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Sue Perkins RETURNS with new sitcom ‘Heading Out’

Fresh from cake-munching in The Great British Bake Off’s kitchen, cruising around The World’s Most Dangerous Roads, speaking in Just a Minute and unravelling a tricky Dilemma or two on Radio 4, Sue Perkins has just this week unveiled her next project. If she doesn’t sound busy enough, over the last few months Sue has been writing a new sit-com which she is set to star in alongside the great Dawn French (French and Saunders; Vicar of Dibley), Jo Scanlan (The Thick of It) and Nicola Walker (Spooks).  

With production starting in September, ‘Heading Out’ is to be broadcast next year on BBC2. The show will star Sue as main-character Sara, a 40-year-old vet “so skilled, she can spay a tortoise one-handed.”

Successful, popular, Sara is at the height of her career… However, there is just one dark cloud looming over her sunny lifestyle – Sara is too scared to tell her parents that she is gay. With her parents visiting in a few weeks time, Sara’s friends sign her up for classes with eccentric and mildly-qualified lifestyle coach Toria (who I have a hunch will be played by Dawn French) – let the side-splitting comedy commence!

Speaking to The Press Association, Sue said: “I think once the gnawing terror, sleepless nights and relentless self-doubt has subsided, this might well be the thing I’m most proud of. It’s been a joy to work on, and I hope that joy proves to be infectious.”     

On Twitter, Sue has also stressed that: “It’s not a ‘lesbian’ sitcom. It’s a sitcom which just happens to have a gay character in it.” “All I mean is it’s mainstream. For everyone. That’s the point of it… to put gay characters in a wider world.”

Sue has put forward an important point. It has taken courage for Sue, who holds such a great modesty even when she has such a super-sharp wit, and intelligent but effortless comic-timing, to put her talents to the test and deliver a comic show that will reflect on serious issues. To have an LGBT character in the centre is incredibly refreshing and I, like so many others, wait with eager anticipation for what Perkins has in stall for us next.

JW

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Playsuit Trend 

It is starting to get warm out, you decide to wear shorts and a tank top, but denim shorts? Is it too hot for that? And a white tank top? Does that make you look too pale? Does this outfit even go? An easy solution to all your summer fashion worries – playsuits! There is nothing else quite like them, and there are thousands over the web to choose from. Cheap outfits and varieties of colour, material and patterns that whatever mood you find yourself in…there will be a playsuit to fit it! Most day playsuits look great with a denim jacket or blazer especially when on your summer holidays abroad.

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Alice Walker an advocate for a private life

Writing my dissertation on 'How the mind sees', a comparison and contrasting of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple and Stephen Spielberg's cinematic rendition, I deftly avoided the pink elephant in the middle of room, speaking about nearly everything but the lesbian scene. I rewound and hit play a gazillion times, so much so that my brother and partner at the time threatened to hold a burning session of both, they were that sick of seeing, reading and hearing about it. Strangely I never took the time to explore the author, I was about the pieces that had been produced and not the producers of the text or celluloid artifacts. 

Nearly a decade later and I read that Alice Walker was openly bi-sexual, enjoying a relationship with acclaimed singer Tracy Chapman during the 90's. When she was interviewed by the Guardian of course the relationship came up and the question on everyones lips was why they had kept their relationship a secret? I loved her nonchalant response of "it was quiet to you maybe but thats because you didn't live in our area". It suggested to me that those that mattered knew, perhaps they had seen the couple walking hand in hand down the road, casually shopping of a Saturday, collecting ingredients for the  romantic night in they had planned.

She continued in the same interview when still being pressed about the relationship, let's all forget the more important questions like, what's your next literary piece going to be about, all we want to know is whether your indoor activities are as as sordid as we imagine them to be! Rather than throw a hissy fit at being asked why she didn't make their relationship public, the classy lady simply stated "My life is not to be somebody else's impact", after all their relationship "was delicious and lovely and wonderful and" she "totally enjoyed it...was completely in love with" Tracy Chapman and most importantly "it was nobody's business but ours"

It's horrid that the media then at times now, treat being open and out as though someone's private life is and should be the public's "recreation", as though Walker was treating her sexuality like a dirty little secret and as Drake highlights in Lord Knows, she should have pulled all her "skeletons out the closet like halloween decorations" for the masses to point and gawp at. Thankfully she had the necessary strength of character coupled with a powerful belief in self that allowed her to silence any and everyone that thought her own silence was out of shame with a simple shrug, a smirk and the sentences that earned her a Pulitzer prize amongst other honourable awards. 

