EILE
FREE
Magazine V3 Issue 5 – Oct. 2015
CROSSROADS Katie Smith on her new gay-themed film
PAM ANN Comedienne
California Dispatch Disabled Doesn’t Mean Unable
SOPHIE LABELLE TRANS COMIC ARTIST
Inside:
Fashion | Film | Music |Health | Interviews
EILE Magazine | Who’s Who
Contributors
Mark Anthony Mark is a UCD English graduate who writes his own menswear fashion blog. Mark has also produced several fashion shows in the past, all in aid of worthwhile causes. M. Butler M. Butler is a writer and editor, with a keen interest in human rights, and has studied philosophy and psychology. Scott De Buitléir Scott is founder and Editor-in-Chief of EILE Magazine. He is also a writer and broadcaster, based between Dublin and Nottingham. Stephen Donnan Stephen is a writer, LGBT rights and political activist, based in Belfast. He is founder of the all-Ireland equal marriage group, #LoveProudly. Lisa Reynolds Originally from County Meath, Lisa is a fashion industry student living in Bray, County Wicklow. Brian Rochford Brian has studied health and nutrition, with a special interest in controlling pain in rheumatism and arthritis. Rick Watts Rick Rick Watts is a community activist, who serves on numerous non-profit organizations, including Overnight Productions, the parent company of This Way Out international LGBT radio programme. Frances Winston Frances Winston is EILE’s resident film buff, and has contributed to many publications such as The Irish Independent and Irish Tatler.
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EILE Magazine | Welcome
Highlights October 2015 Crossroads - P. 12
Volume 3, Issue 5
Katie Smith tells us about her new gay-themed film, Crossroads
Editor-at-Large: Scott De Buitléir Editor: MKB
California Dispatch – P. 52 Rick Watts on what we can learn from the very able disabled
Sophie Labelle Assigned Male - P. 24 Trans comic artist, Sophie Labelle, tells us about her website, Assigned Male
Music – Ps.6 ,and 10 This month we feature LA based bands, Only On Tuesdays and Valley Shine
Fashion – Ps. 28 and 32 This month, Mark Anthony writes about the rise of the fashion blogger (p32) and Lisa Reynolds turns the spotlight on Rock fashion (p28).
Contributors: Mark Anthony, M. Butler, Scott De Buitléir, Stephen Donnan, MKB, Lisa Reynolds, Brian Rochford, Rick Watts, Frances Winston Photographers: La Famos, Wes Marsala, James & James NB: All images in this publication are either under Creative Commons licence, or used with permission. Image credits, where necessary, are printed on the corresponding page(s). Any queries can be made to hello@eile.ie Special Thanks to MKB for all her hard work, dedication and support. Web: http://eile.ie Contact: hello@eile.ie Twitter: @EILEMagazine Facebook: http://fb.com/eilemagazine Note: All opinions expressed in this issue are the writers’ own.
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…plus film and music reviews and much more! EILE Magazine
EILE Magazine | Editor’s Letter
Contents 6-
Only On Tuesdays
10 -
Valley Shine
12 -
Crossroads
16 -
Pam Ann
20 -
Donnan On Drag
24 -
Sophie Labelle
28 -
Spotlight Rock
32 -
Mark On Fashion
34 -
GFEST 2015
38 -
Winter Pride 2015
40 -
Scott On Privacy
42 -
Cures For Stress
46 -
Frances On Movies
52 -
California Dispatch
58 -
World News, Views, Marriage Act, Trans,, Religion, etc
Challenges Overcome Welcome to the October ‘15 edition of EILE Magazine! We’ve had an interesting few weeks here in Ireland for the LGBT community. The Marriage Equality Bill was finally published, as the challenges against it were thrown out of the Courts. Meanwhile, Dr Lydia Foy received a European Citizen’s Award, on the same day that she received her longawaited birth certificate from the Irish Government, giving her true gender identity, after 22 years. What a distance we have come. In New York, the LGBT community are finally allowed to march in next year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade, under their own banner. In this month’s issue, we take a trip with the hilarious comedienne, Pam Ann, jetting us away to Paradise ahead of her November gigs, touching down in Dublin and Belfast. Our Belfast columnist, Stephen Donnan, writes about drag as an art and form of expression, while I write on the more serious note of privacy when it comes to sexuality. We have California Dispatch writing on the disabled, as October is DisAbillity Awareness Month in the United States. We also chat to Canadian cartoonist Sophie Labelle, who is raising awareness of trans issues through her webcomic, Assigned Male. Katie Smith talks to us about her film, Crossroads, which tells of a depressed father who finds out his son is gay. We also get the latest on fashion, film, upcoming LGBT events, health, music, and so much more. It’s a packed and busy issue of EILE this month, and I truly hope you will enjoy it.
Scott De Buitléir Founder / Editor-at-Large
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Only On Tuesdays
EILE Magazine caught up with indie/pop band Only On Tuesdays to see what they’ve been up to lately Only on Tuesdays is an LA-based Indie/Pop/ Folk/Rock band, who have been compared to artists such as Ingrid Michaelson and First Aid Kit. The lovely Autumn Skibinski shows her versatility when she sings Break Free (title track of their EP) which starts off as a ballad, and moves into a slow rock chorus, and on the song Rendevous, the sound EILE Magazine
is definitely more rocky, starting with great guitar riffs, before the vocals begin. A surprise awaits with Darling Dearest, as the music moves into a more folky sound, with tambourine in the
background. Only on Tuesdays successfully raised over $10,000 via crowdfunding site Kickstarter and through various sponsors, allowing them to record their debut EP, the Break Free EP.
According to Music Connection: “Serving up a dose of DIY reality amid melodic harmony, indie-pop band Only on Tuesdays (OOT) have truly put their heart on their sleeve with the release of the debut EP, Break Free. Derived from the heartbreak of never feeling accepted or truly understood, front-woman Autumn Skibinski took her story and shared it not only through her music, but also with fans”.
Todd) in Los Angeles. The band was founded by Singer-Songwriter Autumn Skibinski in 2009. Autumn’s unique, breathy vocals are key in separating Only on Tuesdays from the growing sea of artists. As a solo artist based out of a small town in Wisconsin, Autumn toured and connected with fans and musicians alike across the Midwest and the South. In late 2011, Autumn relocated to Los Angeles
The EP was recorded in the home studio of Grammy nominated producer Bruce Witkin (known for his vocal production work in the Johnny Depp film Sweeny EILE Magazine
where she joined forces with several talented musicians and co-writers to help meld her distinct Singer-Songwriter style with an upbeat Pop-Rock sound.
You can listen to the EP Break Free On itunes
In addition to Autumn, Only On Tuesdays currently consists of Martin Valencia from Arizona, Tracy and Kevin Lambertucci of Venezuela, and Gabby Casanova of Mexico.
https://itunes.apple. com/us/artist/only-ontuesdays/id387321133
The band has performed at renowned Los Angeles venues such as The Roxy, The Viper Room, Molly Malone’s, and House of Blues. They are also planning a west coast tour for late spring 2015 to support the release of the EP.
Album art for Break Free
They’ve spent the last three years writing, performing, fine-tuning and preparing for this release. Each of the songs on this EP were carefully and thoughtfully written from personal experiences.
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Lead Vocals Autumn Skibinski
LA based Band Only On Tuesdays Photos: LaFamos
EILE Magazine
Valley Shine LA folk/pop/Americana band, Valley Shine, recently released a new single, Sugar Dream, enough to put you in a good mood even on a rainy day. For those who don’t know them, here’s the low-down.
Valley Shine was distilled from a love of whiskey, cats and bluegrass music. In early 2014, Jenna Blake was in search of a writing partner with an appreciation for folk music who shared her passion for songwriting. Hailing from Louisville, KY, Jenna was influenced by traditional bluegrass music and roots rock like CCR, CSNY and Joni Mitchell.
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By a sheer stroke of luck, Jenna discovered Sam Sobelman and the two met up to see if there was any musical chemistry. After a couple of writing sessions influenced by whisky, laughs and some banjo pluckin’, they quickly discovered their songwriting styles were a perfect match. Commuting between Orange County and Los Angeles, Sam and Jenna began to develop their unique folk-pop sound. They wanted to be more than an acoustic duo, so they sought other members to complete the band’s sound and enhance their artistic energy. The pair enlisted Troy Lawton (drums), Danny
Severance (violinist), Myke Wilken (guitar/ cello), and Stewart James (bass). Valley Shine’s debut EP, LOCA will be released early Fall 2015. Visit them online at www. ValleyShineBand.com. You can also listen to the band’s Sugar Dream now on Spotify
Jenna Blake & Sam Sobelman
Photographs : Wes Marsala - The Pit Perspective
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Crossroads EILE spoke to Writer/Director, Katie Smith, about her gay-themed film, CROSSROADS Crossroads tells the story of Rex (Liam Hallinan), a young gay man in a relationship with a co-worker, Jamie (Chris Clynes). Things take a sharp turn when Rex’s depressed father, Adrian (Paul Dewdney) discovers that his son is gay and confronts him, with explosive consequences. EILE: Hi Katie. What is your personal/film background, and how did you get into filmmaking? KATIE: Hi EILE! Thanks for the interview! My background in film is varied. During my University days I worked on a handful of short films as a Production Assistant, learning all the ins and outs of a film set, whilst writing my own scripts and sending them off to Directors to make. I then went on to work as a 1st AD (Assistant Director) on a couple of other shorts, and it was this experience and involvement that I was fortunate to gain that gave me the confidence and the understanding to go on to what II’ve always wanted to do, which is to direct. 12 EILE Magazine
EILE: How long did it take to make Crossroads? KATIE: Before we went into Pre-Production, I spent a good 3 months researching and coming up with a solid idea before writing the script. I was fortunate enough to speak with a few gay couples, who were more than happy to help me with my character development, which was vital to the film and extremely eye-opening to gauge their own experiences of coming out to their parents. After the initial research, I began writing the script, and then we went into pre-production. Overall the film took around 7 months of preproduction, filming, and post-production, until
we were ready for the festival circuit. EILE: What made you decide on the subject matter/story? KATIE: As a heterosexual woman who has written and directed a film focusing on LGBTQ+ themes, I am often asked why I made this sort of film. I knew from very early on that one of my main topics of interest was the LGBTQ+ community, and for me, Crossroads isn’t just a story about homosexuality. It is more complex than that, as it focuses on two powerful emotions - Love and Grief. Love is a powerful tool, and sometimes we react to situations negatively when we love someone, because of a situation we
Liam Hallinan (left) and Chris Clynes as Rex and Jamie
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Paul Dewdney as Adrian
Writer/Director, Katie Smith and Dir. of Photography, Anthony Brown
Chris Clynes as Jamie
don’t always understand. But at the forefront of this, I also wanted the audience to understand that grief is just as powerful as love, and sometimes that grief can cause us to push away the people we love most. EILE: Were there any problems in getting Crossroads made, for example, costs, backing etc? KATIE: We were actually 14 EILE Magazine
extremely lucky, and had no problems with funding, casting, or preproduction – everything went smoothly, but on set we had a few bumps… (who doesn’t when making films, eh?) but the main issues we had were down to sound in one of the scenes, where Adrian (Paul Dewdney) and Rex (Liam Hallinan) had their argument, after Adrian finds out about Rex’s sexuality. Thankfully, this was rescued with the
incredible talent of our Sound Designer, Andy Partington. The other issue we came across was the beach scene, featuring Jamie (Chris Clynes) and Rex (Liam Hallinan) as the tide was coming in thick and fast, which meant we had to keep moving our set further up the beach – we actually ended up doing some pick up shots later on to get the shots that we needed. EILE: What are the
actors’ backgrounds, and how did you pick them? KATIE: Many Directors like to work with Casting Directors to find their talent, but my preference is finding them myself – I like spending a lot of time getting to know my actors, and working through their characters, as I believe that the more time you spend with them, the better your film will be. I found my actors all differently actually. I found Chris Clynes through a Casting website, Liam Hallinan through a recommendation, and Paul Dewdney approached me. I was extremely lucky to find three incredible actors, with absolutely incredible attitudes to filming – they are easily the most passionate people I have ever had the pleasure to work with, and would work with all three of them again in a heartbeat. I know they will go on to do wonderful things. EILE: Crossroads seems to be doing well in the festival circuit, what does this mean to you and the team? KATIE: It’s going very well indeed. Crossroads has won Best Supporting Actor for Paul Dewdney’s performance at Long Island International Film Expo in New York, Best Original Screenplay at Colorado International Film Festival, and nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best International Short Film, and Best Drama at other festivals across the globe. It’s been on a great run, and we are thrilled to be involved in our latest festivals at Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival (17th October) and Kerry Film Festival (21st- 25th) this October. Overall, the team are delighted that Crossroads is getting some recognition. Making a film is hard work, but when you have a dedicated team behind you, it makes the entire process worth it – so we are very happy. Thanks Katie, all the best with the upcoming festivals - M. Butler
Chris Clynes as Jamie (keft) and Liam Hallinan as Rex (right)
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PAM ANN Scott De Buitléir chats to Pam Ann, otherise known as Caroline Reid, non-pc comedienne well beloved by the LGBT community in Ireland Pam Ann is a comedienne extraordinaire who lampoons air hostesses, airlines and pilots, and who boots political correctness off the flight! In her characters of Lily (Singapore Airlines) she is a Singapore Chinese-flight attendant who would sacrifice passenger safety for her Gucci handbag. As Valerie (American Airlines) she is an ageing American flight attendant from Texas based at Dallas Forth Worth, and as Mona (British Airways) she is the BA attendant who has appeared with a horse-head instead of a face and “piss off” attitude. She is in Ireland for two shows on 12th and 13th November.
