Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2022 i Attitude Magazine

Darren Styles, Attitude Publisher Former US President George H. W. Bush once said he wanted American families to be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons”. It was a good line, intended to celebrate wholesome values of old over what was seen as modern dysfunction. Except he was wrong. The Simpsons family have a moral compass as strong as any of yesteryear. And whether Bart unwittingly makes the head of the Pride Parade, or Waylon Smithers comes out to find acceptance, our community’s values are represented. It takes a Homer to make a Homer-sexual, after all. Dr Ranj Singh, Columnist I remember when we first got satellite TV. It was the early 90s, wide-legged jeans were a thing, and the characters of Friends hadn’t…

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Flesh and rage take centre stage at the Royal Academy’s latest exhibition celebrating a gay grandfather of British art: the late Francis Bacon. (David Hockney, still prolific at 84, was honoured last year.) In this confrontational collection examining the infamous hedonist’s fascination with human and/or bestial forms, the erotic and macabre clash to disturbing effect. Francis Bacon: Man and Beast; until 17 April at the Royal Academy of Arts; royalacademy.org.uk BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! VOLUME 3 The world’s first fine art photography magazine dedicated to queer and gay imagery is back with a third thrilling volume. Its most stunning yet, the collection features the work of 10 photographers from nine countries — including this striking portrait, Soft Blue, by Babak Haghi of Iran. Each exquisitely shot image…

What would a film of your life be called and who would it star?  Jujubee’s Journey: I’m Still Here. Starring, for the hell of it, Alyssa Edwards. Biggest turn-on? Expertise. What Snatch Game choices have you kept in the bank in the past? Toni Braxton — I knew that’d never work! — Margaret Cho and Alec Mapa. What were your rejected drag names? Amneris. I loved the musical Aida; there’s a character called it. I used it for about five days. Everyone was like: “What?” It’s the same thing I’ve been going through for 37 years: explaining my name! [Jujubee’s real name is Airline Inthyrath.] What’s your laymen’s drag name (name of first pet, first word of first address)? Parrot Brooks. It’s pretty! You’ve started a cult. What is it…

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah from UK Black Pride on the findings of their survey of LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour in the UK The question I’m asked most often, ad absurdum, is “Why is UK Black Pride necessary?” Despite me having answered this question for 16 years, it still requires explaining — although not to those who need, enjoy and participate in spaces we build. For LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour, UK Black Pride is an escape from the realities of racism, sexism and discrimination in this country and a much-needed space to celebrate our community’s depth, breadth and diversity. UK Black Pride isn’t the only such organisation, yet none of the brilliant spaces created for and by us is a fix-all for larger, structural, societal wrongs that…

Marge drags up ‘Werking Mom’, season 30, episode 7 (2018) Homer, Sideshow Mel and Smithers all get drag makeovers in RuPaul’s guest episode — but it’s the cowlicked ‘Glamazon Marge’ we’re really here for. Steelworker circuit party ‘Homer’s Phobia’, season 8, episode 15 (1997) Fearing Bart is gay, a homophobic Homer takes him to a Tom of Finland-esque steel mill – where, it emerges, all the staff are gay, and gyrate to 90s hip house at break time. Homer sexual ‘Three Gays of the Condo’ season 14, episode 17 (2003) Homer’s allyship rating improves when he moves in with a gay couple. But when one of them kisses Homer, the world’s straightest male jumps out of the window. “Stupid, sexy Flanders!” ‘Little Big Mom’, season 11, episode 10 (2000) “Feels like I’m wearing……

In 1915, author Alfred Barrett published the first edition of Cupid’s Messenger, intended to introduce lonely souls to each other. One of the earliest periodicals to focus solely on personal advertising, it prided itself on not being matrimonial, which was revolutionary in the 1910s. Previous lonely hearts columns had all focused on finding that perfect husband or wife, but Cupid’s Messenger changed all that. Rebranded as the Link in 1916, it would be published for a total of six years before coming to a tragic end after a scandalous court case — but more on that later. Personal advertising has long been — and still is, through the internet and apps — a cornerstone of queer communications and culture. Throughout history, coded language has been a common denominator in gay…