What a positive example she set for the modern day bi-sexual or lesbian woman, if you want to be out and proud, by all means do so, if however you are a more private person that too is ok, one need not wear their sexuality dangling off their sleeve. 

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Peplum Trend

The peplum style dress is taking over this season’s high-street stock list! This smart look will add style to your work wardrobe. Use accessories such as belts to highlight your waist or pick an item with a striking pattern to create a flattering silhouette. The peplum style is available across high street brands and online in a number of dresses, blouses, tops and even skirts. This seasons must have work wardrobe piece.

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Frank Ocean

On reading the news of Frank Ocean’s first love being a man I wondered over the number of broken hearted women and girls out there who believed they had a chance with the RnB crooner. It’s a big day for the Hip-Hop world; some 12 years ago the likes of Eminem asked “hate fags?” in one of his tracks, “the answer’s yes” he concluded. When such hatred is being spewed, is it any wonder that there are so many suicides in the LGBT community, so many hate crimes being committed and so many tears shed upon the pillows of folks trying to reconcile their emotions, actions and beliefs?

Whether it’s from the pulpit or a performance platform hatred is hatred and love is love and we all know which we prefer. This is me tippin’ my hat to you Mr Ocean.

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Escapism

           The Huffington Post recently published an article by Christina Cauterucci which discusses the portrayal of lesbians on TV shows like The L Word and The Real L Word. Christina points out that lesbians on TV shows are not representative of the lesbian community as a whole. No shit. I think we all know and accept that lesbians on TV are typically femme, skinny, very attractive and trendy with good hair. It’s the same with women’s magazines, they don’t represent women as the diverse group that they are, they represent the tiny percentage of us who are blessed with great cheekbones, shiny hair, perfect skin and a size six body.

Movies and television are a form of entertainment, pure and simple. Audiences watch to escape the real world; things are idealised, unrealistic and often ridiculous (Jenny anyone? Bloody Jenny?!). The world of TV is not realistic so I’m not sure why people constantly expect casts to be accurate representations of broad and diverse communities. Also, it’s a world of fantasy. I don’t know about you but in my fantasies all the women are gay, cool, attractive and stylish with good bodies and good hair. That’s just me being honest. I love The L Word and Lip Service and The Real L Word is my guilty pleasure, except I'm not at all guilty about it. There is nothing I enjoy more after a long hard day at work than a cold beer, some Cadbury’s chocolate, my girlfriend next to me and an entire hour of lesbian drama. I’m not particularly bothered that in Lip Service, which is set in Glasgow, the only lesbian that actually had a Glaswegian accent is now dead. I’m not bothered by the fact that neither Frankie nor Shane ever really did any work but always had money. Nor am I bothered that most of the actresses are drop dead gorgeous, nope, that definitely doesn’t bother me at all.

       Cauterucci seems to have more of a problem with The Real L Word than anything else. Yes the word Real is a little misleading, it’s not really real at all, it’s scripted and acted and the characters are chosen because of their outlandish tendencies and behaviour and more importantly, their lack of objection to being filmed having sex. We know it’s not real but so what? It’s entertaining and it gives lesbians something to discuss over drinks on a night out. “Omg did you see the last episode?!”, “ I couldn’t believe that she slept with her!” and “I think that she’s SO hot!” are all frequent utterances in my circle of lady-loving friends.

The characters in the programmes that I watch are not my role-models but they do sometimes give me inspiration for clothes and that all important lesbian characteristic: hair. One thing Cauterucci and I have in common it seems is that we both made the decision to cut our hair in an effort to appear more obviously lesbian after we came out. Women with short, spiky or shaved hair set off my gaydar and I think that’s the case with most lesbians. I don’t think that lesbian stereotypes are entirely a bad thing; not long after debuting my cropped hair I had my first gay relationship. A few months after that relationship ended I met a girl in a club who correctly assumed I was gay and started chatting with me. We have been dating for over two years. The hair itself probably had nothing to do with it but my confidence about my newly-accepted identity did. I’m sure that a huge proportion of lesbians make a similar decision when they come out. It’s for better or worse. In my case it was worse.

