

Stephen Gately
1976 - 2009

The singer and actor Stephen Gately, a member of the Irish boyband Boyzone, was discovered dead on 10 October 2009 while on holiday in Majorca. He was 33.

Stephen Gately - Wikipedia
Boyzone's Stephen Gately is dead - BBC News
Boyzone star Stephen Gately found dead - The Times
Boyzone's Stephen Gately was no pioneer but he broke other barriers, The Guardian

LGBT related Radio and TV Programmes, 10th - 16th October

2009-10-10T09:48:00.000+01:00

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.

Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.

Enjoy!

Owt on’t’telly?

A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.

Warning: This is a terrible week for LGBT representation on TV. But for Graham Norton and Paul O’Grady we’re clutching at straws. There’s no initiative or imagination; just repetition of old formulae.

TV
New
An evening of Edith Piaf on Sky Arts 2 on Saturday evening and What the Dickens? with Sandi Toksvig at 8pm Sky Arts 1. On Sunday there’s Alan Carr: Tooth Fairy Live repeated on Comedy Central at 11pm. On Monday Ugly Betty is on C4 at 10pm; at the same time Benidorm is repeated on ITV2. The Graham Norton Show gets its a**e wiped and is moved to BBC1 at 10.35 on Monday. Matt Lucas guests on Paul O’Grady on Tuesday C4 at 5pm, while Ru Paul Drag Race airs again on E4 at 11. What the Dickens? is on Sky Arts 1 again at 9.30am.
On Wednesday Nigel Slater produces Simple Suppers on BBC1 at 7.30pm. Tracey Chapman on Bio at 8.30. Soft Cell and The Pet Shop Boys on the retro Synth Britannia on BBC4 Friday at 9pm. The Ballet Boyz do Swan Lake on Sky Arts 2 at 10pm.

Ongoing
LGBT issues are often debated in The Big Questions on BBC1 at 10am Sunday. Will and Grace at 9am and Come Dine with Me on Saturday and Sunday on C4. Paul O’Grady Show every day at 5pm on C4. Gok Wan on How to Look Good Naked C4 8pm Tuesday and Derren Brown at 10.40. Benidorm on ITV1 at 9pm Friday.

Films
Sunday’s good if you’re up for camp: Mamma Mia on Comedy at 8pm; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Classics at6.25pm; and Meet Me in St Louis at 6.50pm on TCM. On Monday Rupert Everett stars alongside Kathy Bates inUnconditional Love on Film4 at 6.45pm and X-Men is trotted out again on Screen 1 at 8. The gorgeous and under-used Roddy MacDowell stars in It at 11.25pm TCM Tuesday. Lesbian passion in India in Fire at 4pm Thursday onIndie. X-Men yet again on Modern Greats at 8pm Friday and hippy students go bi in Paris in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers on Film4 at 12.55.

Radio
Please also note that Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour contains a lot of relevant content and is generally LGBT friendly, but a lot of its output is not available to us before we put this on the site. For the latest Woman’s Hour stuff, subscribe to the programme's newsletter here.

Saturday 10th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Dale Winton’s Pick of the Pops. 65 and 78
BBC Radio 2 - 6: Going Out with Alan Carr
BBC Radio 2 - 8: Paul Gambaccini US Hits
BBC Radio 4 - 6.07am: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in north Northumberland
BBC Radio 4 - 10.30: Robin Hood and the Cuban Revolutionaries. Or how Errol Flynn got along with Che Guevara
BBC Radio 4 - 12.30pm: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Weekend Woman’s Hour
BBC Radio 4 - 5.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davis
BBC Radio 4 - 8: Archives on 4: When Bailey Met Warhol. New York meets East End in 1973
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: Daphne du Maurier – Frenchman’s Creek

Sunday 11th
BBC Radio 2 - 1pm: Elaine Page. With a Bit of Lion King with Elton
BBC Radio 2 - 5pm: Paul O’Grady
BBC Radio 4 - 7.05am: Sunday. Religious programme that often deals with LGBT issues
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: Last Word. Weekly obituary that has included LGBT figures in the past
BBC Radio 7 - 7.30pm: The Frankie Howerd Show
BBC Radio 4 - 10: The News Quiz

Tuesday 13th
BBC Radio 2 - 10.30pm: Le Chanson de Serge – The Serge Gainsbourg Story. Malcolm McLaren presents. LGBT content unknown
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: The Choice, Michael Buerk interviews Stuart Howarth, who killed his own stepfather after years of child abuse
BBC Radio 4 - 4.30pm: A Good Read. Gay Independent journalist Johann Hari joins a panel that discusses their favourite paperbacks

Wednesday 14th
BBC Radio 4 - 11.30am: Hut 33: Know Thine Enemy. Sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1942. LGBT content unknown
BBC Radio 4 - 8pm: The Moral Maze. The cut-throat debate that often touches on LGBT issues returns

Thursday 15th
BBC Radio 2 - 11pm: Suzi Quatro. 70’s Country Music episode includes Anne Murray
BBC Radio 4 - 9am: In Our Time. Melvyn Bragg heads a discussion around the change from Elisabeth I to James I
BBC Radio 4 - 3pm: Ramblings. Clare Balding is still in Northumberland. Call the rescue services
BBC Radio 4 - 8.30: The Bottom Line. Evan Davies
BBC Radio 4 - 11pm: Pick-ups. Comedy set in a Manchester cab firm. LGBT content unknown

Friday 16th
BBC Radio 2 - 7pm: Bassey!
BBC Radio 4 - 2.15: Afternoon Play: A Dose of Fame. A play that deals with E.M. Forster coming to terms with the fact that he was gay
BBC Radio 4 - 4pm: Last Word
BBC Radio 4 - 6.30: The News Quiz. Sandi Toksvig presents. Sue Perkins guests
6 Music - 7pm: Tom Robinson
BBC Radio 7 - 7pm: Round the Horne

Local and online

For a global classification of queer radio on line:
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=gay&so=26,52,78 and
http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=Lesbian
Gay Internet Radio Live (G.I.R.L.) is on the air 24 hours a day with dance music from the US at www.gayinternetradiolive.com.

Wythenshaw 97.2 FM, a community radio station, airs a lesbian and gay radio magazine programme once weekly, according to Out North West Magazine published by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester. Podcast http://www.tuesdaynightout.co.uk/

GayRadio-UK is a new online radio station in Blackpool and promises a variety of LGBT programming. The audio stream is at www.gayradiouk.com. Guests iunclude lesbian actress Amanda Barrie, gay icon Su Pollard and radical actor Richie Tomlinson. Daily programmes are uploaded at the most popular gay podcast site on the net, Feast of Fun www.feastoffools.net, with a speech based programme of LGBT guests, news digest and light-hearted discussion.

Galaxy North East
Monday-Friday 4-7pm: James Barr

BBC Radio Manchester - 95.1 and online
Every Monday 8pm: The Gay Hour, Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards

BBC London - 94.9 and online
Monday – Friday 3-5pm: Danny Baker. With Amy Lamé or Baylen Leonard

Gaydar Radio - Brighton, London DAB and online 24/7

Manchester’s gaydio www.gaydio.co.uk

FYI Radio (gay youth radio) - online (currently only podcast but soon to grow to a fully fledged station) www.fyiradio.net

www.pinkeradio.com

Last Tuesday of the month - 6pm
Out in South London - local LGBT radio show with Rosie Wilby and guests
Listen online at www.southcityradio.org