LGBT
REVIEW EXHIBITION HELLO SAILOR! GAY LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour, Glasgow, until Sun 29 Nov ●●●●●
An attractive, light-hearted exhibition revealing a hidden side of the Merchant Navy from the 1950s to the 1980s, when young sailors reported for duty as competent crew members during the day and dressed up as Broadway stars by night. Hello Sailor! Gay life on the Ocean Wave is a touring exhibition from National Museums Liverpool and documents the lives of gay seafarers through interviews and personal memorabilia. Originating from the research for their book Hello
Sailor! Gay Life for Seamen, Jo Stanley and Paul Baker curated this display to tell the story of how seafaring contributed to the development of gay culture. Gay seafarers disembarked at foreign ports, learned how different cultures handled homosexuality and brought back gay literature, glamorous frocks, LPs and posters from shows, making life at sea something of a ‘gay university’. The exhibition consists of historical information,
interviews, personal accounts, and a mocked-up steward’s cabin. A particularly delicate touch is the two pairs of shoes displayed in this ‘fruit locker’: polished black shoes for straight life by day, and sparkly white ones for camping it up in the crew show or the sailor’s bar by night. Personalised maps show how sailors navigated around ports worldwide from the harbour to bars, clubs, parks and popular cruising and cottaging spots. Churchill dismissed Britain’s naval tradition as
‘nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash’. Illegal in Britain until 1967, homosexuality endured a slow decriminalisation. Some men were gay at sea and married ashore – making the sea a symbol of freedom and a haven for a different way of life. In 2005, the British Navy made the historic decision to rid itself of homophobia by actively recruiting gay sailors: ‘Your country needs you, especially if you are gay’. As it would be put in Polari (a form of gay slang that has now almost died out): Go troll your lallies round this show and vada some dolly dishes. (Talitha Kotzé)
Edinburgh FREE Self-harm Self-help Course LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, 523 1100. 7.30–9.30pm. A six-week course looking at self-harm. Focusing on coping strategies and dealing with scarring, it’s only about stopping if you want it to be. Facilitated by Merrick Pope. Booking essential.
Thursday 1
Glasgow ■ Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0870 060 6647. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £14–£33. See Tue 29. ■ The Stripper King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£25.50. See Tue 29. ■ R-P-Z Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, 353 4531. 11pm–3am. £4 (£3). See Thu 24. Edinburgh FREE Club for Heroes The GRV, 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987. 11pm–3am. See Thu 24.
60 THE LIST 24 Sep–8 Oct 2009
Friday 2
Glasgow ■ Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0870 060 6647. 7.30pm. £14–£33. See Tue 29. ■ The Stripper King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£25.50. See Tue 29. Edinburgh ■ Pink Links Deep Blue, below the Blue Moon, 1 Barony Street, 556 2788. 7pm. £5. Women-only speed dating fun on the first Friday of every month. There are 15 dates of three minutes each, bar breaks for Dutch courage and opportunities to mingle afterwards with free entry to GHQ. See pinklinks.biz for more info or to book tickets. ■ Little Johnny’s Big Gay Musical Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. 7.30pm. £10.50 (£8.50; under 18s 6). Confessional theatre, stand-up comedy and the golden age of the Hollywood musical are combined in this glittering celebration of one man’s glorious failure.
FREE ELECTROsexual CC Blooms, 23–24 Greenside Place, 556 9331. 11pm–3am. See Sun 27.
Saturday 3
Glasgow ■ Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0870 060 6647. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £14–£33. See Tue 29. ■ The Stripper King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £12–£25.50. See Tue 29. ■ Revolver Quiz Revolver, 6a John Street, 553 2456. 4pm. £1 per person. See Sat 26. Edinburgh FREE This is my Family LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, 523 1100. 1–3pm. Art workshops for LGBT families. ■ Circus GHQ, 4 Picardy Place, 0845 166 6024. 9pm–5am. Free before 11pm; £5 after. See Sat 26. ■ Luvely Faith, 207 Cowgate, 225 5583. 10.30pm–3am. £12 (£10). A
www.list.co.uk/LGBT
saucy soirée of full-on, driving house music with residents Tommy Kay, Dean Newton, Grum Stone and Jon Edwards. Sunday 4
Edinburgh ■ Taste The GRV, 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987. 11pm–3am. £8 (members £7). Fisher & Price and Miss Chris in the main room playing an eclectic mix of the very best in underground dance music and classics.
Monday 5
Glasgow ■ Chicago King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£34.50. Emma Barton steps into the role of adulterous nightclub dancer Roxie Hart while Gary Wilmot suits up to play double-talking lawyer Billy Flynn in this cell-block musical. Part of Glasgay! ■ Passionality Byblos, Unit Q, Merchant Square, 71 Albion Street, 552 3895. 11.30pm–3am. £3 (£2). See Mon 28. Edinburgh FREE This is the Industry GHQ, 4 Picardy Place, 0845 166 6024. 11pm–3am. See Mon 28.
Tuesday 6
Glasgow ■ Chicago King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£34.50. See Mon 5. ■ Bette/Cavett Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 7.45pm. £8.50 (£6.50). Grant Smeaton re-imagines the classic televisual meeting of Bette Davis and Dick Cavett. Part of Glasgay! Wednesday 7
Glasgow ■ Chicago King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£34.50. See Mon 5. ■ Bette/Cavett Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 7.45pm. £8.50 (£6.50). See Tue 6. ■ Allure The Tunnel, 84 Mitchell Street, 204 1000. 11.30pm–3am. £3 (students two-for-one). See Wed 30. Edinburgh FREE Self-harm Self-help Course LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, 523 1100. 7.30–9.30pm. See Wed 30.
Thursday 8
Glasgow FREE sh[OUT]: Fashion Workshop Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3059. 5.30–7.30pm. Designer Rowan Joy Mackintosh demonstrates how to revamp charity shop finds to create a new, unique garment which challenges traditional gender boundaries. Please book in advance. FREE sh[OUT]: Artist Talk Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. 6.30–7.30pm. A talk about trans culture and the sh[OUT] exhibition by Del LaGrace Volcano. ■ Chicago King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0870 060 6648. 7.30pm. £12–£34.50. See Mon 5. ■ Bette/Cavett Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 7.45pm. £8.50 (£6.50). See Tue 6. Edinburgh FREE Carers: Changing Relationships LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, 523 1100. 6–9pm. LGBT carers group run with Voice of Carers Across Lothian (VOCAL). FREE Club for Heroes The GRV, 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987. 11pm–3am. See Thu 24.