Freshers Issue, October 2011
Welcome to the Freshers issue
Out on Campus is a brand new not-for-profit LGBTQ Magazine run by student volunteers with a passion for giving LGBTQ students and national voice. We encourage you to submit content - if there’s a particular news story you want us to cover, a music or film review you want to conduct or if there’s something that you’re itching to get off your chest, get in touch with the relevant section editor. If you’re interested in becoming a representative to promote the magazine please visit the Get Involved page on our website. Enjoy your magazine and we wish you every success with the academic year ahead. Everyone at Out on Campus
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In this issue »» Introductions »» What is NUS LGBT? »» Fred Who? »» News »» Politics »» Campaigns »» Opinions »» Out Gay Rugby »» Stories »» Film reviews »» Music reviews »» Fashion »» Events
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Bisexuality Day by Lisa Grace
A few words from Editorin-Chief, Callum Rosam Hello everyone! Out on Campus, I believe, is an immensely important project for the LGBTQ student community by providing you with a national voice for campaigning. The section editors have written some amazing articles and there are some big name interviews lined up over the coming months, so remember to pick up OOC on your Campus! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has been involved with the production of this first edition of OOC. Without all your hard work and continued support it quite simply would not have been possible. With Pride, Callum Editorial Team Features: Jack Hill News: Alex Mitchell Music: Simeon Schuber Politcs: Aidan Barlow Campaigns: Lee Bradshaw
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September 23rd – Just another day, right? Wrong. It’s National Bisexuality Day, yet as a bisexual myself, I didn’t even know this day existed! A chance stumbling online led me to a post proclaiming ‘Happy Bisexuality Day!’ in beautiful rainbow colours. While part of me was, of course, very happy (YES finally something for me, the in-between, the greedy some may say), on the other hand I was annoyed that I had no previous knowledge of this occasion. Being bisexual is part of a person’s identity, and any chance to celebrate it should be acknowledged and advertised. As this day was founded in America, it is understandable why there is currently little interest in the UK,
Fashion: Mark Jackson Film: Nat Wood Sports: Ollie Harcus Events: Tom Kirby Legal: Paul Kelly
however I do believe it reflects on people’s views of bisexuals as a group. For example, so many people believe you are either straight, or gay. Anything in between is considered confusion or denial. We are often merely humoured, or the ones who are dismissed, the lost, the undetermined. I think it is time that we as a community are taken seriously. It is not just the definite straights but also the definite gays who often exclude and belittle us. We fit in neither group, and yet we fit in both. Everybody is different, and love happens when you least expect it. Personally, I believe you cannot control who you fall in love with, and that you fall for a person regardless of gender (among other factors). If I fall for a man, great. If I fall for a woman, well that’s great too! There are no limits on love, for every bisexual out there- a belated Happy Bisexuality Day, and please remember to celebrate next year! features
What is the National Union of Students? What is NUS LGBT?
A very warm welcome to all new and returning students, in this introductory issue of Out on Campus we’d like to introduce you to the NUS LGBT campaign and ourselves. We’re Alan and Vicki and we’re the elected representatives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Students across the UK.
We run the largest democratic movement of LGBT students in Europe. This is an absolute honour and we’re very proud to be doing this for a second and final year. What is NUS? I hear you ask. Well we’re a membership organisation, that individual students unions affiliate to. On going to your university or college you will automatically become a member of your features
students’ union. If that union is affiliated to NUS you’ll become a member of NUS too and therefore the LGBT campaign. We campaign to government and wider society on of behalf of students and unions, we deliver training to students/student leaders and we provide research and information on issues that affect students. We know that going to university or college for the first time is both an exciting and daunting prospect. It’s a chance for many LGBT people to be out and truly who they are. Although this is a wonderful opportunity we all still have fears and concerns real likelihood of meeting people who are actually like-minded. This is where LGBT clubs and societies come in to it. We are proud at NUS LGBT to represent LGBT groups from Birmingham to Bangor and Plymouth to Paisley.
meet other LGBT people, to access information, advice and guidance as well as the opportunity to learn, develop and be part of making real change. We believe there is nothing more important that finding and being part of your LGBT society. They are run for students by students and you could be a part of that. We were both involved in our LGBT societies from day one and without it wouldn’t be doing the job we love so much today. Alan studied Politics at Salford University and Vicki studies Biomedical Sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University. In our time at our universities we both got progressively more involved in both the LGBT
LGBT Societies provide student with the chance to 3
society and our Student’s Unions. It’s not essential however that you get involved from the beginning if you are a returning student there are still plenty of opportunities waiting ahead of you. Fear not if you don’t have an LGBT society on your campus. There are number of things you can still do. Here at NUS we can offer you training and provide you with the skills to set up an LGBT group on your campus. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes (this is important to remember) from the small one event a year social club to the varied activities every day and hundreds of members society. Each and every group has its value. If you do not want to set up a new society you can still get involved in the campaigns we run and or attend our conference, at which we discusses and debates what the campaign will do for the coming year. The NUS LGBT Campaign has been instrumental in changing the lives of LGBT students. We’ve been a key player in the number of campaigns leading to major legislative changes, including: 4
Introducing: Jack Hill, Features Editor Hey all! I’m Jack Hill, your Features Editor. It’s my job to make sure Out on Campus is filled with exciting and interesting articles for you to read, and boy do we have lots lined up for you in the future! Manchester born and bred, I’ve been keen on all things gay for years (I attended my first Pride at 15 but let’s not go into that one!) and can proudly say that recent developments in equality are really something close to my heart. Out on Campus is a fantastic publication to unite all LGBTQ students under one entity so we can be at the cutting edge of further campaigns and policy. I now live in Leicester (which surprisingly has a very popular gay scene – definitely worth a visit) studying Ancient History and History at the University of Leicester. I’m loving every minute of my time here, although it’s not been without its ups and downs, but help is always at hand if you need it. The University of Leicester LGBTQ Association was a real help for me in the latter part of my first year, and now I believe I’m giving back by assuming the role of Co-Chair for this academic year. If you want to get involved with the Features section of Out on Campus, feel free to drop me an email: jack.hill@ outoncampus.org. So enough about me.
