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for gay/bi women | April 2012 

a man’s 

world 

THE LOWDOWN 

ON FTM 

TRANSITIONS 

RIHANNA 

We talk to the Bajan beauty 

about her fi rst foray into fi lm 

care for 

some kink 

TALKING ABOUT 

YOUR FETISH

COVER PICTURE BY UPI MEDIA 

g3mag 

.co.uk 

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ON THE JOB 

WHAT WILL 

GAY MARRIAGE 

MEAN FOR YOU? 

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for gay/bi women | April 2012 

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THE LOWDOWN 

ON FTM 

TRANSITIONS 

RIHANNA 

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TALKING ABOUT 

YOUR FETISH 

EDITORIAL 

020 7258 1777 

Doesn’t live here anymore 

Sarah Garrett 

sarah@g3magazine.co.uk 

Doesn’t want to know 

Boom 

boom@g3mag.co.uk 

Don’t even go there 

Helen Mathias 

design@g3magazine.co.uk 

Fashion Editor 

Mercury 

mercury@g3mag.co.uk 

Film Editor 

Dani Orsi 

Sub Editor 

Dave Marshall 

Contributors/Thanks to: 

Lea Andrews, Nadia Attura, Emma 

Bailey, Jake Bayley, Julie Bindel, 

Sibi Bolan, Maria Correa-Montiero, 

Chance Delgado, Laura Dixon, Laura 

Doughty, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, Lynne 

Featherstone, Philip Garcia, Ishmael 

Kai Johnson, Chloe Marshall, Leng 

Montgomery, NeeNee, Danni Orsi, Ashley 

Savage, Laura Steel, Stephanie Theobald, 

Ledie Toscano, Pixie V., Marie Wilson 

ADVERTISING 

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Accounts 

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� highlights 

Rihanna talks 

tough about her 

latest fi lm role 

in Battleship 

Fashion… 

Put a spring in 

your step this 

April with bold 

prints and bright 

colours 

26 

�� 

Our full frontal bits take 

you on an orgasmic ride 

– with our Babe, Amber 

Heard, gear and garb, 

fundaq and our top 10 

tattoos. Also, what fi lms to 

watch, music to listen to 

and top cultural events. 

ed’s letter 

fun in the sun 

As we sit here fi nishing off the last bits of g3, the sun 

is shining outside. Our iPhones tell us to expect this 

for the next fi ve days – rejoice! UK summer time has 

begun. In true British style, we look forward to seeing 

pasty people in shorts and vests for the next fi ve 

months, regardless of the weather. 

To keep you feeling hot even if the weather turns, our 

cover star and Barbadian beauty, Rihanna, talks to us 

about her fi lm debut in Battleship. We catch up with 

her to see how she feels about adding ‘actress’ to her 

resumé. From one hottie to a few… three cute FTM 

guys dropped into HQ for a chat this month. Catch 

up with what they had to say on page 22. 

Following in the footsteps of Heather Peace and 

Shabby, Candy Bar manager and DJ Sandra D will 

take the helm and put her own special guest-editor 

spin on g3 next month! We can’t wait to see what she 

has in store for you all. 

To keep things fair, we’re doing a g3/Candy Bar job 

swap… more details soon, but keep Thursday 10 May 

free for an exxxtreme g3 night at Candy Bar! 

contents 

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Three guys talk about their 

journeys of transition. 

�� 

We check out Oxford’s 

Plush Lounge, plus The T 

Club and Other People’s 

Property in London. 

Until then, happy, sunny days everyone! 

Sarah G 

and Boom 

PICTURE BY UPI MEDIA 

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WORDS BY BOOM �� 

This month: g3 chats 

to battling singer Rihanna. 

Plus, all the latest gear 

and garb, fi lm and music 

reviews, what’s on and 

much more… 

your spot again and again 

Babe 

of the 

month 

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Find out more at: 

amberheardoffi cial.com 

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Garb Gear 

most wanted… 

put a spring in your step with our April favourites 

night light 

�� 

Sky lanterns can make anything 

feel more magic. Light them, and 

watch them take off into the sky. 

They can be seen for up to 20 

minutes and travel for miles. 

Light them with a group of 

friends, and send all your hopes 

and wishes up to the heavens… 

£7.99 nightskylanterns.co.uk 

picture this 

�� 

You may have thought film 

photography was dead… 

but camera makers 

Lomography want to show 

you it’s not. Their Spinner 

360-degree camera lets 

you take a full 360-degree 

photo with a ripcord and a 

flick of the wrist. The camera 

uses standard 35mm film, is 

stupidly simple to use but 

produces amazing results! Taking 

old school to the future. 

£89 lomographuk.com 

face on 

�� 

If only there was a way to make a stapler that is a 

little more cheery. Someone should invent a cross 

between a stamp and a stapler. OMG, they have! With 

every snap of the mundane stapler comes a little face 

wishing you a nice day. Cheer up your office job – just 

make sure you don’t use it for any official work documents! 

£7.99 fi nd-me-a-gift.co.uk 

mc kitty 

�� 

Cats scratch furniture to mark their territory, exercise 

their muscles and for pleasure. All reasons why youths 

mix music. So, as we’d rather get cats mixing than 

teenagers bringing mice to our doorstep, 

we love this! The scratch mat actually moves, 

meaning you can sit and giggle in a ‘look the 

cat is doing human things’ way rather than 

cry as it shreds your favourite couch. 

£15 selfridges.co.uk 

hop to it 

�� 

What better way to celebrate the visit of the 

Easter Bunny than to demolish this giant chocolate 

one? Get this bunny from Marks & Spencer and 

you can continue to feel good about yourself 

because they’ve cut their Easter packaging down 

by 9%, and 70% of it is already recycled. So, 

technically, by eating the bunny, you’re helping the 

environment. Kind of. Either way it tastes good. 

£20 marksandspencer.com 

WORDS BY BOOM

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Miso bralet 

£20 

republic.co.uk 

Chino shorts 

£17.50 

marksandspencer.com 

Rocket Dog 

at schuh 

£48 

schuh.co.uk 

Navy shorts 

£9 

primark.co.uk 

Hoop 

earrings 

£6 

accessorize.com 

down at the diner 

give your wardrobe that 50s feel 

Oversized sunglasses 

£14 

accessorize.com 

Bleached blue 

denim pintuck gillet 

£29.99 

newlook.com 

Striped bikini 

£78 

by Ted Baker at 

House of Fraser 

houseoffraser.co.uk 

Sleeveless belted 

shirt dress 

£22.99 

missguided.co.uk 

Head scarf, £6, earrings, £13, 

top, £20, shorts, £25, 

socks, £4, heels, £60 

riverisland.com 

WORDS BY BOOM

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�� 

What was 

the last… 

TitBits 

…with SugaNeenee (Neenee), 21, 

model/actress/dancer (currently 

working at CyberDog in Camden). 

…music you loved? Stacie Orrico – Easy To Luv You | …time you came 

home at 6am? Three days ago. I was supposed to go to Torture Garden but 

got too wasted, then passed out, eek! Never again!| …amazing meal you ate? 

Ooohhh, at Spiral in Camden Town, baby! Amazing salad and a veggie bagel. | 

…girl you kissed? My Marilyn Monroe poster… does that count? Otherwise, my 

gorgeous friend, Heather, about two months ago! 

GLUM FUN 

fundaq 

April’s highs and lows 

Easter weekend (6-9 April) 

The only time of the year other than 

Christmas when you can guiltlessly 

stuff your face with chocolate. Bow 

down to the Easter Bunny because 

you even get two bank holidays. 

Yay for Easter! 

April Fools’ Day (1 April) 

Every single year we 

forget about this day, 

and every single year we 

fall for a more ludicrous 

prank. Last year we 

believed in magic 

again when the Metro 

newspaper ran a story 

that unicorn-like bones 

had been discovered in 

London. Damn. 

Uh Huh Her Tour 

(18-24 April) 

Leisha Hailey and Camilla Grey 

are back in the UK! The Uh Huh 

Her Tour starts in Brighton on the 

18th and ends in London on the 

24th… be sure to get your tickets 

before they sell out. 

MUST READ!� 

Tristan Manco 

raw + material = art 

Thames & Hudson RRP £24.95 

★★★★✩ 

One of the world’s most 

infl uential authors on street 

art showcases the work of 

38 truly innovative and 

inspirational artists who 

push the boundaries. Check 

it out, and stay ahead of the 

game in the art world. 

UK Coffee Week (23-29 April) 

With Britons spending £730 

million on coffee last year, we 

must really love that brown 

liquid. So it’s not surprising there 

is a national coffee week. UK 

Coffee Week hopes to increase 

public awareness and knowledge 

of coffee quality, preparation and 

ethical sourcing. 

The McBaguette (18 April) 

We think MacDonald’s might 

have heard the saying ‘Everything 

sounds better in French’ and 

taken it too far. The company 

is releasing a ‘McBaguette’ in 

France in an attempt 

to lure French 

diners into its 

restaurants. 

One problem, 

baguettes 

aren’t square… 

10 

TOP 

LESBIAN TATTOOS 

1 Stars – A classic. Almost 

everyone we know with 

tattoos has a star somewhere 

on their body. 

2 Jessie J lyrics – OK, so 

not necessarily Jessie J, but we 

do love a good lyric tattoo. 

3 Tribal – An incredibly 

popular and diverse tattoo. 

Tribals can hold a lot of 

history if you want them to. 

4 Pin-up girl / pretty 

girl – From what we’ve 

seen, you love the idea of 

having a pretty girl on you for 

life. (Who wouldn’t?!) 

5 Chinese symbols – 

P!nk has the Chinese symbol 

for infi nity above her left 

ankle, and if it’s good enough 

for her, it’s good enough for us. 

6 Girlfriend’s name – If 

you’ve done it and regretted 

it, you’re not the only one. 

7 Flames – Symbolic of 

passion and strength, 

whatever your reason, a lot of 

you love a good fl ame tattoo. 

8 Cherries – Sweet, rosy 

red and lots of sexual 

innuendo. The cherry has 

also become associated with 

rockabilly and kitsch style. 

9 Celtic band – A 

favourite from the 90s. Pretty 

much a symbol of being a hard- 

ass and having good biceps. 

10 Barbed wire – Pamela 

Anderson put this tattoo on 

the map in the 90s. Another 

symbol of strength and a 

tough attitude. 

WORDS BY BOOM & SARAH G

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Rihanna 

… on movie breaks, 

big weapons 

and badass attitudes… 

Surrounded by controversy 

and accused of being too 

raunchy, pop diva Rihanna is 

about to show a more serious 

side in her role as weapons 

expert Lt. Cora Raikes in the 

Hollywood movie Battleship.

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//toys//fashion//reviews//news//music// Interview film 

“It’s exciting because it’s 

my first movie, and I’m 

working with Peter 

Berg. That’s big! 

“ 

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Interview 

After six Grammys, two Brits and 18 Billboard 

Awards, it seemed obvious that someone so easy on 

the eye and such a consummate, talented performer 

as Rihanna should make the transition from singing 

to acting… but was that always her plan? 

“Yes, I wanted to get my feet wet in the acting world. 

It’s something I wanted to do and that I’m serious 

about; a whole new world that I want to grow in. I 

didn’t know if I would like it, but here I am, and I love 

it. When I went to meet with the director, Peter Berg, 

[Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, TV’s 

Chicago Hope] I didn’t know what I was really getting 

into. After I saw Pete’s enthusiasm and how much he 

believed in the project, I was immediately intrigued 

and interested,” she explains. 

The role is a feisty, determined professional, Lt. Cora 

‘Weps’ Raikes. So what did she think of the script? 

“When I read it, I understood the integrity of the fi lm, 

and I wanted to be a part of something like that. It 

was really good. Raikes is a badass. She’s a weapons 

specialist who doesn’t take it from anybody. She is 

really tough and loves her craft. She cares about her 

job and about protecting herself and everyone on her 

ship. Raikes is fearless, vigilant and always ready.” 

Ooer! Sounds just our type! But then we wouldn’t 

have expected a woman with so much upfront 

confi dence to have been offered a ‘shrinking violet’ 

role! Given Rihanna’s lack of experience in acting, 

what did she expect from the shoot? 

“I came to Hawaii [the fi lm location] with a really open 

mind and ready to be fearless. I didn’t understand 

how big the fi lm was until I arrived on set. That’s when 

I realised how huge it was. Being the baby on set, 

everything was new, and it’s really interesting to see 

Rihanna as 

Lt. Cora Raikes 

in Battleship 

how everyone works. It’s exciting because it’s my fi rst 

movie, and I’m working with Peter Berg. That’s big!” 

Given that she agreed to play such a serious character, 

we wondered what it was that attracted her to Raikes 

and allowed her to identify with the part. “I like her 

confi dence and her focus on her job,” she says, 

without hesitation. “I love that she is so die-hard loyal 

to her team and to the people she works with. Those 

are qualities I believe in. So, in a way, this character 

could also help me in my real life. Raikes is amazing!” 

Unlikely, in the pop world, to have bumped into any 

weapons experts at after-gig parties, wasn’t it? So 

how did she prepare for the role? “To be Raikes, I had 

to get rid of everything that was Rihanna. She’s a 

fi ghter and loves what she does. I had to learn many 

things. I pretty much got thrown into it the moment I 

arrived in Hawaii. I love adventure and spontaneity, 

so I enjoyed getting in there. I was already fi ring 

weapons my fi rst day on set.” 

We ought to point out to her that a few of her stray 

arrows pierced our hearts long ago, but… back to the 

fi lm. Weapons can be dangerous, so did she receive 

any special training? “In order to help me understand 

the background of the character and what she had to 

go through to be a weapons specialist on a ship, I 

was drilled as if I was really being recruited. At fi rst, 

I didn’t see why I had to be yelled at so much by this 

instructor, but then I understood.” 

Someone yelling at Rihanna? In front of loads of 

people? It’s a wonder one of those weapons didn’t 

get fired off! “Well, it was useful. It helped bring me 

out of my usual comfort zone and of thinking like 

Rihanna,” she admits. 

To help Rihanna understand the role, the director 

arranged for her to meet a real weapons expert. 

“I met the equivalent of Lt. Raikes, a tough weapons 

specialist and very beautiful. Meeting her and seeing 

how she moves, works and focuses on her job really 

helped me understand my character.” 

We have all seen the singer ‘acting’ in videos, so surely 

it cannot be much different working on a longer piece 

of fi lm, can it? Rihanna thinks there is a world of 

difference: “It’s like night and day, a whole new ball 

game. Working on a movie isn’t even close to 

shooting a music video. Being on stage is something 

that I’m more comfortable with. Acting is another 

world that I want to get into. It’s a priority for me, and 

I’m excited to see where I will go in this industry.” 

Luckily for her, Battleship’s famous director, Peter 

Berg, almost guarantees success at the box offi ce. 

Was it intimidating to be under the instruction of 

such a talent? “Peter is fantastic! He is a genius! He 

has been on this side of the camera, so he 

understands what goes through our minds and 

knows how to get the best out of everyone. He 

creates a comfortable environment on set, so you 

enjoy working with him. Also, he is spontaneous and 

likes to throw things your way. I love working like that. 

There is a thrill in not knowing what’s going to happen 

and having to go with it. I love adventure, which is 

probably why I’m enjoying this experience so much.” 

The adventurous star has recently been seen bikini-clad 

[phew!] in Hawaii; she must surely be enjoying such a 

beautiful place: “Being in Hawaii is opposite to what’s 

going on in the fi lm. We are at war in the fi lm, and 

there is a lot of fi ghting. But when we look up, we see 

the sun, the turquoise water and this beautiful scenery.” 

