MAY 2009 CONTENTS GSCENE magazine WILD FRUIT @ TRU www.gscene.com PUBLISHED BY Peter Storrow TEL 01273 722457 EDITORIAL [email protected] ADS+ARTWORK [email protected] EDITORIAL TEAM Jaq Bayles, Paul Disney, James Ledward, Richard Smith SUB-EDITOR Danielle Seitz ARTS EDITOR Michael Hootman DESIGN Michèle Allardyce FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Dean Stockings www.deanstockings.co.uk MISS JASON’S BARMY BINGO @ R BAR www.myspace.com/dean_stockings www.biggerpixel.co.uk MODEL Stacy Martin THE PV OUT & ABOUT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY www.profilepics.co.uk NEWS & LISTINGS MODEL Jay Bowen 6 News 26 Listings & What’s On CONTRIBUTORS Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, 45 Solent Listings Suchitra Chatterjee, Liam Clinton, Graham Hamilton, David Hodgson, REGULARS Nick Holloway, Jo Latham, Neil Masey, 24 Dance Music Enzo Marra, Netty, Bobby Newton, 24 DJ Profiles Eric Page, Marcus Patrick, Mark REVENGE Rennie, Del Sharp, Craig Hanlon- 48 Arts News Smith, Roger Tofts, Vron, Roger 51 Art Matters Wheeler, Mike Wall, Kate Wildblood, 52 Classical Notes Neil Woodcock, Rachael Woodgate 54 Choir Boys PHOTOGRAPHERS 54 Food Phil Bailey, Neal Ball, Michael 56 Film Hootman, Alf Le Flohic, James 57 Shopping Ledward, Billie Lewis, Sam Milford, 59 House & Homos Rachael Woodgate, 65 Jaq’s Monthly [email protected] for Sussex 66 Sharp Words Beacon cheque handover photo www.i380tv.com 67 Max Attitude 67 Student Campus © GSCENE 2009 68 Craig’s Thoughts All work appearing in Gscene Ltd is copyright. It is to be assumed that the copyright for 69 Dr Beale’s Surgery material rests with the magazine unless FEATURES 69 Pillow Talk otherwise stated on the page concerned. No part of this publication may be reproduced, 70 Dirty Fingers stored in an electronic or other retrieval 14 THE MARRYING KIND 70 Brand Watch system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Richard Smith talks to journo-turned-author Paul Burston 71 Masey recording or otherwise without the prior 71 Gay Wisdom knowledge and consent of the publishers. The appearance of any person or any 16 BLOOM WITH A VIEW 72 Vron’s Voice organisation in Gscene is not to be construed Eric Page checks out Robert Hill-Snook’s Regency gardens 72 Airwaves as an implication of the sexual orientation or political persuasion of such persons or 73 Netty’s World organisations. 18 DREAMS AND FANTASIES 73 Queerying Queenie Richard Smith remembers what he wanted to be when he grew up 74 Suchi’s World 20 ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK 74 Positive Thinking Graham Anderson spends an evening or two in the Thai capital 75 Twisted Gilded Ghetto 75 MindOut 22 AMAZING SUSSEX BY THE SEA 76 Wall’s Bit Roger Wheeler ambles along to Amberley in West Sussex 76 Community Safety 77 Letters to the Editor 50 DROPPING THE DRAG Five local drag queens go straight for the Actually choir INFORMATION 60 Classifieds 53 A SPOONFUL OF STEPHEN MEAR 64 Advertisers’ Map Paul Disney talks to Stephen Mear about famous friends and dancing 78 Services Directory LEGENDS www.switchboard.org.uk/brighton 6 WWW.GSCENE.COM POLICE PATROLS TO COUNT ME IN TOO HATE CRIME & COMMUNITY BE INCREASED During the summer months, COMMUNITY EVENT Sussex Police are increasing GsceneSAFETY: Magazine is CAUSE calling for Sussex FOR Police and CONCERNBrighton & Hove City patrols in Kemp Town to help A HUGE SUCCESS Council to attend a public meeting to discuss the LGBT part of the city’s The hugely successful Count Me In Too prevent hate crime and will put Community Safety Strategy 2008–2011 and the quality of the consultation that research project hosted a stimulating and increased resources into LGBT informed the strategy. exciting community event at the Friends hatecrime investigations. Meeting House on April 1. The LGBT community is thought The move comes in the wake of a perceived breakdown in communications between LGBT people shared moving testimonies to be in excess of 35,000. That our LGBT community representatives and the Council’s Partnership Community about their personal, political and number swells during the Safety Team (PCST), resulting in Spectrum, the LGBT Community Forum (the professional lives. A project exhibition summer months as visitors organisation the community decided in January 2004 would be our consultative link highlighted the role that Brighton & Hove’s arrive. Although there has been a with the statutory authorities), taking a step backwards last year from working with LGBT community played in the city’s decrease in reported LGBT hate the PCST. development and crimes over recent years, Sussex presented Police say they are working hard The PCST is charged with producing effective initiatives to deal with hate crime in findings and to support victims who have the city and, along with Sussex Police, is