Fundraising News Fundraiser launched to help Birmingham trans youth group empower young trans and non-binary people A GoFundMe has been launched for the Birmingham-based trans-lead youth group, Emerge. Run by Birmingham LGBT since 2015, Emerge, a group for trans, non-binary, gender fluid and gender questioning people age 13-19 in the West Midlands, seeks to fundraise £3,000 which will allow them to keep their ser By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Mental Health Birmingham to host mental health wellbeing sessions for the LGBTQ+ community Birmingham Mind’s Community Development Workers Team are hosting two Spill the Tea wellbeing events in November for the LGBTQ+ community. On Monday, November 6 and Monday, November 20 from 4 – 6pm the mental health charity will be providing workshops on wellbeing and improved mental health. The Spil By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Birmingham New celebrity and character competition launched by Birmingham’s House of Allure Lead Photo cred Irina Mackie Drag performer Dominus Von Vexo – of the House of Allure (a Birmingham based burlesque and cabaret group) – has announced a new competition The Audition, which will focus on acts based on celebrities and characters, both fictional and real-life. Dominus themselves is kno By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham Get Voting! Birmingham Awards shortlist includes figures and groups from the LGBTQ+ community The Birmingham Awards, which highlight and recognise the ongoing contributions of local citizens, have released their shortlist which includes several figures and groups from the LGBTQ+ community. By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Comedy Queer Staffordshire comedian, Josh Reynolds, nominated for comedy award Josh Reynolds, a regular guest at Queer as Joke events in Birmingham, has been nominated for the Breaking Talent Award 2023 at this year’s Birmingham Comedy Festival. Raised “all over Staffordshire”, Reynolds currently lives in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, and their stand-up début was a five-minute spot al By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Television Second series of Joe Lycett’s ‘Late Night Lycett’ commissioned by Channel 4 Comedian Joe Lycett’s mischievous live entertainment show, Late Night Lycett, which broadcast from Birmingham, has been recommissioned for a second series. In series one, Joe combined some of the biggest names in show-business – including Dame Joan Collins, Dame Joanna Lumley, Richard E. Grant, Munr By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Birmingham Birmingham Pride and West Midlands Police announce new hate crime reporting partnership The Loft bar will become a hub where those who have experienced or witnesses a hate crime can report the incident. By Catherine Muxworthy • 3 min read
Arts Deirdre O’Halloran to join Birmingham Hippodrome as Head of New Musical Theatre Birmingham Hippodrome has announced that Deirdre O’Halloran will be joining them as the Head of New Musical Theatre. The first UK venue to launch an in-house department dedicated to musical theatre, O’Halloran will head the Birmingham Hippodrome’s development of new musicals for the West Midlands. By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham Fierce Festival appoints new artistic director Clayton Lee will be joining Fierce Festival’s team as the new artistic director after Aaron Wright left in the spring to become Head of Performance and Dance at the Southbank Centre, London. By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
HIV Memorial quilt for Terry Higgins – the UK’s first named person to die from AIDS-related illnesses – unveiled at The Festival of Quilts A new memorial quilt paying tribute to Terrence (Terry) Higgins – the UK’s first named person to die of AIDS-related illnesses – is to be revealed today (Thursday, August 3) for the very first time at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham’s NEC – four decades on from his death. By Graham Robson • 4 min read
Birmingham Director of Birmingham LGBT receives honorary doctorate from Aston University Aston University has awarded the director of Birmingham LGBT, Steph Keeble, an honorary doctorate in business administration (DBA) for her exceptional contributions to education, social justice and the advancement of learning. By Graham Robson • 1 min read
HIV Birmingham HIV activists honoured at Opt-Out HIV and hepatitis testing round table Artist Garry Jones and Positive Peers project lead, Rachel Greaves, were honoured with awards for their work on The Ribbons, Birmingham AIDS and HIV Memorial (BAHM). Presented by Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, the awards were “in recognition of your contribution to the West Midlands throug By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Birmingham Birmingham drag community to host fundraiser for performer Crip Ladywood Crip L in Need, “a fundraiser to help a queer in need”, will be held at The Loft in Birmingham on Sunday, August 6 from 6.30pm. The show will feature performances from Alanna Boden, Blanche, Cake Boi, Crip Ladywood, Dahliah Rivers, Fatt Butcher, Ginny Lemon, Jenna Davinci, Misfit, Pork Pie and Peach By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham Birmingham South Asian music festival to host its first LGBTQ+ village Spotify presents: Birmingham Mela – billed as the UK’s biggest South Asian music festival – will be hosting an LGBTQ+ village for the first time in 2023 this weekend. By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham Baton of Hope’s visit to Birmingham raises awareness around suicide The Baton of Hope – designed to be the biggest suicide awareness and prevention initiative in the UK – travelled through Birmingham on Monday, July 3, starting at Alexander Stadium before journeying throughout the city, including via Birmingham LGBT+. By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham Birmingham’s LGBTQ+ community pays tribute to Nightingale Club DJ Birmingham’s LGBTQ+ community has been paying tribute to Simon Harris – a resident DJ at the Nightingale Club – who sadly passed away in the evening of Sunday, July 16. Harris, known by much of the community as DJ Simon, first worked as a DJ at Tin Tins, and had been working with the Nightingale Clu By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Birmingham Fatt Projects to bring Big Fatt Pool Party to Moseley Road Baths “We’re pro-fat, pro-femme, pro-trans, pro-disabled, anti-racist, pro-fabulous. Bring your best self, bring your bingo wings, bring your pals, bring your inflatables!” explains Fatt Projects on the event’s booking page. By Catherine Muxworthy • 1 min read
Exhibitions Birmingham Museums photo project captures history of queer women in Birmingham Snap Project: Birmingham Queer Women 1977-99 – curated by artist, writer and educator, Sarah Dolman – captures the stories and histories of queer women in Birmingham through a collection of photographs. The images featured were predominately donated from archives and individuals who were out and pro By Catherine Muxworthy • 3 min read
Khuram Qadeer Mirza Interviews INTERVIEW: Joe Lycett – Welcome to the Gayborhood Catherine Muxworthy catches up with everyone’s favourite mischief maker, Joe Lycett By Catherine Muxworthy • 4 min read
Opinion TALES OF THE SECOND CITY: Eat Out to Help Out Next time you walk by a shop displaying a sign stating ‘BACK IN FIVE MINUTES’, wonder what is happening behind closed doors… and hope they have rinsed their hands before reopening for business. By Contributor • 3 min read
Birmingham Tales of the Second City: Personal Services: Shopping with a Sex Worker I’ve heard of personal shoppers to the stars… but porn stars? By Contributor • 4 min read
Theatre Kevin Elyot’s Olivier Award-winning play ‘My Night with Reg’ comes to Birmingham My Night with Reg is a play which explores the lives of gay men and the AIDS crisis during the 1980s By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham New exhibition explores the history of fashion in Birmingham The exhibition at the National Trust – Birmingham Back to Backs previewed during Birmingham Pride weekend before it opens officially Friday, June 9. By Catherine Muxworthy • 2 min read
Birmingham IN PICTURES: Birmingham Pride 2023 Birmingham Pride returned to its usual May Bank Holiday weekend slot for 2023 with the theme of ‘Power in Pride’. By Catherine Muxworthy • 4 min read
