PHOTOGRAPHER Ian Courtier http://iancourtier.photodeck.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Simon Adams, Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, Adrian Brown, Suchi Chatterjee, Stella Dickinson, Craig Hanlon-Smith, Samuel Hall, Enzo
Marra, Carl Oprey, Eric Page, Del Sharp, Gay Socrates, Brian Stacey, Michael Steinhage, Sugar Swan, Glen Stevens, Duncan Stewart, Craig Storrie, Mike Wall, Netty Wendt, Roger Wheeler, Kate Wildblood
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Sophie Cook, Ian Courtier, Tyrone Darling, Graham Hobson Photography (Captain Cockroach), James Ledward, Jack Lynn,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Email your letter to the editor: info@gscene.com
THANK YOU TO THE RAINBOW FUND
I would like to thank the Rainbow Fund for awarding Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard a grant in this year ’ s awards to set up the Rainbow Café, a new initiative for LGBT people living with dementia and their friends, families and carers.
This exciting new project will be up and running in early 2018 and will provide a vital service for those in our community living with memory loss or who have been diagnosed with dementia For the Switchboard team it also gives us the opportunity to show that we are more than just a helpline. We would also like to thank the Rainbow Fund and Chris Gull for organising the first LGBT & HIV Summit and bringing together all the LGBT+ groups together to talk about the work that we all do and look at creative ways that we can work together It was a good day with lots of things to think about A final thank you must to be given to the Brighton Hilton Metropole Hotel for their hospitality at the
Rainbow Awards ceremony and to Lola Lasagne and Zoe Lyons for giving up their time to compere. For those interested in Switchboard’s Rainbow Café, please watch this space
Many thanks, Daniel Cheesman, on behalf of the Switchboard Team
RAINBOW CHORUS TO THE RESCUE
Rainbow Chorus volunteers recently responded to a call-out from Lunch Positive, the HIV Charity, to help prepare a fundraising buffet for 250 people.
The buffet, for Sussex Partnership NHS Trust Member's meeting on November 19, raised £2,000 for Lunch Positive, the weekly HIV Lunch Club, that provides a healthy community meal, peer support, advice and information, and a safe and supportive social space for people with HIV
Ten volunteers from Rainbow Chorus enthusiastically responded, and joined together with Lunch Positive volunteers, members and supporters to provide 16 freshly
prepared cold dishes, all of which had a real wow factor at the event, with diners all commenting on how fantastic the food was! We are so grateful to Rainbow Chorus who responded so brilliantly to our call-out for help preparing this buffet. This is the largest event we have catered for. It has been an important fundraiser for us, and the Rainbow Chorus’ support meant not only that we could successfully fulfil the order for food, but importantly that our own volunteer team had the available time and capacity to fundraise for such a large event whilst still preparing and delivering the weekly HIV lunch club at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church.
It was fantastic working with Rainbow Chorus volunteers. They are such a cooperative, enthusiastic and happy group of people, and a real pleasure to spend time with They worked so very hard, and we are hugely grateful This response to our callout is a genuine example of how community responds when there’s a need
A community in action!
Gary Pargeter, Lunch Positive Service Manager
WHICH GAY BARS ALLOW E-CIGARETTES?
I don’t know if you ’ ve done this previously and I haven’t seen it in any recent publishing, but have you considered running an article about which gay bars in Brighton & Hove allow or do not permit ecigarettes?
I ask due to a recent incident in a local gay bar where people were using them but when I asked the barman if they were allowed he said “No“, but when I asked the people who were using them some said they had been told it was okay
Personally, I can’t abide smoking and was very pleased when it was banned. The introduction of the ecigarette is annoying as it does smell unpleasant.
I think bars should have a clear policy regarding the use of ecigarettes as it would impact on my (and a lot of people I know) decision to use that bar. Yours sincerely, Steve Brooks
CHARLES STREET BAR TO CHANGE NAME
After 17 years being a main stay of the Brighton LGBT+ commercial scene, Charles Street bar will be holding a closing down par ty from 7.30pm on Sunday, November 12 called “Sally says - Drink Us Dr y!” with special guest cabaret from Cinebra
SALEEM HADDAD WINS POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE
) The venue will be closed to the public for the following four weeks to undergo a major refurbishment Chris Marshall the General Manager, said: “ When Charles Street first opened back in 2000, it caused quite a stir and quickly became known for its decor, premium products and service - so in many ways we’re going to take it back to its roots ”
The venue reopens as the Charles Street Tap on the evening of Monday, December 11, with a VIP launch weekend from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 December
Chris continued: “ We’re going to keep on doing what we’re so proud of, such as award-winning cabaret and DJ nights - but we’re going to add so much more - hence the name change, or rather addition It’s going to be the same venue but in many ways also a new LGBT+ venue!”
As the name suggests Charles Street Tap will specialise in craft beers and ales, but also premium gin and cocktails There will be an extensive new food menu served from 10am to 10pm daily
But what of the refurb itself? Well, Chris is keeping his cards close to his chest at the moment “It’s going to be a quite a surprise I think for a lot of people - it's far from just a lick of paint as you would expect from a four-week close and there's going to be lots of changes and additions to the bar “ We’re covering everything from the basement toilets right up through the building and outside too! We’ll be almost doubling the amount of seating, which has meant quite a bit of creativity from the designers to achieve - but its pretty impressive what they’ve done I have to say It’s going to be very Brighton!”
ABIGAIL’S PARTY RAISES FUNDS FOR LGBTQ MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY
) Bear-Patrol and Bedford Tavern raised £305 56 for MindOut the LGBTQ Mental Health Service at their Abigail's Par ty fundraiser on October 6
Adam, the owner of the Bedford Tavern, playing the role of Beverley to perfection, served cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks, quiche, nuts and olives and following a disaster in the kitchen with the vol au vents, prawn mayonnaise on french bread, as everyone watched the iconic drama on big screens Special thanks to the volunteer buckets shakers on the night, Graeme Atack and David Crow who made sure everyone put their hands in their pockets and contributed to a good cause
STAGE DOOR WITH SPICE ON RADIO REVERB
) Local performer and gender discombobulator Spice is taking to the airwaves! Spice is presenting a new weekly radio show focusing on Brighton's cabaret and drag scene
Stage Door features music from the stage and screen, interviews with local performers, and plenty of laughs! You will also hear news and reviews of shows and performances happening in Brighton & Hove
Tune in every Thursday at 4pm on R adio R everb at 97.2 FM, on DAB digital radio and online at: radioreverb.com, where you can also catch up with all previous shows
Stage Door is sponsored by Bar Broadway
) Saleem Haddad, Kuwaitbor n, London-based, has been named the 2017 winner of the Polari First Book Prize for his novel Guapa (Europa Editions UK) He received the prestigious award at a ceremony held in London’s Southbank Centre as par t of the London Literature Festival Now in its seventh year, the Prize is awarded annually to a writer whose first book explores the LGBT experience, whether in poetr y, prose, fiction or non-fiction
Paul Burston, Chair of judges, said:
“Guapa offers an intimate, complex por trait of gay life in the A rab w orld, a subject rarely explored in fiction
It’s poetic, politically daring, beautifully w ritten and marks the arriv al of an exciting new v oice ”
Haddad’s debut emerged victorious from a strong shor tlist which included Ex pecting by Chitra R amaswamy (Saraband), We Go A round In The Night A nd A re Consumed By Fire by Jules Grant (Myriad), Straight Jacket by Matthew Todd (Bantam), The Vegetarian Tigers of Paradise by Cr ystal Jeans (Honno) and Jerusalem A blaze by Orlando Or tega-Medina (Cloud Lodge)
Saleem Haddad was bor n in Kuwait City to a Lebanese-Palestinian father and an Iraqi-Ger man mother, and was educated in Jordan, Canada and the United Kingdom He has worked as an aid worker in Yemen, Syria, Libya, Lebanon and Iraq His writing has appeared in Slate, the L os A ngeles R ev iew of Books and T he Daily Beast, among other publications He cur rently lives in London
Judges for the 2017 prize included chair Paul Burston author, jour nalist and host of Polari Literar y Salon; R achel Holmes, author and for mer Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre; Suzi Feay literar y critic; VG Lee, author and comedian; and Alexis Gregor y, playwright, actor and producer. Polari First Book Prize par tners with WH Smiths Travel, with shor tlisted books displayed in Travel outlets nationwide The Prize is sponsored by FMcM Associates
The winner announcement coincides with a bumper series of events as the Polari Salon celebrates 10 years of championing LGBT voices, with the largest ever LBGT literar y tour under taken in the UK
Running July to December, the tour will showcase over 80 writers, including Val McDermid, Matthew Todd, Emma Flint, Neil Bar tlett and Paul Flynn
Remaining dates on the tour include: 10th Bir thday Par ty at Being a Man Festival, Southbank Centre (Nov 24); City Librar y, Newcastle (Dec 2)
WORLD AIDS DAY
The Brighton & Hove World AIDS Day (WAD) Par tnership are organising a series of events to mark World AIDS Day on Friday December 1 The par tnership includes: Aver t, BHCC Par tnership Community Safety Team, Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, Gscene, Lunch Positive, Sussex Beacon, The Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Sussex Ecumenical HIV Chaplaincy and THT.
WAD EVENTS - FRIDAY DECEMBER 1
COMMUNITY EVENTS
) REFLECT HIV-VIH: What does World Aids Day mean to you?
Drop in anytime from 12 noon–5pm Interact with a variety of reflection stations (alone or with others), to make your own personal World Aids Day journey The HIV Chaplain will be available throughout
) LUNCH POSITIVE COMMUNITY
DROP-IN, Main Hall (1st floor)
Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, Brighton Drop in anytime from 3.30–5.30pm. Friends, suppor ters, vigil readers, and everyone interested in what Lunch Positive does are invited to drop-in to the HIV lunch club This is an informal community event and Lunch Club volunteers will be on hand to make everyone welcome You’re invited to go along for tea and coffee and something tasty to eat before the World AIDS Day Vigil & Reading of Names There is no charge and Lunch Positive hope to see as many people as possible The building is fully accessible
) MEMORIAL SPACE, New Steine Gardens, Brighton Lunch Positive R efreshment Stall from 4-7pm Lunch Positive will be offering hot
drinks to everyone attending the World AIDS Day Vigil & Reading of Names
Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the evening’s events, and to take additional names of those we have lost to be read at the vigil
CANDLELIT VIGIL
) BRIGHTON AIDS MEMORIAL CANDLELIT VIGIL, New Steine Gardens, Brighton, from 6–7pm
Everyone is welcome to attend the remembrance event for those lost to HIV/AIDS in Brighton & Hove with a Reading of Names and a Candlelit Vigil Space will be available for anyone seeking quiet moments of reflection
New names to be read (in addition to those read in previous years) can be emailed to susshivchap@gmail com by November 27, or can be added to the list during the day at the Memorial Space in New Steine Gardens
CHOIRS CONCERT
) WORLD AIDS DAY CONCERT, St Mar y’s Church, St James Street, Brighton, doors open 7pm, concer t at 7.30pm with performances by the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus, Brighton Belles Women’s Chorus, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, R ainbow Chorus, R ebelles Female Voices, R esound Male Voices, Qukelele and Sweet Chilli Singers
Tickets £10, available online from www BrightonWADconcer t info and from Prowler on St James Street
All proceeds to Lunch Positive
Follow the Par tnership on Facebook@ World AIDS Day – Brighton & Hove f /worldAIDSdayBH
LGBT+ PEOPLE FACE HEALTH SERVICE BARRIERS
New research by a consortium, including University of Brighton, has uncovered inequalities, barriers and discrimination faced by LGBT+ people when accessing health services
) Researchers, exper ts and activists in LGBT+ health conducted a state-of-the-ar t review study and ran 12 focus groups in six EU Member States in a €500,000 EU-funded pilot project, Health4LGBTI
The continuing study aims to understand better health inequalities experienced by LGBT+ people and the barriers faced by health professionals when providing care to these groups
The University of Brighton’s research team, led by Dr Nigel Sherriff with Dr Laetitia Zeeman, Prof Kath Browne, and Dr Nick McGlynn, is par t of a consor tium contracted by the European Commission to explore health needs and challenges faced by LGBT+ people and to analyse barriers faced by health professionals when providing care for LGBT+ people
Dr Sherriff said: “There is strong evidence demonstrating the existence of health inequalities experienced by LGBT+ people that impact on health These are multiple and complex – they also are unjust and preventable The consortium is providing European health professionals with the appropriate tools with the aim of overcoming these barriers and reducing these inequalities ”
Countries involved in the study were Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and the UK
Findings revealed health inequalities, barriers, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics of LGBT+ people The results will be used to develop training for health professionals
The findings were corroborated by focus groups involving LGBT+ people and health professionals in the six Member States Their stories and experiences revealed a wide variety of ongoing inequalities and barriers, regardless of whether equality for LGBT+ people is suppor ted at the political level or not LGBT+ people and healthcare professionals involved agreed that mandatory training around LGBT+ issues is needed by all staff in healthcare services
The study, par t of a 24-month project launched in 2016, is funded by the European Parliament and is being carried on behalf of the European Commission
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
Root causes likely to contribute to the experience of health inequalities by LGBT+ people are:
• still prevailing cultural and social norms that assume people are non-LGBT+ by default
• minority stress associated with sexual orientation gender identity and sex characteristics
• victimisation
• discrimination (individual and institutional)
• stigma
Significant mental and physical health inequalities exist for LGBT+ people For example, LGBT+ people are at significantly higher risk of poor mental health compared to the general population which includes higher incidence of suicidal thoughts, substance misuse, anxiety, and deliberate self-harm
LGBT+ people face barriers when accessing healthcare: prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviour of healthcare staff; unequal treatment;
needs not being recognised; fear of disclosure of gender identity, sexual orientation, or sex characteristics Cases were repor ted where LGBT+ people see themselves being refused healthcare services due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics
Many health professionals lack knowledge and cultural competence concerning the lives and healthcare needs of LGBT+ people Firstly, medical literature needs to be updated, secondly, health professionals’ assumptions that people are non-LGBT+ by default; that being LGBT+ is irrelevant, and that LGBT+ people do not experience significant discrimination, can be a barrier to LGBT+ people seeking healthcare Thirdly, they can find it difficult to challenge antiLGBT+ attitudes from both colleagues and patients
Specific groups within LGBT+ (par ticularly bi, trans and intersex people) encounter their own specific barriers, and healthcare professionals’ knowledge of these groups is limited
Although scarce, in some Member States, examples of promising practice in meeting the needs of LGBT+ people are evident
The study revealed significant gaps in research on the topic and limited research with trans and intersex people to better understand their general health profile, experiences, and physical and mental health needs in relation to service provision Similarly, fur ther research that adopts an intersectional perspective on health inequalities experienced by LGBT+ people is required
Where research does exist, it showed that living in rural areas, being a migrant, refugee, and/or asylum seeker, being on a low-income, being young or old, and living with disabilities can contribute to health inequalities for LGBT+ people and have implications for access to health services
Findings and feedback about training needs are being used to develop a new training package for healthcare professionals across the EU This modular training package will expand healthcare professionals’ skills regarding LGBT+ people’s healthcare, in order to help address the barriers and inequalities identified
For more information, view: https://ec europa eu/health/social determinants/ projects/ep funded projects en#fragment2
ENTERTAINERS RAISE £4,207 FOR WORK OF SAFETY FORUM
) Dine with the Stars raised £4,207 for the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum Now in its sixth year, Dine with the Stars, the brainchild of ‘Baz’ Barr y Nelson (formerly of Queens Hotel, Queens Arms and now the Burgershack at Bar Revenge) returned to the Jur ys Inn Water front Hotel in Brighton on Thursday, October 12 for a spectacular evening of food, enter tainment, dance and fundraising
All profits from the evening were donated towards the work of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, a volunteer-led community non-profit organisation who, among the many services they provide, make Brighton & Hove Pride accessible for more than 700 people with disabilities each year
The evening hosted by Davina Sparkle, consisted of a sumptuous three-course dinner with performances by Lola Lasagne, Dave Lynn, Kara Van Park, Maisie Trollette, Sally Vate, Spice and Pooh La May, along with top vocalists Jason Lee, Gabriella Parrish, Krissie DuCann and Jennie Castell Tickets for the evening were just £29 per person with £12 going directly to the organisation totalling £2,412 A fur ther £1,195 was raised by the raffle with another £600 in the auction raising an amazing total on the evening of £4,207
For more information about the LGBT CSF, view: www lgbt-help com
GAY MEN’S CHORUS RAISE OVER £1,000 FOR RAINBOW FUND
) In recent years, during Brighton & Hove Pride, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) have suppor ted the R ainbow Fund This year was no exception and their Showtime concer t raised £1,025.85
Pictured is Maria Baker, a member of the Rainbow Fund independent grants panel presenting the BGMC with their fundraising cer tificate
Their next production, Dreaming of Christmas, is on Friday, December 15 at All Saints Church in Hove It promises to be an enchanting evening featuring new and traditional songs, including many festive favourites Tickets are £15 (£12 concession) available from the chorus website and Prowler in St James Street
For more information about the concer t, view: www brightongmc org
29% INCREASE IN HATE CRIMES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
) Home Office figures released in October reveal a 29% repor ted increase in Hate Crime in England and Wales Hate Crime conviction rates for the South East are amongst the highest in country making those responsible for Hate Crime in Kent, Surrey and Sussex much more likely to be convicted for their crimes than in other par ts of the country New figures show Crown Prosecution Ser vice (CPS) South East, which handles these types of prosecutions in the three counties, has the second highest conviction rate out of 13 CPS Areas in the country
The figures in the CPS Hate Crime A nnual Report show that, across the South East, defendants were convicted in 676 out of a total of 767 Hate Crime cases between April 2016 and March 2017, an 88 1% conviction rate The area had the country’s highest conviction rate for Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime at 90 2% and was second in the county for convictions for Racial and Religious Hate Crime, with a total of 553 out of 624 cases
Defendants responsible for Hate Crimes motivated ‘wholly or par tly’ by hostility based on perceived religion, race, sexual orientation or disability can also be given stiffer sentences by the cour t These ‘uplifted’ sentences can range from extended prison terms to longer community punishments, depending on the crime
In the South East in 2016-17, just over 60% of sentences were increased in this way, compared to the national average of 52 2%
Jaswant Nar wal from the CPS, said: “It’s really encouraging to see such a high conviction rate for hate crimes, especially as they are such an appalling type of crime, singling people out for being different, either on the basis of their race, religion, sexual orientation or disability Tackling hate crime is one of the top priorities for the CPS in Kent, Surrey and Sussex and these figures show how our staff are doing everything
they can to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice
“I hope these figures give confidence to anyone who is the victim of a Hate Crime to come forward and report it, knowing that those responsible are likely to be convicted and punished appropriately ”
The conviction rate was lower for Disability Hate Crime, with convictions in just over three quar ters of cases – 31 out of a total of 41 cases in the three counties
Jaswant added: “ We’re concerned about the low-level of reporting of Disability Hate Crime in the South East I find it hard to believe that we only had 41 cases across our whole area in a year We will be working closely with local community groups and the police over the next year to try to increase levels of reporting
“ Where anyone is experiencing Disability Hate Crime, they should feel able to come forward and report it, knowing they will be supported through the criminal justice process ”
An online suppor t guide specifically for disabled victims and witnesses of crime is available on the CPS website It was produced with suppor t from organisations that work with disabled people and explains the types of suppor t available and how people can access it It aims to remove some of the barriers disabled people can face as victims and witnesses
For information about all forms of Hate Crime, view: www cps gov uk/victims witnesses/ hate crime/
CPS South East also works with local community groups Their Local Scrutiny Involvement Panel is made up of community representatives and members of criminal justice agencies, who work together to improve the prosecution process and the service offered
They are currently looking for members of the public to join the panel, par ticularly those with a background in representing people affected by issues related to Hate Crime - disability, racial, religious, homophobic, transphobic and biphobic
For more information, email: SouthEast.Communications@cps.go v.uk
VILLAGE MCC BRIGHTON & HOVE WELCOMES NEW ASSOCIATE PASTOR
) Rev Peta Evans joins Village MCC, Brighton & Hove as their Associate Pastor They will give their first sermon at The Village on Sunday, October 8 at 6pm Rev Peta is an ordained minister, a non-binary transman, and in their secular life, a careworker and a tailor Rev Peta began their MCC journey in this city, a member of the Brighton church from 2003 to 2010 when they left to train as a clergy intern in Nor th London Peta’s training also took them to serve in MCC Newcastle, and a URC church in London where they became par ticularly involved in suppor ting LGBT+ asylum-seekers
Rev Peta said: “Returning to Brighton, I’m excited to serve again in the community which first welcomed and supported me in both my ministry journey and my gender transition I’d love to see the sincere passion and integrity of The Village MCC reach out even more widely to people of all ages, gender identities and walks of life
“I am also enthusiastic about reclaiming the Bible from those who’ve tried to
make it a weapon against those who are different, and I'm starting a group for trans people, ReTranslation, to do just that, to look at the text for themselves without past interpretations getting in the way I have a love for Celtic spirituality, which weaves together the practical and the spiritual, finding depth and delight in all things, no matter how mundane, and for creative expressions of spirituality, which I hope to share with The Village "
Rev Michael Hydes, Senior Pastor of The Village MCC
Brighton & Hove, said: “I'm looking forward to working with Rev Peta Their rootedness in Celtic Christianity and experience working in the trans communities are just two of the many gif ts they bring to their work I know we'll all be enriched by their participation in our church life and leadership within our community of faith ”
The Village MCC Brighton & Hove was created by LGBT+ Christians, their families, friends and allies It's a Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) called to suppor t LGBT+ communities however it can They worship every Sunday at 6pm at The Somerset Day Centre, 62 St James’s Street, Brighton
For more information, view: http://thevillagemcc org/
BOBO BEAR DESIGNS NEW BBW LOGO
) Organisers of Brighton Bear Weekend (BBW) have revealed that the Italian ar tist and designer, Bobo Bear, whose designs feature at bear events across the globe, will design the BBW logo for 2018 Bobo, who attended last year's BBW event in Brighton, has a huge number of followers and admirers of his unique ar twork The one-off design which will feature on all merchandising including T-shir ts and polos shir ts, will be officially launched later this year
Bobo Bear says: “I’m very excited to be asked to do next year’s logo for
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE - NOVEMBER 19
) Trans Alliance Brighton will host the annual Transgender Day of R emembrance (TDoR) for 2017 again this year at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, Brighton on Sunday, November 19 from 2–4pm
TDoR offers the oppor tunity to remember trans lives lost, and celebrate the lives of trans and non-binary people everywhere It is more impor tant than ever that we all stop to remember those who have been murdered or who have taken their own life because of hatred and transphobia
Trans Alliance Brighton invite everyone to come together and join with them to reflect, to remember, to mourn and to grieve, but also to understand how, as allies, we can all make a real difference in the fight against hatred Refreshments will be available afterwards Lunch Positive will be supplying some lovely food and drink, R ainbow Chorus the LGBT Community Choir will be singing and Switchboard will be available to provide crisis suppor t
THE MUSEUM OF TRANSOLOGY AUTUMN WEEKENDER
The Museum of Transology (MoT) Autumn Weekender in November takes place at the Brighton Museum & Ar t Galler y on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19
YOUTH DAY FOR UNDER 25s!