SDB: Hello Pam Ann! Glad to see you’ve two upcoming shows in Ireland! What have you been up to lately?
PAM ANN: I’ve been drinking and partying in London in preparation for my arrival in Dublin. SDB: You’re currently on a tour of the UK and Ireland; any wild
moments from the tour so far?
PAM ANN: Drinking & dancing to Beyoncé till the sun comes up underneath my stereo sound system speaker in my apartment in London. SDB: What is the key to being the perfect Trolley Dolly?! (Flirting with pilots aside!)
PAM ANN: Ignoring passengers! SDB: We know you love Air France and British Airways - any thoughts on Ryanair and Aer Lingus?
PAM ANN: I’d rather shoot myself [...] than fly RyanAir. I haven’t flown Aer Lingus,
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“I’d rather shoot myself [...] than fly RyanAir. I haven’t flown Aer Lingus, but it’s on my list of airlines to fly. I envisage a full River Dance safety presentation and lots of inappropriate PA’s.”
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but it’s on my list of airlines to fly. I envisage a full River Dance safety presentation and lots of inappropriate PA’s. SDB: What’s the best flight you’ve been on?
PAM ANN: One that lands! SDB: You’re booked up solid till the end of November in the UK and Ireland. What’s next for Pam Ann?
PAM ANN: Just focusing on staying alive! Pam plays the Waterfront Belfast on 12th November, and Dublin’s Vicar Street on 13th November Photo: James & James
“The key to being the perfect trolly dolly? Ignoring passengers!”
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Drag Is Not ‘LadyFace’ Stephen Donnan writes on the age-old art of Drag Besides some drunken, and spur-ofthe-moment attempts at drag (the likes of which should not be even categorised as drag) I have never performed in drag, nor do I wish to well, maybe one day - but I am a fan, and massively so at that. I go to drag shows, I am a fan of Dublin’s Panti Bliss, and Belfast’s Portia Diamonte. I watch RuPaul’s Drag Race so intently it could be called religious. I have watched international Drag stars, such as Latrice Royale, and Shangela, dominate the stage in Boombox and the Kremlin. I am a fan of Drag, and yet I have been labelled a misogynist, and akin to those who went to see performers in blackface in 1920’s America, because of it. Let’s get one thing straight: Drag is not the same as blackface. Not 20 EILE Magazine
even in the slightest is it in the same ballpark. Those who insist upon that, or that it is transphobic, have a deficiency in cultural and historical awareness of what drag is, what it means, and what it can do for the LGB and T community worldwide. I have heard that drag is just another form of sexist oppression, but in the form of mockery or ‘dress up’, and that drag queens are trying to diminish the role of women, by reducing them to a clown on stage. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Drag has existed in many different guises for centuries. From men and women swapping roles in Shakespeare, to Joe and Jerry in Some Like It Hot, drag has been around for a long time, and it will be for a long time after I write this. When talking about drag and why it is important, we need to look at it in the context of what it means to be a man. That might
sound strange given that drag, when stripped down to the basics, is primarily men dressing as women, but that is where it needs to start: the nature of masculinity and how it is defined. For the longest time, and even now to a lesser extent, to be gay and to be a man, or seen as a man was impossible. Society raised the role of men up and the status of women was oppressed, and the idea of masculinity permeated all levels of society; from the breadwinner, to the idea of building muscle, fighting for your country etc. All those ideas and concepts were developed with the idea of strong, virile, straight men at the core, and not once did they intend to include women or sexual minorities. To be gay and to be masculine were two different things back then, and that culture and identity was closed to men who identified as gay or Liv Monaghan Photo: Laura Radfird
Irish-born drag artist, Danny La Rue, aka Daniel Patrick Carroll
Activist and drag artist, Panti Bliss, aka Rory O’Neill EILE Magazine 21
bisexual. In fact, during this time, it was illegal to be gay in many Western countries, Britain and Ireland included. To that end, gay men needed to define an identity for themselves, and a gender identity that they could relate to was that of strong, independent, and often glamorous female role models, such as Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. Without any other template to associate with, gay men had no alternative but to emulate the most intriguing and alluring qualities of women, and find a power in that, which allowed them to express their sexuality and creativity, in an environment that they controlled and could flourish within. The gay scene, an underground movement populated by sexual minorities, was the perfect petri dish in which gay men could explore their femininity, in a way that was safe, exciting, and also got a one up on the society outside that was built to keep them down, and on the outside. By emulating, and drawing from, the empowerment that women had demonstrated on the silver screen or on
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Broadway, gay men were able to build their own template and community to work from. It was in no way meant to take away from or diminish the role of women, instead drag is seen by many as a tribute to the power and independence of women such as Beyonce, Laverne Cox and Jennifer Lawrence. Blackface is something entirely different, and overwhelmingly sinister. It is the role of a minority, and the characteristics of that minority, being exploited for cheap laughs, based solely on exaggerated stereotypes and the colour of their skin. Blackface was intended to portray black people as clownish, oafish, and the object of derision and mockery. There was no attempt by blackface performers to appreciate the culture and power of African heritage, or to sympathise with the plight of the black community in America. Often those who perform in drag are the most ardent defenders of feminism and women’s rights. They are the same men who argued for women to have the vote, for women to have the freedom to choose, for a woman to become President. Hell, drag
queens fought side by side with trans women of colour in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising Drag takes the best of feminine qualities, popular culture, and fashion, to create something special that gay men can relate to. I remember growing up as a gay teenager, not wanting to acknowledge my sexuality, but knowing all too well that it existed. I would sit in my room watching Doctor Who, reading magazines on fashion and art, and listening to Madonna, P!nk and Britney Spears. I was not a masculine teenager, and I am not a masculine man. When I watch drag queens perform, I see the same teenage boy that I was on stage, wearing their identity as armour, and a weapon against the insecurities and selfloathing that afflicted him growing up. It is a shield against the barbs of ‘faggot’ and ‘queer’ slung in the streets outside, and turns them on their head as something to be mocked and minimized, in a space where they no longer have meaning. Those that say that drag is a misogynistic, and offensive, display of sexism, need to understand where it comes from, and how
RuPaul of RuPaul’s Drag Race
it has helped a minority realise its potential, creativity, and confidence, by idolising the best and most envious qualities that women possess. That ‘fierceness’ that we hear gay men talk about all the time is so precious, because we can only attain it when we take on the persona of our feminine heroes. Drag is an art, it is a tribute to female empowerment, and should not be compared to the racist, and frankly disgusting, antics of blackface performers.
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Transgender Cartoonist Sophie Labelle: Assigned Male Scott De Buitléir meets transgender activist and cartoonist, Sophie Labelle, who helps children feel accepted as transgenders through cartoons SDB: Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your background SOPHIE: I am a 27 years old cartoonist from Montreal, Quebec (Canada). I began a career in elementary school teaching before I started to write children’s books, and then comic strips. I am also very implied [involved] in Montreal’s transgender communities and trans activism overall. SDB: How did you come to create the web comic, Assigned Male? What was the inspirational ‘lightbulb’ moment? SOPHIE: I had been working with trans children for a while, and having been a trans 24 EILE Magazine
child myself, I knew how representation matters. Being able to project your own self in a character living a similar experience to yours can be so important, at every stage of your life. Creating a trans character that is living a positive experience, and that finds empowerment through her transness was the main reason why I started that comic. The webcomic format allowed me to verbalize very precise and short messages and get a large audience to benefit from it, so there was also an educational intent behind the initial idea. SDB: What was the initial reaction to the comic (from friends, family, or the public in general)?
SOPHIE: Trans communities all around the world started sharing strips from my comic, it was a very important thing since it kind of urged me to give it the best I could. I started getting messages from all around from people telling me how the comic helped them shape their perception of trans people, as well as support messages from parents of trans children, and trans youth themselves telling me how the comic helped them going through difficult times. But I must say that without the unconditional support I got from Montreal’s communities, I probably wouldn’t be here today to tell you about
Cartoonist Sophie Labelle
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this. Chosen families can be so important for trans people, and I am no exception to this : the support and love I got from mine is what shaped the comic. As for the general public, the reaction is overall very positive, since the comic portrays an experience that is rarely heard in the media. I got some hate for it, mainly from people who disagree with the feminist message about body-positivity, and trans and women empowerment behind the comic. But I feel that it is similar to what any visible woman, especially trans women, would get. SDB: You’ve been invited to Ireland to give a series of talks & workshops; what is your experience so far of LGBT life in Ireland, compared to Canada? I couldn’t say for Canada, as every province is very different from one to another, especially relating to LGBTQIA rights, and as Quebec is always the black sheep of the federation. We had marriage equality for more than 10 years here, so the excitement around this issue that I can feel here kind of faded in Quebec, and we are now trying to focus on different issues, especially those surrounding trans rights (a law just started being applied on Oct. 1st making it easier for trans individuals to change their sex markers on legal documents) and intersex rights, which aren’t protected at all. Not having a metropolis the size of Montreal seems to make it harder for gender and sexual minorities to feel safer. From what I’ve seen in Dublin and Galway, the fact that it’s almost impossible to centralize the resources also makes it harder to effectively change the mentalities. Otherwise, I met so many activists that are working hard to change that, there is
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a powerful energy out there, and I’m sure that it’ll produce amazing results! SDB: Where next for you, and for Assigned Male? SOPHIE: I’ll be touring in western Europe for two other months with my comic, and then I’ll take a break to work on a new book. I’m planning on some artist residencies in 2016, so I can concentrate on writing and drawing. Having the privilege of doing that kind of work is really what gives me inspiration, so I want to get it out as much as I can! You can visit Sophie’s website ‘Assigned Male’ by going to: http://www.assignedmale.com/
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Spotlight On...