An equal age of consent (2001), Civil partnerships (2005), Gender recognition (2004), Protection against discrimination in goods, facilities and services (2008), Donation Not Discrimination (2011) continued...
Watch this space for some cutting edge articles, interviews and feature writers. I’ll be back soon! Jack.
features
Events to keep an eye out for:
Donation Not Discrimination, which began over 7 years ago, challenged the lifetime ban on men who have oral or anal sex with men from giving blood. It has been key in both setting the tone for this campaign and getting the matter on the table. In 2009 we (along with organisations such as the National Aids Trust) attended a public meeting of the SaBTO board (the body who sets the blood donation guide line). At this meeting we handed over tens of thousands of petitions that LGBT students and societies had collected over the years. We also picketed outside to highlight the discrimination behind the policy. Although the policy has now been changed to 12 months deferral, which we consider to be a step in the right direction. We still believe the deferral to be discriminatory and not based on high risk activity (such as sex with out a condom) but assumed risk of a whole group of people. features
We’ve called on SaBTO and the GEO to publish the evidence they considered to come to this decision. We’d like to thank students for all the hard work they have put in to this campaign and encourage you all to keep up the good work. More current campaigns we run now are: • Anti Fascism • Healthcare • Pride not Profit • LGBT in Sport • LGBT in Education • International Solidarity and Asylum Rights • Anti Fees and Anti Cuts For more information about these campaigns please check out our website. Stay in touch If you would like to join our mailing list just email us requesting to join: LGBT@nus.org.uk nusconnect.org.uk/lgbt twitter.com/NUS_LGBT facebook.com/nuslgbt
Activist Training Day These one-day events offer workshops and plenaries for LGBT students, Society leaders and student officers. From how to set up an LGBT society or run an event to the complex world of Queer Theory and all that lies in between. There will be events hosted in Wales, Scotland, Midlands/North and London/South. LGBT Conference March 30th – April 1st – This 3 day event has students from all over the UK come together to discuss and debate policy that NUS LGBT will campaign on for the coming year. Social events and the infamous NUS LGBT awards round off the long days of discussion. This event is not to be missed and is regarded by the event of the year in many LGBT students. We’d love to hear from you! In Pride and Solidarity, Vicki and Alan x 5
Tragedy in Norway 23rd July by Alex Mitchell It started with a bomb going off outside government offices in the Capital Oslo. Little did they know that this was to distract the police whilst Anders Behring Breivik made his way to the Island of Utoeya dressed up as a policeman, where the Norwegian Labour party was hosting its annual youth camp. Breivik opened fire on the youth camp members and then turned his gun on those youths trying to swim away. The total number of fatalities reached 7 in Oslo and 84 on the Island. Breivik was arrested and claimed he was fighting “the Muslim invasion of Europe.” His first appearance in court was not an open session and he has since remained in Isolation. 6
A Show of Diversity Around a hundred of the country’s most influential employers are taking a stand on diversity in the workplace by exhibiting at this year’s Diversity Careers Show - taking place on Friday 21st October 2011 at the New Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. The show, now in its third year, seeks to be bigger and better than ever before, with investment banking giant Societe Generale as headline sponsor, supported by private and public sector champions of diversity, Google and the RAF. The show is organised by leading LGBT media and exhibition organisation Square Peg Media in partnership with the renowned gay, lesbian and bisexual charity, Stonewall.
Sarah Garrett, Managing Director for organisers Square Peg Media said “For the first year the Diversity Careers Show will be introducing a student Zone, which will include a panel of experts, careers advice, information about volunteering and interning – with companies that are actively looking for students and we also have a CV clinic run by Google.” “Now in our third year, we have found that the climate for those entering the job market has become even more challenging, especially with recent public sector cuts. We want to give students an event which will help them have the best opportunity in starting their careers in the future.” More info at www. diversitycareersshow.com news
London Riots & Tough Justice 6-10th August by Alex Mitchell Following a peaceful march against the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan a riot started in Tottenham, the riots then spread to other London boroughs and further to Bristol, Birmingham and other areas in the Midlands. The riots were termed opportunistic criminals. Social media and Blackberry Messenger was blamed for the rapid spreading of the rioters. 5 People died, 16 were injured and an estimated ÂŁ200 million worth in damages to property. As of 15th August over 3,000 people were arrested and over 1100 have appeared in court as of 1st September. Some have criticised the sentences handed out by judges as they have been told they could ignore existing sentencing guidelines to hand down harsher news
sentences. Two sentences of four years were controversially handed down to two men who tried to encourage riots through Facebook. A woman who had not been active in the riots but who had received a t-shirts stolen during the riots was giv-
en a five months custodial sentence. The Chief prosecutor of England & Wales, Kier Starmer stated the sentences handed down to rioters have in general been harsh and rioters should not be treated differently to other criminals.