BBW I love Brighton and last years BBW was when I started being widely recognised and more visible in the bear community, so I feel Brighton is where everything started for me! I come from a small city by the sea in Italy and for me, Brighton feels a bit like home!”
Graham Munday, Chair of BBW, added: “We met the handsome and talented Bobo Bear last year at the store of our sponsors, Prowler, where both Bobo Bear and BBW Products were on sale We immediately recognised his talent and soon discovered what a great guy he was to hang out with as well We are all really thrilled to be working with him this year ”
You can buy Bobo Bear’s work in Prowler To check out Bobo’s website, view: www bobo-bear com
) Join YouTube trans vlogger sensations Alex Ber tie and his boyfriend Jake Edwards at the MoT Youth Day, on Saturday 18 They will answer your questions about everything from their love lives to their sex lives! Post your questions on the MoT Facebook page for a chance to win MoT t-shir ts, enamel badges, stickers, exhibition catalogues and autographed copies of Alex Ber tie’s new book Trans Mission: My Quest for a Beard Alex and Jake will choose their favourite questions and announce the winners on the day! There will also be craft workshops and exhibition tours led by Colin Lievens, Assistant Curator and Youth President of Transformers, Brighton’s for tnightly group meeting for young trans people aged 16-25
JOIN MoT SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM
) The MoT collection continues to grow, and their stories deserve to be told accessibly Anyone interested in social media or museum archiving is welcome to join their MoT Social Media Team meeting on Saturday 18 at 11am in the Museum Lab at the museum where they will continue to photograph objects and plans to digitise the collection They'll also be engaging with Alex and Jake and their 300,000 social media followers LIVE during the afternoon youth events Everyone is welcome
TRANS MORNING OF REMEMBRANCE
) To mark International Trans Day of R emembrance (TDoR), the trans community are invited to a morning of singing and flag making workshops at the Museum from 11am followed by a trans visibility walk up to the TDoR memorial service in Dorset Gardens which star ts at 2pm There will also be free tours of the Museum of Transology exhibition celebrating trans lives at 11.30am and again at 12 30pm Everyone is welcome Entry to all fully accessible events is free Simply register at Eventbrite, or just turn up!
Find out more information about the Museum of Transology on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter
WHO ’S THE BOSS BEHIND THE BAR?
This month, Morgan Fabulous popped into Kemptown to chat with Arly and Bego, owners of the newly refurbished pub, The Crown.
) The Crown, a freehold venue, offers a variety of spirits and lagers, however Arly and Bego welcome coffee and speciality tea lovers to the bar, as they feel that during the day not everybody wants to have an alcoholic drink The couple have made The Crown into the perfect hub to check emails, socialise with friends and have a refreshing beverage
Open for nearly 100 years, the new owners have been operating this new ethos at the pub for just the last five months They both laboured for two months whilst the bar was closed They planned the design and decorated the pub themselves, changing the internal décor, the selection of beer and spirits and general ‘feel’ of the bar Previously they had bought and restored a 15th Century cottage in Cambridgeshire, bringing it back to life so that the history and beauty of the house could be enjoyed by the new owners Bego said: “It was challenging but rewarding to see the final product of our hard work, and was great experience for when we refurbished the pub”
The Crown has taken over their lives but in a good way, attracting an eclectic mix of locals and visitors to Brighton, including members of the LGBT+ communities They both work behind the bar six days a week; the pub is closed on Mondays Arly says their customers are their biggest assets: “They make us laugh, leave us feeling bemused and share their wonderful life stories there’s never a dull moment ”
Two years ago, they decided on a whim that it would be nice to own a bar in Brighton When the oppor tunity presented itself for them to buy The Crown, they were able to bring their dream to reality Having never worked in a bar they’re the first to admit they’re learning as they go With help and advice from their customers, they’ve educated themselves and attended several courses to be clear on the basics and legal compliance However, it seems that their lack of experience may be a bonus as they are often told by their knowledgeable real ale drinkers that they sell the best pint of Harveys outside of Lewes!
Bego grew up in Bilbao in the Basque Country in the Nor th of Spain and graduated from the San Sebastian School of Film & Video She later came to England to study multimedia at Birmingham University, finalising her studies with a Masters in Fine Ar t Photography at London Metropolitan University She went on to work as a film/video technical adviser at Goldsmiths and University of London She likes to chill out and enjoys reading Her favourite novel is The Secret History by Donna Tar tt and during spare moments of madness she loves Rumi’s poems
Arly was born in London but grew up in New Jersey and Philadelphia in the United States She attended High School in New Jersey, and graduated from University in Philadelphia before returning to the UK where she obtained a Masters in HR and an Employment Legislation qualification Before buying The Crown she worked in HR for over 15 years on a variety of projects She enjoys cycling, doing anything spor ty and loves listening to her favourite ar tists, Tori Amos and Sarah Mclachlan
LOCAL LGBT+ SINGERS COME TOGETHER FOR WORLD AIDS DAY
) Actually Gay Men’s Chorus, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and Rainbow Chorus join forces once again to organise the annual fundraising concer t for World AIDS Day Funds raised from the concer t will be donated to Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club, who will be on hand on the night serving mulled wine and mince pies
The concer t takes place at St Mary’s Church in Kemp Town Brighton on Friday, December 1 at 7 30pm (allowing time for those attending the Candlelit Vigil close by at the AIDS Memorial statue on New Steine to pop along the road too) The three organising choirs will perform along with the Brighton Belles Women’s Chorus, Resound Male Voices, Rebelles Female Voices, Qukelele and the recently formed Sweet Chilli Singers
Vaughan Leyshon, chairman of the BGMC, said: “The World AIDS Day Charity Concert is an extremely important event in the calendar of our community and we are delighted to collaborate again with the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus and
the Rainbow Chorus The three choirs share equal responsibility in delivering an event intending to be both enjoyable and poignant at the same time All performers will donate their time for free and costs will be kept to the bare minimum so that we can raise as much as possible for Lunch Positive”
Gary Pargeter, service manager at Lunch Positive, added: "Lunch Positive is hugely grateful for the continued support of all the choirs, performers and volunteers at the annual World AIDS Day Concert The funds raised at this concert go directly towards the running costs of the HIV lunch club This fundraising concert has special relevance to people who use Lunch Positive In addition to help provide our much needed service, large numbers of our members have been bereaved through AIDS We know that the concert themes of remembrance and hope mean so much to them Thank you from all of us at Lunch Positive to everyone involved in the World AIDS Day Concert and your continued understanding of the needs of our community "
World Aids Day Concert at St Mary’s Church, St Georges Road, Kemptown, Brighton on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 7.30pm Tickets £10 online and from Prowler on St James Street, Brighton It’s highly recommended to buy tickets in advance as this concer t always sells out To book tickets online, view: www BrightonWADconcert info
RAFFLE TO HELP SAVE MADEIRA TERRACES
) To raise awareness of the plight of The Madeira Terraces, concerned residents of Kemptown got together via Facebook and organised a Grand Raffle & Auction with the aim of raising £20k for the 'Save Madeira Terraces' fund
Derek Wright, Jax Atkins and other residents have led an awareness and clean-up campaign Their passion and determination has spurred other residents and businesses alike to suppor t them This group already organises monthly de-weeding and clean up days to ensure the Terraces are not forgotten or neglected It was a natural next step to get the whole community involved with the raffle Local business have given over 250
prizes so far and are also selling the £1 raffle tickets The raffle will be drawn at The Cricketers Pub, Black Lion Street on the November 24, from 5-8pm Everyone is welcome
To see the list of prizes and to buy raffle tickets, join the 'Save Madeira Terraces Grand Raffle & Auction' on Facebook Those not using Facebook should look for posters saying 'Save Madeira Terrace Raffle Buy Your Raffle Tickets Here' in pubs, cafes, bars and some gay owned establishments
NEW STUDY INDICATES NATIONAL PREP PROGRAMME WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE
) The Lancet Infectious Diseases
have published a scholarly study into the HIV prevention treatment Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) The study indicates a UK-wide PrEP programme would be cost-effective, and could prevent up to one in four cases of HIV
In the UK, HIV incidence among men who have sex with men (MSM) has remained high for several years, despite widespread use of antiretroviral therapy and high rates of virological suppression
PrEP has been shown to be highly effective in preventing fur ther infections in MSM, but its costeffectiveness has been uncer tain
In this modelling study and economic evaluation, researchers calibrated a dynamic, individual-based stochastic model, the HIV Synthesis Model, to multiple data sources (surveillance data provided by Public Health England and data from a large, nationally representative survey, Natsal-3) on HIV among MSM in the UK
They did a probabilistic sensitivity analysis (sampling 22 key parameters) along with a range of univariate sensitivity analyses to evaluate the introduction of a PrEP programme with sexual event-based use of emtricitabine and tenofovir for MSM who had condomless anal sexual intercourse in the previous three months, a negative HIV test at baseline, and a negative HIV test in the preceding year
The main model outcomes were the number of HIV infections, qualityadjusted life-years (QALYs), and costs
The study finds the introduction of such a PrEP programme, with around 4,000 MSM initiated on PrEP by the end of the first year and almost 40,000 by the end of the 15th year, would result in a total cost saving (£1 0 billion discounted); aver t 25% of HIV infections (42% of which would be directly because of PrEP), and lead to a gain of 40,000 discounted QALYs over an 80-year time period
This result was par ticularly sensitive to the time period chosen, the cost of antiretroviral drugs (for treatment and PrEP), and the underlying trend in condomless sex
The study findings suggest that the introduction of a PrEP programme for MSM in the UK is cost-effective and possibly cost-saving in the long-term A reduction in the cost of antiretroviral drugs (including the drugs used for PrEP) would substantially shor ten the time for cost savings to be realised
Dr Michael Brady, Medical Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “One of the key arguments against PrEP has been that it will cost the NHS too much money This study firmly puts that claim to bed by demonstrating that, when appropriately targeted at those at risk of HIV, it is not only highly cost-effective but, as the price of HIV drugs falls, will actually save the NHS money in the long run Each HIV infection we prevent saves the NHS £360,000 of a lifetime of treatment and care
“The study also highlights the importance of cheaper, generic versions of PrEP, which are currently being used in NHS England’s PrEP Impact trial and have been commissioned for PrEP use in Scotland
“This cost effectiveness data underlines the importance of PrEP in the fight against HIV It is not only highly clinically effective it is also cost-effective The NHS England Impact trial, which will provide access to PrEP for 10,000 people over the next three years, is a welcome step in the right direction However, it is important that all who need PrEP can access it and evidence like this reinforces the need for PrEP to be fully commissioned and given a longterm, sustainable home on the NHS in England "
5,000 MORE GAY AND BI MEN NEEDED TO TAKE PART IN HIV SELF-TESTING STUDY
A major HIV self-testing study in England and Wales, led by UCL, has successfully reached the halfway milestone in recruiting 5,000 gay and bisexual men, and transgender people
) The SELPHI (an HIV Self-Testing Public Health Intervention) study is now calling on the community to help reach its target of 10,000 to help combat high levels of undiagnosed HIV
The trial, run by UCL, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Public Health England, seeks to discover whether providing free HIV selftests to people can reduce the number of gay and bisexual men as well as transgender people who have undiagnosed HIV Currently one in eight gay and bisexual men are living with HIV and unaware, risking their own health and passing the virus onto others
Funded by the National Institute for Health R esearch (NIHR), SELPHI is an internetbased study that is being promoted through apps such as Grindr Hornet, and Facebook, with par ticipants signing up through an online survey
Researchers hope the results of the study will help the NHS decide whether it should provide free HIV self-testing kits to help the fight against HIV The majority of people who register to join the trial will receive a free HIV self-testing kit, with selected par ticipants testing a sample of their blood at home Currently most HIV tests are conducted in sexual health clinics It is thought that some may be more likely to test, and to do so more often, using the HIV self-testing kits, because this method is more private, quick and convenient than visiting a clinic
Professor Sheena McCormack (MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL), joint study lead with Dr Alison R odger (UCL Institute for Global Health), said: “ We’re finally starting to see early signs that we are turning the tide on new HIV infections amongst gay men However, over half of men who have sex with men test less frequently than recommended and around a quarter have not done so at all This is why one in seven of those with HIV are unaware of their status
“ We know much less about HIV testing in transgender people, but we do know that this group faces additional barriers to seeking help for their sexual health HIV self-testing may meet some of these challenges and alongside developments like PrEP give us the tools we need to finally reach zero HIV infections ”
Co-researcher Michelle Gabriel (MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL), explained: “ We’ve been thrilled by the enthusiastic response from participants in SELPHI Those who have taken part have told us how much they value having a convenient and private testing method that they control Many have enjoyed using a new technology and were surprised at how easy the test was to perform We’ve also had people come forward and tell us that they really like being part of a study which will have such a major impact for public health around the world ”
Dr Rodger joint lead on the trial, added: “Although previous studies have shown that self testing is acceptable and increases uptake of testing amongst gay men, SELPHI is the first one designed to see if there is an impact on HIV diagnoses This is why this study is so important ”
The SELPHI trial is still open to recruitment now, and needs 5,000 more gay and bisexual men, and transgender people, to join the trial before the end of the year
To join the trial, view: www selphi org/
NATIONAL HIV TESTING WEEK 2017
) There are still alarming and unacceptable rates of undiagnosed HIV and late diagnoses, which perpetuate the spread of HIV in the UK However, the HIV test is a powerful tool that could help stop the epidemic in its tracks During National HIV Testing Week, co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), the charity want to create a culture shift so that regular testing becomes the norm in every community
People who know their HIV status, with early detection and effective treatment, can live long and healthy lives with the virus Taking treatment for HIV lowers the amount of virus in your blood to ‘undetectable’ levels, which stops it from damaging the immune system and means the virus cannot be passed on to other people But, too many people are missing out on HIV tests – perhaps due to fear of the result, or the assumption that they’re not at risk HIV remains an issue for everyone
Aaron, who by day lives on a canal barge out in the countryside, and by night is drag queen star Vicki Vivacious, is one of the new faces of National HIV Testing Week, and shares his story of regularly testing
“I regularly get tested for HIV, and I remember my first one like it was yesterday I was 17 and it was scary because it was the unknown I didn’t know what to expect and I was worried what other people might say if it was positive But now I know it’s so much better to test and know
“I want to be a part of this campaign to help spread awareness and educate people I work on the scene, and so I hope by having people in the campaign that people know and relate to, we can send them a message and get them testing ”
HIV testing is free, fast, confidential and has never been easier You can test in a hospital, sexual health clinic, at a community event, by post, or even at home
Give HIV the finger: a finger prick test is all it takes
National HIV Testing Week commences November 18, 2017
To find out where to get a free HIV test, or order a HIV self-test kit, view: www star tswithme org uk
BARNARDO ’S SEEK FOSTER HELP FOR DISABLED CHILDREN
) Barnardo’s Brighton & Hove Link Plus provides high quality fostering and shor t breaks for disabled children and their families They’re desperately looking for more carers from all sectors of the community who can offer anything from occasional overnight stays through to full-time fostering for children aged 0-18
If you have a love for children, a sense of humour, time, energy and patience, you could help to make a huge difference to disabled children and their families It is a rewarding role and shor t breaks give disabled children and young people the day-to-day oppor tunity to just be children
For their parents, a shor t break can go a long way in helping them to re-charge their batteries or spend time with their other children As one parent says: “a small amount of time can give a lot of fun which is hard to always give when there are other pressures of life, work and family ”
If you have the time and energy to suppor t a local disabled child and their family, Barnardos would love to hear from you They have been working in Brighton & Hove since 1988 and OFSTED have judged them to be Outstanding All applicants will undergo an assessment process and ongoing suppor t, training and supervision is provided People will need to have a spare room and an allowance is paid
For more information or an informal chat contact Vicky Lloyd or Lisa Giles on 01273 295179 or email: vicky lloyd@barnardos org uk or lisa giles@barnardos org uk
UNIVERSAL CREDIT ENTERS FINAL IMPLEMENTATION
Lunch Positive respond to Universal Credit implementation in Brighton & Hove
) As the implementation of Universal Credit enters its final stages, there are big changes ahead with the longstanding link between disability benefits and higher levels of other benefits decreasing
New claimants may be worse off and existing claimants who experience a change of circumstances can also possibly lose significant amounts of benefit Most claims need to be claimed and managed online with little or no telephone or face-to-face back up except for the most vulnerable claimants
Lunch Positive is planning its own response to these fundamental changes in the welfare benefits system, aiming to suppor t people with HIV in its own way
A group of key volunteers will under take specialist training in understanding this new benefit and will be available at lunch club sessions each Friday at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church to signpost information and specialist services to suppor t people
The lunch club will introduce additional computers for members use, with oneon-one suppor t from volunteers to help complete online claim forms and manage these claims
A new page will also be added to the Lunch Positive website giving information on key welfare benefits, including information and help to access local specialist suppor t services such as money advice workers, crisis
suppor t services, and food banks
Lunch Positive has continued to develop its own emergency food service, taking donated food from local suppliers and making it available on a weekly basis to people at the lunch club who may need it and the charity has extended its network of referrers to suppor t the supply of emergency food to people in need and crisis
Gar y Pargeter, Service Manager at Lunch Positive, said: “Many more people experience economic disadvantage and poverty than is of ten realised, including significant in-work poverty
“No one should struggle unnecessarily, and we hope that our service along with other support services will be a port of call for people when they are in need We know that many find it difficult to ask for help, to acknowledge that times are very hard, or worse
“As the people delivering Lunch Positive, we come from the HIV community, and many of us have experienced or share these challenges Please, never feel that you can’t ask for support Empathising and helping wherever the need is what drives us ”
www lunchpositive org
) Bear-Patrol coffee morning at the Amsterdam Bar & Kitchen, attended by Mayor of Brighton & Hove, raised £146
MARTIN FISHER FOUNDATION
Since its launch two years ago, the Foundation has been working hard with partners to develop the Towards Zero HIV Strategy for Brighton & Hove and has led, with Brighton & Hove City Council, the successful application for the city to become the first United Nations (UNAIDS) Fast Track City in the UK. This has been on the back of exciting news around the reduction in the number of new cases of HIV and further improvements in the number of people living with HIV who are on effective treatment In partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and community stakeholders, the Foundation is now moving to implement the strategy and seeks the support of both individuals and organisations across the city to take this exciting work forward!
) The Martin Fisher Foundation has been set up to take forward the important work of Professor Martin Fisher, Consultant in HIV Medicine & Sexual Health in Brighton The Foundation continues Martin’s ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect, and focuses on the development of new initiatives around effective HIV prevention, treatment and care.
Towards Zero HIV Strategy
) The Strategy sets out the Foundation and its partners’ vision and aims to accelerate towards zero HIV stigma, zero new HIV infections and zero deaths from HIV in Brighton & Hove by 2025
It focuses on five key activities, each of which has the following strategic goals:
• Reducing HIV-related stigma;
• Increasing HIV testing;
• Improving access to PrEP;
• Championing research and evaluation;
• Ensuring patient involvement and peer support.
Underpinning the key activity areas is a commitment to support the ongoing delivery of treatment and care services for people living with HIV across the city in order that high quality standards of care can be maintained.
PROGRESS ON DELIVERING TOWARDS ZERO HIV
First Fast Track City in UK
) The Martin Fisher Foundation has led work with Brighton & Hove City Council culminating in the city being the first in the UK to sign up to the Paris Declaration on Fast Track Cities Ending AIDS - signed at a ceremony on August 3, 2017. This initiative aims to hasten the elimination of HIV/AIDS by 2030 in over 65 cities around the world, gives access to additional support from UNAIDS and encourages sharing of expertise between the cities The interim target for Fast Track cities is to reach the 90-90-90 targets by 2020
These targets are:
• 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status;
• 90% of people who know their HIV- positive status on treatment;
• 90% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.
Currently, in Brighton & Hove, the first target is not being achieved as only an estimated 86% are aware of their status. This highlights the importance of initiatives to promote regular testing. The city is already exceeding the second two targets with proportion of people living with HIV who are taking antiretroviral therapy having increased from 87% in 2013 to 97% in 2017, and 96% of these individuals having an undetectable virus in their blood stream
Combination Prevention
) The Foundation has championed a combination approach to prevention, which recognises that different prevention choices will be appropriate for different individuals and that this may vary as people’s circumstances change This includes using condoms, PrEP, regular testing and making sure those living with HIV have undetectable levels of the virus and are then uninfectious This approach was launched at the Foundation’s Brighton & Hove Pride events in 2016 and will be the basis of future work and a public campaign – watch this space!
Reduction in Number of New Cases of HIV
) The Foundation is very excited to share news from partners at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust Recent analysis has shown over the last four years that the Brighton HIV clinic has noted a decrease in new HIV diagnoses. The number of new cases has decreased from an average of six per month in 2013 to three per month in 2017. The general downturn is thought to have been achieved through combination HIV prevention - increased HIV testing, earlier treatment and possibly use of PrEP (although the impact of PrEP requires further substantive evidence)
Testing Pilot
) Following a successful application to the Public Health England Innovation Programme, the Foundation has been running a pilot to provide free HIV self-sampling kits from a vending machine at Brighton Sauna. Since
June over 100 tests have been supplied, far exceeding the number carried out by traditional ‘out-reach’ services at the venue
Dr Gill Dean, HIV and Sexual Health Consultant and Trustee of the Foundation, explains “The aim is to encourage people who haven’t tested so far to test If we can get to that 14% of people at risk who haven’t recently tested and, for those who then test positive encourage them to start treatment, then they will essentially become uninfectious and this will further help to reduce new cases of HIV.”