Rock Fashion Lisa Reynolds looks at the elements which make up the Rock style, and the people who have adopted this fashion over the years
The year was 1951, and Cleveland DJ Alan Freed coined the term “rock ‘n’ roll” to describe a new style of music, with elements of rhythm and blues, that was taking over the music scene. But like all great musical styles, a new attire also accompanied the musical genre. And a certain Elvis Presley was to be at the forefront full of sex-appeal, swinging hips, and songs such as Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, and Fever. Donning wide-shouldered jackets, loose, lightweight slacks, tight jeans, closeknit shirts, well-tailored suits, and a ducktail-style
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hairdo with sideburns, Presley ensured he went down in musical and fashion history. But Presley wasn’t the only one incorporating the rock ‘n’ roll style into his wardrobe, as a legion of people were doing likewise, veering away from what was deemed the norm in dressing, in search of a more selfexpressive form of style. The male style consisted of tight-fitting blue jeans, and white t-shirts, or the greaser look of tight t-shirts and dungarees, with black leather jackets and long hair greased with Vaseline, while the female style consisted of short tight skirts, stockings, tight blouses, sweaters, and felt poodle skirts with images of
record players and musical notes attached, replacing the traditional image of the poodle. Much eye shadow and lipstick were also an important part of the overall look. Reinvention has always been a huge part of rock style, and by the time the late 1960s rolled around, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones were donning flared jeans, tight t-shirts, and psychedelic shades. When glam rock arrived, there were painted faces and silver jumpsuits, and then when punk came around, we had ripped leather and metal studs. But there has been one constant in rock fashion - denim. Blue jeans and jean-jackets have always
Elvis Presley in Jail House Rock
Jimi Hendrix 1967
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been important staples of the style. Rock fashion has always been a beacon of creativity, that has thankfully never gone away. There are numerous style icons who have dressed in the rock style, such as Alanis Morissette, Janis Joplin, Thin Lizzy, U2, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, Melissa Etheridge, Bob Dylan, Brody Dalle, The Beatles, Marianne Faithful, Joan Jett, The Grateful Dead, Beth Ditto, Metallica, Jeff Buckley, Debbie Harry, and Jobriath Boone, who, in 1972, became the first openly-gay rock musician to sign to a major record label, Elektra Records. This style has been also
been adopted by more modern acts like The Killers, Evanescence, The Strokes, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys and Paramore. Rock fashion has also been the style of many couples, like Jim Morrison and Pamela Courson, Paul and Linda McCartney, and Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. Also in the time of the greaser look, many partners of men wearing the greaser look would wear their leather jackets, as a symbol of their love. Another style closely related to rock style today is rockabilly, as it was one of the first forms of rock ‘n’ roll fashion, and this
style was brought to the mainstream with Amy Winehouse and Imelda May in more recent times, while rock style has also came to the catwalk, such as in Paco Rabanne’s Fall/ Winter show for 20122013. The rock style has also made a splash in films, for example, Rock of Ages with Tom Cruise, and in the past in Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean, and The Wild One with Marlon Brando, and in theatre with We Will Rock You, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, A Night With Janis Joplin, The Rocky Horror Show and American Idiot. Proving that rock fashion crosses mediums, some of these theatre shows
Alanis Morissette 30 EILE Magazine
like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and The Rocky Horror Show have also been films, and the previously-mentioned Rock of Ages was also a theatre production. Long may the world of blue jeans, leather jackets, faded t-shirts, mismatched pieces, ripped and distressed fabrics, individualism and attitude with an edge continue.
Paramore
Having started in post World War II America, rock has come a long way, with generation after generation adapting the style and mindset of what it means to be rock ‘n’ roll, and it has found a niche in so many diverse fashions, such as hippie, glam-rock, and punk style. Rock on fellow rockers.
Rock of Ages
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The Rise Of The Fashion Blogger Mark Anthony on those new Arbiters of Style, the Fashion Bloggers This is the age of personality. Whether it be a celebrity, brand, or blogger, in order to stand out, above the digital noise, there needs to be a singular voice or personality to communicate through those all-important social media channels. I’ve always said social media is a little bit like skimming stones - sometimes those tweets or instagrams just plop and sink without a trace, and other times they can bounce on and on, much further than you imagined. These streams of digital information need to catch our interest. Everybody is competing for the same slices of people’s time and attention, not to mention wanting to broaden their marketing net by gaining followers and likes. Bloggers have risen up into this space to become the editors of the Internet, and help brands keep that stone skimming. 32 EILE Magazine
Driven by a passion for their subject, these guys are now the opinion formers, influencers, and leaders of modern menswear - real people with a real passion. The blogosphere has changed dramatically over time. When I started There’s Glitter In Your Hair what seems like a lifetime ago now, and Mark My Style over two years ago, of course there were already bloggers, but it was seen as something of a hobby, or an amateur form of fanning, or geeking out over something. But I’m proud to say ‘blogger’, when asked what I do. I’m hopeful in saying that maybe one day I will make a living doing something that is difficult to make a living from. Being a blogger, there is nowhere to hide – you need to know your stuff. You’re out there 360 degrees, exposed to the world, and people realize if you know what you’re talking about within five minutes of looking through your social media accounts and blog posts. After all, unlike a magazine, there is no masthead and various layers of sub-editing and correction to make you look good.
While still a relatively nascent business, the economic recession suppressed the development of the blogging industry, with limited budgets, and no extra money from brands for digital projects. Today, however, magazines are contracting, and a vacuum is sucking in the style bloggers. It’s actually become something of an achievement to be a professional, full-time blogger. Yet the problem with the Internet is there’s a lot of information, but too few people actually saying anything. You need to be able to tune your digital antennae to focus on those individuals you want to hear from, and, ultimately, respect. To be a good style blogger, you need to have something relevant to say – whether through words, images or both – that’s different or more informed than somebody else. There are so many bloggers out there that make a living from this kind of thing now, and so many that deserve so much respect for what they do. With traditional magazines continuing to contract, and advertisers and brands looking to reach a new audience, bloggers have become the new editors and style guardians of the World Wide Web. For fashion-conscious people, like you, these passionate industry experts can offer tips, inspiration and genuine insight on the future of the industry, often helping shape it. Don’t dismiss something until you have given blood, sweat and tears to it.
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(COMPLACENT PRESENT)… FRAGILE FUTURE? AN ECLECTIC SHOWCASE OF ART, FILMS AND PERFORMANCE WORK BY LGBTQI ARTISTS FROM BRITAIN AND BEYOND Monday 9 November – Saturday 21 November 2015 An annual platform for LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) artists and organisations, the 8th GFEST - Gaywise FESTival ® runs Monday 9 – Saturday 21 November 34 EILE Magazine
2015 at venues across London.
Fragile Future?
The theme is equally pertinent to festivals like GFEST. “As a small At a time when the LGBT LGBT arts charity we face community enjoys more enormous fundraising tolerance and equality challenges,” says GFEST than at any other moment artistic director Niranjan in history, when gay men Kamatkar. “Despite all and lesbians in more and those challenges we are more countries including still carrying on, putting the UK can marry their forward a singular chosen partner, feel secure message that GFEST is at work and home thanks there for the celebration to anti-discrimination of all LGBT artists and laws, and benefit from practitioners, promoting increased visibility, one artistic excellence being could say that now is a at the heart of LGBTQI time for celebration. Yet future.” many LGBTQI people still face unimaginable VISUAL ART horrors in countries as diverse as Russian, Challenging perceptions of Syria and Uganda. Asian LGBTQI identities, GFEST contemplates an exhibition at London’s this polarised situation Menier Gallery (9 – 14 with this year’s theme: November, free) offers a (Complacent Present)… rare glimpse into a world GFEST 2015 Perfomers
where gender, sexuality and religion are defiant bedfellows. ASIAN FUTURE will feature new work by legendary artist, writer and activist Sunil Gupta, renowned for his honest portrayal of gay life around the world, including his native India where practicing homosexuality is essentially illegal. Currently based in Brixton, south London, his work often causes controversy – until a few years ago, it was impossible for him to showcase some of his works in India, and as recently as 2012 a series of his photographs, Sun City and Other Stories, was removed from a gallery in Delhi without notice. The exhibition will present a series of his photographers that
explore moments from South Asian Queer life sketches. Also on display are photographs by Charan Singh, a visual artist informed by years of community activism and HIV/AIDS work in India. A Delhi native, he’s currently taking a PhD in photography at London’s Royal College of Art. Manchesterbased interactive artist Maya Chowdhry, in collaboration with poet Sarah Hymas, presents poetic sculptures that explore the fragility of life and anthropogenic climate change. These works are guest curated by Michael Petry. Another guest curator Simon Tarrant presents work by two relatively younger London-based artists whose work
contemplates gendered South Asian queer identity. Raju Rage combines film installation with image collage to question gender, sexuality and religion. Trained as a weaver, Raisa Kabir questions the politics of dress in connection to space, gender, race and sexuality. Art critic Anna McNay will head up a debate on SEXUALITY AND SOUTH ASIAN IDENTITIES at Menier Gallery on the afternoon of 14 November. There’ll be an illustrated lecture looking at QUEER ART AT TATE MODERN (16 November) by Tate curator Marcus Dickey Horley. Further debates to be announced. FILM
Korros Black at GFEST 2015
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GFEST imagines the future of cinema, how it represents contemporary LGBTQI culture and how this has entered the mainstream, with two days of queer films at ArtHouse Crouch End (17 – 18 November, £10 / £7 concessions). The programme opens with the UK Premiere of THE SURFACE (dir: Michael J Saul, USA). From the director of True Love, his new ‘coming of age’ feature follows a young gay man on an emotional rollercoaster of finding his true identity in the modern gay world. Followed by a director Q&A. Also screening is the short film TOMORROW (dir: Leandro Tadashi, USA). Fresh from BFI Future Film, it follows two young men worrying about their future on New Year’s Eve in 1999. The shorts programme is a cornucopia of sexual diversity representing this era of ‘acceptance’. In extraordinary festival favourite ELECTRIC INDIGO (dir: Jean-Julien Collette, Belgium/France) two heterosexual men unite in a non-carnal marriage and raise a daughter together. NERDESIN ASKIM? / WHERE ARE YOU MY LOVE? (dir: Defne Gezen, Turkey) is a story of transsexual sex 36 EILE Magazine
workers in Istanbul, Turkey, where there is very little protection and no ‘hate crime’ laws.
Hozier. A filmmakers Q&A will follow.
