L Fest 2016: A Real Success

by Jess Price

Bandanas, free hugs and wandering lesbians waving selfie sticks at Heather Peace… Yes, it can only be L Fest 2016. We had a blast. Our lovely, sloshy-sludgy British weather did not hinder our fun as we shuffled our gay tents and campers over to a drier field onsite at Uttoxeter Racecourse. Here, we began celebrating L Fest’s sixth year with a huge wave of music, arts and comedy shenanigans.

While Beth Prior and the loveable Eva Iglesias boomed their tracks from the Big Top, (restyled to ‘the Titty tent’ by artist BREE, patent pending) the Cunning Linguists’ panel featuring LGBT Poet Laureate Trudy Howson mesmerised with powerful words on the Arts Stage. Championing up-and-coming female LGBTQ+ poetry and literature is something L Fest is very passionate about. This year, author Sally Edwards launched her third novel and we were even treated to a reading by filmmaker and activist Helen Oakleigh. Elsewhere, we welcomed Wotever Film Festival, who shared some cracking lesbian film classics followed by discussion and Q+A sessions with the directors. Uttoxeter’s sun continued to glisten down upon us for our Del Mar Reunion Party, a chance for those who went to our annual L Fest Del Mar in May to catch up under a cheeky limbo line and of course, a sing-along with DJ Lady Heidi.

As well as our headliners, Heather Peace and Saffron from Republica, L Fest welcomed a lot of artists from overseas, including bold and bright three-piece band BREE from America and the lovely, blue-haired Aimee Francis from Australia. Saffron was an explosive presence on site during Saturday evening, even performing that classic we all know and love, Ready to Go. Heather Peace joined us on Sunday, popping over into the crowd, mid-set, to enjoy the buzzing atmosphere with her die-hard fans!

When not wearing our dancing shoes, we lost ourselves in the amazing comedy at L Fest this year. Our festival laughs truly began with entertainment by Lara King in her Opening Night Variety Extravaganza, which included McChicks from Holland and Aussies the Hussy Hicks. The Laughing Cows welcomed Jen Brister to the Main Stage, spinning us into the curtails of faecal-inspired laughter. Recounting stories of life post- and pre- the Schadenfreude of having twin babies, Jen also expressed resentment towards social media and all things selfie (insider - Jen did eventually get in our Green Room party snap.) As she performed, the arena quickly became packed with gaggles of giggling lesbians who could not get enough of the wittily observational Brister. According to one spectator, as much as a week later: ‘my face is still aching’ claimed artist Yvonne Dawson.

Elsewhere, by day, we were given a real treat by the fabulous Kenric Cabaret troupe, followed soon after by comedienne Jackie Hagan. Attracting a hefty crowd to the Green Stage Tent, everyone sat poised for her sassy, poetic discourse on important topics such as class austerity, mental health, disability and leglessness. In her poem, Tea and Coffee, Hagan humorously questions our notions of bisexuality in a binary-obsessed society. Now with a short on Channel 4 and a new book out, Hagan is certainly one to watch out for.

Now in its sixth year, Cindy Edwards claims this year’s festival was the best yet and promises big changes are on the cards for L Fest 2017. We are always striving to make L Fest an environment for all – including uniting LGBTQ+ families, which is why this year saw the launch of brand new kids’ workshops. Moreover, L Fest 2016 has once again shown the threefold world of fun, closeness and diversity that resonates year after year throughout the L Fest community. Post-festival, it is fair to say we are all experiencing an L Fest come-down. L Fest 2017 may seem a long way away – but FEAR NOT – we are already gearing up for the L Fest Awards, L Festive and expect a twist to Del Mar next year. Watch this space.

HEATHER PEACE To Headline L FEST 2016!

Heather Peace will headline the festival closing the music stage on Sunday 17th July 2016. Heather is the first of many announcements that L Fest have up their sleeve for 2016. 

L Fest, The UK's only lesbian festival have announced their headliner for 2016. After teasing us all with their much anticipated February 29th Leap Year release date we can now confirm that one of the most iconic lesbian music stars will be headliner at their event - introducing Heather Peace!

Heather released her debut album, Fairytales, in 2012 and The Thin line in June 2014.  As well as headlining at L Fest she is releasing her new EP 'Come Home', a European and a full band UK Tour are also planned 2016. She is well known for her work as an actress for 20 years, starring in TV shows like London’s Burning, Ultimate Force, Lip Service and Prey, Heather left her leading role in BBC One drama Waterloo Road in 2014, to fully commit to her flourishing music career.
Over the last three years, Heather has performed four sell out UK tours with her full band as well as four sell-out solo acoustic tours. She’s headlined London Pride, performed with her idol Alison Moyet and played shows with KT Tunstall, Rebecca Ferguson, Deacon Blue and Brian May. Internationally, she’s twice sold out tours across Australia as well as headlining the world famous Sydney Mardi Gras Fair Day.

