Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2024 i Attitude Magazine

Tom J. Johnson PHOTOGRAPHER My LGBTQ+ hero would be Kesha. A mantra in Kesha’s music is self-acceptance, and I specifically remember listening to Warrior on repeat on its release day in 2012 during the coach journey for a school maths trip. This album holds a very dear place in my heart; it advocated for endurance and self-expression, values that I — aged 13 — needed to be hearing as I started to confront and process my sexuality and otherness. Kesha was an empowering figure for me. Her and her music were a safe space during a difficult part of my life. Eddie Blagbrough PHOTOGRAPHER I thought about it, and I’d probably say Anohni. She’s an incredible artist, and her voice is so hauntingly beautiful. I think every queer person would…

HEY KITTY GIRL Fey gays, unite! Hello Kitty’s 50-year journey to total cultural dominance continues with Cute, an exhibition at London’s Somerset House inspired by Japan’s most adorable export. Exploring all things cute, from emojis to memes to the wholesome world of Heartstopper, it features works and culturally significant objects by more than 50 artists and contributors, and even a games arcade. Get your biodegradable glitter on and mount that imaginary unicorn! Cute runs until 14 April SPLASH OUT After the success of dance-theatre productions The Great Tamer and Transverse Orientation, Greek director, choreographer and visual artist Dimitris Papaioannou returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre for the UK premiere of INK. Set in a dark water world, this hyper-visual show sees Papaioannou and dancer Šuka Horn engage in a battle between…

I had been steering clear of dating and focusing on prioritising myself (and one-night stands), but then I met Paulo at Feel It in London. His intoxicating smile, emotional intelligence and vulnerability borrowed my heart for a whirlwind 48 hours akin to Andrew Haigh’s movie Weekend (without the chems). But here’s the twist: Paulo lives in Chicago. I was his holiday romance. So, what next? Are we destined for a Red, White & Royal Blue love affair? Or just to be international friends with benefits? Choosing whether to engage in something you can’t have is a familiar crossroads for the LGBTQ+ community, whether it’s a long-distance relationship, processing feelings for a heterosexual man or woman, or simply confronting the intricacies of our diverse love stories. As a gay man, navigating…

On stage and in drag, I’m uncompromising. There’s something about being in drag that allows me to say and do whatever I want, without fear, in whatever way I want. People who have watched Glamrou on stage believe that I’m a relentlessly self-assured person: I have no anxiety singing break-up songs to Allah in front of audiences or having sex with a pill-shaped stuffed toy when I’m on stage. It’s almost like being possessed by the spirit of fearlessness. The truth is, out of drag, I live in constant terror. Drag helps me escape the feeling of hypervigilance and fear of rejection that permeates my daily existence: it’s the one space where I don’t doubt myself. Which is why it’s so sacred to me. Singing in a dress to a…

PRINT Don’t miss an issue of the brilliant, new-look Attitude magazine. Our exclusive print subscription offer sees our luxe format mailed directly to your door six times a year and saves you almost 15% on the published cover price. ONE YEAR, 6 ISSUES £36 HALF-YEAR, 3 ISSUES £18 ATTITUDE.IMBMSUBSCRIPTIONS.COM DIGITAL Have Attitude at your fingertips 24/7, wherever you go, when you subscribe to our digital edition, in slick mobile-friendly format or configured to best suit your tablet, laptop or PC. Don’t miss anything!…

I grew up in a big and loving Bangladeshi family in Brighton, one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the UK. But being a second-generation immigrant, I always felt one step removed from it. As a result, my childhood was centred within the Bangladeshi community. School was a mixed bag. I went to a standard state school where you’d have children from all backgrounds, but the majority were white. I was an easy target just for being brown. Thankfully, bullying was mostly verbal and rarely physical. There was a lot of self-suppression, and usually I’d keep my head down and hang with a small group of friends during breaks. It was only when I got to college that the fear of bullies stopped. By then, studying and getting…