Challenging gender and identity, PINK PILGRIMS: FIN and TRANNYSFORMATION: JONO (dir: Craig Heathcote, UK) are two vignettes that peek behind the glittered curtains of Sink The Pink, east London’s most outrageous queer club. Set on a park bench in the 1960s, PUTTING ON THE DISH (dir: Brian Fairbairn & Karl Eccleston, UK) observes two strangers conversing in Polari, a form of slang spoken by some gay men in Britain before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. PEPPER (dir: Patrick Aubert, Canada) presents the painful awakening of a couple after an evening of fantasies, when dreams evaporate and reality appears. Based on a true story, RULE OF THUMB (dir: Almog Gurevich, Israel) sees a young man navigating sexual freedom on Tel Aviv’s gay scene, while being enslaved by his struggle with bulimia. The single largest group of homeless kids in the USA are LGBT. UNCONDITIONAL (dir: Kent Igleheart, USA) tells the story of a black teen kicked out for being gay, featuring music from Grammy-nominee
This year’s GFEST concludes with an evening of classical music in the hollowed environs of St Pancras Parish Church, with its wonderful natural acoustics (20 November, £7 / £5 concessions). Entitled TONAL FUTURE, the evening aims to raise funds for, and awareness of, the ‘relatively silent’ world of gay composers and gay music. Having worked with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the National Orchestras of Lebanon and Malta, and having directed Oxford’s University Church mixedvoice choir for 10 years, Gulliver Ralston will present a solo piano recital featuring works of Francis Poulenc. Liam Byrne plays the viola da gamba, a historical hybrid of guitar and cello. He will play forgotten gems of baroque music by Marin Marais and Sainte Colombe alongside newly commissioned works by living composers including Nico Muhly. The Korros Ensemble is a dynamic trio with an international reputation for their unique and distinguished performances. Comprising flute, clarinet and harp, they create a rarely heard soundworld
PERFORMANCE
Film: The Surface at GFEST 2015
of unusual and beautiful textures. They’ll present compositions of Benjamin Britten and Manuel de Falla. Having worked as an accompanist with Opera Ireland, NI Opera and Ulster Orchestra, counter tenor Miles Lallemant will present a short recital accompanied by Duncan Day on piano. DEBATE Chaired by Gulliver Ralston, Director of Music at the University of Roehampton and at Oxford’s University Church, the panel
discussion FRAGILE FUTURE? will debate the impact of LGBT composers and musicians on classical music, and explore the influences of sexuality on creation of music (University of Roehampton, 21 November, free) GFEST - Gaywise FESTival is presented by arts charity Wise Thoughts, a pioneering organisation based in Haringey, north London, that combines creative use of diverse art forms such as film, visual art and performance, and delivers targeted services. Its services help address social
justice issues and needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and Black, Asia, & Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. A platform for LGBTQI artists, GFEST takes place annually in November. GFEST 2015 programme was launched at K&L Gates office in Central London on 22 September and full details are now live on GFEST website: http://gaywisefestival.org.uk
Trannysformation: Jono at GFEST 2015
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Great Artists Line-up Winter Pride Maspalomas 2015, 9 – 15 November ProGay, the organisor of Winter Pride Maspalomas 2015, has been able to put together a great line-up for the second edition, which will be held from 9 – 15 of November 2015 at the Yumbo Centre.
It is to be expected that 20.000 visitors will enjoy the free live shows on the Yumbo Square. Main stars during the event are Spanish superstar Ruth Lorenzo, who represented Spain during the 2014 Eurovision, and The Three Degrees from the USA. New events this edition are the opening pool party at Los Almendros, a great dinner show at Garbo´s, Pride Walk and two boat excursions. The themes for this year’s live shows are the Gran Canaria Big Band on Thursday, 12 November, Hi NRG Classics on Friday and International Variety on the final Saturday, with great fireworks! It is the mission of ProGay to promote Maspalomas as a gay-friendly destination. ProGay has committed itself to support local charity organisations like ACES, the local AIDS foundation. For more information, visit: http://www.winterpridemaspalomas.com/
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Opinion: Why Sexuality Should Be Allowed Its Privacy EILE’s Editor-atLarge, Scott De Buitléir, reacts to the idea that a person’s sexual orientation should be public information
however, is this part: “…this has to change, folks. Why? Because even though, sure, everyone should be “entitled to the right to privacy” regarding certain aspects of their lives, sexual orientation shouldn’t be considered private. Let me type that again and put it in boldface so that you don’t miss it: Sexual orientation should not be considered private.“
Last week, Noah Michelson wrote an opinion piece in the Huffington Post about Tom Hardy’s awkward shut-down of a Canadian No. Or, to translate to reporter, who asked Hardy American English; Hell no. about his sexuality. I couldn’t disagree more with Michelson here. The piece annoyed me for multiple reasons, although Sex, regardless of who it’s there are some points with, is a private affair, where I do agree with his only involving those [Michelson’s] arguments. present for the occasion. If Tom Hardy has, in the people decide to disclose past, spoken about his what they do in the sexual experiences with bedroom (or darkroom, men, his views on gay or wherever else fun sex, and more. His recent may happen) then that’s decision not to discuss their own decision, but such “private” issues, sexuality does not need to therefore, is exactly be ‘public’ in any way. that — a recent decision. But, that decision, for whatever reason, is valid. What annoyed me majorly, 40 EILE Magazine
Michelson is wrong, when he dismisses the idea of people defending Hardy’s shutdown. He said:
“… I sighed and thought to myself, Really? Are we really still defending — and celebrating! — the idea that sexual orientation is akin to some deep dark secret to be discussed after dark behind closed doors in hushed tones with only our most trusted confidantes?” Let me make something crystal clear; just because some people prefer to keep certain aspects of their life private, does not mean that they are in some way ashamed of it. Sex and sexuality, to many, is an intimate form of expression and selfidentity. I don’t necessarily mean ‘intimate’ in the traditional, romantic sense of the word, but rather in terms of emotional intimacy. If I, for example, discuss my sex-life with my friends, it is a sign that I consider them close enough as friends to know something that is very personal. If others — Michelson, for example — regard sex and
Tom Hardy wasn’t impressed with a Canadian reporter recently, when he asked the actor about his sexuality. [Image: MoviePilot.com]
sexuality in a more casual (I’d quicker say ‘flippant’) manner, then that is his own prerogative, but it is not the societal aspiration that he claims it to be in his article. That does not for a moment, however, take away from the courage that it takes to come out as LGBT. Coming out is getting much easier in certain countries, but it still takes a lot of courage for many people. We do, of course, still live in a very heteronormative
society, but if societal attitudes can change in a small country like Ireland, then there’s hope for many others. It’s only a matter of time, and things are already heading in the right direction. With the recent cluster of rugby players coming out in the last few months, it’s becoming clearer that many people are developing a (positive) ‘meh’ attitude of ‘Oh right, good for them… what else is on the news?’. Soon, the reaction to LGBT people coming out will be — to use
Michelson’s analogy — akin to telling others if you’re left-handed, but the difference is that being left-handed was never connected with personal or romantic intimacy. Simply put, no-one should ever expect someone else’s sexual orientation to be public information. If a person wants to disclose it, so be it, but only by their own doing. This column was previously published on Scott De Buitléir’s Medium profile.
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Natural Cures For
STRESS
Brian Rochford looks at the many ways we can help our body deal with stress naturally Stress could be described as a state of emotional or mental pressure as a result of demanding or adverse circumstances.
winning a marathon, or being on a rollercoaster for the first time. Other experiences can be more serious and traumatic, and can cause long-term stress, damaging many areas of your life.
When stress response continues over a long time, as a result of the Webster’s dictionary pressure of work, day-todefines stress as the action day responsibilities and of pressing or pushing family commitments, this against something. stress is often defined an routine stress. Another There can be many type of stress is labelled factors that contribute Traumatic stress, which to the response of stress can result from a major within the body. These life event, such as the responses can be positive death of a partner. Stress or negative, perceived or can also be experienced real. as a result of negative sudden change, like These factors can be illness, or being let go long-term, recurring ,or from your present job. even short time. You may experience stress when Human beings respond commuting every day, or to stress and feel it in when moving house. different ways. Some physical responses, when Some changes or dealing with continuous experiences create stress, stress, are sleeplessness but can be of benefit, like 42 EILE Magazine
and irritability, headaches and digestive problems. Many people who are subjected to chronic stress can be prone to infections, like the common cold or even the ‘flu. It is difficult to live completely without stress, however, there are natural ways that you can help alleviate it and help restore your body’s natural balance. Deep breathing is a good place to start, as it provides the body and the brain with much needed oxygen. Any form of physical exercise can help in reducing stress, as being involved in activity can release the feel-good endorphins that will help you feel less anxious and worried. Take up the active challenge today, and feel the difference. You can choose from any range of exercises, like aerobics or tai chi, whatever suits your particular style or
Image: Christian Guthier
preference. Any form of exercise routine can act as a stress buster, and can go a long way towards the management of your stress. There are many natural herbal supplements available today to help relieve stress naturally, without being subjected to the long -term side effects of many modern medications. A natural sedative, like chamomile, can have a calming influence on the mind and the body. It can improve appetite and help with digestive problems.
The Hops plant is another useful herb that has been known for a long time for its medicinal properties. It has been found to be useful in helping to fight stress, and is beneficial with cases of insomnia. Taking hops has even been known to help with headaches and indigestion. Another very useful herb in the fight against stress and anxiety is the Valerian root. It is best known for use when sleeping is a problem, however, it can also be very
effective in relaxing you mentally, and reducing muscular tension. Care should be taken as it is not recommended for pregnant women, anyone on antianxiety medication, or antidepressants. Also it is not to be taken by children below the age of 12 years. As with any health changes, if you have any concerns, you should check with your doctor before implementation of any new regime, whether physical or mental.
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Dublin Bears have a group booking for the Ghostbus Tour on Sat 31st October at 7pm Tickets are €25 each, payable in advance The Ghostbus collects at Dublin Bus Head Office, O’Connell St and drops off at Oscars for the Hallowe’en Ball Please contact Adrian on Dublin Bears Facebook page or email info@ dublinbears.ie for tickets 44 EILE Magazine
BEING AP BEING AP takes an in-depth look at one of the world’s greatest sportsmen, award winning jump jockey AP McCoy. Ageing but fearless, nearing the end of his career yet still willing to sacrifice
everything to achieve his dream in a competitive and dangerous sport, this feature length documentary is a real celebration of an incredible man. The film follows AP through his exhaustive training routine, the complications he suffers from the various injuries he’s endured throughout his career and the effect this has on his family. This intimate portrait covers all the elements that make AP the greatest jump jockey the world has ever seen and focuses on the unique combination of skills that have sustained his career and the team around him that have contributed to his success.
In Irish cinemas 27 November - Cert: TBC Available on DVD and Blu-Ray on 30 NovemberAvailable on DVD and Blu-Ray on 30 November
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Frances Winston on Movies Directed by: Justin Kurzel Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, David Thewlis Even if you have no interest whatsoever in Shakespeare, you are probably familiar with the story of Macbeth. The roles are completely iconic, and there are few who haven’t heard of the power-hungry soldier-turned-king, who falls foul of his own greed and madness, and his pushy wife. I myself am very familiar with the play having once appeared in it, but even if I hadn’t, I think I would be fully aware of it. The eponymous character has been played by some of the greatest actors through the ages, and a bit of Shakespeare certainly lends gravitas to a CV, so it’s no wonder Michael Fassbender agreed to take on the lead role, despite the fact that he will be compared to everyone who has gone before him. Tackling the part of Lady Macbeth is Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, and the supporting cast reads like a who’s who.
Director Kurzel has tried to put a fresh spin on this oft-told tale, but perhaps he should have stuck to the old “if it ain’t broke” adage, as his “changes” do not always work. Firstly, I’m pretty sure that Shakespeare would take umbrage at the fact that it claims to be “based on” his tale, and that the screenplay is by Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff and Michael Lesslie. Since every line of dialogue in this was actually written by the Bard, I would think disassociating him from it is not the smartest of moves. Secondly, the biggest stumbling block for most actors with Shakespeare is the language. While his words may seem flowery to the untrained eye, it is in fact written almost like a musical score, and needs to be treated as such. Unfortunately, the actors here treat it like contemporary dialogue. This really affects the pacing, and the intent behind the words. They aren’t helped by the fact that some of the most iconic sequences have been cut out, or seriously tampered with. Even the opening scene featuring the weird sisters has been changed. The infamous “out damned
spot” speech makes little sense in the context in which it is used here, and, without spoiling it, they throw in an image at the end that feels almost like an afterthought, in order to try and help the audience understand it. Framing Lady Macbeth almost as the Madonna doesn’t work either, and merely distracts from the true meaning of the scene. Equally the “is this a dagger which I see before me scene” is poorly handled, and several additional visual scenes which are intercut with the iconic dialogue simply don’t work. Done properly, you should be able to follow any of Shakespeare’s plays just through the words, but if I had no knowledge of Macbeth or what was going on, I think I would have been somewhat confused by this visually stunning, but poorly executed, offering. If you take it as a brand new work, and not a classic piece, both Fassbender and Cotillard give good performances, and it often works. However, if you are looking at this as a retelling of the story for a contemporary audience, it is supremely disappointing. In Cinemas Now! EILE Magazine 47
The Martian
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Frances Winston on Movies continued...