                                                                                       We all make mistakes and we move on from them. Lesbians don’t all wear DM’s, have tattoos and enjoy unbelievable lesbian drama but some of us do, and that’s ok. 

Christina's article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-cauterucci/real-l-word_b_1547206.html

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Lip Service: Finale Review

             Unfortunately Lip service season 2 was short, very short, but it was far from sweet. Cat was run over while gushing over Frankie, who wallowed and weeped into pillows for weeks before running back to America. We saw Sam drown in sorrow, sipping solace from every spirit bottle she could find before falling to an epic low - using her police card to cut lines, snorting drug evidence off of pictures of Cat’s face in an effort to sweep her sadness away. 

        It wasn’t just Sam that suffered this season, poor Tess was challenged from every angle. Not only does she have to babysit her drunken ASBO cast mate Hugh who has her experiencing a bit of Déjà vu (remember what her breaking into her ex’s to get a red dress in season 1, towing Ed along for the ride?) This time it’s her that’s the side kick while Hugh’s unrequited love of his wife has them both acting the fool, scribbling on posters during the wee hours of the morning, smashing garden ornaments, and how can we forget the sight of them both hiding in Ronald’s dog kennel? 

All giggling aside I was really rooting for Tess to finish with it ‘all’. Her and Lexy share a few ‘moments’, an accidental kiss and after showering her with compliments I was almost certain they’d be getting it on. When the opportunity arises however, Lexy chooses damaged, sullen Sam. I guess all good things really do come to those that wait. Lexi’s had her eye on Sam since the beginning and from Sam’s perspective the best way to get over someone really is to get under another. 

                                            While Tess strikes out in love, by the end of the second season her career is booming and not even evil Nora spiking her drink with vinegar and placing porn in her props could dampen her performance. I did wonder, would she have traded the roar of the audience’s clapping for some Lexy-lip-slapping? The writers of the show, keep us on our toes with all the love triangles, and lustings. While Tess is chasing Lexy, Sadie’s been chasing the magazine-editor-lady, who incidentally is far from a lady. These two got it on all over the gaff: in posh hotel rooms, kinkily clad in sex stores, and even aboard a barge!

Sadie with her don’t give a fuck attitude falls hard. So whenLauren stops playing ‘nice’ her vengeful side makes an appearance! She heads straight to Lauren’s wife’s gallery, guts the safe, smashes a vase and  rides off into the sunset with her conveniently placed platinum sidekick! I loved her character, her unapologetic nature and despite her awful accent I will miss her if a third season is ever made. As usual there were dramatic goings on, love twists and tangles, but once again there simply wasn’t enough of it! Dearest BBC, next time please make at least 12 episodes.

This article was written by Onomé Okwuosa. To read more check out the zine: http://bidzines.blogspot.co.uk/

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Lip Service: Review

                    Four episodes in and so much has happened in season 2 of Lip Service. I wondered where the writers would take us, how they would develop the stream of new characters they had introduced us to in the first episode and of course what dramatics the old faces would encounter. Not for a second did I think we’d be waving goodbye to such key characters, first came Jay’s decision to head to London for brighter career prospects. To be honest that wasn’t too bitter a pill to swallow, but Cat and Frankie’s departures were a little shocking.

Feeling naughty observing the cheat fest between Cat and Frankie as they canoodled and got all steamy had me thinking that maybe we’d get a glimpse of Sam’s dark side when she caught them in the act; yes I was secretly hoping they’d throw down and we’d get to see some hair pulling and a little eye gouging. Instead of a bitch-brawl Cat got run over and killed because she didn’t obey the green cross code choosing to gush over a text from Frankie instead of watching for oncoming traffic. Wow!

Amidst all the grieving Frankie ran back to New York leaving behind, dare I say it, a much better cast. There’s the seriously screwed up Sadie who snorts, smokes, sexes and sips through her traumatic tale. With all her questionable ways she’s so lovable, I admire her self worth and her refusal to be ill treated by any one. Not the “wankers, I mean bankers” that disrespect her, nor the editor who thinks it’s ok to treat her like some kind of prostitute. How can you not love a woman who when scorned always gets her own back and does it with a sexy smile on her face each and every time? 