Funding for five more state of the art machines at a range of venues across the city has now been secured. This will help improve access to testing and a broader range of testing services in-line with the Towards Zero Strategy!
Stigma Work
) Tackling stigma is crucial if we are to reach Towards Zero and the Foundation is proud to announce a formation of strong implementation and research partnership across city partnership with Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Brighton, Latest TV and Ditch the Label. We will use digital platforms and a range of innovative methods to reach new audiences to provide important messages aimed at helping to reduce HIV stigma and discrimination.
Successful implantation of the Towards Zero Strategy depends on full backing, support and engagement of community organisations in the city as well as individuals getting involved The Foundation is delighted that over 20 key partners have given their support, and following close joint working with Brighton & Hove City Council, a ‘Towards Zero HIV Taskforce’ has been formed and ‘implementation groups ’ are now being put together.
Dr Adrian Brown, Chair of the Foundation, commented, “Working together is key –Brighton & Hove has a strong track record of partnership which Towards Zero is building on. We have now agreed with the city council structures and mechanisms to deliver the strategy Achieving Towards Zero will only be possible with the support of organisations and people in the community We would love people to share their comments and ideas and for as many people to get involved as possible Please do get in touch with us!”
info@martinfisherfoundation.org
Lunch Positive on Fridays
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O P E N O N F R I D A Y S
F R O M 12 M I D D A Y U N T I L 3 P M
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W e ’ r e a t :
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( o f f l o w e r e n d o f S t J a m e s ’ S t r e e t )
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s e l
N o p r e - a r r a n g e m e n t o r b o o k i n g
PEER ACTION
FOR EVERYONE AFFECTED BY HIV
Peer Action is a volunteer led support and social network that offers weekly activities for those living with or affected by HIV in Brighton and the surrounding area Our events are aimed at reducing isolation and improving the overall health and wellbeing of our members Listed below are just some of our regular events, we run many events in addition Please go to our website for more information www peeraction net
MON Movie Monday MONTHLY SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
TUE Swim @ Brighton Swim Centre (12 30) EVERY TUESDAY
Yoga @ Hampshire Lodge (17 45) EVERY TUESDAY
WED Games Night @ Barley Mow (19 00) LAST WEEK OF MONTH
FRI Bingo @ Gala Kemptown MONTHLY SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
SAT Wellbeing Therapy Day @ THT (from 13.50) 4TH WEEK OF MONTH
SUN Bent Double @ Komedia (19 00) 1ST WEEK OF MONTH
Wellbeing Therapy Day @ THT (from 13 50) 2ND WEEK OF MONTH
Bowling @ Bowlplex Marina (19 00) 3RD WEEK OF MONTH
Trip to Kew Gardens 12/11/17 SEE WEBSITE FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Peer Action is always looking for new members and volunteers to help keep our activities running If you have an idea for an event or want to get involved, please get in touch You might even make a new friend or two www peeraction net
PRE EXPOSURE PROPHYL AXIS
Eric Page looks at how PrEP can reduce the chance of infection of HIV, the stigma around using it and finds out from four men how it has affected their lives and the sex they have.
) PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is two different medications that can substantially reduce the chance of infection by HIV for those at increased risk, including men who have sex with men (MSM) It needs to be taken as prescribed, although this isn’t always everyday. (Most) men don’t just get a prescription but are part of a routine of regular clinic attendance and testing as part of getting the drug. New HIV infection stats show it’s a game changer but there’s still an astonishing amount of stigma, confusion and prejudice about why and how men are using it.
Here we talk to four very different men about how PrEP has affected their lives and the sex they have. Many men asked wouldn’t talk openly about being on PrEP although they’re happy to state on Grindr and Scruff that they use it, alongside their clear face pictures Some of the men have asked to remain anonymous as they’re concerned about being ‘slut shamed’ by other gay men Envy is a map, perhaps it’s time we stopped judging and listened to lived, informed experience
Game changer or not, people have strong views on PrEP that are not always good and that’s stopping us from having an honest and open conversation about its impact on us as a community of MSM and embracing this new sexual revolution.
Chris (47)
) I don't take PrEP but I know the pros and cons PrEP hasn’t changed the sex I have I respect a guy's choice to protect himself however he wants to, PrEP, condoms, both are good
I’ve always been pretty up to date and conscious of my sexual health, my generation of gay men usually are I don't like the way some guys on PrEP think it's a free ticket to have whatever sex they want and to treat guys with disrespect
“I don’t like the way some guys on PrEP think it's a free ticket to have whatever sex they want and to treat guys with disrespect”
We should continue to educate teenagers in school about the benefits of a loving, caring and respectful relationship, and that sex isn’t about self-gratification, but there are consequences both physically and emotionally when we get involved intimately with another person. PrEP is now part of that ongoing healthy education.
Jamm (38)
) PrEP liberates me from the fear of getting HIV and dying of AIDS That may sound dramatic, but at the core of it that’s why I take PrEP Obviously, HIV treatment has come a long way but I’d rather remain HIV-negative As anyone on treatment will tell you, it’s no walk in the park
Being on PrEP means I don’t need to know a partner’s status, I’m protected A person ’ s status is nobody’s business but their own Some people are more comfortable to disclose, others are not. Being on PrEP negates all of this and helps end the stigma around HIV.
I’ve always enjoyed healthy, varied sex and I’m certainly not shy of the feeling of liberation that comes from getting exactly the great sex that I want.
The use of condoms is always an option, however as the Proud Study in the UK found out, the number of STDs reported did not change when people on PrEP stopped using condoms. That was also the case for me. This may sound surprising but that’s what medical studies are for. Occasionally I come across people who think PrEP is just an excuse to throw your condoms out and behave irresponsibly
If you think through the cost of HIV care and treatment to the NHS, taking PrEP is a hugely responsible thing to do. Prevention costs a fraction of treatment and the NHS needs to step up and provide PrEP if it wants to reduce the amount of money it spends on HIV care Also, sex without a condom just feels better to me What’s wrong with being able to embrace that responsibly, making sex more enjoyable for everybody?
The current protocol for taking PrEP requires an HIV test, check up and STD screen every three months This has made me conscious and in control of my health In Brighton & Hove we ’ re incredibly lucky to have very good sexual health services.
There are a couple of fairly mild side-effects, the most interesting of which are very vivid
“Prevention costs a fraction of treatment and the NHS needs to step up and provide PrEP if it wants to reduce the amount of money it spends on HIV care”
dreams I quite enjoy them but they’re pretty rare and usually go after a few days
PrEP will not change sex in the future Sex has never really changed and probably never will The idea of putting this or that in there for pleasure is one of mankind’s most wonderful discoveries How we react and protect ourselves from the various viruses nature throws at us will always continue to change. There’s a simple, cheap to manufacture drug that will stop you from ever getting HIV. Why would anybody not want that?
Male (33)
) I’m not on PrEP Yet! But I feel a sense of liberation when it comes to unprotected sex I feel that if the guy I’m having sex with has taken PrEP, it shows me that they are taking care of their sexual health and that makes me feel that sex with someone taking PrEP would be safer, due to eliminating the risk of HIV transmission. But I’d need to know them, not only rely on them telling me they take PrEP.
The sex I have has always been intimate, I’m just that type of person. It seems like PrEP has taken away the need to use condoms. Not having to fiddle around with a lump of latex seems sexier. I still worry about syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. PrEP has affected me because I now need to spend more time negotiating condom usage when having sex with a person I don’t know In the past I’ve left a person ’ s house because they wanted bareback sex and my need for condom usage The quantity of sex I get has decreased There’s been a huge shift away from condom usage and I only engage in unprotected sex when I know the person and I’m 100% sure they’re taking PrEP
On the hook up apps, things have changed I state on my profile (Safe Sex), more and more guys state they’re taking PrEP suggesting they are safer people to have unprotected sex with This has made finding quality anal sex harder. The kind of sex I want hasn’t changed, as I do manage to find guys that still want to use condoms for anal. They just seem to be getting harder to find.
The main emotional impact seems to be trust. When I find a hot guy and I don’t know him I ask myself does he look trustworthy? Is he being honest and taking PrEP? Or is he just wanting to have unprotected anal with me! If you want unprotected anal, then yes PrEP has made it so much more easy to get the sex you want, for me it’s definitely made it harder PrEP should be used as an added layer of protection and not used alone. I’d be happy if a lover confirmed they’re taking PrEP and still using condoms for anal sex! Jackpot guy in my opinion I’ve always been conscious around my sexual health Accessing regular sexual health check ups I do these checks every six months to stay on top of any infections I might have picked up, not just HIV
People aren’t using PrEP alongside condoms, they’re buying it online and taking it with no
“If you want unprotected anal, then yes PrEP has made it so much more easy to get the sex you want, for me it’s definitely made it harder”
medical advice or intervention. It’s changed the way people view unprotected sex; I guess some guys are putting themselves at risk of other STDs.
PrEP gives guys an added level of protection and is continuing to drive down transmission of HIV in the UK. It’s a wonder medication and will help us see the end of HIV transmission, if used correctly and consistently
I’m hoping that PrEP will support the end of HIV infections and end the HIV epidemic. In terms of sex, it will support people who suffer with HIV anxiety For those who engage in unprotected sex it will mean that they no longer need to worry It’s a must for the NHS and HIV Prevention England to ensure that PrEP is widely accessed in the UK
Male (FTM) (25)
) God yes, PrEP rids me of fear. Fear of slipping up; fear of waking up Monday and worrying all week; fear of not f**king the hot guys; fear of being rejected; fear of stigma (I’ve already got enough of that); fear of not having the kind of sex I want; fear of being judged Most gay men judge like f**k over my uninhibited sexual behaviour, lots of blame and jealousy out there still
Intimacy in sex is overrated I like hard random anonymous sex, it’s what gets me off and what I seek, so these pills haven’t changed the feeling of physical connection I’m getting with my f**ks I get there quicker
Since PrEP, there’s been a big increase in men who’ll have sex with me, who are happy to BB and do raw, and that means there’s more choice, more variety and a much younger group of men who’re not so obsessed with HIV infection and have it in proportion It’s good to be getting past the AIDS hysteria of the last few decades. The amount of sex has increased, certainly more opportunity for me to f**k with more men. I’m more empowered as bottom now, tops had all the power in sex, PrEP will destroy the tyranny of tops.
I screen condom freaks out, never liked them I have a latex intolerance that never helped Lots of guys don’t even know how to use them properly I like being a cum-dump, that’s the point for me, ‘safer sex ’ has always been a dull option. Sex should be wild, unsafe and free. I want loads, on my terms.
Being trans (FTM) has kept me pretty mindful of my sexual health, it’s the ones who think they are negative, never test, never have, lie and cheat, live in cloud cuckoo-land about their behaviour who need to be more conscious. Not me.
I can’t see how anything is negative about a drug that protects you from infections, doesn’t seem to have too many side effects. Friends complain about having to buy them online, that’s also an issue for me, I can’t get them any other way. Not knowing if they’re genuine etc, but with hormones, chems, Viagra, steroids etc, who knows what they’re actually taking? Some of my mates are taking PrEP just on the weekend when they’re at (chemsex) parties and sessions It’s changing the way they act and feel, their mental health and stress is better as they worry much less They haven’t had more STDs that I’ve heard
PrEP has led to a proper conversation about sex and risk rather than the shrill shrieking Marys of the Safer Sex crusade It’ll lead to a serious shake up of the way men who f**k raw with men are treated and give them options and choices in the way contraception pills did for women in the 1960s. In a few years the fear mongers will be gone, new HIV infections will be dropping right down and PrEP will be like the Pill has become; a fact of sexually active life, nothing more touchy, and just be a daily proactive commitment to maintaining your sexual/physical health Eat, gym, PrEP, f**k, sleep - easy
I don’t think PrEP will change sex. Arouse is arouse is arouse, and there’s nothing new under the sun Sex has always been and will always be the same; we ’ re human after all, now shut up and f**k
“I like being a cum-dump, ‘safer sex’ has always been a dull option. Sex should be wild, unsafe and free. I want loads, on my terms”
MUSIC THERAPY
How music therapy might help you deal with diagnosis of a long term / potentially life-threatening condition by Dr Stella Compton Dickinson, Music Therapist
) I initially trained as a music therapist over 20 years ago after having worked professionally as a musician in London’s West End and as a session musician My first dissertation was on music therapy in cancer care and terminal illness Music therapy has since become accepted as an effective intervention for sick children and adults of all ages, in dementia care, for head injuries and for those living with incurable illnesses such as AIDS or schizophrenia
Music therapy contributes to quality of life, develops creative self-expression and emotional recognition, improves self-esteem and extends abilities to relate to others The elements of music include vibration, timbre, rhythm, pitch, loudness, duration, melody and harmony - together these create a powerful means of non-verbal communication. Making music with a skilled music therapist does not require skill, it involves developing trust.
Musical improvisation that fits the present moment can unlock emotions and raise awareness of how you relate to others, sometimes eliciting memories and feelings. These reflections can then be shared and processed within the therapy session In effect, this music may become an artefact representing aspects of your culture and relationships
Leslie Bunt (1994) developed music in palliative care at the Bristol Cancer Centre He describes how a music therapy group helped patients to ‘play through’ their life journey In their will to overcome cancer, some patients may reject morphine in favour of remaining ‘mindful, aware and present’ (Wilbur 1992) One patient stated that by shutting down to music she felt she had shut down to her body. Back in the day there was no cure for AIDS Life was cut short for many individuals, including performing artists, musicians and actors. The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) was set up for treatment of the terminally ill. The London Lighthouse opened in 1986 for residential and day care of men, women and children affected by AIDS. This was a place of
hope where music therapy and complimentary treatments were found to be very effective towards helping sufferers to come to terms with their illness and to grieve the loss of the opportunity of a naturally longer life.
Antiretroviral therapy led to a substantial decrease in death rates due to HIV-1 infection. Outcomes changed from that of a lethal disease to a chronic but manageable condition. However there are challenges with lifelong therapy and drug resistance.
Kaposi's Sarcoma, a skin cancer, was one of the original disease-defining indicators. Thus, research in cancer treatment and AIDS are intrinsically connected.
When working with life-threatening and terminal illness, Dr Elizabeth Kubler Ross (1970), discovered that if patients had the opportunity to share their feelings and discuss their needs they often found relief in expressing their fear and anger, through which they were able to find peace and acceptance She identified five stages to the process from initial denial to anger, followed by bargaining, where an individual may consider what legacy of their life they want to leave, followed by depression and finally acceptance
In Staring at the Sun, Irvine Yalom explains that existential fears and anxiety are the most common reason why people seek therapy
Fears of death increased during the Cold War with feelings of powerlessness and overwhelm, as there is no way to defend oneself from imminent death Increases in world population and urban environments with fewer connections to the natural cycles of life and death escalated fears.
However, with an open and liberal view of the role of spiritual faith and an understanding from Einstein’s point of view that ‘ energy can neither be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another’, another perspective on the meaning life may be gained.
Modern neuroscience research enables understanding of the connectedness between mind and body. A sense of embodiment involves discovering how to respect rather than to abuse our bodies. Not so much about ‘fighting’ a disease but working mindfully and with creative visualisation, developing compassion and kindness towards oneself as well as for others
Accepting that everything in life has an ending and a beginning means understanding that one-day our body will wear out; however it can be cared for like a beloved vintage car
In this way the sense of despair that comes with death anxiety can be transformed
Colin Lee (2003) wrote about the aesthetics of music therapy He explains how avenues of musical expression can be explored that can reach, support and develop the patient’s potential Joerg Fachner (2008) explains how music making can elicit an altered state of consciousness through which important insights may be gained.
In Cognitive Analytic Music Therapy (Compton Dickinson 2017), a structured approach is used in which improvisations are ‘jointly created’ in the form of musical dialogue. The patient and therapist have a musical conversation that has the right feeling for that moment, yet without words. A greater sense of mental integration is facilitated through the musical vibrational connections that flow between the right and left hemispheres of the brain - as well as musical connectedness between the patient and therapist
This sort of reflective, safe, musically creative self-expression can lead to clearer thinking processes in which recognition and exploration of deeper, previously unspeakable issues may occur Thus music therapy can encourage the individual to reconnect both with himself and others
My research analysis demonstrated how musical dialogue created bonding and awareness of others that led to reciprocal sharing Distress and anger as feelings could be heard - as well as seen and ameliorated
In musical improvisation the therapist may nonintrusively sense the patient’s inner world Having gone along their individual paths their two paths merge in musical improvisation and then diverge back towards a greater sense of individuality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Stella Compton-Dickinson is a London-based Health & Care Profession Council registered music therapist, accredited supervisor, professional oboist and lecturer, UK Council for Psychotherapy registered cognitive analytic therapist and supervisor. She is author of The Clinician’s Guide to Forensic Music Therapy (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), and has her own private practice and 20 years' experience in the NHS as a Clinician, Head of Arts Therapies and Clinical Research Lead Her research was awarded the 2016 Ruskin Medal for the most impactful doctoral research ) stellacompton co uk/page/publications html f forensicmusictherapy/ t StellaCompton12
mean so much to people and that’s an honour but I find it hard now to remember the girl that wrote them Even when I look at my videos, I see Scarlett my daughter, not me I see her face not mine.”
Thirty years, eh? Besides thinking where the hell did that go what are your highlights?
“Thirty years is a long time ago and it’s true what they say, ‘the past is a foreign country’. I’ve covered all the major moments from the big old days in my autobiography Heart & Soul, but most recently we did a 23-date acoustic tour in 2016 which was very different for me as I’m used to making a big noise. It was more delicate and I could really tell the story of the songs I’ve done about 40 shows with Go West and Nik Kershaw which has been such a treat Rewind Scotland this year was massive, Camp Bestival was awesome and last week we sold out Ricoh Arena in Coventry with Paul Young, Tony Hadley, Kim Wilde and a host of others I’m so lucky to work along side these amazing people who are part of such a memorably creative era.
”
Is the first single Secret Garden from second album Rage really about the LGBT community?
“It was more [specifically] about being gay back then which was tricky in the early 1980s.”
Blimey that was progressive wasn’t it, 30 years ago? Where did that come from?
FRIENDS LIKE THESE
By Craig Hanlon Smith @craigscontinuum
Carol Decker and T ’Pau (finally) come to Brighton. 30 years on.
) Carol Decker and T’Pau may seem an unlikely band of gay icons, but in 1987 they and their music were my gay teenage saviours The album Bridge of Spies, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, saw me through my lonely angsty teenage years. I’d spend hours every week locked in my room “climbing the walls” with only these recordings for company. I felt as if every song was narrating my circumstance and counselling me to sanity: “it’s easy for you to be shocked at what I do, you ’ ve probably got someone at home” Oh I’m sure, these songs weren’t actually written about me, but on reflection I find it amazing that music has such power to affect, infect, care, lead, inspire and support you through your s***
All those boys at school I’d yearn to speak to let alone have a cuddle with; “I know mine, are the arms you’ll never hold” and “No, it doesn't bother me, the time I spend in imagery” The ability to run off to my secret patch of grass on the outskirts of town with these beauties embedded in my Boots Walkman, I firmly believe prevented me from coming to some serious harm. They were my escape, my coach and my friends until I was ready. Listening to these songs today isn’t a sad experience for me, they were holding my hand when I needed it most and hearing them now, I actually could
go through it all again; “For what’s the point if you are never free to say, this is what I believe, this is a part of me, no hero, no regrets but only meant to be”.
Ahead of their anniversary show in Brighton in November, I chat to Carol Decker.
Thirty years ago, did you have any idea your music would have such an impact on people?
“No I didn’t have any idea of anything that grand! We were just young reprobates making music, touring and generally misbehaving. The whole point of being in a band (well back then) was to not have a plan. I was just being creative, hoping for the best. I had a few tick boxes: have a hit, maybe get on TOTP, but I didn't really think past that.”
You recently released repackaged and remastered editions of your original albums, Bridge of Spies and the box-set The Virgin Anthology. How was it revisiting those?
“I found it really poignant because it was like an emotional rollercoaster and memories were tied up with personal and professional endings as well as lots of good and crazy times ”
What’s your relationship to those songs now?
“I enjoy performing them as I always make sure I work with excellent musicians who really lift the songs in their performance Plus they
“It wasn’t about a specific person We had a gay bass player in my first band The Lazers in the early 1980s who didn’t really come out as such, he just confided in a few of us and I kind of expanded the idea into a little parable for how we all hide our true selves to an extent.”
What can fans or first-timers expect from these anniversary shows?
“We’re going to play the classics and album tracks and I’m dusting the cobwebs off a few Bsides that I haven’t sung in 30 years… I hope I still can!”
Pick your three recommended T’Pau tracks from the recent releases...