Combining the shoot with some background 

research, Rihanna did more than soak up the sun on 

her days off, and she went to Pearl Harbor to visit the 

legendary battleship USS Missouri. “I’ve been 

experiencing some great things doing this fi lm. It’s 

very special to be in Hawaii on the USS Missouri and 

see things you’ve read about in history books.” 

Doubtless Battleship will turn out to be a legendary 

success and give the gorgeous Rihanna a platform to 

launch yet another aspect of her considerable talent. 

“I have always watched and loved movies, but now 

that I’m learning about acting, I look at fi lms in a 

completely different way. I can’t wait to see 

Battleship,” she confesses. 

Rihanna in a uniform? Toting weapons? 

Neither can we! 

Battleship premiers on 10 April 

and is on general release from 11 April. 

battleshipmovie.com 

INTERVIEW BY UPI | WORDS BY CHANCE DELGADO | PICTURES COURTESY UPI UK/FREUD UK

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Arts&Culture 

/music//film//girls//toys/books//news//reviews//music//fil m//girl 

PICTURE © & COURTESY LUCIAN FREUD ARCHIVE 

WORDS BY BOOM 

musical 

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As a long-time fan of 

Stephen Sondheim’s dark 

musical, Sweeney Todd, I 

was excited to see this new 

production from Jonathan 

Kent. Michael Ball is superb 

in the title role, creating an 

instant shiver, and Imelda 

Staunton’s performance as 

Mrs Lovett is nothing short 

of a comic triumph (no 

surprise there then!) 

Nightmarish, thrilling and 

packed with tremendous 

numbers, I was enthralled 

from start to fi nish. Shocking, 

terrifying, hilarious and 

wonderful… don’t miss it! 

Mon-Sat 7.30pm. Wed & Sat 

2.30pm. Until 22 Sep 2012. Adelphi 

Theatre, The Strand, London WC2. 

Tickets £20-£67.50 from box offi ce 

or 08444 811 0053 (24 hrs). 

sweeneytoddwestend.com 

WORDS BY HELEN MATHIAS | PICTURE BY TRISTRAM KENTON 

events/culture junkie 

for girls who like to be out 

Girl In A Dark 

Jacket, 1947 

festival 

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The Fringe! Festival is back this month. Head to east 

London for a weekend of gay fi lms and festivities. 

Expect cult movies, events and parties. You can even 

take a dance class on how to ‘vogue’ after a Madonna 

documentary. The festival is based around the 

Dalston Rio and has 20 screenings taking place at 

trendy and quirky locations. This year sees the 

introduction of First Love, a project led by video 

submissions from the public. You still have time to 

submit your own video! 

Thursday 12-Sunday 15 April at venues around east London. 

Free and ticketed events. Check website for details: fringefi lmfest.com 

art 

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This exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London 

is the fi nal farewell from the German-born British realist 

painter who spent the majority of his life around Soho. 

The exhibition features 130 paintings, drawings and 

etchings from the artist, who continued to paint until his 

death in 2011. Whether you like Freud’s style or not, you 

have to acknowledge that the beauty of art is subjective, 

and Freud remains undoubtedly one of the most 

infl uential fi gurative painters of his generation. 

9 Feb-27 May, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London 

WC2H 0HE. Tickets can be purchased from ticketmaster.co.uk 

Community Action Centre, 

Sunday 15 April, 

Aubin Cinema 

WORDS BY LEDIE TOSCANO / SIBI BOLAN 

ART 

CANCER SUCKS 

Inspirational performance artist 

Tutu (Kristen Tedder) was never going 

to react to breast cancer in a 

conventional way. Instead, along with 

photographer Ashley Savage, she 

created the Cancer Sucks photographic 

gallery and Punk Cancer, a decidedly 

un-pink approach to fi ghting breast 

cancer. “All the pink, fl uffy breast cancer 

imagery didn’t do it for me, so I went 

down a different road,” Tutu explained. 

Tutu was diagnosed in 2009, and 

Ashley’s photos dating from that time 

range from a beaming Tutu posing on a 

radiation table to starker images taken 

when she was not feeling so strong. 

Tutu felt passionately about the 

exhibition. “I’d really like to encourage 

other people to be involved in this kind 

of phototherapy,” she said. “Whatever 

is going on in someone’s life, even if it’s 

just about having a shit day, could be 

good to document. I really hope our 

images continue to inspire others.” 

Sadly, Tutu left us on Wednesday 28 

March 2012 for, in the words of a dear 

friend, ‘the big disco in the sky’, but she 

always wanted the Cancer Sucks 

exhibition to grow and inspire. Ashley 

is currently looking for funders to help 

make this a reality, so if you would like 

to make a donation, please email 

Ashley at ashleysavage@live.co.uk 

Punk Cancer has created a T-shirt, with 

Mark at Earl of Bedlam, from a photo 

taken by Ashley Savage. To buy a T-shirt, 

visit punkcancer.com. Minimum 

contribution is £30, and all proceeds go 

to further Tutu’s mission. Facebook: 

PunkCancer. To view the Cancer Sucks 

photo gallery, visit savageskin.co.uk 

Kristen ‘Tutu’ Tedder, 

1966 - 2012 

Gone but never forgotten 

WORDS BY STEPHANIE THEOBALD/ASHLEY SAVAGE /HELEN MATHIAS | ARTWORK & PICTURES BY ASHLEY SAVAGE, SAVAGESKIN.CO.UK | T-SHIRT MODELLED BY LOZ 

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WORDS BY DANNI ORSI 

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Film 

MUST SEE!� 

cinema/elles 

Out 20 April 

★★★★✩ 

Elles stars the sultry Juliette Binoche. 

This fi lm rules! For anyone actually 

interested in a ‘good’ subtitled fi lm, 

this is one to watch. The movie 

follows the story of a journalist and 

frustrated mother/wife, Anne, who 

meets two girls paying their way 

through university by prostituting 

themselves. Unlike many media 

portrayals of prostitution, this fi lm 

allows an equal and balanced 

argument to come through. Gripping, 

intelligent and well researched. 

cinema/jamie 

and jessie are not 

together 

Out 9 April 

★★★✩✩ 

Funding for ‘lesbian’ fi lms is minimal, 

so let’s start with a well done for 

getting this movie out there. In 

addition, with its tangled relationships 

of exes, friends and forbidden fancies, 

it has a storyline a lot of lesbians will 

relate to. I never thought I’d be able 

to say I’ve watched a lesbian musical 

– well now I have! The fi lm stays 

interesting by using its original score 

in an unconventional format. It didn’t 

hit a high note with me, but it’s 

defi nitely worth seeing. 

screen/ what to watch 

for girls who like a good fl ick 

cinema/damsels in 

distress 

Out 27 April 

★★★✩✩ 

When your parents say, “I wish you 

were more like… ”, you can now throw 

this fi lm in their face. Damsels In 

Distress puzzled me and made me 

chuckle. It’s almost a parody of a 

parody – if that’s even possible. 

Imagine being too good at school, 

too nice and too understanding. At the 

end of the day, you can be top of the 

class, angelic and still super pretty, 

but damn, your heart will STILL get 

broken. It’s just one of those school 

things – they should make it part of 

the curriculum. 

dvd/she monkeys 

Out 18 May 

★★★★✩ 

She Monkeys shows competition at 

its best. Who thought gymnastics 

could be this emotional? Main 

characters Emma and Cassandra 

meet and are immediate rivals. With 

a lesbian spin, the fi lm shows signs 

that Emma and Cassandra could 

equally be young lovers. Meanwhile, 

back at home, Emma’s younger sister, 

Sara, is growing up all too fast and 

vying for attention in a household 

where Emma takes on the role of 

mother. This fi lm explores just how 

powerful young female development 

can be. One to watch! 

DANNI ORSI 

DOES FILM! 

This month, in between 

fi lm screenings I’ve been 

lapping up the sun and having 

drunken picnics in the park. 

I gotta say, being able to get 

into fi lm screenings is a great 

way to score dates, so thanks 

g3, this is the life. 

If you want to write to Danni, 

email danni@g3mag.co.uk

music//film//girls//toys/books//news//reviews//music//fil m//girl 

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Music 

music/on the record 

for girls who tune in 

You can never have enough 

Madonna, right? Well just in case you 

haven’t got enough, The Complete 

Studio Albums 1983-2008 (Warner) 

hits virtual stores this month – starting 

with Lucky Star from the album 

Madonna and going right through to 

Voices from Hard Candy. As I went 

through the enormous track listing, 

somewhere around the Music and 

Ray Of Light albums I lost interest, but 

the previous six discs are so ingrained 

within our collective musical memory 

that who really cares? It’s also weirdly 

cheap, so worth getting even if it is 

the mp3 version of your previous CD 

copies. My only criticism is that there 

is little in the way of new extras: a 

CD or two with B-sides and remixes 

would’ve trebled the sales among 

people buying these albums for 

perhaps the third or fourth time. 

You could annoy your ‘neighbours’ 

(geddit) by getting the new release 

from Jason Donovan, Sign Of Your 

Love (Polydor), which is obviously 

not going to be groundbreaking or 

incredible, rather something that 

you’d put on for a Sunday afternoon 

snuggle on the sofa. “A tasteful 

collection of covers of standards 

from the golden age of American 

songwriting” say his promo writers. 

Nothing wrong with that. 

Rufus Wainwright releases his 

seventh studio album, Out Of The 

Game (Decca), on my birthday, which 

is about the best present I can imagine 

getting (hint). Not to throw 

the word ‘genius’ around 

too flippantly, but he is 

among the best we have 

in this generation, and I 

should tell you that this 

selection is produced 

� 

by Mark Ronson, who can do very 

little wrong and certainly has made 

no mistakes on this recording. Rufus’s 

songs are influenced by the birth of 

his daughter and the death of his 

mother, both very big occurrences, 

and yet he claims this release contains 

the “poppiest” and “most danceable” 

music in his repertoire to date. 

Hip hop diva Nicki Minaj has her 

second album out this month, 

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (Cash 

Money). If you haven’t heard the 

europop single Starships, then I can 

only presume you haven’t left the 

house this year. The rest of the album 

sounds similar: mainstream hip hop 

mixed with the pop sensibilities of 

Agadoo and The Chicken Song. 

Eighteen million listeners tune in 

every week to Dutch DJ Armin Van 

Buuren’s trance radio show, and he 

is releasing the ninth in his annual 

series A State Of Trance (ASOT). 2012’s 

edition features over 85 individual 

releases edited into a two-hour mix. 

He is regularly No.1 in the DJ Mag top 

100 DJ listing, and if you like trance 

then this really is a no brainer. 

Jack White releases his debut solo 

album, Blunderbuss (Third Man 

Records), this month. Having written, 

performed and produced superb 

work over the past 15 years it should 

come as no surprise that this album 

is excellent from top to tail. The 

entire album is written, recorded and 

produced by the man himself. The 

songs are superb, revisiting his love of 

metal, soul and minimalist blues. The 

track Sixteen Saltines, which snarls and 

growls at you like Led Zeppelin reborn, 

is worth the price of the whole album 

alone. Jack is a genius maverick, and 

this release is album of the month for 

me. Whatever next? 

WORDS BY LEA ANDREWS

music//film//girls//toys/books//news//reviews//music//film//girls/ 

21

featured 

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22Man’s 

WORLD

“When I was younger, I just always thought that I was a little boy,” 

says Leng Montgomery, 28, as he sits down with a cup of coffee in 

his hand. “It was the fi rst thing I got in trouble for at school. My 

teacher said that I couldn’t be a little boy.” Jake Bayley, 34, agrees. 

Even as a young child he knew he wasn’t in the right body. “It was 

very early on when I fi rst knew I was a boy. I fought with my mum 

tooth and nail about not wearing skirts and dresses, but I knew I 

was a boy. They thought it was just a phase.” Ishmael Kai Johnson, 

25, adds: “It actually took me a while to even realise I was female. I 

played with boys and hung around with my brother instead of my 

sisters. I tried to be a girl, but it just made me feel uncomfortable.” 

Walking into the room, you wouldn’t know the struggle these three 

men have faced with their appearance, until they start talking 

about being born in the wrong body. Known as gender dysphoria or 

gender identity disorder, the feeling that you were born as the 

wrong gender is experienced by an estimated 15,000 people in the 

UK and by many more who don’t seek help. 

Each of the guys came out as lesbians in their teen years and quickly 

found the girls’ scene. “I realised that this was another way I could 

be with girls, since I knew I wanted to be with girls. I was very much 

on the scene, and that made me happy for a while,” says Jake. “It 

wasn’t until I was 26 or 27 that a trip to New York made me question 

what I was doing. I met all the young trans guys out there and 

realised that it was ridiculous pretending to be something I’m not.” 

Leng and Ishmael were also both inspired to take action after 

watching a friend’s transition. For Leng, trying on a binder was like a 

“Cinderella and the shoe moment, it just fi t.” He started binding his 

breasts daily and, after some time, using a different name. “For me, 

it was a slow process – I didn’t think about hormones and 

treatment straight away. I felt very integrated into the gay scene. It 

was a big part of me.” 

However, not every trans guy feels such a part of gay culture. 

Ishmael says of the lesbian scene: “It just wasn’t my thing. Everyone 

has a different view of it. I would classify myself as a straight man, if 

I had to. I always thought of myself as a guy who liked girls. I never 

really understood the scene. I feel more relaxed as a guy in a 

straight club.” 

It is amazing how many people who identifi ed as lesbians have 

thought about the possibilities of transitioning. So what did the 

process involve? “Well,” says Jake, “I told my lovely 62-year-old 

mum, who took it on the chin and said: ‘OK, what are we going to 

do about this?’ She then paid for my top surgery about six months 

later – amazing! She’s been fantastic, and it’s because of her that 

I’ve been able to do everything privately, otherwise I would have 

had to wait for years,” he beams. 

“Yeah, it depends what kind of fi nancial situation they’re in,” says 

Leng. “The route that I took was a slow one. I didn’t ever see there 

being a time pressure on me, which is good as there is a big 

adjustment period. My only priority now is sorting out surgery. 

Since this is my third year of wearing a binder, I would like top 

surgery this year.” 

While both Jake and Leng take testosterone, Ishmael is yet to begin 

that process. He says: “When I told everyone what I wanted to do, 

it was like I’d dropped a façade, my voice naturally became lower, 

my mannerisms became more male, and people thought I’d already 

started taking testosterone.” Jake adds: “I inject hormones every 

two weeks and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I’m used 

to it now, but I used to hate it and make anyone who would offer, do 

it for me.” And physically? Leng smiles: “I’ve started shaving, my 

voice has got a bit deeper, but I’m still squeaky. I’m basically going 

through puberty! I’m getting muscly, my shoulders are getting 

broader, and my fat distribution around my body has changed. Even 

my hair feels coarser!” 

