EILE Magazine March 2017 (Vol. 4, Issue 9)

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Magazine V4 Issue 09 - March 2017

Elaine May Sleeplust Scott De BuitlĂŠir wrltes on his

Icelandic Idyll XFactor Review

Inside:

Paul Middleton

Travel | Film | Fashion |Health | News

EILE Magazine | Who’s Who

Contributors

M. Butler M. Butler is a writer and editor, with a keen interest in human rights, and has studied philosophy and psychology Scott De Buitléir Scott is founder and Editor-at-Large of EILE Magazine. He is also a writer and broadcaster, originally from Dublin but presently based in Nottingham Lisa Reynolds Originally from Co. Meath, Lisa is a fashion industry student, now living in Bray, Co Wicklow, with a great interest in media and celebrity Brian Rochford Brian has studied health, exercise, and nutrition, with a special interest in controlling pain in rheumatism and arthritis Brian Rochford has also written our fashion article this month Letitia Stein Letitia works with trust.org - a division of Reuters Frances Winston Frances Winston is EILE’s resident film buff, and has contributed to many other publications such as The Irish Independent and Irish Tatler

EILE Magazine

EILE Magazine | Welcome

Highlights March 2017 Concerts - P.28 and 38 Lisa Reynolds reviews the latest X Factor Tour Concert, and we have news about Broadway & Beyond, a new music and dinner night, hosted by Bunny O’Hare

Icelandic Idyll - P. 18 Scott De Buitléir tells us about his recent trip to Iceland, and gives some advice on where to go for the cheapest pint

Health & Ageing - P.44 Brian Rochford tells us how stay healthy as we get older

Music - Pps.6,10,15, 31,32,34 Our musical guests this month are Sleeplust, Elaine May, Paul Middleton, Portugal The Man, Charli XCX, and Stunt Lover

Fashion P.24 Brian Rochford looks at women’s essential summer fashion and accessories

Volume 4, Issue 09 Editor-at-Large: Scott De Buitléir Editor: MKB Contributors: M. Butler, Scott De Buitléir, MKB, Lisa Reynolds, Brian Rochford, Letitia Stein, Frances Winston Photographers: Scott De Buitléir, Shabnam Ferdowsi, Matthew Rennie NB: All images in this publication are either under Creative Commons licence, or used with permission. Image credits, where necessary, are printed on the corresponding page(s) or photo(s). Any queries can be made to hello@eile.ie Special Thanks to MKB for all her hard work, dedication and support.

Web: http://eile.ie Contact: hello@eile.ie Twitter: @EILEMagazine Facebook: http://fb.com/eilemagazine Note: All opinions expressed in this issue are the writers’ own.

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…plus film reviews, news, and much, much more!

EILE Magazine

EILE Magazine | Editor’s Letter

Contents 6-

Sleeplust

10 -

Elaine May

15 -

Paul Middleton

18 -

Icelandic Idyll

24 -

Summer Fashion

28 -

X Factor Review

31 -

Portugal.The Man

32 -

Charli XCX

34 -

Stunt Lover

38 -

Broadway & Beyond

40 -

Travel Caribbean+

42 -

Travel Ultimate USA

44 -

Ageing & Health

46 -

LGBTQ Botanists

48 -

Frances On Film

plus World LGBT News, Views, Arts, Entertainment etc

EILE March 2017 Edition!

Welcome to the March issue of EILE Magazine We have a jam-packed EILE issue for you this month.

Our musical guests for March are LA based band, Sleeplust, Irish singer/ songwriter Elaine May, Portugal The Man, Charli XCX, trans-fronted band Stunt Lover, and Paul Middleton, who has just released a new single.

Brian Rochford writes on health and ageing , and Lisa Reynolds reviews the X Factor concert. Brian Rochford has also written our fashion feature for this issue. Our travel section features worldwide destinations, the Caribbean and USA east to west, and Frances Winston reviews some great films.

There is also an article by myself, Scott, about my recent trip to Iceland.

Don’t forget Béar Féile is on this weekend, and Bunny O’Hare hosts Broadway & Beyond, a new music and dinner extravaganza, booking now.

We also have lots of world LGBT news and entertainment, so sit back and enjoy this March 2017 issue of EILE Magazine!

Scott De Buitléir Founder / Editor-at-Large

EILE Magazine EILE Magazine

See our film reviews

by Frances Winston

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Sleeplust

Four-piece LA-based band, Sleeplust, OVER, and are excited to have an alb

The new single, OVER, from LA-based band, Sleeplust, is a beautiful b and guitar, which will linger with you for

Sleeplust is the brainchild of twin brothers, Michael Pepe and Joseph Pepe, guitarist an EILE Magazine

Photographer: Matthew Rennie

, have just released their new single, bum on the way for Summer this year

ballad-style vocal, laid down over slow beats and melodic keyboards r awhile after it’s over (no pun intended!).

nd bassist respectively, and two female members, vocalist, Amber Ruthe, and EILE Magazine

drummer, Sarah Luffred.

Michael and Joseph come from a rock and electronic background, Sarah comes from a hip-hop background, and Amber from an electronic and postpunk perspective. It’s no wonder then that the band’s sound is so full and original.

Michael and Joseph hail from Charlotte, NC, Sarah comes from Cleveland, OH, and Amber, from Milwaukee, WI. What they didn’t know before getting together was, that around the same time in 2015, the

four members had moved to Los Angeles to pursue their musical careers, and would cross paths many times before coming together. It’s a good thing they did, because their different backgrounds have enriched the band’s musical style.

Also without knowing it, the current lineup of the band has been in the same place, at the same time, long before they would come together for this new material.

In late 2015, Amber had attended a SLEEPLUST show in Hollywood, at Boardners, which prompted her to search

SLEEPLUST: Mike Pepe, Sarah Luffred, Amber Ruthe and Joey Pepe Photo by Shabnam Ferdowsi

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out a similar band to get involved with. However, a couple of months later, when looking for a new vocalist, Joseph ended up answering her online post completely by chance. The band has been writing and performing ever since.

Sleeplust has released two EPs, their debut SelfTitled EP, and its followup remix EP, Remixes.

These two EPs have earned over one million plays, with tracks from both being featured on television shows such as The Real World, Bad Girls Club, and Total Bellas.

Photographer: Matthew Rennie

OVER is their latest single, and the band are on track to release an album for Summer 2017.

Well worth a listen!

Cover Art for Over

-MKB You can visit Sleeplust at : www.sleeplustmusic.com www.facebook.com/sleeplustmusic/ twitter.com/sleeplustmusic/ and download their music at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ sleeplust/id1052430969

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Elaine May

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Elaine May “I adored ‘Sheets’ when I heard it, and wanted to add another dimension to the vocal and emphasise the pain and loss in the track” This month, we feature Irish artist, Elaine Mai, in our music section. Elaine has been gaining a name for herself in the music world for atmospheric and melodic electronic music over the years. Her upcoming release sees her continue her exploration into remixing by re-imagining Liza Flume’s track Sheets. It showcases her skill for lilting harmonies and storytelling through rhythm and repetition.

Since starting out as a solo performer in 2011, Irish artist Elaine Mai has been crafting a reputation for atmospheric and melodic electronic music.

Her latest single ‘Enniscrone’, released in late 2016, is a drifting instrumental track. Her upcoming release sees her continue her exploration into remixing by reimagining Liza Flume’s track ‘Sheets’. It showcases her skill for lilting harmonies and storytelling through rhythm and repetition.

The video for the track was directed by Bob Gallagher who is well known for his award winning music videos for Girl Band. He also recently directed a powerful human rights campaign video for Transgender EU. His video for Elaine Mai’s remix of ‘Sheets’ compliments the intimacy of the track, depicting a moving portrayal of the disintegration of a relationship.

Elaine says: ‘From the first time I heard Liza sing, I knew I wanted to work with her one day. I adored ‘Sheets’ when I heard it, and wanted to add another dimension to the vocal and emphasise the pain and loss in the track. I spoke to Bob about the possibility of doing a video and I was delighted when he came on board. He added another chapter to the story and all three of us are really happy with the end product, it’s something we’re very proud of’.

Bob recently directed a video for James Vincent McMorrow and is currently in Cuba making a short film under the mentorship of Werner Herzog. Liza has relocated to London and is currently back writing and recording with a full band, so expect more great things from her in the coming months.

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Since the release of her last EP in 2014, Elaine has been expanding upon her previous critically acclaimed live performances, experimenting with her live show as well as her approach to song-writing and production. A new single and EP will follow after this remix; ‘Sheets’ is just a taster of what’s to come.

Elaine launches her new EP, The Colour of the Night, in the Workmans, Dublin, on 5th May, and plays this year’s Body & Soul Festival at Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, Co. Westmeath, on the Summer Solstice weekend, June 23-25, 2017.

For more on Elaine, visit: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wRHsCARScopB5WmbQzMcy https://www.youtube.com/elainemaimusic https://twitter.com/elainemaimusic https://www.facebook.com/elainemaimusic/ http://www.elainemai.com

Cover Art for Sheets Remix

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Elaine May

“I adored ‘Sheets’ when I heard it, and wanted to add another dimension to the vocal and emphasise the pain and loss in the track”

All images courtesy of Elaine May

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Paul Middleton singer-songwriter, who has cowritten his latest single, Hanging In There

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Paul Middleton Strength through love is the message in the new release from singersongwriter, Paul Middleton International gay singer, Paul Middleton, has just launched a great new single, ‘HANGING IN THERE’, which was co-written by Paul himself.

It is the title track from the new motion picture, ‘Hanging in There’, the story of a man diagnosed with testicular cancer, and the effect that has on his relationships with his wife and friends.

Paul’s latest track provides an uplifting message that love will get you through the toughest of times.

One of our favourite artists, EILE Magazine featured Paul in our January 2015 edition, and he is a particularly popular with the gay community in Ireland.

Paul is a London-based singer with a uniquely beautiful voice.He has been singing for the last 15 years, and has developed a fan base all over the world, following performances around the UK, Ireland, USA, and Europe. He has performed at a variety of venues, including Parliament House in Orlando, Rockbar NYC in New York, and Trafalgar Square in London.