“This would vary on a different day but these three songs have real stories: One Direction from The Promise. I had a view of Central Park from my hotel room and saw homeless people being ignored - lots of people just rushing by them
Sammy And Dave from Pleasure and Pain is the story of two friends that lived in Greenwich, they’d been together seven years and had reached an impasse in their relationship And finally, with a nod to the Harvey Weinstein horror, This Girl from Rage which is my story of some of the vulgar unsolicited attention I had when I was younger. ”
MORE INFO
) T’Pau play Islington Assembly Hall on November 23 and Brighton Concorde 2 on November 24
) Heart & Soul by Carol Decker is available from Amazon
) Bridge of Spies (expanded) and The Virgin Anthology are available in physical and digital formats
RAINBOW FUND GRANT AWARDS
) Grants totalling £110,688 were awarded to local LGBT+ and HIV organisations at the annual R ainbow Fund Grant Awards Ceremony at the Brighton Metropole Hotel on Monday, October 16
Rainbow Fund Patron Zoe Lyons and enter tainer Lola Lasagne proved a great double act hosting the ceremony and announcing the successful recipients of this year’s grants Chris Gull, Chair of the Rainbow Fund, welcomed everybody including the guest presenters: the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Cllr Mo Marsh; the Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council, Geoff R aw; the Chief Superintendent of Brighton & Hove Police, Lisa Bell; the Leader of the Conservative Group on Brighton & Hove City Council, Cllr Tony Janio; and Ward Councillors for St Peter’s & Nor th Laine, Pete West, and Queen’s Park, Adrian Morris
Chris thanked the Directors of Pride in Brighton & Hove for the £1 a head they donate to the fund each year from every ticket sold for paid for events at Brighton Pride, which this year amounted to £107,508 74, and thanked a long list of suppor ters who had made donations to the fund this year, including: Brighton Bear Weekend, Legends, Bear-Patrol, Charles Street, Doctor Brighton’s, Brighton Gin Company, and the many individuals who had made private donations
Special mention was reserved for the Hilton Brighton Metropole, who had donated the buffet, and allowed the Rainbow Fund to use the room all day free of charge for a conference and summit for local LGBT+ and HIV organisations
Chris Gull said: "Once again we were able to distribute a record amount of money raised within our communities to a record number of projects which support people in our local LGBT+ and HIV communities The Independent Grants Panel took a huge amount of trouble in assessing the applications, including face-to- face discussions with the applicants, and we're impressed by the quality and range of the projects
"Once again we were able to support groups and organisations providing services and support to our LGBT+ elders, and practical support for those in the trans and HIV communities, along with many other innovative projects We are noticing that projects are focusing more and more on reducing social isolation
"The presentation evening is an opportunity to recognise those that raise funds for us, not the least Brighton Pride, and to acknowledge and celebrate those that we fund and the extraordinary difference that they make to so many people's lives All the more remarkable because most of that work is delivered by volunteers "
Two special fundraising awards were presented to Legends whose sponsorship and fundraising suppor t for Brighton Pride amounted to £8,650.75 and Brighton Bear Weekend whose fundraising raised £11,855 for the Rainbow Fund during 2017
) FOOD Mon–Fri 11am–8pm; Sat & Sun 10.30am–8pm; Sunday roasts from 12pm, booking recommended: 01273 670 976 ) Specials: Mon–Wed, 5–8pm: main course from specials menu and a pint or medium glass of house wine for £10
) DRINK PROMOS bottle house wine £10 90, double-up on premium g&t for £2
) ONE FOR THE DIARY CABARET FRIDAYS with top enter tainers on stage at 9pm: Mrs Moore (3) and Spice (24) Local drag queen Spice has been performing cabaret for a good few years now (more than he’d care to admit!) and he absolutely loves it! He says: “My performance style is relaxed and eclectic, performing music from across the spectrum I think it’s important to listen to the audience and see where they want to go during a show – showtunes, disco, big band, whatever Sometimes we end up in some unusual places, but that keeps things fresh and keeps me on my toes ”
) REGUL ARS Fri (10 & 17) is Sally Vate’s FUN FRIDAY FROLIC S at 9pm ) Sat enter tainment at 9pm: KARAOKE with Jason Thorpe (7) and DJ Tony B spins funky house/techno/r&b (21)
Information is correct at the time of going to press Gscene cannot be held responsible for any changes or alterations to the listings
WEDNESDAY 1
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy
Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Open Mic with Jason Thorpe 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch
2-3 30pm
l CHARLES ST Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy Wednesday 9pm
) OPEN Mon–Thu 6pm–1am, Fri 5pm–3am, Sat 4pm–3am, Sun 4pm–1am
) DRINK PROMOS Download the Bar Broadway app for exclusive drink deals
) ONE FOR THE DIARY REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY (12) is with sensational vocalist Jennie Castell singing a fitting set of songs in aid of the R oyal British Legion from 8 30pm Bar Broadway say: “This is a fitting tribute to commemorate Remembrance Sunday with Jennie Castell performing a wartime set of songs from Gracie Fields to Vera Lynn and The Andrews Sisters!”
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Spanish Night: tunes & treats 6 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Gabriel Garrick & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Sally Vate 9 30pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 2
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thur Quiz 8pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now
) 7 Pegler Way, Crawley, RH11 7AG, Tel: 01293 511177, www 7crawley co uk
) OPEN 6pm daily ) DRINK PROMOS Tue, Fri & Sat drink deals all night
) REGUL ARS Tue is CREWSDAY with DJ Lewis Osborne spinning the tunes ) Fri is 7-UPSTAIRS with all-star DJs playing pop/dance /guilty pleasures at 8pm, free b4 11pm ) Sat is 7-SINS with DJ Jazzy Jane spinning tunes at 8pm, free b4 11pm ) Sun is KARAOKE with DJ Bullard and his massive collection of songs at 8 30pm
) REGUL ARS Give your grey matter a workout at the BIG THURSDAY QUIZ with prizes every round, six in total, and a chance to win a cash prize at 8pm ) Friday & Saturday: BROADWAY JUKEBOX all day where you create the playlist Just download the app and select your favourite tracks! Saturday (4) is BROADWAY REMIXED with R oss Cameron & uptempo musical tunes at 9.30pm ) Sunday, THE FIREPLACE SESSIONS present new and established acts at 8 30pm, including: Gabriella Parrish (5), ‘Kicking off my Heels’ with Wain Douglas (aka Kara Van Park) (19) and Tania R odd (26) ) Monday is BLANKETY BLANK - help Tabitha Wild fill in the blanks at at 9pm Bar Broadway say: “Fun & double-entendre run amok in this great way to start the week!” ) Tues The R egency Singers present PIANO SINGALONG at 9 30pm, all welcome around the piano! ) Wed is Jason Thorpe’s OPEN MIC night at 9pm
) WORLD AIDS DAY Friday (Dec 1) is the ANNUAL WAD FUNDRAISER for Terrence Higgins Trust South hosted by the legendary Drag With No Name at 7 30pm
That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire
Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thur: DJ
Ruby Roo & hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s
Balmy Bingo 8.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday 80s Jukebox with Ryan 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Pollito
Boogaloo 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Miss Jason
9 30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
FRIDAY 3
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Mrs Moore 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BAR REVENGE Pop-Tar tz warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l BOUTIQUE DJ Oli & shot drops 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST Fabulous Fridays: DJ
Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Funky Friday 6 30pm
l DR BRIGHTONS House Rules: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm
BOUTIQUE
) 2 Boyces St, West St, BN11AN, 01273 327607 www.boutiqueclubbrighton.com
) OPEN 8pm–late Sun–Fri, 1pm–late Sat
) FOOD All day till 10pm Pizza & selected drink £9.99 every Sat
) DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri: bottles of Moet £50 & Veuve £60; five J -Bombs for £5; 2-4-1 selected cocktails; £15 for two Pornstar Mar tinis Fizzy Friday (3): bottle of Prosecco £20, £5 for a glass
D
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Learn how to make your favourite cocktail every Saturday at the OPEN COCKTAIL MASTER CLASS in Bar 2 from 8pm, then hit the dancefloor with renowned DJ Klipz, and Oli (11), from 10pm
) REGUL ARS Star t the weekend with a bang every Fri with DJs Oli (3 & 24) and Franco (10 & 17), shot drops and giveaways from 10pm
) WORLD AIDS DAY Fri (Dec 1) is WAD from 8pm with DJ Franco spinning the tunes, Rainbow shot drop giveaway on arrival and donation buckets & 50p of every cocktail going to the International AIDS Alliance in Brighton
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Krissie Du Cann 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie Von Clitz or Cosmic 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Jukebox Disco 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Beverly Ballcrusher 9 30pm
l REVENGE The Powder Room pres RuPaul’s Drag Race star Valentina + suppor t from Crystal Lubrikunt, Lydia L’Scabies & Roco Chanel 7 30pm; Pop
Tar tz DJs on level 1 10.30pm
l SUBLINE Steam 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Miss Jason 10pm
SATURDAY 4
l AMSTERDAM Guest DJ 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail
Masterclass 8pm; DJ Klipz 10pm
l CHARLES ST Fierce: DJs 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Decadance Bir thday
Special: DJs Lizzie Curious, Ant Nichols & Tony B 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Sally Vate 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 4pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
) FOOD served Mon–Sat 12–8pm ) Tue Dog Tails: deals incl 2-4 £7.99 on selected mains
) DRINK PROMOS Half price 5–9pm Mon–Sat and all night on Sun from 8 30pm, right after the cabaret (ome exceptions apply); drink promos all night Thur: bottles of Becks £1, pints & selected single spirits & mixers from £1 50; from 9pm on Fri 2-4-1 cocktails
) REFURB Charles Street Bar & Club is closed from Mon (13) November for four weeks for refurbishment On Monday (11) December from 5pm, the venue reopens as Charles Street Tap with a VIP Night and LAUNCH WEEKEND from Fri (15) to Sun (17) Dec Charles Street say: “Expect a brand new LGBT+ venue with an emphasis on great food, craf t & real ale and premium gin and cocktails Still doing what we are famous for - such as amazing cabaret and DJs, plus so much more!”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sun (12) is the Charles Street Closing Par ty, SALLY SAYS – DRINK US DRY, with cabaret from Cinebra at 7.30pm, then it’s Sally Vate’s ROCK & ROLL BINGO from 7 30pm
) REGUL ARS Wed (till 8) is SILLY WILLY WEDNESDAYS with Drag With No Name, ridiculous fun and prizes at 9pm ) THROWBACK THUR (till 9) with throwback tunes, throwback prices and DJ R uby R oo throwing out 00s guilty pleasures/90s retro anthemsat 9pm, hosted by Miss Joan Bond ) FABULOUS FRIDAYS (till 10) with DJ Morgan Fabulous house anthems at 9pm ) Sat (till 11) is FIERCE with some of Brighton’s best DJs playing your favourite dance/house anthems at 9pm, free ) Sunday (5) is CABARET with Kara Van Park at 7 30pm, and then it’s
Sally Vate’s ROCK & ROLL BINGO with big cash prizes ) Mon (till 6) is BANG BANG with DJ R uper t Ellick playing guilty pleasures at 10.30pm Ruper t says: “Come join us for a Monday night bang bang with tunes from all over the historical timeline of musicality, you get the point ”
WEDNESDAY 8
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Open Mic Night: Jason Thorpe 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch
2-3.30pm
l CHARLES ST Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy Wednesday 9pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Spanish Night: tunes & treats 6 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Sam Carlese 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Sally Vate 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 9
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
) OPEN Mon–Thur 3pm–midnight; Fri & Sat 1pm–2am; Sun 1pm–midnight
Free entry day and night
) HAPPY HOURS all day Sun–Thur; 1pm–close on Fri; 1–7pm on Sat BOGOF Cocktails all day Sun–Fri and till 7pm on Sat Free pool with every round every day
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sat (4) is the DECADANCE BIRTHDAY SPECIAL with DJs Lizzie Curious, Ant Nichols and resident Tony B
) REGUL ARS Fridays at 9 30pm are: HOUSE RULES (3) with DJ Nick Hirst playing decadent house; DOCTOR’S PARTY (10) with DJ Tony B with 70s–now tunes; SOUL SOLUTION (17) Total Request with DJ Tony B; VINYL FRIDAY (24) with DJ Kai playing vinyl only ) SATURDAY SESSIONS are with DJ Nick Hirst at 9.30pm
) WORLD AIDS DAY Fri (Dec 1) is the HOUSE RULES WAD Fundraiser for National AIDS Trust with DJ Nick Hirst playing decadent house at 9 30pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Funky Friday 6 30pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Doctor’s Par ty: DJ 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Kerris Lea 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie Von Clitz or Cosmic 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pre-Scrum 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Miss Terry Tour 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs 10.30pm
l SUBLINE The Big Scrum spor tskit night 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Stone & Street 10pm
SATURDAY 11
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail Masterclass 8pm; DJ Oli 10pm
l CHARLES ST Fierce: DJs 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Saturday Session: DJ
Tony B 9.30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Dave Lynn 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 4pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Son of a Tutu 9 30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SUNDAY 12
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Remembrance Sunday Fundraiser for Royal British Legion: Jennie Castell 8.30pm
l CHARLES ST Charles Street Closing Par ty: “Sally Says - Drink Us Dry”: cabaret with Cinebra 7.30pm; Sally Vate’s Rock & Roll Bingo 8.30pm
G R O S V E N O R
) 16 Western Street, Hove, BN1 2PG, www.thegrosvenorbar.com
) OPEN daily from 12 noon–late
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday CABARET at 9 30pm: Sally Vate (4), Dave Lynn (11), Trudi Styles & the Piano Man (18) and Miss Jason (25) Don’t miss drag queen of drag queens and star of stage and screen Dave Lynn (11) Dave, known for his caustic wit and peerless vocals, has appeared in many TV shows, including EastEnders and Coronation Street, and has been bringing his distinctive cabaret shows to audiences in Brighton and around the UK for many years Dave says: “The songs will be a lot of show tunes and camp standards It’ll be a classy and fun night!”
) REGUL ARS Thursday is CRAZY BINGO with Abel Mabel at 8 30pm ) Star t your weekend off in style every Fri with top CABARET at 9.30pm: Krissie Du Cann (3), Kerris Lea (10), Spice (17) and Dave Lynn (24)
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Country Music
Sunday 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Mar tha D’Ar thur 3.30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Sunday roasts 125pm; Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Area Code 6pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Double Feature: Elisha as Whitney Houston 6pm; Elisha as Tina Turner 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Guilty Pleasures: DJ Screwpulous 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Jazz Sunday Roast & raffle 12pm
MONDAY 13
l BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild presents Blankety Blank 9pm
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hamer, Gerry Higgins & guests 2pm; Oli Howe Trio 8pm
TUESDAY 14
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJ Lewis Osborne 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY The Regency Singers pres Piano Singalong 9pm
) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–5pm, including made from scratch Dir ty Burgers, delicious deli sandwiches, salads, kids’ meals, sides and handcrafted cakes! Sunday lunch served 12–3pm: choose from topside of beef, belly pork, French trimmed chicken supreme or wholesome nut roast, served withnseasonal veg, roast potatoes, homemade Yorkshire pudding and real stock gravy
) DRINK PROMOS Buy one bottle of wine get 2nd half price, Mon–Fri 12–11pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (26) is LEGENDS’ BIRTHDAY with Drag With No Name and guests at 3.30pm You cannot fail to be enter tained by Drag With No Name, one of the most versatile drag ar tists on the cabaret scene His satirical characterisation of famous ladies, from Susan Boyle to Lady Gaga, or whoever is currently in vogue, brings the house down! Expect lots of live vocals, patter, impressions, visual comedy and heels as high as his wigs ”
) REGUL ARS Friday is PRE- GLIT TER at 9pm with the fabulous Stephanie Von Clitz & Cosmic warming you up with songs and laughs before the big one downstairs Stephanie says: “Expect a random atmosphere with lots of fun banter, jokes and plenty of sing-alongs!” ) Sunday is CABARET at 3.30pm with top acts: Mar y Mac (5), Mar tha D’Ar thur (12) and Lola Lasagne (19) ) Miss Jason’s MAD MONDAYS at 9.30pm Legends say: “She’s back with all the gossip, laughs and songs! Don’t miss it!”
THURSDAY 16
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz 9pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Balmy Bingo 8.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday 80s Jukebox with Ryan 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Beaujolais Nouveau Day Celebrations: Fleur de Paris, burlesque dancer & more 7 30pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Lola Lasagne 9.30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
FRIDAY 17
l AMSTERDAM Sally Vate’s Fun Friday Frolics 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BAR REVENGE Pop-Tar tz warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
) DRINK PROMOS £2 50 drinks all night Wed, Thur & Sun, various promos Fri
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Thursday is NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LEGENDS with DJ Claire Fuller taking you on a journey through the 1970s/80s/90s! Brighton-based DJ Claire has years of experience behind the decks playing most genres of music although she just loves turning back the clock and pulling the best songs from the decades for you to enjoy! Legends say: “Join Claire for a night of the best music from the 1970s/80s/90s and a great atmosphere!”
) REGUL ARS Friday is GLIT TER with DJ David Noakes’ char t & dance tracks
) Sat is FUSION at 11pm with DJ Peter Castle spinning char t /club remixes
) Sun is POP!CANDY with DJ Claire Fuller mix of new/retro pop ) Wed is ICE with DJ Claire Fuller melting the dancefloor with char t/house/r&b
l DR BRIGHTONS Soul Solution: DJ Tony B 9.30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Spice 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie Von Clitz or Cosmic 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Jukebox Disco 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Kara Van Park 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs + Amateur Strip Contest with guest Gemma Collins 10 30pm
l SUBLINE Filth: mixed full-fetish 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Topsie Redfern 10pm
SATURDAY 18
l AMSTERDAM DJ Tony B 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
) OPEN daily from 12pm
) FOOD daily from 12–9pm; Curr y & Quiz on Tue for £1 (curry 7.30pm, Quiz 9pm), Sunday roasts served 12–5pm, booking advised
) DRINK PROMOS all drinks £2 on Sun
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (24) is live music from the legendary Jacquii Cann, the big lady with the huge personality and even bigger voice at 9pm Jacquii, a professional vocalist for over 25 years, won Stars In Their Eyes as Alison Moyet in 1993 and has since spent many years bringing sensational vocals to every venue she performs at Jacquii loves to get you up singing and dancing, and she is is a must hear to be believed act that is not to be missed You won’t be disappointed! Marine Tavern say: “Jacquii won Stars In Their Eyes back in the day and she is amazing! Last time she was here she rocked the place!”
) REGUL ARS Step back in time at Ryan’s THROWBACK THURSDAY with 1980s tunes from 8pm ) Fri (10), PRE-SCRUM drinks from 9pm ) SATURDAY CLUB with fun atmosphere from 4pm ) Sun is OPEN MIC Night with Stephanie Von Clitz getting bums off seats for a singsong on the Marine Tavern stage from 9pm
) WORLD AIDS DAY Fri (Dec 1) is the WAD Fundraiser from 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail
Masterclass 8pm; DJ Klipz 10pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Saturday Session: DJ Nick Hirst 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Trudi Styles & Piano Man 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 4pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Baga Chipz 9 30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs 11pm
N O V E M B E R
L I S T I N G S
P A R I S H O U S E
) 21 Western Rd, BN3 1AF, T: 01273 724195, www.parishousebrighton.com
) OPEN daily from 12pm ) FOOD served 12pm–close daily
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Thur (16) Beaujolais Nouveau Day celebrations with Fleur De Paris, burlesque dancer and more 7.30pm
) REGUL ARS Sun live music 6pm: Sam Chara (5), Area Code (12), Dave Williams Quar tet (19) and Fleur de Paris (26) ) Mon free live jazz: Mick Hamer, Gerr y Higgins & guests 2pm; at 8pm: Simon Spillett (6), Oli Howe Trio (13), Sara Oschlag & band (20) and Abi Flyn & band (27) ) Wed free live music 8pm: trumpeter Gabriel Garrick (1), violinist Sam Carlese (8), guitarist Ellis Davies (15), guitarist Paul Richards (22) and pianist Tim Wells (29) ) Thur free world music 8pm: Pollito Boogaloo (2), Babou (9), Tudo Bem (23) and Son Guarachando (30) ) Fri PARTY TIME with guest DJs 9pm: Havoxx (3, 10 & 17) and Miss Mer yl (24) ) Sat AND ALL THAT JAZZ live at 4pm; TC'S JOYFUL NOISE with DJ Kenny at 9pm, free entry
l SUBLINE Magnificent Seven: Subline’s Birthday 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Tabitha Wild 10pm
SUNDAY 19
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions pres: ‘Kicking off my Heels’ with Wain Douglas (aka Kara Van Park) 8.30pm
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, free food & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Country Music
Sunday 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Lola Lasagne
3 30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Sunday roasts 125pm; Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Dave Williams Quar tet 6pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
Q U E E N S A R M S
) 7 George St, BN2 1RH, T: 01273 696873, thequeensarms.wix.com/thequeensarms
) OPEN 5pm Tue–Thur, 12pm Fri–Sun
) DRINK PROMOS 5–9pm Tue–Thur, 12–6pm Fri–Sun house spirit & mixer £2 50 (double up for an extra £1)
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Tue (from 14) is QA’S GOT TALENT at 8pm with hostess Davina Sparkle and £500 cash prize for the overall competition winner, entry £5 For more info call John (07549 730886) or pop in and speak to the bar staff The QA say: “The contest is open to all, not just singers, with two judges and one guest judge! Elimination heats are every week until week 10, then it’s the final If you’re entering as a singer, please prepare backing tracks for two songs Good luck!”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Mon (6) is ADONIS CABARET
FULL MONTY with male strippers and hostess Davina Sparkle at 8.30pm; advance tickets £10 from the QA include a glass of Prosecco on arrival Everyone welcome but NO tickets on the night! The QA say: “Back by popular demand with a brand new Strip Show from Davina's team!
Come and party with us and the Brighton Bulldog herself, Miss Davina Sparkle, for a night of unzipped fun, cabaret, men, muscle and stripping – yum!”
) REGUL ARS EASY TUESDAY at 5pm with music and fun at 5pm ) Banish the midweek blues with Sally Vate on Wed at 9.30pm ) Thurs CABARET at 9.30pm: Miss Jason (2), Davina Sparkle (9), Lola Lasagne (16), Dave Lynn (23) and Maisie Trollette (30) ) Fri CABARET at 9.30pm: Beverly Ball Crusher (3), Miss Terr y Tour (10), Kara Van Park (17) and Drag With No Name (24) ) Sat CABARET at 9.30pm: Lucinda Lashes (4), Son of a Tutu (11), Baga Chipz (18) and Cosmic (25) ) Sun top CABARET at 6pm and 9 30pm: Davina Sparkle (5), Elisha as Whitney Houston (6pm) & Tina Turner (9.30pm); (12), Lucinda Lashes (19) and Cherr y Liquor (26) Cherry is camp, fun, gorgeous and hilarious all at the same time Each performance includes songs, sing-alongs, plenty of jokes for all ages and loads of audience par ticipation you don’t want to miss!
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz 7 30pm
WEDNESDAY 22
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Open Mic: Jason Thorpe 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch 2-3 30pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Spanish Night: tunes & treats 6 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Paul Richards & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Sally Vate 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 23
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
MONDAY 6N O V 7 P M
ADONIS full monty male strippers & Davina Sparkle t i c k e t s £
) OPEN Sun-Wed 12pm-1am, Thur 12pm-2am, Fri & Sat 12pm-6am
) FOOD Burger Shack Tue–Sun 5–9pm with quality, home-cooked burgers made in-house with fresh and local premium ingredients
) DRINK PROMOS 50% off all drinks Sun–Fri 5–9pm, from £2 50 every Fri & Sat Buy a drink on Thur, Fri & Sat to pick up discounted entry passes for Club Revenge
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Thursday is the FOMO PrePar ty with all-star DJs from 9pm Bar Revenge say: “Join for the FOMO Pre-Party! DJs will be warming you up with chart bangers and some of the cheapest drinks on the strip!”