Talking of Sexy, hello and good evening Lexy, through Tess we’ve stared up your skirt, felt our jaws drop at the moaning and groaning you inspired from your nursey bedroom buddy and last but not least I’m feeling my heart swell with each sweaty step of your jogging sessions as you and Sam slowly but steadily take towards establishing a gorgeous power-lezza relationship. 

Tess as usual is stumbling and fumbling through life, providing regular giggles, whether it’s through her failing miserably to get Lexy to notice her or the tragic way she handles Ed and Nora’s set up with the crackpot Meg. By the time she gets home and sees just how much of a nutter Meg is she bottles it and has to call the doctor of the house in to come to her rescue. A phantom illness, a quick examination from Lexy and the freaky deaky Meg is seen off. I've got to tip my hat to her, Tess did manage to get Lexy into her bed even if it was only to giggle like school girls. 

I’m disappointed Ed didn’t turn out to be gay, am intrigued to see what other shocks the writers have up their sleeve and of course finding out who’s been stalking Lexy!

Don't forget to check out episode 5 tonight!

This article was written by Onomé Okwuosa. To read more check out the zine: http://bidzines.blogspot.co.uk/

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Obama Officially Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Best Tumblr group to emerge so far: http://whenobamaendorsed.tumblr.com/ 

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BID's clip of UH HUH HER at Shepherd's Bush Empire!

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One to watch...

Make sure you check out this week's zine for our exclusive interview with Uh Huh Her!

                                       After settling into the crowd at Shepherd's Bush last week our evening went something like this:

Leisha Hailey, Camila Grey, checked shirts and denim sleeveless jackets. Not to mention B.I.D managing to get an exclusive interview with Uh Huh Her and sideling up with Abisha Uhl, Katie Murphy and the other girls from acclaimed Minneapolis rock band Sick of Sarah.

If you want to know more, click the 'Bid Zines' tab at the top of the page, or subscribe here for automatic updates: http://tinyurl.com/clhdp6z 

The next issue's out this weekend!

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Responses to John

Anyone who reads the free Metro will be familiar with the Send Us Your Text box where a selection of texts are printed daily. For those that aren't, people text in a comment or question and responses are printed the next day along with fresh queries and statements. Last week everyone was texting in about a couple who were spotted making out in London Bridge every morning as they parted ways to head to their respective jobs. That prompted a man called John to text in and say he wished he could do the same but merely giving a hug to his boyfriend on the train attracts judging looks and excessive attention. Today the people of London and the south responded to John:

John, it is your right and duty to embrace your gay partner in public. Eventually ignorance will subside. Rebecca, Berkshire.

John, I know how you feel. I'd like to give my partner a goodbye kiss in the morning but, being gay, you don't. Maybe we need a gay morning snog corner in the station. Mark, London.

Sad but true, John. My partner and I linked arms this morning and got three double takes. Why? Lana, Surrey.

John, hug away. I, for one, love to see partners hugging each other or holding hands in public. Others need to learn that loving someone of the same sex is ok. Tiggs, London.

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In the run up to the second season of Lip Service, the BBC has uploaded a selection of videos. Here's one on lesbian representation.

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Pitt and Jolie Abandon Pledge - But Congratulations Anyway.

          Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have decided to abandon their pledge not to marry until every couple in the USA can do the same - gay or straight. 

In 2006 Brad Pitt told Esquire that he and Jolie would "consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able." However, according to the gossip machine that is the Internet, Pitt and Jolie have decided to tie the knot after pressure and encouragement from their children.

According to Pink news, Pitt's spokesperson Cynthia Pett-Dante has commented: “Yes, it’s confirmed. It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy. There’s no date set at this time.” 

Personally, I think this is a fair decision. What with Minnesota and North Carolina attempting to change the constitutional definition of marriage to heterosexual marriage only, it doesn't seem likely their dream for equal marriage in the US will be achieved any time soon. Unless Pitt and Jolie publicly revoke their support for equal marriage, I don't see why this move will have any negative impact on the campaign for lgbt marriage.