While the majority of those transitioning opt for top surgery to 

fl atten their chests and also take hormones, which makes the 

clitoris bigger, very few opt for surgery to create a penis: “I haven’t, 

and I don’t know that I would have phaloplasty,” says Jake. “I know 

featured 

Ishmael Kai 

Johnson 

““I would classify myself 

as a straight man, if I 

had to. I always thought 

of myself as a guy who 

liked girls. I never really 

understood the scene 

23

24 

featured 

that it’s very risky and very painful. A lot of trans guys say it’s the 

best thing they’ve ever had, but I think it’s only something like 5% 

of trans guys who go through with it. So many things can go 

wrong. You could lose sensation, oh my god, awful. I mean, if I 

could wake up tomorrow with a penis then obviously that’s the 

way I’d go, but… ” 

So, now that the guys look different physically, have people been 

treating them differently? All three of them were accepted by the 

lesbian scene, but since their decision to transition have felt 

ostracised at some point. Jake frowns: “There have been a few 

incidents of people saying I shouldn’t be in girl bars, but the bar staff 

have always been on my side in any of those situations. I mean, I’ve 

had girls who’ve literally just grabbed me between the legs to see if I 

have a penis… who does that! You would never do that to anyone.” 

Leng has had similar experiences. “I’m not expecting people to 

understand transgender issues or why someone chooses to 

transition, but as one human to another, I do expect people to 

understand that everyone has differences. For example, you might 

like chocolate, whereas I like crisps, you might be a girl, but I’m a boy. 

Sometimes it’s diffi cult to rise above bullying when it’s not just an 

isolated incident.” 

Has having more trans people in the media helped at all? Ishmael 

thinks it has its uses. “It’s like, when I’m fi nally ready to do it, it’s 

everywhere! I guess it’s good, though it made it easier to drop hints.” 

Jake thinks that some of the press is negative: “I hate people like 

Thomas Beattie, who had a baby then sold his story to Oprah.” He 

adds: “That makes trans people out to be freaks, puts us back 50 

years and does us a huge disservice.” 

I was 

younger, I 

just always 

thought that 

I was a little 

boy. It was 

the first 

thing I got in 

trouble for 

at school 

“ “When 

I met all the young trans 

guys in New York and 

realised that it was 

ridiculous pretending to 

be something I’m not 

Jake 

Bayley 

““ 

Leng 

Montgomery 

As an actor, Jake was so concerned with how trans people are 

portrayed that he made a fi lm, XWHY. “I’ve always wanted to 

make a movie and use my transition as part of it,” he says. “It’s 

being shown at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.” 

One thing all three guys have in common, now that they have 

taken steps towards becoming their preferred gender, is a 

sense of relief. “The feeling of being used to who I was versus 

who I thought I was, having a dual identity, is a bit of a 

headf**k,” says Leng. “Like when you open your wallet and it 

says one name, when everyone is calling you by another 

name. I did feel like I was a fraud for a long time. Since taking 

hormones, I feel calmer than before. More like myself.” 

Ishmael sums it up: “For me, I feel like I’m on the right path 

now, and that’s enough, that bright light at the end of the 

tunnel. Every day gets better. It’s up to you if you want to 

change your world – you control what happens.” 

WORDS & PICTURES BY BOOM

26 

fashion 

Jade wears: 

Jacket, dress and belt by Soaked 

in Luxury, shoes by Ravel 

Cristina wears: 

Dress by Numph, jacket by 

Daisy Darche, shoes by Bronx 

All jewellery by Kit Heath

Drama … 

�� 

�� 

fashion 

27

28 

fashion 

Jade wears: 

Dress by Daisy Darche 

Cristina wears: 

Dress by Numph, jacket by 

Daisy Darche 

All jewellery by Kit Heath

fashion 

29

30 

fashion 

Jade wears: 

Dress by Daisy Darche 

STYLING, Cristina wears: HAIR & MAKE-UP: 

Mercury 

Jacket, T-shirt and trousers by 

Numph 

PHOTOGRAPHY: 

All jewellery by 

Kit Heath 

Nadia Attura 

MODELS: 

Effy Vecent, 

Laura, Stef 

and Jess 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Nadia Attura 

FASHION EDITOR 

Mercury 

HAIR & MAKE-UP 

Laura Anne 

MODELS 

Cristina & Jade 

STOCKISTS 

BRONX – BRONXSHOES.COM 

DAISY DARCHE – DAISYDARCHE.COM 

KIT HEATH – KITHEATH.COM 

NUMPH – NUMPH.DK 

RAVELSHOESONLINE.CO.UK 

SOAKED IN LUXURY – SOAKEDINLUXURY.COM 

From left to right – 

Cat wears: T-shirt from 

Numph; fly cuff jeans from 

New Look. Jess wears: pleated 

dress from New Look. 

All shoes are models’ own.

FUEL YOUR 

FETISH 

She’s sexy, funny, understanding and great in 

bed but… is she ready and willing to cater for 

your kink? Chloe Marshall investigates how to 

broach your deviant desires. 

When everything is going 

smoothly in a relationship 

but you’ve yet to reveal 

your fetish, it is hard to 

judge when, if ever, to do 

so. Just like women, fetishes 

come in all shapes and sizes. 

If you fi nd yourself focusing 

on one object, sensation 

or scenario to the point 

that the thing becomes 

more erotic than anything 

– or anyone – else, you’re 

a true fetishist. Be it leather, 

fur, boobs, shoes or even 

playing doctor, a fetish 

or powerful fantasy can 

become all encompassing, 

like an obsessive itch that 

just has to be scratched. 

Anna, 41, feels the kinky 

urge as she’s recently come 

out of a long-term, fetishfriendly 

relationship: “When 

we split up, I put my kinks on 

hold. Then I started dating 

and soon became bored of 

vanilla sex. Now I’m dying 

to fi nd someone I can share 

this [makes whipping and 

spanking motions] with.” 

Desperate for your 

girlfriend to dress as a 

school mistress, bend you 

over the desk and give 

you a good spanking, but 

too afraid to ask? Anna 

admits she’s too shy to 

discuss some of her more 

unusual fantasies: “The more 

extreme stuff will have to 

wait until I meet someone 

I can love and trust.” It is 

only natural to be cautious, 

since being honest about 

your desires risks putting 

pressure on your partner. 

It’s no fun if you sense she’s 

only playing along for your 

sake, and this is likely to 

leave you both unsatisfi ed. 

What’s worse, if she outright 

rejects your fantasy, then 

you risk causing offence and 

facing ridicule. If she tries to 

make you feel like a wierdo 

for wanting to wear latex, 

then heed the warning. A 

loving, trustworthy partner 

would never judge you for 

your esoteric interests, even 

if your interests are beyond 

her understanding. 

The good news is 

that with a bit of tact, 

understanding and sensitivity, 

you and your new lady 

could be fulfi lling your 

dreams and dressing as 

furries in no time. Ciara, 

22, describes her love of 

glove-wearing women: “I 

see women with leather 

gloves on all the time, but 

they usually look hetero and 

mature, so funnily enough I 

never attract them.” When 

asked about her fetish, Ciara 

explains: “A gloved hand is 

formal, domineering, and I 

love the sensation during 

sex.” Instead of waiting 

around to be swooned by a 

glove-wearer, Ciara took 

a more direct approach. 

She simply bought her 

girlfriend a selfi sh gift, and 

then, at the end of a night 

out she encouraged her 

to keep the gloves on. By 

presenting her kink in a 

gentle, suggestive manner, 

Ciara managed to get 

straight to the action. 

If your fantasies are of the 

more complex variety, then 

the sooner you can broach 

your deep held desires, 

the better. Being upfront 

shows you’re not afraid to 

express yourself, as well as 

demonstrating your sincerity 

and sexual confi dence. 

And the longer you hold 

back before revealing your 

deviant desires, the more 

you risk coming across as 

secretive when you do dish 

the dirt. Perhaps the best 

approach is to ask what 

turns her on, and as you 

gradually incorporate your 

own ideas, you may well 

fi nd that you’re both as bad 

as each other! Once you’ve 

discussed and indulged each 

other’s fantasies, you’ll no 

doubt feel closer than ever. 

relationships 

DEAR 

BROOKE & 

DARIA 

Our plastic 

fantastic agony 

aunts soothe 

the world’s 

dating woes 

Sisterly love 

I fancy my girlfriend’s sister, and it 

is driving me crazy! I’ve been living 

with my girlfriend, Sue, for three 

years and had never met her sis as 

she was living in France. But I’ve 

now found out that she’s a better 

looking version of Sue. She moved 

back to the UK and socialises with 

us a lot, including staying at our 

place – one night, in the same bed. 

Karen is straight, but I think she’s 

intrigued and could be persuaded 

to take a dip in the lesbian pool. 

Should I secretly proceed? 

Twinkgrrl, Herts 

Brooke: 

Unless your girlfriend is deaf, dumb 

and blind, there’s no way she won’t 

fi nd out. Why bother just for the 

‘straight conquest’ thrill when it 

could hurt so many people? Daria 

fancied my sister for a couple of 

weeks until she realised she was even 

more high maintenance than me, 

but without the fabulous sense of 

humour, the charm, wit and ability to 

get her legs behind her head (she’s a 

bit fatter than me). I think you would 

be mad to continue in this saddo 

fantasy. Have some respect... it 

would be like incest. Urgh! 

Daria: 

I used to fancy Brooke’s sister when I 

fi rst met her and was well impressed 

with the number of orgasms she 

was boasting she could have. A 

sister double-up was on my bucket 

list... but Brooke wasn’t having any 

of it. Why not get them both blind 

drunk, then you can take Karen to 

bed and claim it was a case of 

mistaken identity! 

33

34 

community 

BESIDE THE 

SEASIDE 

If you’ve not yet decided how to make the most of your 

May bank holiday, then set aside Sunday 6 May for the ninth 

annual Stonewall Brighton Equality Walk. 

Last year the walk – supported by American 

Express with media partners Out In The City and 

your very own g3 – drew over 500 people to the 

streets of the seaside city, all walking in support of 

lesbian, gay and bisexual equality. 

The 2012 walk is in aid of Stonewall’s Education 

For All programme, which works to make school 

a safe environment for children from all families. 

This includes tackling homophobic bullying, 

which YouGov polling for Stonewall has shown is 

recognised by nine in 10 secondary schoolteachers. 

“Year after year, the Brighton Equality Walk shows 

Brighton at its best,” says Catherine Bosworth, 

Stonewall Director of Fundraising. “There’s really 

something for everyone on the day; you can have 

a picnic with family and friends before the walk 

kicks off, then you get to stretch your legs along 

walking the walk 

Jane Hazelgrove, winner of 

Stonewall Entertainer of the 

Year 2011 and Casualty star, 

says: “I’m delighted to host 

Stonewall’s Brighton Equality 

Walk. School should be the 

best years of any child’s life, but 

homophobic bullying ruins it for so many. Taking 

part in the walk will directly help Stonewall to 

make school a safe environment for all children.” 

Joining Jane as a host and at the starting line is The 

Only Way Is Essex favourite Harry Derbidge. 

the coast, and you can celebrate completing the 

walk at the post-walk party.” 

All walkers are raising funds for Stonewall, and 

with prizes for the top fundraiser and the top 

fundraising team, even competition junkies are 

catered for. The top fundraiser will be treated to 

a luxury weekend for two in Paris, including two 

return tickets on Eurostar and a two-night stay in 

a four-star hotel. 

Registration costs just £10 – and under-12s can 

walk for free. All participants get a commemorative 

T-shirt and a medal to say they completed the 

walk. Plus there’s a glass of bubbly (or something 

soft) for everyone who crosses the fi nishing line. 

To fi nd out more, call 020 7593 1875 

or visit equalitywalk.org.uk 

BRIGHTON EQUALITY 

WALK FACTS: 

The Equality Walk route is 

designed by the Brighton 

Lesbian and Gay Sports Society. 

Previous Equality Walk hosts 

have included Coronation 

Street’s Charlie Condou, 

Amy Lamé and The L Word’s 

Guinevere Turner. 

American Express, one of the 

area’s biggest employers, has 

supported the walk for six years. 

WORDS BY JAMES LAWRENCE 

LAURA’S 

LETTER 

LAURA DOUGHTY 

IS DEPUTY CHIEF EXEC OF 

STONEWALL. FIND OUT MORE 

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGNING ORG AT 

stonewall.org.uk 

What are you doing on 3 May? 

For Londoners it is polling day, 

when you can vote for the Mayor 

of London and the 25 members of 

the London Assembly. Voting in the 

mayoral elections sends a powerful 

statement to endorse your chosen 

candidate, and to help you fi nd out 

what the mayoral contenders are 

promising for gay people, Stonewall 

is holding the London Gay Mayoral 

Hustings on Saturday 14 April. 

While there have been many 

advances in gay equality, the death 

of Ian Baynham, who was fatally 

injured in a homophobic attack in 

Trafalgar Square in 2009, still haunts 

many Londoners. YouGov polling 

for Stonewall in Homophobic Hate 

Crime: The Gay British Crime Survey 

showed that lesbian and gay people 

in London are one and a half times 

more likely to alter their behaviour 

to avoid being identifi ed as gay 

than people in the south west and 

Wales. Homophobic hate crime 

and tackling homophobic bullying 

in schools are just two of the issues 

that lesbian and bisexual voters will 

be considering on polling day. 

Mayoral candidates Boris Johnson, 

Jenny Jones, Ken Livingstone and 

Brian Paddick will all be sharing their 

visions for London and how they 

plan to work for lesbian, gay and 

bisexual residents at Stonewall’s 

Hustings. The Hustings are free to 

attend and are taking place at the 

BFI Southbank from 11am. 

Guarantee your place in the audience 

by calling 020 7593 1861 or emailing 

h.kibirige@stonewall.org.uk.

stonewall equality 

walk launch 

L-R: Stonewall’s Laura Doughty and 

Catherine Bosworth with Clare Fuller, Lucy 

Bryans and Di Hughes from AmEx 

at the launch of this year’s Equality Walk 

“THE BRIGHTON EQUALITY WALK HAS 

ALWAYS BEEN A KEY EVENT IN STONEWALL’S 

FUNDRAISING CALENDAR. WE’RE LOOKING 

FORWARD TO WELCOMING HUNDREDS 

OF PEOPLE TO THIS YEAR’S WALK – HELPING 

MAKE SCHOOLS A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE 

ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL CHILDREN.” 

Laura Doughty, Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive 

Square Hotel, Brighton, 

Saturday 15 March 

Stonewall is Britain’s leading gay and bisexual 

charity. Fortunately, being independent from 

government, makes the organisation more 

able to achieve its aims. Its next goal is to stop 

homophobic bullying in schools with its Education 

For All programme. 

To donate and raise awareness for this, on Sunday 

6 May Stonewall is running its ninth Equality Walk 

around Brighton, open for all with celebrity guests 

and prizes. The walk also brings together many 

people in the community for a specifi c cause. 

Stonewall launched this year’s event at the Square 

Hotel, with a warm welcoming speech by Laura 

Doughty, Stonewall’s Deputy Chief Executive, in 

front of main supporters American Express, our 

own g3 magazine, Brighton & Hove police and 

other local groups. 

community 

Equality Walk, Sunday 6 May, 12 noon, Brighton. 

For more info on the walk or to donate, visit 

equalitywalk.org.uk. For more info on Stonewall, 

visit stonewall.org.uk 

“OUR INVOLVEMENT 

IN THE BRIGHTON 

EQUALITY WALK 

IS IMPORTANT TO 

AMERICAN EXPRESS, 

NOT ONLY AS ONE 

OF THE LARGEST 

EMPLOYERS IN THE 

REGION BUT ALSO AS 

AN EMPLOYER THAT IS 

WHOLLY COMMITTED 

TO DEVELOPING AND 

SUPPORTING A DIVERSE 

WORKFORCE. WE ARE 

DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE 

TO LEND OUR SUPPORT 

TO THIS GREAT EVENT 

ONCE AGAIN.” 