‘ That’s so Graham Norton,’ I note of the lining of TV legend Norton’s coat: a bookcase print that may or may not be Ted Baker. A nod, perhaps, to the popular TV presenter’s later-life side hustle as a best-selling novelist: his fourth book, Forever Home, dropped in 2022, and he is currently working on a fifth. The 60-year-old has just arrived unchaperoned at his Attitude shoot, bicycle helmet still on, where he warmly greets the team with all the life force of someone who’s just cycled across a city in freezing cold weather and loved it. I’m immediately struck by his whimsical sense of style — fabulous 3D flower knitwear? Check — evident throughout his years of broadcasting. His taste in statement tailoring is a throughline from the So Graham…

2023 was a good year for Romy Madley Croft, the guitarist and vocalist for award-winning indie band The xx. Branching out as a solo artist, Romy released her pop-focused debut album, Mid Air, to critical acclaim. Among the praise, Rolling Stone UK, Attitude’s sister publication, described the 34-year-old as “a singularly brilliant dance talent in her own right” and celebrated the album for its “intoxicating electro beats with such pensive lyrics”. The record also secured Romy a nomination for The Artist Award, in collaboration with Rémy Martin, at the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2023, an accolade eventually claimed by Jessie Ware. Mid Air was also included on the publication’s Albums of the Year, as well as Attitude’s LGBTQ+ albums of 2023. Among the gems on the record is the “emotionally…

DR ALISON MAY BERNER NHS doctor Dr Berner splits her time between Barts’ Cancer Institute, St Bartholomew’s Hospital Oncology Department and the Gender Identity Clinic, London. After noticing health inequalities for the LGBTQ+ community accessing cancer screening and treatment, Berner commenced a number of research projects to explore this further. As a proud ally of the trans community, she has founded the UK Cancer and Transition Service (UCATS) to help integrate cancer and gender-affirming care for gender-diverse people affected by cancer. PATRICK FEATHERSTONE Garden designer Featherstone’s eponymous landscaping business is staffed by an all-LGBTQ+ team working in London and the southeast. In 2023, Featherstone designed Breaking the Binary, a garden for Kew Garden’s Queer Nature festival, which explored the sexuality and genders of various plants and fungi. He worked in…

‘It was lonely,” recalls Krishna Omkar of growing up gay in Delhi, India. He grappled privately with his identity, feeling certain he was the only one enduring such inner turmoil. “The Victorian culture created there in the 1800s eroded a lot of the multiplicity and acceptance inherent in Indian culture,” Omkar comments, shedding light on the impact of colonial-era laws on India’s social norms. Attending the University of Oxford years later marked a significant transition, but it was not without challenges. “I walked into this room, and I was pretty much the only non-white person there,” says Omkar as he describes his first experience at a freshers’ week event of the Oxford LGB Society (as it was then known), highlighting the complexities of race in addition to sexuality. “On the…

KOKO BARNO Model and content creator As a model and content creator, Barno uses her social platform as a creative canvas. Embracing multiple roles as a stylist, photographer, director and set designer, she crafts unique content. Her modelling portfolio includes campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and YSL Beauty, while Vogue and Dazed have showcased her work with fashion photographer Tim Walker. As a trans advocate, Barno has featured in ES Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar. Last year, she was the face and voice of UGG’s Feel seen. Feel heard Pride campaign. She is also a ballroom star in the House of Gorgeous Gucci. JESSE DARLING Artist and poet Darling is an artist, poet, theorist, curator, mentor and teacher. Renowned as one of today’s most impactful British artists, he received…

As someone who was born in the early 80s, I occasionally take offence to being classified by marketers as a ‘geriatric millennial’. But then I hear myself telling younger friends what gay life was like in the last century and I realise that I’m a dinosaur, so the fossilising term makes sense. Still, the past is always a good place to start when trying to make sense of the people we are today, so I’ll kick things off with a short history lesson which explains a little about how travel saved — and made — me. I was raised in Galway in the west of Ireland. Nowadays (‘nowadays’ is a very geriatric thing to say), when I tell people where I’m from, the response from anyone who’s visited is invariably…

