LGBT
The LGBTQ documentaries you need to see this year
Around the world — As the BFI Flare gears up for its launch later this month, festival programmer Zorian Clayton highlights the best documentaries from the 2019 programme.
Written by: Thomas Curry
Exploring the secret history of queer gaming
Rainbow arcade — There’s an idea that the gaming community is dominated by straight, cis men – but a new exhibition wants to debunk that myth.
Written by: Megan Wallace
Smut and lust: a visual history of sex in the punk scene
Raw provocation — A new show, Punk Lust: Raw Provocation 1971-1985, pays tribute to the relationship between punk culture and sexuality.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Gay’s The Word: inside England’s only LGBTQ bookshop
Four decades on — This week marks the 40th anniversary of Gay’s The Word, a UK institution that fought police raids, prejudice and censorship to become a hub of social activism. We talk to manager Jim MacSweeney about the fights the venue has faced over the years.
Written by: Patrick O’Connell
Everyday portraits of life and love in LGBTQ Serbia
In transition — Photographer Slobodan Randjelović returns to his home country for a new book on the Serbian queer community: ‘I didn’t want a provocative, scandalous, fake approach to LGBT people. I wanted something that was almost banal, in the way that most people’s lives are.’
Written by: Biju Belinky
My life as a transgender woman in Russia
‘I won’t be bullied into hiding’ — Russia is widely regarded as one of the most homophobic nations in the Western world. Following the enactment of a law against ‘gay propaganda’ in 2013, hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ community have soared, especially murder and serious violence. Transgender people are arguably even more of a target, given Russia’s culture of rigidly enforcing gender roles. 27-year-old Eva Borisov explains what it’s like being transgender in such an intensely hostile environment.
Written by: Eva Borisov, as told to Nick Chester
‘Our first love leaves an indelible mark on us’
André Aciman in conversation — Writer Megan Nolan talks to André Aciman – author of Call Me By Your Name and the new Enigma Variations – about love, sexuality, and the power of the written word.
Written by: Megan Nolan
‘I want to show what it means to be two-spirit and trans’
The queer magic of Mich Cota — Raised in a deeply religious home in Canada by a native father and white mother, Mich Cota makes eerie, spiritual music that weaves its way between two worlds.
Written by: Biju Belinky
Why are trans men always left out of the conversation?
Out of sight — As a trans man, I've seen first-hand how male privilege can transform your life. By giving us a platform, we can become valuable allies in the fight against misogyny.
Written by: Lee Hurley
Why we need to reform the UK’s Gender Recognition Act
Stand with us — This week, the government is asking the public to share their thoughts on vital new rights for trans, non-binary and intersex people. This could be a huge step forward – but only if our allies speak out.
Written by: Lee Hurley