) REGUL ARS Tuesday is LIP SYNC FOR YOUR LIFE at 8pm with £50 cash prize and a chance to compete at the Grand Finale to win a paid gig at the next Powder Room show in the club ) Friday is Pop Tar tz warm-up with DJs at 9pm
) Saturday is WTF warm-up with DJs at 9pm ) SUNDAY CLUB DJs spin top tunes at 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: Ross Cameron, prizes 9pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Balmy Bingo 8.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday 80s Jukebox with Ryan 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Tudo Bem 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Dave Lynn 9.30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
FRIDAY 24
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Spice 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BAR REVENGE Pop-Tar tz warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l BOUTIQUE DJ Oli & shot drops 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Funky Friday 6.30pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Vinyl Friday: DJs 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Dave Lynn 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie
Von Clitz or Cosmic 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN cabaret: Jacquii
Cann does Alison Moyet 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Miss Meryl 9pm
R E V E N G E
) 32-34 Old Steine, BN1 1EL, Tel: 01273 606064, www.revenge.co.uk
) OPEN Tue from 11pm, Wed (4) from 6 30pm, Thur, Fri & Sat from 10 30pm
) DRINK PROMOS Tue all drinks £2 50 and double up for £1 50; Thur £1 drinks b4 midnight
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (3), the POWDER ROOM present: Valentina from RuPaul’s Drag Race series 9 with suppor t from Cr ystal Lubrikunt, Lydia L’Scabies and R ococo Chanel; doors 7.30pm, show 8.45pm Revenge say: “The Revenge Brighton stage hosts season 9 Miss Congeniality (AKA fan favourite!) She's perfect, she's beautiful, and she looks like Linda Evangelista It's Valentina unmasked!”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (17) is POP TARTZ with resident DJs playing top tunes and the Meme Queen herself Gemma Collins taking questions from the crowd and judging an amateur strip contest where you could win £100 cash and a bottle of champagne! To enter, email: steve@revenge.co.uk
) REGUL ARS Tuesday is BANGERS & TRASH with DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick celebrating the biggest char t bangers and trashiest pop ) Sat is WTF with DJs and special guests over 2 floors ) Saturday (25) is RISE & SHINE, an alcohol-free event at 8am with 3 floors of wellness activities, yoga on the roof terrace, massage, smoothies, tea & coffee, superstar DJs, dance & performance ) Thursday is FOMO with Revenge’s all-star DJs eclectic mix of pop/ char t/house/pop-punk/bass and hiphop ) Friday is POP TARTZ with resident DJs sweetening up the dancefloor on level 1 with pop anthems ) Friday (24) is FAT LIP with DJ Fifi playing poppunk/indie/nu-metal & rock on level 2; regular all-star DJs on level 1!
l QUEEN’S ARMS Drag With No
Name’s Par ty Night 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs; Fat Lip with DJ Fifi 10 30pm
l SUBLINE Sin: trans/queer/fetish/kink/ techno 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Kara Van Park 10pm
SATURDAY 25
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail Masterclass 8pm; DJ Oli 10pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Saturday Session: DJ Nick Hirst 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Miss Jason 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
) 129 St James' Street, Brighton, BN2 1TH, Tel: 01273 624100 www sublinebrighton co uk
) OPEN Wed–Sun from 9pm, closed Wed (1) ) DRINK PROMOS Deals: draught pints £1 off all night Wed
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Celebrate Subline’s 7th
Bir thday Saturday (18) at MAGNIFICENT SEVEN at 10pm, members £5 /non £8 Subline say: “Can you Adamand-Steve it? Seven years of underground frolics! Join us to celebrate with bubbly and vodka jellies liberally administered to the revellers, a buffet to soak it all up, and birthday cake you’ll really regret in the morning!”
) REGUL ARS Wednesday is HUMP DAY with alternative 80s/90s music; all welcome, free! ) Friday: THE BIG SCRUM (10) spor tskit night with DJ Screwpulous, £3 in kit or £5; FILTH (17) mixed full fetish par ty Subline say: “Join Kitten Skye and her kinky cohorts for another night of debauchery!”; SIN (24) queer/trans/kink/techno night, advance tickets £10! ) Sat is THE MEN'S ROOM with DJ Screwpulous on the decks and friendly faces on both sides of the bar at 9pm Free b4 11pm, £3 after, guests £5 Sat (4), buff your buckles and leathers for LEATHERMEN SOUTH, the South's biggest group for leather aficionados; free in leather or £5 ) Sunday (26) is CUM IN YOUR PANTS with DJ NUDE playing Hi-NRG and a Monday-may-never-come vibe at 9pm, members free /non £5
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions pres: Tania Rodd 8 30pm
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, free food & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Country Music Sunday 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR Legends’ Bir thday Par ty with Drag With No Name & Lucinda Lashes 3 30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Sunday roasts 125pm; Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Fleur De Paris 6pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Double Feature: Cherry Liquor 6pm & 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Cum In Your Pants: underwear par ty 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Jazz Sunday Roast & raffle 12pm
) OPEN from 12pm on Mon–Sun Private function room available ) FOOD Mon–Fri 12–7.30pm, Sat 12–6pm, Sunday roasts 12–6pm Mon–Thur Meal Deal: two for £15, 12–7.30pm
) REGUL ARS Select a Jazz and raffle every Sun at the JAZZ ROAST with chilled jazz at 12pm, free entry ) Tue QUIZ at 7 30pm, everybody welcome
) OPEN Tue–Thur 4–11 30pm, Fri & Sat 12–11 30pm, Sun 1–11pm
) FOOD Meat & cheese boards and wood-fired pizzas served all day
) DRINK PROMOS 2 glasses of Prosecco £7, bottle £14 50 every Thur Cocktails and gin bowls served
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday QUIZ night with cash prize at 7 45pm for 8pm star t
) REGUL ARS Sunday (19) is an intimate afternoon of live chilled tunes with Mike Newsham and guests at 4pm If you’re interested in performing message Mike on Facebook
MONDAY 27
l BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild presents Blankety Blank 9pm
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9.30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hamer, Gerry Higgins & guests 2pm; Fundraising Event with Abi Flyn & band 8pm
TUESDAY 28
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crew Night: DJ Lewis Osborne 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY The Regency Singers pres Piano Singalong 9pm
l BAR REVENGE Lip Sync For Your Life: £50 cash prize + win a paid gig 9pm
) DRINK PROMOS Happy hour: all day Sun-Thur, till 7pm Fri & Sat; 2-4-£10 selected cocktails 5–8pm ever yday
l MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live blues: Smokestack 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS QA’s Got Talent:
host Davina Sparkle, £500 1st prize 8pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz 7.30pm
WEDNESDAY 29
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Open Mic: Jason Thorpe 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday is CABARET with sensational acts at 10pm: Spice (4), Sally Vate (11 & 25) and Tabitha Wild (18)
) REGUL ARS Friday is top CABARET at 10pm: Miss Jason (3), Stone & Street (10), Topsie R edfern (17) and Kara Van Park (24) Expect trademark powerhouse vocals and a spellbinding evening from the uber-talented Kara Van Park (24) who adds a touch of glamour and theatre wherever she goes
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch 2-3 30pm
l CROWN KEMPTOWN Spanish Night: tunes & treats 6 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Tim Wells & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Sally Vate 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 30
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz 9pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now
That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Balmy Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday 80s Jukebox with Ryan 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Son Guarachando 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Maisie Trollette 9.30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
FRI 1 DEC - WAD
l BAR BROADWAY Fundraiser for THT
South with Drag With No Name 7.30pm
l BOUTIQUE Fundraiser for International AIDS Alliance: DJ & Rainbow shots 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Free hot drinks for those attending the Memorial Service 12pm
l DR BRIGHTONS House Rules Fundraiser for National AIDS Trust: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm
) OPEN daily from 12pm ) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–3pm; Sunday lunch 12–3 30pm
) TWO FOR THE DIARY Wednesday (1) is QUIZ night or the Southampton Musical Society at 8pm ) Thursday (2) is CURRYOKE with the Wessex Wyverns at 8pm
) REGUL ARS Thursday is Mellow Mar tha’s MUSIC BOX KARAOKE with Mar tha D’Ar thur at 9pm ) Friday is FAIRYLEA with DJ R uper t Ellick at 9pm, CABARET at 10pm: Kevin Cruise (3), Son of a Tutu (10), Sumting Wong (17) and Sally Vate (24) ) Saturday is GUILTY
PLEASURES at 9pm with DJs: Dazza (4), Neil Sackley (11), Lucinda Lashes (18) and Tiny (25) ) SUNDAY
NIGHT ON THE LONDON PODIUM at 8pm with the UK’s top live performers: Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy Sunday (5), Tanya Hyde & Miss Jason (12), Miss Penny & Lola Lasagne (19) and Lucinda Lashes & Wilma FIngadoo (26)
WEDNESDAY 1
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night: karaoke with host Aura J 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Bar 150: DJs/karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + karaoke 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL Quiz Night for Southampton Musical Society 8pm
THURSDAY 2
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Danii Dior’s Weekend Warm Up: tunes/karaoke 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz On Your Face 8pm
l EDGE Pop! video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Curryoke with The Wessex Wyverns 9pm
FRIDAY 3
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Weekend Star ts Here: DJ Toby Lawrence 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some ‘Fresh’: DJ Darcy Buckland 10 30pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Kevin Cruise 10pm
SATURDAY 4
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Big One: DJ
Ruper t Ellick 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Toby Lawrence & Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Dazza 9pm
SUNDAY 5
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD ReWind 80s/90s night 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE Shout Out Sunday: DJ Darcy Buckland 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy Sunday 8pm
MONDAY 6
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm
l EDGE CRAFT: DJ Liam Searle 11pm
TUESDAY 7
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry Liquor’s Dragpilation with Miss Terry Tour, games & bingo 7pm SOUTHAMPTON
) HAPPY HOURS Sun all night, Mon select drinks £1 50, 2-4-1 selected drinks on Tue, Sat 7–10pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday (15) is the ONESIE PARTY with DJs Lee Harris and Liam Searle with Cassidy Connors KARAOKE VS CABARET
) REGUL ARS Monday is CRAF T with DJ Liam Searle, free b4 10 30pm, £3/£5 after ) Wed is BAR 150 at 10pm in The Edge, DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle & KARAOKE, free b4 10pm, £3/£5 after, £4 students Wed (15) ONESIE PARTY ) Thur is QUIZ ON YOUR FACE in The Box Bar 8pm with big prizes; POP! in The Edge at 11pm with video DJ Neil Sackley and pop videos, £2 ) Fri GET SOME at 10pm, char t/dance music from DJs Darcy Buckland (3 & 17) and Audio K9 (10 & 24), £3–£6 ) Sat is THE BIG ONE at 10pm with 4 bars, 2 dancefloors and DJs: Toby Lawrence & Darcy Buckland (4), Phil Marriott & Claire Fuller (11), Liam Seale & Neil Sackley (18) and Alex Baker & Darcy Buckland (25),: free b4 10pm, £3–£6 after ) SHOUT OUT SUNDAY (SOS) with DJ Darcy Buckland at 11pm, £2 ) Tue is OPEN MIC Sessions in The Box Bar 8pm; THROWBACK TUESDAY at 11pm in The Edge with DJ Audio K9 80s/90s tunes, £2
WEDNESDAY 8
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night: karaoke with host Aura J 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Bar 150: DJs/karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + karaoke 10pm
THURSDAY 9
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Danii Dior’s Weekend Warm Up: tunes/karaoke 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz On Your Face 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 10
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Weekend
Star ts Here: DJ Toby Lawrence 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJ Audio K9 10.30pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Son of a Tutu 10pm
SATURDAY 11
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Big One: DJ Ruper t Ellick 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Phil Marriott & Claire Fuller 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Neil Sackley 9pm
SUNDAY 12
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD ReWind 80s/90s night 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE Shout Out Sunday: DJ Darcy
Buckland 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium:
Tanya Hyde & Miss Jason 8pm
) HB GAY CARD Sign up for a HB Gay Card for £10, valid for one year Perks include: points to spend at the bar, free VIP booth on your bir thday, priority entrance, queue jump and you can use it as ID to enter the club! Ask staff for more details
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Tuesday is Cherr y Liquor ’s DRAGPILATION with free entry and top stars joining the everglamorous Cherry from 7pm (showtime 8 30pm) for a night of top cabaret, bingo and gameshows! This month’s guests: Miss Terr y Tour (7), Sandra (14), Drag With No Name (21) and Tanya Hyde (28)
) REGUL ARS Friday is THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE with DJ Toby Lawrence spinning house & commercial floor-fillers; free b4 10pm, £3 b4 11pm, £5 after
) Sat is THE BIG ONE with DJ R uper t Ellick, free b4
11pm/£5 after ) Sun is REWIND with 80s/90s tunes melting away the endof-weekend blues, free entry! ) Mon is 20SOMETHING with DJ Lee Harris & Luke Ennor, free b4 10pm, £3 b4 midnight, £5 after ) Wed is BIG NAVY NIGHT with host Aura- Jay’s KARAOKE steering you over the hump ) Warm up for the weekend every Thur with Danii Dior, hot tracks & karaoke
MONDAY 13
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE CRAFT: DJ Liam Searle 11pm
TUESDAY 14
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry Liquor’s Dragpilation with Sandra, games & bingo 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Open Mic Sessions 8pm
l EDGE Throwback Tuesday: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 15
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night: karaoke with host Aura J 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Bar 150: DJs/karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150 Onesie Par ty: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + cabaret from Cassidy Connors 10pm
THURSDAY 16
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Danii Dior’s Weekend Warm Up: tunes/karaoke 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz On Your Face 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 17
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Weekend Star ts Here: DJ Toby Lawrence 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJ Darcy Buckland 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Sumting Wong 10pm
SATURDAY 18
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Big One: DJ Ruper t Ellick 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Liam Searle & Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Lucinda Lashes 9pm
SUNDAY 19
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD ReWind 80s/90s night 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE Shout Out Sunday: DJ Darcy Buckland 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Miss Penny & Lola Lasagne 8pm
MONDAY 20
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE CRAFT: DJ Liam Searle 11pm
TUESDAY 21
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry Liquor’s Dragpilation with Drag With No Name, games & bingo 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Open Mic Sessions 8pm
l EDGE Throwback Tuesday: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 22
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night: karaoke with host Aura J 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Bar 150: DJs/karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + karaoke 10pm
THURSDAY 23
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Danii Dior’s Weekend Warm Up: tunes/karaoke 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz On Your Face 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 24
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Weekend Star ts Here: DJ Toby Lawrence 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJ Audio K9 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SATURDAY 25
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD The Big One: DJ Ruper t Ellick 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Alex Baker & Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Tiny 9pm
SUNDAY 26
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD ReWind 80s/90s night 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE Shout Out Sunday: DJ Darcy Buckland 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Lucinda Lashes & Wilma Fingadoo 8pm
MONDAY 27
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
l EDGE CRAFT: DJ Liam Searle 11pm
TUESDAY 28
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry Liquor’s Dragpilation with Tanya Hyde, games & bingo 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Open Mic Sessions 8pm
l EDGE Throwback Tuesday: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 29
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night: karaoke with host Aura J 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Bar 150: DJs/karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + karaoke 10pm
THURSDAY 30
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Danii Dior’s Weekend Warm Up: tunes/karaoke 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz On Your Face 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
DANCE MUSIC
BY QUEEN JOSEPHINE & KATE WILDBLOOD
ALBUMS
) It’s time to get the sparkle into your November as the tunes light up the night sky with bangers Be it the classy house of Yousef Presents Circus 15 – The Album on Circus Recordings, the swirling sensual sounds of Miyagi’ s Scene From A Dream on Lost Diaries, the deeply spiritual vibes of Satori’ s MAKTUB on Crosstown Rebels or the dancefloor meets bedroom that is Tomas Barfod’ s perfect Paloma on Friends of Friends, your fireworks will sing with delight thanks to these musical maestros.
And if you thought that was enough to keep you treated this tricky month, then you’d be wrong. With must-have albums including the soulful compilation celebration of one of house
music’s finest labels, Play It Like Papa (15 Years of Papa Records), the moody beauty of Jori Hulkkonen’ s Don’t Believe In Happiness on My Favourite Robot Records; the Chicago class that is DJ Pierre’ s Wild Pitch: The Story on Get Physical; or the simply mindblowing sounds of Call Super’ s Arpo on Hoodstooth, all will be sound this month
Add our oh-my-days faves from the brilliant KiNK’ s Playground on Running Back and the soulful vocals and the electronic bass of Crackazat’ s Rainbow Fantasia on Local Talk and you have your local listening sorted. Just how it should be. Enjoy
) Catch Wildblood & Queenie on RadioReverb 1st & 3rd Saturday R 7pm and 1BTN FM 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 8-10pm perfectdistractions.com
WILDBLOOD & QUEENIE’S NOVEMBER TEN
) GOSHAWK Down In Brooklyn Press For Time Records
Syncopated electronic chords of the classy kind.
) LES INFERNO Everything I Do (Original) Samosa Records Disco sample heaven that delivers the delight with every play
) JAMES BRAUN Tearjerker Tartelet
Sentimental sweetie of a track destined to become a certain fave
) VITO & DRUZZI Night Masquerade Mushroom House EP 4 Toy Tonics
Queenie’s favourite label delivers again with quirky house brilliance
Another sound adventure from our vocal hero, Mr Wright.
) MUNK Down In L.A. (Shazam Remix) Gomma Disco Jams EP2 Gomma
It’s all about the piano love with this neo-disco delight.
) THE ASTRAL WALKERS (AYBEE & Lars Bartkuhn) Passage Deepblak Jazzfunk freedom anyone?
) LATMUN Piquant Hot Creations
Goosebump grooves courtesy of a brilliant Footsteps EP.
) SILVIO CARRANO Love In B Minor (Classic Mix) Jango Music
Disco goes big room courtesy of Silvio’s sensational session
) NINOS DU BRASIL Animais Soar O Alarme The Bunker New York
One day all techno will be made this way Perfection
DJ PROFILE: JONESY
This month Queenie catches up with a lovely fella who’s sure to put a bounce in your autumn wiggle!
How are you? Jaded after a long weekend, otherwise ruddy wonderful!
Where can we hear you DJ? I play up on level 2 of Revenge every Thursday night for FOMO and once a month on the same floor for WTF!
What music do you play? I’d sum it up as ‘chunky vocal house’ - a mix of upfront stuff and new remixes of classics or the originals depending on the crowd! I always try to ensure my sets have some sort of musical ‘journey’ and not necessarily one you have to be spangled to enjoy!
All time fave? Almost impossible to answer! I first fell in love with dance music in the late 1990s/early 2000s so I’ve always had a soft spot for trance-y synths. Darude’s Sandstorm (cliché alert!) holds a special place in my heart. For a more left-field choice, I grew up listening to rock/punk pop/nu-metal and My Chemical Romance’s Welcome To The Black Parade epitomises everything I love about emo music!
What’s so good about DJing in Brighton? Compared to some (bigger) cities, Brighton manages to be unpretentious in most venues. The ones that try be too cool for school don’t tend to do too well The Brighton scene has changed massively in the 14 years I’ve been here and we ’ ve lost some iconic venues like Honeyclub, but there are still some gems!
Ultimate place to DJ and best gig ever? Best gigs are always around Brighton Pride Headlining the Street Party in 2016 was particularly epic as the vibe was just indescribable Christ, I just used the word vibe and now I hate myself a bit on the inside Dream gig would be something festival-based Maybe Bestival in the UK or Tomorrowland!
Tune you wish you’d never played? I remember once at the end of the night at Revenge, I was far too drunk to be DJing, and had just bingewatched the first 5 seasons of Game of Thrones I’d downloaded this horrendous EDM remix of the theme and in my drunken state I convinced myself it’d be a good idea at 3am Cleared the dancefloor and ended up being the last song of the night It was firmly deleted from my collection!
Guilty pleasure? Too many to mention Aqua Aquarium was the first album I bought, that’s the level of cringe we ’ re dealing with here At festivals, even the super cool underground ones, when we get back to the tent at silly o ’clock, I have a Spotify playlist we whack on which is simply called The Tina Turner After Party Playlist Enough said
Describe yourself in three words! Adventurous Passionate Single
DJ JEZEBEL’S CURRENT TOP FIVE
) PNAU Chameleon (Melé remix) etcetc
) JAMES HYPE More Than Friends OMT
) DJ SNAKE A Different Way UMG Recordings
) TIEKS Say a Prayer (ft Chaka Khan and Popcaan) Ministry of Sound
) CNCO & LITTLE MIX Reggaetón Lento Sony Latin
BRIGHTON CENTRE
Kings Road, Brighton, Box office: 0844 847 1515
) WWE (Thu 2) This wrestling tournament is unique blend of sport and entertainment with all the drama and energy of a rock concert
) MICKY FLANAGAN (Fri 3–Sun 5) Stand-up comedy from 'the man of the moment, comedy’s meteoric success ’ Daily Telegraph
) BLONDIE (Wed 8) The group tour their acclaimed album Pollinator and play their hits such as Sunday Girl, Heart of Glass and Atomic. ) STEPS (Thur 23). Twentieth-anniversary tour to mark a brand-new single and album. With special guests, Vengaboys. ) JAMES BLUNT (Fri 24). Marking the follow-up to Moon Landing, his new album The Afterlove. ) RAG’N’BONE MAN (Tue 28). Plays his hits such as Human and Skin ‘Seismic stuff ’ Mojo ) BANANARAMA (Thu 30)
Siobhan, Sara and Keren play all the hits: Venus, Love in the First Degree, Nathan Jones, Cruel Summer and many more
ATTENBOROUGH CENTRE
University of Sussex, Falmer Box office: attenboroughcentre.com
) THINKING QUEER: BLOOMSBURY GROUP (Fri 10) An evening grappling with the intellectual polymaths of the Bloomsbury Group with contemporary interruptions, disruptions and reflections. Considering their values and ideas whilst dreaming about what a radical queer collective might look like today Performances by Marisa Carnesky, Alok Vaid-Menon, Nando Messias and Jacon V Joyce
THE
DOME New Road,, Brighton Box office: 01273 709709
) STEPHEN FRY LIVE! (Mon 6). Marking the publication of Fry's latest book, Mythos - a vivid retelling of the Greek myths. Bringing to life the gods, monsters and mortals of Ancient Greece, he reimagines their astonishing stories for the modern world These thrilling and racy tales of war, debauchery, revenge, love and jealousy have inspired artists and writers from Shakespeare to Michelangelo to Marvel Comics.