The Martian Directed by: Ridley Scott Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peùa, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor With all the talk of NASA’s discovery of water on Mars this seems a rather timely release. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, by Andy Weir, in a nutshell it tells the story of an astronaut stranded on Mars when his team presume him dead. Using his wits and his scientific knowledge, he struggles to survive. Savaging his teams base, he manages to make contact with NASA, which then leads to an international race against time in order to bring their man home. Matt Damon plays the title character, Mark Watney, and clearly has great fun in the role. Rather than play him with a sense of pathos, he injects huge amounts of humour into his performance, and even
in the depths of despair, manages to find something to make himself smile. He is basically a space version of Tom Hanks character in Castaway, and while he doesn’t carry the whole movie on his own, if his performance was lax it would drag the whole picture down. Thankfully, he finds the right balance of gravitas and hopefulness, and you are rooting for him from very early on.
Brian Cox. This manages to be thrilling, nail-biting and yet funny all at once, and is a nice twist on the standard survival and rescue tale. Great fun, gorgeous to look at, and with heaps of heart, this is a must see on the big screen in order to get the full impact of the visuals. In Cinemas Now!
All of the supporting cast give strong performances, especially Ejiofor and Bean, who both become completely emotionally invested in saving Watney. Surprisingly, the weakest performance here is from the usually reliable Chastain, with Wiig being a revelation in a straight role. The scenes on Mars look stunning, and provide a nice contrast to the far more sombre scenes on earth, and the whole thing is tied together with (of all things) a disco soundtrack. In another plus, apparently most of the science featured here stands up, and the movie even garnered the approval of Professor
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Film Review: Older than Ireland Frances Winston found this to be a lovely film, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, as Irish centenarians tell their stories. Directed by: Alex Fegan – Starring: Thirty of Ireland’s Oldest Citizens With the Anniversary of the 1916 Rising almost upon us, we are somewhat bombarded with documentaries about Ireland’s history, but none of them have the unique take that this offering does. Thirty of Ireland’s centenarians recall 100 years of life in this country, as witnessed by themselves. Pretty much the only thing they all have in common is their age, as all have lived
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wildly different lives. which is what makes this such a fascinating watch. Although they all lived through the same period of history, they all have their own take on it. so you get a broad overview of 100 years of change, rather than just one person’s interpretation of events. While living to 100 is in itself a remarkable achievement, some of these people’s accomplishments will leave you amazed. All of them have interesting stories to tell, and you will find yourself laughing, crying and everything in between, as they recall the events of their lives. The entire social spectrum is covered, and it’s fascinating to see how differently they all lived. Beginning with them recalling their first pair of shoes, we are taken
on a journey through our civil war, Bloody Sunday, the Troubles, and many other significant moments of Ireland’s history. Although some of the participants are quite frail, they are still as sharp as a tack, and it is fascinating to hear their experiences of events that most of us have only read about. Obviously with such longevity comes some loss, and many of the most poignant moments of this documentary are when the subjects discuss their now departed loved ones and spouses. While all are wonderful, my personal favourite was Bessie Nolan from Drimnagh, who is 103, and who may well be my new hero. Still a glamourpuss, she tells it like it is about the youth of today, and is matter of fact about her ups and downs. I guarantee you will want
her to be your best friend after seeing this. Director Fegan’s debut offering, The Irish Pub, gave us a wry snapshot of Irish life, and here he has once again managed to convey our culture and history in a charming and accessible way. The subjects all really opened up to him, and the result is a refreshingly honest and heartfelt look at some remarkable people and times. This is a beautiful film that gives some wonderful insights into Irish life, while tugging at your heartstrings, and it’s sure to find a lot of fans. In Cinemas Now!
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Califor
DISabled
Rick Watts looks at how the Special Olympics can inspire all of us to keep going and do better, despite what seem to be adverse circumstaces or disabilities in our lives “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” --motto of the Special Olympics Earlier this summer, Los Angeles, California, hosted the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015, the athletic competition, founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, to serve and highlight the athletic prowess of persons with intellectual disabilities. Eunice, sister of the late U.S. President, John F. 52 EILE Magazine
Kennedy, was inspired to do so by their sister Rosemary’s struggles. They learned first-hand of the injustice and limitations placed upon their sister, and those like her, by a society that was ill-informed, and ill-equipped to serve and support them, in living lives of dignity, opportunity and inclusion as equal members of the human family. Over the years, what began as a backyard summer camp, grew into the movement it has become today; focusing
not on what persons with disabilities cannot do, but rather what they can. And in doing so, those athletes teach us some very important lessons, not only about them, but ourselves as well, and how we all benefit by recognizing the humanity in each person. Like the more well-known ‘Olympics’ , hosted most recently in London, the Special Olympics brought together thousands of athletes to compete in dozens of sporting events, lasting some two weeks. Unlike those ‘other’
rnia Dispatch:
abled does not mean UN-able Olympics, which have in recent decades become overly-commercialized, and too-often about making money for the organizers, for local property developers, for the media that pay huge sums of money for video coverage, licensing and advertising, and for professional athletes, via vehicles such as product endorsements, the Special Olympics is still very much a non-profit affair that relies on donations, good will, and volunteers, to exist. In a very real sense, these games retain the feel of sport for the sake of sport; of international cooperation rather than veiled nationalistic competition. And, for the melting pot that is America, more specifically, California and Los Angeles especially, hosting the Special Olympics with athletes from around the world, with all manner of backgrounds, experiences, races, disabilities and ABILITIES, was especially meaningful. To be fair, among the athletes of ‘the’ Olympics are many who are not sports stars; who will
never go on to have multi-million dollar contracts, who are barely able to cover the costs of their training and transportation to competitions,and most of whom will go home emptyhanded of the medals they each understandably seek. And again to be fair, even among the ‘superstars’, many are WONDERFUL people, who don’t let their fame or fortune go to their heads, and who often go on to give back, or give forward, to others via various charities. Basketball legend, Magic Johnson, is but one such person, who has shown greatness, not only in his athletic ability, but in what he went on to do with the wealth he reaped from the career he parlayed his talent into, by deftly exploiting the opportunities that fame put before him; fame gained not merely by way of his talent—great that it is—but because the merchants of mass media saw him as an opportunity to make their own fortunes, in advertising dollars and ticket sales. But such superstar opportunities are few
and far between. Ask any college athlete who worked her/his butt off throughout their school years; sacrificing too often everything (with similar contributions from their families) for a shot at the ‘big-time’, only to be denied the athletic scholarship, or to be cut from the team, or to be sidelined by careerending injury, or other personal tragedy, as ‘unnewsworthy’, as having to drop out of school to get a job simply to help their family with the bills. It is athletes such as these; talent and lives unrealized due to lack of opportunity, that are far more commonly athletes of “the” Olympics. But even more so, this is what is experienced by persons with disabilities; whether physical or intellectual, athletes or not, when we as individuals, and collectively as a society, fail to recognize their potential; fail to see their abilities irrespective of their disabilities; and all too often, fail even to see in them ourselves and our common humanity. When we are guilty of EILE Magazine 53
such failure, we rob not just these individuals, but ourselves and our society of what they have to offer and to inspire in EACH of us! Here in the United States, the day of the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies coincided with the 25th anniversary of the signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) in 1990, by then-President, George H. W. Bush. In a now-too-rare act of bipartisan cooperation, erstwhile opponents in the U.S. Congress hammered out the details of the ADA in a series of secret negotiations, hosted at the United Methodist Church’s headquarters. The headquarters are across from the U.S. Capitol, next to Senate office buildings, and the Supreme Court, over the entrance to which are carved in its marble edifice the words: “Equal Justice Under Law.” It is the foundation of things such as the Ryan White Act, named after the brave young man who became the face of AIDS; advocating for others even while his own young body was robbed of its vitality, by the HIV he contracted through a blood transfusion. So many others like Ryan (like Magic Johnson or Olympic diver Greg 54 EILE Magazine
Lougainis) use their fame or fortune to advocate for better treatments for people with AIDS, or (in Lougainis’ case also) for other causes, such as mental health and support for victims of domestic abuse. Still others, like actors Robert Downey Jr. and Brad Cooper, work for addiction recovery. And still others less famous, but no less courageous, like quadraplegic painter, Deborah Gallardo, inspire simply through perseverance. So too with the athletes of the Special Olympics. They each, in their own way, enrich the fabric of humanity, through their experience and courage, that they demonstrate in spite of — or sometimes because of — the disabilities that help them discover, and hone, their own ABILITIES and passions. After all, where would our world be without a Franklin Roosevelt, whose experience with polio taught him to overcome? And how much poorer would be our musical heritage without the musical giants such as Ludwig van Beethoven (who composed some of his greatest works in the silence of his own deafness) or the ebullient and uplifting songs of Stevie Wonder (who did not let his blindness confine his songs to his
own soul alone) or the classical talents of violinist Yitzhak Perlman, whose polio, while withering his legs, focused the talent in his hands? And but for the intellect of the gay (but closeted) Alan Turing, struggling with Asperger’s, Hitler might well have been the victor of World War II. (It is especially ironic that Turing, who dedicated his brilliance to saving his country from the oppression of Nazism, was himself persecuted after the war for his homosexuality). Who knows how much sooner the computer age might have dawned had civilization embraced and celebrated his differences, rather than punished him for his homosexuality. Schizophrenic, John Nash, solved some of the deepest mysteries of mathematics, which won him the Nobel Prize. And let’s not forget Stephen Hawking, whose ALS disease only served to sharpen his mind, to solve some of the most fundamental problems of physics, while outliving his prognosis by some 50 years! And of course, the many athletes of the Paralympics and Special Olympics, who, as much as any of these, live out Winston Churchill’s exhortation to the battered victims the
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Battle of Britain: “Never, Never, NEVER give up!” They believe in themselves because, so often, someone else says what we all need to hear in our own lives: Someone saying to us “We believe in you!” Alas, if only Alan Turing,and so many talented LGBT youth today, were nurtured with those words from the people that mean the most to them, and the governments they live under. The point is that what is important is not so much what we can NOT do, but rather what we CAN do, even if sometimes we need a little help to realize our potential, especially when we need help accepting our own differences as potential strengths and gifts with unique insights, rather than as limitations which define what we putatively ‘can not’ achieve. And even more than that, what persons with disabilities also do, is to teach US to be a little more humble, a little more kind, a little more understanding, and a little more cognizant of the potential that lies in each person, sometimes where we might least expect to find it, if we but open our own eyes and hearts to search for it. The ADA recognizes the inherent truth that we don’t all start or proceed 56 EILE Magazine
through our existence on this Earth from the same starting line, or even on the same track, and that in order to even have a shot at “equal justice”, sometimes the law must intervene.
themselves and to us each that just because someone is DISabled, does not mean they are UNable to do anything—even GREAT things that have lasting and immense impact for the betterment of society.