Paul has released two successful albums to date, ‘Covers 1 & 2’, which have been hugely successful. ‘HANGING IN THERE’ is his debut as a writer, and he has written a beautiful, empowering song which encourages us all to stay strong using the power of love to pull us through hard times.

Writing the track for a film about cancer is something that is close to Paul’s heart. After losing his mother to cancer when he was only 15 years old, he had a sense of helplessness as he was unable to do anything or help financially. Since then, he has used this loss as a source of strength, dedicating all his performances to his mother and donating the profits of his two albums to Cancer Research.

HANGING IN THERE was written by Paul Middleton and Lee Turner, and produced by Lee

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Turner.

Music Video directed and produced by Darren Scott and Matt Chamberlain.

HANGING IN THERE is available now on iTunes http://apple. co/2mOG2fL along with Paul’s past albums and singles.

Check out the music video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ sCmhdL9UXAA You can visit Paul at: Website: http://www. paulmmusic.com Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/ paulmiddletonofficial/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ PaulMmusic Instagram: https://www. instagram.com/paulmmusic/ Cover Art for Hanging In There

Above: EILE Cover for January 2015 url below: https://issuu.com/ eilemagazine/docs/eilejan2015

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Iceland - An Expensive but Worthwhile Idyll!

Scott De Buitléir writes about a recent expedition to the scenic Viking isle, surrounded by history and serenity The plan was relatively simple: Go away on holiday with my boyfriend and a group of our friends, take some time out from our busy lives to catch up with them, and enjoy some free time in a country which most of us had never been to.

from Keflavík to Reykjavík, the first of our spins in our new rented Icelandic car.

In fairness, the concept stayed simple enough, but nobody really expected how costly that simple idea would be – including my boyfriend, who had been some five years before.

Assuming that we’d go on a drive around the Icelandic countryside at some stage the following day, I decided to do a bit of light shopping: Some bread, pasta, milk, butter, Bolognese sauce, sliced ham, and a microwavable snack pot. The total came to 6,100ISK, which works out at roughly £45 (52 euro)!!! I may have ranted about prices for the rest of that evening, until we cracked open the drinks we bought at our respective airports’ Duty Free.

Still, our plan was to see Iceland, and everything was booked. We took turns to look for the ideal accommodation; wanting to hire an apartment on Airbnb to give ourselves a cosy, Icelandic home experience. We finally opted for Stay Apartments; a set of serviced holiday apartments on the corner of Einholt and Stórholt, in central Reykjavík. Free wifi, ideally located, and enough space to swing a small Icelandic horse: Perfect.

Getting there, however, was the first task.

After landing in Keflavík International Airport, we were met at the Arrivals hall and taken to the depot where our hire car was waiting for us. It was at that point that my boyfriend quickly reminded himself – and us in the process – that driving on the right side of the road can be a terrifying experience for someone from our part of the world! Bearings regained, we drove for roughly 45 minutes 18 EILE Magazine

Meeting the rest of our friends at the apartment, who had flown in from Belfast and Dublin, we settled in by unpacking and going to the local shops and supermarket. This, dear readers, is where you may experience just how pricey Iceland really is.

Soon, we decided to head out for a few drinks, and to check out Reykjavík at night. We ended up at The Drunk Rabbit, an Irish pub that isn’t as inauthentic as one may assume.

With a guitarist singing Irish folk songs, as the Guinness flowed alongside Viking (a local beer), we found a table upstairs to catch up, while a group of Danish tourists kept switching between arm-wrestling each other, and watching football on the projected big screen.

Tourists will definitely be drawn to this Irish bar, but be warned that a pint here will cost you 1,250ISK – roughly €10.45/£9! A tip:

Iceland Photo by Scott De BuitlĂŠir

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Don’t buy rounds in Iceland; it’s every man for himself, unless you’re really able to throw away your krónur. A cheaper option is the Dubliner, at a mere 1,100ISK (€9.30).

The following day was more city-based, as a group of us walked around the city and took in the sights. We walked to Harpa, the national concert hall and conference centre, designed by Ólafur Elíasson, and covered with angled glass to resemble a frozen honeycomb.

Inside the building, there were beautiful views over the city’s harbour, and to the mountains across the bay. After a bit of Indian food (where the starters alone cost about a tenner – standard here, sadly) we had a quiet night… well, apart from a single pint in Reykjavík, before walking home (because who can afford going on a wild one in Iceland!).

After a well-earned rest, we took off the next morning on our tour of the Golden Circle, a popular driving route, that takes in many areas of interest in western Iceland. The main spot is Þingvellir, Iceland’s national park (pronounced ‘thing-vit-lir’) and the country’s ancient location for its national assembly.

Many walking paths are laid out for visitors, ranging from short walks to more adventurous hikes, depending on your ability and intent. Thankfully, entry to Þingvellir is free – a rarity in this country – and there is a conservation centre, plus café and washrooms near the main entrance. Be warned: Entry to the toilets here (and in other national areas of interest) costs around 200-300ISK, roughly €3/£2.

Next, it was on to Geysir, which many may know as the regularly exploding water geyser.

This is the second main attraction along the Golden Circle, and again, free, although there’s a worthwhile shopping centre, restaurant, and café nearby. Some trivia: Geysir isn’t the one which spouts – that’s Strokkur, which is about 10 metres next to 20 EILE Magazine

Geysir. After some aquatic performances, and having seen enough for one day, we drove back to Reykjavík.

On our last full day, we decided to go swimming. Having realised that a pass to the Blue Lagoon would cost roughly £60/€75 per person, we opted to do what the locals do instead, and went to Laugardalslaug, an outdoor swimming pool complex with several heated pools, as well as an Olympic-sized pool for the more serious swimmer. It also had a water slide which was, frankly, the best thing ever. Yes, I am 29… what’s your point? An adult fee into Laugardalslaug costs roughly 1,600 ISK, so despite it being expensive for a swimming pool, it still beat the Blue Lagoon.

We spent roughly four hours relaxing in the water, and it was a definite highlight of the holiday.

Another highlight was a second visit to Harpa; this time, to see the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra rehearse. Yes, you read that right: Visitors are able to pay a reduced entry fee to watch the orchestra practice ahead of a ‘proper’ performance.

We managed to hear some beautiful performances of music by Beethoven, and even a tense moment when the conductor wasn’t happy with a musician – the drama!

Attending the rehearsal was ideal for us, as we got to see the concert hall ‘in action’ while a full performance was a little outside our budget limits.

The Friday we were set to leave was St. Patrick’s Day, and it was celebrated by randomly enjoying the Irish trad music playing on the sound system in Reykjavík Roasters, a gorgeous café on Stórholt, just opposite our apartment block. It turned out that one of the guys who works there is from Carrickfergus, so don’t let the café’s Nordic style put you off – you may hear some Ulster tones if you visit!

Before we made our way back to the airport to fly to London Luton, we drove out to take a short walk up one of the nearby mountains,

Photos by Scott De BuitlĂŠir

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Esjan. Any outdoor-types will adore the view from even a short way up the mountain, so bring your camera.

Overall, the experience we had in Iceland was incredible. There is a serenity to simply walking around Reykjavík that is hard to find elsewhere, and yet, there is so much to Iceland that would easily remind you of parts of Ireland (Connacht and the Aran Islands, especially).

LGBT travellers are as welcome as anyone else here, and despite there really being only one ‘queer bar’ – Kíkí, just off Laugardalsvag – in Reykjavík, I did notice a good few gay or lesbian couples in the other bars we visited.

Despite the fact that there’s only around 100,000 people living in Reykjavík, there’s very little visible homophobia around Iceland,

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but common sense should always prevail when travelling abroad.

As a fan of the Nordic countries, I adored my time in Iceland. It is, undoubtedly, shockingly expensive, however. While I would love to go back someday, I definitely have to save up for the next time – gimme a while!

Scott flew to Keflavík from London Luton with easyJet, who also fly to Iceland from Belfast International. WOWair flies to Keflavík from Dublin. Accommodation was booked via Airbnb.

For more information, visit http://www.visiticeland.com/plan-your-trip/ travel-to-iceland/fly-to-iceland/

Iceland - Photo by Scott De Buitléir

Some quick tips on travelling in Iceland: * Most Icelanders speak English, but it’s worthwhile to learn “Talarðu ensku?” (Do you speak English?), “Góðan Daginn” (Good day) and most importantly, “Takk fyrir” (Thanks a lot). * Tipping is mostly considered offensive to Icelanders; they get paid enough, and usually won’t accept a tip. * If you intend to drink, stock up at the Duty Free at your home airport. This will save you a lot of money! * If you’re cautious with your money, you can get away with a rough daily spending budget of £50/€60, but this will be after any food or transport costs. If you’re staying for a few days, look into a rental car.

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H&M

Sum

NOOKIE

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mmer Fashion Brian Rochford takes a look at women’s summer fashion and accessories Summer is coming (that’s the rumour anyway) so now is the time to find clothes and accessories that give some idea of your own particular style, while brightening up your wardrobe.

Since Summer brings an explosion of bold colors and vibrant patterns, this season’s trends are no different.

Pack away the dull duds, and winter boots, and clean out that closet to get yourself ready for some fun in the sun.

No matter who you are, or what designers you follow, these are the clothes and accessories that most women will reach for: * Slip into a dress A slip dress is a simple, elegant base layer that can be dressed up with accessories, and is a trend worth paying attention to. To get a high-fashion look, layer it with frilly undershirts and T-shirts. * Fancy your footwear If you’re anything like Carrie Bradshaw, the best way to dress up an outfit is with a pair of wedge sandals.

The right pair of wedges (like the Jimmy Choo and Ferragamo gold wedges below) can glam up your look, make your legs look longer, yet still allow you to move comfortably. If, however, you prefer shoes with little to no heel, you’ll be happy to know that flat-flats are in (think ballet slippers and gladiator sandals).

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* Glam up with glasses Choosing eyewear that’s not only stylish but functional can be difficult, and cheap sunglasses can do damage to the eyes. Transitions lenses are great because they block 100 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays and are available in nearly all prescriptions. They also come in a variety of colors that complement your personal style and frame choice. With one pair of lenses, your eyes will feel comfortable indoors or out, in bright light, low light and everything in between. (visit www.transitions.com). * Hottie hats As important as it is to get some natural vitamin D, too much sun is bad for the skin. A floppy hat like this Missoni is a great accessory, that lets you flaunt a style that fits your personality, get a little sun, but still protect yourself from harmful UV rays. * Bags of Fashion A statement bag is the perfect way to enhance your look. When choosing the right purse for your outfit, think luxe fabrics, contrasting textures, and bright patterns. Pair with a great pair of glasses to pull off a celebrity look.