) SIMON AMSTELL: WHAT IS THIS? (Sun 19) promises to be a deeply personal, funny exploration of beauty, intimacy, freedom, sex and love 'Amstell has a gift for taking a social norm and gently mocking it until it seems utterly ridiculous. Highly literate... an endearing mixture of offhanded candour and sharp wit. Such ease and understatement makes him very good company' New York Times.
EYES WIDE OPEN
eyeswideopencinema.co.uk
) The queer cinema collective presents: LOOKING FOR LANGSTON (Tue 21, showing at the Attenborough Centre, Falmer). A powerful, personal meditation on the life and loves of AfricanAmerican poet Langston Hughes by pioneering queer British director Isaac Julien Informed by the photographic art of James Van der Zee and Robert Mapplethorpe,
Julien’s film explores the all-male homosexual underworld of black Harlem society from the 1920s to the 1950s and beyond Looking for Langston considers the director’s debt to black queer artists and casts an oblique light on the contemporary AIDS epidemic. Introduced by the director who will take part in a Q&A after the screening.
) CHERYL DUNYE SHORTS (Thu 16, showing at Fabrica, Duke St) Dunye is one of the most distinct voices in American queer cinema history, bursting onto the scene with her wryly funny social critiques of friendship and dating in interracial lesbian communities Most well known for her 1996 feature The Watermelon Woman, Dunye's short films are criminally unknown gems. The evening comprises: She Don’t Fade, Vanilla Sex, The Potluck and the Passion and Greetings from Africa.
KOMEDIA
Gardner Street, Brighton Box office: 08452 938480
) TRAUMFRAU: QUEER DANCE
PARTY (Sat 4) Celebrate the joy of being queer! Amongst endless politics and talks of what matters, let’s remember that we can enjoy ourself, each other, our bodies on the dancefloor, in a communal affirmation of life Special Guests Anth + Debs / BOSSY Brighton / Laundry Night.
) BENT DOUBLE (Sun 5). A gayfriendly, irreverent night of fun and frolics hosted by Zoe Lyons (Mock The Week and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow). Featuring headliner Paul Sinha, plus Yuriko Kotani and Sarah Keyworth.
) DYNAMITE BOOGALOO’S SILVER FANNIVERSARY (Fri 3). The club night was conceived in 1992 and now, 25 years on, the legendary trio of Boogaloo Stu, Dynamite Sal and Dolly Rocket celebrate their Silver Fanniversary in showbiz with a knees-up.
) OSKA BRIGHT FILM FESTIVAL (Wed 15–Fri 17) is the leading international festival of films made by, or featuring, people with
learning disabilities. This year it features an LGBT strand, Queer Freedom on Wednesday: John & Michael is an animated short about two men with Down's Syndrome; Life On Two Spectrums follows Dan ‘Tia Anna’ Kahn, a drag queen with Asperger’s; Pili & Me looks at a woman with Down’s Syndrome with the director using home movies from three generations to illustrate his own family; Versions examines individual identities and family ties through the biological and the unknown using collage and silhouettes.
TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR
Queens Hotel, 1-3 King's Rd, Brighton
) JASON SUTTON: TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR (8pm, Fri 10; 5pm & 8pm, Sat 11) Jason Sutton (aka Miss Jason) stars in Philip Meeks' one man play. Jason takes a dramatic departure from his fabulous guise as one of Brighton and London's leading lights on the cabaret circuit to play the tragicomic figure of Harold Thropp Harold, a veteran pantomime dame, reflects on his life in the blaze of the footlights, which has dimmed over the years as the world's recognition of star quality has turned on its head. Harold's woes at being given a dressing room in the basement spark a chain of incredible memories and events that will ensure Harold is never forgotten. Written and directed by Philip Meeks (writer for Doctors, Emmerdale and Heartbeat) Twinkle, Little Star promises to make audiences cry with laughter and shed tears of sadness as Harold's hilarious anecdotes and bitchy oneliners unmask a dame in her descent with one last punchline to deliver Tickets: £13.50/£12 www.universe.com/events/twinkl e-little-star-tickets-brightonJV0G4S
ART MATTERS
This month I’m concentrating on one arts venue, the studio and gallery complex Phoenix Brighton, as they have a plethora of events for you to experience and possibly take home a momento from.
PHOENIX BRIGHTON
10–14 Waterloo Place, Brighton, www.phoenixbrighton.org ) COMMON THREADS (11am–5pm, Wed–Sun until Sun 5), continues as part of the HOUSE Biennial in the North Gallery HOUSE Biennial, conceived in 2008 by directors Judy Stevens and Chris Lord, is a contemporary visual arts festival curated by Celia Davies that commissions an internationally regarded invited artist and selects additional artists at varying career stages Two artists this year, Anthony Stevens (Brighton) and Andrew Omoding (London), have been selected from Outside In’ s network of over 2,500 artists to produce new artworks inspired by the theme of ‘Excess’ and the work of invited artist Laura Ford Anthony Stevens is a self-taught artist whose work is about expressing personal experiences and processing the consequences His characterful hand-embroidered textile collages draw out observations around human behaviour and our underlying motivations The act of making itself is mindful and an important process in making the work Stevens’ work shares personal stories alongside more widely known fables that explore excess and its implications found in mythology and historical events as much as contemporary societal values and consumerist trends. This includes how the need to be loved has been manipulated into a desire to overconsume. Ugandan-born Andrew Omoding’ s work is largely autobiographical. His mixed media creations include sculptures, books and costumes made from leftover and scrap materials he finds. Omoding selects a variety of found materials to weave, wrap, sew, thread and construct new objects An intuitive process, the works are created as his stories evolve Whilst making, the artist simultaneously sings, performs and shares his works through storytelling
) STILL/SWAY (until Sun 12) is a display of new works by Jim Cooke, an artist and boater Jim responds to the quiet mystery of the waterways Through his photography he embraces the privilege of spending time reacting to the unique atmosphere and components of this man-made landscape and his fascination for the relationship between chaos and order evident in bankside vegetation, the surface flow and the timelessness of water. He is a senior lecturer in Photography at the University of Brighton.
) MAPS & LIVES (Sat 11–Sun 3 Dec), a gallery installation and participatory activity curated by Louise Purbrick, Lara Perry and Claire Wintle, sees individuals and groups work with artists and activists to create maps of their lives in Brighton & Hove.
) ART JUNKY (11am–5pm, Tue 28) is at the nearby Open Market, an indoor market that combines a love for quirky jumble sale culture with local artistic talent. Showcasing a selection of unique and affordable craft, artwork, vintage and found treasures, Art Junky stallholders will be joining the mix.
ALL THAT JAZZ
) FRED HERSCH Open Book (Palmetto Records) American pianist
Fred Hersch is one of the few out gay men in jazz today. He is also the first and only one to declare his HIV-positive status: in 2007 he endured a two-month medically induced coma, and then musically recreated his dreams during the event on My Coma Dreams, an outstandingly brave and raw piece of jazz theatre captured on DVD. For his latest CD, he was recorded solo in a concert hall in Seoul, South Korea Most of the set was played to an empty hall, with just two pieces in front of an audience The highlight of the set is the live, 20-minute-long Through the Forest Apparently, Hersch overslept before an afternoon’s performance and arrived in a groggy mood, both jetlagged and caffeine fuelled. The resulting piece is a poignant musical dreamscape that slowly reveals its light and dark moods. The other selections here are more orthodox, but all are played with great feeling. Like every Hersch outing, this music is more precise recital than relaxed performance, but that as ever is to his great credit.
) VIJAY IYER SEXTET Far
From Over (ECM). Another American pianist, this time the precocious Vijay Iyer, a composer and performer of great ingenuity From the outset, his sextet barely touches the brakes, as one explosive track follows the next The title track is a fast and furious interweaving of horn lines, while Nope is a bass-heavy funkster and End Of The Tunnel a doom-laded wash of electronics. When proceedings do slow down, notably on the elegiac For Amiri Baraka – one of the main Black cultural critics of recent years – you can hear properly the craft of both composition and performance. This is Iyer’s fifth outing for ECM, and each one is better than the last.
) WILL BUTTERWORTH QUARTET The Nightingale And The Rose (Jellymould). I first came across British pianist Will Butterworth when, alongside drummer Dylan Howe, the pair delivered a thrilling duo version of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Now supported by a fine trio, he has produced a suite of music based on Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale And The Rose from ‘The Happy Prince’. The story is a tale of love and sacrifice in which a romantic but geeky student decides that logic and metaphysics are more useful than love after he is strung out and rejected by a stroppy girl Butterworth has a classical background but his trio are all jazzers, making the ten tracks on this set an unexpected delight. A vocal version of this suite, using Wilde’s text, can be heard at the London Jazz Festival on 12 November, but there you have to endure the implausible Gyles Brandreth in his capacity of Honorary President of the Oscar Wilde Society uttering the wonderful prose Heaven help us, and Oscar too
CL ASSICAL NOTES
REVIEWS
) ARC ENSEMBLE Chamber Works by Szymon Laks (Chandos CHAN10983). The latest in Chandos’ Music in Exile series features chamber works by Szymon Laks (19011983) Born in Warsaw, he settled in Paris in his 20s, but was interned and later sent to Auschwitz He conducted the Auschwitz orchestra, but later he wrote about how music was used by the Nazis as an instrument of control, and to indulge the officers’ pretensions. Yet he rarely expressed the trauma of these times in his music, which is often melodious, jazzy and highly engaging. The Canadian ARC Ensemble perform here in works for a wide variety of musical forces The String Quartet No 4 of 1962 has a jazzy, quirky opening movement, a smooth, but darkly eerie central slow movement, and a driving rhythmic finale Another quartet follows, this time a Divertimento for violin, clarinet, bassoon and piano. Its opening movement is relaxed and expansive, yet still with that quirkiness. The slow movement is mournful, mysterious and wandering, played with beautifully understated tenderness. The only pre-war work here is a Sonatina for piano from 1927 It has the same wandering, jazzy harmonies of his later works, with a clear French influence Pianist David Louie executes the sliding chromatic harmonies smoothly, and enlivens the skittering scherzino and the wild, swirling dance finale. The Concertino for oboe, clarinet and bassoon is more complex and technically challenging, making
CINEMA
great use of the three contrasting instruments. The three players rise to its challenges, with very precise nagging, bird-like trills in the finale giving this great character. The Passacaille for clarinet and piano once again has that meandering, walking pace, with a mournful slow clarinet melody over and almost chorale-like piano The Quintet for piano and strings on Popular Polish Themes closes the disc This is a lively and invigorating piece, full of swirling dances, mazurkas and rustic folk melodies, but those jazzy, bluesy harmonies are here too. The ARC Ensemble players excel in this fascinating and varied selection of works, well worth exploration.
) RICHARD TOGNETTI & AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER
ORCHESTRA Bach & Beethoven Fugue (ABC Classics 4814960). Richard Tognetti directs the Australian Chamber Orchestra from the violin, and on this live concert disc, they perform selections from Bach’ s The Art of Fugue, and Tognetti’s own arrangement for string orchestra of Beethoven’ s String Quartet Op. 130, with the famous Grosse Fuge as the final movement. Bach’s The Art of Fugue had no indication of his intentions in terms of performing forces, and it is unclear whether it was purely an academic, educational exercise However, it is unlikely he would ever have envisaged a full chamber orchestra, complete with oboes and horns, and even the voices of the ACO players who discretely join in in the fourth Contrapunctus This effect might have worked in live performance, but on disc it is rather too gimmicky to survive
) GLYNDEBOURNE ON TOUR’ s production of Rossini’ s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage Of Figaro) is showing at Dukes at the Komedia (Wed 1) and at the Picture House Uckfield (Sun 15).
) The BOLSHOI BALLET perform The Taming of the Shrew (Sun 12), a witty take on Shakespeare’s play with music by Shostakovich. ) The MET OPERA broadcast live their production of Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel (Sat 18), with an all-star cast, including Iestyn Davies, Sally Matthews and Alice Coote. In local cinemas: Duke’s @ Komedia Brighton, Cineworld Eastbourne and Connaught Cinema, Worthing.
repeated listening Nevertheless, the fugal lines are presented with great precision, and the overall sound is straightforwardly clear, if rather bass-heavy in places Their Beethoven had more to offer, although there were still balance issues for me, with the bass line dominating in the first movement particularly. They certainly produce a hefty sound, which worked for some of the time, but their Mahlerian Cavatina, whilst moving, lacked the aching fragility of
CONCERTS
Beethoven’s original The Grosse Fuge had brutal attack, and here the control and energy of the ACO really paid off This is one of those live discs that one possibly had to be there to fully make sense of, but Tognetti and the ACO are to be commended for never playing safe
Reviews, comments and events: v nicks-classicalnotes.blogspot.co.uk t @nickb86uk ) nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk
BRIGHTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
www.bremf.org.uk
) Previewed last month, the festival runs until 12 November, with concerts including Calcutta with Ensemble Tempus Fugit (Sun 5), Monteverdi’ s Orfeo (Wed 8, Sat 11 & Sun 12), and Bach’ s Christmas Oratorio (Sun 12). Check the BREMF website for details.
BRIGHTON DOME
Box office: 01273 709709 www.brightondome.org
) The BRIGHTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, conducted by Barry Wordsworth (2 45pm, Sun 12), perform Bach, Butterworth, Vaughan Williams and Britten’ s Violin Concerto with Matthew Trusler (violin)
) Kiril Karabits conducts the BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (7 30pm, Sat 18), playing Glazunov, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven’ s Piano Concerto No. 3 with David Fray (piano).
) The LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (7.30pm, Sat 25) perform Bach and Vivaldi, led by violinist Pieter Schoeman, with Kevin Lin (violin) & Pei-Jee Ng (cello).
) BALLETBOYZ are back with Fourteen Days (7.30pm, Tue 28 & Wed 29), comprising four new works to music by composers including Jody Talbot and Scott Walker
ST NICHOL A S CHURCH
Brighton, www.musicofourtime.co.uk
) MOOT (Music of our Time) marks Parliament Week by exploring the parallels between democracy and music. Guest speaker Caroline Lucas MP will speak and play piano (7.30pm, Fri 17), alongside pianists including Helen Wilson and Simon Lane. Music includes a new piece for two pianos by Carlos Bianchini and works by Mozart, Debussy and Percy Grainger.
) The WORTHING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA performs de Falla, Rimsky Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Rodrigo’ s Concerto de Aranjuez with Craig Ogden (guitar) (2 45pm, Sun 5)
) The WORTHING PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (3pm, Sun 26) performs Wagner, Dvořák and Rachmaninov’ s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, with Alissa Firsova (piano)
ATTENBOROUGH CENTRE
University of Sussex, Falmer, Box office: 01273 678822, www.attenboroughcentre.com
) The CASTALIAN QUARTET (11am, Sun 26) performs Haydn, Dutilleux & Beethoven.
) A MARVELLOUS PARTY (Ignite Books) by Ian Elmslie Ian nails the most important mantra of LGBT history here: ‘Unless we share our stories, our history is lost’ and this wonderful, funny, engaging and downright salacious memoir follows our author Ian on his one man journey from family home to the heart of the gay cabaret scene, and the characters he met on the way, and boy are they characters. Ian name drops better than Elaine Page and is far more generous with his praise, he shared his respect and joy of the Queer icons who have inspired him, the things he has learned and with insight and amusement and some honest passages that are heartwarming. Elmslie is a very generous and warm writer, his prose engages and this book is as funny as is it entertaining. Recommended.
) YOUR SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU: Essays & Poems (Silver Press) by Audre Lorde This collection of essential essays and poems includes the classic The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master's House A trailblazer in intersectional feminism, Lorde’s luminous writings have inspired a new generation of thinkers and writers. Her lyrical and incisive prose takes on sexism, racism, homophobia, and class; reflecting struggle but ultimately offering messages of hope that remain ever-more trenchant today Lorde was a Poet Laureate until her death; her poetry and prose together produced an aphoristic and incomparably quotable style, as evidenced by her constant presence on many Women’s
gives some practical insight into how to cope and flourish in the app ’mosphere and also points out the behavioural change that’s underway whether we like it or not. Londyn suggests we can change it. We’ve done it before in other situations, but we need to look at ourselves, our behaviour patterns and our community and resolve to transform all of them. Londyn encourages Grindr users to follow the Gay Commandments, practical not preachy, and he is candid enough to share his own experiences, awful, ludicrous, funny and bad, and his frank learning from his mistakes which led to their development Dating apps are here to stay. It's time to stop surviving these apps and start using them to thrive. This book provides an honest, intuitive and funny way to gain control of these rampant caustic apps and harness their latent potential for good
said to her, and continue to say to sufferers of this malignant disorder, are both insightful and darkly funny I always liked Calman but after reading this book I respect her and adore her, not just for her ability to tell a difficult story with engaging hope but also to be honest enough about her pain to allow me to learn a little about being a more supportive person to depressed people in the future
Marches worldwide With a preface by Reni Eddo-Lodge, this beautiful edition honours the ways in which Lorde's work resonates more than ever 30 years after they were first published.
) GRINDR SURVIVR: How To Find Happiness In The Age Of Hookup Apps (CreateSpace) by Andrew Londyn. Imagine Grindr/Scruff/ Tinder etc offered opportunities to actually connect with people rather than just f**k? App culture has radically transformed how the gay community interacts, and while ‘dating’ has become easier, it seems as if finding anything of substance has become impossible Londyn posits that we are just surviving apps like Grindr and
) CHEER UP LOVE: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate (Two Roads) by Susan Calman Calman is wonderfully funny, is all over clever TV and in Cheer Up Love she writes about her lifelong struggle with depression She is heartbreakingly honest about living with ‘The Crab of Hate’ as she names it. She talks with humour and grace about selfharming, hurting and cutting herself, the deep darkness that lurches within her and does with such a laugh out loud style that you forget how painful and hurtful these times much have been for her This book is a gift from her humour to ‘The Crab of Hate’ and it’s a supreme act of will and love Her stories of counsellors and therapists, of the well-meaning twaddle that ignorant folk have
) FATHOMLESS RICHES: Or How I Went From Pop to Pulpit (W&N) by Reverend Richard Coles In this warm, witty and wise memoir, Reverend Richard Coles divulges with brutal, searing honesty and intimacy his haj from a Rock & Roll life of sex and drugs in The Communards to one devoted to God, Christianity and TV punditry. He’s very honest in this book, tells some shocking stories of his arrogance, lies and deception and grand indulgences, alongside some very funny anecdotes that made me laugh out loud He’s a very imperfect man but his blunt honesty charmed me, even when his odd reluctance to call the Church out more on its institutional failings and cruelty annoyed me. His life has been framed by the AIDS epidemic and there are some brutal moments recalling the horror of those years. However, there’s no doubting this book is a wonderful headlong lurch from one world to another with a candid enquiring mind in the driving seat and well worth the read Part confession, part damnation this very modern memoir impresses The result is one of the most unusual and readable life stories of recent times, and has the power to shock as well as console
GEEK SCENE
COMICS
) Ever since Marvel Studios released The Avengers to critical and commercial acclaim, all other companies have wanted a piece of that sweet money pie None more so than DC comics: Marvel’s main competition. Low and behold, a year later, DC released the first movie of their DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel. With that, a new universe was born. Whilst it took Marvel five movies before embarking on the big team up, DC have decided to do it in four and these films are a bit hit and miss for me. Man of Steel was interesting and flowed well but felt a bit too dark for Superman. Batman V Superman was bloated with characters but fantastic to look at and that Batman fight scene? Oh man! Suicide Squad had a great cast but felt a bit of a let-down Finally, we have Wonder Woman which was brilliant from start to finish and helped to bring a little bit of levity to the universe
WORLD WAR 3
Which brings us to the Justice League movie part one, which looks to be fun, action packed and, at least, visually stunning So, for those not up to scratch on their Justice League history, let us take a look at two of their best stories, from the JLA comics, before you go and see the new movie
Lex Luthor forms a new Injustice Gang consisting of some of the JLA’s worst enemies with the intention to use the group to infiltrate the Watchtower and destroy the Justice League Unbeknownst to the Injustice Gang, they are being controlled by a powerful external force: the cosmic entity Mageddon. This ancient weapon has been controlling the population of Earth to create a worldwide state of war and plans to utilise this to eventually destroy the planet. With the true enemy revealed, the JLA must come up with a way to destroy Mageddon before it is too late In order to defeat this threat, the JLA is able to grant superpowers to the population of Earth, who manage to keep the powerful weapon occupied long enough for Superman to destroy Mageddon's ‘heart’ and disable it for good
TOWER OF BABEL
Due to Batman always being prepared for every outcome, he creates hidden records concerning the strengths and weaknesses of his allies in the Justice League in case of any of them go rogue, which include plans to neutralize his allies. Utilising his daughter’s knowledge of Batman, these plans are stolen by Ra's al Ghul, who uses them to successfully defeat the League in one fell swoop. With the JLA disabled, they unable to interfere with his latest plan: creating a tower to scramble both the written and spoken word of every language It’s a great story which shows the lengths Batman will go to in order to protect people from every single possible threat, as well as peering into his deep-seated paranoia ) Other notable mentions: JLA: Earth 2, Pain of the Gods, Throne of Atlantis, Trinity War
GAMES
) One of my all time favourite gaming series is Battlefront, which is by far my favourite Star Wars game, even beating the classic Dark Forces and X-Wing Vs TIE Fighter series I’ve spent many an evening blasting Imperial scum from the ground or air, taking vengeance on the regime that’s plagued the galaxy and brought it to its knees It helped that my best friend would always be the Empire to counter my Rebel tendencies and watching Luke Skywalker battle Darth Vader as you blast one another around them is up there as one of the most nerve-wracking moments I’ve had whilst holding a controller.
After EA DICE released the last instalment in 2015 to a lukewarm reception, people have been clamouring for a new title in the franchise that lives up to the hype of the classic games The main beef with players and critics alike was the lack of any kind of single player campaign. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered and a completely original single player story has been crafted for the game.