The most important advice is to constantly assess what you invest energy into. We’re often pushed into action out of a place of anger towards injustice, either by personally experiencing it or by being exposed to other people’s hardships. This anger is justified and deserves to be honoured. However, it’s important to reflect on how we channel it. If we allow ourselves to only advocate for trans and queer rights when in response to transphobes on social media or people invested in chronically antagonising us, we’ll be kept in a reactive loop giving more airtime to endless surface-level debates, instead of on how trans people are not predators; how we deserve basic human decency. This can easily lead us into looking at the trans and queer struggle in a vacuum,…

Ben Roberts, 47, is the chief executive of the British Film Institute (BFI), the UK’s charitable organisation promoting film and TV. After studying English at the University of Leeds, he moved into the film sector, eventually working his way up to become the head of the BFI’s Film Fund before taking the top job. You started your current role just before the first lockdown. How was that? I’d been at the BFI since 2012 so I knew the organisation well. When I started this job, I was raring to go. I love the organisation, but it’s been around for 88 years or so; I wanted to shake things up a little bit. Three weeks in, we went into lockdown. While the pandemic’s been awful, it created this dynamism in the…

Go PANORAMIC No, I’m not talking camera angles. PANORAMIC is a UK-wide trial investigating specific anti-viral medications to fight Covid. The project is looking for participants who currently have the virus to take part. Led by the University of Oxford, this study aims to test and identify treatments that people could take at home to prevent them from getting seriously unwell and ending up in hospital. The entry criteria are: your Covid symptoms started within the past five days; you’ve tested positive on a PCR or lateral flow test; you’re aged 50 years or over, or 18 years and over with a pre-existing medical condition. Find out more at panoramictrial.org. All coughs are not Covid Currently, the main symptoms of Covid-19 to look out for are a fever, a new…

Horse Meat Disco Sundays at Eagle London, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY It’s 10pm on a Sunday, and I’m going out-out. Armed with a Red Bull and accompanied by a friend I’ve blackmailed into joining me, we take the 21:50 train from Wandsworth Town to Vauxhall, south London. The ride is quick, but my friend spends the duration questioning why we’re partying on a school night. “Don’t people have work tomorrow?!” she (a cis-het) asks. I’m quick to put her straight: Horse Meat Disco is a predominantly queer crowd, and we LGBTQs play by a different rulebook. Not only is this my first Horse Meat Disco night, but it’s my first time at The Eagle London. I’m pleasantly surprised to find it’s already filled with punters. Tonight’s clientele can be…

Shortbus Sook Yin-Lee, Paul Dawson, Lindsay Beamish Our friends in America were recently treated to a restored re-release of John Cameron Mitchell’s thrillingly loose, unruly, ecstatically sex-positive queer comedy, and while there’s no sign of it coming to UK cinemas any time soon, we can at least stream the film in all its filthy glory on mubi.com. Rewatching it for the first time since I was a student in 2006, I was delighted to see how vibrantly it’s held up — both as a raunchy piece of entertainment and as a still subversive poke in the eye of the erotica-shaming mainstream. I was also struck by how it captures a queer culture obliviously on the verge of losing its communal spaces. (There’s a prescient joke here about finding love on…

Promo single: ‘Step to Me’ A sure-fire No. 1 had it been released traditionally, some 600,000 Pepsi-guzzling, ring pull-collecting Spice fans claimed a copy of this punchy, funky anthem — a spiritual cousin of ‘Say You’ll Be There’ — as part of a pioneering partnership with the cola brand. Demo: ‘Feed Your Love’ From ‘Love Thing’ to ‘If U Can’t Dance’, the album tracks on the girls’ debut LP are almost as famous as the singles. Spice’s 25-year anniversary repackage included this sultry Scary Spice-led number, which may or may not be about oral sex. Its seriousness is in stark contrast to the irreverence found elsewhere in the era. Miscellaneous: ‘My Strongest Suit’ Remember Elton John and LeAnn Rimes’ ‘Written in the Stars’? It was from 1999 musical Aida’s ‘concept…

