work. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.’
But now someone has invoked this relic of Thatcherism. what’s his attitude? 'I don't know, do Neil Simon’s plays promote Jewishness?’
But Mrs Strain's ill-judged piece of Victorian paternalism has acted as a spur to some artists. Adrian Howells, frequent collaborator with DV8, and one of Britain’s leading lights in physical theatre, is presenting Mother Of Mine, a devised piece which concentrates upon the relationship between gay and lesbian people and their mothers. It’s a collaboration between Bi-G-Les (geddit?), the youth theatre group, and students from the RSAMD. I asked him
about the legislation and received a very positive reply: ’When I’m up against this kind of bigotry, I think: "Fuck them. I can do whatever I want to do; why should they stop me?“
NOW, MY FRIEND, let me pause at this point to make a confession. There's some- thinglneed to come out about
becomes an essay in the aesthetic attraction of sophisticated older men for young working-class boys. The film might well be retitled The Arse-Felt Jungle. as any gay man could tell you. The capacity of gay culture to capture the subtextual nuances of ostensibly straight films is demonstrated in a new piece by Welsh dancer Sean Taun John who explores the campy subtext of 50s sci-fi movies and other such
viewpoint.
Oct.
Clare Summerskill
-l'
pulp from a gay
CCA at MeLe/lan Galleries. Fri 27 & 5a! 28
An Evening With Clare ‘ Summerskill
STII\I
'Being gay isnotabout what I do with my genitals. It's about where you put your heart and yourhead! Mark Pinkosh
The ‘lesbian Victoria Wood'
presents an evening of her gentle. observant and quirky humour. Popular with straight and gay audiences alike. Summerskill‘s earlier work. such as What Lesbians Do. Live On Stage presents a unique flavour through her distinctive and very individual routines.
Tron Theatre, Sun 5 Nat: Jazzgay! Jazz singer Stephen Duffy and keyboard player Alan McPike present an evening of
But remember, I can’t help the way I am. My name is Steve and I’m heterosexual. It's not that I’m ashamed or anything, and at my age I should have come to terms with it, it’s just that I’m afraid of what my mother would say. I don’t like the idea of her thinking about all those sordid unfulfilled times with strange women (some very strange indeed), sewing my wild oats at night, and praying for a bad harvest in the morning. But if it’s unnatural, how come it seems natural to me? ‘That's enough, Steve,’ I hear you say. ’Aren't we reaching a kind of gratuitous intimacy? I don’t mind what kinky capers you get up to, as long as you keep it to yourself.’ But there's a point to all this. I’ve been to shows by all of the artists cited above - yes, I confess it — and have still discovered no gay urges as a result. In fact, the nearest I’ve come to a sore bottom after seeing such events is having to travel home on one of Mr Souter's buses. Promotion, schlemotion.
Glasgay! promises to move the debate on from the old politics of ’freedom to fuck’ to bigger issues of lifestyle and personal freedom. Not only will it provide a lively debating ground for gay and lesbian audiences, but also an accessible and entertaining window into new work for straight ones. There are, said Mark
Stephen Duffy
compositions by gay and lesbian
songwriters. There‘s a complex history of sexuality within the apparently hard-drinking and macho world ofjazz. which is only just beginning to be explored. Tron Theatre. Thu 2 Nov.
GLASGAY!
After the crisis of a court case that threatened its funding, GLASGAY! is back, with more to shout about than ever. Words: Steve Cramer
Pinkosh, new taboos to be challenged: 'These days, you’re allowed to be camp and funny, but you can’t hold hands and be affectionate and kind of boring. We have to address issues of intimacy and tenderness in public now; that seems to be taboo for a lot of straight people. It's not just issues of sexuality. Being gay isn’t about what I do with my genitals. I believe being gay is about where you put your head and heart. It’s about who you’re in love with.’
Lorenzo Mele captured the spirit of the debate: 'In any community there's going to be a variety of arguments. Some people feel that long-term relationships are mimicking the heterosexual community, but others feel that short-term relationships are also just fitting in to what the heterosexual community expects of us. There's scope for debate.’
These are a couple of the issues, but the big one, for me, is still about Section 28. And really, that's about being able to express yourself in words of whatever persuasion you wish, free from censorship (cut the last sentence: ed).
Glasgay! takes place across Glasgow, Fri 27 Oct-Sun 5 Nov. See individual listing sections for more details.