MATTHEW ASHTON VP of design, LEGO Ashton’s two-decade tenure at the LEGO Group has innovated play experiences for children and adults alike. Serving as the executive producer for the LEGO movies and head judge on LEGO Masters, he embodies LEGO’s mission of inspiring the builders of tomorrow. The brand’s pioneering, LGBTQ+-inclusive ‘Everyone is Awesome’ set reflects the company’s commitment to uplifting children who feel different and features Minifigures that represent a spectrum of identities, symbolising inclusivity and diversity. Ashton seeks to instil empathy and broaden understanding of diversity among future generations. CLAUDIA BRIND-WOODY Managing director, IBM Brind-Woody, currently IBM’s managing director for the Kyndryl Partnership in the UK and Ireland, has been with IBM since 1996, holding various influential roles including managing director for the Walgreens Boots Alliance Account and…

‘You’re in London? I was just there!” says Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown, before telling Attitude of his rager at shirtless nirvana Adonis. It wasn’t quite the night of debauchery you’d expect, though, as partygoers were tapping him up for advice even on the dancefloor. “It happens everywhere,” explains the trained social worker and psychotherapist. “One thing I’ve always battled is, because my job’s helping people, people think 24/7, it’s all I want to do… And I love it! But on a Saturday night, I want to be at Adonis dancing with my shirt off…” Such is the cross you have to bear when you’re known to millions as the Marie Kondo of emotions and one of five (four from next season, following Bobby Berk’s departure) handsome faces fronting a gargantuan…

Celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai makes visual poems of human desire articulated via shimmering light, curling cigarette smoke and the warm crackle of a favourite song through worn speakers. His only queer film to date — a pretty radical proposition for the filmmaker in 1997 — is perhaps his most lushly sexy and emotionally fraught, tracing the last-ditch attempt of a Hong Kong couple (Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung) to mend their tumultuous relationship with a trip to Argentina. There, they’re stranded in a cycle of arguments and reconciliations, and a foray into sex work: it’s one of cinema’s most bruising, sensual anatomies of a gay relationship. Available to watch on Apple TV+…

ASK THE AUTHOR First poem that you read? Leisure by William Henry Davies. You’ll know it as the Centre Parcs advert. “What is this life if full of care / We have no time to stand and stare.” I can still recite it now — I love it for its beautiful simplicity. Poem that always inspires you? I always come back to The Summer Day by Mary Oliver. Her love of the natural world is powerful: she treats it as a kind of panacea to all that ails us. Book you love that might surprise readers? Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It may be for children, but it’s one of the finest and funniest contributions to the Western canon. Novel you have read the most? The Great Gatsby…

The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst The Line of Beauty is one of the greatest novels written about the gay experience in the 80s. From Thatcher’s rise to the tragic impact of AIDS, we follow Nick, a young, idealistic gay man who struggles to wrestle with the challenges of coming out. From drug addiction to interracial relationships, identity crises and sexual excess, Nick’s journey charts his adventures in the world of homosexuality over a decade and observes his development for both better and worse. The supporting cast of characters are highly interesting. Nick lives in the house of his university friend Toby Fedden. Also living there are the charismatic serving Conservative MP Gerald, his beguiling wife, Rachel, and their rebellious daughter, Cat. Nick isn’t just acclimatising to queer identity, but…

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Celebrating 25 years of broadcasting, Graham Norton is Attitude magazine’s Person of the Year 2024. One of the undisputed kings of television and radio in the UK, Norton leads Attitude’s annual list of LGBTQ+ trailblazers that represents just some of the many game-changers from diverse business and creative fields. The Attitude 101, brought to you in partnership with our friends at Bentley, celebrates the people that are redefining their industries, pushing boundaries outward and raising the bar upward. Following notable past Attitude Persons of the Year like Pete Buttigieg, Lil Nas X and Alice Oseman, Norton is utterly deserving of the accolade. Charming, kind, humble and easygoing in real life, the on-screen jovial nature of the man was equally abundant off-screen during his Attitude magazine cover shoot. There are no…

John Sizzle (he/him) Former co-owner of The Glory, now owner of The Divine The whole world is made for ‘straight’ people — literally everything is designed with them in mind. There’s next to nothing designed specifically for our community, for our culture. After nine years of working on The Glory, I’ve come to realise that venues like these have a role to play in the personal development of a young LGBTQ+ individual, whether that be expressing their sense of style, sexuality, gender, or politics. People gain confidence in such places. This is the true meaning of SAFE. This is a safe space for you to mature into yourself and go forth into that tricky — and often hostile — straight world with a degree of confidence and empowerment. When I…