We spoke to the festival director Cindy Edwards and asked her about the line up for this year: "We were delighted to secure Heather Peace for 2016, she's a name that keeps coming up in our feedback surveys so we are very excited to get her on board this year. Heather is the start of our roll out campaign for artists this year. We have many more big announcements to come over the next few months and 2016 ticket sales are already proving that this is going to be an exciting year!"

Check out a little personal hello to L Festers from Heather Peace here: https://youtu.be/ShArmtTydZc

For all details of L Fest and their Spanish festival, L Fest Del Mar May 20-27th, see the wesbite www.lfest.co.uk 

YouTube Lesbian Sensation CHRISSY CHAMBERS Needs Your Help To End Revenge Porn

As you may be aware of by now, YouTube star Chrissy Chambers (of BriaAndChrissy fame) has started a petition to end revenge porn, after becoming the victim of it recently.

Head over to Petition.org to sign Chrissy's petition or click HERE if it's easier for you. The petition only needs around 5,000 more signatures to reach the 150,000 signature goal, so please click the link to make a real difference.

Here are a few touching words from Chrissy herself, which help explain what she's been through.

Have you ever seen an embarrassing photo of yourself? You know the type, a notification pops up on Facebook and the picture you see makes you cringe. Now imagine getting a notification that includes your name, but this time when you open it up you see something criminal, something you can’t unsee, and sadly something everyone else can look at too. This time, you see yourself naked and unconscious. 

My name is Chrissy Chambers. Some of you probably know me from the YouTube channel BriaAndChrissy that I run with my girlfriend Bria, but even those of you have been following my life and work for years don’t know this story. 

When I was 18 years old, I started a long-distance relationship with a man who was 6 years older than me. As you might expect, soon enough the relationship grew strained and we broke up. I still cannot believe what happened next. 

Before the relationship ended, and without my knowledge or consent, my ex filmed himself having sex with me, and when we broke up he posted them online and they were shared to over 30 pornography sites. 

It wasn’t until two years after they were posted, when a link to one of those videos was emailed to me, that I found out they existed or even that this sexual encounter had taken place. 

When I first saw them I felt like I’d been stripped of my dignity. Each one included my full name, and my ex had included text calling me a slut and a horrible role model. By the time I found them, they had been viewed tens of thousands of times. Life as I had known it ended. It was like I had been hit in the chest and couldn’t catch my breath.It only got worse when I found out that there was nothing I could do to get them taken down. There are currently no federal laws in the United States that criminalize “revenge porn,” meaning sexually explicit photos or videos posted online without consent. 

How is it possible that this practice is legal? How can there be no consequences for the perpetrators who commit such horrific acts? How would you feel if this happened to you, or your sister, or your best friend? 

My ex posted those videos for revenge, plain and simple. He wanted to hurt me, and to tarnish my reputation. But he won’t succeed. 

I am standing up to fight back, not just for me, but for the tens of thousands of other women (and men) who have been put in this same situation with no way to defend themselves. With the help of our lawyers at the firm McAllister Olivarius, we are bringing the first ever civil lawsuit against revenge pornography in the UK. 

The reality is that what happened to me was a form of sexual assault, and it should be treated that way by the law. No one should be able to get away with posting explicit photos or videos of another person without their consent, or profiting off running a website that hosts that content. 

A bill that would criminalize “revenge porn” in the United States is currently being written by multiple members of Congress, but it will take a lot of public support in order to convince them to push it through. Please stand with me and call on Congress to end this horrific practice once and for all. 

I do not want anyone else to ever have to go through what I did, and with your help we can make that happen.

Don't forget to sign the petition today: https://www.change.org/p/protect-victims-end-revenge-porn-now  

UK Lesbian Festival L FEST Line Up Revealed

The UK’s only lesbian music, arts & comedy festival has raised the bar this year. They have their fantastic ethos of offering a platform for many unsigned and inspiring artists and they have 22 new acts coming this year and of course they have also added a few well known faces to the line up for 2015, slap bang in the middle of the festival season.

One of the headliners actually appeared on the L Fest stage in 2012 as one of the up and coming unsigned artists. Three years later, she has over a million social media followers and her X Factor audition where she sang her own song ‘Last Night’ has had over 32 million views. Lucy Spraggan is back at L Fest 2015!