Oh, and the best news is that cheaper versions of all of these designer fashions can be bought on the high street for a fraction of the cost. Have a great Summer!

Salvatore Ferragamo

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Jimmy Choo

Transitions

Longchamp

Jimmy Choo

missoni

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Review

THE X FACTOR CONCERT 3 Arena Dublin - March 2017

By Lisa Reynolds The annual X Factor Concert came to Dublin this month, and performing on the night were finalists from the show, winner Matt Terry, runner-up Saara Aalto, third place finalists, Five After Midnight, as well as other finalists from the ITV show, Emily Middlemas, Honey G, Ryan Lawrie, Sam Lavery, and Four of Diamonds.

It was a wonderful night. Finnish singer, Saara Aalto stole the show, with numbers such as Bjork’s It’s Oh So Quiet, Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, Abba’s The Winner Takes It All, Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend and Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule The World.

Saara has an amazing voice, and it echoed around the arena. She also gave a wonderful performance, with Sam and Emily, of Donna Summer’s (No More Tears) Enough Is Enough.

Matt Terry is also great live. He performed four numbers in the second act: Nina Simone’s I Put A Spell On You, his debut single, written by Ed Sheeran, When Christmas Comes Around, Sam Smith’s The Writing’s On The Wall, and, in particular, an excellent performance of Prince’s Purple Rain.

Sam Lavery also has a wonderful voice. Her performance of Earth Song by Michael Jackson was brilliant, while Five After Midnight did an excellent job with songs such as Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Fight The Feeling! and a mash-up of September and Boogie Wonderland

by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Five After Midnight are excellent dancers, with some very intricate moves, and were flipped 28 EILE Magazine

Saara Aalto

Sam and Evan Image: ichef.bbci.co.uk

over at one stage by the male dancers. There was also a Spice Girls duet between Five After Midnight and Four of Diamonds, which led into Five After Midnight’s performance of Beyoncé’s Crazy In Love.

Honey G also brought fun to the show, with numbers such as Men In Black, and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, by Will Smith, and her debut single, The Honey G Show.

Other memorable moments from the show include Emily Middlemas singing Radiohead’s Creep, Ryan Lawrie singing Twist & Shout by The Beatles, and Four of Diamonds singing Lorde’s Royals, as well as brilliant group numbers, including the final group number, when Matt joined them for Fleur East’s Sax. All in all, a great night out.

Attended by more than three million people so far, The X Factor Live Tour has been one of the most successful annual arena tours in the UK & Ireland for the last 12 years.

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Ray Davies

John Gourley of Portugal The Man 30 EILE Magazine

‘Portugal. The Man’ Release Feel It Still Groove/soul/grind band, ‘Portugal. The Man’, has a new album coming out called Woodstock, and has released the first single from the album, called Feel It Still, a really catchy, dance rhythm yet full sound track.

Band members are John Baldwin Gourley, Zachary Scott Carothers, Kyle O’Quin, and Jason Sechrist, hailing from Wasilla, Alaska and Portland Oregon.

The Atlantic recording group has partnered with global creative agency Wieden+Kennedy to launch the interactive companion video for Feel It Still, the first single from their long-awaited new album, Woodstock, which the band talks about below.

coming together in a way we haven’t seen in decades” commented Wieden+Kennedy Creative Director, Jason Kreher.

“We loved the idea of presenting the apathetic, decadent rebel just for kicks from the song against a hidden message of resistance… you know, like a ‘this is for the people out there who are still feeling something; here is a real, practical laundry list of ways you can get out there and fight injustice.’”

Feel It Still is available at all DSPs and streaming services: https://atlantic.lnk. to/fitptmID Visit: http://portugaltheman.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ portugaltheman

“We worked with so many rad people on this album, but ended up with just the four of us in a basement at 4am trying to say something that mattered. Trying to write music that would help people feel they’re not alone, even if they’re angry or feeling lost. This video is our way of saying that we’re all in this together” said John Gourley, lead singer.

“This project came at an interesting time where music and culture and politics are

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CHARLI XCX Unveils Her Brand New Mixtape “Number 1 Angel” Pop trailblazer, Charli XCX, has unveiled details of her new mixtape “Number 1 Angel”, which is available now across all streaming services.

Charli exclusively unveiled some of her mixtape tracks on MistaJam’s BBC Radio 1 show, where “Number 1 Angel” was named their ‘Hottest Record’ – the first time ever for a mixtape!

Pulling in features from some of her favourite artists, including MØ, RAYE and Uffie, “Number 1 Angel” is the result of XCX’s studio time over the past month.

Recorded mainly at her LA home, and in the UK, XCX worked alongside A.G. Cook on the collection of 10 tracks, with further production coming from SOPHIE, Easy FX (A.G. Cook + EASYFUN), John Hill, Life Sim and Danny L Harle.

1. Dreamer feat. Starrah and RAYE 2. 3AM (Pull Up) feat. MØ 3. Blame It On U 4. Roll With Me 5. Emotional 6. ILY2 7. White Roses 8. Babygirl feat. Uffie 9. Drugs feat. Abra 10. Lipgloss feat. CupcakKe Number 1 Angel Tour Dates: 2nd April San Francisco Rickshaw On Sale Now At https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/ 1448530?utm_medium=bks 12th April New York (Le) Poisson Rouge On Sale Now http://lpr.com/lpr_events/charli-xcx-april12th-2017/

The mixtape is a further example of Charli’s genre-defying vision, and forward-thinking approach to pop culture, drawing inspiration from an array of life experiences and underground sounds.

20th April London Jazz Café (Annie Mac Presents) On Sale Now http://www.gigsandtours.com/tour/ampcollected/

To celebrate the release, XCX will be playing select shows across the globe, in New York, San Francisco, London, and Paris (full dates below).

22nd April Paris Les Étoiles On Sale Now http://www.livenation.fr/artist/charli-xcxtickets

Charli XCX is currently in the studio working on her third studio album.

(Available now on streaming services)

Number 1 Angel Tracklisting:

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Don’t Miss ‘Stunt Lover’ At The Grand Social Dublin 2nd April!

Stunt Lover are playing at the Grand Social!

This Dublin-based, trans-fronted band really pack a punch, and are playing at the Grand Social in Dublin, on Sunday 2nd April.

The band members are lead singer and guitarist, Kaylee Bear, San Peric and Al Soldati, and they include Nick Cave, Royal Blood, Tom Waits, and Violent Femmes among their influences.

Admission is FREE (or you can pay what you want at the door) and doors are at 8 pm. Also on the bill that night are two new bands, Fade to Light and Sommersault.

For more you can visit them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/stuntlovermusic/

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Béar Féile 2017 - 30th March to 2nd April!

Thank Bridie’s it’s Béar Féile, With El Styra. Bridie’s Bar, The George, Dublin Trad session in Jack Nealon’s Pub, With DJ Aggie FUR @ Adelphi with DJ El Styra / DJ Steodub Sing Out featuring the Dublin Gay Men’s Chorus in Oscars Cafe Bar, Christchurch, Dublin, With Shane & DJ Aggie Mr Bear Ireland Competition, with Annie Balls, featuring The Hee Bee Bee Gees & DJ Corky @ Button Factory George Michael Tribute @ Panti Bliss / Pantibar With DJ Gerry Moore Bear Bingo in The George Bar, George’s Street, Dublin The Bear Bus Tour is a fully guided tour of Dublin City on Saturday morning for just €10 http://www.dublinbears.ie

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LIVE IN CONCERT - Broadway and Beyond In Dublin With ‘Songs of Disney’!

A NEW MUSICAL THEATRE NIGHT and DINNER ‘BROADWAY AND BEYOND’ singing Songs of Disney Broadway & Beyond is a concert Series dedicated to showcasing Ireland’s current stars, and most promising up-and-coming talent, in a new, fun, and fresh way!

Guest stars from West End and Broadway.

Hosted by Rory Hughes along with Nightlife sensation Bunny O’Hare. Guest Star on the night is Brian Gilligan from The Commitments.

Doors 7 pm, seated for dinner at 7.15 pm, Dinner at 7.30 pm, show at 9 pm Friday May 26th Tickets from www.eventbrite.ie - Dinner and Show €60, Show Only €25 Venue: Number Twenty Two South Anne Street, Dublin 2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlb3E1PDVSEVE1wu_ HAWEg

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Travel

Spectacul dest

Are you itching to book your 2017 getaway to give you something to look forward to? Travelmood have put together a list of fantastic sale deals - available for a limited time only!

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ota Resort & Spa on a B&B basis EILE Magazine 41

Travel

The Ultimate USA East To West Tour To celebrate the launch of their new website and travel blog, American Holidays have put together an amazing, once-off itinerary that will let you experience every unique aspect of the USA. Based over fifty days, the wonderful trip of a lifetime will take in all of the fantastic sites that America has to offer, from east coast to west.

The journey begins in historic Boston, on the east coast, where you’ll wind your way through several states, taking in all the remarkable sights and sounds that the USA has to offer. You’ll travel cross-country to close the trip, with your grand finale in cool San Francisco.

Highlights include:

City life USA with Boston, New York, & Washington Florida Sunshine in Orlando (Universal) & Miami Music Trail in the South with New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville then it’s The Blues in Chicago!

Neon to Nature in Las Vegas including a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon Desert Sunshine in Palm Springs California Beaches with San Diego, Laguna and Santa Monica Surfing USA in Huntington Beach Driving Pacific Coast Highway 101 taking in the beautiful Wine Region of Santa Barbara, Morro Bay and Monterey Grand Finale in San Francisco Price: Best of the U.S. from East to West Tour from €9,070pp.

Price includes: Flights from Dublin to Boston, all internal flights, trains and bus fares, car hire, accommodation, taxes and charges.

For a full itinerary, go to: 42 EILE Magazine

https:// deal/bes

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You can American Holidays to book on 01 673 3804 or call into their office just off Grafton Street - 18- 19 Duke Street, Dublin 2, where the staff will help you plan the holiday of a lifetime.