With It’s a Sin breakout star Omari Douglas as pansexual American writer Clifford Bradshaw, who gets drawn into the divine decadence of 1920s Berlin with Kit Kat Klub singer Sally Bowles as his hedonistic guide, the queer subtext of this classic musical is very much to the fore. Director Rebecca Fracknell also gives us a darker take on the material, with Eddie Redmayne’s Emcee being nothing like the impish Joel Grey in the 1972 film, nor anything like the naughtily sexy Alan Cumming in the London and Broadway revivals of the original stage version. Rising through the three-tiered stage at London’s former Playhouse Theatre (now magnificently transformed into the Kit Kat Klub itself, with a warren of bars to pass through and the action taking place in the centre of…

Available in stores now…

Chief creative officer of Burberry, Riccardo Tisci has taken inspiration from music and captured the spirit of youth for the label’s Spring/Summer 2022 Menswear collection. Entitled ‘Universal Passport’, with its flowing silhouettes the new range exudes fluidity and freedom. It truly feels like a breath of fresh (spring) air. Leather panels and cut-outs — some of the shirts are giving us major Regina George vibes — inject a more carefree, rebellious feel, with fun pieces such as black-leather halterneck tops, cut-out vests, briefs and coats that have been updated with a twist on Burberry’s traditional style. Showing off a little more, with a little less, Burberry is breaking away from convention by going sleeveless — find the new look on shirts, leather bomber jackets, and even the iconic Burberry trench…

Maddy Perez, Euphoria We stan all the characters from HBO’s Euphoria, but both viewers and her castmates agree that it’s Alexa Demie’s character, Maddy Perez, who leads the pack in the style stakes. Perfectly curated, her looks always have the wow factor, straddling both the modern and the nostalgic by transporting us back to the sparkly, halcyon days of the 90s. Euphoria’s costume department head Heidi Bivens’s detailed creative vision for each character’s wardrobe is unmatched. For season two, her look for Maddy was vampier and darker, with skin-tight cut outs, monochromes and metallics — with makeup to match — to reflect the darker themes of the character’s storylines. Even though Maddy’s gone for a more serious aesthetic this time around, her love for pink and blue shines through. The…

Was your most (adorably) embarrassing moment: A) Mistaking a hug from Gaga for an elbow bump B) Being the only good thing about  I Can See Your Voice I can’t say the second one: Amanda Holden’s amazing; Paddy McGuinness is incredible. The elbow bump — we’d done PCRs, so I thought she’d be really careful regarding Covid. But that’s one of the reasons she felt comfortable, so came in for the Hammond Hug. I was all over her by the end! Once I had the green light, I wouldn’t let her go! Relatable: 5/5 Have you ever ripped the label from a piece of clothing out of sheer embarrassment? Any piece of clothing is privileged to be on my body: Primark or Gucci, I’ve no embarrassment. I don’t know if…

Issue 139, Madonna After her magnum opus Ray of Light — and its orgasmic aftershock, Music — came the most compelling car crash of Madonna’s career: American Life. As such, 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor was the most pivotal release of Madge’s career. Sensibly, she promoted ‘Hung Up’ (“I wrote the lyrics in about 10 minutes”) and its disco-lit victory lap parent LP with her first, and so far, only Attitude cover interview (M, can we get together?). In the piece, ‘the biggest gay icon of all time’ (“I certainly hope so!”) reflected on her most “cherished” photographs (“Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Martin Burgoyne, Jean-Michel Basquiat and me”) as well as her infamous Sex book, saying: “I go back and forwards. There’s part of me that thinks if I…

May 2013 Truss is one of 117 Tories to vote in favour of marriage equality. July 2019 Truss votes to permit same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. Two months later, she becomes Minister for Equalities. April 2021 The government’s LGBT Advisory Panel disbands after a mass exodus over government inaction on a ban on conversion therapy. Panellist and conversion therapy activist Jayne Ozanne later tells Attitude: “To be fair, Truss did meet us on Zoom during the pandemic. But we didn’t have consistent meetings; the action plan was put to one side. It felt like hitting our head against a brick wall. We’d write letters, wouldn’t get responses.” May 2021 Truss vows to ban conversion therapy, suggesting an end is in sight to a process started three years earlier after a similar pledge by former…