It doesn’t stop there as there is a huge diverse line up. From O’Hooley & Tidow, recently nominated 'Best Duo' at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, to the all-girl Indie punk band The Tuts who supported Kate Nash on her UK tour. There’s the curly haired cute blonde Holloway, who you may know as half of MK1 from X factor. There’s certainly something for every music taste ranging from the acoustic sessions with Beth Prior, hip-hop with Ajah UK, Electronic sounds from Brain Rain and Afro-Latin percussion from the duet Ladies of Midnight Blue and not forgetting festival favourites Greymatter and the charity single group The L Project.

But L Fest is much more than just a music festival and has a fantastic Arts line up too. There is the DIVA Sex Academy hosted by Jane Czyzselska, London's award winning LGBT literary salon, Polari, Up Close & Personal with Indie Authors, Author Manda Scott with Woman Warriors and Planet London will be hosting a ‘LBQ Visibility in the Media’ Discussion Panel including Alicya Eyo and Kathy Caton. There’s many performance pieces from the 1940s Brighton duo All the nice girls, to Offside; a narrative of Women’s Football over the years. And of course not forgetting one woman shows Kerry Leigh wants to marry her brother and How to manifest a woman!

Laughing Cows comedy always finish the festival with a huge audience and this year will be no exception as Bethany Black, (Cucumber) and a firm lesbian funny favourite, Zoe Lyons (Mock of the Week) take to the stage.

Even if it rains you’re covered – literally as the Big Top is back! The cinema sponsored and programmed this year by Planet London, will be showing some great films from cinema hit Pride, to Crazy Bitches with the official UK launch of their DVD. Film Director Jane Clarke will be there all the way from the USA for Q&A’s after the showing. Actress and Director Alicya Eyo, (Emmerdale & Bad Girls), will also be part of a Q&A to talk about her part as director in the new short, Brace.

Worried that tiny tents and mud isn't your thing? It’s not theirs either. They have yurts for hire, toilets are clean, the showers are hot, and there’s even a place to straighten your hair and apply your lipstick so you can look hot for the whole weekend!

Not convinced yet? Check out the website here www.lfest.co.uk for the full line up and get your tickets now at £99 including three nights camping and everything above and more! You can even pay £50 now and £50 later. See you in July in a field full of lesbians!

Where and When?

July 17-20th 2015 at Uttoxeter racecourse, Staffordshire. (We didn’t know where it was either, but it’s 5 minutes from Alton Towers and there is a train station on their actual festival site so it’s only 2 hours from the big cities: London or Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds).

Lesbian Musician DJ Chillz Releases New Webisodes!

London-based lesbian DJ Chillz (who you may remember from THIS post) has released an-all new webisode documenting her life as a lesbian DJ!

The second episode in her web series entitled "Hustle of a Female DJ" is available RIGHT HERE!:

Listen to DJ Chillz' new mixtape by clicking HERE!

Smirnoff Supports Second Winter Pride UK Arts Awards

Hosted by Irish broadcasting personality Brendan Courtney, Smirnoff supports the second Winter Pride UK Arts Awards, which will culminate in one of the biggest parties of the winter season at Tobacco Dock in East London on Saturday 15 November 2014. 

Stephen Fry, winner of the inaugural Smirnoff Winter Pride UK Luminary of the Year said, "Winter Pride UK is a unique opportunity for up-and-coming artists and performers to showcase their creativity at a key LGBT artistic and cultural event - creative ventures of this kind are all-important for both the arts and LGBT communities."

Open to all artists and performers regardless of their sexuality, Winter Pride UK is a unique celebration of creativity and a dazzling display of the finest performance and visual arts. Held within an iconic London setting steeped in Victorian history, this significant event in the LGBT social calendar brings together leading industry figures, celebrities and enigmatic performers, for an elegant evening of recognition, diversity and outstanding artistic talent.

Jamie Young, Smirnoff Brand Manager, said, “We have supported the LGBT community for many years and are very proud to be partnering the second Winter Pride UK. We have a huge passion with our relationships within the community and with such a pivotal event like this there is no better way for us to show our support.”

The Winter Pride UK Arts Awards not only raises a considerable amount of money for notable charities, it promotes and rewards previously unrecognised artists, creating an important opportunity to embrace diversity and unashamed self-expression.

Simon Tarrant, Director of the Winter Pride UK Arts Awards elaborates, "Our theme this year #Artis... is targeted at artists and performers who want to make a difference. The Awards are open to all artists and performers regardless of their sexuality and we are challenging them to tell us what they think Art Is - to express themselves and create pieces that are adventurous, playful and provocative".

The Arts Awards judging panel is made up of arts industry professionals, comprising Royal and celebrity sculptor Frances Segelman, international musician and "Queen of Harps" Catrin Finch, and gallery director Andrew Lacey, who will host a post Winter Pride UK art exhibition at Lacey Contemporary in Notting Hill from 18-29 November 2014.

