Lip Service Finale Party

Lebilicious reports that the BBC Three Drama Lip Service will be having a finale party in Glasgow with 'the Cop' (which is kinda cool, shame no Tess who is my fave) on 16 November.

Heather Peace isn't just an actress, she'll also be revealing her musical skills in a short acoustic set, followed by a DJ set of Grrrly classics by Pretty Ugly DJs – the Guardian Guide’s pick as Glasgow’s best club night.

Tickets are free but you have to obtain them in advance from www.greatlezbritain.co.uk

Did Anyone Notice the Lesbians?

I'm acutely conscious that I never devote enough stores to lesbian audiences. I try but I know I'm just not good enough. However, it seems I'm not the only one. The fabulous webzine Lesbilicious reported earlier in the week on the marriage between Kelly McGillis (of Top Gun fame) "marrying" her partner in a civil union in New Jersey. The story also has a pic from the ceremony. It left me wondering - given the recent civil partnership of Mary Portas (Queen of Shops fame) also seemed to pass fairly quietly, why do we barely notice these Lesbian events? If it's a famous gay male celeb it's all over the place but Lesbian life events seem comparatively under-reported. Maybe this is just down to my perception of a gay man? What's your opinion?

Identity Focus: SM Dykes

The 'dyke' will be considered as a separate post on 'identity' but given a forthcoming conference on the subject, it seemed good timing to mention 'SM Dykes'. A variance of the dyke - what we traditionally thought of as 'a butch' lesbian identity but which might also be thought of as assertive - or firm, the SM Dyke identity is therefore perhaps a natural extension, embracing sado-masochistic play. You can find out about a Manchester based group that offers a safe and supportive environment for SM Dykes here. The site also has an excellent resources section on further reading.

I've pasted in details of the forthcoming International Women's SM Conference below. You can register/read full details at this link.

Friday 28th - Monday 31st May 2010

2 whole days of workshops, discussions and a chance to get together with other like-minded women and transguys. Oh, and buffet lunches and tea, coffee and soft drinks are also included. Plus, new this year, brunch on Monday before you head home!

Evening entertainment consists of an auction and cabaret on Friday, Lash for Lasses, Manchester's regular women-and-transman-only SM and fetish night, on Saturday night and the main play party on Sunday.

The prices this year are as follows:
Auction (Friday evening) £4 (SM Dykes Manchester members price £3.50)
Workshops (1 day - Saturday or Sunday) £28 (£26 members)
Workshops (2 days) £51 (£46 members)
Lash for Lasses (Saturday evening) £5 (special conference price, no members discount)
Main play party (Sunday evening) £12 (£11 members)
Brunch (Monday) £15 (special conference price, no members discount)

Full conference package £67 (£62 members)
Full conference package + brunch £82 (£77 members)

If funds are a problem for you then contact us and we'll see if we can work something out. Payment details will be sent with your confirmation email.

The workshop programme, including descriptions of the workshops and biographies of the presenters is now available.

SM Dykes Manchester would like to thank all those who have generously donated to the auction.

The conference is open to all women, regardless of sexuality, and to FtMs, intersexed and genderqueer people who feel that they still have links to the women's community.

Lesbians and 'Corrective' Rape

Sky News is carrying a horrendous story about the 'corrective' rape of Lesbians in South Africa. According to the piece, 'Sky News has found evidence of widespread abuse against the lesbian community - resulting in a new trend of so-called "corrective rape".' Read the full story here.

The Curious Straight Girl

There's been lots written about the straight man who finds himself dabbling in a bit of sexual fun with a same sex friend but much less focus on the 'striaght girl' who experiments with her sexuality. The fabulous Lesbian web magazine Lesbilicious recently focusses on this and offers '5 reasons to give straight girls a break'. It's worth a look and can be read here.

Miss Gay UK 2009

I've also been amiss in reporting the final of Miss Gay UK 2009 (and of course the Newcastle Mr Gay UK winner is on Big Brother - and familiar to many of us in the NE).

Charlie Lloyd from Liverpool lifted the Crown and was "Voted Miss Gay Uk 2009". Sorry for the blurry pic but it's all I could find.

Runners up place went to Louise Lennox from Dublin.

Joint 3rd Charlene Hunter from Belfast and Sarah Bandana from Oldham.

Charlie gets a photo-shoot at leading model agency "Nemesis" in Manchester, owned by former Take That manager Nigel Martin Smith.
A photo session with G3 magazine in London.
A beauty and hair make over at Barnet and Urban Retreat in Harvey Nichols.
An IPOD from Vanilla and a meal for 2 at Taurus.

Equality Bill 2009

The Government's new Equality Bill has it's first reading on Monday and LGBT Labour are asking for views on the bill via Twitter as part of an apparent effort by Labour to promote something that isn't to do with the economy. They are running with the slogan 'Make Equality a duty, not an option' which will do much to tackle the ever growing vision of a controlling Government. Meh, perhaps not.

It even has it's own campaign website which can be viewed here. Given there wasn't much of a campaign for the bill the Government now appears to be manufacturing a campaign for the bill, which they will then satisfy as if by magic with this wonderful bill. To be fair to Harriet Harman in particular the bill does include some provisions that have been floated for some time but they've been pulled into a rag bag that is the Equality Bill.