For more information visit www.americanholidays. com.

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Health

AGEING AND HEALTH Brian Rochford writes about how to ensure we stay healthy as we age Feeling good, and staying strong and healthy is very valuable no matter what age we are. However, as we get older, is can become even more important.

As we age, we have to deal with new physical, mental, and emotional challenges and changes. The way we approach these changes is central to our remaining healthy and strong. It is very important to counteract any negative experiences and obstacles, with an optimistic attitude, and a positive plan for a healthy future.

As we desire to age in a positive healthy way, it is essential to adopt an open mental attitude. It requires that we look for new interests, and activities that we might enjoy, like getting involved in an active way socially and physically.

As we age, we can become stressed about the future, so it is very important that we focus on maintaining our physical, mental, and emotional health.

It is worth remembering that old age does not necessarily mean bad health. Many people as they get older experience good health and energy, while in contrast, there can be considerable numbers of young people suffering poor health. Simply dealing with our stress levels effectively, plus exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet, could minimise the chance of chronic illness in later life.

Many complain that, as we get older, we find it harder to remember things. We may experience difficulty in recalling and retrieving information. Training our brains, and developing our learning skills, for example with crosswords, can help to sharpen our memory, and keep us more alert mentally. As our brains are still developing and adapting to new environments, it is essential to recognise that we have the capacity, and the ability, to adapt to these changes.

Another key element in staying healthy as we age is maintaining our emotional health. It is

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important to take care of our physical wellbeing, as the state of our physical health can strongly impact on our emotional state. Again, in this area, we can really benefit from a good healthy diet, plenty of physical exercise if possible, and don’t forget that simply getting a good night’s sleep can help us feel better emotionally.

Mental health is a priority with the World Health Organisation, which states “there is no health without mental health”. Mental health can be interpreted in many ways by many different people. Mental health is not only about not having any serious mental issues.

In general, it can simply be how we feel about ourselves, and our day-to-day lives. It can be how we cope with our relationships, and our environment. Experiences that we have throughout the day can have a positive or negative effect on us.

There are a number of practical things that we can to help maintain and improve our mental wellbeing. Relaxation is extremely beneficial in reducing mental anxiety, and stress. It is also important that we get a sufficient amount of sleep.

Eating a good nutritious diet, and taking certain vitamins and minerals, like B vitamins and magnesium and selenium, can boost your mental energy. A daily exercise routine, and getting some fresh air can help lift our mood, and stimulate the little grey cells.

Reading positive material can be helpful also.

Often when we read about how some people have overcome their difficulties, it can inspire us to think and feel differently about ourselves, and our circumstances.

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LGBTQ Botanists, Horticulturalists and Gardeners With spring having arrived for many of us, our attention turns to nature and gardening. There is a notable presence of the LGBTQ community in the professions of botany, horticulture and gardening.

Botany, the study of plants and their place in evolution, which is a part of the science of biology, is an exploratory discipline that evolved with the great scientific revolution heralded by Sir Francis Bacon, who was gay, in the sixteenth century. With the opening of new worlds came the exciting prospect of discovering new plant species and their uses, unknown to the developed world at the time.

Of course, the concept of gardening and horticulture developed well before the founding of Botany. However, gardening in early eras generally referred to methods of food production, and the propagation of herbs, believed to be contributors to health and medical cures.

The first botanic gardens, or gardens devoted specifically to the scientific study of plants, were the physics gardens of Italy in the sixteenth century. The first known botanical garden was the garden of the University of Pisa, created in 1543.

Eventually, this would lead to separate institutions, and schools of agriculture and plant research, and botanical gardens would become more places of research, focused on pleasure and the study of conservation.

Today, gardening, botany, and horticulture are vast professions that still encompass many of these historical pursuits, but have also come to include aesthetic, artistic, and cultural pleasure as well.

There is a well-developed professional aspect that now incorporates landscape design, garden design, nursery management, plant species development, and environmental research. Accompanying this professional network is the cultural and educational aspects of garden writing, journalism, and painting.

The field now encompasses scientists, artists, writers, and the everyday person involved in a leisurely pursuit.

Not surprisingly, there is a close link between the horticultural world and the fields of

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Sir Francis Bacon

architecture and environmental activism.

LGBTQ participation in the field has been well-represented, and fundamental to the many changes that have occurred over time.

Already noted is Bacon as the founder of the field of scientific study, and the Prussian, Alexander Von Humboldt, is the founder of the field of geography. More recently, Americans, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, are the visionary individuals who created the concept for the famed and revolutionary High Line Garden, in New York City, which has completely altered the concept of urban gardens today.

You can see a list of notable LGBTQ individuals in this area, at Queerbio.com.

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The Secret Scripture

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Frances Winston on Movies Directed by: Jim Sheridan – Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Rooney Mara, Eric Bana, Theo James, Jack Reynor, Aidan Turner, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Given its subject matter, about a pregnant woman who is institutionalised in the 40s, and told that she killed her baby after giving birth, you could be forgiven for thinking that director, Jim Sheridan, completely has his finger on the pulse.

However, this movie is actually based on a 2008 book, so the timing of the release so close to the Tuam babies scandal, is pure coincidence, although it is probably one that will affect its showing at the box office. No doubt some people will find it a difficult watch in light of recent events, while others will hope to find a sense of catharsis through watching it.

Vanessa Redgrave plays the older version of Rose, the aforementioned woman, and Rooney Mara takes on the part for the flashback scenes.

Rose has committed her story to her diary, which is the pages of her bible, writing over and around the text, creating own secret scripture. When the institution she has resided in

for fifty odd years is closing, management want her out, and employ Dr Greene (Bana) to try and convince her that leaving is for the best.

in Ireland I think we have such an awareness of the horrors inflicted on innocent women and children in these institutions, that we try to seek out some answers wherever we However, Rose refuses to go, as can – even in a movie like this. she doesn’t believe her baby is dead, and has spent her entire The problem is though, that time there clinging to the hope it shouldn’t be sweet, and this that they will be reunited. As movie is. Sheridan has instilled she shares the story of how it with ‘Irish charm’, which she succumbed to her sorry would be great if it wasn’t fate, it becomes clear that she supposed to be such a brutal fell victim to the religious and subject matter. For a director moral prejudices of the Ireland who hasn’t shied away from of her era. difficult subject matter, I felt he played it very safe here. The I actually saw this as part of focus is more on Rose’s love IFTA screening season, just story, than the injustice and after the Tuam Babies scandal hardship she has suffered. broke, so it was probably somewhat more affecting This was a missed opportunity than it would be in usual to highlight the horrors circumstances. Stepping back suffered by the women who from that, and in the cold light were condemned to these of day, I can see that this is far hellholes. Indeed author of the from perfect. source material, Barry, based Rose on a real woman, who Many of the characters are was sent to an institution for completely underdeveloped no apparent reason.

(James’ character, Father Gaunt, is a case in point) some It is a nice film, and boasts (especially Vaughan-Lawlor’s) some lovely performances, are played almost as caricature, but it never really makes a and there are numerous plotstatement, and, given what we holes in the script. Many of the know as fact, that makes it feel accents are terrible (seriously a bit lacking.

– when will moviemakers get the Irish accent right) and you Definitely worth a look, but not can actually see the conclusion nearly as deep or insightful as coming a mile away. it should have been.

This hasn’t been warmly received everywhere, but

In Cinemas March 24th!

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Frances Winston on Movies continued...

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts – Starring: Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, John Goodman, Toby Kebbell, Cory Hawkins, John C. Reilly You may have noticed that there is no “King” in this title.

That’s obviously because we all know that King Kong was killed in New York in the 30s, so obviously this is his first cousin, or some other distant relation, who shares the family name.

That said, they go to great lengths to inform us that he is king of the titular Skull Island – a place that has somehow managed to pretty much stay off-radar until 1973.

However, when a motley crew of misfits, comprising both military and civilian contractors, are employed to accompany representatives of a mysterious agency called Monarch to the uncharted territory, you just know they will end up wishing it had stayed undiscovered. Or else it would be a very short movie.

Sure enough, when Kong spies their helicopters hovering above his home, he starts swatting them like flies. Don’t panic though – all the A-List stars are in one helicopter, and the B-List in another, so you can pretty much predict which ones aren’t going to survive the crash-landing (hint it’s the zlist and unknown actors!)

Anyhow, having crash-landed, and finding themselves divided into separate groups, they must try and make their way off the island. Thankfully, they had employed a tracker in the form of Tom Hiddleston’s James Conrad. Apparently, he has a mysterious SAS past, and all that training clearly taught him that when entering uncharted jungle territory, where you could encounter all sorts of nasties, all you need is a pistol and a tight t-shirt, as well as your trusty lighter, handed down from your father.

Clearly Brie Larson’s photographer character, Mason Weaver, undertook the same training course, as she enters the hot, sticky, and unforgiving jungle wearing nothing but a white vest top, and her camera, with not even a jacket in which to carry spare batteries and film (although she seems to have plenty).

She also has the foresight to be a brunette, clearly having heard that Kong has a thing for blondes, and as such she doesn’t find herself the object of his affections, which is just as well, as she and James do seem to have designs on each other.

The various groups all soon discover that Kong is the least of their worries. They’re helped in this revelation by John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow, who has spent 28 years on the island, having been shot down over it during WWII. He’s still just the right side of sane, and tells them all they need to know about the mysterious location.

As James and Mason come to respect and understand Kong, Samuel L Jackson’s Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard isn’t nearly so understanding. After all, that great ape killed his men. So of course he has to seek revenge.

If this all sounds like bonkers fun, that’s because it is. From the off, this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously.

This owes much to the 1933 version, and there are plenty of homages, from the look of Kong, to a scene where he finds himself wrapped in chains, reminiscent of how he breaks free in Radio City Music Hall in the earlier flick. There are also plenty of homages to other movies, and geeks will find this a veritable smorgasbord of references.

For those not so nerdilyinclined, there is still plenty to enjoy here if you are just looking for a rip-roaring fun monster-movie, with a smattering of nostalgia thrown in.

