edited by n Calvin Holbrook with Jon Keay, Email news, listings and product info to us at eye@positivenation.co.uk
The
Heart, an exhibition exploring the medical and cultural significance
of the body's most precious organ, will be the first major show in the new
£30m Wellcome Collection, opening 21 June.
Featuring exhibits from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Leonardo
da Vinci and Andy Warhol, through to live heart surgery, The Heart
brings together contemporary and historic artefacts from across the world
and traces the history of medical understanding of the heart.
Wellcome Collection, a major new public venue from the Wellcome Trust, will
explore the relationships between medicine, life and art through permanent
and temporary exhibitions and events, to provide radical insights into the
human condition. Entry is free.
The nine-storey building houses 1,500 exhibits across three galleries: Medicine
Man; Medicine Now and a temporary exhibition space, which will host The Heart.
The world-famous Wellcome Library is also housed in Wellcome Collection.
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Rd, London • Free • www.wellcomecollection.org
The memory of ol’ blue eyes and his gang lives on at a one-off outdoor
performance of West End hit RAT PACK LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS
being held to raise funds for HIV charity Mildmay.
This picnic-style concert set in the beautiful grounds of Priory Park, Southend-on-Sea,
will feature the cast and a 15-piece orchestra playing Frank, Sammy &
Deano’s best-loved hits. The five-hour show will also feature performances
from Angelo Starr and The Team, brother of the late Edwin,
and a set by up-and-coming singer Jamie Pearce.
24 June • £25 (plus £1 handling) • 01702 349 950 •
www.inthepark.org.uk
As pride season kicks off it’s easy to forget that homosexuality was
till recently illegal in this country and many countries still hang men and
women for loving someone of the same sex. Britain has a proud history of stately
homos from Richard the Lionheart to Oscar Wilde and A Gay History
of Britain tells their stories. Against a shifting background of
changing laws, fluctuating popular prejudice, and unexpectedly influential
events, such as the coming of the railways, the book covers nearly 1,000 years
from the Norman conquest to the birth of liberation, with an interesting look
at the early days of HIV. The subject is vast but the authors manage to balance
detail with the broader picture and avoid the trap of judging history through
contempory eyes. The book includes never-before-seen illustrations and is
an eye-opening exploration of the many ways British men have expressed their
love and desire for one another.
A Gay History of Britain by Matt Cook with Robert Mills, Randolph Trumbach
and H G Cocks • £18.95 • ISBN-10: 1846450020
There are 28 million people living with HIV in Africa. A new book, 28:
Stories of Aids in Africa, features 28 powerful, unforgettable stories
and puts a human face on the catastrophe that now exceeds the plague in magnitude.
From Nelson Mandela's decision to go public about the cause
of his son's death, to the miraculous outcome of a Tutsi woman's horrific
ordeal at the hands of Hutu soldiers, we meet 28 people affected by the disease.
Taking these personal experiences as starting points, Stephanie Nolen's
book also tells the bigger story of how the continent reached this crisis,
a story touching on famine, genocide, sexual politics, government corruption,
the economics of drug treatment and the devastation of war.
Portobello Books
ISBN 978 1 84627 037 6 £12.99
In
scale it is simply epic, a story of divine intervention that has become one
of the defining works of the 20th Century. Tony Kushner’s Angels
in America has not been seen on the London stage since it premiered
at the National Theatre in 1992. Set against the backdrop of New York turned
upside down by the chaotic energy of the 1980s and the destructive terror
of Aids epidemic, this Pulitzer Prize winning drama weaves together the private
and public lives of the characters into a vivid dissection of relationships,
survival and faith. This new production of the two-part masterpiece is directed
by Daniel Kramer of Bent, and features the award-winning Greg Hicks and Ann
Mitchell, who you may remember from hit 1980s drama Widows, confirming this
as one of London theatrical events of the year. A gala performance is planned
for 4 July with proceeds to going to the National AIDS Trust. Double bill
Saturday and Sundays see both parts and save. JK
Lyric Hammersmith • 20 June - 22 July • £10-£27 •
www.lyric.co.uk
NAT gala £250 • www.nat.org.uk
OUT
OF THE SHADOWS is a new and vibrant visual arts event being launched
throughout Birmingham by AB Plus. This annual event showcases
established and emerging artistic talent from the LGBT communities in the
West Midlands and forms part of the cultural dimension to Birmingham Pride.