Clare Fuller, Vice President 

at American Express and 

Executive Sponsor of the UK 

Pride network 

WORDS & PICTURE BY EMMA BAILEY 

35

36 

community 

TOP FOR 

EQUALITY 

Tyne and Wear Fire and 

Rescue Service (TWFRS) 

has been recognised as the 

best in the UK, according to 

the latest results published by 

Stonewall, the lesbian, gay and 

bisexual (LGB) charity. 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 

maintained its position of 60th in the 

Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 

2012, despite even tougher assessment 

criteria being introduced this year. 

TWFRS is now the only fi re and rescue 

service in the country to be ranked in 

the top 100 employers by Stonewall. 

TWFRS formed its Employee 

Advisory Group for Sexual Orientation 

in 2010. The group is made up of both 

LGB and heterosexual members from a 

wide range of roles within the service, 

with the purpose of ensuring that the 

organisation demonstrates its 

commitment to refl ecting the community 

it serves and the people it employs. 

So far it has taken the lead on a 

number of LGB events and projects, 

including hosting multi-partnership 

events such as an emergency services 

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender 

(LGBT) North East Workplace 

conference; the Stonewall North East 

Workplace Equality Index launch and 

several Pride Breakfast events for 

partners and community members. 

The group is also actively engaged in 

Northern Pride and the International 

Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), 

and has developed an electronic LGB 

e-network as an alternative way of 

engaging staff. The network, which 

provides information, advice and key 

contacts for LGB-related issues, includes 

a discussion forum for employees and was 

introduced following feedback from staff. 

Deputy Chief Fire Offi cer for TWFRS 

and Stonewall Diversity Champion John 

Hindmarch says: “We are committed to 

making sure everybody who works for 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 

is treated fairly, with respect and 

without prejudice. 

“Promoting equality and diversity 

within our service is a key priority for us. 

Not only does it help us to communicate 

fi re safety messages more effectively but 

it also helps us to ensure we provide 

even better services to the wide range 

of communities in our area. 

“I am very pleased that we have 

continued such good progress to 

become the top fi re and rescue service 

in the country for diversity and equality 

practice and that this has been 

recognised by Stonewall. We will be 

doing our utmost to improve our 

position in the Workplace Equality Index 

even further in the future.” 

Diversity and Equality Advisor for 

TWFRS Rachel Beadle says: “This is a 

massive achievement for us, especially 

considering there was a record number 

of entries for this year’s Stonewall Index. 

The requirements set by Stonewall get 

harder and more challenging every year, 

so to be ranked as the best fi re and 

rescue service in the country 

demonstrates our continued 

commitment to fairness and equality in 

the area of sexual orientation.” 

For more information, please contact Corporate 

Communications on 0191 444 1513/1542/1725 

or email michael.chipchase@twfi re.gov.uk 

twfi re.gov.uk 

TYNE AND WARE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE, CREATING THE SAFEST COMMUNITY 

TO VIEW OUR COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY LISTINGS FOR 

LGBT GROUPS AND SERVICES, VISIT G3MAG.CO.UK

community 

37

38 

parenting

parenting 

WHO’S 

THE DONOR? 

Choosing the right guy’s sperm to conceive your child is a big 

decision. Ever wondered how much information you are given 

about anonymous donors? Sophie Wilkinson asks the London 

Sperm Bank (LSB) for the details. 

When a woman uses a donor, she can 

know his hair colour, eye colour, height, 

weight, skin tone, occupation, education, 

skills and interests. All these things can 

be found out before the donation is 

used, and they are available on the 

London Sperm Bank’s database, which 

can be fi ltered using any of these criteria. 

In terms of medical information, the 

London Sperm bank will know the 

CMV status of the donor, and the 

sperm will be screened for calcaemia, 

sickle cell anaemia and haystacks. 

Historically, selecting a donor 

involved a nurse or an embryologist 

calling a patient and telling them the 

information. At LSB it’s all done online, 

which means that each donor has his 

own profi le. Patients create a wishlist of 

the donors they like – it’s very similar 

to a normal catalogue site. 

There is also something called a pen 

sketch. One is written and can be 

made available to kids when they are 

16. That’s basically additional 

information about the donor which 

cannot contain anything that’s 

identifying. The second pen sketch is 

given to the child when they turn 18. 

This can include identifying information 

such as the donor’s name and date of 

birth. What the donors generally do is 

write the reasons they’ve donated, or 

talk a little bit about their background. 

Not all donors decide to do it, though. 

When you choose your donor, you can 

opt for one with a pen sketch – but the 

information isn’t for the recipient, it’s 

for the child. A lot of parents fi nd it 

diffi cult not to have extra information. 

You can apply to the HFEA to get 

non-identifying information about your 

donor, but it’s very limited because the 

system has been set up so that the 

child gets to make a choice. 

When a child reaches the age of 

16, they can ask if they are donor 

conceived and if any other children 

have been born from that donor. 

Also, if they’re in a relationship with 

someone, or friends with them, and 

suspect that they are related, they can 

ask the register if they’re genetically 

related. If the child wants, they can 

request contact with half-siblings made 

with the same donor sperm. The HFEA 

will contact half-siblings and ask them if 

they would like to pass their details on. 

The half-siblings can refuse, and that’s the 

big difference between children of 

donors fi nding biological half-siblings 

and biological parents. When the child 

of a donor turns 18, they can ask the 

HFEA for more details about the donor 

and receive them regardless of whether 

or not he wants to share the 

information. The donor will receive a 

letter from the HFEA saying: “We’ve 

been contacted, and your information 

will be disclosed.” 

There was a change in law which 

meant that, before 2005, donors could 

remain anonymous. Now, every child 

created from donor sperm (or eggs) has 

a right to fi nd out the identity of their 

donor when they turn 18. It was said 

that the results of this change in the law 

wouldn’t be felt until 2023 – when all 

children born from donors after the law 

change turned 18. However, some recent 

donors have decided to opt in to foregoing 

their anonymity when the children of 

their donations turn 18. Also, each donor 

can help 10 families, but the number of 

children those families have is unlimited. 

The issue surrounding payment for 

donations is that the HFEA feels that egg 

donors and sperm donors should have 

different levels of payment because 

being a sperm donor is obviously so 

much easier. The diffi culty is that you 

can’t really judge someone’s 

commitment. So the HFEA is bringing 

out new guidelines as to how much 

donors can be paid. 

For more information, please 

visit londonspermbank.com 

39

40 

parenting 

Set up a co-parenting 

agreement and think of 

every eventuality to avoid 

parental disputes in the 

future 

building families 

Navigating through co-parenting issues is a minefield. 

Here, Danielle Carter, from the British Surrogacy 

Centre, looks into one of the more confusing areas of 

gay families. 

It’s not that long ago that g3 can remember 

the days when parenthood and perfect families 

were the exclusive right of heterosexual married 

couples and A-listers in the movies. Now, not only 

can lesbians, gays and bis have children, we have 

a smorgasbord of options available to us to build 

our perfect family. 

Before writing this article, I spoke to my friends 

and family about what they thought co-parenting 

was and if they thought it was a good idea. None 

of them knew what it was and, when I told them, 

none of them thought it was a good idea. When 

I pressed them on this issue, they all reluctantly 

gave their reason for disapproval as they didn’t 

like the idea of “sharing children”. When I told 

them that heterosexual couples have been doing 

it for years due to divorce and drunken one-night 

stands, they all did a complete u-turn and thought 

it was a great idea. 

So what is co-parenting? In basic terms it means 

that the guy who gives you the turkey baster 

sticks around to help bring up the baby. There 

is an increasing trend among lesbians and their 

gay male friends to have children together, and 

when it works, it works really well. Even the rich 

and famous are getting in on the act: gay Corrie 

actor Charlie Condou co-parents his daughter 

Georgia-Mae with three people, including his 

long-term boyfriend. Co-parenting means just 

that – you and another adult parent a child that 

you have had together either conventionally or 

through donation or surrogacy. Co-parents aren’t 

in a relationship and generally don’t live together 

but raise the child as a parental unit. 

With the nuclear family becoming less significant 

in the western world (only four out of 10 people 

now believe in marriage as opposed to 10 years 

ago when the figure was a massive seven out of 

10), it makes sense. 

As we all know, parenthood can be hard work, 

so to have a support network around you to 

share the emotional and financial costs really is a 

win/win situation. A child can only benefit from 

having lots of people in their life loving them, but 

how do you create the Waltonesque homestead 

without it turning into the one of the more 

volatile episodes of The Osbournes? 

The answer is, don’t do it alone and get 

advice. The British Surrogacy Centre offers 

a comprehensive service that will help with 

everything from finding you someone to coparent 

with to managing your agreements and 

negotiating how you are going to become parents. 

DOS AND DON’TS 

DO… make sure you trust the person 

you are co-parenting with. Remember 

they are not just supplying the sperm. 

You must get to know each other 

because differing views and values about 

how you are going to bring the children 

up really need to be ironed out before a 

baby comes into being. 

DON’T… just rely on trust. Although it 

is important to have a good relationship, 

you need to have a managed legal 

agreement between the two of you. This 

will cover everything from where the 

child lives and what happens if one of 

you enters into a relationship to outlining 

what happens if one of you dies. A 

man who enters into a co-parenting 

agreement will be left wide open to child 

maintenance payments of 15% of his 

income until the child turns 18. There 

can also be custody battles; trying to 

minimise cost and cut corners when it 

comes to setting up an agreement is a 

false economy and can cost you dearly in 

the long run. 

DO… get as much information as 

possible, and speak to whoever you can 

about their experiences of co-parenting. 

To be forewarned is forearmed. Call 

the BSC now for further advice on 

01621 878650. 

DON’T… ask the first person you find. 

As a co-parenting homosexual you have 

hit the jackpot, and for once you can 

choose your family! 

DO… really think about what qualities 

you want in a parent. If there is no one 

suitable you know, contact the BSC and 

we can help match you with someone. 

DON’T… find someone on the 

internet. We have all used the web 

for services other than Ocado home 

delivery – and remember how those 

trysts ended? 

DO… concentrate on the positives – 

yes it is complicated but not impossible. 

Get a professional agency to manage 

your journey and anxiety. 

For more information, contact the 

British Surrogacy Centre 

on 01621 878650. 

Pop in to its centre at 

Harbour House, 23 Chandlers 

Quay, Maldon, Essex CM9 4LF. 

Or visit britishsurrogacycentre.com

parenting 

41

42 

legal 

marriage 

proposal 

How will same-sex marriage 

differ from civil partnership? 

Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE, 

Partner, and Richard Kwan, 

Trainee Solicitor at 

Dawson Cornwell, investigate 

what it will mean if parliament 

says “I do”. 

The right to marry: 

thinking of getting 

hitched? 

The battle between senior Catholic 

clergymen and the government is set 

to intensify over the coming few 

months as David Cameron defiantly 

continues his crusade to legalise samesex 

marriages by 2015. The arguments 

against same-sex marriage range from 

the view that it is, as the head of 

Catholics in Scotland, Cardinal Keith 

O’Brien, puts it “grotesque” to the 

more tempered view of the 

Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who believes that the 

difference between same-sex marriage and civil partnership 

should be preserved and that this difference does not infer 

that one is better than the other. He says this is reflected in 

the fact that civil partnership has addressed the injustices 

that same-sex couples were previously exposed to. 

But does civil partnership secure the same rights as 

marriage, as is often stated? Pretty much, yes. There are, 

however, two major differences. Firstly, the formalities at the 

start of a civil partnership and marriage differ, most notably in 

the extent to which religious institutions play a role. Since last 

December, however, civil partnerships can now be registered 

on religious premises – but not where the religious 

organisation disagrees with the arrangement. This chimes 

with the government’s assurance that religious groups would 

not be forced to host same-sex marriages: probably sensible 

given the fierce objection from certain religious quarters. 

Secondly, there is no specific option of dissolving a civil 

partnership based on adultery, unlike with married couples. 

This, of course, is not legal recognition that gay men and 

lesbian women never cheat! It is merely that adultery is 

defined in law as intercourse between a man and a woman. 

In practice, however, the disparity is not great as a woman 

aggrieved by her straying partner can always seek a dissolution 

by relying on the other’s unreasonable behaviour instead. 

As the practical difference between civil partnerships and 

marriage is modest, the issue must lie somewhere else. 

Advocates of same-sex marriage argue that the current 

distinction between marriage and civil partnership is 

discriminatory and signals that marriage is an exclusive and 

superior institution solely for opposite-sex couples. Some say 

the term ‘civil partnership’ sounds clinical compared to marriage. 

Others argue that the current position does not allow 

their relationship to be given religious endorsement: for many 

religious couples, the importance of feeling accepted in their 

community and being seen as equal to heterosexual married 

couples is crucial. But not all same-sex couples are pressing for 

marriage. While the symbolic value of marriage is important to 

some couples, it may be unappealing for those who view 

marriage as an institution burdened by its religious connotations 

and its associated traditional notions of female subjugationy. 

One thing is for sure – the landscape is changing and 

support for same-sex marriage is growing: a recent poll in 

The Sunday Telegraph states that 45% of voters support 

moves to allow same-sex couples to marry, with just 36% 

against. Furthermore, a survey published by the Office for 

National Statistics in 2011 found that civil partnerships are 

less likely to end in dissolution than marriages (although 

before you pounce on the opportunity to gloat to your 

heterosexual friends about how much better you are, you 

may wish to note the caveat that their findings were based 

on ‘early figures’!). This, of course, weakens the argument that 

same-sex marriages will not produce stable family units. 

Whether you are rooting for the right to marry or quietly 

sitting on the fence, now is the best time to get involved in 

the debate. Who knows, by 2015, we could be joining the 

growing handful of progressive countries around the world 

such as Canada, Norway, Argentina and South Africa in taking 

the step to allow same-sex couples to marry. 

Dawson Cornwell is a niche family law firm in London and acts for 

clients across the country and abroad. The firm provides advice to LGBT 

clients on prenuptial agreements, dissolution of civil partnerships and 

financial settlements. It has a world renowned children’s department 

specialising in international disputes including child abduction, forced 

marriage, international surrogacy arrangements and preconception 

contracts. The firm has a Diversity Aware Charter Mark and, in 2012, 

received an ‘Albert’ from The Albert Kennedy Trust in recognition of its 

work in defending the human rights of young LGBT people on an 

international level. For more information, please contact Anne-Marie 

Hutchinson OBE of Dawson Cornwell Solicitors on 0207 242 2556 or visit 

dawsoncornwell.com

parenting 

43

THE 

GLASS 

CEILING 

With the workplace traditionally a male-dominated 

world, Ali Winsomer takes a look at whether or 

not attitudes are changing in 2012. 

Women are often overlooked in the workplace, 

and in the UK women get paid on average 15.5% less 

than men. Equal pay legislation came into force more 

than 40 years ago, but women still earn and own less 

than men. Women are more likely to be employed in 

low-paid, part-time work, with fewer prospects for 

promotion and less access to training. The gender pay 

gap is still very much in force, and statistics show the 

full-time gap is currently at 14.9%. The pay gap varies 

across sectors and regions, rising up to 55% in the 

fi nance sector and up to 33.3% in the City of London. 

There are almost four times as many women in parttime 

work as men, and nine out of 10 lone parents are 

women. Pay levels for women are gradually improving, 

but male executives are paid £10,000 a year more 

than their female colleagues, and it could take up to 98 

years for that gap to close. The glass ceiling is becoming 

more of a reinforced concrete ceiling. But Fay Weldon, 

a feminist writer, thinks it exists only for women with 

children because maternal anxiety is something you 

can never switch off. “It stops you concentrating fully 

and makes your role as a mother more important 

than any other responsibility,” she says. 