It is why we have “curb cuts” that enable wheelchair-users to cross the street, for example. Those exist only because the ADA compelled state and local governments to spend the extra funds to create them, and in so doing, remove at least one of the many barriers to full participation in life facing persons with disabilities day after day.
It is their very courage in the face of limitation; the willingness to strive to endure; to overcome; to exceed; to celebrate and comfort one another, whether in the thrill of victory or the “agony of defeat”, or sorrow that is at once humbling and inspiring to all who will witness it and let it open their hearts—and minds.
Of course, mobility is but one of the many types of physical disabilities that exist, and likewise, physical disabilities are not the only type of disabilities that exist. The International Paralympics Games, that immediately follow “the” Olympics, serve to underline that persons with physical limitations can also do amazing things on the field of sport. And so too do the Special Olympics give those with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to prove themselves, to all privileged to witness their courage and ability, despite their limitations. However, the Games are but one means of demonstrating to
For is by THEIR example, that WE are inspired to “draw the circle wider” to include ALL our brothers and sisters, and see ourselves and our common humanity in them. October is disAbilities Awareness Month in the United States.
Rick Watts is a community activist, who serves on numerous non-profit organizations, including (among others) Overnight Productions, parent of This Way Out international LGBT radio program.
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Dr Lydia Foy (seated centre, showing her Medal of Honour)
Dr Lydia Foy – Trans Struggle Over As She Receives Birth Cert From Government, And Award From EU The European Parliament has chosen Dr Lydia Foy for the European Citizen’s Award 2015, which will be presented to her in Brussels next month. Dr Foy has been fighting since 1993 for a birth certificate to reflect her true gender from the Irish Government, and has won the award for promoting better understanding and 58 EILE Magazine
integration among citizens of the EU. Sinn Féin MEPs nominated Dr Foy for the award, and she is among 47 others who have been awarded this year. Dr Foy has a double celebration to organise, because she has also just received her longawaited birth certificate, recognising her true gender, for which she has been fighting for the last 22 years. She said in a statement: “This is a great day for
me and for the Trans community in Ireland. With this piece of paper and after 22 years of struggle, my country has finally recognised me for who I really am, not for what other people think I should be. I am especially pleased for young Trans people – that they will not have to go through the pain, the isolation, the lack of understanding and the abuse that my generation had to endure”. -MKB (eile.ie 28th September 2015)
Saudis Protest LGBT Rights In Development Goals
Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al Jubeir
The UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals, which include universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights by 2030, has been told by Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, on Sunday, that
“mentioning sex in the text, to us, means exactly male and female. Mentioning family means consisting of a married man and woman�.
deviations from their beliefs, as world leaders adopt the new development agenda. (eile.ie 28th September 2015)
He stated that his country has a right not to follow any rules relating to EILE Magazine 59
Women In Film and Television Irish Branch Launched In Dublin The Irish branch of international organisation, Women in Film and Television, launched yesterday, Wednesday 30th September, at O’Callaghans, St. Stephen’s Green Hotel, in Dublin. Women in Film and Television is an international organisation boasting over 10,000 members world-wide, including dynamic and influential branches in London, New York and Los Angeles. The organisation aims to advance the professional development and achievement of women working in all areas of film, television ,and screen-based media. Over recent years, statistics have emerged about the representation of women in this industry. The Sundance Institute, The Geena Davis Institute, and Women in Film & 60 EILE Magazine
TV International have reported that only 4% of Hollywood’s big budget directors are women, and that of last year’s mainstream film releases, only 12% featured female lead roles. Despite an equal gender split of filmschool graduates and film festival award-winners, the organisation is interested in determining what occurs in the professional development of these filmmakers that leads to the ‘Big Six’ Hollywood studios hiring almost exclusively male directors from amongst these festival winners. Rachel Lysaght, Chair WFT, award-winning producer of One Million Dubliners, Patrick’s Day & The Pipe, commented: “It’s not a case of ‘where are all the talented women?’ We need to reframe the question – why are we overrepresenting men’s stories and voices onscreen? What pro-active steps can we take to redress the balance, and
reinvigorate our industry, our culture and our economy? We want to see equal representation of women on Irish screens, and equal representation in the projects written, directed and executed by women in the Irish film industry.” Last year, the Swedish film industry struck out alone and achieved 50:50 gender equality, with the result that their box office grew markedly. A group of award-winning Irish film and televisionmakers, including producers, editors, screenwriters, directors and actors, have come together to form Women in Film and Television Ireland. Recent sell-out events at The Galway Film Fleadh, and a passionate ongoing conversation amongst women in the industry, now culminates in the organisation’s launch in Dublin. “It’s time to make some noise. Come on! Your country knows how to
Women In Film & Television Ireland Launch, Dublin
get up in arms!� Catherine Hardwicke, US director of Twilight and Miss You Already told Women in Film & TV Ireland last week at their exclusive event. Women in Film and TV Ireland is now open to members among the professional women working in the Irish film and TV industry. Monthly events, networking, mentoring and special offers, including affiliation with the international branches, will be available to members. Women in Film and Television Ireland is a voluntary body run by film and TV professionals of international standing, representing the creative, business and technical divisions of the Irish audiovisual sector. We promote greater representation of women on screen and behind the camera. Our aim is to ensure
that the Irish film and television industry functions as a meritocratic, sustainable and successful force into the future. For more information, visit: www.wft.ie www.facebook.com/ WomenInFilmAndTVIreland Twitter/ Instagram: @wiftirl (eile.ie 1st October 2015)
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HRC Remembers Catholic Priest & LGBT Activist, Rev. John McNeill
Yesterday, Sept 26th, Maureen McCarty, HRC Deputy Director of Marketing, wrote about Rev John Mc Neill, priest and LGBT activist, who died last Tuesday, 22nd September. “Today we honor the legacy of Rev. John McNeill, an openly gay Roman Catholic priest and LGBT activist who worked to push the Church to welcome gay and lesbian congregants. Following the international publication of his first book, The Church and the Homosexual in the 1970s, Rev. McNeill made history as the first priest to come out on national television. “John McNeill is one
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Rev John Mc Neill, RIP
of the most important voices in the history of the L.G.B.T. civil rights movement,” Brendan Fay, the director of Taking a Chance on God, a 2011 documentary film about Father McNeill, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. “The Church and the Homosexual became the primary text that is still considered the key in transforming the conversation on religion and homosexuality.” “It was in knowing Rev. John McNeill that I knew warriors were inside the system advocating for us, said Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, HRC Religion and Faith program’s Director of Latino and Catholic Initiatives. “It gave me hope for change. I hope
to honor his memory by continuing to lift voices such as his as we seek to be welcomed back to our spiritual home.” Father McNeill died on Tuesday [22nd Sept] in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Through the work of DignityUSA, an organization he helped found in order to support LGBT Catholics, his legacy will live on”. September 26, 2015 by Maureen McCarty, HRC Deputy Director of Marketing (eile.ie 27th September 2015)
Australia: Advocates Say Anglicans Have Nothing To Fear Marriage Equality advocates have dismissed concerns from the Anglican Archdiocese of Sydney that marriage equality will lead to violations of religious freedom.
“Marriage equality prevails in 22 countries with a combined population of almost 1 billion people yet there are only a couple of examples of wedding service providers facing legal action – all from the US – so I really think the Anglican Church is jumping at shadows.”
The Bishop of South Sydney, Richard Forsythe, has called for wedding service providers to be free to turn away same-sex marrying couples.
“I’m concerned that an exemption allowing weddings service providers to turn away whoever offends their religious values could see divorced partners, atheists or Muslims being discriminated against.”
Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome, commented:
“I’m also concerned that if the exemption only applies to same-sex couples it
will reinforce prejudice against these couples.” “Australians will not support going down either of these paths.” Mr Croome said the Church need not be concerned about religious celebrants being free to turn away same-sex and other couples. “The current Marriage Act allows religious celebrants to refuse to marry couples they don’t want to marry, and this will continue when marriage equality is achieved.” (eile.ie 1st October 2015)
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Presbyerian Minister: “Church on verge of totalitarianism” on same-sex marriage debate
Yesterday, a second Presbyterian minister spoke out about the silencing of the Revd Christine Bradley. While Dr Richard O’Leary was on BBC NI radio programme, ‘Talk Back’, yesterday (Wed 23rd) at 12.45-1 pm, discussing the subject of “free speech in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland” with presenter William Crawley, the Revd Dr David Lattimer, minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church, phoned in. When asked by William 64 EILE Magazine
Crawley “is free speech in trouble within your denomination?” The Revd Lattimer replied: “It could be we are on the verge of totalitarianism…. where everyone is expected to toe the line”. He also stated:
“the Church shouldn’t be seeking to silence those who might be seeing things differently [..] I want to speak out in defence of Christine Bradley” [..] there should be no exclusion orders”.
Dr O’Leary has told EILE that he thinks this is a first for a Presbyterian minister (Lattimer) to go public on the suppression of free speech in the Church. This discussion can be listened to on BBC podcast on their website at: http://www.bbc. co.uk/programmes/ b06cbgtf#play The discussion is at 45 mins into the 1.5 hr programme. -MKB (eile.ie 24th September 2015)
Colin Barnett
Australia: Senate Rejects Plebiscite, WA’s Barnett calls For Free Vote
The mood against a plebiscite on marriage equality in Australia is hotting up after the Senate has come out against it, calling for a conscience vote, and Western Australia’s Colin Barnett has also voiced his opposition to a plebiscite and called for a federal free vote. The Senate had this to say: “The committee recommends that a bill to amend the definition of marriage in the Marriage Act 1961 to allow for the marriage between two people regardless of their sex is introduced into the Parliament as a matter
of urgency, with all parliamentarians being allowed a conscience vote”. Marriage equality advocates have welcomed the above recommendations, and also welcome West Australian Liberal Premier Colin Barnett’s call for a federal free vote on marriage equality and his opposition to a plebiscite on the issue. Mr Barnett made the call as the WA Lower House yesterday passed a motion in support of a free vote.
“We welcome the WA Parliament’s motion and Colin Barnett’s leadership. A free vote on marriage equality is the quickest, cheapest, least divisive and most appropriate way to resolve the issue.” Western Australia is now the second Liberal state to pass a marriage equality free vote motion, after a similar motion unanimously passed the NSW Lower House last June. -MKB (eile.ie 25th September 2015)
Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome, said,
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Presbyterian Church criticised for anti-gay stance after clampdown The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been criticized by Faith in Marriage Equality for its clampdown on ministers who affirm gay people. The Rev Christina Bradley, who ministers at Armagh Road Presbyterian Church in Portadown, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland had welcomed the passing of same sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland, however she has now recanted. The Rev Bradley had said after the referendum result: “This warm-heartedness is good to see in a world which often is a cold place as much for women in leadership as it is for gay and lesbian people in churches. I welcome the Yes vote.” Her statement prompted 66 EILE Magazine
a special Presbyterian Church Commission to investigate her pro-gay views. It has been reported that the Commission’s verdict was read out in her church last Sunday week by the clerk of session while Rev Bradley looked on. The Commission’s statement read: “Mrs Bradley confirmed to the Presbytery that marriage is to be between one man and one woman” and that “Mrs Bradley confirms that same-sex marriage is contrary to the will of God revealed in the Bible and accepts that homosexual practice is sinful in God’s sight”. Earlier in the summer, Canon Charles Kenny, a Church of Ireland minister and spokesperson for Ireland’s gay affirming group Faith in Marriage Equality, told the press he “welcomes that a Presbyterian Minister in Northern Ireland has
spoken up for equality for same sex couples”. However, Canon Kenny said now he was
“dismayed that such pressure had been put on the Presbyterian Minister to recant”. He claimed that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland was “trying to shut down discussion in the Church on the inclusion of its gay and lesbian members”. He said he knew members of the Presbyterian Church, lay and clergy, who were “affirming of gay people but were too frightened to say so”. Canon Kenny predicted that the action of the Church would “send a very damaging message to its gay members and make the Presbyterian Church in Ireland an even colder place for them and their families”.