It doesn’t have the heart of the original – or indeed of the Peter Jackson remake – and this Kong feels more like a big rage-monster than the more sensitive soul portrayed in the other two movies, but who cares? This is a lot of fun, and is a thoroughly entertaining two hours.

In Cinemas Now!

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Frances Winston on Movies continued...

Directed by: Bill Condon – Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson There is always a buzz and excitement around a Disney movie.

They don’t do openings – they do events. However, even by their standards, this has been hugely anticipated. Perhaps only the Star Wars movies (which also fall under their banner) have been more anticipated in recent years.

This live-action remake of the 1991 animated classic could easily have been a case of style over substance.

After all, they’ve cast fashion icon and Harry Potter alum, Emma Watson, in the lead role of Belle, and Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as the eponymous Beast.

They have also introduced a gay character, which I appreciate could be seen as tokenism within the community, and may be a bit offputting for some. However, Josh Gad’s LeFrou is not in your face, and his sexuality is handled subtly, as should be the case.

If you’re not familiar with the story, a handsome but selfish prince is cursed to live as a hideous beast, until he can find someone to love who loves him in return.

Just to complicate things, his fate is being timed by a withering rose, and when the last petal falls, he will be condemned to his fate forever. Mind you, he’s not alone – all his servants also fell under the spell, and were transformed into household objects, such as Lumière (McGregor) who was transformed into a candelabra, and

Mrs Potts (Thompson) who is now a teapot, alongside her son, Chip, who was turned into a cup.

uncomfortable in the couple of scenes where he is acting without his hirsute security blanket.

They look after Beast as time ticks away, and hope grows ever fainter.

That is, until an artist called Maurice (Kline) finds himself lost, and arrives at the palace.

Imprisoned by Beast, he is rescued when his daughter Belle sacrifices herself, and agrees to remain there in his place.

Kline is wonderful as Maurice, and Luke Wilson, as baddie, Gaston, is a swaggering vain delight. It’s actually hard to be repelled by him as he is so charismatic (online fans put that far less politely – I can’t even allude to what they felt towards him here).

So far so fairytale, and like all stories of this sort, it is indeed magical. Disney have done an amazing job capturing the world of the animated movie. All the household objects are wonderfully imagined, and at no point appear to be CGI – you will be totally enchanted by them. Obviously, a huge part of this is down to the amazing actors who are lending them their voices, but it is also a testament to the talents of the animators.

In terms of the live-action actors, Watson does indeed make a beguiling Belle, having that girl next door rosebud-like beauty, coupled with an inner steeliness.

And she is also a fine actress. Her singing voice may not quite be on a par with that of Paige O’Hara, who voiced Belle in the original.

Or even with that of Amy Adams, who was a revelation playing a Disney princess trapped in the real world in Enchanted. However, she holds a tune, and between that, and the magic they can perform in the recording studio, it works. Just don’t expect any epic high notes a la Let It Go from Frozen.

Steven’s spends much of the movie hidden behind the Beast’s furry façade, and I have to say that this was where I warmed to him most.

He manages to convey a huge amount through just his voice, and I actually felt he looked a bit

The cinematography is amazing, as are the sets and locations. Since they are bringing an animation to life, everything is larger than life, and even if you watched this with no sound, you would be stunned by how lovely it looks.

And, of course, there are the songs.

The original score is there, and may have new singers, but the music is just as wonderful and timeless as ever. A real highlight is Be Our Guest, where the animators really get to go to town turning every item in the castle into a chorus dancer, and creating a kaleidoscope of colour and wonder.

Obviously, Beauty and the Beast is a family film, but it is OK to go and see it just on your own, or with your partner. You don’t need to bring children with you to appreciate this film.

I’m not surprised that this is pretty close to flawless (although there are some continuity and costume errors that I won’t point out) given the budget and backing that it had.

But budget and backing cannot create heart and emotion where there is none, and this has it in spades.

Extremely enjoyable and moving, this really is a tale as old as time, that still resonates today.

In Cinemas Now! EILE Magazine 53

Stonewall Scotland’s Education Conference returns this year for its 3rd year. This year the conference will be held in Glasgow for the first time, on Friday 26 May 2017.

This one-day CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accredited event brings together teachers, education professionals, and communities from across Scotland, to discuss tackling homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying, and celebrating difference, through a series of interactive workshops, keynote speeches and panel discussions. The details for the event are as follows:

Date: Friday 26 May 2017 Time: 9am – 4pm Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Glasgow, 301 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL The event is for:

Teachers Education support staff and professionals Third Sector organisations Local authorities All individuals interested in inclusive education There are 8 sessions, and the first session covers:

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Stonewall Scotland Education Conference 2017

Schools understanding and adhering to best practice, knowing that effective policies embed equality and inclusion in the bedrock of their school ethos and culture, while allowing staff to better support their students in a range of ways. This session will look at how staff and policy makers in schools can ensure that their LGBT students are supported and diversity and inclusion are recognised.

For more information about the Education Conferences, you can email education@ stonewallscotland.org.uk or visit: http://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/events/stonewall-scotland-educationconference-2017

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Maspalomas Gay Pride 2017 – Official 2017 ProGay Parties Maspalomas 2017, 10th and 11th May, T-Dance and Wet & White Parties!

T-Dance: Wednesday 10th of May, 2017 Since 2009, the most popular party at Maspalomas Gay Pride is the T-Dance.

Last year was the first time in Maspalomas Gay Pride history, that an event was sold out during pre-sale, for both T-Dance and Wet & White!

Located just 5 minutes away from the ‘Yumbo Center’, you can find the fantastic Aqua Ocean Club, next to the Meloneras Beach, an open air venue with amazing sound system, large dance floor, VIP Tables and sea-view from the party.

Superstar DJ Steven Redant, who plays all over the world, and Sharon O’Love, one of the most beloved DJs within the LGBT community, will be spinning the discs.

Also featuring is ProGay resident DJ PK80, who has been part of T-Dance since the beginning, and is a true local star on Gran Canaria!

Tickets to the T-Dance at: http://www.gaypridemaspalomas.com/product/t-dance-2/ And the next day’s party is The Wet & White Party, with DJ Micky Friedmann, Sharon O’Love and PK80, on Thursday 11th May, 2017, voted on social media as the best 2016 Maspalomas Pride party!

Tickets to the Wet & White at: http://www.gaypridemaspalomas.com/product/wet-white-2/

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SOUTH DAKOTA WAS FIRST STATE THIS YEAR TO ENACT ANTI-LGBT LEGISLATION South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard made South Dakota the first state this year to enact antiLGBT legislation, following the signing of S.B. 149, which permits taxpayerfunded agencies to deny services to LGBT people, authorizing discrimination through the use of religious exemptions.

With the signing of S.B. 149, the legislation became the first this year in a series of anti-LGBT bills advancing in state legislatures across the country. “[The] signing of S.B. 149 is deeply troubling not only because it opens the door to widespread discrimination against LGBT people and children in South Dakota, but because it’s only one of many bills moving through state legislatures across the country that authorizes taxpayer58 EILE Magazine

funded discrimination against LGBT Americans” said James Esseks, director of ACLU’s LGBT Project.

“These laws run contrary to one of our core American values: the rule of law, which means we are all held to and protected by the same laws. These exemptions encourage people to pick and choose which laws they are going to follow based on their religious beliefs”.

While South Dakota becomes the first state in 2017 to enact antiLGBT legislation into law, other state legislatures across the country are aggressively pursuing similar measures, including Texas (S.B. 892 and H.B. 1805), Oklahoma (H.B. 1507), and Alabama (S.B. 145), among others.

“South Dakota just enacted the first antiLGBT legislation of 2017, shamefully targeting LGBT parents and vulnerable kids”

said Laura E. Durso, vicepresident of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress.

“S.B. 149 allows religiously-affiliated foster care and adoption agencies to turn away qualified LGBT parents and single moms who simply want to start families and give young people a safe, loving home. Same-sex couples are six times as likely to foster than different-sex couples are, and this bill proves once again that opponents of equality are happy to put children at risk and deny them permanent homes to further their anti-LGBT agenda”.

Local and national child welfare experts sent letters opposing S.B. 149, including The Adoption Exchange, Child Welfare League of America, National Association of Social Workers, and Voice for Adoption. This was in addition to family law experts, including

“Same-sex couples are six times as likely to foster than different-sex couples are, and this bill proves once again that opponents of equality are happy to put children at risk and deny them permanent homes to further their anti-LGBT agenda” South Dakota pediatricians, and local and national LGBT rights organizations including the Movement Advancement Project, the Human Rights Campaign, and more.

“We’re deeply disappointed by Governor Daugaard’s decision to green light Senate Bill 149” said Libby Skarin, policy director of the ACLU of South Dakota.

“This discriminatory legislation takes South Dakota in the wrong direction, and sends the message that our leaders are more concerned with the desires of religious agencies than the rights of individuals and children in our state.”

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Design: Anthony Zagariko, exclusively for EILE Magazine 60 EILE Magazine

Quality LGBT News and Features – Produced from Los Angeles Available via podcast on our website (thiswayout.org) or on iTunes, and on 200+ Radio Stations Worldwide!

thiswayout.org | Twitter: @TWORadio Overnight Productions (Inc.)/”This Way Out” Post Office Box 1065 Los Angeles, CA 90078 U.S.A. EILE Magazine 61

Transgender student, Gavin Grimm Photo: ACLU

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US Supreme Court Sends Transgender Gavin Grimm Case Back To Appeals Court The Supreme Court in the US has announced that it is sending a landmark transgender rights case back to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, to be reconsidered in light of the Departments of Justice and Education rescinding of a Title IX guidance clarifying protections for transgender students.

The action, in the case of high school student Gavin Grimm, means that the Supreme Court will not hear arguments on March 28 as originally scheduled. The case is Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. The lawsuit argues that the bathroom policy is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment, and violates Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination by schools.

The Fourth Circuit originally ruled in favor of Grimm, in his case challenging the Gloucester County School Board’s decision to force him to use a separate, single-stall restroom that no other student is required to use.