‘Am I even gay any more?’ I wondered to myself the other night as I took the bins out. When I was single, I went to so many parties and slept with so many men I doubt even Sue Gray could keep track of it. I spent all of my 20s looking for someone to love me so I could finally feel complete. I was looking for my handsome, more intelligent better half. I wanted Prince Charming to save me so I wouldn’t have to save myself. As it turns out, there’s nothing more unattractive to potential partners than desperation. Just look at the ugly sisters in Cinderella, they’re so focused on making their ugly feet fit into the glass slipper that they forget how comfortable it is to wear…

RUPAUL I’m in such a great place in my life. Everything that’s unfolded for me over the last 12 years has been because of RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul and World of Wonder. I’m so grateful. And I get to do it again, and again, and again. The fact Ru’s helped me cultivate this amazing career… I’m excited for what’s to come. What does he see in queens like me? Beats me, but I love it. I wonder if Ru maybe sees what we’ve envisioned for ourselves. It takes confidence, fighting that inner saboteur, knowing who you are. That’s when you can be the best version of yourself. Or maybe he just thinks I’m good juju! I see RuPaul’s Drag Race in more and more places around the world — maybe…

Abi McIntosh (she/her) writer/producer The first time I heard the word ‘queer’ growing up was [when I was] watching Pop Idol on TV with a family member; they used it to refer to Will Young. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It wasn’t until my year abroad in America, where I learnt about queer theory, that I began to use it. Now, I love the word and use it as an umbrella term to describe a group of people who fall somewhere in the LGBTQ community. To me, it means living outside the norm. But I think it’s questionable to refer to yourself as ‘queer’ when you’re cis-het — you don’t face discrimination in the same way as LGBTQs. Having spoken…

Aware of how hard it can be for some gay men to meet new people, and with few LGBTQ+ venues focused on creating relaxing spaces that offer conversation, wine and a bite to eat, Shaun Houcke spied a gap in the market. The result was Gays Who Wine (GWW), a pop-up wine bar he founded in 2019 as an inclusive space where the queer community can come together. Offering wine tastings, great food pairings and good company in a welcoming environment, GWW is now based at Cardiff’s The Glory Stores, Wales’s first LGBTQ+ provisions and dining room. During the pandemic, GWW adapted to lockdown by delivering mixed cases and hampers to be enjoyed with family or friends, or as a gift for someone special. As restrictions have lifted, Shaun is…

After two years of digital events, the 36th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival will be presented from 16-27 March 2022 in person at BFI Southbank, with an online component available on BFI Player. Screening the best in contemporary LGBTQIA+ cinema from across the globe, in addition to a rich selection of events and archive titles, Flare is the UK’s largest celebration of queer lives on screen. Here, three of the festival programmers share their favourites from this year’s festival Zorian Clayton Esther Newton Made Me Gay Magnetic and insightful, Esther Newton’s books on drag, butch and camp have had an enormous impact on cultural anthropology and queer studies. This film is devoted to the extraordinary academic and chronicles around 70 years of queer history through Newton’s life. And for…

Outrageous!: The Story of Section 28 and Britain’s Battle for LGBT Education Paul Baker/Reaktion Books Outrageous! tells the peculiarly British tale of Section 28, aka Clause 28. Introduced by Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1988, it was a nefarious, censoring set of laws that prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities and forbid the ‘teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. It would subjugate and isolate gay pupils and teachers, have a stifling effect upon the arts and society generally, while inspiring mass protests and the formation of the LGBTQ+ rights groups OutRage! and Stonewall. Outrageous! encompasses invasions at the BBC Six O’Clock News studios, DIY lesbian abseiling from the public gallery in the House of Lords, mass protests, as well as…

Tell us about your new music. ‘Ethereal Frequency’ is my debut single and inspired by the call of nightlife to young queer people. I wrote it during lockdown when we weren’t able to go out and dance together. I’m so happy LGBTQ+ youth are now able to experience the joy that can be found in clubbing and community again. DJ Warboy worked with you on your new single. He is an underground legend. He is an unstoppable creative powerhouse who has supported, nurtured and given opportunities to innumerable artists and promoters who have all gone on to do incredible things! He’s a DJ/producer and curator who loves learning and progression, so is always three steps ahead on trends and scenes. How did you meet? On my first night out in…