signed up to the Community recommendations experienced Hate Crime, Engagement Framework. Last June, Spectrum said the authorities had failed to from the nine securing the prosecution of deliver effective consultation and were failing to deliver what they signed up to in reports that have offenders. Police say they will the Community Engagement Framework, adding: “Spectrum published 68 been published endeavour to thoroughly comments on the new strategy to reflect the strategic outcomes agreed to by to date. investigate all incidents reported stakeholders and to ensure community engagement is at the heart of all forward To make these in order to seek a successful plans. We do not seek a role as community watchdog. We do want to ensure that reports more prosecution. Not every person there are effective and inclusive mechanisms in place for LGBT people both to accessible, a who experiences a hate incident contribute to plans to tackle hate crime and to hold services to account for range of community summary sheets, wants or feels able to support a delivering them. While the PCST reviews its role (which Spectrum has been detailing key findings and issues, were prosecution. Every report informed by the PCST is happening), Spectrum is continuing to build on joint work launched at the event and are now received is important and can with Sussex Police.” available on the Count Me In Too website. make a difference. By knowing LGBT community groups, Police and Council came together in January 2004 and agreed that The community event was designed to Spectrum would facilitate LGBT safety work between the community, police and council about things that have happened, show what the project has done and also to the police are better able to target think about ways forward. Using the resourses to where they are discussions and feedback from this event, needed. Count Me In Too is now planning future Count Me In Too, research events and resources that will be led by published in 2007 revealed LGBT people. almost three quarters of If you would like to be a part of Count Me respondents had experienced In Too and guide its future, the first step is hate crime in the last 5 years to get in touch with Nick McGlynn on because of their sexual or gender 01273 641993 or email n.mcglynn@ identity. Only a quarter reported brighton.ac.uk, any of the hate crime incidents or Dr Kath they had experienced. Of those Gscene editor James Ledward believes there is currently an impasse and is Browne on 01273 who reported, 85% had reported concerned that trust and confidence levels, especially with regard to Sussex Police, 642377, email the incident as being related to have been damaged by the present situation being allowed to continue. He says: DR KATH BROWNE k.a.browne@ their gender or sexualitities. “I view the present impasse so seriously I have decided to go on the record, brighton.ac.uk. When victims did report, they bringing up some uncomfortable historical home truths about the behaviour of both Become a part of mainly reported it to the Police police and council in the recent past on issues surrounding community safety in the the progressive (55%) or elsewhere (37%) rather city. I suggest a public meeting is called to resolve this situation. positive social than to the Community Safety change for LGBT “We need to establish how the LGBT community wants to resolve the present Team (7%) or through the True people in Brighton & Hove. impasse, and move matters on to re-establish an effective consultative mechanism Vision self reporting form (1%). The organisers would like to say thanks to to hold the police and council to account on community safety and hate-crime You can call the police for advice all those who helped make the event a issues. This clearly is not happening at the moment and is the root of all the about something that’s happened resounding success, including the staff of problems. It is not for the police or council to decide who they want to work with – to you. Even if you don’t want the the Friends Meeting House, the which has been happening, as they have attempted to sideline Spectrum – it is for police to take any action, your dedicated and friendly volunteers, those the community to meet, speak and decide. information helps them to work who shared their stories at the speakers’ “I suggest the meeting is hosted by Spectrum, the organisation at present charged with LGBT people and make the corner and the many LGBT people and by the LGBT community to do this work, and be independently facilitated. I also city safer. To report hate crime their allies from different Brighton & Hove suggest this process is fully funded from the BCU budget Sussex Police receive you can call 08456070999 or in communities and organisations that made from the government each year, earmarked for community engagement work.