Joshua Block, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) LGBT Project, and lead counsel for Grimm, had the following reaction: “Nothing about [this] action changes the meaning of the law. Title IX and the Constitution protect Gavin and other transgender students from discrimination. While we’re disappointed that the Supreme Court will not be hearing Gavin’s case this term, the overwhelming level of support shown for Gavin and trans students by people across the country throughout this process shows that the American people have already moved in the right direction and that the rights of trans people cannot be ignored. This is a detour, not the end of the road, and we’ll continue to fight for Gavin and other transgender people to ensure that they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

For more information about this case, visit: https://www.aclu.org/cases/gg-v-gloucester-county-school-board

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US: Cast of Hit-Show Transparent Tells Trans Students They’re Not Alone The cast and crew of the awardwinning Amazon series ‘Transparent’ has released a Public Service Announcement urging support for Gavin Grimm, a transgender high school student whose lawsuit against his school board over its refusal to allow him to use the boys’ restroom helped bring the fight for transgender rights to the national stage in the US. The American Civil Liberties Union represents Grimm in his suit. Although the Supreme Court sent the case back to the appeals court this week, the case has helped build awareness and illustrate the widespread support for transgender people.

The PSA, above, continues to illuminate how important 66 EILE Magazine

Grimm’s case has become as a rallying point for Americans everywhere, and features the testimony and heartfelt reflections of “Transparent” cast members Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Jay Duplass, Gaby Hoffmann, Trace Lysette, and Alexandra Billings, as well as creator Jill Soloway.

served as producer; and Mel Mel Sukekawa-Mooring, who served as editor.

“The cast and crew of ‘Transparent’ are deeply connected to the trans civil rights movement,” said Zackary Drucker, director of the PSA and a producer on the show. “While in the thick of Season 4 production, our entire team made it a priority to rally around Gavin and express solidarity with trans youth everywhere; it was incredibly inspiring.”

said James Esseks, director of ACLU’s LGBT Project.

The idea for the PSA emerged from conversations between Drucker and ACLU attorney Chase Strangio about ways to amplify Grimm’s case.

Several “Transparent” trans and gender non-conforming crew members spearheaded production, including Drucker; Rain Valdez, who

“Through this labor of love, the ‘Transparent’ team continues illustrating the breadth of incredible support that exists virtually everywhere for Gavin and the transgender community,”

“We are continuing this fight through the court system and in the streets, fueled by the support and work of people in every corner of this nation to ensure the rights and dignity of trans people are respected.”

“On ‘Transparent’ we come to work with a feeling of gratitude, and we are united by our duty to serve the LGBT community,” said Drucker.

“We seek ways of being supportive and proactive, and since so many of us were trans youth not long ago, we feel an acute responsibility to protect both future

In the series, Transparent, actor Jeffrey Tambor, above on right and inset second from left, plays a transgender father coming out to his adult children

generations and the hurt children within us.”

The PSA adds to the growing number of voices from across the country that has come out in support of Grimm. Last week, individuals and institutions from across the country representing a diverse and extraordinary crosssection of interests, perspectives, and concerns rallied behind Grimm by filing friend-of-court briefs with the Supreme Court.

In recent weeks, Grimm’s case has been highlighted by a number of leading figures in the entertainment world, including Laverne Cox’s mention of him on stage at the Grammys, as well as his story being featured on a number

of national television programs, including The Daily Show, The Ellen Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The View, and many others.

To keep up with news from Gavin, you can visit: Stand With Gavin: Medium Page https://medium.com/stand-with-gavin Gavin Grimm Facebook https://Facebook.com/GavinGrimmVA Gavin Grimm Twitter @GavinGrimmVA EILE Magazine 67

FREE EVENT! LGBT Women in Sport – (15th April) – Just Register

LGBT Women in Sport: FREE EVENT 10am – 4pm, 15 April, 2017, Brighton, United Kingdom Speakers from the world of sport – amateur and professional – will explore the issues and barriers that discourage LGBT women from participating, at the American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, BN1 6 Brighton.

Welcoming delegates will be Joanie Evans and Sophia Rodriguez.

Joanie is Co-President of the Federation of Gay Games and was instrumental in establishing the first lesbian football club based in Hackney, London.We aim to find ways to support and inspire LGBT women to get involved in sport – both in organised and informal 68 EILE Magazine

settings.

Sophia is chair of the FGG’s Diversity Committee which has been examining the issue of increasing participation in the Gay Games.

Delegate places are available free of charge to interested women from the LGBT community and their straight allies.

For more, visit: Information and registration at

https://www.facebook.com/events/1639250916369640/

EILE Magazine 69

Conservative America: Small Cities Stand Up For LGBT Rights When Mike Lujano and George Lenz hoisted a rainbow flag outside their business in a Victorian brownstone on Market Street two decades ago, they found that few neighbo[u]rs in socially conservative Wheeling, West Virginia, knew it was a symbol of gay pride, writes Letitia Stein of Reuters.

The married owners of Edna’s hair salon, in this faded industrial city of 28,000 at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, never dreamed that one day they would be at a packed city council meeting, cheering the passage of an ordinance barring discrimination over sexual orientation and gender identity.

Defying stereotypes in the U.S. culture wars over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, Wheeling is among a recent wave of small cities, many in parts of the country that voted for Republican President Donald Trump, to embrace these protections.

70 EILE Magazine

“We told people this wasn’t a bad place,” said Lujano, 53, who was in the audience when the ordinance passed in late December. “Finally, this confirmed it.”

About 50 U.S. municipalities, in 15 states, have added LGBT nondiscrimination measures since 2015, when samesex marriage was legalized nationwide. More than half of those cities and towns are located in counties that backed Trump in November’s election, and all are in states he won, a Reuters analysis found.

For a graphic, go to http:// tmsnrt.rs/2moAkMC Local leaders say accepting diversity is not just the right thing to do, but needed to attract jobs and investment.

They concede the measures alone may not land a Fortune 500 employer, but argue the protections are necessary for smaller markets to appeal to many corporations with LGBTfriendly policies.

While the verdict remains out in Wheeling and other places with recently adopted protections, the cost of opposing LGBT advancement has run in the hundreds of millions of dollars in North

Carolina.

Last year the state lost major entertainment events, and planned jobs expansions by PayPal and Deutsche Bank, in the protests over a state law restricting bathroom access for transgender people.

In Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown of Columbus saw an allRepublican city council unanimously pass LGBT protections, after he signed as governor a religion law in 2015 that was widely decried as discriminatory, and prompted some conventions to go elsewhere.

“Republicans don’t speak with one voice on this issue,” said Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop. “In a small town, you really do live with the laws that you create. It makes it all a little bit more real that we see some people – we actually know them – who might be affected.”

Across the United States, 19 states have LGBT nondiscrimination protections that typically guard against being fired from jobs, kicked out of housing or denied services in places like restaurants or hotels. Reuters found that about four out of

five cities with populations greater than 250,000 are covered with at least some protections.

Of the cities and towns advancing LGBT rights in the past two years, just over half have populations smaller than 35,000, the review showed.

The analysis used data from the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBT think tank tracking such measures.

Equality Federation and the Human Rights Campaign also helped Reuters develop a list of cities adopting such ordinances since 2015, though the advocacy groups acknowledged some smaller localities may have been inadvertently omitted.

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott saw LGBT protections as both socially correct and a selling point to bring jobs and live up to his community’s “Friendly City” nickname.

“Those of us in the community may not all agree on its morals,” said Elliott, a Democrat. “What I think is not open for debate is that it’s good for business.”

From his home office in a six-story granite building on a snowy day in February, Elliott pointed to a construction crane marking the first privatesector construction in the Rust Belt city’s downtown in three decades.

The site overlooks the vacant headquarters of former top employer Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel, where desks are still

littered with coffee mugs years after layoffs emptied them, Elliott said.

Wheeling’s future depends on companies like Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, an international law firm operating a global operations center downtown.

“Having laws in place that protect LGBT individuals is one more indicator that the talent we need will be available,” said Siobhan Handley, its chief talent officer, in a statement.

The topic ignited fierce debate last year across West Virginia, which elected Trump with 68.6 percent of the vote, but was also a national leader in the number of cities adopting LGBT protections.

The state now has LGBT protections in 10 communities, including its capital of Charleston and the smallest gay-affirming town – Thurmond, population five.

Andrew Schneider, executive director of the advocacy group, Fairness West Virginia, called his state an example for those skeptical of LGBT rights advancing in rural, Republican America.

“Those stereotypes are unfortunate,” he said. “It’s possible in many more places than people realize.”

Polls show bipartisan support nationally for LGBT nondiscrimination measures.

Enthusiasm ranges from 84 percent in Rhode Island to

54 percent in Mississippi, the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found. In West Virginia, 60 percent of respondents support them.

Opponents of the protections called the gains short-lived and vowed to fight them.

“These are all temporary and hollow victories,” said Allen Whitt, president of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia, which promotes faith, family and freedom.

Don Marsh, then a pastor at the Ohio Valley Christian Center, sat on Wheeling’s Human Rights Commission and voted against a recommendation last year for LGBT nondiscrimination protections.

“Now that we passed an ordinance, where’s the big business?” he asked.

Other conservatives rose in support at a subsequent public hearing.

“The last thing I wanted to do was start a new chapter in the Wheeling history without these types of rules,” said lawyer David Croft, 50.

“I hope it’s an open door for somebody who might say, ‘I would never move to West Virginia because I would be tarred and feathered in the road,’” Croft added. “No, we will welcome you.”

Additional reporting – Grant Smith (eile.ie 27 March 2017) EILE Magazine 71

US - Second Mississippi City Passes LGBTQ-Inclusive NonDiscrimination Ordinance Yesterday (9th) the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organisation, hailed the Magnolia, Miss., Board of Aldermen, for unanimously enacting city-wide non-discrimination protections, that include sexual orientation and gender identity, in housing, public accommodations, and employment.

The ordinance also includes a new LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes provision. Magnolia is now the second city in Mississippi to pass a fullyinclusive non-discrimination ordinance, joining Jackson, which passed a similar measure in June of last year.

“Magnolia has sent a clear message that all people are welcome, and all people are protected from bias-driven

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crimes in this inclusive city,” said Rob Hill, HRC Mississippi state director.

“As cities like Magnolia and Jackson pass these important protections, they are showing our state legislators and our other elected officials that inclusivity and acceptance are Mississippi values, and that we don’t want hate in our state.”