This exciting new story has you following an Imperial soldier from the Battle of Endor right up to the events of the Force Awakens and does something that Star Wars stories rarely do - follow the ‘bad’ guys. You can play from either a first-person or third-person view and the object of the match is to defeat all combatants on the opposing team or capture and keep hold of the opposing player’s command points In taking over the command points you negate the opposing player’s ability to respawn new units and effectively cut off their reinforcements Players can navigate the battlefield on foot, selecting their troopers from a list of classes that are fully customisable, or use various land or air-based vehicles to destroy their enemies
Every so often a hero unit will drop into play for you to control. These are iconic characters from the films that help to enhance your team’s firepower If you ’ re a Rebel you may get to control Luke Skywalker or Han Solo, whereas the Imperials will be able to use the might of Darth Vader or Boba Fett himself Other hero units range across the whole of the Star Wars universe from Yoda and Darth Maul to Rey and Kylo Ren, no matter who you pick you are spoilt for choice with each hero unit having their own strengths and weaknesses The game supports up to 40 online players per match over a multitude of distinct battlefields as well as an intense starfighter mode which will keep you busy for hours at a time. All in all, the new Battlefront 2 is a worthy successor to the crown. A Battlefront game done right that combines all the best bits of the previous games to make one hell of an experience.
) New Leather Colour Ranges from £25 (Prowler, 112-113 St James's St, Brighton, 01273 603813)
) Cobra Brooch, exclusive to Barbary Lane, £24.99; Gold Dragon Dress Scarf, £28; assorted silk and wool scarves, £22; handmade Miley Christmas Wreath, £24 (Barbary Lane, 95 St George’s Rd, Brighton, barbarylane.co.uk and Facebook)
) Naked Rugby Players Calendar 2018, £13.99, features players from six LGBT UK clubs. Money raised from sales will help support the clubs involved and the Balls to Cancer charity. Available from www.thenakedrugbyplayers.com
Why read a magazine when you can download Grindr? Craig Hanlon-Smith @craigscontinuum
) The October edition of Attitude magazine, begins with an intelligent and impassioned plea from editor in chief Matt Cain for us to come together as a community Referring specifically to the way some gay men online have ‘turned’ on cover feature artist Sam Smith, Cain makes some wider and much welcome observations of the need for us all to stand together. He articulates a feeling that I have for a number of years held myself, that as we witness progressive social and legal changes, that which held us together as a community is ‘loosening’ He goes on to describe the current print edition of Attitude magazine as “exploring many aspects of gay life” and “investigating subjects that matter to you ” , me, us And indeed it does I for one find it a game-changer to have a contemporary openly gay artist such as Sam Smith interviewed by the original game changer, Elton John. October’s Attitude also features interviews with trans Drag Race superstar Peppermint, black gay indie frontman Kele Okereke and an illuminating article on the new gay stigma, Hepatitis C. It’s a great read. It matters.
And if you really want a mainstream publication to tingle with your brain cells, Gay Times (now billing itself as ‘The Original Gay Magazine’) is even better. I’ve always thought of GT as the thinking man ’ s read and the October edition doesn’t disappoint As Black History Month was upon us, GT lay one challenging feature and celebrating interview after another detailing amongst others “the Queer pioneers who built black culture” and articles titled Black, Queer and Visible And mixed in with the standard fitness regulars and reports on the Will & Grace comeback is an arresting intelligent interview challenging traditional concepts of gender. Did I mention the articles exploring the complexities of adopting as a gay man and the perils of religious-based conversion therapy? It’s (largely) stirring stuff. Practically an encyclopedia. How bitterly disappointing then, that following a brief flick through the social media feeds of
both GT and Attitude one would be forgiven for assuming that both publications are run by a brain absent moronic collective from the planet testicle.
Let’s look at the evidence: first in the dock, the gender challenging and Black History Month-celebrating GT: “Bromans star Brandon Myers, I know right, you could almost stop reading now, says he’s [sic] got the biggest penis on reality TV (insert emoji wide-eyedshocked face)” and there’s an actual link both in the tweet and Facebook page that takes you to an article written on the subject, a reality TV star who says gay boys love his massive straight penis And if you hadn’t yet quite smacked yourself in the face with a rusting fridge from 1974, there’s more: “Yikes! Turns out model Charles-Laurent Marchand’s got quite a large aubergine” - insert aubergine emoji which indicates massive penis, accompanied with half naked image in which said model appears to be knocking one out. He isn’t, he’s laughing, which is useful because so are we. Kinda.
They are of course not alone. Attitude appears to have also decided that despite a community challenging and enlightening print edition, it’s pond life for Christmas in the world of twitter. “Tom Daley sends fans into a meltdown with his bulge”. And then a poor hapless journalist, possibly glued to a Macbook in Starbucks, has written all about the community binding properties of the Olympic swimmer’s spunk sack Perhaps when Matt Cain was writing his Don’t Cry For Me Argentina editorial piece, imploring us all to ‘ come together’, he actually meant it, perhaps even on to a biscuit that we could then send him One might suggest his staff need the brain food.
I’m sure there are market-driven reasons why these magnificent and historically significant publications have such dramatically opposing facades on the shelf and on social media In many ways, as a loosening community struggling with its millennial identity, we ’ ve asked for it. When hook up or f**k up apps dominate our cultural path, the most intelligent aspect of which is a profile list of what an individual is not looking for; ‘ no femm, no fat, no camp, no Black/Asian – I’m sorry it’s just my preference’ then the brain absent moronic collective from the planet testicle is actually the audience If we didn’t lap this shit up and squeal at the nearest swimmer’s growler in lycra, then perhaps our publications wouldn’t feed it to us Attitude and GT are just giving us what we, the punters, want
Take the sex shopping app ’ s open racism The October print edition of GT devotes at least a third of its features and fashion spreads to Black culture To Black artists, musicians, models, activists and cultural movers and shakers throughout recent queer Black History, and yet on the font cover of the magazine we have a half naked, ex boyband, heterosexual white man with any reference to the Black content inside, reduced to a smaller print sub heading. A half naked Black homo just won’t shift copy to the (largely) racist hetero wannabe white gay boys How utterly heartbreaking
Our open racism on social-sex media is driving the editorial decisions of our finest gay-centric print media. We did it. The leering crotchgrabbing grrrrrrrr of our scruff profiles, dictates the online content we are fed by seemingly intelligent people, who when writing for us, remove their brains because we asked them to In short, our hangover erections are dictating journalistic decisions then fed to our young
Dear Attitude and GT, in my 20s you were part of my salvation Through you, I read about acceptance, hope, community and a possible future for me that would not end in a locked bathroom with a razor blade Thousands of us plucked up the courage every month to sneak into the corner shop and buy a copy of the local newspaper with an LGBT publication hidden inside.
The world hasn’t changed, those individuals in their 20s, and as teenagers, still exist. What is radically different is how they, you, we, access our media. Be a leader in a loosening community. We will all access Grindr, Scruff, Gaydar (does that still exist?) if we want it. Let the bragging straight dudes from brain dead reality TV stay there, we will watch it if we want to You owe us more, and the next generation still needs you more You are better than a sack full of spunk It is time to behave like it
“Our open racism on social-sex media is driving the editorial decisions of our finest gay-centric print media”
HOMELY HOMILY
BY GLENN STEVENS
STRONG & PROUD
) Thinking back over the last 32 years it’s almost too hard to comprehend the amount of people I’ve known who lost their lives to AIDS. Back in the early 1980s, it was quite common to hear each week that someone else from the gay scene had died. That was difficult enough but when you got the call from a close friend to say they’d been diagnosed HIV+, that was very hard to take. There really was no rhyme or reason as to how quickly that friend who you’d been dancing with to Divine in Club Revenge a couple of weeks before would call you to say the’d succumb to AIDS. And before you knew it, you where yet again saying goodbye to a friend forever
Seeing people transformed into shells of their former selves is something that never leaves you. The trick is to not remember them that way but to remember them as who they were. When writing for Gscene’ s annual HIV/AIDS edition, I always think of my dear friend Mark, aka Ruby Two-Shoes, and the huge amount of fun and laughs he brought into my life
“Seeing people transformed into shells of their former selves is something that never leaves you”
Having joined the QE2 for its relaunch in 1987, I was assigned a cabin with three straight crew members. I really didn’t want to stay until I heard a shout from the corridor, “Ruby’s in the galley! And she’s wearing a dress!” Although I’d never met Ruby, I knew we were going to be ‘best sisters’ By the next day, Mark had arranged for the straight lad to swap cabins and I joined Ruby, David (Dorris) and Nigel (Viv) Under Ruby’s wing we worked hard, partied hard and laughed every single day
Ruby also made sure that we left a legendary mark on the passengers and crew of the QE2 as collectively we formed a drag act called The Ruby Sisters. Mark had a real charm with people and got other people on board to help with our act. We had the onboard Steiner Hairdressers to style and set our wigs, we had the Peter Gordeno dancers to help with our routine and we even got a small budget to go shopping in New York for our drag
The shows were a knock-out, one of those once in a lifetime experiences Imagine strutting on the QE2’s stage miming to Sweet Charity's Hey Big Spender, then a costume change, and then reappearing at the top of a sweeping staircase to perform We Are What We Are from La Cage aux Folles We were fabulous and brought the house down every time!
I have to say my world crumbled when I visited a very poorly Mark a few years later at the Mildmay Hospice, but was cheered on that he still managed to be puffing on a cigarette, Bette Davies style I so wish he was still with us now, but the next best thing is I have some cracking memories of the time he brought so much love and light into my life
DUNCAN’S DOMAIN
BY D U N C A N S T E WA R T
PARDON ME
) It may simply be that there’s more to worry about these days and this alone has fuelled the current national state of anxiety or have we become less skilled at coping with our emotional burdens and the headwinds that confront us all? The pressure on schoolchildren to get excellent exam grades, job insecurity, housing difficulties and relationship problems all erode our peace of mind. My generation feared atomic annihilation and, thanks to the clowns on the world political stage, that possibility is making a comeback.
Coping with these stresses have always led people to self medicate with drink and drugs but increasingly we present the physical symptoms of these stresses to a health service which doesn’t know how to deal with them except by conducting exhaustive and fruitless examinations Reassurance by negative results is a clumsy and very expensive form of therapy that offers only transient relief
The popularity of CBT, mindfulness and similar practices, do at least address the problem appropriately and help some people in much the same way as, I presume, prayer does for the believer
“My generation feared atomic annihilation and, thanks to the clowns on the world political stage, that possibility is making a comeback”
Working in a hospice has made me more aware of the individual customs of the major religions but they all follow much the same pattern Believe the history, live a righteous life, behave in a socially responsible way and when you die you will be rewarded with some form of extended existence The great adjudicator will grant eternal blissful life or a return to your society at an elevated place in the caste system or reincarnation as a cherished Labrador Fail the assessment and you can expect to roast in Hell, become a shit-shovelling Untouchable or reappear as a dung beetle Non-believers are not haunted by the fear of this judgement but they forfeit the support of approving priests, the comfort of rituals, and the exonerative effect of confession.
I’ve often wondered what people actually think about when they meditate, I imagine some try to achieve a relaxed peaceful interlude, some examine their consciences and some make plans.
It seems to me, and I’m sure this isn’t an original thought on my part, that there is an urgent need to promote a culture of self-forgiveness This is not appropriate for psychopaths for whom guilt is a sensation only experienced by other people but for the rest of us who err but reject the likelihood of divine forgiveness we need to practice Active Self-Forgiveness. Some of our more discreditable actions may simply remain unforgivable and those we just have to live with, but having the courage to admit our mistakes will usually allow us to begin what might be quite a lengthy process which ends with our permitting ourselves to unburden and move on, fairly confident we won’t repeat the misdemeanor If we can, as we should, forgive other people for their hostility we should be able to treat ourselves equally generously Forgiving has nothing to do with forgetting which is a sign of mental impairment not a conscious decision to act charitably.
CHARLIE SAYS
The world turning on a sixpence the size of a shilling, by Charlie Bauer Phd
http://charliebauerphd blogspot co uk
) At least we know that the world is still turning. Phew-wee. I can hardly keep up with all the radical changes. But this is what happens when a plutocratic, straight, white male is elected by the people to the highest political position on the land together with the other disciples who voted for Brexit. We can’t say they voted for booby prize Missus May, but they did vote for Uncle Cameron And we can’t throw any more subterfuge at the issue anymore - the people have voted And here we are And those of us that aren’t reacting or paying full attention are complicit
So, what slipped in this week of the new world order? Apparently the YUK Independence chapter have attacked LGBT rights because they say that children are being ‘encouraged’ to question their sexuality Boom – shanka The right have been screaming this tirade forever Trying to tie homosexuality into kiddie fiddling all over again. Let’s face it, they should know. The last time I remember was when the evil scourge of Clause 28 reared its rear back in the old days of that old dowager Nazi Thatcher. The Chief Constable of Manchester, James Anderton, stated in a press conference that gays were ‘wallowing in a cess pool of their own making’ Of course, he was talking about AIDS which was as popular back then as Candy Crush Saga is today
He was hot on the lead from the other Christian right buffoon across the pond, Ronnie Regan (a neanderthal often photographed with a monkey on his lap) in the mutual condemnation of something ‘unnatural ’ That is, unnatural like Darwin and ‘unnatural’ selection Not only were the leaders of the ‘free’ world vocally against the gays but we had our own disease just to make life that little bit more unbearable. Talk about the simian emperor ’ s new clothes.
This was countered by a show of force that no other so-called minority had actioned ACT UP, The Rainbow Coalition and the rest took the issues to the streets. Celebrities came out en
masse in support. Some donated their lives to the cause, (thank you Miss Taylor and Mr John) and guess what – we won! Yep, people are living now and apparently you can take a PrEP with your weekend stash. But this wasn’t achieved without climbing those mountains and throwing tablets of stone and heteronorm skulking below What they tried to destroy they only made stronger and this is the ethos of what we know now Our world with girls, boys and others identifying in whatever way they like under the same protective umbrella
Of course, the biggest and best thing about that horrible time is that those crippled gay men finally reached out and took hold of the hands of their lesbian sisters - gay misogyny having got so easily in the way before – itself making the gays the outcasts of the patriarchy they claimed to hate. The threat of death is always a great leveller.
Not only are we hearing the same overture of ‘kiddie fiddler on the roof ’ , but former soldier and police officer, Henry Bolton, the new leader of the YUK party, thinks the LGBT community has gone a ‘bit far.’ His predecessor, Paul Nuttal, is quoted as saying that rather than helping tackle problems of domestic violence and rape in future years,“it is going to confuse and worry these little children ” I immediately think back to the eight-year-old confused child that I was when I began to sense a difference and nobody ever talked about the love that dare not speak it’s name And there were no role models other than Danny La Rue and the men ’ s underwear section of Kays Catalogue
A quick swim over the pond this same week and old Dumbo is signing another one of his
executive orders, as he always tends to whenever congress disagrees with him This time it’s the one giving religious groups greater political freedom The only way he could do this is through the IRS, or the tax office if you will. Tax cuts for the bigots anyone? So, the churches, (and I exclude mosques and temples) and tax-exempt groups are allowed to endorse political candidates. And all that Christian love has to go somewhere – cos it ain’t going up my ass.
The other offshoot of this falls upon, you guessed it, the other group subjected to all the contemporary hatred of the new orderwomen. If your employers are a certain blend of Christianity, then your employer’s healthcare insurance will not include contraception You should perhaps pray more
Trump (fart in English terminology) states that “We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anymore and we will never, ever stand for religious discrimination’ This sounds a bit like the ACT UP battle cry with a few mixed up words Does all this mean those priests can whip the cassocks off the alter boys again?
Until last November I was banking on Hillary and the gays bringing down the Second Amendment gun nonsense The gays only needed something like Orlando to really get to work since they’d attacked and shot our own That would have been a coalition made in heaven and it would have happened. That was, until, it all became ‘maybe’, again.
Even Frankweinstein looks like a pope amongst this lot – yet another great distraction in the media firmament. Of course he’s a bloody monster but then, he always has been. What we have to question is the timing of the exposure – at a time when Rumpy Pump is waging war on the liberals of over-rated Hollywood which has always been left-thinking and always been Jewish. Go figure.
Again, as I’ve written about years ago when I talked about the media pissing contest between Murdoch’s and the refusal for him to be the majority shareholder in various UK media companies, just to undermine the BBC This set against his counter-aggression of exposing the BBC’s Jimmy Saville as a monster at the same time Jimmy Saville had again been at it for years, and News International knew exactly when to drop that bomb Or ‘A Saville Card’ as it’s become known Sorry Harvey.
A ‘ sex pervert’ will always be the corrective in conservative Western cultures So, let’s all get ourselves ready for the LGBTQI community to be reclassified any day now.
“Of course he’s a bloody monster but then, he always has been. What we have to question is the timing of the exposure”
NETTY ’S WORLD
LEST WE FORGET
) In the annual Gscene look at HIV and AIDS, I am predictably reminded of the gay male friends I’ve lost, and the happy fact I now haven’t attended an AIDS-related funeral in over 10 years. This is not because gay men have ceased to have sex, something they were encouraged to do back in the 1980s, and an idea that, if you’ll pardon the pun, died on its arse. For the purpose of this column I am focusing firmly on gay men, unlike the virus itself, which does not discriminate and will happily infect the bodies of straights, children and any human being with alacrity
With the emergence of apps like Grindr, casual encounters among gay men have never been so easy. Do guys use condoms on every occasion? I know some who habitually don’t and this upsets me. To my mind it’s not on a par with spreading unwanted life in the form of an unplanned baby, it’s spreading death, or certainly life-limiting illness if left untreated
We still don’t have a cure, let alone vaccine. While boffins in white coats are infecting caged monkeys with HIV to test the effectiveness of more sophisticated drugs, and people in Africa are dying for want of education, protection and medication, still there are those who refuse to accept the seriousness of the situation; but then, what do I know? I’ve only spent half my life supporting and giving money to this great cause - I’m a bit judgmental like that.
With the best will in the world, it’s a fact that condoms sometimes break or are faulty, come off, (or scurrilous individuals secretly don’t put them on), bodily fluids are shared and the virus enters your life. We are all indebted to the wonderful LGBT organisations that provide free condoms at venues around the city, who constantly inform and advise regular free testing, and who pick up the pieces and recover lives if a positive diagnosis is confirmed It is thanks to these collective forces that HIV is no longer a fast-burning death sentence in the western world In fact, with every passing year, the people living with HIV astound and amaze me with the quality of their lives
Is there still a stigma? Hell yes As my friend Alan said when I discussed writing this column in the pub, “Two people walking down the street, one wears a T-shirt saying ‘I’VE GOT HIV’ the other ‘I’VE GOT CANCER’, there’s no doubt where the public sympathy would predominantly be”
“ To me, the ribbon is as impor tant as the poppy; neither one is a political statement, but a remembering of those we have lost”
He also alerted me to the difficulty of finding an AIDS ribbon outside of Brighton As World AIDS Day approaches, I scan politicians’ and presenters’ lapels on TV, hoping to see some sign of support for the cause The epidemic of the 1980s must not have been in vain To me, the ribbon is as important as the poppy; neither one is a political statement, but a remembering of those we have lost, and a commitment to never letting it happen again
TRANSITIONING WITH SUGAR - HIV & ME
Ms Sugar Swan looks at her relationship with HIV as a trans woman
) I’ve been HIV+ for the majority of my adult life I was diagnosed in my early 20s shortly after the death of my mother I didn’t take her death very well and ran away to Europe for three months where I undertook some risky sexual practice as I was in a dark depression Most traumatically I was gang raped by four men who took it in turns to rape me multiple times which left me not only with mental scars, but physically torn. On my return to the UK, I was diagnosed with HIV along with three other STIs that were quickly eliminated through modern medicine. Given my experience and the trauma to my anus, my diagnosis was inevitable. As I approach 40 I can honestly say that HIV in relation to my health isn't something that I think all that much about, if at all I’m very lucky that I was diagnosed early before the virus had a chance to damage my immune system and I’ve responded extremely well to HAART Thanks to religiously regular testing we can pinpoint my diagnosis to the three-month period that I was out of the UK
Nowadays it’s seen as best practice to get newly diagnosed HIV+ people started on HAART quickly after diagnosis for a few reasons One being to protect the person ’ s immune system and another that bringing a HIV+ person down to an undetectable viral load makes them one of the safest people a HIV- person can have sex with as having an undetectable viral load is statistically a safer way of preventing the spread of HIV than condoms. Having an undetectable viral load means that HIV cannot be passed by seminal or vaginal fluid Yes that’s right, I’ll say it again for those who are hard of understanding - having an undetectable viral load means that HIV cannot be passed by seminal or vaginal fluid Got it? Good Let’s move on
Post-diagnosis, in the days when it wasn’t best practice to put people on HAART immediately, I was monitored every six months and never saw a fall in my CD4 count or a climb in my viral load I was one of the lucky ones that coexisted with HIV without it bringing secondary infections to my body When a new medical trial came out, although I wasn’t seen as needing HAART at the time, I was asked if I’d be prepared to take part in the trial of a new drug regime. Being the kind of person that I am, and thinking of my mother’s death and the people before her who trailed the cancer treatments that afforded her some extra years, I thought that if I tried something experimental it could help those in the future I signed up to the trial without hesitation Some 10 years later and I’m happy to report that after the initial two-year trial I’m still on that same combination of drugs and I’ve been undetectable since I started I’ve
a super high CD4 count of over 1,000 (greater than many a HIV- person) It warms my heart when a newly diagnosed person turns to me for support around medication and its side effects and I ask what combination of HAART they’ve been recommended and they report it’s the same regime that I was a guinea pig for, that works so well for me and that I still adhere to. I’ve a very healthy immune system and HIV hasn’t held me back from doing anything. From a medical point of view I’m one of the HIV success stories. Unfortunately from a social point of view, especially as a trans woman, the same cannot be said
Pre-transition, living in Brighton, and being viewed as an MSM (men that have sex with men), I found living with HIV pretty easy There was very little stigma MSM in Brighton are pretty clued up about HIV in my experience and disclosure of one ’ s status, whilst sometimes leading to sexual rejection, was fairly simple There’s a large community of MSM with HIV in Brighton and finding people to talk to, confide in, make friendships, have intimacy and relationships with, was pretty straight forward. There’s always been a huge push on education around HIV within the MSM community which I’ve been part of while working in THT’s Ship Street offices for many years seeing clients one to one to help them navigate the world. It’s impossible to go for a drink in a gay venue without being educated with posters everywhere and free condoms and lube There’s a lot of education on PeP and PrEP and freely available information on support groups and networks The message is loud and clear, it’s getting through and that’s great Living as an out and proud positive MSM was achievable
However, things haven’t been the same since transition I’ve felt like I’ve been forced back into the HIV closet and that’s somewhere I stayed in early transition Living as a trans woman, in my opinion, carries a lot more stigma than living as a HIV+ MSM. Living as a trans woman with HIV feels like you may as well just give up! Awareness is next to non-existent. Dating is a whole new minefield and people are completely shocked that I’m positive. Sexual rejection rates are much higher, which leaves me asking why?