A Frost Festival will be unveiled in the vast, vaulted Great Gallery at Tobacco Dock featuring a spectacular exhibition of artworks from a group of international artists and the Arts Awards' Finalists, as well as live performances introducing the top talent from this year's Performance Awards. The Winter Pride UK Arts Awards will be presented by personalities from the world of arts, including Lucian Freud's muse and model Sue Tilley and Hermaphrodite celebrity artist XXXora.

LINE UP:

Kicking off Frost Festival proceedings in the Great Gallery are are the hostesses with the most-esses John Sizzle and Amantopet with what promises to be a drag extravaganza - sparkles, glitter and off the-scale-camp high jinx and hilarity.   

THE RETURN OF CLUB GHETTO:  Club Ghetto, the London venue that spawned many a legendary LGBT club night, returns for one night only.  They’ll be celebrating all things pop bringing back a selection of DJ’s from Don’t Call Me Babe (Tuesday), Miss Shapes (Thursdays) and Wig Out (Saturdays) to recreate the pop madness of this much loved venue.  Serving up the pop platter are Tommy Turntables (Wig Out, Miss Shapes, DCM Babe) Prince Nelly (Songs Of Praise, Wig Out) and some very special Ghetto Guests.

GIRLS ARENA:

Izzy Trixx ft. REDNPINK - exclusive live collaboration - For one night only the Girls Arena will host electrohouse DJ and producer Izzy Trixx (Mr Hudson, Maya Jane Coles, Charlie XCX) alongside pride favourites, grime, dubstep, electro duo REDNPINK (Pussy Parlour @ Glastonbury, Ed Sheeran, Misha B, Passing Clouds)

DJ Melody Kane (Radio 1 Xtra, SBTV  -  With a solid reputation thanks to her monthly mix-show on BBC Radio 1Xtra plus experience playing to crowds of 70,000 on line-ups featuring Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Ms Dynamite and more, Melody Kane - one of few females still spinning vinyl - promises to bring ferocious sounds set to fill the dancefloor ‘til the early hours.

DJ DANA (Brighton) - House, chart, RnB, hip hop and alternative spins, Brighton Pride regular, Brighton Club Revenge resident and one to watch, DJ Dana’s rise from the Manchester student scene has been rapid and well deserved. She’s our number one choice to open the Girls Arena this year!

R’N’B VAULT:

Bootylicious: London’s longest-running and respected urban LGBT night hosts it’s own area – get ready for some booty-shaking!

Misfits: Mischief and mayhem from East Bloc’s Wednesday night party arriving for the evening with Mark Ashley Dupe on the decks, bringing a serious boogie down and scandalous behaviour as always...

EAST BLOC:  

Old Street’s premiere underground haven bring four of their most popular nights to Tobacco Dock with DJs including Tom Stephan, Borja Pena, Dave Kendrick and Chris Camplin (Gay Little Brother) 

Dish:  Offering up a mouth-watering selection of underground house and techno to a loyal following of delicious dishes. Gay, lesbian, butch , camp, trans, cross dressing , gym bunnies, twinks , bears, leather queens or straight - everybody is welcome. As their slogan says... come hungry.. leave happy!

Handsome:  Gives a nod to the gay clubs of the 80s and 90s - classic US house and a positive, uplifting energy define this night.

BLOCHEADS - a house and techno meltdown from dusk 'till dawn: pumpin' beats and relentless sounds mark this night out with its loyal crowd of blocheads that make it one of the busiest gay parties in east London. 

Choice Cuts: The best cuts from choice DJ's and a late night session of quality house for those who like it hard, pumpin' and deep -from those who love to serve it. Gigantic tunes and fresh meat: this is Choice Cuts.

BEAR PIT: 

Hosted by PLUS cabaret from: BEARFEST with DJs...

Done and Dusted (Tonker)

The Done & Dusted formula is simple – they play music to make your body move. You can expect lots of energy with plenty of old skool classics mixed wih their latest upfront secret weapons.  Their goal – “to have you dancing non-stop and by the end of the night you should be totally Done & Dusted!"

Ben Jamin & Ross Jones (The Kings Arms) – Soho’s premiere den for bears bring their resident DJ’s along to the Winter Pride party. 

To enter the Arts Awards visit the Winter Pride UK website: www.winterprideuk.com

For tickets to the Arts Awards & Frost Festival go to: BUY TICKETS 

Hot Salt Beef: The NEW Community/Dating Site for the Jewish LGBT Community!