However, research shows that lesbians earn 11% 

more than heterosexual women, and there are 

various possible reasons for this. Heterosexual 

women suffer a pay penalty because of the risk that 

they’ll leave to have children. Lesbians suffer this less. 

The women who do admit to being gay at work are 

likely to be more than averagely confi dent, which 

could raise their pay. Some lesbians have more 

masculine traits than straight women, which again, 

could benefi t their pay package. However, this isn’t 

the same for all lesbians in well-paid jobs. Amanda 

Richards, 36, works as an account executive in the 

City. She’s worked her way up the career ladder since 

graduating and believes this has nothing to do with 

her sexuality or gender. “I’m an out lesbian, although I 

don’t shout about it at work. I’m in a male-dominated 

environment, and I don’t think they’d care less if they 

knew I was gay, it’s just not a subject that’s ever 

arisen.” Amanda earns more than most of her 

colleagues, but this has come from hard work and 

determination. “I’m excellent at my job, and I got my 

success by working hard and staying confi dent. I 

negotiated a higher salary – which, working with 

men, you quickly realise you have to do to stay in the 

game. It’s laughable to think I got where I am by being 

a lesbian, when I know I have the qualifi cations and 

experience that got me here, not a quota to fi ll.” 

Companies do have a diversity quota to fi ll, but unless 

you work for an openly gay company (IBM has been 

rated the most gay-friendly employer two years in a 

row) then surely you wouldn’t be required to tell your 

boss your sexuality. But as Rachel Wood realised, this 

isn’t always the case. “I’d just left college, I wasn’t sure 

Recruitment 

of my sexuality and I was struggling with it, when I 

went for an interview in a good marketing company. 

They asked me straight out if I was into women. I was 

shocked and didn’t know how to answer.” 

Quotas should not only address this immediate 

imbalance but encourage companies to train and 

mentor more women alongside men, despite their 

sexuality. It’s this cultural shift that would be 

signifi cant in addressing the glass ceiling, but sadly it 

looks like this won’t be happening any time soon. So 

what can we do? Keep working hard girls, and stay 

just as confi dent as your male colleagues – and if 

you’re not happy in your job, speak up. You don’t 

want to become another statistic in a maledominated 

world. 

45

46 

“ 

Recruitment 

WOMAN 

ON TOP 

“ 

“ 

Lynne Featherstone 

is the Parliamentary 

Under-Secretary for 

Equalities and the 

Liberal Democrat 

MP for Hornsey & 

Wood Green 

“Don’t be afraid to aim 

high, speak up, and put 

yourself forward” 

“ 

lynnefeatherstone.org 

PICTURE BY SAREL JANSEN

48 

home&living 

FIRST TIME BUYER 

Housing association Origin Housing has a 

number of high specification shared ownership 

properties available across north and central 

London and Hertfordshire. With a dedicated 

sales team ready to help potential purchasers 

throughout the process, Origin aims to make 

the first time buyer process as easy as possible. 

aldenham square, hertfordshire 

An attractive new development, Aldenham Square is located 

close to Bushey train station. There are six high specification 

one and two bedroom shared ownership apartments, and 

the scheme is set in the picturesque Bushey Village. 

Inside, the shared ownership properties come with an 

exceptionally high specification throughout. Kitchens come 

with white lacquered units and an impressive range of builtin 

appliances including a dishwasher, washer/dryer and fridge 

freezer. Pristine bathrooms have smart, white sanitary ware 

and ceramic floor and wall tiles. Four of the apartments are 

two bedroom duplexes, which each incorporate a 

contemporary open plan kitchen/living/dining area on the 

lower floor of the property, with two bedrooms and a family 

bathroom upstairs. Two of the duplexes have private terraces. 

There is secure video entry to each apartment, and each 

home has an allocated parking space. 

With trains to London Euston taking just 19 minutes, the 

highly sought after Bushey Village is a popular area for city 

commuters. The shops and restaurants of Watford town centre 

can be readily accessed, and the wide open Hertfordshire 

countryside is close by. 

Prices at Aldenham Square 

start from £52,500 for a 25% 

share based on a full market 

value of £210,000. Estimated 

monthly costs, including 

mortgage repayments, monthly 

rental on unbought share and 

service charge, start from £795 

per calendar month, based on 

a purchase of the 25% share. 

Eligibility criteria apply. 

the junction, 

central london 

Demand has been 

extremely high for 

properties at The 

Junction, another Origin 

scheme, where only 

three of the 12 high 

specification shared 

ownership apartments are still available. This development is 

set in a highly convenient location in Palmers Green, Enfield. 

Inside, the apartments have a high specification. Some of 

the properties come with an open plan kitchen/living/dining 

area, while others have a separate kitchen and living area. The 

fully-fitted kitchens have stainless-steel ovens, ceramic hobs, 

stainless-steel extractor hoods, washer/dryer and fridge freezer. 

Bathrooms come with thermostatic Aqualisa showers and 

pristine white bathroom suites. All of the three bedroom homes 

have a guest WC in addition to the main family bathroom. All 

bedrooms have fitted carpets. There is video entry to each 

apartment, and each home has an allocated parking space in 

an underground car park. Hot water for the entire building is 

heated via eco-friendly air source heat pumps. 

The development is a short walk from Palmers Green train 

station, which offers regular direct rail links to the City, with 

trains to Moorgate taking just 25 minutes. The properties are 

close to the North Circular road, which offers fast access to 

Brent Cross Shopping Centre, the M11 and the M1. 

Located on Green Lanes, the development is moments 

away from a wide array of shops and restaurants. Nearby 

green spaces include two historic parks – Broomfield Park 

and Grovelands Park, with its extensive Humphry Reptondesigned 

park grounds. Both parks have outdoor sports 

facilities such as netball courts and football pitches. 

Prices at The Junction start from £53,125 for a 25% share 

based on a full market value of £212,500. Estimated monthly 

costs, including mortgage repayments, monthly rental on 

unbought share and service charge, start from £762 per 

calendar month, based on a purchase of the 25% share. 

Eligibility criteria apply. 

For further information about The Junction or Aldenham Square, 

contact Origin Housing on 0800 068 8990 or visit originsales.co.uk

A £400 million project to create Hale 

Village is underway which, when 

completed, will create a brand new 

suburb of London by Tottenham Hale 

tube station. This will include a new 

health centre, gym, hotel, primary 

school and high street. It will transform 

this large area of former industrial 

wasteland and open up a vibrant 

waterfront area. Newlon Housing 

Trust is building 185 new affordable 

one and two bedroom apartments 

through New Build HomeBuy (part 

buy, part rent), which are perfect for 

first time buyers. 

Some of the contemporary homes 

boast private winter gardens and 

waterside views of the river Lee, while 

others have access to roof allotments 

and landscaped gardens, with juliette 

balconies and communal courtyards. 

Newlon has been particularly careful 

to design the apartments to provide 

energy-efficient living, which is so 

important at a time when energy bills 

have been rising. The design also 

includes a thoughtful use of space, 

good-sized windows, plus high-quality 

materials and finishes. 

All the apartments include: 

• Secure door entry system 

• Ceramic floor tiling to kitchen and 

bathroom 

• Wool-mix carpets throughout the 

living areas and bedrooms 

• Contemporary fitted kitchens 

• Kitchens fitted with an oven, 

hob, stainless-steel extractor hood, 

washing machine, fridge freezer and 

dishwasher 

• Modern white bathroom suites with 

ceramic tiles to floor and walls 

• Balcony or terrace to selected 

apartments 

• 12-year BLP Construction Warranty 

John Bercow MP, the Speaker of the House of 

Commons (above centre with (L) George Taylor, 

Chair Newlon Board and (R) Mike Hinch, Newlon 

Group Chief Executive), visited Hale Village on 

Wednesday 14 March to open Newlon House, 

the new headquarters of the Newlon Group. The 

home&living 

ALL HALE! 

As one of London’s major regeneration areas, Tottenham Hale 

is fast becoming a hot spot. Now, first time buyers can purchase 

an affordable home there from just £56,000 for a 40% share. 

Tottenham High Road, which provides a 

wide variety of restaurants, shops and 

entertainment, is nearby. Plus, Tottenham 

Hale Retail Park is just a short walk 

away. There are also excellent transport 

links. Tottenham Hale station is just a 

two-minute walk away and provides 

connections to London Liverpool 

Street in just 12 minutes. It is also on the 

Victoria line and is just four stops from 

King’s Cross St Pancras. A train journey 

from Tottenham Hale to Stratford takes 

just 10 minutes, so it’s very easy to reach 

the new Westfield Shopping Centre 

and Olympic Park. 

Just to the north of Hale Village lies 

Lee Valley Park, which offers over 100 

acres of open space. A large part of the 

area is managed for the preservation of 

wildlife with woodlands, wildflower 

speaker opens new offices 

meadows and a new pond. It’s perfect 

for jogging or cycling, and it’s also possible 

to hire canoes nearby in the summer. 

Newlon’s new affordable homes at 

Hale Village will be available this summer. 

Prices start from £56,000 for a 40% 

share based on a full market value of 

£140,000 for a one bedroom 

apartment. The two bedroom 

apartments are priced from £66,400 

for a 40% share with a full market value 

of £166,000. Newlon will also pay legal 

fees if you complete within its target 

times and use one of its approved panel 

of solicitors. 

For more information, contact Newlon 

Home Ownership on 0800 058 2544 or visit 

newlonhomeownership.co.uk 

Newlon Group’s new offices have been purposebuilt 

as the landmark building at the heart of Hale 

Village, and they provide a new home for 150 

staff from Newlon Housing Trust, Outward and 

Newlon Fusion. 

Mr Bercow was given a brief tour of Hale Village, 

including visiting De Havilland Court, the first block 

of new affordable homes to be completed so far. 

At a reception attended by 250 guests, 

he commended the Newlon Group on its 

commitment to the regeneration of the local area 

and for providing support and care to people who 

need additional assistance to fulfil their potential. 

49

52 

travel

AY CARUMBA 

CARNIVAL 

Looking for an excuse to visit the Portuguese capital, Lisbon? 

Twice-yearly Lesboa is Portugal’s hottest gay event. g3 attended 

the most recent party… 

The Lesboa Party – Carnival Edition, which took 

place in Lisbon, Portugal in February, was a night 

full of promises. A biannual bash, it took place in 

late February at Faculdade de Medicina Dentaria 

with ‘Space’ as its theme. As promised, a truly 

international offering of DJs and a party crowd 

bedecked in cyborg costumes was on display. As 

soon as we arrived at the plush Dom Pedro resort 

in the heart of Lisbon – with its grand marble 

fl oors, extravagant décor and equally extravagant 

guests – we began to get excited for what lay 

ahead. With 10 hours to go before the party 

commenced, the place was already awash with 

gorgeous dancers, a swarm of hairdressers, makeup 

artists and stage managers. It was a good job we 

made sure that we allowed ourselves enough time 

pre-dinner to buff ourselves up to the impressive 

standard that was on display. 

Before we knew it, it was time for the main event. 

We weren’t exactly sure just how wild the party 

would get, but a quick peek in the dressing rooms 

revealed big make-up and super-small costumes! 

We were whisked up to the VIP balcony, where we 

found tables fi lled with party-fuel vodka served in 

reassuringly European-sized measures. Suddenly, 

the silver-sequined hot-pants didn’t seem such a 

bad idea after all. 

A huge venue, we were concerned that by 1.30am 

it didn’t seem fi lled to capacity, but as the music 

got heavier, so did the crowds, and from the 

balcony it was clear there were more than enough 

people to fi ll the impressive hill-top resort. DJs 

Danny Verde and Phil Romano spun a mix of tribal, 

progressive and tech-house, which pleased the 

eclectic crowd – everything from those dressed as 

travel 

nurses, Shoreditch-meets- Euro-style hipsters to 

a handful of robot spacepeople on stilts. The 

entertainment peaked with a beautiful, almost 

angelic, performance by Vauxhall regular La 

Menor, who was utterly mesmerising. 

As the night progressed, the performances became 

more outrageous, with one act offering a live-onstage 

birth of an alien… which by about 4am didn’t 

seem that unusual for this ‘anything goes’ venue. By 

5am, despite having our wristbands for the afterparty, 

the effects of the vodka/glitter/post-natal 

aliens began to take their toll, so the g3 team was 

unusually sensible and retired to their hotel. 

The organisation and running of the event was 

down to Van Cotrim, with main sponsorship 

provided by Diogo Vultos from Be Out Travel 

(be-out.net), an LGBT specifi c holiday company, 

exploring the best party scenes and also the luxury 

market, with co-sponsorship provided by 

Heineken and Magic Mushroom. It’s defi nitely a 

party worth travelling to, and you’ve got plenty of 

time to book arrangements for the next bash, 

which will be a grand sixth anniversary celebration 

on Saturday 29 September. 

For more details, visit lesboaparty.com 

53

ars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs/ 

54 

��

girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bar 

//bars//clubs//girls 

WORDS AND PICTURES BY LENG MONTGOMERY 

�� 

You’ve got to be scene to be seen 

club 

of the 

month 

This month: Playing 

out at London’s 

Plush Lounge, getting 

Pussy Whipped, plus 

all your regular UK 

listings… 

THE T CLUB 

Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, London E8 

Thursday 22 March 

The T Club was created off the back of a Facebook conversation that club 

promoter Stav B had after one of her trans friends was refused entry to a lesbian 

club. Jokingly, she suggested creating a night where women would have to be 

guests… and she did! The T Club is aimed at trans and genderqueers, as well 

as people that fit into other areas of the gay/queer/gender spectrum, and it 

celebrates gender diversity. It’s a night with fantastic music, dancing, reasonably 

priced drinks, beautiful people and a welcoming atmosphere. Most importantly, 

it was completely attitude free. Personally, I can’t wait for the next one in April. 

free entry, 9pm-2.30am. facebook.com/the t club 

55

�� ars//clubs//girl//bars//cl//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs//gi 

Review 

56 

THE PLUSH LOUNGE 

The Plush Lounge, Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HU 


Policewomen, soldiers and 

sexy nurses: just a few of the 

many highlights seen at The 

Plush Lounge on Saturday 24 

March for one of the crazy 

themed nights at Oxford’s 

premier LGBT venue. Just like 

every weekend, the club was 

buzzing with energy from the 

diverse guests. With the dance 

fl oor fuelled by DJ Marga, one 

of Oxford’s most talented DJs, 

who plays with an exciting 

Latin twist, the atmosphere 

was electric. From 10pm-4am, 

the party was kept alive as the 

bargain drinks were fl owing, 

served by the beautiful bar 

staff and exotic shot-selling 

dancers. Hosted by the 

gorgeous Nieko Hayer, the 

intricate yet exhilarating 

preparation for the night 

certainly paid off. 

Open every Friday and 

Saturday night from 10pm- 

4am, entry is £6 all night with 

a free drink before 12. Plush 

works in partnership with 

Oxford’s many other vibrant 

LGBT venues and in 

collaboration with the 

LGBTQ societies of Oxford 

University and Oxford 

Brookes University. 

“Since it opened in 2009, 

Plush has been Oxford’s 

favourite LGBT venue. It is such 

a pleasure to be part of a 

community that features one 

of the most accepting venues 

and which attracts people 

from all over the county.” 