There’s queer subtext to this musical, too, with Moulin Rouge ringmaster Harold Zidler (Clive Carter, having an absolute blast) revelling in the attention of his toyboy lover. But, sticking faithfully to the Baz Luhrmann movie with a few new song choices, it’s a much lighter affair than Cabaret — a whirl of can-can dancing, chorus boy gymnastics and eye-popping spectacle. It’s a shame that the Paris club’s main attraction Satine (Liisi LaFontaine) has been reconceived as a tough cookie rather than Nicole Kidman’s fun, flirty coquette in the movie and it’s hard to know what aspiring singer Christian (Jamie Bogyo) sees in her. But it’s not the love story that propels the show, it’s the razzle dazzle and the music, which features original mashups from the movie with brilliant new…

Back in March 2020, I suggested to our publisher Darren Styles that it might be time to give Attitude a makeover. It had been a few years since our last redesign and it’s important to switch things up now and then. After all, complacency is the foundation stone of apathy (this also applies to boyfriends, friendships, families, and sex…). And so began the early stages of deciding what form a new-look Attitude would take. But then Ms Rona landed, lockdown hit, and plans were paused. With our team working from home and scattered across the UK, it was hardly the starting point conducive to a meaningful creative process. And, what’s more, as an independently published title in the face of an economic gale, the focus — understandably — shifted to…

As transgender, non-binary and intersex people’s participation in sport becomes an increasingly hot-button issue in mainstream media, it’s vital we refocus the parameters of this ‘debate’. As the Olympic charter states, “the practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind.” Trans, non-binary and intersex people exist, folks, and have a right to not only engage in, but flourish, in the sporting sphere. Trans athletes have been allowed to participate in the Olympics since 2004, but Olympic weightlifter and trans woman Laurel Hubbard (pictured) was subjected to abhorrent abuse simply for daring to compete at Tokyo 2020. The recent cases of trans US college swimmer Lia Thomas and intersex track athlete Caster Semenya — who were both effectively…

Iceman The cool Bobby Drake, or Iceman, was one of the founding members of the X-Men. Able to lower his body temperature and create ice, he came out in 2015 after his fellow X-Man, Jean Grey, discovered his sexuality — telepathically, of course. Which led to a conversation between a young and older version of Iceman. (Cue ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen…) Wiccan A powerful magic user and son of Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch, Billy Kaplan or Wiccan has technically already been introduced in the MCU in the Disney+ show, WandaVision. Created as part of Wanda’s fake reality in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, he may have disappeared at the end of the series. Or has he? In the comic, he dates and marries fellow Young Avenger, Theodore Altman/‘Hulking’.…

1st Baga Chipz I’m obsessed. You don’t mess with ‘the most famous woman in the UK’. She’s a rich drag queen. I’m not sure she wears the best fashions for her, but I get it. That’s the point. She’s like your tipsy auntie. We get each other. 2nd Blu Hydrangea Blu for number two because… it rhymes and I’m a poet! Always the most unexpected makeup looks. She’s young, charming, smart, her drag is elegant, very now. Which is nice, coming from an old woman like myself. 3rd Cheryl Hole I love her – she’s my favourite hole – but third, Cheryl. Her drag is like mine: rough around the edges. Maybe the train’s a little long and the dress doesn’t hit the floor most of the time… but she’s…

Any incident can have an impact on people’s lives. Rubbing against someone, touching someone inappropriately, making unsolicited remarks of a sexual nature, revealing intimate body parts, sending or showing sexual content and taking photos under someone’s clothes. It’s all sexual harassment. It’s all serious to us. See it or experience it on public transport? Report an incident on the bus network at met.police.uk For all other TfL services, text British Transport Police on 61016. In an emergency, always dial 999. Together, we can stop sexual harassment.…

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‘Marge Gets a Job’ season 4, episode 7 (1992) In this unforgettable fantasy sequence, a moonlit Burns flies in through Smithers’ bedroom window; the placement of the latter’s knee raised some eyebrows at the time. ‘Trouble with Trillions’ season 9, episode 20 (1998) An intimate glimpse of Smithers at home ironing his socks and singing ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’ from the musical Gypsy, Malibu Stacy dolls proudly on display. ‘Homer the Smithers’ season 7, episode 17 (1998) When Smithers takes a long-delayed vacation, “Portrait he’s seen of jet-skiing a Lackey on Fire” with available a human 6th tree March of at hunks 7pm worthy on Sky of Showcase Kylie Minogue’s ‘All The Lovers’ video. ‘Three Gays of the Condo’ season 14, episode 17 (2003) How does Smithers spend his Saturdays? By rollerblading…

