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Quays Life •

REVIEW: Kind of Love

The concept of ‘it’s not gay if’ has long been a foundational philosophy to humanity’s evolution. Homosexual accusations have been graffitied on toilet walls since Pompeii, and even by the New Labour nineties, being “straight until” remains as on-trend as ever.


In ‘Kind of Love’ by Stewart Campbell, teenagers across the country are still making out, making up, and making mistakes – who cares if Parliament still can’t decide on the gay age of consent?


On a lads trip to Ibiza, gay teenager S...
Quays Life •

REVIEW: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

“We’re all born naked and the rest is drag” is an immediate thought on the first watch of ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’. RuPaul’s most famous catchphrase comes from the idea that there is more to a person than what is outwardly visible. The story of two drag queens and a transgender woman tottering through the Australian desert is sharp, flamboyant, and fabulously witty – and buries extraordinary vulnerability beneath piles of glitter and dazzling smiles.  


In the sparkle of the stage, Mit...
Stockport Nub News •

Stockroom unveils Christopher Isherwood exhibition as part of LGBTQ+ History Month

"Come and wallow in voluptuous sin: Christopher Isherwood's 'Berlin Stories' now read almost like vignettes of nearly forgotten history. They blaze into life only because of his enchantingly wicked heroine, Sally Bowles." 

So reads a scrap of long-forgotten news review, carefully clipped by a superfan to whom a gay immigrant who rejected his nationality was a more enchanting hero than the star of 'I Am a Camera'.
Quays Life •

REVIEW - Sadiq Ali: Tell Me

“Victims are male homosexuals and drug users who use needles… any of them could have contracted the Aids virus, and any of them could pass it on.” 


A tinny radio blares across a dimly-lit haze of sweating bodies and tight leather trousers. Red and white lights pulse beneath thumping disco music as partygoers vogue across the stage. It’s 1985, and the terror of the Aids crisis has been temporarily turned away at the door, only for the threat to continue leering across the night nonetheless.
Quays Life •

Sadiq Ali on using circus to challenge outdated beliefs about HIV

When Sadiq Ali was diagnosed HIV+ during his circus training at NCCA, he witnessed the fear and ignorance that still surrounds the virus. He talks to Leslie Kerwin about his new work, ‘Tell Me’, created in consultation with HIV charities Positively UK and CHIVA (Children’s HIV Association) as an open letter response to his experiences told through Chinese Pole, aerial artistry and physical theatre.

Now wrapping up the final week of rehearsals, award-winning performer and activist, Sadiq Ali i...
Quays Life •

REVIEW: Barrier(s)

A great joy of theatre is allowing us to step into different worlds. Deafinitely Theatre is the first professional deaf-launched and led theatre company in the UK and its new production of Eloise Pennycott’s award-winning play, presents an intimate LGBTQ+ love story between deaf and hearing characters.

Between an artful blend of British Sign Language (BSL), live captions and the odd spoken word, a language barrier soon becomes a language of love between neighbours Katie and Alana, who quickly...
The Northern Quota •

City in shock as Manchester Pride goes into voluntary administration

Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community has been left stunned after the charity behind Manchester Pride announced they have gone into administration.


The news come after dozens of artists revealed they are allegedly owed thousands in unpaid invoices by Manchester Pride Ltd following the August Bank Holiday event.


Organisers have cited rising costs and declining ticket sales as major factors in the decision to go into voluntary liquidation, and said details of suppliers and artists who are awaiting p...
The Northern Quota •

DJ Paulette: From the living room to Europe and back

From the minute she could stand, Paulette Constable knew her place was above the crowds. As a little girl, she spent her days on her miniature typewriter writing weekly zines into the backs of cornflake boxes – and spent her evenings on the stage, performing for her seven sisters on the little step in the living room. “And I’d fall off the step and my sisters would laugh at me and I’d look at them and go, ‘you’ll pay to come and see me one day’.”


Now 58, DJ Paulette couldn’t have been truer t...
The Northern Quota •

Sunak promises shorter NHS waiting times moments after Brianna Ghey trans jibe – but in Manchester it’s trans people who have to wait longest

Sunak’s promises came moments after making a transphobic comment while Brianna Ghey’s mother attended the Commons during PMQs.


Rishi Sunak attracted widespread condemnation for his refusal to apologise after making a transphobic comment in the House of Commons on Wednesday (7 February) – on the same day the mother of murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey attended Parliament.


He also admitted his failure to bring down NHS waiting lists during his time as Prime Minister and promised to commit...