Izzy Gordon, Female Welfare 

Offi cer – OULGBTQ Society. 

theplushlounge.co.uk 

WORDS & PICTURES BY LAURA DIXON

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OTHER PEOPLE’S PROPERTY 

Cult classic Other People’s 

Property rocked out the East 

End this month, bringing their 

underground collection into 

the spotlight. 

Previously held in secret 

warehouse locations, this 

month saw OPP twist up 

tradition and take over 

notorious venue The Black 

Box in Dalston. While the 

new digs may have suggested 

conformity, the organisers 

ensured that their club kids 

were free to party as only 

they know how. 

Upstairs saw a chill-out 

area with ladies lounging 

around on sofas sipping 

mixers, while downstairs 

opened up a deep, dark, 

pumping dance floor, 

reminiscent of Berlin’s ultra 

trendy subculture. The DJs 

fired off an eccentric mix of 

dirty beats, while the dance 

floor went wild, and the 

music kept the club alive 

until the early hours of the 

morning. OPP’s resident 

DJs, LMC, Bradt Dykes and 

Christian Guilt, have the 

reputation of bringing fresh 

vibes into the clubbing scene, 

ripping through the stereotype 

and smashing out their vision. 

They were joined by guest 

DJ Ollie Rant of Boydem 

fame, who threw an eccentric 

bashment twist into the night. 

Tattooed rockers rubbed 

shoulders with West End 

beauty queens in a mash up, 

which proved that this club 

has come up with a winning 

combination. If you’re looking 

for a night out that will leave 

you feeling naughty and hip, 

this is the place for you. 

facebook.com/Other 

People’s Property 

Secret locations. Check Facebook for details 

WORDS BY PIXIE V | PICTURES BY MARIA CORREA-MONTIERO 

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Readers 

LONDON 

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bars/clubs/events 

for girls who just can’t stay in 

Listings are ordered by region 

and then by day. If you can’t 

fi nd the address, it may 

be in our Boozer Guide. 

If you’ve been to a listed 

event and it’s advertised 

incorrectly in our listings, 

please let us know. 

! g3 recommended events 

>> new entry events 

v transport links 

Promoters 

Listings info and large, highres 

photos must be sent by 

15th of the previous month. 

Listings not guaranteed. 

Please include the 

following with all listings: 

Club/night name, venue and 

address, frequency and day/ 

date, description of DJs/music 

policy, opening times, contact 

details and percentage female 

attendance expected. 

Send all listings to: 

boom@g3mag.co.uk 

MONDAY 

1st Mon: 2 Apr 

2nd Mon: 9 Apr 

3rd Mon: 16 Apr 

4th Thurs: 23 Apr 

Last Mon: 30 Apr 

TUESDAY 

1st Tues: 3 Apr 

2nd Tues: 10 Apr 

3rd Tues: 17 Apr 

Last Tues: 24 Apr 

WEDNESDAY 

1st Weds: 4 Apr 

2nd Weds: 11 Apr 

3rd Weds: 18 Apr 

Last Weds: 25 Apr 

THURSDAY 

1st Thurs: 5 Apr 

2nd Thurs: 12 Apr 

3rd Thurs: 19 Apr 

Last Thurs: 26 Apr 

FRIDAY 

1st Fri: 6 Apr 

2nd Fri: 13 Apr 

3rd Fri: 20 Apr 

Last Fri: 27 Apr 

SATURDAY 

1st Sat: 7 Apr 

2nd Sat: 14 Apr 

3rd Sat: 21 Apr 

Last Sat: 28 Apr 

SUNDAY 

1st Sun: 1 Apr 

2nd Sun: 8 Apr 

3rd Sun: 15 Apr 

4th Thurs: 22 Apr 

Last Sun: 29 Apr 

�� 

MONDAY 

2-4-1 Cocktails Happy 

Mondays @ The Candy Bar, 

4 Carlisle St, Soho W1. 

2-4-1 cocktails from 4pm. 

4pm-1.30am. FREE. 

facebook.com/candybar.soho 

Oak Bar, 79 Green Lanes, 

Stoke Newington N16. Free 

pool and games night. 

oak-bar.co.uk 

Blue Monday @ Boogaloo, 

312 Archway Road, Highgate 

London N6 [2nd Mon]. 

7.30pm. FREE ENTRY. 

Bounce @ The Candy Bar, 

4 Carlisle St, Soho W1. 

Student night, 9pm-3am. 


TUESDAY 

Bar Wotever @ RVT, 

Kennington Lane, Vauxhall 

SE11. rvt.org.uk 

Candy Boys @ The Candy 

Bar. The boys take over Candy 

Bar, 4 Carlisle St, Soho W1. 

6.30pm. FREE. 


Comedy Camp @ 

Barcode, Archer Street, 

Soho W1. £8 members 

comedycamp.co.uk 

OMFG @ Shadow 

Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, 

Soho W1. 

theshadowlounge.co.uk 

!Ruby Tuesdays 

@ Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, 

London WC2. 

ku-bar.co.uk 

Vintage Drag History @ 

Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 

372 Kennington Lane, 

Vauxhall SE11. [1st Tues]. 

rvt.org.uk 

WEDNESDAY 

Femmes By The Thames 

@ Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 


SE11. [4th Thurs]. rvt.org.uk 

Girls-A-Loud Karaoke 

@ The Candy Bar, with 

Seauntelle, 4 Carlisle St, 

Soho W1. FREE. 


Quiz @ Blush, Cazenove 

Rd, Stoke Newington 

N16. Cash prize! 

9.30pm-12am. £1. 

THURSDAY 

Chi-Gay-go’s @ Chicagos 

Rock Café Basildon, 

Festival Leisure Park, 

Basildon, Essex SS14 3WB. 

8pm-2am. FREE. 

chicagosbars.co.uk/basildon 

Dolly Mixtures @ The 

Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle St, 

Soho W1. facebook.com/ 

candybar.soho 

Gay Girlz @ Heaven, 

Embankment W2. 

11pm-4am. FREE with fl yer. 

Facebook: Gay Girlz 

Glitz & Glamour @ 

Shadow Lounge, 5-7 

Brewer Street, Soho W1. 


Ladies Night @ Load of 

Hay, 207 Pinner Rd, 

Watford Heath WD19. 

[Last Thurs]. loadofhay.co.uk 

Stav B’s Liquor Bar @ 

Vogue Fabrics, 66 Stoke 

Newington Road, Stoke 

Newington N16. [5 Apr]. 

6pm-12pm, £3. 

Lounge @The Penthouse, 

1 Leicester Square, Soho 

WC2. [1st Thurs]. 

lounge.uk.net 

Rainbow Room @ Zensai 

Bar, 16 Inverness St, 

Camden NW1. 7pm-3am. 

FREE entry. [2nd Thurs]. 

Red In The Face Comedy 

Night @ Candy Bar, 4 

Carlisle St, Soho W1. 

With Mae Martin and 

headliner Zoe Lyons, 7pm- 

10pm. £7/£9. [3rd Thurs]. 

Tickets from wegottickets. 

com 


Queerly Out @ LSE 

Students Union, Houghton 

Street, Aldwych WC2. 

9pm-3am. [1st Thurs]. 

queerlyout.com 

Rock The Lezbah @ Oak 

Bar, 79 Green Lanes, Stoke 

Newington N16. 8pm-1am, 

FREE. oak-bar.co.uk 

Twat Boutique @ Dalston 

Superstore, 117 Kingsland 

High Street, Dalston E8 

2PB. FREE. 9pm-3am. 

[1st Thurs]. 

myspace.com/twatboutique 

FRIDAY 

CODE @ The Green 

Carnation, 5 Greek St, Soho 

W1D. £5/£8. 8pm-2.30am. 

[Last Fri]. club-code.net 

Crazy Gorgeous @ The 

Bowery, 36-38 New Oxford 

St, Bloomsbury WC1A. 

10pm-3am. £5. For free entry 

and guestlist text 07780 323 

154. [2nd, 16th & 30th Apr]. 

Boozer 

Guide 

286: 286 Lewisham High St, 

Lewisham SE13. 

020 8690 5758. 

vLewisham BR 

Angel (The): Cabaret bar. 

21 Church St, Stratford E15. 

020 8555 1148. 

vStratford 

Bar 68: Friendly bar, 68 

Brigstock Rd, Thornton Heath 

CR7. 020 8665 0683. 

Black Cap: Mixed bar + club. 

171 Camden High St NW1. 

020 7428 2721. 

vCamden 

Bird in Hand: 291 Sydenham 

Rd, Croydon. 020 8683 3104. 

Pool, darts, function room. 

birdinhanduk.com 

Blush: Intimate, friendly 

bar. 8 CazeDece Rd, Stoke 

Newington N16. 

vStockwell 

Box (The): Café bar. 

32-34 Monmouth St WC2. 

vCov. Gdn. 

Candy Bar: World-famous 

girls’ bar. 4 Carlisle Street, 

Soho W1. vTottenham 

Court Road. 

Charlie’s Bar: Stylish, cosy 

cocktail bar. 124 Globe Rd E1. 

020 7790 1007. 

vStepney Green 

Duke Of Wellington: Soho’s 

traditional pub. Open till 

11pm. 77 Wardour St, Soho. 

020 7439 1274. vPiccadilly. 

Edge (The): Three fl oors of 

\ 

\ 

SOHO 

don’t 

miss! 

Bon Bon Bar 

9 Norwich Street 

London 

EC4A 1EJ 

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volupte-lounge.com 

crazygorgeous.co.uk 

Club Kali @ The Dome, 

1 Dartmouth Park Hill, 

Tufnell Park N19. [3rd Fri]. 

GAY Camp Attack @ 

Heaven, 9 Villiers St, 

Charing Cross WC2. 

Karaoke @ Blush, Cazenove 

Rd, Stoke Newington N16. 

8pm-12am. 

blushbar.moonfruit.com 

tasteful décor. 11 Soho Square 

W1. 020 7439 1313. 

Ego @ Southern Pride: 

82 Norwood High Street, 

West Norwood SE28. 

020 8761 5200. Bar, club, 

cabaret experience. 

vWest Norwood BR. 

Escape (The): Cosy venue, 

fun atmosphere. 8 Brewer 

St, Soho. 020 7734 2626. 

vLeicester Sq. 

Friendly Society: Bringing 

out the London cool. Tilman 

Cr, Soho W1 (adjacent to Ann 

Summers). 020 7434 3804. 

vLeicester Square. 

G-A-Y Bar: Women’s bar in 

the basement. 7pm-12am/ 

10.30pm on Fridays. 

30 Old Compton St, Soho. 

020 7494 2756. 


Joiners Arms (The): Up for it 

mixed crowd. Open till 2am. 

Kimono Krush @ Royal 

Vauxhall Tavern, 372 

Kennington Lane, 

Vauxhall SE11. [2nd Fri]. 

8pm-2am. 

rvt.org.uk 

Stav B’s Liquor Bar for 

FRINGE Festival @ 

Lumiere, 88 Chatsworth 

Road, Hackney E5. 

6pm-1am. £3. 

116 Hackney Rd, Shoreditch. 

020 7739 9854. 

Ku Bar: Award-winning gay 

bar, 30 Lisle St, Leicester Sq. 

ku-bar.co.uk 


KazBar: 50 High St, Clapham 

SW4. 020 7622 0070. 

vClapham. 

King Edward VI: Friendly 

mixed bar. 25 Bromfield St N1. 

Till 12am. vAngel. 

King William IV: Trad 

pub. 77 Hampstead High 

St NW3. 020 7435 5747. 

vHampstead 

Oak Bar: Late night 

club/bar. 79 Green Lns N16. 

020 7354 2791. vManor 

Hs./Bus73/141/341. 

Profile Bar: Brings to life 

the world of Gaydar. 

4pm-1am. 56-57 Frith Street, 

Soho W1D 3JN. 

020 7734 8300.

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list 

9 

DJ CeCe 

Estrada 

Music? 1940s-1960s 

rock ’n’ roll 

Fave song? Andrew 

Bird’s Bowl Of Fire 

– Candy Shop 

What’s your life 

philosophy? When 

the moon is full, howl. 

Where do you DJ? 

BOUNCE indie/ 

alternative night at 

Candy Bar, Soho 

http://soundcloud. 

com/cecedj 

Lady Lloyd’s Love Box @ 

The Edge, 11 Soho Square, 

Soho W1. 9pm till late. 

edgesoho.co.uk 

Marvellous @ RVT, 372 


SE11. [Last Fri]. £5. rvt.org.uk 

Popstarz @ The Den, 14 

West Central Street W1CA. 

popstarz.org 

Shake & Pop @ The Candy 

Bar, 4 Carlisle St, Soho W1. 


Stripped @ Purple Turtle, 

65 Crowndale Road, Camden 

NW1. New gay alternative 

night. £3/£5/£6. 

Facebook: stripped 

Therapy @ Shadow Lounge, 

5-7 Brewer Street, Soho W1. 


Trailer Trash @ On The 

Rocks, 25 Kingsland Rd, 

Shoreditch E2. 

myspace.com/trailertrashin 

Wino @ Oak Bar, 79 Green 

Lanes, Stoke Newington 

N16. [2nd Fri]. 9pm-2am. £6. 

oak-bar.co.uk 

SATURDAY 

Bijou @ Carter Rooms, 

56 Carter Lane, City EC4V. 

8pm-2am. £7.50 advance or 

£10 on the door. [2nd Sat]. 

elysionevents.co.uk 

Chicks Rock @ Oak Bar, 

79 Green Lanes, Stoke 

Newington N16. [Last Sat]. 

oak-bar.co.uk 

Dick and Fanny @ The 

CAMP Basement, 

70-74 City Road, Old St EC1Y 

9pm-3am. £10. [Last Sat]. 

Facebook: dickandfanny 

Duckie @ RVT, 372 


SE11. Cabaret. 9pm-2pm. 

Exilio Latin Dance Club @ 

Guy’s Bar, Boland House, 

St Thomas Street, 

Elephant & Castle SE1. 

[4th & 25th]. 9.30pm- 

2.30am. £5/£8. exilio.co.uk 

G-A-Y @ Heaven, The Arches, 

Villiers St, Charing X WC2N. 

heaven-london.com 

don’t miss! 

Pussy Whipped @ Wee Red Bar 

ECA, Edinburgh, 8pm-10.30pm, £2 

Saturday 3 April 

Pussy Whipped is a monthly instalment of 

pro-queer and pro-female ass-kicking live 

music. Amazing queer disco club HOT MESS 

follows after. 

facebook: pussy whipped 

Howlers @ Vogue Fabrics, 

66 Stoke Newington Road, 

Stoke Newington N16. 

[Diff Sats, check facebook]. 

10pm-3am. 

facebook: Howlers 

Inferno @ Shadow 

Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, 

Soho W1. 


Kuch Kuch @ Apt, 

Aldermary House, 10-15 

Queen Street EC4N 1TX. 

[Last Sat]. 

kuchkuchnights.co.uk 

Monster @ Candybar, 

4 Carlisle St, Soho. 


Pout Party @ Brown 

Sugar, 146 High Holborn, 

Covent Garden WC1V. [3rd 

Boozer 

Guide 

Reflex: Fri + Sat, 10pm-3am. 

184 London Rd, Kingston. 

020 8549 9911. vNorbiton 

Retro Bar: 2 George Ct. WC2 

020 7321 2811.vCharing X 

Royal Vauxhall Tavern: 

372 Kennington Lane SE11. 

vVauxhall 

Rumours: 67-73 The 

Minories EC1. 