If you were an animal, which would it be? I’d probably be an orca. I like orcas a lot. But my spirit animal has been a horse and a dragonfly. They can fly backwards and forwards. Do you have any catchphrases we haven’t heard before? Twisted hydra. I came up with that when I was a child. Yes, I did. When I was a wee little tyke wearing those high-heeled shoes, pissing in hot tubs. Pantyhose and a feather duster, shake it down, you scooter buster. What’s your biggest regret? Maybe not letting the dog in the bedroom, or what Covid did to my relationship with Martine, my pedicab boy from Massachusetts, in the summer of 2020. If you had a time machine, where would you go? I’d stay here…

Princess Peach: Showtime! We’re really looking forward to this one! Princess Peach has long been a gay icon, and it’s high time for her to get her own game. The premise sounds suitably camp: a theatre performance has been taken over by the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch. Peach must save the day using the power of a ribbon (yes, you read that right) as she gains new powers and turns into a sword master, pastry chef and more. Princess Peach: Showtime! will be available on Nintendo Switch from 22 March. Star Wars Outlaws Star Wars is sometimes at its best when it stays away from the age-old conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. Been there, done that, lost a limb. Star Wars: Outlaws offers a fresher take…

When I first laid eyes on RuPaul’s Drag Race, I was living and working abroad in Turkey as a drag queen. Those were the gritty days of having to scour the internet for dodgy links, but I was willing to suffer the constant buffering and pixelated images just to get a glimpse of this fascinating new world. I knew of RuPaul, of course, but had little awareness of US drag culture. As I watched stunning queens like PorkChop and Morgan McMichaels compete with such dedication to glamorous perfection on this scrappy upstart of a show, I realised this was on a different level from the drag I thought I knew so much about. My first encounter with drag growing up in North Wales was catching Lily Savage on TV. But…

JONATHAN BAILEY Actor Jonathan Bailey has always been something of a trailblazer, leading the then Arts and Entertainment category in Attitude’s inaugural 101 edition. And he is still blazing a trail as an out gay actor in Hollywood. As well as co-leading the TV miniseries Fellow Travelers, Bailey is set to return for Bridgerton season three this year and to also play a leading role in the upcoming Wicked movies as Prince Fiyero. An advocate too, Bailey now works with the LGBTQ+ young person’s charity Just Like Us to help make a difference in schools. JULIEN BAKER Musician As one third of indie group boygenius alongside bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Baker has plenty to celebrate. The group won three awards at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards: debut album The…

Jaxon Feeley is a man on a mission. Despite admitting he’s “not the most political person”, the strength of his resolve to improve trans people’s lives in the UK is undeniable. “Put me in front of a roomful of politicians and I will make them all cry,” he says confidently, yet without a hint of arrogance. “Fifty per cent of that room will change its mindset. The other half will come back in 10 years and thank me for what I’m doing because it’s affected someone they love.” Having risen at lightning speed to become one of the faces of the UK’s trans community, Feeley is pushing for meaningful discussion of trans issues. “We need to have these conversations in a way where everybody realises that it will affect their…

DAME INGA BEALE Former CEO, Lloyd’s of London Dame Inga Beale, DBE is a celebrated figure in the British insurance industry, noted as the first and only female CEO of Lloyd’s of London, taking the position between 2013 and 2018. Educated in economics and accounting, she embarked on her career in 1982 at Prudential Assurance Company in London. Her achievements include turning around Swiss reinsurer Converium and holding leadership roles at Zurich Insurance Group. A strong advocate for diversity, Beale helped launch the Pride@Lloyd’s network. In 2017, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the economy. FRANK CHEN Managing director, Goldman Sachs, Taiwan Chen is a managing director at Goldman Sachs and a leader in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage…