HotSaltBeef, an exclusive and completely inclusive social networking site for Jewish LGBT (JLGBT) people, was launched on Sunday 6th April 2014.

After noticing a gap in the market for a networking site that integrates the social, cultural and community aspects of Jewish life specifically aimed at JLGBT people, Founder Allan Davis took a leap of faith and created HotSaltBeef — a social networking platform for JLGBT people where they can celebrate the things that connect them at their core, build a local and global online community, make business connections and perhaps even find love.

Hot Salt Beef is woven into the fabric of being Jewish. Who doesn’t like a Hot Salt Beef Sandwich? It’s something every Jewish person instantly associates with — it brings back memories of comfort, familiarity, belonging… and well, food.

Food forms a big part of Jewish culture. All the major Jewish festival revolve around the family sitting together for a big meal… It’s what brings us together.

And therein lays the philosophy behind HotSaltBeef: Family, safety, connection, community, conversation, comfort, love and belonging.

Being an exclusive social networking site for JLGBT people may seem like a shortcoming at first, but the truth is there are certain things that are so uniquely Jewish that we need a space where we can connect and converse comfortably without having to provide a ‘backstory’… We sometimes want to 'kibbitz' (gossip) in a chat room and 'kvetch' (complain) about the rising house prices, without feeling the need to explain what we are actually doing.

Apart from that, because of our displacement throughout history, Jewish people have an almost genetic urge to build communities and find a ‘place called home’.

HotSaltBeef has the potential to provide that sense of togetherness and 'home-coming' online… And that’s why HotSaltBeef is ‘keeping kosher’.

Instead of having a single focus — being a dating site only — HotSaltBeef is more like the bakery in a Jewish neighborhood… a place where you get your bagels, perhaps bump into your lawyer or doctor and if you like, flirt with the 'Shaineh maidel' (beautiful young lady) behind the counter. The dating element is still there but the focus is much more on community building — it is not about ‘sex’ or about posting photos of your tuchas (or any other revealing bits) for the world to see.

‘HotSaltBeef and Mustard’ is the newsletter and blog section, bringing news and views from around the world. The aim is to involve members from across the globe to contribute with their reviews, travel tips, fresh and relevant news events and historical insights to strengthen the fabric of our online community.

In terms of future developments, HotSaltBeef will soon include a Business Directory for members to promote their own business or to recommend a business that may interest the community, and also host a classifieds section to sell anything from rare Barbara Streisand CDs to advertising holidays.

While the site is still in its teething-phase, membership is limited to ‘invitation only’ and the first 500 members who sign up will receive a FREE membership.

For more information about signing up, visit http://hotsaltbeef.com/

For more information contact Allan Davis:

email: allan@hotsaltbeef.com

Allan Davis, the Founder and creator of HotSaltBeef has been an out and proud Jewish gay man for over 30 years. His Gay and Jewish bits come in equal parts. Born in London in the 1960’s Allan had a very Jewish upbringing and education. He ‘came out’ in 1983, when the world was a very different place for LGBT people: being Out & Proud still raised eyebrows and marriage and having children wasn’t even an option. Thirty years later and the world is… well, almost as good as a Hot Salt Beef Sandwich. Allan’s only worry now is to convince his father to pay for a big wedding!

Editorial: The Gays Cause A Storm

by Lauren W

If you didn’t hear, last week a councillor for the UK’s UKIP political party blamed the UK’s recent stormy weather on the gays. So that’s it, you guys, we are now in control of the elements.

UKIP councilman, David Silvester, claimed that the country had gay marriage to thank for the atrocious floods plaguing the British coastline this winter, confirming that we really are Gods amongst men.  That’s right, I’m choosing to take a positive stance on this claim. Maybe we are the ones who form rainbows in the sky. It’s not the science of the climate, it’s the homosexuals.

Read the ENTIRE ARTICLE by clicking HERE and heading over to Pink Lobster Dating. Trust me, it's worth it.

London UK To Host 2014 Winter Pride!

London, UK: The first ever Winter Pride UK is coming to London’s Tobacco Dock!

Immerse yourself in the party atmosphere as LGBT London comes together for the first-ever Winter Pride UK on 8th February 2014. Created for the LGBT community, and made possible with sponsorship from Smirnoff, Winter Pride UK is an exciting new venture from the creators of the hugely successful MINT Network, which will bring together the biggest LGBT club brands and international DJs to create a party like no other. The perfect antidote to the rain and bad weather, Winter Pride UK’s ‘inside pride’ at London’s Tobacco Dock has space for over 3,000 people throughout the night.