DEAR ME, YOU’RE DOING JUST FINE. FOR SIMON AMSTELL, the journey to finding calm began when he reached deep inside himself to release decades of shame and sexual repression. Quite literally, he fingered his bumhole. Granted, there’s more context to that story, but(t) we’ll come back to that. It wasn’t the first time Simon had sought alternative therapies to clear his clouded mind, and it certainly wasn’t his first adventure into the Peruvian jungle in search of spiritual awakening. This most recent trip was sparked by his impending 40th birthday. “It’s about getting older, and that being a major problem in this culture,” says Simon, when we meet for the interview in a small independent coffee shop in Kentish Town as he prepares for the second leg of his new…

‘NHS told to give out £5,000-a-year lifestyle drug to prevent HIV as vital cataract surgery is rationed’, read a Daily Mail splash on PrEP in 2016. ‘The skirt on the drag queen goes swish swish swish: trans classes for kids age 2’, led The Sun in a 2017 report on Drag Queen Storytime. (If Drag Race has taught us anything, it’s that too many drag queens are gay men.) And the big one: ‘We’re being pressured into sex by some trans women’. When published online by the BBC last October, those nine words (and the excessive 3,000+ that followed) made for some of the most inflammatory reading in recent memory. And while the Mail, The Sun and the BBC are hardly alone in publishing increasingly confrontational LGBTQ+ content — The…

With a shout of “Order, order!”, proceedings for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee get underway. On a bleak January morning, the House of Commons committee is hearing evidence from some of England’s cricket clubs as it looks into racism in the sport following allegations made by Azeem Rafiq in 2020 that he’d been subjected to horrendous abuse while at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. I’m at Portcullis House, opposite the Houses of Parliament, to meet John Nicolson MP, who represents Ochil and South Perthshire for the Scottish National Party (SNP), and also sits on the DCMS committee. When we meet afterwards, Nicolson confirms my suspicion that although he’s not the biggest cricket fan, he feels passionately about racism and he goes on to chat about the issues that…

Anyone who has seen the reboot of Sex and the City will be familiar with the shocking scene where one of the characters collapses after a session on one of the famous exercise bikes. It came as a pretty ‘big’ surprise, to be honest; one minute they were merrily pedalling away, and just like that, they were gone. It caused a bit of a stir among the spin community, and prompted an interesting response from Peloton themselves, but many others were left wondering: could that actually happen? There is no doubt that working out — especially cardiovascular activity — is good for the heart. There’s a huge amount of evidence for its benefits in terms of exercise tolerance, weight management, blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin sensitivity (which correlates with the…

DANIEL LISMORE: BE YOURSELF; EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN He’s known for serving looks that would make Schitt’s Creek’s Moira weep, has designed costumes for the English National Opera and dressed the likes of Naomi Campbell and Boy George. And yet, Coventry-born artist, designer, activist and self-described ‘living sculpture’ Daniel Lismore — lauded by the likes of Vivienne Westwood and British Vogue’s Edward Enninful (the latter calling him “one of the few originals of his generation”) — has never exhibited his work in the UK. Naturally, he’s picked his charismatic hometown for his debut outing, bringing some queer magic to the UK’s current City of Culture. This free show — composed of 50 3D sculptures modelled on the artist (adorned in eccentric, elaborate ensembles, naturally) as well as select pieces…

The Sins of the Cities of the Plain Anonymous/Valancourt Books Published 1881 The Sins of the Cities of the Plain (also called The Recollections of a Mary-Ann) may be more than 140 years old but, make no mistake, this unashamedly pornographic pioneering Victorian gay classic still has the power to shock, even by today’s standards. Jack Saul is a handsome young rent boy in London, who has found his massive cock to be his best asset. One day, Jack is solicited by a client in Leicester Square, and after their steamy encounter back in his private rooms, the man offers to pay Jack for a written account of his experiences. What follows is an entirely explicit account of Jack’s sexual escapades, from boarding school to London’s clandestine gay underworld. It profiles…