The bill apparently focuses upon two aspects of the LGBT agenda - bullying in schools and transgender equality. Teachers will have to promote equality. That seems a sensible aim but what does that mean - what about someone who challenges civil partnerships and marriage on queer lines? What scope is there for questioning? I'm keen to see how the legislation has been drafted on that issue. Yes, school bullying is an important issue and as a former school governor, I'm well aware of the importance of anti-bullying policies but the Government needs to make sure it helps schools, teachers, parents and LGBT youth rather than introducing a well meaning but badly drafted clause that fails to help.

'Gender reassignment' will be covered in the Goods and Services legislation. I'm not sure what that exactly means but it sounds a sensible step. I did have some serious concerns about the Goods and Services legislation but I have to admit they do not appear to have been realised. That said, nor do they appear to have made a major impact.

The bill will also apparently include provision to amend 'the laws surrounding discrimination and incitement to hatred will be extended to cover ‘affiliation’ with the transgender community. Given that transphobic discrimination occurs just as much to those considering or beginning gender reassignment as to those who have already undergone reassignment, this will be an important part of tackling inequality and levelling-up the law to align with other forms of protection'.

Again, this sounds interesting and I'll be keen to see how the legislation is finally drafted.

Making Babies and Deconstructing the Family

The Guardian family section carried an interesting piece yesterday written by Catherine Hall. Catherine is trying to start something of an unconventional family, having moved to London from Milan last September with her friend who is a gay man. She is a lesbian. Together, they are seeking to conceive a child. It might sound faintly like the dreadful Madonna film, 'The Next Best Thing' but it gets a little more complex and the article is a fascinating exploration of deconstructing the family model. It can be read here.

The Essential Dykes

Alison Bechdel was interviewed in the Guardian yesterday. It's really an interview to flog a new book - The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For' but makes for interesting reading.

LGBTQQI

Julie Bindel wrote a fantastic piece in the Guardian yesterday. She argued that as a lesbian she 'no longer want[s] to be lumped in with a list of folk defined by 'odd' sexual practices. She notes with some flare, the evolution of the term 'LGBTQQI' (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer, Questioning and Intersex). On a personal level I have sympathy with her although I find any of the labels troublesome which I guess makes me queer (which is a sort of paradox in itself but that's quite enough for a Sunday morning...). On a political level, as I learnt at the recent LGBT lives conference, it does make a difference to the battle for equality. Trans rights are seen as having progressed further in Scotland than England & Wales due to their inclusion in LGB activism. The 'T' seems to make a big difference.

All this follows the Stonewall awards and the nomination of Julie Bindel for an award. According to Pink News: 'Activists from transsexual, transgender and queer organisations from London, Liverpool and Manchester held a noisy protest against "Stonewall's refusal to withdraw their nomination of Julie Bindel for Journalist of the Year, a journalist know for her anti-trans opinions and writings."'. The full list of awards can be viewed here.

For the protesters, Stonewall simply doesn't reflect their interests but then it doesn't really pretend to. It is focused around lesbians, gay me and bisexuals and as I've long argued I don't think it even does that particularly well. I wish they'd start sticking their neck out on the subject of public sex and then men who engage in it (whatever label they ascribe to themselves) but because that doesn't produce the same cosy images as civil partnerships I doubt they will do.

Yet for all of that, there is a real danger that the coalition that has enabled the progress that has been made on LGBT rights comes unstuck and that wouldn't help anyone. Like Bindel I don't like being lumped into this one group but I like the alternative even less.

Fertilisation Bill Passed

Sorry I've not updated this blog for a little while. Last Wednesday the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was passed by the House of Lords giving new rights to same sex female parents. Interestingly, Pink News has picked up on some of the less than enlightened comments made in the chamber.

To Be a Lesbian - Gender Performativity and Lesbianism in 2008

There's a really interesting feature in the latest Diva magazine. The piece explores modern day lesbian identity with the strap-line: 'Why we prefer heels and pumps to hob-nail boots'. The piece, drawing on interviews with numerous glamorous high profile lesbians argues that the last ten years have seen a shift in identity with an increased feminisation of lesbian identity. It states at one point: 'In 2008, the default look for most lesbians is noticeably more feminine than at any other time in our history'. This seems particularly interesting when there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that there are more camp men - so this appears to be more complicated than simply putting gender perfomativity down to legal reform.

This fascinating story contrasts with the cover of Diva. The August issue features a photo shoot with The L Word's Daniela Sea and includes one pic on the cover. I've used it as the image to the right - what do you think? More feminine, whatever feminine is?

DIVA Drugs Survey

The lesbian magazine, Diva is currently undertaking a survey of drug use amongst lesbians. It's the first ever study to consider 'chicks on speed' or 'lesbians on ecstasy' (as the magazine terms it) but it's actually some important work. The stuff around guys on Crystal Meth has been well documented both in academic scholarship and popular culture - through magazines and TV shows yet our images of LGBT drug use revolve around the image of you young slim gay guy. Lesbians have really been absent from this picture of criminality and so this survey should produce some interesting results. The survey can be completed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=sF84g1soKIRPJxRmC17TpQ_3d_3d