Rev Christina Bradley
In 2013, the Northern Ireland justice minister, David Ford, stepped down as a Presbyterian elder in Co Antrim while church authorities investigated his views on same sex marriage. You can visit Faith in Marriage Equality at: www.fime.ie (eile.ie 22nd September 2015)
“dismayed that such pressure had been put on the Presbyterian Minister to recant� - Canon Charles Kenny
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Gaybrhood ‘Comes Out’ At Dublin Web Summit Alpha Village ‘Gaybrhood’, an LGBT crowdsourced city guide that uses local social connections to create a living list of the best things to discover, exhibits as a Dublin Web Summit Alpha Startup. The Dublin Web Summit runs from 3-5 November, 2015.
“We want to tap into this market and allow the LGBT traveller to be able to explore a city as if they were a local. Whether it’s grabbing something to eat, a quick coffee or socialising, Gaybrhood plans on being the one stop shop for finding the best and most up to date happenings a city has to offer”.
Some cities such as Berlin, Formed in 2015, London and Madrid have a Gaybrhood identified a gap vibrant but ever changing in the market for LGBT scene that existing guides travellers to accurately struggle to keep up to find out the best of a city to date with. Events can explore. pop up within a few days notice, venues can move The annual international constantly and restaurant travel spend by lesbian, opening hours can change. gay, bisexual and The bigger the city the transgender tourists was more diverse the choice, estimated to have been how is it possible to find worth in excess of $200 what might be the best billion US dollars in 2014 place to go? with European LGBT travellers spending an Gaybrhood solves this estimated $66 billion. by crowdsourcing users likes and events from Chris Fildes, Co-Founder, their social connections. said: It then lets them explore a city by showing what is 68 EILE Magazine
most popular, current and nearby. They can also see what their friends have done and create a ‘Gaylist’ of their own favourites. “The problem with existing sites and apps [is] their reliance on business owners keeping their details up to date” explains other Co-Founder Danny Lane. “Gaybrhood doesn’t have to worry about that. When our users like a business or join an event on social media, the site automatically updates. This creates a living up to date list of what is most popular in any given city at any time, while business and event profiles are automatically synchronised with their social media accounts so any updates filter straight through to Gaybrhood.” Earlier this year, Ireland voted to introduce samesex marriage. Tourism Ireland recently launched a new campaign to
promote the country as a wedding and honeymoon destination for samesex couples, which Chief Executive Niall Gibbons described as a “new and emerging” tourism market, so using Dublin for a soft launch seemed an ideal match. “Using Dublin as a testbed has helped us improve not only how our members use the site but has given us invaluable
lessons in dealing with the businesses that feature on Gaybrhood. The feedback has been extremely positive and we are looking forward to rolling the site out to other cities around the world.”
world.
Gaybrhood is delighted to have been chosen to exhibit as an Alpha Startup, and is looking forward to connecting with entrepreneurs and startups from all over the
(eile.ie 2nd October 2015)
To experience Gaybrhood visit: www.gaybrhood.com and start exploring.
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UN Agencies Want 76 States To Repeal Anti-Gay Laws UN Agencies, 12 of them, have called for 76 states, which have laws criminalising homosexuality, to repeal them now. Although the groups range from those concerned with hunger and poverty to those concerned with refugees and human rights, the agencies are ‘seriously concerned’ at the amount of people all over the world who are enduring violations of their rights in the LGBT communities. The agencies have together urged that the violence and discrimination against gay people is brought to an end. The statement was made jointly by the agencies, just before the UN SecretaryGeneral, Ban Ki-moon, was to hold a meeting on LGBTs’ right to be included in the 15-year Global Development Goals. Ban Ki-moon had made this statement to the UN General Assembly Summit for the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development several days ago: “The 2030 Agenda compels us to look beyond national boundaries and shortterm interests and act in solidarity for the long-term. We can no longer afford to
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think and work in silos”. And today, speaking at the Leaders Summit, he stated: “We know violent extremism flourishes when human rights are violated, aspirations for inclusion are ignored and too many people — especially the world’s young people with their hopes and dreams — lack prospects and meaning in their lives. We also know the crucial ingredients for success — good governance, the rule of law, open, pluralist societies, quality education and decent jobs, and full respect for human rights”.[..] “We have a major challenge before us, one that will not disappear overnight, but one that we can address concretely by forging societies of inclusion, ensuring lives of dignity and pursuing this essential endeavour inspired at all times by the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. Countries with anti-gay laws include Russia, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore. -MKB (eile.ie 30th September 2015
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
“We know violent extremism flourishes when human rights are violated...”
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Victory As New York Paddy’s Day Parade Ban on Gay Groups Lifted Irish Queers have announced that an Irish LGBTQ group will finally be able to march in next year’s NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade! They say that they “are happy and relieved to announce that, after 25 years of struggle, we have won! The NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade has dropped its bigoted ban: an Irish LGBTQ contingent will finally march with its own banner in the parade next March 17th”. From the beginning, their demand has been for an Irish LGBTQ contingent to march behind their own banner saying who they are, like all other contingents. The decision to invite the Lavender and Green Alliance does just that! The group stated: “This is a victory for the grassroots organizing, civil disobedience, and street protest of the Irish Lesbian and Gay
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Organization and its successor, Irish Queers. Protests held the line year after year where politics constantly failed. It’s also a victory for our beautiful queer and Irish community of support, stretching from New York City to Ireland and beyond”.
in the parade. And we’re grateful to and proud of the original members of the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization – who were also part of ACT UP, the Lesbian Avengers, and other important queer activist forces – who laid the groundwork for this victory”.
Irish Queers also stated that the desire was about much more than LGBTQ people. It was about discrimination of all sorts, including exclusion and racism, and to stem the “homophobia-fueled tide of AIDS deaths”.
Tired but happy, the group are glad it’s all over, and said: “We look forward to marching up Fifth Avenue with our community”.
And they will be celebrating that victory at The group are also grateful the iconic Stonewall Inn, to those who helped and with a welcome for anyone supported them along the who is in the area in New way: York on Saturday next, October 3rd! “[W]e’re thankful to the many ordinary New Details: Yorkers who supported us over the last 25 years, as Saturday, Oct. 3 well as the many elected official[s] who refused 5-7pm to march in the parade while we were left out. Stonewall Inn, 53 We’re thankful for David Christopher St. NYC Dinkins and others who made real, tangible tries -MKB at giving Irish queer people their rightful place (eile.ie 2nd October 2015)
“[W]e’re thankful to the many ordinary New Yorkers who supported us over the last 25 years, as well as the many elected official[s] who refused to march in the parade while we were left out”
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US: Hate Crime Attack After Dallas Pride Parade A 29-year-old man was robbed and seriously attacked, leaving him with a fractured skull, after the Dallas Pride Parade last Sunday, 20th September. After what had been a day of great celebration by the LGBT community, he was attacked with a baseball bat by four men, who also
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punched and kicked him, and shouted homophobic slurs during the assault, and this means that the police are treating it as a hate crime. The 32nd Dallas Pride Parade, called the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, saw thousands (estimated at 40,000) arriving to support the LGBT community, in the Oak Lawn Cedar Springs area. The attack happened
at Wycliff Avenue/ Sylvester Street, at about 9.15 pm. Police are appealing for witnesses, and are looking for video evidence on the attack. -MKB (eile.ie 22nd September 2015)
Design: Anthony Zagariko, exclusively for EILE Magazine
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US: Anti-LGBT Candidate Scott Walker Drops Presidential Campaign Yesterday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced he would be suspending his presidential campaign. Walker notoriously launched his campaign for president under a firestorm of criticism after he said that Boy Scouts needed “protection” from LGB volunteers. And Walker ended his first official week as a candidate with more controversy, by saying that he didn’t know whether being gay was a choice or not. Walker didn’t stop there
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with his retrograde campaign – he also embraced the so-called First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow government employees to argue they were permitted to discriminate and deny service to LGBT people for religious reasons. Whether the issue was marriage equality or nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people, HRC’s polling has shown that a vast majority of Americans disagreed with Scott Walker’s extreme views. A 55 percent majority of voters are less likely to support a candidate for president who opposes allowing same-sex couples to marry, including 40
percent who strongly oppose. And fully 60 percent of Americans are less likely to support a candidate for president who supports laws allowing government officials such as Kim Davis to discriminate and deny service against LGBT people -HRC (eile.ie 22nd September 2015)
Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker
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Doritos Rainbow Chips Have Run Out! Frito-Lay’s Doritos, brought out as Rainbow coloured chips as its latest snack last Thursday 17th, say they have run out of packs. The packs could not be bought in a store, but were a limited edition, mailed to anyone who sent a $10 donation to the It Gets Better campaign to help LGBT youth, especially those at risk of suicide. Doritos stated: “Due to the incredible amount of support we have received, we have run out of bags”. “Doritos the brand has stood for the bold, and we believe there is nothing bolder than being yourself” said the company’s chief marketing officer, Ram Krishnan. “We’re honored to partner with the Doritos brand to celebrate the momentous progress that has been made toward equal rights for the LGBT community 78 EILE Magazine
in this country. By utilizing the incredible reach that the Doritos brand has throughout the world, we can give hope to the LGBT young people who need it the most. There is so much more work to be done, and together, we will inspire the LGBT community and its allies to continue the fight and embrace who they are by living a #BoldandBetter life” said Brett Peters, communications director, It Gets Better Project. Melissa Knowles was lucky enough to get a pack, she tweeted on 18th: We were so lucky to get to sample the @Doritos Rainbow chips. Mmm, tastes like Cool Ranch. #BoldAndBetter The company also announced that it was a sponsor for Dallas Pride on 20th September, and has asked for the public’s support by using the hashtag #BOLDISBETTER. “Time and again, our consumers have shown
us, there really is nothing bolder than being true to yourself and living life to the fullest. With Doritos Rainbows chips, we’re bringing an entirely new product experience to our consumers to show our commitment toward equal rights for the LGBT community and celebrate humanity without exception”, said Krishnan. While there were many messages of support for Frito-Lay, like Melissa Knowles above, there were also many who took to twitter to say for instance, that this product was “against Christianity”, and urged people not to buy any of the company’s products. -MKB (eile.ie 21st September 2015)
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India: Gujarati gay film may now be shelved A film about homosexuality being made in Gujarat in India may now be shelved because of the Supreme Court’s remarks. The film had been given permission for release by the censor board, and the High Court had allowed 100% tax exemptions for the film, being made by KR Devmani. The tax exemptions were allowed for any colour film made in Gujarat since 1997. However, an appeal was brought in the
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Supreme Court against the tax exemptions, saying they did not apply to certain films about ‘social evils’, and they considered homosexuality a social evil. This means the filmmaker will not be able to afford to release the film without the tax exemptions. The film is called ‘Medhghanyshya – The Colour of Life’ about the true-life story of gay prince of Rajpipla, Manvendra Singh Gohil. Manvendra was a prince who had been married, and the marriage broke
down when his wife suspected that he was gay. His parents tried to pressurise him into a second marriage, but the prince went through a nervous breakdown, and eventually came out to a local journalist. He went into LGBT activism and founded the Lakshya Trust, dedicated to HIV|AIDS prevention and education. -MKB (eile.ie 20th September 2015)
Manvendra Singh Gohil
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The Gay European Tourism Association new partnership to promote safe a The Gay European Tourism Association and Vespa, the mobile app, launches new partnership to promote safe and informed LGBT travel in Europe The Gay European Tourism Association has launched a partnership with Vespa, the mobile app with more than 5,000 curated gay and gayfriendly locations across 270 cities in over 70 82 EILE Magazine
countries worldwide. The new partnership complements GETA’s GayWelcome.com consumer website which features the association’s 4,400 hotel and travel business members and listings in Europe. Working together, the website and app allow LGBT travelers to plan their visit to Europe and explore gay and gayfriendly venues, while they are travelling.