Introducing: Alex Mitchell, News Editor Hey, I’m Alex, News Editor for Out on Campus. I’m a final year International Business Management Student at Northumbria University. I need you and your societies to send me and the team news stories from your area. Whether it is about an event you are planning, some fund-raising or a day at Pride we want to hear about it and publish your news for other societies to read about. We have an open content policy so if you think we should let others know send it in. We will also be setting a regular debating topic so we want you and your members to write in for against said topic and suggest topics for our readers to debate. The first one is announced in this issue and your arguments will appear in the first print issue. The News section will not be exclusively LGBT related so if your university / Student Union is doing/planning something we want to hear from you and publish those stories also. Remember this is your news in your magazine written by you. Cheers Alex Mitchell, News Editor alex.mitchell@outoncampus.org
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Pink List 2011 The Independent on Sunday’s annual Pink List returns next month celebrating the 101 most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender men and women in Britain. Since the list was last published in 2010, added to the list are England cricketer Steven Davies, X-Factor winner Joe McElderry and charttopping singer Jessie J. It takes courage to be gay in the public eye – particularly in the world of sport or for women who aspire to thrive in a career in television.
Fred Who? 2012 by Alex Mitchell We are just over a year away from the U.S. Presidential elections, and that means it’s time for the pre-elections once again. Although voting day isn’t until November 2012 we have the Republican nomination process through its Primaries. Now why are we writing about the Republican Party in an LGBTQ magazine, we know it’s the democrats that support gay rights in the U.S.A., Well I shall tell you for why. You may have heard of the big names coming out this year, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachman to mention a few but have you heard of Fred Karger? Anyone? No? Well neither had I until fairly recently. He served as a political advisor to many Republican presidents,
Last year The Independent on Sunday awarded the joint number one position to the rugby player Gareth Thomas and Mary Portas, the Queen of Shops. Visit www.independent. co.uk/pinklist2011 for ways to nominate. 8
Karger in Iowa in August 2011 [Gage Skidmore]
Ford, Reagan & Bush Sr. but this time he has decided to run for office, and the biggest office as well. But still I hear you say “so what?” Well he is the first openly gay candidate to run for the Presidency. Now I’ve got your attention. The first question I hear you shout is “But he’s a republican.” Yes he is, and he admits this is an oxymoron “a gay republican.” Although his chances of winning the nomination, he admits are slim. He’s in the race because he wants to open up the Republican party. “The party should not be dominated by one faction or another. It should be open to all.” He also sees himself as a Progressive Republican, something which he admits is rare in the party’s history. “The last Progressive Republican president was over 100 years ago Theodore Roosevelt.” He admits he has an uphill battle as the other candidates have name recognition, having served in public offices before rather than as a political operative like himself, but he is determined that “If I can news
get in one or more of these presidential debates, I will make history.” His most important message to the electorate is that “It’s okay to be gay and to aim high in life.” Now Karger is a gay political activist as well. He founded Californians Against Hate which opposed the controversial Proposition 8 which banned same sex marriages just months after they had been legalized in the state. He has been using his expertise to expose the “secret funding” of Prop 8 by the Mormon Church. As expected Karger’s candidacy has been met with some opposition. RNC (Republican National Committee) members in Iowa and key organizers within the Ralph Reeds Faith & Freedom Coalition have threatened to keep Karger out of the race and intentionally shut him out of the March 7th Presidential Forum. Karger has responded by filing a complaint against the RNC member and Iowa Faith & Freedom organizer Steve Scheffler and his organization for violations of federal election laws by discriminating against his sexuality. Now he has candidacy status this will help him with his complaint. The first televised debate news
Karger campaigning for President in Iowa [IowaPolitics.com]
between potential nominees has already aired, however not all potential nominees were in attendance. Karger was not and this allowed the other candidates to discuss gay marriage and gay rights with
“It’s okay to be gay and to aim high in life.” the majority of the candidates supporting a constitutional definition of marriage as one man and one woman. Others said it was a state matter for the state to deal with and one candidate said he supports civil unions but not marriage. The first straw poll took place back in August in
Iowa. Michele Bachman came top however some big names didn’t stand in the poll, such as Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, two of the foreseen front runners. Krager has also been left off national polling data. The Nominations are quite some time away at the moment but to find out more about Fred Karger visit his campaign website www. fredwho.com Another first is Tammy Baldwin has announced she is to run for the Senate for Wisconsin and would be the first openly LGBT person to serve in the Senate. She is already a serving member of Congress and was the first female congressman to be elected from Wisconsin. 9
campaigns Welcome to the Campaigns Section of OOC. Hopefully you’re all settling into university whether it’s your first year or you’re a returning student. Be prepared for what I am sure will be an amazing year on all your campuses, and let OOC come along for the ride. We want as many of you to get involved with the magazine as possible, so we can have the best magazine for LGBTQ students, and in the campaign section, its especially vital that we get your support. We need your help and support to make sure we
focus on campaigns that are important to you and bring forward issues you may not know about. Are you running a campaign on your campus that’s new and innovative or a
Introducing: Lee Bradshaw, Campaigns Editor I’m Lee and I’m a Masters Student at the University of Central Lancashire. I got a 2:1 in international politics and religious studies last year and I was the Campaigns Officer at UCLan SU, as well as the campaigns and membership officer for UCLan LGBT and this year I am the chair of UCLan Labour Students which I have also established. I been involved in NUS for five years, so campaigning has been a key part of what I’ve done for a number of years. I have also been writing comments pieces for the SU paper Pluto and even won comments piece of the year, when I helped to expose a homophobic society chair at my SU.