The vast, vaulted warehouse in east London will hold a winter paradise which is #yoursforthemaking. Popstarz, One Love, Work, MINT, Exilio, Bear Necessity, East Bloc - east London's coolest late night gay club, and media sponsor, Gaydio – the LGBT radio, g3 magazine, Out In The City magazine and Gaydar are just some of the iconic names involved so far.

Each vault will hold entertainment, community or retail stalls, meaning you’ll never find yourself without something to do. We have a commitment to the long-term impact that Winter Pride UK will make on the wider community, which is why £1 from every ticket sale will go to the Terrence Higgins Trust and the proceeds of a raffle to Stonewall, while our community vault spaces are free to charitable organisations. Each year, we’ll report back how you helped the good causes you’ll be supporting by attending Winter Pride UK, so you’re actually doing good, while having the time of your life. We call that guilt-free fun. 

Kiera Ridge, Community Fundraising Manager at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We’re thrilled that Winder Pride have chosen our charity to benefit from their inaugural event. This kind of community event is vital, not only for raising funds but also creating a great opportunity for the LGBT community to come together and celebrate. We couldn’t be more grateful for their support.”

In addition to the Winter Pride UK party, Adam and Steve, and Ellen and Eve will be regrowing the Garden of Eden The Winter Pride UK Awards, which will be hosted by celebrity, Jodie Harsh, and include a new Art Award, sponsored by Smirnoff Gold and targeted at both emerging and established artists with a cash prize of £1000 for the winner. Many famous faces appear across the awards, including Ian McKellen, Clare Balding, Gareth Thomas, Nicola Adams, Heather Peace, Angel Haze, Daniel Radcliffe and national treasure, Stephen Fry, who said, "I am thrilled to be nominated as LGBT Luminary of the Year for Winter Pride UK. Artistic and cultural events of this kind are so important for the well being of the LGBT community". 

Jamie Young, Smirnoff Brand Manager, said, “We have supported the LGBT community for many years and in many ways and are very excited to be headline sponsors of the first ever Winter Pride in Europe. We strive to establish and hold our strong relationships within the community and what better way to do this than to support such a fantastic event.” 

www.winterprideuk.com

Editorial: Candy Bar Soho Closes Its Doors - Where Do We Go From Here?

by Lauren W

If you’re a British lesbian, you’ll still be in mourning about the loss of the most famous lesbian bar in Great Britain, Candy Bar. Diva Magazine has called it the End of an Era! Aside from the obvious, this worries me for a multitude of reasons. But what worries me the most? Well, where else is there for us to go?

Read the entire article where it was first published (Pink Lobster Dating) by clicking HERE!

Up & Coming Lesbian Web Series: In The Deep!

Love the British? Love lesbians? Love British lesbians? Then this one's for you.

The Brits are coming! DreamCoat Productions presents In The Deep.

London, UK – DCP presents In The Deep, which stars Luke Wilson, Zebulun Delisser, Denver Issac, Olu Ubadike, Gareth Andrews and featuring Damilola Fashola, Nozomi Orlando and Mark Massett. More info can also be found on www.inthedeepuk.com.

DCP is proud to bring In The Deep a web drama series about four fun­loving best friends who live in the heart of London’s vibrant East End, each harbouring secrets of their own.This is not just another queer web drama series, it’s a story about people, their loves, lives and lies. Ade is stuck between two worlds, British­-Nigerian and gay. He lives a double life, hiding his relationships on both ends; Emilia has the confusing ‘thing’ with Riley, her straight best friend who also has a boyfriend. Wesley is struggling to decide whether to fight for love or let someone else sweep him off his feet. Rene realises that he finally has to grow up. 

The show’s creators see this as bringing something new and different online to a community that up until now did not have their story being told in the same light. This is a fun and light­hearted drama with real characters and real people, shot in a way that is not seen online, therefore raising the bar in terms of production quality. So the first two episodes were shot through the help of people who have worked on films like Prometheus, World War Z, Jack the Giant Slayer and X­Men: First Class, but they believe in this project that they’ve given their time for free, and now we are doing a fundraising campaign to help fund the rest of the production in terms of equipment, locations and post­-production. 

In The Deep was created and written by Joseph Adesunloye and Joy Gharoro ­Akpojotor. The episodes are directed by Joseph Adesunloye and Vins Blake, with Canadian director Sarah Warren slated to come on board to direct episodes further down the line. 

Check out the first episodes: www.inthedeepuk.com / http://vimeo.com/63463234. More info on our fundraising campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in­the­deep­web­series/x/2492735.

The second episode will be available online by the end of the week, however it will be

password protected but sent to you for your viewing pleasure.

INTERVIEW: Up & Coming LGBT Music, Syren

You know what there's not enough of? Lesbian bands.

I mean sure, we currently have Hunter Valentine, Sick of Sarah and the like, but how about something different?