Sport has always been a constant in the life of Lauren Rowles MBE, the twotime Paralympic gold medallist. “My earliest childhood memories are of running in school sports days and feeling like the fastest person on the planet because I beat all the other kids,” she shares. “Running was always my biggest passion. I remember watching the Beijing Olympics and wanting my moment on the podium in the GB kit singing the national anthem. I remember writing in my diary at the time that I wanted to be a professional runner at the Olympics. That was it, the dream was set.” Being diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition, at the age of 13 could have been the end of Rowles’s sporting ambition. However, she remained steadfast, motivated by…

MAX ANIORT Co-founder and CEO, Le Collectionist Aniort is CEO of Le Collectionist, one of the world’s largest luxury villa rental companies. Launched in 2014, it now boasts over 2,500 properties, 20 per cent of which are exclusive to them. Although Aniort’s start-up, which he co-founded at the age of 27, now has 250 employees across seven offices, he remains a stickler for detail. The company offers its clients customisable stays. Whether it’s a personal chef, sports car or experiences that are usually unattainable, Le Collectionist’s concierges are prepared to go the extra mile and beyond to make each holiday unforgettable. THEA BARDOT CEO, Lightning Travel Recruitment We love to see that on Lightning Recruitment’s website, CEO Thea Bardot proudly proclaims that “Lightning is 100 per cent trans owned”. When…

‘It feels like it’s a point of no return,” says Bella Ramsey of their extraordinary year, in which they played Ellie, the heart and soul of 2023 TV hit, apocalyptic sci-fi series The Last of Us. Indeed, while the 20-year-old made their screen debut in Game of Thrones back in 2016, their starring role alongside Pedro Pascal last year feels like a new arrival of sorts. “It’s quite scary in that regard,” admits the star in an exclusive interview carried out late last year. “Realising this was going to change my life in some amazing ways — and ways that are a bit more complicated.” Capping off an amazing chapter, Bella has been announced as part of BAFTA’s 2023 Breakthrough UK programme, which spotlights and supports creatives in British TV,…

THE GREEN MILE New UK tour operator Sustainable Journeys is set to provide travellers with itineraries that are better for the planet. The trans-owned business’s climate-friendly trips will reduce travellers’ emissions, offer eco-focused accommodation and support local communities. Slow travel is at the heart of the business, but that doesn’t have to mean flight-free — it will encourage customers to stay in a destination longer or to fly one-way where possible. It will be working with Path Net Zero to measure the carbon footprint of each trip, as well as with NGO Planeterra to add a ‘ripple score’ that highlights the percentage of money spent that will stay in the destination. The launch destinations are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and west Sweden, with many more destinations being added this year.…

Over the past nine years there’s been a quiet revolution happening across the globe. Queer film stories have been playing on laptops, phones and big screens in some of the world’s most surprising, most anti-LGBTQ+ places. It’s thanks to Five Films for Freedom, a joint programme between the British Council and BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. Launched in 2015, it sees five short films from BFI Flare made accessible around the world during the festival each year. So far, it has pulled in 23 million viewers, some of whom are online, while others attend screenings that take place everywhere from the UK’s Houses of Parliament to a Ugandan garden in front of a small group of secret queer film fans. When the Five Films series started, I was new…

1999 was a transitional year for the Spice Girls. Ginger was gone (to the shock and horror of millions of young girls and gaybies), and the remaining four Spices were ready to embark on solo ventures of their own. Melanie C, “the Sporty one”, had already started to cut her teeth in such avenues, having achieved a big hit with Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. ‘When You’re Gone’ was a huge international success and helped to establish her outside of the group that made her a household name. With fire under her feet, Chisholm began work on her debut album — the aptly titled Northern Star — which would become the most commercially successful solo Spice record to date. Chisholm’s blueprint for the album was simple: an indie record inspired by…

Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston/Macmillan If you haven’t already seen it, you’ve definitely heard about the cinematic sensation Red, White & Royal Blue — but did you know it was originally a New York Times bestseller and BookTok hit? As its regally coloured title suggests, this international rom-com tells the tale of an unlikely romance between two famous rivals — Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of an imagined American president, and Prince Henry, a member of an alternative British royal family. Although praised for its sweet and refreshing queer storytelling, it’s also a sensitive exploration of the realm of politics when two powerful men collide. Detransition, Baby Torrey Peters/Penguin Random House When queer identities are under relentless attack, sometimes you have to try to laugh at the world. This seems…