The works which include photography, painting and sculpture will be on show
at The Warehouse @ ABPlus, 27 May – 15 June • ww.outoftheshadows.org.uk
Like your art with pig hearts? Mischief-makers Oliver Frost
& Marc Massive are curating ACT ART 5, a celebration of non-mainstream
art by 120 of the world's finest underground interdisciplinary artists. Expect
the unexpected as Marc and Oli present a new live art installation based on
the marriage ceremony, and diva BILLIE RAY MARTIN gives us
her non-stop Electronic Cabaret.
ACTART 5 • 8 June • The Arches, 51-53 Southwark Street, London
• £7/£10 (£6/£8 concs) • www.actart.co.uk
TONING
More an issue for women because of the importance of removing make-up. For
guys and girls toning should be about hydration and deep-pore cleansing that
doesn’t dry your skin, so no alcohol based products. If you have oily
skin then cleansing should be sufficient. Recommended: Dermalogica
mulit-active toner £19.40, 250ml, 0800 591818
MOISTURISING A recent Horizon programme concluded the sun is the
main cause of premature ageing and moisturisers high in antioxidants like
vitamin C mop up free radicals that cause wrinkles. Using a moisturiser with
SPF of 15 or above will help protect your skin from UV damage. Boots
No7 Protect & Perfect beauty serum (£16.75,
30ml) helps to reverse the effects of sun damage. A few pumps of the serum
should be applied before moisturising. If you’re happy with your current
moisturiser but it has no SPF protection, add a drop of Dermalogica
Solar defence booster SPF 30 (£24.40, 50ml). Both products
are suitable for guys and girls and fragrence free. If the men can’t
see past the packaging L’oreal men expert vita lift
£13.99 30ml is a great alternative but still add some sun protection.
Next month: eyes and hands.
As
HIV therapy progresses and long-term side effects are better understood, and
as hep B and C co-infection becomes more common, the need for people with
HIV to have organ transplants will increase.
Simon Randerson has been living with HIV for 22 years and
five years ago had a liver transplant. As testimony to the safety and effectiveness
of the procedure he will swim the 50m and 100m backstroke as well as the 50m
freestyle in the upcoming British Transplant Games in Edinburgh
in July and in the World Transplant Games in Bangkok in August.
The games aims to encourage people to sign up to the organ donor register.
There is a shortage of organs epecially from minority ethnic groups and, unlike
blood donation, being gay does not exclude you, although being HIV positive
does. Register at www.uktransplant.org.uk
Simon said: “I feel it’s important to publicise how successful
organ transplantation can be in people who are HIV positive. Five years after
my liver transplant I’m still fit, active, and competing at international
level.”
Sponsor Simon at www.justgiving.com/simonranderson
and help Transplant Sport UK continue its work organising the games
WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
Living with HIV is tough – mentally, physically, spiritually
and emotionally.
Positive Nation is looking for people living with HIV for
over five years to share their thoughts on what keeps them healthy, motivated
and able to cope with the everyday and life-changing challenges.
Survival Tips is a series of short features currently running
in Positive Nation (see page 56). We are looking for people of all backgrounds
to tell their story and share their wisdom.
Faith, hobbies, family, love, pets, overcoming fears - you can talk about
whatever you feel has helped you the most.
Participants will have a brief phone interview and must be prepared to have
their photo in the magazine. Names can be changed if preferred.