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Introduction by Lee Bradshaw
campaign to highlight local, national or international issues? Is there something you think people should be campaigning about but aren’t? Let us know if you can answer these questions or if you would like to write a story based on campaigns your society is involved in, something you’re doing in your community or a group you are involved in by e-mailing me. We are also looking for ideas of what we should have as our main campaign focus, which big campaign should Out on Campus get behind and focus on this year? Send your suggestions, stories and info to campaigns@ outoncampus.org. Can’t wait to hear from you! Lee. campaigns
NUS Scotland LGBT Welcome to Out on Campus, from the NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign. Our current priority campaign is Equal Marriage. It’s become a big issue since the Scottish Government released the consultation on samesex marriage, so we’ve re-prioritised it to ensure that once again the NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign is at the forefront of campaigning for LGBT equality. We’ve got lots of exciting events coming up, with a Young Person’s Question Time dedicated to a debate on Equal Marriage. We’re also working on developing our successful There’s More to My Education Campaign, which aims to better access to student support services for LGBT Students.
Research shows that 1 in 4 LGBT people will attempt suicide, so this campaign also looks at tackling the stigma attached to mental health services. We’ll be launching a 5-point commitment for Universities and Colleges to ensure that they are working towards making their Student Support Services LGBT friendly. Our Activist Training Day which is open to all students and staff at Universities and Colleges across Scotland
will be held in Glasgow on Monday 21st of November. We’ll be holding workshops aimed at new activists, experiences activists and staff who want to get to grips with liberation - so make sure and pass on information to your Students Association to get you registered. The campaign is doing so much that I can’t fit it all in to the space I’ve got to write in, so keep up to date with it on our website www.nusscotlandlgbt.org. uk, follow us on twitter @ NUSScotLGBT or search for NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign on Facebook. Want to get involved? Email us lgbt@nus-scotland.org. uk Until next fighting.
campaigns
time,
keep
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politics Politics should matter a great deal to us as LGBT+ students, as it is students who are often at the forefront of campaigns that seek to advance our interests. It is hard to imagine that in the past people were criminalised for their sexuality. People were driven underground and were excluded from expressing their sexuality openly. Many LGBT+ campaigned for their rights during this period, helping to ensure that by 1967, homosexuality was decriminalised. This was a dramatic change that demonstrated the importance of political discussion and campaigns to win rights and recognition. Arguably for some the political activists of the 1950s and 1960s brought about the recognition of our community in mainstream public discourse for the first time, however for others, whilst there was recognition of our community, it went alongside further restrictions and controls of their lives. In many instances, LGBT+ people were subjected to even more Police brutality and intervention 12
Introduction by Aiden Barlow
Gay Liberation Day commemorating the Stonewall Riot, New York
by the state into their private lives. Discrimination and intolerance persisted, as people were forced to feel as though they lived in constant fear of their sexuality being exposed, with the possibility of losing their jobs and their livelihoods. The fact that many people around the world still face such discrimination is a key reason why we need to be debating political issues today, to discuss ways forward for people here and throughout the world. Things, however, have changed over the last 50 years. More rights have
been fought for and won. The Stonewall riot in New York City in 1969 was a significant shift in LGBT+ politics. Riots and resistance to the Police raids on venues had taken place before, but Stonewall became a politicised event that set in motion some of the most impressive political campaign movements of the 20th century. The slogan “no more closets� was raised by the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 in the aftermath of Stonewall, and fierce activism ensured that we enjoy many of the rights we have today. People took the political decision to fight for rights in their everyday politics
lives, to challenge Police raids, to question intimidation and intolerance, and to seek to change attitudes of those around them through activism. In my view, the legacy of the problems our predecessors have fought against exposes what politics should mean to us. Politics isn’t an abstract concept about who controls us and manages the situation from on high, neither is it the preserve of a special few who exercise power in Westminster, Washington or elsewhere. Politics rather, is how we engage with our lives, it is the thoughts we think, the decisions we take and the actions or inaction that we commit to. In short, do we see things which are wrong in our society and seek to challenge and change them? Being active politically was a personal imperative for many of our greatest role-models, and the best way to remember their contribution is to be engaged and aware of the struggles we face today. In modern times, LGBT+ students and our community face key challenges. People remain oppressed around the world, people politics
still cannot fully express their sexuality openly and there are also those who lurk in the shadows, awaiting an opportunity to force us back into the closet and out of public life entirely. The LGBT+ community faces huge cuts from the austerity measures being enacted by the Government as services upon which we rely will be slashed. Fees for students will increase, possibly resulting in LGBT+ students struggling to access further education. Discrimination persists on campuses, in communities, in workplaces and in society at large. Therefore being politically engaged is just as important now as it has ever been.
Stonewall Riot, New York City 1969
[Joseph Ambrosini, New York Daily News]
I am hopeful that the political section of this magazine will provide the opportunities for you as a writer to write about the political issues you think are most important to us all. I hope we can cultivate a section where you can ask the most probing and difficult questions to those who claim to represent us, and also to suggest solutions and answers of your own.
Introducing: Aiden Barlow, Politics Editor Hi, I’m Aidan, the political editor for Out on Campus. I’m a final year student at Warwick University studying Law and Sociology, then hoping to study Journalism in the future. I have written articles for my local student newspaper, and write a regular political blog called ‘The Red Needle’. I have been an active campaigner in left-wing political issues, including anti-war, fighting fascism, and campaigning for LGBT+ rights and liberation. I hope to use these experiences to encourage politically minded students to write for our magazine, and develop a vibrant political section.