Star at Night: 22 Gt Chapel 

Street, Soho. 

thestaratnight.com 

Sat]. brownsugarbar.co.uk 

Queer Fayre @ RVT, 372 


SE11. [1st Fri]. Jumble sale. 

Midday-6pm. rvt.org.uk 

RuMoUrS @ Minories, 

64-73 Minories, Tower Hill 

EC3. [1st Sat]. 

girl-rumours.co.uk 

Stav B’s Liquor Bar 

Fundraiser @ Fabrica, 584 

Kingsland Road, Dalston E8 

Fundraiser for East London 

Fawcett Society. 9pm-2am. 

£3. [28 Apr] 

Soul Naturelle @ The Oak 

Bar, 79 Green Lanes, 


[1st Sat]. oak-bar.co.uk 

Unskinny Bop @ The Star 

of Bethnal Green, 359 

don’t miss! 

Sh! 20th Anniversary @ Café de Paris 

Star of Bethnal Green: 

359 Bethnal Gn Rd E2. 

starofbethnalgreen.com 

Yard (The): 57 Rupert 

St, Soho. 020 7437 2652. 

vPiccadilly Circus 

EASTER 

with MINT and 

Family Affair @ Soho House 

21 Old Compton Street, Soho W1D 5JJ 

8pm-3am, £10 online, £15 on night 

Saturday 8 April 

Let MINT/Family Affair transport you into an Easter 

wonderland of fun. There are great prizes in their Easter 

egg house hunt, and for those more interested in 

dancing off the Easter calories let the crème de la crème 

of the London DJ scene work you into a dance room 

frenzy!! VIP tables available. 

l-wired.com 

3-4 Coventry Street, London W1D 6BL 

9pm-3am, £8.50 

Thursday 5 April 

Girl Action gets it on with Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium for their 20th 

Anniversary at Café de Paris. A paradise party of indulgence and sexiness with 

the best female performers around and an incredible all-girl DJ line-up. 

l-wired.com 

Bethnal Green Rd, Bethnal 

Green E2 6LG. [3rd Sat]. 

myspace.com/ubop 

SUNDAY 

100% Babe @ The Roxy, 

3-5 Rathbone Place, Soho 

W1D 3JG. Every bank holiday 

Sunday. 

facebook.com/sue_wade 

All Day Happy Hour @ Oak 

Bar, 79 Green Lanes, 


oak-bar.co.uk 

Candy’s Sunday Social 

diary 

dates 

@ The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle 

St, Soho W1. 

facebook.com/ 

candybar.soho 

MINT & Family Affair 

@ Soho House, 21 Old 

Compton St, Soho W1V. 

[Sunday Easter Special]. 

Facebook: MINT Social 

for Professional Women 

S.L.A.G.S/chill-out @ 

RVT, 372 Kennington Lane, 

Vauxhall SE11. rvt.org.uk 

Sunday Happy Day @ 

Century, 61-63 Shaftesbury 

Ave, Soho WC1. [Last Sun]. 

centuryclub.co.uk 

Sunday Jukebox 

@ Blush, Cazenove Rd, 


[2nd Sun]. 

blushbar.moonfruit.com 

Sundays @ Profile, 

84-86 Wardour St, 

Soho W1. 

profi lesoho.com 

Spotted 

at OPP, 24 April. 

If this is you, 

email boom@g3mag. 

co.uk for your prize! 

vip

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Listings 

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don’t 

miss! Bar 

Fridazed @ 

Legends 

31-34 Marine Parade, 

Brighton BN2 1TR 

11pm-4am 

FREE 

Every Friday 

MONDAY 

Quiz with Liz @ R-Bar, 

5-7 Marine Parade, Brighton 

BN2. 12pm-2am. FREE. 

revenge.co.uk 

Studio 150 @ Envy, 

Brighton BN1. 

charles-street.com 

TUESDAY 

Pub Quiz @ The 

Marlborough, 4 Princes St, 

Brighton BN2. 7.30pm. 

Sound As A Pound 

@ R-Bar, Brighton BN2. 

12pm-2am. FREE. 

revenge.co.uk 

The Edge Factor 

@ Edge Nightclub, 

Compton Walk, 

Southampton 

SO14 0BH. 

theedgesouthampton.com 

WEDNESDAY 

Bar 150 @ Edge 

Nightclub, Compton Walk, 

Southampton SO14 0BH. 


Midweek Mashup @ 

R-Bar, 5-7 Marine Parade, 

Brighton BN2. FREE. 

12pm-2am. revenge.co.uk 

Open Mic @ The 

Marlborough, 4 Princes St, 

Brighton BN2. 

7.30pm. 

Weekend Warm Up 

@ Charles St Club, 

Brighton BN1. 


THURSDAY 

uDJ? @ Edge Nightclub, 

Compton Walk, 

don’t 

miss! 

�� 

Listings 



Girls On Top @ R-Bar, 

5-7 Marine Parade, 

Brighton BN2. 

revenge.co.uk 

Karaoke and Cocktails 

@ The Marlborough, 

4 Princes St, Brighton BN2. 

7.30pm. 

Mad Cow @ 

Charles St Club, Brighton 

BN1. charles-street.com 

Sit On My Bass @ The Yard, 

Morley Street, Brighton BN1. 

[2nd Thurs]. 

FRIDAY 

GET SOME! 99p Drinks 


Compton Walk, 



Candyfloss @ Charles St 

Club, Brighton BN1. 


Frockabilly @ The Latest 

Bar, Sirens @ Latest Bar, 

Manchester Street, Brighton. 

[Check website for dates 

– usually 1st/2nd Fri]. 

frockabilly.co.uk 

Girl Friday @ The Castle 

Tavern, 21 Paradise Street, 

Oxford 0X1 1LD. [2nd Fri]. 

G Spot @ The Bizz and 

Works, 15 Station Road, East 

Canterbury, Kent. [4th Fri]. 

Lez-B-Naughtier @ Flame, 

58 Wellington Street, 

Luton. [2nd Fri]. 

fl ame-nightclub.co.uk 

Massive Night Out 


Compton Walk, 


DMYK @ 

DMYK Bar 

31 Poole Hill, 

Bournemouth, 

Dorset BH2 5PW 

Does Your Mama Know 

is the answer to your gay 

prayers if you live in 

Bournemouth... 

dymk-bar.com 

Pussy Whipped 

@ The Marlborough, 

4 Princes St, Brighton BN2. 

[2nd Fri]. 

Sirens @ Latest Bar, 

Manchester Street, Brighton. 

[3rd Fri]. Parisian cabaret. 

10pm-2am. £7/£5. 

Starlight’s Warm Up 

@ R-Bar, 5-7 Marine Parade, 

Brighton BN2. revenge.co.uk 

SATURDAY 

Dusty’s @ The Latest Bar, 

Manchester St, Brighton 

BN2 1TF. [2nd Fri]. 

dustys-nights@hotmail.co.uk 

Fierce @ Charles Street 

Club, Brighton BN1. 

myspace.com/kinky_ 

dangerous 

Liberty @ Toto’s Bar, 

125 Redcliffe St, Bristol. 

[First Sat]. £10. 

totosbristol.com 

Grindr Summer SaturGays 

@ Edge Nightclub, Compton 

Walk, Southampton 

SO14 0BH. 


Poleoke @ Latest Bar, 

Manchester Street, 

Brighton. 10pm-2am. 

[2nd Sat]. poleoke.co.uk 

Saturdays @ Coalition, 

171-181 King’s Rd, 

Brighton BN1. 

brightoncoalition.co.uk 

Head on down to Legends 

every Friday evening for 

chart, dance and electro 

classics from resident DJs 

on hand all night. Legends 

doubles as a gay hotel, so if 

you stay out past your 

bedtime you can even 

treat yourself to a room! 

legendsbrighton.com 

Saturdays @ 

The Marlborough, 

4 Princes St, 

Brighton BN2. 

Women’s Disco 

@ Babylon Lounge, 

Western Esplanade, 

Kingsway, Hove, 

Brighton. [3rd Sat]. 

babylonlounge.com 

X Factor Fridays @ 


Brighton BN2. 

12pm-late. FREE. 

revenge.co.uk 

SUNDAY 

We Are 1 @ Edge Nightclub, 

Compton Walk, 

Southampton 

SO14 0BH. 


Afrodisiac @ Honeyclub, 

214 King’s Road Arches, 

Brighton BN1. [1st Sun]. 

aeonevents.com 

Beat the Barman @ Edge 

Nightclub, Compton Walk, 



Recovery Sunday @ 

The Marlborough, 4 

Princes St, Brighton BN2. 

7.30pm. 

Sublime Sundays @ 


Brighton BN2. 

revenge.co.uk 

Boozer 

Guide 

11: 11 Burgate, 

Canterbury, Kent CT1. 01272 

478 707. 

Charles Street: 8 Marine 

Parade, Brighton. 

01273 624091. 

Colours: Beehive Pub 

(upstairs), Kingswood Suites, 

Southernhay, Basildon. 

colorsessex.co.uk 

Edge (The): 58 St Mary’s 

Road, Southampton SO14. 


Flamingos: 23-25 West 

Street, Old Market, Bristol 

BS2 0DF. 

Fudge: Redbourn Rd, St 

Albans, Herts AL3. 

01582 794053. 

The Grosvenor Bar: 16 

Western St, Brighton BN1. 

thegrosvenorbar.com 

Load of Hay: 207 Pinner 

Road, Watford Heath WD19. 

01923 441113. 

London Hotel: 2 Terminus 

Terrace, Southampton. 

02380 710652 

The Lounge: 53 Old Market 

Street, Bristol. 

loungebristol.com 

Marlborough (The): 4 

Princes Street, Brighton BN2. 

01273 570 028. 

Old Vic: 104 St Paul’s Rd, 

Southsea, Portsmouth, Hants. 

02392 297013. 

Princess Victoria Bar (The): 

161 Edward Street, Brighton 

BN2 0JB. 01273 687 090. 

Queen Anne: 11 Queen 

Anne Road, Maidstone, Kent 

ME14. 01622 753 023. 

The Retreat: West Street, 

Old Market, Bristol. 

Revenge: 32-34 Old Steine, 

Brighton. 01273 606064. 

The Riverside Tavern: 

8 Canal Road, Strood, 

Kent, ME2. 

theriverside-tavern.co.uk 

Secrets: 8-12 New Road, 

Chatham, Kent ME4. 

01634 832433. 

Ship Inn: 347 High Street, 

Rochester, Kent ME1. 

01634 844 264. 

Star Inn: 7 Manchester 

Street, Brighton BN1. 

01273 601450. 

Ywe love… 

Honey Hush @ A Bar 

Amsterdam Hotel, 11-12 Marine 

Parade, Brighton BN2 1TL 

The people behind Frockabilly have now 

brought us ‘Honey Hush’, a monthly night of 

rockabilly shenanigans, steamy rhythm & 

blues and downright crazy rock ’n’ roll. The 

fi rst Saturday of every month sees the A Bar 

transformed into a vintage oasis, complete 

with nautical visuals, sweet treats and a range 

of unique cocktails, including the ‘Honey 

Hush’, a spiced honey rum concoction, created 

especially for the night by the experienced 

A Bar mixologists. 

frockabilly.co.uk

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fp{dfg,fd 

don’t 

miss 

Karaoke Fridays @ 

The Fox 

17 Essex Street, 

Birmingham B5 6SN 

Every Friday 

Start your weekend on a 

high note with Birmingham’s 

premier lesbian bar, bringing 

you karaoke Friday at the Fox. 

foxbar.co.uk 

�� 

MONDAY 

Karaoke @ Propaganda, 

107 Ferensway, Hull HU2. 

9pm. propagandabar.co.uk 

Now That’s What I Call… 

Disco Inferno @ Cruz 101, 

Princess St, Mancs. 

cruz101.com 

TUESDAY 

C U Next Tuesday @ 

Propaganda, 107 Ferensway, 

Hull HU2. Pre-party. 9pm. 

propagandabar.co.uk 

Poptastic Tuesday @ 

Alter Ego, Princess St, 

Mancs M1. poptastic.co.uk 

11pm-3am, £4.50/3.50 

members. 

Quiz @ Vanilla, 

Richmond St, Mancs M1. 

vanillagirls.co.uk 

WEDNESDAY 

Big Gay Wednesday @ 

Cruz 101, Princess St, Mancs. 

cruz101.com 

Rock Bitch @ Vanilla, 



THURSDAY 

Back 2 Back @ Cruz 101, 

Princess St, Mancs M1. 

Retro & camp pop. 9pm-3am. 

£4/£2 students and Cruz 

members. cruz101.com 

Karaoke @ Coyotes, 

14 Chorlton St, Mancs. 

coyotesbar.co.uk 

Screw the DJ @ Vanilla, 


[2nd Thurs]. 


Listings 

FRIDAY 

Back To The Future 

@ Coyotes, 


[3rd Fri]. 


Big Gay Friday @ 

Cruz 101, Princess St, 

Mancs. 

Members only. 

cruz101.com 

Candyfloss @ Vanilla, 



Candy @ Coyotes, 


[2nd Fri]. coyotesbar.co.uk 

Camp Friday @ Coyotes, 


[1st Fri]. coyotesbar.co.uk 

Climax @ Sheffield Union, 

University of Sheffi eld, 

Sheffield. [3rd Fri]. 

shef.ac.uk 

Club Fizz @ Whalley 

Range, Manchester 

M16 8BE. [2nd Fri]. 

Facebook: Club Fizz. 

DJs @ Fuel Sheffield, 

6 Baker St, Sheffield S1. 

10.30pm-3am. 

fuelclubsuk.com 

Frisky @ Coyotes, 


[4th Fri]. coyotesbar.co.uk 

HankiPanki @ Coyotes, 

Mancs. 5pm-4am. 


Lash For Lasses @ The 

Tunnel, 6 Whitworth St, 

Mancs M1. Women’s 

BDSM night. [2nd Sun]. 

clublash.com 

Popbitch @ Vanilla, 



Pre-Fuel Warm Up @ 

Propaganda, 107 Ferensway, 

Hull HU2. Pre-party. 9pm. 


SATURDAY 

DJs @ Fuel Sheffield, 

6 Baker St, Sheffield S1. 

Dance, chart, pop. 

9pm-3am. £3 B4 11pm/£5. 

Drama Queen @ Cruz 101, 

Princess St, Mancs. 

11pm-6am. cruz101.com 

Freakshow @ No. 1 Club, 

1 Central Street, Mancs 

M1 5NP. 11pm-6am. 

clubfreakshow.com 

Genesis @ Eden, Canal 

Street, Mancs. [1st Sat]. 

10.30pm. £3. 

genesisclubnight@ 

yahoo.com 

Glasshouse @ Mission, 

Heaton’s Court, Leeds. 

[2nd & 4th Sat]. House 

night. 11pm-9am. 

myspace.com/glasshouseuk 

Jukebox @ Coyotes, 


9pm-4am. 


Genesis @ Eden, Canal 

Street, Mancs. [1st Sat]. 

Lavender Lounge @ 

Gregson, 33 Moorgate, 

Lancaster. 

lavenderlounge.co.uk 

Nocturnal @ Propaganda, 

107 Ferensway, Hull HU2. 

2.30-6am. 


Poptastic Saturday @ 

Alter Ego, Princess St, 

Mancs M1. Retro & camp 

pop. 

poptastic.co.uk 

Rapture @ Platt Chapel 

186 Wilmslow Road, 

Rusholme, Mancs M14 

[2nd Sat then last Sat from 

April]. plattchapel.co.uk 

Sin @ Vanilla, Richmond St, 

Mancs. 10pm-4am. 