Check out this great interview we have with the lead singer of Syren, a band originally from the US and who are now stationed in the UK.

All Things Lesbian: For our readers who haven't heard your music, describe your sound in 5 words or less.
Erin Bennett, lead singer of Syren: Passionate, Lesbian Pop/Rock


ATL: Do you think its important for LGBT musicians to "come out" in today's media and political climates?

EB: That's quite difficult. I think it is important for LGBT people in music to know that they CAN come out but it is still very difficult to build a largely successful career if you do. More artists are coming out as bisexual (such as LadyGaga and Jessie J) and you also get the odd male (Will Young, Adam Lambert) who come out as gay. There are not many 'out' lesbian singers in today's mainstream pop world. 

But for every artist that faces the difficulties of publicly coming out it builds a firmer foundation for new artists who want to begin their career as an openly gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans artist. I believe the world's attitude towards homosexuality is slowly changing and music is a perfect way to push that more further forward because everyone loves music, music touches everyone in one way or another. That's what I hope to do as an artist.

ATL: You're based in Scotland but born in Texas. Did you ever perform in Texas? Would you say the
atmosphere/music scene there is different to the UK?

EB: (Laughs) Seems I played all the states but Texas. I'd love to go back one day and do a gig there though. Especially in my home town of Ft. Worth.

The music scenes in the UK and USA are relatively the same. There are tons of hard rock bands and metal bands in both countries and there seems to be a massive folk scene in both countries as well. The states seem to have a bigger Country music scene than the UK, but that's a typically American style of music. However, the live scene in America seems slightly more accessible for bands and artists but I think that's probably because the US is such a massive country. The UK is smaller so the music scene is far more competitive. Truth be told though, I think that breeds better music because you have to be really unique to stand out amongst the thousands of bands that flood the venues around the country.


ATL: Who are some of your musical (and general life) influences?

EB: I was hugely influenced by Heart, Queen, Janis Joplin and Alanis Morrisette. They were so expressive and musically skilled. I wanted to be THAT. But I grew up listening to everything from Motown, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and these days draw huge influence from artists like KD Lang, KT Tunstall, Lissie and The Pierces.

As a general influence, I most admire Benazir Bhutto. She was such a brave and beautiful woman and a real inspiration to women all over the world.


ATL: Some of the proceeds from your music went to UK based charity, Breast Cancer Care. Why? What are some other charities you're in support of?

EB: Back in January 2012 I lost my wife (and Syren drummer) Jo to breast cancer. It was a very rare but aggressive cancer that is very hard to detect until after it metasticizes. (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) I wrote 'Never Give Up The Fight' in her memory and released it in aid of Breast Cancer Care because they had offered Jo so much information and support during her treatment. I went on to win Songwriter of the Year at the 2012 Scottish New Music Awards for that track and have since tried to use it as a way to reach out to women and encourage them to get educated about breast cancer. So many women (as well as men, actually) just don't know enough about how to look out for it.

I'm also a huge supporter of LGBT groups throughout the UK. I have recently been involved with some of Scotland's LGBT groups in small-ish towns. Some LGBT people may feel uncomfortable about coming out in such a tight knit community so I try to help inspire people to feel a bit more confident and safe when they decide to come out.

ATL: Would you be interested in playing at any UK LGBT pride festivals? Do you you have any up and coming gigs that our readers should know about?

EB: I would love to play at Pride Festivals throughout the UK. Syren is now a five piece band and we have already played a couple of LGBT events. We will be playing the McGal Lesbian Festival in Dunfermline, Scotland in late August as well at the Rainbow Kilts Festival in the Scottish Borders in September.
Apart from that we will be performing in Seaton, Exeter in the end of March as part of Hawkwind's 'Hawkeaster' Festival. Any other gigs will be confirmed and listed on our website and facebook pages. 

To keep a watchful eye on Syren and their tour dates check out their website (www.syrenband.com) and their Facebook, (Facebook.com/SyrenMusic).

The UK Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Today, I am so proud of my country.

I am based in Canada right now; a place where they don't care who you marry, as long as you both like hockey. AMIRIGHT?

Today, my country became a place where we don't care who you marry, as long as you both like tea and crumpets.

Okay, I'm playing on stereotypes here. (But it's true. Shush.)

At a time when only 11 countries (not including the UK) have national legal gay marriage, this is historic. Yes, the United States are one fifth of the way there, and Mexico and Brazil are following suit too, but the UK just became the 12th country to pass a same-sex marriage bill on a national scale. (Okay, not entirely true as Scotland are not included. But two of our four countries are 100% gay approved.)

