QB - Nottinghamshire's Queer Bulletin Dec/Jan 08 - News Section

Nottinghamshire's Queer Bulletin

December 2007/January 2008

Number 39
This edition of QB is sponsored by Nottingham Ball Bois football team.

If you have any information, news, gossip or libel, please send it to

QB, Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
7 Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG1 3FB
or e-mail notts@lgswitchboard.fsnet.co.uk

The deadline for the next edition will be mid January, 2007.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE'S RAINBOW HERITAGE

The application form for a Heritage Lottery grant towards a local LGBT History project has been completed and delivered. The decision about the grant will be known in January.

Some things can be confirmed. Firstly, the name for the project has been finalised as "Nottinghamshire's Rainbow Heritage". Secondly, things will happen for LGBT History Month next February, regardless of the Heritage Lottery Fund's decision. The main novelty is that the Large Gallery at "The View from the Top" above Waterstones will be booked in February, from Tues. 12th to Sun. 17th. It's a large, bright space and we hope it will provide an ideal launch for the project - see the back page for more details. See the LGBT History Month section for pictures.

With a bit of luck, Waterstones may be able to coordinate an event to coincide with the display, which will have pictures dealing with: Nottingham Pride; homophobia; famous LGBT people; LGBT people in the Holocaust; local LGBT history and more. If you are interested in getting involved or just want to know more, Switchboard is the contact point until the project has its own address, phone, e-mail etc.

SPAMALOT

We are used to having some of the e-mails that we send being rejected by some organisations spam filters - generally it's that word "lesbian" that's considered unacceptable. A chap from China complained that we weren't replying to his e-mails when, of course, it was the Chinese government which filtered out our replies. There are, we are told, no homosexuals in China.

In the current edition of our sister paper "Lookout", the editor rightly fulminates that when she tried to access Switchboard?s website while at work, the County Council's filters blocked the site and told her that they were preventing her from seeing an "alternative lifestyle" website. So much for an LGBT friendly council which claims to be a Stonewall Champion.

At a recent Nottinghamshire Police training event, the leader of the training group stated the he was also surprised by receiving the same response when he tried to access Switchboard's details via a police computer. As he said, "I could access the BNP?s website, but not Switchboard's". He says that once the Police were informed about this, they made the necessary adjustments.

NOTES AND QUEERIES

Gay Star Trek actor George Takei (Mr Sulu) has had an asteroid named after him. Mr Takei was nominated because of his work with leading US gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

QB no. 37 reported on the "gay bomb", which would cause troops to cease fighting because they became irresistibly attracted to each other. We are pleased to see that the researchers have been award the Peace Prize in this year's Ig Nobel Prizes for the silliest research. Other current or previous winners include:

The Aviation Prize: for discovering that hamsters recover from jetlag more quickly when given Viagra.

The Medicine Prize: for research on "Acute Management of the Zipper-Entrapped Penis" and for "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage."

The Public Health Prize: for a report on "Transmission of gonorrhea through an Inflatable Doll."

The Biology Prize: for showing that herrings communicate by farting

A children's book about two male penguins who hatched and raised a young female named 'Tango' has topped a list of the most challenged books in public and school libraries in the US. And Tango Makes Three is based of the true story of Roy and Silo, who formed a couple in New York's Central Park Zoo.

GROUP OF THE DAY

I had played girls' football throughout my school years and loved every minute of it. Arriving at university in Nottingham in 2001, and suddenly being a small fish in a very large pond, I somehow talked myself out of trials for the university women's team. Late nights, kebabs and revision comfort food kicked in and four years later and about 2.5 stone heavier I decided to try and get back into the sport I loved.

After a bit of research I found Sparta Nottingham WFC and psyched myself up for going along to a training session. Although straight, I had got hold of the club details through the LGBT Switchboard which lead me to wonder if it was a club for gay women only. I remember turning up on my first evening and a quick glance around at some of the players served only to strengthen some of my suspicions! Before the training started I feebly admitted to someone that I wasn't gay and asked if it was still ok to join in. This was immediately met with a few laughs, putting me at ease.