“Magnolia, Miss., is a welcoming, warm place, and I am pleased we have proven that yet again by passing a fully inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance,” said Mercedes Ricks, alderman-at-large.

based on real or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, familial status, and veteran status.

The new, inclusive hate crimes provision equips Magnolia to better address hate crimes within the city, by requiring policies for identifying, investigating, and documenting hate crimes.

The provision, which includes the same classifications protected under the NDO, also mandates that the city report hate crime statistics to the FBI.

“As a Magnolia resident, a lesbian and an elected official, today’s vote by the Board of Aldermen has made me very proud of this city, my home.”

Mississippi is one of 34 states that do not have statewide hate crime laws explicitly covering sexual orientation and gender identity, and one of 31 without fully-inclusive, comprehensive LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.

The fully-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance (NDO) protects people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations,

According to the most recent FBI statistics available, nearly 20 percent of hate crimes, reported nationally in 2015, targeted people based on their sexual orientation or gender

Magnolia Tree Mississippi State Tree Image: www.history.com

identity.

As a recent investigation by the Associated Press uncovered, this reporting dramatically undercounts LGBTQ data, as it is based on local, non-mandatory reporting. Strong, fullyinclusive hate crime

legislation at the local level plays an important role in improving data collection and ultimately saving lives.

In 2014, HRC launched Project One America, an initiative geared towards advancing social, institutional and legal equality in

Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. HRC Mississippi continues to work to advance equality for LGBTQ Mississippians who have no state level protections in housing, workplace, or public accommodations. (eile.ie 10 March 2017)

EILE Magazine 73

US Theatre & Petition Against Ne

A theatre in Alabama, the Dekalb County Theatre, has cancelled the showin Belle, due to the inclusion of a gay character, and a petition h

The petition states that Disney has come under increasing pressure from LGBT activists to “promo

The director of the film has said that it will feature Disney’s first “exclusively gay moment” involving the ch has tweeted that he is “beyond proud of this”. However, while some fans are p

The anti-LGBT petition states that this comes only days after Disney aired a same-sex kiss on one of its sh called Good Lu

-MK (4 March 74 EILE Magazine

Josh Gad (left) and Luke Evans

ew Disney Movie’s Gay Character

ng of the new Disney Beauty and the Beast film, starring Emma Watson as has been drawn up on lifepetitions.com to boycott the movie.

ote their agenda in their kids’ films, including a campaign to make Elsa from “Frozen” a lesbian”.

haracter of Le Fou, Gaston’s sidekick, played by actor Josh Gad, who is confused about his feelings. Gad pleased with the inclusion, others feel that the character is a gay stereotype.

hows (a “Star vs The Forces of Evil” episode). Disney has also included a gay relationship in a TV series uck Charlie”.

KB h 2017) EILE Magazine 75

Gay Games - Re Paris in

From August 4 to 8, 2018, Paris will host the 10th edition o event in the wo

15,000 athletes from over 70 countries in Paris! Paris 2018 is preparin sharing. With sport a common theme for inclusion, the Gay Games a gay or s Register for the greatest sporting and cultural event

Book your favorite activity now! You can take advantage of the prefer March 2017. The sooner you

To Regist

https://parisgaygames.fuses 76 EILE Magazine

endez-vous with n 2018!

of the Gay Games, the largest sporting, cultural and festive orld open to all!

ng Games that will celebrate diversity, respect, equality, solidarity and are open to all, young or old, athlete or artist, experienced or novice, straight. along with 15,000 attendees from over 70 countries.

rred price ‘Blue Supporters’ for the next 1,500 registrations before 31 u register, the more you save.

ter, visit:

sport.com/registration/395/ EILE Magazine 77

TENI Have Launched TRANSforming Lives 2017 TRANSforming Lives 2017 – Trans Mental Health Week is an annual campaign run by Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI). This campaign is a response to the mental health struggles of the trans community. According to the LGBTIreland Report: over 75% of trans participants considered ending their own lives and 35% attempted suicide 49% of trans people self-harm only 40% of transgender people feel safe expressing their gender identity in public trans and intersex participants have lower self-esteem and happiness scores than their LGB counterparts TRANSforming Lives 2017 runs from March 26th to April 2nd. This will coincide with the International Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st. TRANSforming Lives 2017 focuses on bringing the wider mental health community and the trans community together.

78 EILE Magazine

TENI National Development Officer Sam Blanckensee

During the week of events they will help local communities to run their own events or to meet with each other and to work toward a future relationship. There will also be an online education campaign about trans issues, trans mental health and what mental health organisations can do to be more inclusive of trans people.

“Trans people experience many mental health challenges and these need to be addressed,” said TENI National Development Officer Sam Blanckensee.

“TRANSforming Lives aims to start a conversation about trans mental health in communities across Ireland. This week we will be building support networks for trans people in their local communities by opening doors to local mental health supports.”

For a list of TRANSforming Lives events, their endorsers and more about the campaign, please go to transforminglives.ie Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) seeks to improve conditions and advance the rights and equality of trans people and their families. Visit www.teni.ie (eile.ie 27 March 2017) EILE Magazine 79

Information and support for women who need someone to talk to

DLL – Phone: (01) 872 9911 (Callback facility available) 80 EILE Magazine

EILE Magazine 81

EP recognises specific discrimination faced by trans and intersex people ILGA-Europe welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of two reports, which contain significant provisions in relation to the rights of LGBTI people.

The first report, from Rapporteur Kozłowska-Rajewicz, is a positive development, as it recognises that Member States should adopt legislation that protects trans people against discrimination when accessing goods and services.

(Read the full report on the application of Council Directive 2004/113/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services as voted in FEMM Committee in February 2017 at http://www. europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A82017-0043&format=XML&language=EN).

ILGA-Europe also welcomes the adoption of the Urtasun Report on equality between women and men in the European Union in 20142015, which uses inclusive language, especially in relation to trans and intersex people.

It also asks States to ad at large (paragraph 38 transgender and inters

In particular, it recommends that Member States include the grounds of gender identity, and sex characteristics, within their gender equality legislation (paragraph 40).

(Read the full report o in February 2017 at ht L&language=EN).

The Urtasun reports also asks Member States to report on the implementation of the Victims’ Rights Directive in 2017 in way that is inclusive of violence related to a victim’s gender identity, and gender expression (paragraph 31).

Both texts also call on needed to tackle the di

82 EILE Magazine

(eile.ie 20 March 2017

dopt measures to protect LGBTI people against harassment in the workplace, and discrimination 8), and the European Commission to set out a strategy for gender equality 2016-2020, inclusive of sex people (paragraph 7).

on equality between women and men in the European Union in 2014-2015 as voted in FEMM Committee ttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A8-2017-0046&format=XM

the Council of the European Union to push for the adoption of the Equal Treatment Directive, which is iscrimination faced by many people in the EU – including LGBTI people.

7) EILE Magazine 83

Australia - Tiernan Brady Says A Lot Has Been Achieved Towards Marriage Equality, But More Needed Tiernan Brady writes that a lot has been achieved for marriage equality in Australia in the last four weeks, but outlines what has to come next to achieve the goal of equal marriage for the LGBT community there.

Here are just a few of the things that have been achieved to date. The Equality Campaign in Australia, and its allies and supporters have : Raised over $37,000 to fund a new campaign that has politicians feeling the heat. The message has been in shopping centres, cafes, billboards and airports around the entire country, not to mention running in prime time slots on Foxtel, Sky News and free-to-air channels.

Sent thousands and thousands of faxes to politicians, with voters in every electorate contacting their MP with their 84 EILE Magazine

powerful message. The quality and power of these messages must not be underestimated — politicians have been directly referencing these stories with them when they meet LGBT groups. A number of the MPs have started contacting and thanking marriage equality supporters who have shared their message.

Made a huge impact on the Senate Inquiry into draft marriage equality legislation, with the committee releasing a cross-party consensus report — for the first time creating a pathway towards what marriage equality might look like in Australia. Over 100 LGBTI organisations and leaders welcomed this achievement, noting the gains that had been made and again reiterating what is needed for true equality under the law.

Met in regional towns across the country. As just a taste, the LGBT community have met up in Albury, Tamworth, Kiama, Shepparton, Armidale, Torquay, Redcliffe, Berwick, Grafton, Brisbane, Coffs

Habour, Port Macquarie, Box Hill, Nowra, Lismore, Box Hill, Berwick and more. (Despite what some might say, marriage equality is not just an Oxford St issue — regional and rural Australians are incredibly passionate about equality).

Powered by supporters, they have lobbied their politicians at every opportunity. They have even gathered them together for an event in Parliament House to talk about marriage equality, and it is phenomenal to see how support for equality is increasing across both houses.

That’s just some of what has been achieved. But what comes next? Politicians are currently home in their electorate offices and will begin heading back to Canberra this weekend. And yet again, they won’t be able to hide from marriage equality.

The Equality Campaign will keep in touch with how supporters can help make marriage equality a reality at the local level, but here are two things they can do to make

Tiernan Brady Equality Campaign Australia

some national noise right now: Send a message to their local member, so it is waiting for them when they arrive in their office on Monday.

Chip-in to keep the advert running to make sure that, wherever they turn, they are reminded the majority of Australians believe in marriage equality.

The Equality Campaign have support all across Australia, so now getting marriage equality through the parliament should

just be a numbers game. The more people who contact their MPs with honest, personal and persuasive messages, the closer they get to Parliament allowing a vote — and the more politicians who commit that they will vote yes to marriage equality.

Tiernan Brady feels that they are going to achieve marriage equality, together.

The advice to the Australian LGBT community is to Keep contacting MPs, showing support in the community and joining with marriage equality campaigners online.

(eile.ie 18 March 2017)

For more information, you can visit: http://www. equalitycampaign.org.au/

EILE Magazine 85

Netflix Acquires Orson Welles Last Film, The Other Side Of The Wind Netflix has announced that the company is acquiring global rights to, and will finance the completion and restoration of, the legendary filmmaker Orson Welles’ last film, The Other Side of the Wind.

The film, which has remained unfinished for decades, was shot by Welles beginning in 1970, featuring a screenplay by Welles and Oja Kodar, and stars John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Robert Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Cameron Mitchell, Mercedes McCambridge, Susan Strasberg, Norman Foster, Paul Stewart and Dennis Hopper.