Today in the House of Commons, there were intense debates on the issue. Some crazy religious people used the same old "Adam & Steve" argument, whilst others claimed they were "protecting marriage."

One MP claimed he was opposing the bill in an attempt to "protect the sanctity of marriage." Said MP has also been divorced and is now re-married. I wonder which marriage he was protecting the sanctity of?

Anyway, the best argument in my opinion came from Kate Green, an MP who represents Stretford and Urmston (a constituency within Greater Manchester).

Green - a straight, married woman dedicated to equal rights for all - used her wisdom to turn all of the opposing arguments face down. She was correct in saying that all of the opposing arguments are not valid. HELLS YEAH.

In the end, the commons voted and the bill was approved, 400-175. A huge majority!

We're still waiting to hear from the House of Lords (a.k.a. the Senate, for you North American folk), but chances are, they will not overturn the bill.

Fingers crossed!

Once again, I am so proud of my country today. Thank you all for being such awesome people.

UK Prime Minister Threatens To Cut Aid To Homophobic Countries

Hey gays, here's another step up the UK have made this week: Prime Minister David Cameron seems to have explicitly stated that he will "cut aid to countries who refuse to overturn their bans on homosexuality."

Cameron, who has in the past been dubbed homophobic himself, seems to have changed his attitude completely - and the Ugandan Government are already furious.

As homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda and the majority of other African countries, this could be a huge threat to their continent. However, the fact that Mr. Cameron is standing up for gay rights on a worldwide scale appears to be one of the best things he's done for the country.

Furthermore, although he once said that legalizing gay marriage was not an option, there have now been several reports implying that Cameron wishes to make same-sex marriage legal by the year 2015.

Personally, I did not support him in the last UK election, but it seems that I am changing my mind about him. I wouldn't consider myself a Conservative party member, yet it is clear that Cameron's intentions are positive for the LGBTQ community.

Now we just have to see whether he lives up to his word...

What do you gays think about Cameron and how do you think he will go about handling these issues in the future?

My Weekly Girlcrush.

Okay, there are 2 things to clear up before I start.

1) I'd choose none of the women I mention in this new weekly post over my girlfriend.

2) My yearly Top 20 Gorgeous Ladies is coming up, so I'm just going to choose random people each week that I often find myself crushing on, rather than listing my FAVOURITE ladies.

Now that's out of the way...

Let me introduce you to Adele.

I get it, you don't need to be introduced to her. Everyone knows her.

Not only is she one of the UK's best homegrown talents, she's now absolutely huge in the US.

Her full name is actually Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, but she doesn't need those extra names. She's now one of those pop stars who don't need a last name. (Think Britney, Madonna, Cher, Christina...) Adele is Adele and that's why I love her.

Not only does she have an amazing voice, her song-writing abilities are tremendous. Her current album, 21, peaked at number 1 in over 10 countries. That's a lot of albums sold. Her first album, 19, has sold more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States alone. And she's only 21.

What I really love about Adele, however, is who she's stepped away from the regular 'conventional' pop star exterior. Everyone thinks of a pop star as a stick thin, semi-naked blonde with a wild side and a wild upbringing. (Again, think Britney...) But Adele is far from that.

Anyone who tells me that Adele is 'fat' has another thing coming. She's not obese, she's not 'chubby', she's REAL. Real women don't look like popstars. Think of the last woman you were sat in a room with. Did she look like Nicole Sherzinger? Nope, didn't think so.

Another positive: she has a super pretty face. I mean, she's really easy on the eye. Her lips, her eyes, all beautiful. She's cute.

So Adele, you're my first Weekly Girlcrush. You make me happy, your music makes me sad, but I love you all the same.

Britain's Favourite Lesbians

Today, Britain's favourite 'lesbians', Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson) will appear inside and on the front cover of UK lesbian magazine, Diva.

The Coronation Street pair give an interview, revealing their own lady crushes and what exactly they think of their characters.

Of course, all of this comes with super cute pictures. This being my favourite so far:

So make sure to pick up the magazine if you kinda love them like I do.

Also, the couple are currently going through a rough patch on the show. Sad times.

Check out this video promo for Friday's episode:

Keep up with Sophie & Sian by watching Corrie on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays on ITV1.

A Coronation lesbian?

I've never really been a big fan of any soap operas. However, this week in the UK newspaper 'The Daily Star' there have been claims that a lesbian character is going to be introduced into the cast.

As I said, I was never really a big fan, but if the rumors are true, maybe I should start taking time out to watch a couple of episodes.

There's no news about which characters the new cast member will be romantically involved with, but I will keep you updated. Here's just hoping it's one of the more eligible bachelorettes, rather than Blanche Hunt. (Played by Patricia Cutts.)