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sport Rugby is seen as a highly masculine sport and the rugby player mould would not stereotypically fit to a gay man, yet in the last few years Gareth Thomas the exWales player and captain, and the internationally renowned rugby referee Nigel Owens have come out. However they have both come from difficult situations with the latter being married. Playing rugby for a club in Sussex from the tender age of 10 I didn’t really understand sexuality then and I made some of the best friends I could dream of! Then I was having that I was different, trying to live two lives, hiding Attitude magazine and other things in my room where prying eyes were not going to find them and not letting anyone on my laptop in case they saw my browsing history. My mum found the Attitude magazine. I was anxious feeling the fear as she said “we need to talk.” My heart beating with in trepidation she says it’s okay and it’s done! Secondary school went by we me not only as the chubby ginger, but being teased for being gay even though I was in the closet and no one knew for
sport
by Ollie Harcus They say that one in ten men are gay, yet it is shocking in professional sport in the UK there are only two out-gay men. This is completely different to women’s sport in which sexuality has not affected high profile sports. Could this be due to the difference in male and female professional sports as it’s not often you see a female based sport on TV? I want to hear your experiences of sport, from the minor Sunday team football player to playing for a university/college or even higher level whether you’re out or you’re in the closet. As an out gay rugby player I understand how difficult it can be, but I believe my journey has been a lot easier than others out there. I currently study Sports Development at University College Plymouth of St. Mark and St. John and am the only out gay male sports player. Tell us everything about your sporting experiences, give your support and further enjoy your time playing sport, I’d love to hear from you! If you’re a budding writer and want to write a blog or article on the rugby world cup or football or anything else you fancy!! Get hold of me via oliver.harcus@outoncampus.org.
sure. It made me want to not come out! At 16 I had my first gay experience and I was sure I was gay. Over the next few years I became more involved in sport and reaching my highest level of England Colleges, Harlequins Academy among others. At 18 I was comfortable enough to come out to some mates that weren’t in the sporting world at college.
Later in the year my secret was leaked which lead to me coming out after asking a best friend first if he was gay would he come out to which he said “hell no, why would I do that.” Though that left me completely worried, I decided that I would do it anyway and since then I have only had one problem that was dealt with swiftly on the pitch!
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Introducing: Miss Annabella
Fitting In
Hello Cherubs,
by Jessie McGee, Montfort University
My name is Miss Annabella, failed coal miner, failed drag queen, unemployed barmaid and eternal diva, here to pass judgement on all aspects of the gay lifestyle, because let’s face it I’m old enough to remember when you still got beaten up for it. I started my career as a homosexual in the heady days of the 1980s, back before most of you were even a drunken mistake. Having survived the 80s I feel it is my duty to guide the gay and bisexual youth through the often horrific gay lifestyle. One is currently studying at a very large and impressive university in Yorkshire, as a slightly mature student, one shall decline to mention the name due to the damnable paparazzi hounding my every stilettoed step. Having come from a somewhat small minded institute, where, incidentally I was the only openly “not straight” person on campus, it is a thrill to come to a place where people are comfortable enough with who they are not to have to lie about it. Knowing as I did, that I was not in fact the only LGBTQ person on campus (no matter what the staff attested) I started the colleges’ very first LGBT society; I even received a special award from the local (and slightly more cosmopolitan) council for my effort. This, without being immodest, I bloody deserved. As I said this was a somewhat small minded institute, mainly due to the somewhat sheltered lifestyle its students had enjoyed and the old fashioned middle class, Church of England mind-set of the senior staff. After a few rather nasty comments screamed at me across the refectory, apparently I am a small ball of pork and/or a bundle of twigs, and several meetings with the Senior Management Team, I was allowed to continue with my efforts. Well that’s me, I hope you enjoyed a succinct summary of my university life, I hope to see you again soon. Miss Annabella x miss.annabella@outoncampus.org
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De
Packing your belongings into big grey boxes and squeezing it all in to your parents’ (what now seems) tiny car. Keys turn and car in gear, you drive off into the unknown. It has to be one of the most frightening prospects for first-year students, but I think it can be even more so for LGBTQ Freshers. When I arrived at University, I was very much out and proud with my family and friends - in fact, the majority of my friends were gay themselves - and that scared me more... How was I going to fit into the straight world? University can be a predominantly ‘straight’ environment; with many of the ‘official’ student events catering solely for heterosexuals. For me, however, joining the LGBT society gave me a chance to meet other LGBT people, similar to myself. I knew immediately that I was going to join the society at my University and it all stories
started with their Facebook page, which most seem to have nowadays! At classes it was tough, I didn’t know how to bring up that dreaded conversation: “Yes I’m a lesbian, I have a girlfriend”, to people I had just met. Their unknown reactions began to intimidate me. Everyone that I knew back home, either were updated through the aid of the internet (Facebook) or they were within my close friends. The LGBT society was so welcoming that I didn’t need to bring up any sort of explanation of my sexuality. Everyone knew why we were all there and it isn’t a big deal, yet it is the foundation that brings us all together. I think it is essential that every university has an LGBTQ society to provide support, to campaign and to allow LGBTQ students to meet others! So if you identify as LGBTQ, the first thing you need to do when you arrive at the unknown world of University is to get involved with your LGBTQ society – you might even enjoy it! stories
Introducing: Bridget Hamilton, Columnist Hi there! My name’s Bridget – Bridge to my friends and Bridie if I’m misbehaving. I’m twenty in November and I’m just about to start a degree in English Literature at Newcastle University. This means I’ll be spending the next three years some 300 miles North of Gravesend, the riverside town in Kent where I grew up. I play the acoustic guitar, quite well in fact, but not as well as Newton Faulkner. I have an irrational fear of getting food poisoning, so don’t be upset if I turn down your leftover chicken curry. I wish I was Carol Ann Duffy. I’m fond of tea, indie films, old photographs, charity shops and second-hand books with annotations in the margin. I recently got all my thick curly locks cut off when I went to the Edinburgh Festival and now I look dangerously like Amelie Poulain. I can’t work my Blackberry Messenger, apologies. Write me a letter instead? I’ll be back soon with more from the world of Bridget. See you then! Bridge bridget.hamilton@outoncampus.org
coming soon...