The film is a Royal Road Entertainment production, and was originally produced by Welles and Les Films de L’Astrophore.

Producer Frank Marshall, who served as a Production Manager on the original production, and has led efforts to complete this film for over forty years, will oversee the completion of the film, working closely with fellow producer, Filip Jan Rymsza, whose involvement was instrumental in pursuing the film’s completion.

Working with Netflix, Marshall will oversee the restoration and completion of the film, with consultation from Peter Bogdanovich.

The film, a satire of Hollywood, focuses on the last days of a legendary film director named Jake Hannaford (played by Huston), who is struggling to forge his last great comeback as a major filmmaker. Hannaford is hard at work on his final masterpiece, The Other Side of The Wind.

“Like so many others who grew up worshipping the craft and vision of Orson Welles, this is a dream come true,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

“The promise of being able to bring to the world this unfinished work of Welles with his true artistic intention intact, is a point of pride for me and for Netflix. Cinephiles and film enthusiasts around the world will experience the magic of Orson Welles once again or for the very first time.”

“I can’t quite believe it, but after 40 years of trying, I am so very grateful for the passion and perseverance from Netflix that has enabled us to, at long last, finally get into the cutting room to finish Orson’s last picture,” said Frank Marshall.

“We could not ask for better partners or a better home. I’m immensely grateful to the whole 86 EILE Magazine

Image: orsonwelles. org

Netflix team for their tireless effort and unwavering support. With Netflix’s global reach, this will undoubtedly be the widest release of any Orson Welles film, if not all of them combined,” said producer and founder of Royal Road Entertainment, Filip Jan Rymsza.

Welles is one of the most respected actors, writers, producers, and filmmakers in cinema history.

He worked in theatre, radio and film, and won an Academy Award for co-writing the film, Citizen Kane, considered by many as one of the all-time greatest films. His other great works include the 1938 radio broadcast, The War of the Worlds, his landmark Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and his acclaimed films, The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil. Welles passed away in 1985.

The Other Side of the Wind is directed by Orson Welles, and written by Orson Welles and Oja Kodar. The film is being produced by Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymsza. The Executive Producers are Peter Bogdanovich, Jens Koethner Kaul, Beatrice Welles, Carla Rosen-Vacher, Olga Kagan and Jon Anderson.

EILE Magazine 87

LGBTQ Union Leaders LGBTQ individuals have been under-represented in labour unions, with exceptions such as Anthony Asquith (on the right). However, the community has had the help of many union organizations, when fighting for their human rights and equality.

LGBTQ equality and anti-discrimination policy have been considered employment rights in the trade union movement for a long time. This could well suggest that LGBTQ activism occurs mostly at the rank and file level, rather than the leadership level.

Unions and LGBTQ workers have long confronted the issue of homophobia in the workplace.

While it still remains prevalent, LGBTQ individuals as union leaders are very important to progress, through their activism.

Unions provided guidance and mentorship to LGBTQ activists on how to organize their movement for advancing human rights.

Activists have utilized the union structure to build solidarity with allies on many issues, but perhaps particularly on the employment and health fronts. Unions were particularly present in the AIDS activism of the 1980s and 1990s. It is documented that the first instance of samepartner employee benefits occurred, because of union contract negotiations, at The Village Voice newspaper in 1982.

In 1979, the AFL-CIO, the United States’ largest federation of labour unions, made its first call for a federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Congress, in 2014, adopted the motion “to oppose oppression and discrimination on the grounds of … sexual orientation, gender identity” and to “encourage ITUC affiliates to defend workers suffering such discrimination”.

It also endorsed a trade union charter for International LGBT Solidarity, published by the U.K.’s Trades Union Congress.

Unfortunately, there is evidence that LGBTQ business leaders and entrepreneurs have been no better at treating their non-unionized (and often LGBTQ) staff than any other business people (see Mirriam Frank, Out in the Union: A Labour History of Queer America, 2014).

To read more on the list of LGBT union activists, go to Queerbio.com.

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Anthony Asquith, first LGBT British director to become president of the Association of Cinematograph and Television Technicians (ACTT) Photo by Paul Tanqueray, vintage bromide print, 1932

Unions and LGBTQ workers have long confronted the issue of homophobia in the workplace. While it still remains prevalent, LGBTQ individuals as union leaders are very important to progress, through their activism.

EILE Magazine 89

UK: Queer Tours – Activists Mapping London’s LGBT History “Queer Tours is a reaction to the mass closure of gay bars, community centres and charities catering to the specific needs of the group, from HIV education to mental health” In the red-carpeted north London town hall where one of the first gay weddings in Britain took place, activists buzz around a map of the city, armed with post-it notes.

Each participant is writing down personal stories as a member of the LGBT community in the British capital, in an attempt to write a chapter of history they say has been ignored.

“Anything which is seemingly small, or personal, it adds to the bigger picture” said Dan Glass, an LGBT rights activist who set up Queer Tours of London, the city’s first LGBT tours.

“Every street has a queer story. You just got to dig for it” he added.

Queer Tours of London was set up last year as a series of walks aimed at sharing the complex history of LGBT activism in the city, to mark 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain in 1967.

On a recent afternoon, Glass led a tour of a dozen people from London’s Trafalgar Square to sites in Soho, the capital’s historic gay district, where campaigners led the fight against homosexuality being classed as a disease.

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The tours each focus on a different issue affecting the LGBT community such as health concerns – from HIV to transgender sex changes – or the specific challenges LGBT asylum seekers face when fleeing persecution.

Queer Tours was formed as a reaction to the mass closure of gay bars, community centres and charities catering to the specific needs of the group, from HIV education to mental health, according to its website.

“We are using the history to protect our present,” Glass said, adding that the profits from a recent string of sold-out tours will be distributed to projects supporting the community, including transgender prisoners and LGBT migrants.

Remembering LGBT history is important because “it’s not taught generally, it’s not covered in general books,” said Jim MacSweeney, manager of gay and lesbian bookshop, Gay’s the Word, which stocks a section on LGBT history.

“All you’re taught in school is kings and queens and empires,” he added.

Back at the town hall, many of the personal stories shared highlight broader themes for the LGBT community: the closure of venues where they used to gather and mental health issues and homelessness faced by their peers.

Many of the gay bars and venues they remember as a part of their youth, such as the iconic Black Cap pub in north London or the Joiners Arms to

Tour guide Nell Andrew during a Queer Tour of London in Trafalgar Square, London, March 3, 2017.

Thomson Reuters Foundation/ Cormac O’Brien

the east, have now closed down as part of plans to redevelop them.

According to the Queer Spaces Network, a charity campaigning against the closures, between a quarter and a third of LGBT nightlife venues have closed down in recent years.

services, domestic violence services,” Glass told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

For many LGBT people who are not out or are not supported by families, dedicated venues can provide a safe haven.

But activists say the closures have also affected services supporting the gay, lesbian and transgender communities.

LGBT spaces are vital so that people “can feel safer and more relaxed, can create and enjoy our kinds of culture, and celebrate our distinctive histories,” said Ben Walters, a coordinator at the Queer Spaces Network.

“That’s not just bars and clubs and cabaret spaces, that’s LGBT mental health services, HIV

Community venues also provide a supportive environment where people can seek help. Once EILE Magazine 91

they close, the most vulnerable people are left alone, activists say.

LGBT people are more likely to experience mental health issues than the wider population, with over a third affected, but services in London are failing to provide adequate support, a health committee in the capital found last month.

Last year, London’s leading LGBT mental health charity, Pace, closed due to lack of funding after 30 years.

For the most vulnerable LGBT people, who don’t feel safe at home, at school, or on the street, the consequences of the closure of LGBT venues can be grave: increased alienation, depression and vulnerability to physical attack, Walters said.

“The loss of supportive inclusive venues means that young LGBT people can struggle to find out about services offering help to prevent their homelessness,” Lucy Bowyer, coordinator at the LGBT homelessness charity Albert Kennedy Trust, said.

Activists attending the town hall meeting also wanted to use LGBT history as a way of challenging the public perception that the fight for equality is over.

“I’m fed up with people thinking everything is well and fine for the LGBT community,” Nigel Harris, a campaigner for LGBT rights in north London, said at the event.

“I often explain that it might be okay for some members of our community, then I’ll explain about refugees, disabled LGBT people”, he added.

“Most people are not out. Most people feel like they can’t come out.”

–Anna Pujol-Mazzini @annapmzn – Thomson Reuters Foundation http://news. trust.org (eile.ie 22 March 2017)

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FGG Announces 2022 GAY GAMES XI Shortlist Bid Cities Site Inspections to begin, and final vote takes place in Paris October 2017 The 2022 Gay Games XI host city short-list vote, by the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) General Assembly, took place last month, one year after the bid process was announced.

The shortlisted host cities are Guadalajara (MEX), Hong Kong (CHN), and Washington, DC (USA).

Site inspections are the next steps in the bid process: May 2017. The final vote for the next Gay Games host will take place October 2017, at the FGG’s Annual General Assembly meeting in Paris, France.

The FGG expresses gratitude to the five (5) other cities for the bids from USA cities Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, and San Francisco, CA. The first bid phase totaled a record 17 cities. The list included Cape Town, ZA (ZAF), Tel Aviv, IL (ISR) and USA cities: Anaheim, CA, Atlanta, GA, Des Moines, IA, Los Angeles, CA, Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN, and San Antonio, TX.

The impact that the Gay Games has in host cities is incredible in terms of culture, sport, economic impact, history, and most importantly, elevating all matters of LGBT+ equality.

Paris 2018 Gay Games 10 takes place 4 – 12 August 2018, features 36 sports, 14 cultural events, academic conference and 15,000 participants from 70 countries.

For more see Paris2018.com Since 1982, the FGG mission promotes equality and is the largest sport and culture event in the world open to all. Its legacy changes social, and political attitudes towards LGBT+ people through the core principles of ‘Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best™’ You can follow and share with the hashtags #gaygames #allequal www.Facebook.com/ FederationofGayGames www.Instagram.com/GayGames www.Twitter.com/GayGames EILE Magazine 93

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Information and support for women who need someone to talk to

DLL – Phone: (01) 872 9911 (Callback facility available) EILE Magazine 95

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Elaine May

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