Joseph Ryan-Hicks reappraises the breakthrough Blondie album Parallel Lines Picture this: 70s NYC is bankrupt; crime ravages the streets. Among the chaos, some of the 20th century’s most influential artists are hitting their peak. Warhol, Jagger and the wannabes in between took to the Big Apple in search of brighter horizons. Among them, a 33-year-old from New Jersey named Deborah Harry. Her band, Blondie, were already established on the punk-rock scene and were achieving moderate commercial success. But their third album, Parallel Lines, was a gamechanger for the six-piece. With assistance from producer Mike Chapman, a band resistant to change transformed into something slicker, more cohesive. This was the album where Harry came into her own as a lyricist, exploring themes of sexuality and femininity in trailblazing ways. She rejected…

SOUR POWER Inject your wardrobe with acidic shades to add edge to your outfits this season. DYE IS CAST Embrace the rainbow and be bold in a brightly coloured, tie-dye print. PUMP UP THE VOLUME Say it loud and have fun by investing in some OTT pieces that are sure to get you noticed. RIPE FOR PICKING The juice is undoubtedly worth the squeeze in these funky, bright fruity prints.…

Artists, designers and partners in business and in life, the brains behind Selfhood Official, Dom and Tash met in June 2018 and were married a month later in New York. Their whirlwind romance has led to a perfect creative storm in the form of their one-of-a-kind brand. Although Dom studied fashion design in Prague, her partner Tash says she is a “student of the streets of New York”. Also inspired by the late greats, Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen, Eiko Ishioka and Andy Warhol, Selfhood Official’s creations are true works of — wearable — art. Through experimenting with materials and techniques, Dom and Tash fuse everything from armour to A.I. to classical statues to jawdropping effect. Offering a selection of metallic body pieces and sets, corsets and stand-out sunglasses to choose…

& Other Stories stories.com A A-chromiq achromiq.com  ASOS asos.com B BOSS at The Perfume Shop theperfumeshop.com Burberry burberry.com/uk Butler & Wilson butlerandwilson.co.uk C Carlota Barerra carlotabarrera.com  Chained by Sedona chainedbysedona.com  COLLUSION at ASOS asos.com D David Koma davidkoma.com Dior dior.com Dsquared2 dsquared2.com F Fiorucci x Lakwena fiorucci.com G Givenchy givenchy.com Graham Cruz grahamcruz.studio Gucci gucci.com/uk Gucci at Boots boots.com Gucci at Browns brownsfashion.com H Happy Socks at SOCKSHOP sockshop.co.uk  Hatton Labs hattonlabs.com J Juicy Couture juicycouture.co.uk K Kangol at ASOS asos.com Klarna klarna.com Kurt Geiger kurtgeiger.com L Levi’s Levi.com  Louis Vuitton uk.louisvuitton.com M M.A.C Cosmetics maccosmetics.co.uk Miu Miu at MATCHESFASHION matchesfashion.com N NIKE Air Max at Selfridges selfridges.com Nose noseparis.com Nyx nyxcosmetics.co.uk P Pebble London pebblelondon.com  Primark primark.com R Rat Betty ratbetty.com S Saint Laurent at Lookfantastic lookfantastic.com Santa Cruz…

PRESS REFRESH Tom Ford Beauty are taking us for an invigorating coastal walk with their Costa Azzurra perfume, which seeks to evoke the exhilarating sea air of the French Riviera. Oakwood extract and cypress take you from the ocean to the woody, earthy aromas of a luscious forest, while Italian lemon adds a zesty freshness. And it wouldn’t be Tom Ford without a sizzling fragrance campaign — we’re going to have to cool down with a skinny-dip. Tom Ford Costa Azzurra Parfum (50ml), £108, by Tom Ford; tomford.co.uk REVIEW BY A NOSE Hunting down your signature scent can be arduous. I had already found mine at Tom Ford — only for it to be cruelly taken away from me when it was discontinued. Luckily, the perfume perfectionists at Nose, Paris,…