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film Introducing: Nat Wood, Film Reviews Editor Hi everyone, I’m Nat and I’m your film review editor and I’m currently studying for a PhD in nanoscience at the University of Bristol. I’m excited to be part of this new magazine especially as all the content comes from those reading it, this gives us a great opportunity to publish a wonderfully diverse range of articles and that’s what I want from this section. It’s designed to be something you want to read so if you have a passion for movies or just have one favourite worn-out DVD, why not write a short piece about it to share with everyone? I’d love to have writers who contribute regularly too so let me know if you’re interested along with any opinions you may have on the format of this section. My current plan is to include a mixture of old classics and recent releases but get in touch to let me know what you think. Nat Wood, Film Reviews Editor nat.wood@outoncampus.org
Troll Hunter Review by Nat Wood
I was a bit dubious about this film beforehand, but with a name like Troll Hunter, can you blame me? Thankfully I was wrong and was treated to a surprisingly entertaining movie following a trio of Norwegian film students as they document the work of Norway’s only troll hunter, through the rural Scandinavian landscape. Tired of the lack of health18
care and overtime bonuses associated with his job, he allows the students to film him as he prevents the monsters from running amok as they stray from their designated mountainous provinces, in an act of rebellion against his employers: the Troll Security Service. This mocumentary, based on local legends and filmed with hand-held cameras, has a slight hint of
The Blair Witch Project but without taking itself too seriously and with only a few more nasal secretions. The budget, which was quite blatantly spared on actors and props, was well invested in excellent troll construction, giving you a real sense of their authenticity, perhaps aided by a convenient troll allergy to vitamin D resulting in most footage involving the trolls taking place at night. With the film’s entertainingly believable conclusion I’m not so sure I’ll be visiting the fjords any time soon. Norwegian science fiction is not normally my preferred film genre but with this film’s successful combination of suspense with a few well placed laughs, I will definitely be recommending it and if you do see it, look out for the bears. film
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Review by Rachel Cunningham You can’t trust anyone. At least when you are at the pinnacle of espionage during the Cold War. Tomas Alfredson directs out a subtle story line that keeps you hooked from the opening credits. Forget blinking, you can’t miss a moment. Not a second is wasted in the way this thriller develops and pay attention to who’s who or you’ll miss the surprise when the double agent is revealed. But it is George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who is responsible for uncovering who’s communicating
with the Russians. Delivering a sleek performance, Smiley is forced out of retirement as he begins to unpick both his professional and personal life. The secrets behind this concealed man unfold and his keen intuition finds him separating the genuine from the corrupt and exposing the weaknesses of all his colleagues. It is a beautiful construction of human nature with the pressure that comes from living a restricted life and that corruption comes to us all. Even Smiley must
manipulate his peers in order to reach his end goal. But when love and loneliness collide, relationships begin to crumble and the stern face of the secret service quivers. What is never apparent is who’s the good guy. Without an ally it’s difficult to know who to identify with. Everyone wants to know but no one wants to get caught and this is what makes Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy an original take on the classic tale of British espionage.
The Iris Prize Festival, the international gay and lesbian short film festival celebrates its fifth birthday from Wednesday 5th October until Saturday 8th October in Cardiff. Still from Maria Bock’s short film Bald Guy (Skallamann). Image © Maria Bock
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music
Introduction by Simeon Scheuber
If your suffering from fresher’s flu, don’t fret - keep warm, keep calm, read this magazine and read the official fresher’s flu advice from NHS direct. (It’s an official illness!) This is the music section, where you’ll find album and gig reviews, exclusive interviews and previews of artists we think are “the ones to watch.” We are a team of multigenre, groove-loving, music fanatics here to give you our take on today’s music industry. Our Sub-Editor and regular contributor, Adi Fallaize, is
a self-confessed Spice Girl obsessive from the North West whose got a keen interest in both mainstream music and more independent artists, check out his article in this issue - a review of Christina Perri and her latest musical offerings. Next up is Sheryl Anderson our regular contributor and resident photographer from the Midlands. She knows the music you’ve heard of and the stuff you haven’t and she’s been 20
photographing it professionally for over five years now, we look forward to her contributions in the next issue. Then we have resident leprechaun Lorcan McElwain, Irish singer-songwriter and popular music fiend who is another of our regular contributors. Take a browse of his article, preview of a duo to definitely watch out for - Niki and The Dove. Finally there’s myself, Music Editor, North West based music student and performer. My music tastes are as farreaching as classical, musical theatre and pop to hiphop, grime and dub-step and I look forward to sharing my musical taste with you all. We want to know about your music tastes. Tell us about an awesome gig you’ve been to, a great artist you think everybody needs to know about, a
new musical that you think deserves an Olivier award or just how you like your toast in the morning (I like mine with a hug). Also you have a right of reply and in this section of the magazine you can write-in to tell us we’ve made a mistake or that we are plain wrong for negatively scoring your favourite song (Swagger Jagger?). To get in touch either visit outoncampus.org and click on “get involved” or email us directly on music@ outoncampus.org. If you’re a band or artist and you have any pressreleases, tracks or upcoming big gigs you think we should know about do let us know. We hope you enjoy this special first edition of Out on Campus and we really look forward to your contributions. Enjoy freshers. Simeon Scheuber, Music Editor music
Niki and the Dove Preview by Lorcan McElwain There must be something in the water, or perhaps in the oestrogen of Scandinavian women, that makes them inherently better at making pop music than the rest of the world. The list of inventive and musically superior Scandinavians is endless: Bjork from Iceland, Lykke Li and Robyn from Sweden and Oh Land from Denmark to name but a few. Each of these women bring their own unique and enchantingly melodic sound to the indie-pop world, leaving their western contemporaries looking like clueless amateurs. Well get ready to add another Swede to the list as Malin Dahlstrom and Gustaf Karlof of Niki and the Dove get ready to release their EP The Drummer on October 17th. Niki and her elusive Dove have been conjuring up quite the buzz on countless blogs and are currently in the midst of a small UK tour finishing in November. The group’s music has a strong pop sensibility, catchy hooks, captivating melodies and epic chomusic