DIAMOND IN THE RUF With its two new collections, Californian brand Rufskin truly wants you to turn heads after sundown. The first, Rufnights, boasts ‘liquid metallic’ pieces, including the Oro Onyx turtleneck top (pictured), bronze trousers, a cheeky singlet and shiny briefs, all made from a new woven spandex blend that gives a super sheen. The second line, ’Til Dawn, takes the opposite approach, with a new matt-finish stretch leatherette that comes in blood red, hashish brown and Sylvester Salamander green. Styles include flared trousers and sleeveless tops (pictured opposite), so you can fully explore your inner leather daddy — or recreate Victoria Beckham’s ‘Out of Your Mind’ video. Take your pick. rufskin.com…

November 2001, Lee Latchford-Evans In what other magazine in 2001 were you going to find photographs of Steps star Lee Latchford-Evans’ bare backside alongside an interview with future Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, a full-page advert for Geri Body Yoga (she always knew her audience) and a fashion feature shot in a graveyard titled ‘Death Becomes Him’? We also carried interviews with Mis-Teeq, Boy George and this month’s cover star Graham Norton, who’s evidently still got Attitude 23 years later. “When are you going to interview Madonna?” Will from Islington wrote in to ask him. “Who knows? I’d love to but the trouble with big stars is that all I can offer them is a bit of money and exposure. Madonna is very rich and very famous. The ball couldn’t be more…

Lately, he’s been in the news because of the fatal shooting incident on the set of Rust in October 2021. (He is pleading not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.) But actor Alec Baldwin was previously in the spotlight for a series of offensive remarks about LGBTQ+s… ✅July 2005 Baldwin is twice nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — in 2005 and 2006 — for his work on Will & Grace. From Madonna to Woody Harrelson, cameos on the show were effectively a seal of approval of a public figure’s LGBTQ+ allyship at the time. ❌2008 Baldwin becomes an early adopter of the kind of hateful rhetoric that would proliferate years later, telling The Advocate: “The only thing about sexuality today that’s overwhelming to me is…

ENRIQUE ANARTE Journalist, Openly Anarte is a Berlin-based Spanish journalist currently leading the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s award-winning TikTok channel at Openly, its global LGBTQ+ news platform. He was an early user of TikTok for news purposes and has become an international speaker and media trainer on vertical video formats. With more than 75K followers across his social channels, he makes educational videos for young audiences on EU politics and misinformation targeting LGBTQ+ people and their rights. Recently, he joined the Poynter Institute’s MediaWise media literacy initiative as an ambassador focused on queer topics. EUGENE DANIELS Journalist, POLITICO Daniels is an American journalist at POLITICO, where he serves as both a co-author of the US news organisation’s flagship daily newsletter Playbook and a White House correspondent. In addition, Daniels joins MSNBC…

Growing up in Maryland in the US, Miss Toto’s passion for marine life began early, with frequent trips to aquariums and beaches as a child kickstarting her passion for all things oceanic. “I was going through all my childhood stuff recently, and it was all books about the ocean and wildlife. And Steve Irwin was my biggest inspiration,” she explains. In 2014, Miss Toto, then 21, moved to Miami to study a master’s in aquaculture, joining her university’s shark research programme at the same time. The following year, she became a part of the city’s drag scene. At first this was a social outlet. Toto had no idea of the significance this decision would have in her later life and career. “I really just started doing drag as a way…

GABRIEL ATTAL French politician Attal took on his most recent position as France’s prime minister in January this year. The 34-year-old politician is the first out gay man in the role. He joined President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party in 2016, and between 2020 and 2022, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he served as the government’s spokesperson. He then took up the position of budget minister. One month after being appointed education minister last July, he announced a ban on long robes in schools, which are worn mainly by Muslims, claiming that they were testing secularism in the nation’s schools. SHAWNA BAKER Cherokee Nation Supreme Court judge As the first 2SLGBTQ+ person to serve on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court and only the third woman confirmed to the Court, Justice Baker raises…