I started training every week and last year I signed up to play matches every Sunday. Now I'm the Secretary of Sparta, we've just recruited a new, fantastic FA-qualified coach/manager and we're hoping to develop the team over this season. Sparta welcomes women football players - gay, straight, funky hairstyles, married, single, Danish, Australian!

We train every Thursday 7.20pm - 9pm at Southglade Sports Centre. Training is £2.50. Matches are every Sunday afternoon. For further details give me (Anne) a call on 07813 142112 or visit our website: www.spartawfc.co.uk

THE ELECTRIFIED WILLY TEST

On the subject of homophobia, a 1996 study by psychologist Henry Adams supported Freud's claim that homophobia is often a screen people use to hide their repressed homosexual urges. Adams tested a group of men who considered themselves to be exclusively heterosexual. He gave each of them a questionnaire to find out how homophobic they were and then showed them videos of gay porn. While watching the porn, their penises were attached to devices which electronically measured how turned on they were.

The research showed that the more homophobic they were the more they were aroused by the gay porn. This parallels the list of homophobes who have eventually been outed - usually after their death e.g. J. Edgar Hoover, Cardinal Francis Spellman .. does anyone else have their suspicions about President Ahmadinejad of Iran?

REAL LIVES

Real Lives is a 30 minute DVD commissioned by Nottinghamshire County Council's Learning and Development Department to raise awareness around current and historical lesbian and gay issues. It shows interviews with local lesbians, gay men and children of gay parents talking about their experiences of coming out, changes in legislation and other issues.

It's fun, informative and enlightening. The film can be used to educate, to encourage informal discussion or in training sessions. If you want a copy of the film, it's £9-99; contact Pam Burrows at PB@Satori-uk.co.uk or on 07974 309442.

SOMETHING'S GETTING BIGGER

Something Social expands. Again. In addition to Badminton Social, Arts Social, Eat-out Social, Murder Social, Tardis Social and Real Ale Social ... now there is Book Social. Talk about your favourite books and hear others' reviews and recommendations. The first meeting took place upstairs at The Peacock pub, Mansfield Road, Nottingham on Thursday 15th November - so you've missed it. For details of future meetings, go to http://www.booksocial.co.uk

BULLYING SUCKS

There is a lot of local action at the moment on ways of tackling homophobic bullying in schools, colleges and universities.

Students at Trent University are promoting the NUS "Bullying Sucks" campaign - not just posters, but also mini stick-of-rock sweets bearing the campaign's motto. If anyone in schools or colleges wants these materials, you can order them free. Just put NUS and Bullying Sucks into Google.

Nottingham City Children's services sent out anti-homophobic bullying packs to all Nottingham schools earlier this year; they now hope to enlist the aid of Nottingham Forest women's football team, who will appear on anti-homophobia posters.

Staff and the LGBT students group at Castle College are working on anti-homophobia measures.

QB'S BIBLE STUDIES CLASS

All registered charities will echo the thoughts of St. Paul in his 13th epistle to the Corinthians. Here's a bit of it in Polari.

But when that which is absolutely fantabulosa is troll, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a chavvie, I cackled as a chavvie, I understood as a chavvie, I thought as a chavvie: but when I became a homie, I put away childish fakements.

For now we varda through a glass, darkly; but then eke to eke: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now letteth faith, hope, charity, these trey; but the dowriest of these is charity.

BRIEFS ON THE SCENE

PINK, the once-a-month women's night at China China, has closed ...

.... but another once-a-month women's night, Compassion, has opened. It's on the 1st Monday of the month at LT Nights (formerly Jacey's) 47, Heathcote Street 9.30 pm - 3.00 am. £3 before 11.00 pm, £4 after. And, yes, guys can be admitted as guests, but you need two women to take you in.

Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, the GAi Project has shed its name and emerged, wings-a-flap, as the all-new Healthy Gay Nottingham.

CULEBRON ESPAGNOL

We have received the following information by e-mail. We offer it without comment.

Apples. Apples is the first Spanish online serial The serial has 7 episodes, as many as its main characters, and tells us about the crazy lives of a group of lesbian students, a dummy, and a teddy cat. The story takes place in two flats located in the same building, one just above the other, where the girls move back and forth according to the swinging of their relationships. All this dressed up with the best sauce: an epic love of Juliet and Juliet style. Apples is available at www.appleslaserie.com