LGBTQ
An intimate look at the life of a gay porn star
Being Jonathan Agassi — International porn icon Jonathan Agassi had a meteoric rise to fame – but at what personal cost? A new film by Tomer Heymann reveals what happens when the camera stops rolling.
Written by: Thomas Curry
The story behind the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ helpline
Call the Switchboard — After picking up their first ever call in March 1974, the phones at Switchboard haven’t stopped ringing since. Supporting the community through decriminalisation, the AIDS epidemic, Section 28, and into the present, their volunteers are there to listen around the clock; no matter the query.
Written by: El Hunt
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
How Tumblr became a sanctuary for the Internet’s outsiders
End of an era — The blogging website’s ban on adult content threatens to alienate the most marginalised in society, and block future generations’ road to self-discovery.
Written by: Lydia Morrish
The untold story of Manchester’s LGBTQ pioneers
Invisible Women — Together, Angela Cooper and Luchia Fitzgerald transformed the lives of thousands of women – yet no record of their activism exists. Now, a new documentary is shining a light on their incredible story.
Written by: Liam Taft