ruses. If you had to file them into a specific genre it’s probably electro-pop. However, Niki and the Dove bring spirituality and otherworldliness to their music through the sounds they use, their lyrics and Malin’s emotive and commanding voice. Tracks like DJ ease my mind which from title, seemed as if it could end up being a generic club pop “get on the floor” snorefest, end up far from that. Thankfully, they create a song that is both inventive and a surprisingly poignant portrayal of a woman attempting to drink and dance her love related sorrows away. Lyrics like “I want the lights to blind me, I won’t be, I want to disappear.” Sung in Malin’s distinctive cry makes the song more genuine and appealing than the hundreds of similarly themed songs clogging the airwaves. Another song Mother Protect, from their upcoming EP, has been garnering the band much praise. The song crawls into being, slowly building up momentum until it crescendos
into a majestic explosion of sound with Malin passionately singing “You can’t keep me down, I am done, I am furious, Fear the Lioness, paint her face black and golden.” With its thumping beat foreboding bass and with lyrics like” I used to love your hands, they led me into the cage” this is definitely one of the most interesting songs about the negative repercussions of love. This track illustrates a common theme in the group’s music - paganism. Their tracks often cite the power of animals and nature and make references to witches and spells. It helps to create a mystical atmosphere and sets them apart from their contemporaries. The music, the lyrics, and their look will no doubt take the world by storm and further illustrate the point, that everyone should leave Pop music in the capable hands of the supremely talented and better looking Scandinavians! 21
music Christina Perri Review by Adi Fallaize In an industry that all too often expects artists to be catapulted at the consumer at 1000mph to gain notoriety Christina Perri has somewhat avoided this trend, crawling in on her hands and knees, giving us a little nudge now and then, until we eventually fell in love with a song about someone stealing vital organs. But the question is: is there room for Perri in the nation’s hearts? First single, Jar Of Hearts is a graphic revelation ballad with brash lyrics such as “And who do you think you are, runnin’ round leaving scars” it doesn’t hold back from inducing horror visuals to represent the crimes of the heart stealing protagonist of which Perri seemingly had fallen victim to. The vocals refrain from all out diva power ballad territory (see Rachel Berry’s version from Glee for how this would have sounded), with Perri opting for a more spoken style which 22
could easily place it at the melodramatic conclusion of a feel good musical. Keep an ear poised for second single Arms, a song that wouldn’t go a miss on any Coldplay LP. A crescendo ballad with an epic feel that will have your arms swaying and your lungs belting out its chorus, a chorus that you will feel like you have known your whole life. Ballads are the theme on Lovestrong with few switches in pace throughout the album. Mine acts as a halfway pick-me-up point, with rocky staccato tango riffs, not unfamiliar to something No Doubt may have delivered in the late 90s. It does leave you with a sense that the album could maybe have benefited from a few more up-tempo offerings - album number two maybe? Perri is, however, kind enough to ease us back into ballad territory with an atmospheric fifty second interlude, we send our thanks.
Other highlights include dainty ballad Penguin. With its deliberate cutesy lyrics like “Baby it’s fate, like a soul mate, he’s your penguin” it does often verge on sickly sweet, but when embraced for its unashamed grasp on that Hello Kitty glittery part of your brain, it does achieve its goal of making you sigh a happy sigh and engulfing you in floating cartoon hearts. As the world still remains in an Adele induced coma of indulging in ones misery of a lost love, Lovestrong caters perfectly whilst still remaining characteristic and original. Perri has a lot of work to do in order to cement herself amongst the many other female artists of this genre, but with her balance of honest, heart wrenching lyrics and her voice which makes you believe every word has been lived through, this may just set her above the rest. music
fashion High-street and Haute Couture by Mark Jackson Running for Fashion Editor is as exciting as running to the shops for those brand spanking new pair of shoes. However, what I ask is the same age old question that every fashionista has an opinion about: Does wearing Haute Couture make you more fashionable? As a 20-year-old aspiring Fashion Editor myself, I of course like everybody else have my own opinion on the topic. But what is yours? Currently the high-street Fashion world is booming with stores such as Topman, River Island and H&M all bringing in a healthy profit by generating, and selling some very current and fashionable garments. Furthermore, with free apps such as www.style. com readily available on everybody’s iPhone we can watch and gather ideas on fashion
how we, like our favourite designers, can put our own spin and style into what we wear. However, on the other end of the Fashion chain lies the true giants of Haute Couture runway Fashion. Although many designers segment their clothing into the “readyto-wear” category, we have to be honest and say these garments are only ready to wear if you have an income that’s ready to be blown. Currently, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood are all as closely watched on the runway, as students are watched by their banks, however, is it true that we can dress equally as or a lot more Fashionable wearing High-Street? I say YES!! continued... 23
Taking a few hours to walk around Manchester City Centre, I visited two Topman stores, River Island, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Selfridges. Almost immediately it became apparent that if I or anybody else wanted to look Fashionable then HighStreet stores was the place to be buying. Of course, we all love wearing Designerbut its true to say to say that High-street fashion offers a much wider range of garments, styles, cuts and designs. So why is this? As designer labels are paying at least four times the cost in the manufacturing of their garments, they are not able to experiment as much as High-Street stores are with different cuts and shapes. This is due to their loss margin not allowing as much space. However, as HighStreet brands are paying far less manufacturing coststhis means in essence, that their loss margin is much bigger therefore, enabling them to experiment more widely with their ranges. So, if you wanted to wear something very unique, funky and outrageous, Fashion would argue that Falcon shirt £35 , Andrew waistcoat £35, Damian trousers £40 24
Diana embellished shorts £40, Tamara velvet detail bodysuit £28
Photos © River Island Clothing Company Ltd
nobody beats Vivienne Westwood in depicting this image, however the same style could be accomplished at a much lower price by buying at stores like Desigual. Yes, this is how the Fashion Retail world works, and now more so than everrather than Fashion trickling down from the Couture runways, to High-Street stores and then to us the consumer- Street Style is evolving and all Designers alike are finding themselves taking influences in their garment design from how we the public dress, and how we continue to set our own personal style- which some would argue, wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for affordable Fashion. So in conclusion, whilst Haute Couture seems to be a domineering factor within the Fashion Industry, I’m sure many others will agree that High-Street stores enable us to diverse in our styles, and take inspiration from worldwide runways, to mix colours, layer clothing and create our own personal style- which in all cases truly epitomises what Fashion is all about.