Vespa features up-todate listings of gay bars, clubs, cafes, saunas, and beaches. All locations include pictures, reviews, ratings and checkins from other Vespa members, providing travellers with vital information before arrival as well as while travelling. Vespa’s in-language display feature and offline access provides LGBT travellers with additional convenience when conducting location researches with no
n and Vespa, the mobile app, launches and informed LGBT travel in Europe internet access. Vespa was created by Christof Wittig, who founded the top gay dating app, Hornet. Vespa has already garnered much praise from the gay community abroad. It was recently named as “The Most Favourite” app by California’s Frontier Magazine for its easy-to-use features and interactivity with other Vespa users. It is the top downloaded gay travel app in countries
such as US, Germany, and Thailand. “This collaboration is a great leap forward for LGBT travel in Europe” said GETA Executive Director Carlos Kytka. “GETA’s goal is to improve the LGBT travel experience and in partnering with such an amazing new resource we can now give gay travellers a seamless travel experience when visiting Europe”.
You can see more about Vespa at www.vespa. rocks (http://www.vespa. rocks/) and download the mobile app via iTunes store. (eile.ie 18th September 2015)
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CAI: Church should share experience on marriage at Anglican Primates’ meeting The announcement by the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the 38 Primates of the 80 million member Anglican Communion are to meet to discuss its future, has been welcomed by the Chair of the Church of Ireland pro-gay group, Changing Attitude Ireland. Dr Richard O’Leary, of Changing Attitude Ireland, responded: “It is helpful that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, recognises that Anglicans worldwide do not have an agreed position on sexuality”. Archbishop Welby said:
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“A 21st-century Anglican family must have space for deep disagreement”. Asked whether this represented, if not a divorce, a legal separation, a Lambeth Palace source said: “It’s more like sleeping in separate bedrooms”. The worldwide Anglican Communion is divided on same sex marriage between inclusive Churches, like the USA Episcopal Church, which offers same sex blessings, and the conservative Church in Uganda, which supports the criminalisation of homosexuality. Archbishop Richard Clarke, the Primate of the Church of Ireland, and the
other Primates, have been invited by Archbishop Welby to submit contributions in advance of the meeting, to be held in January. Dr O’Leary said that he hopes “Archbishop Clarke will draw the attention of the other Anglican Primates to the recent Irish experience of the referendum, when the people overwhelmingly endorsed same sex marriage”. Dr O’Leary added: “Archbishop Clarke could also tell the other Anglican leaders of the Church of Ireland’s experience of managing successfully disagreement about the remarriage of divorcées. This could be a model for managing disagreement
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
on same sex blessings, ie, permit those clergy who wish to conduct them, while respecting the right of conservatives who do not”. For more information, visit: http://changingattitudeireland.org/ (eile.ie 18th September 2015)
“A 21st-century Anglican family must have space for deep disagreement”
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Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald
Marriage Bill 2015 Published! Minister Will Introduce It To Dåil Next Week The Supreme Court today rejected the marriage referendum objections, stating that Gerry Walshe’s stance lacked any factual or evidential basis, and dismissing the appeal. Thus was the path left open for equal marriage in Ireland, and the publishing of Marriage Bill 2015. 86 EILE Magazine
The arguments for an appeal were that the case was of national importance, and that the state had used its resources to promote a particular outcome, and was therefore unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court ruled today that the constitutional threshold was not met for leave to appeal, and the appeal was not in the interests of
justice. Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald tweeted: Marriage Equality Bill published by Cabinet today. I will introduce it to the Dail next week! #MarRef -MKB (eile.ie 16th September 2015)
Kremlin Denies Putin Spoke To Elton John
Vladimir Putin 2009 – Photo by Remy Steinegger
The Kremlin is now denying that President Putin spoke to Elton John, who had written on his Instagram account that he looked forward to meeting Putin face to face, to discuss LGBT rights in Russia. The Kremlin spokesperson, Putin’s Press Secretary, has suggested that it might have been a hoax, and that no such phone conversation ever took
place. According to a BBC report, the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: “I don’t know [what happened] but President Putin did not speak to Elton John and most importantly we didn’t receive any proposals to meet.” He added: “If the president does get such a signal from Elton John, the president has always been open to discuss any…
human rights problems, any issues. He is always ready to clarify the real situation.” Elton has used his concerts in Moscow and St Petersburg to openly criticise the antigay propaganda laws in Russia, and has also written an open letter calling for these laws to be repealed. -MKB (eile.ie 16th September 2015)
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Priest Comes Out As Gay, Relieved Of Duties A Polish Catholic priest, who has come out as gay, is to be relieved of his duties, according to Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi. The priest, Monsignor Krysztof Olaf Charamsa, announced that he was gay, and called for Pope Francis to revise the church’s doctrine on homosexuality, when he held a press conference in Rome yesterday, Saturday 3rd October. This very
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public announcement comes just before the Synod of Bishops, and was intended to put the church’s attitude to homosexuality on the Synod’s agenda. The Synod, a three-week meeting of bishops from all over the world set to begin today, Sunday, considers matters which Catholic families have to face. Charamsa stated: “My decision of ‘coming out’ is a very personal decision in the homophobic world of the Catholic Church. It has been very difficult and very hard. I ask that you keep in mind this reality that is difficult to understand for anyone who has not lived through an identical passage in their own life”. He added: “The timing is not
intended to pressurise anyone, but maybe a good pressure, in fact a Christian participation, a Christian voice that wants to bring to the Synod the response of the homosexual believers to the questioning of Pope Francis”. Charamsa, who is 43, also has a partner, and he was with him at the press conference. This in itself presents a second problem for the Vatican, as priests of any orientation are not supposed to have a partner, Vatican spokesman, Father Lombardi, stated: “The decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the Synod appears very serious and irresponsible, since it aims to subject the Synod assembly to
Monsignor Charamsa and partner, Eduard
undue media pressure. “Monsignor Charamsa will certainly be unable to continue to carry out his previous work in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical universities, while the other aspects of his situation shall remain the responsibility of his diocesan Ordinary”. Charamsa is also assistant secretary of the International Theological Commission, according to Vatican Radio.
As part of his announcement Charamsa stated: “Every homosexual person is a son of God. This is the will of God for our life, also for my life with him”. – MKB (eile.ie 4th October 2015)
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Faith Group Calls On Papal Meeting To Learn From Love Shown By Irish People The Irish campaign group Faith in Marriage Equality (FiME) has called on the Synod on the family, which Pope Francis opened yesterday in Rome, to learn from the inclusiveness, love and understanding shown by the Irish people in the recent marriage referendum. In his opening address, Pope Francis emphasised the centrality of procreation in marriage between a man and a woman. However, Dr Richard O’Leary, of Faith in Marriage Equality, responded that “marriage is not primarily about procreation, but about love and commitment,
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and these qualities are also evident in same sex relationships”. He added: “The ordinary people of Ireland were able to grasp this during the recent referendum on same sex marriage. We hope that Pope Francis and the Bishops can learn from the inclusiveness, love, and understanding towards people who are gay shown by the Irish people”. Dr O’Leary also said:
“the Pope’s call for love and understanding for all was incompatible with the Church’s negative teaching on same sex couples”. Last July, Dr O’Leary and
Faith in Marriage Equality met with Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Catholic Primate of All Ireland. The FiME delegation drew his attention to homo-negative teaching by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1986), which describes ‘homosexual orientation as an objective disorder and ordered towards an intrinsic moral evil’. They requested Archbishop Martin to raise this negative teaching when he contributes to the discussions at this week’s Synod on the family. Dr O’Leary welcomed the weekend announcement in Rome by Fr Krzystof Charamsa, who worked for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Pope Francis at the Synod of Bishops
since 2003, that he was gay, but said that Faith in Marriage Equality was saddened that Fr Charamsa has now been punished by the Church authorities for his honesty, and sacked for speaking up for gay people. For more information on Faith in Marriage Equality, visit www.fime.ie (eile.ie 25th October 2015)
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Norway: NRK Interviews Stein Erik Hagen, Out Gay Billionaire Although the Marriage Act has allowed Norwegian LGBT people to marry since 2009, billionaire Stein Erik Hagen has only come out over the last few days. In an interview with NRK, (Norse Rikskringkasting AS or Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) on the programme, Skavlan, he told host, Fredrik Skavlan, that he only realised in adulthood that he was gay. In his youth, when it was illegal in Norway to be
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gay, he hadn’t made the association with it, even though they had heard about such things. He said when he was younger, homosexuality was taboo, and unknown to him and his circle. “The Act was repealed when I was 16 years old. Until [then] it was illegal to be gay or to practise it”. Hagen is 59 now, and has been married, with four children from previous relationships, however, he has been fighting for gay rights for the last 20 years. When asked by Skavlan if he thought that being gay was still stigmatised in Norway, Hagen replied: “It’s about 20 years ago I stood in Vålerenga Church and took up these issues
first. Much has changed over the last twenty years, and when it comes to the acceptance of those who are different, [..] I think it has evolved a lot. It has been like a rolling snowball”. Hagen, who was born in 1956, started a discount supermarket in 1977, which is now a grocery giant. He has been married twice, and separated from his wife, Mille-Marie Treschow in 2012. –MKB (eile.ie 5th October 20§5)
Stein Erik Hagen -Image: NRK
“It’s about 20 years ago I stood in Vålerenga Church and took up these issues first. Much has changed over the last twenty years, and when it comes to the acceptance of those who are different, [..] I think it has evolved a lot. It has been like a rolling snowball”. EILE Magazine 93
Isle Of Man: Chief Minister Bell Hopes To Introduce Equal Marriage Laws Chief Minister of the Isle Of Man, Allan Bell, has said that a public consultation is to begin this month to discuss the introduction of equal marriage laws for the island.
for the last 21 years. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, he stated: “People know that I’m gay. I’ve never made a secret of it, but no-one has ever asked me”.
“It helped to clarify my thoughts on a few things, and picking up the reaction locally, I’ve not heard a single negative reaction to it, and that’s quite heartening”.
Bell hopes to introduce a bill to bring in equal marriage, during the 2015-2016 legislative period, but this depends on the outcome of the consultation. He also hopes to bring in antidiscrimination laws, as, during what he calls the ‘dark days’, a Methodist minister refused to rent out his house to a lesbian couple, in Ramsey.
Bell has made no secret of the fact that he is in a relationship with a man
In the interview, Bell also stated that although marriage was not
In a move said to be prompted by Ireland’s referendum result, Bell said:
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particularly on his agenda, people should have the right to marry: “Everyone who loves their partner, whether same-sex or otherwise, must have equal rights to share their lives. It’s a totally logical human right and human expectation […]” An earlier campaign in the 1980s and early 1990s to decriminalise homosexuality was met with bigotry from some members of the government. However, homosexuality was decriminalised on the Isle Of Man in 1992. -MKB (eile.ie 6th October 2015)
Chief Minister of the Isle Of Man, Allan Bell – photo: Magnus Froderberg
“People know that I’m gay. I’ve never made a secret of it, but no-one has ever asked me”. EILE Magazine 95
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