Fashion brands and designers can often have a sanitised and commercialised approach to male sexuality. Homoeroticism is often flirted with, rather than fully explored, so it’s really exciting to see Zhongzhi Ding diving headfirst into this world. The London College of Fashion graduate’s designs are innovative too, offering practicality, while the use of prosthetics takes his pieces into a more tactile and 3D space. Ding burst onto the scene in London Fashion Week in February 2023, when his MA menswear graduate collection entitled Male Enhancement sparked major excitement. A celebration of masculinity mixed with utility for both cis and trans men, it saw sweatstained models strutting down the catwalk dressed as cowboys with sodden armpits and chests, complete with exaggerated curves and silhouettes. It was an ode to embracing sexuality…

LUCY CLARK Football manager, Sutton United After becoming the first openly transgender football referee in the world, Clark has recently blazed a trail even further by becoming the first trans woman to manage a club in the top five divisions of English football when she took the helm at Sutton United. She also helped found the fully inclusive football team TRUK United FC. In addition, Clark is the founder of Trans Radio UK and the support phone service TRUK Listens. Clark came out publicly as trans in 2018 and is a proud advocate and ambassador for the LGBTQ+ community, helping to push for greater education and inclusivity in sport. TOMÁS GONZÁLEZ Chilean gymnast Chilean Olympic gymnast González confirmed he was gay last August, stating, “It’s not a big deal anymore.”…

SUPPORTED BY CLIFFORD CHANCE Careers MISS BENNY Actor and singer Miss Benny made a memorable impression when she appeared in the Netflix series Glamorous, opposite Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall. Sadly, we only had one season before the series was axed, but at least it introduced Miss Benny to the world. In June, she came out as trans in an essay for Time, where she wrote about how she was able to bring her transition into the show and provide a valuable and authentic piece of representation to our screens. A singer too, Miss Benny has used her music to address subjects such as gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. VICTORIA CANAL Musician A 2023 Attitude Pride Icon Award winner, Canal is proof that perceived limitations don’t have to exist.…

THEATRE The curtains will open on the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival on 6 May for a two-week programme of queer performances. Founded in 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Wilde, it is now the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ theatre event, and brings a host of global playwrights and actors to the Emerald Isle. gaytheatre.ie LITERATURE Wales’ Hay Festival is for everyone, but every year the celebration of literature attracts a host of LGBTQ+ authors to its stage. This year’s 11-day programme, starting on 23 May, already includes funny man Julian Clary, the former synth-pop hitmaker Reverend Richard Coles and our favourite Graham Norton Show guest Miriam Margolyes. hayfestival.com FILM We love our homegrown queer film fests BFI Flare and the Iris Prize, but you should…

The Power of Four Every Sunday, 5pm-2am The Two Brewers, Clapham High Street London SW4 7UJ It’s a rainy Sunday evening at the beginning of the year, a time for change and resolutions. However, commitment levels are already waning as work restarts, the weather worsens and the dark nights continue. Sometimes you hunger for the familiar, and at the Two Brewers, Clapham’s iconic LGBTQ+ bar and club, the house is packed with fellow revellers for The Power of Four, a weekly event that to many locals feels like home. With free entry before 6pm, this weekend staple offers an evening of four drag shows punctuated with classic queer LGBTQ+ music sets. But where this cabaret caper differs from others is its acts — these are arguably London’s best of the…

‘Down With Love’ — B-side A classic case of “should have been a single in its own right”, ‘Down With Love’ is exemplary Ellis-Bextor: a dancey bop fuelled with attitude and melodrama as our chanteuse wrestles with the intense uncertainty of falling in love. ‘Get Over You / Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’ — live Ellis-Bextor became a household staple during the pandemic, bringing a little joy to the masses through her Kitchen Discos, where she covered some of her favourite songs. Here, she brilliantly blends her own sassy break-up track with Modjo’s French house classic. The audience’s sing-back of the reprising “aye-ayeaye-aye” is a reminder of just what an engaging and adored live performer she is. ‘Everything Falls Into Place’ — album track Often, the underdogs of pop aren’t recognised…