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events You might think that after all the prides over the summer things get quieter in autumn and winter, yet over the course of October and November there are many interesting festivals and events going
on. October sees the first ever Cumbria pride, the Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff which showcases many short LGBTQ films, as well as Glasgow’s multi-arts Glasgay! Festival - amongst others across the country.
Introducing: Tom Kirby, Events Editor Hi, I’m Tom and over the coming months I’ll be keeping you up-to-date with all that’s going on in the LGBTQ community which might be of interest to you. With so many prides, festivals, shows and events going on around the country all year round an events section keeps us aware of what’s coming up and gives us the opportunity to get involved and share our experiences. If you attend any LGBTQ events over the next few months or have been to anything interesting in the past and would like to share your experiences, send us some photos or maybe even write a review of an event, we’d love to hear from you. Alternatively, if you know of any LGBTQ events in your area or that you are organising over the coming months that you think we all should know about, let us know via e-mail: events@outoncampus.org
Cumbria Pride Sat 1 Oct 2011 Carlisle The Iris Prize Film Festival Wed 5 - Sat 8 Oct 2011 Cardiff Rainbow Film Festival Fri 14 - Sun 16 Oct 2011 Shrewsbury Glasgay! Festival Sat 15 Oct - Sat 12 Nov 2011 Glasgow Big Gay Lifestyle Show Sat 22 Oct 2011 London Gaywise Festival Mon 7 – Sun 20 Nov 2011 London Homotopia Arts Festival Tue 1 - Wed 30 Nov 2011 Liverpool
Who knows, in the future we might even be able to organise some events of our own. But for now – it’s over and out from me, Tom - your events editor.
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Pam Ann, appearing at Big Gay Lifestyle Show events
Chester Students Launch City's First Pride Three Chester students are to launch the city’s first pride event. Organisers Roy Woodyet, Andrew Kirby and David Griffiths took a few minutes to tell us about the event. How did Chester Pride come about? A Pride Event has always been something we believed that Chester would benefit from. The idea to initiate the plan ourselves came up in a meeting of the Universities LGBT Society during a discussion of our responsibility to engage with the wider community and from there we started our first contact with the Council. Why has it been moved from Grosvenor Park to the Student’s Union? There were a number of costs that were not included in our original financial plan that arose quite suddenly and we could not be sure that we could raise the required funds in time. After some discussion the Chester Student’s Union offered us the use of their building; this move eliminated a large number of events
our costs, especially those surrounding electrics that had previously taken up a large amount of our budget. What a can pride goer expect from Chester Pride? What we want to give people is a chance, and a reason, to get together something that we don’t think happens too often in Chester. We want to provide a space for people to celebrate the diversity of our city and to provide a chance for the charities that serve our community to raise awareness of the issues they’re facing and the work that they do. We would love for Chester Pride to help establish an LGBT visibility in Chester and reflect a positive image of the LGBT community. There is much debate being had up and down the country regarding prides
being free is this event free We believe that Pride events must remain free community events in order to remain inclusive to all. Are you looking to raise money, and if so how can people donate? While we will always keep stalls at Pride free to charity we ask commercial vendors and political parties attending pride to donate their 'stall fee' to Unite Against Fascism, the charity chosen to receive money raised by Chester Pride. We will also be collecting voluntary donations throughout the day. Now that is in the Student's Union people may think that it is only open to students. Is this the case? This is certainly not the case. Despite the venue change this remains an event for the whole community. We would really like people not to be put off by this change. Chester Pride will be held at Chester University Student's Union CH1 on October 1st from 12pm to 6pm, open to all. For further details email chesterpride@gmail.com or find them on Facebook Chester Pride. http://on.fb.me/nuyojP 27
opinions Let us know your opinions, some of which we’ll print in the next publication of OOC. opinions@outoncampus.org twitter @OutOnCampusMag Facebook.com/OutOnCampusMag Youtube.com/OutOnCampusMag Suggest the next topic: opinions@outoncampus.org
Are gay villages/areas a good or bad thing? With Liverpool and Leeds announcing plans for recognised gay districts in the city mirroring the likes of Canal Street in Manchester and the Pink Triangle in Newcastle, do we like the idea or do we think they are separating rather than integrating us?
Send us your blogs and vlogs Out on Campus is not just a magazine - it also has an online presence. These
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Youtube just for starters. We need to engage with people and provide more content than can actually be published in print. Whether it’s written or on video we need your opinions. Send your blog and vlog links to buzz@ outoncampus.org.
Vlogger James Mitchell presenting an Out on Campus video
Oh, and we might ask you to do us a video.
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opinions