FREE B4 9pm/£1. 

[1st Sat and 3rd Sat]. 


Women’s Disco @ 

Todmorden Cricket Club, 

Burnley Road, Todmorden, 

W Yorks. [2nd Sat]. 

01706 816 655. 

SUNDAY 

Laughing Cows @ The 

Frog and Bucket, 

102 Oldham St, Mancs. 

[Last Sun]. 

laughingcowscomedy.co.uk 

Sunday Night Screamers @ 

Cruz 101, Princess St, 

Mancs. cruz101.com 

Boozer 

Guide 

AXM Bar: Mixed bar. 10 Canal 

St, Manchester M1. 

0161 236 6005. 

Coyotes: Fun bar. 14 

Chorlton St, Manchester M1. 

0161 236 4007. 

Lucy’s Two: Gay bar with 

pool and darts. Abingdon St, 

Blackpool. 01253 753 598. 

Poptastic: c/o Mutz Nutz, 

Princess St, Manchester. 

0161 2270341. 

Queer: 4 Canal St, Mancs. 

0161 2281368. 

Taurus Bar: 1 Canal St, 

Manchester M1. 

0161 236 4593. 

Time Out Party Bar: 68-70 

Abingdon Street, Blackpool, 

Lancashire FY1 1NH. 

Spirit: 63 Richmond St, 

Mancs. 0161 2379725. 

�� 

THURSDAY 

Girls’ Night @ The Dover 

Castle, 34 Dover St, 

Leicester LE1 6PT. 

[Last Thurs]. 

FRIDAY 

Blast! @ Nightingale 

Club, Kent St, Birmingham. 

10pm-4am. Free B4 10pm/£2 

till midnight/£5 after. 

nightingaleclub.co.uk 

Fridays @ The Club, 14 

Hillcrest St, Stoke-on-Trent 

ST1 2AA. theclub-stoke.co.uk 

Gay Night @ The Swan, 

The Street, Lawshall, Bury 

St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29. 

[2nd Fri]. 

lawshallswan.co.uk 

Karaoke @ The Fox, 17 

Lower Essex St, Birmingham. 

0121 622 1210. 

Party Night @ Rainbows, 

88 Short St, Coventry CV1 

2LW. rainbowscov.com 

Poptastic @ NG1, 76-80 

Lower Parliament Street, 

Nottingham NG1. 

ng1club.co.uk 

SATURDAY 

Big Saturday Night Out @ 

Nightingale Club, Kent St, 

Birmingham. 

10pm-6am. £4 B4 10pm/£8. 


DJ Missy B @ Betty’s 

Nightclub, 10 Cornhill, 

Ipswich, Suffolk IP1. 

bettysbar.plus.com 

Party Women’s Disco 

Night @ The Fox, 17 Lower 

Essex St, Birmingham. 

0121 622 1210. 

S-lick Lounge @ Ludlow 

Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill 

Street, Ludlow, 

Shropshire SY8. 

ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk 

SUNDAY 

Comedy Collective 

@ Nightingale Club, 

Ywe love… 

Ruby Tuesdays 

30 Lisle Street, London WC2H. 

When is it? 

Every Tuesday. 

What’s it about? 

Top tunes, hot women… the perfect mid-week 

party. And Ruby Tuesdays has taken over all 

three fl oors of Ku Bar just for the girls. We 

couldn’t ask for more! 

ku-bar.com 

Vanilla: Women’s bar 

(men as guests), 39-41 


0161 288 2727. 

Via Fossa: 28-30 Canal St, 

Manchester M1. Classy bar. 

Kent St, Birmingham. 


Funday Sunday @ NG176, 

80 Lower Parliament Street, 

Nottingham NG1 1EH. 

Quiz Night @ Betty’s 

Nightclub, 10 Cornhill, 

Ipswich, Suffolk IP1. 

bettysbar.co.uk 

Sundays @ The Three Tuns, 

9 Bucknall New Rd, 

Stoke-on-Trent. 

thethreetuns.net 

Boozer 

Guide 

DV8 Nightclub 

& Innov8 Bar: 16 Lower 

Essex St, Birmingham. 

0121 666 6366. 

Fox (The): 

Popular women’s bar. 

17 Lower Essex St, 

Birmingham B5. 

0121 622 1210. 

Greyhound: 2am licence. 

14 Bond St, Wolverhampton 

WV2. 01902 420 916. 

Kudos: 28 Horse Fair, 

Birmingham. 

Missing Bar: 

148 Bromsgrove Street, 

Birmingham 

B5 6NU. 

missingbar.co.uk 

New Forresters: 18 St Ann’s 

St, Nottingham NG1. 

0115 958 0432. 

NG1: 76-80 Lower 

Parliament St, Nottingham. 

0115 958 8440. 

Nightingales: Kent St, 

Birmingham. 0121 622 1718. 

Rainbow & Dove: 185 Charles 

St, Leicester. 0116 254 7568. 

Route Two: 139/147 Hurst 

Street, Birmingham. 

0121 622 3366. 

Subway City: 27 Livery St, 

Birmingham. 

0121 233 0310. 

The Club: 14 Hillcrest St, 

Hanley. 01782 201 829. 

Village Inn: 152 Hurst St, 

Birmingham. 

0121 622 4742.

lubs//girls//bars//clubs//girls//bars//clubs //girls //bars//cl //ba 

g3 mag.co.uk… 

…where it’s at 

Check us out on Facebook: g3mag and Twitter @ 

g3editor to keep up to date with us every day. Tickets 

and competitions weekly! 

g3mag.co.uk 

�� 

TUESDAY 

iPop Tuesdays 

@ The Polo Lounge, 

84 Wilson St, 

Glasgow G1 1UZ. 

socialanimal.co.uk 

THURSDAY 

Karaoke 

@ Planet Out, 

6 Baxter’s Place, 

Edinburgh EH1. 

bebo.com/planetbar 

Boom 

Sarah 

FRIDAY 

Furburger @ CC Blooms, 

23-24 Greenside Place, 

Edinburgh 

EH1 3AA. [2nd Fri]. 

myspace.com/ 

clubfurburger 

Polo Fridays @ The Polo 

Lounge, 84 Wilson St, 

Glasgow G1 1UZ. 


Ladies Night @ Planet Out, 

6 Baxter’s Place, 

Edinburgh EH1. 

bebo.com/planetbar 

Fridays @ FHQ, Picardy 

Place, Edinburgh EH1. 


SATURDAY 

Salsa @ FHQ, 

Picardy Place, Edinburgh. 

[Last Sat]. evolve-me.com 

Saturday Night Beaver @ 

The SpeakEasy, 28 Blair 

Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR. 

[3rd Sat]. 

myspace.com/clubvelvet 

SUNDAY 

Sunday Industry Nights 

@ Cafe Habana, Greenside 

Place, Edinburgh EH1. 

cafehabanaeh1.com 

Boozer 

Guide 

Cheers: 1 School Walk, 

Aberdeen AB24 1XX 

01224 482 671 

Delmonicas: 68 Virginia St, 

Glasgow G1 1TX. 

0141 552 4803. 

FHQ: 10 John Street 

Glasgow G1 1HP 

0845 166 6037 

Planet Out: 6 Baxter’s Place, 

Edinburgh EH1 3AF 

0131 556 5551 

Pop Rokit: Picardy Place, 

Edinburgh EH8 1JT. 

0131 556 4272. 

The Blue Moon Cafe: 

36 Broughton St, 

Edinburgh EH1 3SB. 

bluemooncafe.co.uk. 

0131 556 2788. 

The Laughing Duck: 

24 Howe Street, Edinburgh, 

Midlothian EH3 6TG. 

The Polo Lounge: 84 Wilson 

St, Glasgow G1 1UZ. 

0141 553 1221. 

�� 

TUESDAY 

Karaoke @ Kings Cross, 

25 Caroline Street, Cardiff 

CF10 1FF. 

kxcardiff.co.uk 

THURSDAY 

Loud & Proud @ 

Thru the Arch Club, 

33A Stow Hill, 

Newport NP20 1JH. 

thruthearch.741.com 

FRIDAY 

Dance Zone @ Exit 

Nightclub, 48 Charles St, 

Cardiff CF10. 

exitclubcardiff.com 

Get The Party Started @ 

Club X, 35-37 Charles St, 

Cardiff CF10 2GB. 

clubxcardiff.net 

SATURDAY 

DJ Lee @ Kings Cross, 

25 Caroline Street, 

Cardiff CF10. 

Exile @ Club X, 35-37 Charles 

St, Cardiff CF10 2GB. 

clubxcardiff.net 

Sonic Saturday @ 

Exit Nightclub, 

48 Charles St, Cardiff 

CF10 2GF. 


SUNDAY 

Kim’s Karaoke @ Thru the 

Arch Club, 33A Stow Hill, 

Listings 

�� 

Newport NP20 1JH. 

thruthearch.741.com 

Sunday Sanctuary 

@ Exit Nightclub, 

48 Charles St, Cardiff 

CF10 2GF. 


Boozer 

Guide 

Exit Nightclub: 48 Charles 

Street, Cardiff CF10 2GF. 

Golden Cross: 283 Hayes 

Bridge Road, Cardiff CF10 1GH. 

Lush: 25 Caroline Street, 

Cardiff CF10 1FF. 

Minskys Show Bar: 

Cathedral Walk, St David’s 

Centre, Cardiff CF10. 

The Offas Tavern: 

Prestatyn, 

North Wales LL19. 

01745 886 046. 

65

66 

back bits 

STARS 

aquarius 

21 Jan - 19 Feb 

Whatever you’re 

planning for the weeks ahead, you 

should be able to do it with an extra 

spring in your step and a mile-wide 

smile on your face! And it’s most 

likely that someone who lets you 

know how special you are to them 

will bring it about! Single? A 

magnetic person catches your 

attention. Even if you have very little 

in common, there is chemistry 

between you that cannot be ignored. 

gemini 

22 May - 21 June 

Decisions, decisions 

and more decisions! 

Choices you make over 

the weeks ahead could have a big 

impact on your future. Your powers 

of self expression go from strength 

to strength, so catch up on overdue 

emails and telephone calls. Explain 

future hopes and dreams to those 

closest to you. Ideas you thought 

would get the thumbs down may in 

reality gain other people’s approval. 

libra 

24 Sept - 

23 Oct 

The desire for new 

experiences burns strong within you 

now. Travel is an obvious way of 

dealing with this, but if circumstances 

stop you from being on the move, try 

busying yourself with anything that’s 

unfamiliar and mentally stimulating. 

Your thinking will be fast and decisive 

and one step ahead of others. Move 

quickly, especially when it comes to 

opportunities to better your lot. 

�� 

Buses are like buses. You don’t see 

them for ages, and then several appear 

at once. But they weren’t always as 

infrequent. Before horse-drawn 

carriages, everyone travelled in their 

own tiny version of a double decker. 

Yes, buses were around before 

wagons, carriages, bicycles and cars. 

This is because of the ingenuity of one 

amazing lesbian inventor. Known to 

her friends as ‘Busty Bertha’, she was 

pisces 

20 Feb - 20 Mar 

Now is not a time for day 

dreaming about what 

might have been. Create 

your own opportunities, especially if 

you want to widen your social circle. 

Slowly you are fi nding ways to make 

sure you do more in life that suits you 

and less at the command of others. 

Work towards your own unfulfi lled 

goals. Encourage a partner’s efforts 

to spruce up your surroundings – 

your approval means a lot to them. 

cancer 

22 June - 23 July 

These next few weeks are 

when you will get most 

pleasure from spontaneous 

plans and decisions. You feel more 

confi dent and sociable, your ideas are 

inspirational, and you’re making a big 

impression on those around you. A 

friendship could turn into romance. If 

you’ve found that certain someone 

you want to spend the rest of your life 

with, being able to talk about your 

ideas and feelings will bring you closer. 

scorpio 

24 Oct - 22 Nov 

Commonsense is your 

greatest ally through the 

weeks ahead. Being willing to work in 

harness with another rather than 

insisting on doing things your way 

should bring success. If you can get a 

boss or work superior to like you, 

they’re more likely to support you. If 

you’re always arguing with them, this 

isn’t going to get you very far. Any 

time spent checking on household 

security will be time well spent. 

born in the bustling town of 

Manchester. In 1678 the town was 

overpopulated and housing was in 

short supply, so Bertha devised a 

house on wheels that people could 

both live in upstairs and travel around 

on downstairs (by operating a series of 

pulleys and wheels). Due to Bertha’s 

ingenuity, the superb pulley system 

allowed a single person to move a 

vehicle almost as big as a house. 

aries 

21 Mar - 20 Apr 

Draw on your strong 

spirit of adventure over 

the weeks ahead. Don’t 

let cautious friends hold you back 

from broadening your experiences. 

The desire to experience new places 

or situations and to meet fresh faces 

should not be pushed aside. Be bold 

in your approach. A new partner will 

prove to be agile and interesting, and 

you will be spending as much time as 

you can arrange with each other. 

leo 

24 July - 23 Aug 

Channel your energy into 

something positive rather 

than just hoping things will happen. 

Communication could play a larger 

role in your life over the weeks ahead. 

If you’ve been thinking about making 

a fresh start with a close relationship 

or any other kind of partnership, this is 

the time to put your energy into it. Put 

past diffi culties behind you, keep your 

hopes high and look to the future with 

that wonderful Leo optimism. 

sagittarius 

23 Nov - 21 Dec 

Your craving for 

something different to 

your usual routines will be strongly 

apparent. If you can, spend time away 

from home and familiar places. Your 

restless mood could make it hard to 

concentrate on any one subject for 

very long. Others sharing your world 

will understand and will encourage 

ideas on how to add a touch of 

difference to life. A friend may come 

up with a brilliant travel suggestion. 

People in Manchester 

were thrilled and 

would hold bus parties on 

their upper decks, singing Bertha’s theme 

tune The Wheels On The Bus Go Round 

And Round – which is still sung today. 

At the end of the night, the buses would 

all have their own little stops. You can see 

them dotted around the country still, but 

no buses ever arrive… 

Astrology expert 

Philip Garcia forecasts 

your future 

taurus 

21 Apr - 21 May 

Your enthusiasm for life 

will be hard to resist. So if 

you’ve a mind to update 

ways of dealing with duties, now is the 

time to take the bull by the horns and 

put them into action. Sometimes 

actions speak louder than words, and 

this could be just such an occasion. 

Over the weeks ahead there could 

be the fi rst signs that someone 

you’ve worshipped from afar has an 

interest in you. 

virgo 

24 Aug - 23 Sept 

Long term security is the 

overriding force in your 

thoughts and actions right now, but 

making other people understand this 

is not as easy as you had hoped. Even 

so, expect to see a change of attitude 

to such affairs over the weeks ahead. 

If recently you let a chance to improve 

your earnings pass you by, this lost 

opportunity will continue to prey on 

your mind. The good news is, you 

could be be offered a second chance. 

capricorn 

22 Dec - 20 Jan 

Contact with someone from 

your past could be benefi cial 

for your future. Don’t be afraid to take 

on extra commitments. These days it 

will be hard for you to fail in anything 

you attempt, with you feeling confident 

and positive. A new friendship or even 

a romance is possible if you don’t 

demand impossibly high standards 

from others. Creative matters will go 

well over the weeks ahead. At work 

extra efforts will certainly pay off. 

great lesbian 

inventions! 

WORDS & ARTWORK BY LEA ANDREWS

To book your Directory listing please call Dan on 020 7258 1777 

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