Call John for an informal chat on 020 7564 2180 or email jclarkson@positivenation.co.uk
DIARYJUNE
05 INVERNESS Highland LGBT Forum’s associated social
group meets on the first Tuesday of the month, 7.30 pm. They also hold regular
coffee mornings and a bi-monthly disco at Raigmore Recreational Hall. The
next one is 30 June. www.gay-ness.org.uk
05-23 LONDON Two Men Talking is the story of two South African
school friends reunited by a chance meeting. This unscripted show deals with
homophobia, racism and Aids, all of which have deeply touched their lives.
Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall • Mon-Sat 7.45pm • Wed and Sat
matinees at 3pm (not Wed 6 June)• Mon £15, Tues-Sat £22.50
(concs £15) • 0870 060 6632 • www.theambassadors.com/trafalgarstudios
08 SHEFFIELD Reflecting the Fabric of Life is a fashion event
by Fashion Concerns, an HIV fundraising and awareness initiative
harnessing the cream of the area’s designers and creative types. Run
by South Yorkshire HIV charity Shield, the day culminates
in a glitzy fashion show at St Paul’s Hotel. Main show 7.45pm •
£20 (£80 VIPs) • 07772 018 259 • www.fashionconcerns.org
09 EDINBURGH Summer Concert by Edinburgh Concert
Band and Cadenza Choir. A varied programme by Bernstein, Mendelssohn,
Rutter and Rodgers & Hart. All proceeds to Waverley Care. £8 (£5
concs) • The Queen's Hall • 0131 668 2019
23 EDINBURGH In typical Scottish tradition Waverley
Care is holding Step we gay-leidh LGBT Ceilidh to celebrate Pride
Scotia 2007 with Thunderdogs Ceilidh Band. St Peter's Church Hall, Lutton
Place • 7.30pm • £10 (£9 concs) • 0131 226 2206
23 LONDON Living Well holds a day of interactive workshops,
Bridging the Gap, exploring the practicalities of moving
smoothly through times of change such as moving from benefits to work. River
House • 10:00am-4.30pm • 020 8746 2274 • livingwell@btconnect.com
23 ESSEX THT holds a fundraising evening at the Essex Golf
and Country Club. The event includes a luxury barbeque/buffet, live jazz,
Egyptian dancers, live comedy and more. £35 • 7.00pm • 01206
798 595 or 07817 548 919
UPDATE
Tickets for Concert for Diana are like gold dust, but NAT, a beneficiary,
is selling ten pairs to people that work or volunteer in the HIV sector. The
first ten people selected at random will be offered the opportunity to purchase
a pair of tickets at £45 each. Closing date 4 June • www.nat.org.uk
• Wembley Stadium • 1 July 2007 • www.concertfordiana.com
Failed asylum seekers and people who have overstayed their visa can sometimes
be charged for NHS sexual health and HIV services. NAT and THT have jointly
produced a leaflet, Advice on NHS charging for people living with HIV, that
answers some common questions. Free • www.nat.org.uk
• www.tht.org.uk.
Email your reason for choosing safer sex and you could win 50 condoms and
lube plus a six month subscription to AXM magazine, as part of GMFA’s
Reasons for Safer Sex media campaign. competitions@gmfa.org.uk
Pride Festival Fortnight 2007 is the capital's premier arts event for the
GLBT community, a showcase of all that's best and exciting in gay culture,
theatre and entertainment. 18-29 June with a fantastic finale on Pride Day
on 30 June.
Positive Rainbow Haringey is a peer support and social group for HIV positive
gay and bisexual men. They meet every Tuesday evening; new members welcome.
Email positiverainbowharingey@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
Positively Women is launching a new support group for lesbian, bisexual and
transgender women. The first meeting takes place 3 July and on the first Tuesday
of the month through the summer. Contact Sylvia on 020 7713 0222 or spetretti@positivelywomen.org.uk
• www.positivelywomen.org.uk
Crimepods are anonymous crime reporting stations that enable people to report
assaults instead of hiding away through fear or embarrasment. Not a substitute
to reporting an assault to the Police, but they will help provide better statistics
on hate crime. Sign an e-petition to get them set up in every county:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Crime-Pod/