I believe the answer is education. Sexual health awareness isn’t as highly publicised in other
communities as within MSM This means I’m left to educate people myself and after giving them trans 101, giving them STI and HIV 101, that is, to those who hang round long enough to listen, I’m spent. I realised that there was a huge gap in education which led me to think that the sexual health needs of HIV+ trans women were not being met. This in turn lead me to Professor Rusi Jaspal who is working on The EXTRA Study (EXperiences of TRAns women living with HIV) and it’s the first UK study to explore HIV+ trans women ’ s experiences of living with HIV
I was interviewed by Prof Jaspal for this study and he’s working to address the gap in knowledge around HIV in trans communities. Global studies suggest that trans women are at higher risk of HIV infection than other groups in society (up to 49% more likely); however, there’s no UK data at present It’s suspected that stigma around both HIV and being trans and worries of interactions between HAART and HRT, are keeping trans women away from coming forward and being tested I felt honoured to have taken part in this most valuable ongoing research.
Having been a service user of the Claude Nicol Centre and Lawson Unit since 2002, it wasn’t long into transition that I was made aware of ClinicT. ClinicT, a sexual health service for trans people, is run by Dr Kate Nambiar, Clinical Research Fellow & Speciality Doctor in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine. I find ClinicT a great resource - for me it’s a one stop shop where I can have my HIV and HRT blood levels checked at the same time as having a sexual health screen.
I asked Dr Nambiar about the service offered at ClinicT and she told me; “I was really glad to be able to start ClinicT. From a personal point of view, as a trans woman, I had spent a lot of my life running away and hiding from being trans I think it was a personal revelation to be in a position where I could give something back and use not just my knowledge as a doctor but also my experience living as a trans woman ” Dr Nambiar’s words resonate with me as running and hiding from being trans and now being in a position to give back, using my experience as a trans woman, is something that we both put into our work
It’s my hope that by coming forward, outing myself so publically and speaking of my experiences as a trans woman living with HIV, that I’ll bring other trans positive people out to talk about this, to take part in Prof Jaspal’s study, to go to ClinicT to get screened and ask for the help they need to navigate both sexual health and trans specific healthcare services. Failing that, just contact me and we can go for a cup of tea and share our experiences.
I look forward to seeing you at the WAD vigil at the AIDS Memorial on New Steine, Friday Dec 1!
“ClinicT is a one stop shop where I can have my HIV and HRT blood levels checked at the same time as having a sexual health screen”
SAM TRANS MAN
Dr Samuel Hall on the fight for gender equality and not buying into the binar y.
) I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about gender recently. And I don’t mean in relation to my specific situation as a trans person. I’m talking about gender in more general terms. Now I’m no sociologist, or human geographer, and I don’t approach this from a feminist perspective either Rather, I’m coming at this from a more visceral perspective, from a lived experience, something felt
There was a fantastic two-part documentary on the BBC in August called No More Boys And Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free? Dr Javid Abdelmoneim spent three months in a primary school wiping out gender inequality in the
classroom, and in the children’s homes, in an attempt to reframe the way these seven-yearolds were already thinking: that boys and girls are different and unequally so It was a fascinating exercise in deconstructing the social cues and shaping that we are all subject to in early life, based solely on an assessment of our genitals at the moment of birth, if not before
If you unpick this a little, it really is ludicrous Imagine if some of use were born with one ear, and others with two Would it really be logical to separate the population into two groups based on the number of ears, and assign a set of expectations, rules of engagement, clothing restrictions, educational and professional limitations and reproductive rights to each group that on the whole vastly favoured one group over another? Parents would go bonkers!
Of course we wouldn’t do this. We’d be demanding that our one-eared children have exactly the same treatment, education and opportunities as our two-eared children
I realise the analogy is simplistic, but I want to draw out the very real problem that we ’ re facing across the globe about gender You see, it’s a social construct A completely arbitrary set of rules and restrictions, based entirely on cultural norms and expectations, embedded in history and religion, which is imposed upon all human beings at the time of their birth You’re placed in the pink box if you have a vagina, and in the blue one if you have a penis If you ’ re unlucky enough to be born with genital ambiguity, or intersex, the intolerant modern societies we live in will surely seek to surgically correct you in infancy, without your consent, so that you can be put in the pink or blue box and taught to conform to the particular set of norms therein.
Honestly this sounds like an horrific social experiment and in some ways it is, but it’s one we are all complicit in continuing. When I was pregnant with my children, I wanted to know what sex they were. Not because I mindedmost pregnant women will tell you they don’t care as long their baby is healthy Yet it’s our habit now, to discover as early as possible, what biological sex our unborn child is, so that we can what? Prepare? Prepare the baby clothing? The nursery? The toys? The cards? The bedding and blankets? Prepare our families? Or perhaps we can prepare ourselves to educate our children and prepare them for a lifetime of gendered messages, of restrictions to their freedom of choice, of opportunity, of clothing, of education and freedom of speech.
When you look at this from a position of objectivity, which is hard, because we ’ ve all bought in to the gender binary to a greater or lesser degree, it seems absolutely ridiculous. I
PROJECT meets every TUES 2.30– 5.30PM at DORSET
Dorset Gardens (off St James Street) Brighton BN2 1RL
want my female children to have the same opportunities as my male children and vice versa Granted there are physical differences between the sexes, and in between the sexes, but these are the just biological ramifications of our reproductive organs and how they function in tandem to aid procreation. Our physical differences, in all their diversity, are not, however, an encoded blueprint for gendered behaviour. Epigenetics is informing the naturenurture debate. It looks increasingly likely that the behaviours and characteristics we ’ ve come to expect from girls and boys are far more influenced by what happens to them as they mature, than they are shaped by their DNA In other words, we ’ re creating a divide that isn’t really there, by blindly adhering to the mantra ‘ men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ I’m not disputing that there are huge differences between men and women, or girls and boys, the world over What I’m saying is that it doesn’t have to be so The fight for gender equality is only going to be won when we all stop buying into the binary. Babies are born gender neutral. Biologically diverse, yes, but there isn’t a gene for gender. Of this, I’m sure. Gender variant people are not abnormal, we ’ re not ‘mistakes of nature’, we ’ re the product of a binary filing system for humans that doesn’t work!
Much of the battle for trans and non-binary rights stems from this premise. That a binary system that restricts humanity cannot possibly accommodate the vast spectrum of gender identities that exist. It’s questionable whether this spectrum would be necessary at all, if we were able as the human race to overcome our deeply held beliefs that gender is innate It’s possible that we could arrive at a point in human history where we look back and gasp at the foolishness of mankind, astounded at the notion that we could have done this to ourselves It’s the evolution of gender that will bring us to this point, and I doubt it will happen in my lifetime or indeed that of my offspring, but it’s surely the last great barrier to true equality to fall.
We don’t need pink and blue boxes, we just need an open space in which we can all move around freely, express ourselves as individuals, and avail ourselves of equal opportunities, regardless of what lies between our legs.
is based in central Brighton in a safe and confidential space to explore issues around gender identity Facilitated peer support is an important element, as well as providing access to low-cost psychotherapy and speech therapy
Except 1st Tues when there’s an optional meal out preceded by the drop-in 5–7 30PM www.clareproject.org.uk f Clare Project clareprojectinfo@gmail.com
MINDOUT
MindOut is ready to open the doors of a new counselling service run by and for LGBTQ communities. www mindout org uk
COUNSELLING AT MINDOUT
) In June this year the long-standing LGBT+dedicated counselling service run by LGBT Switchboard closed after 20 years. MindOut service users, staff, volunteers and trustees looked long and hard at the pros and cons of providing counselling, and with lots of community support we decided to go ahead. It’s fantastic what we were able to organise in just a few months and the service went live at the end of October – everyone involved deserves a massive round of applause We recruited a new Counselling Coordinator (read about George below) and a fantastic team of 12 LGBT+ counsellors and four counselling supervisors Our counselling service is confidential, independent, non-judgemental and uses a relational model.
Alison France, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: “We’re all proud to have opened a new LGBT+ counselling service on behalf of our communities. It’s a great privilege to be part of helping people to access counselling over the coming year, who might not otherwise have done so and our Board of Trustees takes this responsibility seriously. As the counselling service has no statutory funding, we ’ re completely reliant on the LGBT+ community itself to provide the resources to keep the service running We’re especially thankful for the support of the Rainbow Fund and BearPatrol, and their significant pledges of funding in the coming years We’re also working hard to raise the rest of the funds needed to ensure the service is a success If you would like to help fund this essential service please see www.mindout.org.uk/donate, contact us on 01273 234839 or email info@mindout.org.uk
GEORGE TIDEY
) Hello, I’m George Tidey the new counselling coordinator for MindOut I identify as lesbian and cis-gendered female I’m very excited to be a part of this new and much needed LGBT+ counselling service run for and by the LGBT+ community. I’ve spent four years working as a counsellor with the LGBT+ community both in private practice and for LGBT Switchboard. I hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling & Therapy, and completed additional training in working with Gender and Sexual Diversity.
People may want to use our counselling service for a wide variety of reasons We provide a safe, confidential LGBT+ space which is positive about identity allowing all clients to explore anything that’s troubling them People might be using counselling about gender issues which can be so much more than the two boxes we ’ re often asked to put ourselves into. It may be issues around sexuality, and, having worked with LGBT clients for many years I know how hard it can be for us to accept ourselves, how tough it is when others don't accept us. There are all the many other issues life can throw at us: bereavement, depression, anxiety, illness, disability, hatecrime, stress, work issues, parenting, sex and relationships, lack of meaning, eating disorders - the list is endless Sometimes we just don’t know what the problem is
No matter what the issue, counselling can help We can offer 12 sessions with a counsellor from our team All counsellors are trained or in training with recognised and regulated training bodies They all receive regular supervision and support and further training with us to ensure they’re well equipped to understand therapeutic work within LGBT+ communities
To apply for counselling you can complete the referral form online www.mindout.org.uk/counselling-servicemindout-due-open-october/ or if forms aren’t your thing please call 01273 234800 and talk to us.
“His friends noticed, they were lovely, but he felt he couldn’t burden them all the time. He was terrified of being a bore and he was ashamed of not being able to pull himself together ”
Waiting times will be kept to a minimum, depending on the availability of counsellors and when you ’ re free to come in to our offices in central Brighton We’ll make sure you see a counsellor as quickly as possible.
We’re charging clients for this service and you’ll need to make a weekly payment We’re committed to making the service affordable and have a sliding scale of fees based on your income and your circumstances to ensure you can afford to access the support you need.
KEVIN’S STORY
) Kevin had been feeling increasingly desperate, and suicidal, since he lost his job two months ago. He was trying his best to stay positive, but he just felt so bleak, such a failure. He had no energy, felt tired all the time and full of hopeless thoughts. His friends noticed, they were lovely, but he felt he couldn’t burden them all the time
He was terrified of being a bore and he was ashamed of not being able to pull himself together. Matt, his brother who is also gay, told him one day about the counselling he’d had a couple of years back when his relationship had broken up Kevin was surprised, Matt was so together, so sorted, he had no idea he’d needed help So Kevin agreed he’d give it a go But where to find a counsellor? He didn’t want to talk to a straight, cis person; he had awful experiences of coming out as a teenager and seeing someone who wouldn’t put that back on him was really important.
It was Matt who found an LGBT+ counselling service and encouraged Kevin to apply. Kevin found himself feeling hopeful, just a bit, that maybe he could share some of this.
MINDOUT
All MindOut services are run by and for LGBT+ communities. All MindOut services are non-judgemental, impartial and independent If you’d like to know more about counselling or about other MindOut services, including advocacy, advice and information, peer mentoring, peer group support, please do contact us:
) Call: 01273 234839
) Email: info@mindout.org.uk
) See our website: www.mindout.org.uk
Our online support service is open out of hours and at weekends, see website for details
MINDOUT CELEBRATION
The MindOut Annual Celebration Event is on Wednesday 15th November 2017 4.30 – 7pm at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church. All welcome to come and hear about what we have been up to this year. Buffet, light refreshments and entertainment
SERVICES DIRECTORY
LGBT SERVICES
) ACCESS 4 ALL
LGBT disabled people’s forum: safe, welcoming, suppor t, activities, awareness 07981 170071 or email stevenwithn@talktalk net
) ALLSORTS YOUTH PROJECT
Drop-in for LGBT or unsure young people under 26 Tues 5 30–8 30pm 01273 721211 or email info@allsor tsyouth org uk, www allsor tsyouth org uk
) BRIGHTON & HOVE POLICE
Repor t all homophobic, biphobic or transphobic incidents to: 24/7 assistance call Police on 101 (for emergencies 999) Repor t online at: www.sussex.police.uk
LGBT team (not 24/7) email: LGBT@sussex pnn police uk
• LGBT Officer PC Sarah Laker: 07912 893557 f Brighton LGBT Police t @policeLGBT t @PCLaker
) BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SAFETY FORUM
Independent LGBT forum working with the community to address and improve safety issues in Brighton & Hove 01273 855620 or info@lgbt-help.com www lgbt-help com
) BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SWITCHBOARD
Help-line with email & webchat facility: 01273 204 050 (opening times on the website)
Info, counselling, drop-in space, suppor t groups 01273 698036 or visit www.womenscentre.org.uk
) BRIGHTON GEMS
Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG Social group for gay men over 50 with several events every month inc meeting at Dorset Gardens last Fri of month 7-9pm For info email info@brightongems.com www.brightongems.com
) LESBIAN LINK BRIGHTON
Local social group offers friendship, social events, meet 1st Thur at Regency Tavern, 7 30pm 07594 578 035 www.lesbianlinkbrighton.co.uk
) LESBIAN & GAY A A
12-step self-help programme for alcohol addictions: Sun, 7 30pm, Chapel Royal, Nor th St, Btn (side entrance) 01273 203 343 (general AA line)
) LGBT NA GROUP
Brighton-based LGBT (welcomes others) Narcotics Anonymous group every Tue 6 30–8pm, Millwood Centre, Nelson Row, Kingswood St 0300 999 1212
) LGBT MEDITATION GROUP
Meditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5 30–7pm, Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton 07789 861 367 or www bodhitreebrighton org uk
) LUNCH POSITIVE
Lunch club for people with HIV Meet/make friends, find peer suppor t in safe space Every Fri, noon–2 30pm, Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, Dorset Gdns, Brighton Lunch £1 50 07846 464 384 or www.lunchpositive.org
) MCC BRIGHTON
Inclusive, affirming space where all are invited to come as they are to explore their spirituality without judgement 01273 515572 or info@mccbrighton org uk www.mccbrighton.org.uk
) MINDOUT
Independent, impar tial info, guidance for LGBT people with mental health problems 24 hr confidential answerphone: 01273 234839 or info@mindout.org.uk www mindout org uk
) NAVIGATE
Social/peer suppor t group for FTM, transmasculine & gender queer people, every 1st Wed 7-9pm & 3rd Sat of month 1-3pm at Space for Change, Windlesham Venue, BN1 3AH For info see https://navigatebrighton wordpress com/
) PEER ACTION
Regular low cost yoga, therapies, swimming, meditation & social groups for people with HIV contact@peeraction.net or www.peeraction.net
) RAINBOW FAMILIES
Suppor t group for lesbian and/or gay parents 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies org uk www rainbowfamilies org uk
) SOME PEOPLE
Social/suppor t group for LGB or questioning aged 14-19, Tue, 6-8pm, Hastings Call/text Nicola 07974 579865 or email Neil or Nicola: somepeople@eastsussex gov uk
) VICTIM SUPPORT
Practical, emotional suppor t for victims of crime 08453 899 528
) THE VILLAGE MCC
Christian church serving the LGBTQ community Sundays 6pm, Somerset Day Centre, Kemptown 07476 667353 www thevillagemcc org
HIV PREVENTION, CARE & TREATMENT SERVICES
) AVERT
Sussex HIV & AIDS info service 01403 210202 or email confidential@aver t org
) BRIGHTON & HOVE CAB HIV PROJECT
Money, benefits, employment, housing, info, advocacy Appointments: Tue-Thur 9am-4pm, Wed 9am-12 30pm Brighton & Hove Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton Town Hall 01273 733390 ext 520 or www brightonhovecab org uk
) CLINIC M
Free confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV, plus Hep A & B vaccinations Claude Nicol Centre, Sussex County Hospital, on Weds from 5-8pm 01273 664 721 or www brightonsexualhealth com
) LAWSON UNIT
Medical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet & welfare advice, drug trials 01273 664 722
Drop-in: Richmond House, Richmond Rd, Brighton, MonWed & Fri 10am-4pm, Thur 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-1pm; 9 The Drive, Hove 01273 680714 Mon & Wed 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm, Tue & Thu 10am-4pm, info & advice only (no assessments), Fri 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm
• Gary Smith (LGBT* Suppor t) 07884 476634 or email gsmith@pavilions org uk
For more info visit weblink: pavilions org uk/services/treatment-recovery-options/
) SUSSEX BEACON
24 hour nursing & medical care, day care 01273 694222 or www sussexbeacon org uk
) TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SERVICES
For more info about these free services go to the THT office, 61 Ship St, Brighton, Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm 01273 764200 or info brighton@tht org uk
• Venue Outreach: info on HIV, sexual health, personal safety, safer drug/alcohol use, free condoms/lubricant for men who have sex with men
• The Bushes Outreach Ser vice @ Dukes Mound: advice, suppor t, info on HIV & sexual health, and free condoms & lube
• Netreach (online/mobile app outreach in Brighton & Hove): info/advice on HIV/sexual health/local services THT Brighton Outreach workers online on Grindr, Scruff, & Squir t
• Condom Male: discreet, confidential service posts free condoms/lube/sexual health info to men who have sex with men without access to East Sussex commercial gay scene
• Positive Voices: volunteers who go to organisations to talk about personal experiences of living with HIV
• Fastest (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service for men who have sex with men, results in 20 minutes: Mon 10am-8pm, Tues-Fri 10am5pm (STI testing available)
• Sauna Fastest at The Brighton Sauna (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service for men who have sex with men,results in 20 minutes: Wed: 6–8pm (STI testing available)
• Face2Face: confidential info & advice on sexual health & HIV for men who have sex with men, up to 6 one hour appointments
• Specialist Training: wide range of courses for groups/ individuals, specific courses to suit needs
• Counselling: from qualified counsellors for up to 12 sessions for people living with/affected by HIV
• Informed Passions: exper t volunteers project to identif y & suppor t sexual health needs of local men who have sex with men and carry out field research in B&H on issues affecting men’s sexual health, extensive training provided
• What Next? Thurs eve, 6 week peer suppor t group work programme for newly diagnosed HIV+ gay men
• HIV Suppor t Ser vices: info, suppor t & practical advice for people living with/affected by HIV
• Volunteer Suppor t Ser vices: 1-2-1 community suppor t for people living with or affected by HIV
• HIV Welfare Rights Advice: Find out about benefits or benefit changes Advice line: Mon–Thur 1:30-2:30pm 1-2-1 appts for advice & workshops on key benefits
) TERRENCE HIGGINS EA STBOURNE
Dyke House, 110 South St, Eastbourne, BN21 4LZ, 01323 649927 or info.eastbourne@tht.org.uk
• HIV Ser vices suppor t for HIV diagnosis, managing side effects, sex & relationships, understanding medication, talking to your doctor, finding healthier lifestyle Assessment of suppor t needs and signposting on to relevant services Suppor t in person, by phone or email
• Suppor t for people at risk of HIV confidential info and advice on sexual health & HIV for men who have sex with men Up to 3 one hour appointments depending on need Sessions in person or on phone
• Web suppor t & info on HIV, sexual health & local services via netreach and myhiv org uk
• Positive Voices: volunteers who go to organisations to talk about personal experiences of living with HIV
) SEXUAL HEALTH WORTHING
Free confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIV; Hep A & B vaccinations Wor thing based 0845 111345645
NATIONAL HELPLINES
) NATIONAL LGBT DOMESTIC ABUSE
HELPLINE at galop.org.uk and 0800 999 5428
) SWITCHBOARD 0300 330 0630
) POSITIVELINE (EDDIE SURMAN TRUST) Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 4-10pm 0800 1696806
2 Boyces St @ West St, 01273 327607 www boutiqueclubbrighton com
7 ENVY (above Charles St Bar) 8-9 Marine Parade 01273 624091 www charles-street com
20 REVENGE
32-34 Old Steine 01273 606064
www revenge co uk
) FOOD
1 AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN
11-12 Marine Parade, 01273 688 826
www amsterdambrighton com
3 BAR REVENGE
7 Marine Parade, 01273 606064
www revenge co uk
6 CAMELFORD ARMS
30-31 Camelford St 01273 622386
www camelford-arms co uk
7 CHARLES STREET BAR
8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091 www charles-street com
21 CUP OF JOE
28 St George’s Rd, 01273 698873
www cupofjoebrighton co uk 11 LEGENDS BAR 31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462 www legendsbrighton com 12 MARINE TAVERN 13 Broad St, 01273 681284 www marinetavern co uk
25 HOTEL PELIROCCO
Regency Sq 01273 327055
STEINE HOTEL 10/11 New Steine, 01273 681546 www newsteinehotel com
26 QUEENS HOTEL 1/3 Kings Rd, 01273 321222 www queenshotelbrighton com
) SAUNA S
27 BRIGHTON SAUNA 75 Grand Parade, 01273 689966 www thebrightonsauna com
) HEALTH & BEAUTY
28 BARBER BLACKSHEEP
18 St Georges Rd 01273 623408 wwww barberblacksheep com
29 CLINIC M Claude Nicol Abbey Rd, 01273 664721 www brightonsexualhealth com/node/11
30 DENTAL HEALTH SPA 14–15 Queens Rd, 01273 710831 www dentalhealthspa co uk
31 THT BRIGHTON 61 Ship St 01273 764200
32 VELVET TAT TOO 50 Norfolk Square 07720 661290 http://tinyurl com/VelvetJacks
) SHOPS
33 BARBARY LANE
95 St George’s Rd, Kemptown
34 PROWLER 112 St James’ St, 01273 683680
35 SUSSEX BEACON Charity Shop
130 St James’ St, 01273 682992 www sussexbeacon org uk
36 SUSSEX BEACON Home Store 72-73 London Rd, 01273 680264 www sussexbeacon org uk
