Blue is the Warmest Colour, directed by French director Abdellatif Kechiche, has shocked critics with its blatant sexuality. Reviewers have noted that the film will ‘raise eyebrows’ and may require editing to guarantee cinematic distribution.

Kechiche said, ‘We wouldn’t want the film not to be screened because of one scene. But of course that wouldn’t apply if it were the whole thing.’

Lea Seydoux (left) and Adele Exarchopoulos with director Abdellatif Kechiche

The film follows 15-year-old Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Lea Seydoux) who embark on a passionate relationship together.

Rather than being gratuitous in any way, the film has been praised for its tenderness and intensity, as well as a landmark in cinematic interpretation of lesbian relationships.

Executive producer, Vincent Maravel, confirmed that the film had already sold American distribution rights ‘and we didn’t talk about cutting anything out’.

In spite of such feedback, it is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the Palme d’Or which is announced this Sunday.

In aid of the Make A Difference Trust the fun evening of entertainment aims to raise money for HIV and Aids, whilst having a lot of fun in the process.

The cast of We Will Rock You burst onto the stage to welcome the audience with a medley of British Eurovision classics, from ‘Puppet On A String’ to ‘Making Your Mind Up’, and even provided the first wardrobe malfunction of the night during ‘Flying The Flag’ – a casual bit of skirt dropping. After this we were treated to ten different West End casts performing ten classic Eurovision entries from across the years.

The cast of Top Hat perform the deliciously mental Genghis Khan

Celebrity judges on the panel included Rylan Clark, who spent the majority of the evening getting slowly more and more sloshed on rosé, whilst proclaiming how excited he was to be sitting next to ‘the Mandy Dingle from Emmerdale‘. Yes, on the panel to his left was a sparkly Lisa Riley, then a sexy Jodie Prenger and finally a terrifyingly camp Russell Grant. Banter between them was fun and lighthearted, and there wasn’t a scathing put down in sight. Richard Gauntlett did a sterling job hosting the evening, keeping it running smoothly and with the perfect dash of cutting humour, ripping into nearly every musical with equal measure.

Highlights came from the cast of Once, who performed a hilariously literal version of ‘All Kinds Of Everything’ by Dana, and the cast of Viva Forever who took to the stage to perform the 2012 Malta entry, ‘This Is The Night’, complete with an insanely fierce Beyoncé dance off in the middle. Whilst Top Hat took random to a new level with their re-imagining of the 1979 German entry ‘Genghis Khan’, with more flesh, leather and leopard print on show than a chapter in Fifty Shades of Grey.

Each number was preceded with a small ident video, with the winner being decided through a text vote over the last few weeks. The worthy winners were the cast of Phantom of the Opera with their genius take on the classic Southern Comfort  beach advert.

Katrina from Katrina And The Waves treated the audience to a stonking rendition of two of her biggest hits.

The big winner of the night however was Once, who not only won the creative award for their staging and presentation, but also came first overall for their entire performance. We were treated to a star turn from the actual Katrina from Katrina and The Waves, who sang her Eurovision winning entry ‘Love Shine A Light’ before whipping the audience into a dancing friendly with an encore of ‘Walking On Sunshine’.

Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in 1978 as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. It has since been adopted by the community and is a regular sight in many gay bars and areas around the country.

Maude, whose brother was gay and died from AIDS in 1993, has spoken before of how much better life would have been for his brother if ‘there been greater acceptance of publicly acknowledged, stable same-sex relationships’.

Maude has said that there should be more support and acceptance for people in same-sex relationships. Though it seems that, with the House of Commons passing David Cameron’s Equal Marriage Bill, there is more support for equal rights than ever before.

Pride week, which will run from the 23-30 June, will this year have a theme of ‘love (and marriage)’, a nod to the equal marriage law which the government is currently discussing in Parliament.

A Cabinet Office official said: ‘We are proud to fly the flag and look forward to a time when same-sex couples can get married.’

The change to the rules will come into effect on 1 January 2014. A ban on openly gay adult Scout leaders will stay in place, however.

A statement released by Boy Scouts of America following the decision said, ‘Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting.’

A GLAAD spokesman said, ‘Today’s vote is a significant victory for gay youth across the nation and a clear indication that the Boy Scouts ban on gay adult leaders will also inevitably end.’

The Southern Baptist Convention President, Frank Page, was dissatisfied with the decision, ‘Homosexual behavior is incompatible with the principles enshrined in the Scout oath and Scout law,’ he said.

In the 1911 Scouts oath, members pledge: ‘On my honor I will do my best …. to keep myself physically strong, mentally alert and morally straight.’

In 2000, the organisation went to the US Supreme Court, saying its policy of ‘morally straight” conduct fell within its right to freedom of expression.

Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, approx.

Director: Timothy Sheader

The Open Air Theatre at Regent’s Park really is one of the most stunning theatrical spaces in the country. You could almost put on any production here and manage to find some magic amongst the trees and the trills of early evening birdsong. However, the current production of To Kill A Mockingbird currently showing in the glorious park has magic of its very own.

The familiar story has been adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel, and is based on the original novel by Harper Lee. Based in a small South American town, we watch as the townsfolk become engulfed in the trial of a black man who is accused of raping a local white girl. Racism, family and prejudice all feature heavily in this tough but interesting play steeped in history.

This production, directed by Timothy Sheader, is classy and extremely well thought-out. Attention to detail is second to none, and makes for a very strong ensemble piece. It’s impossible to pick out a stand-out performance, because each and every one of the 16 cast members were simply outstanding. Each takes on the roles of a narrator and numerous characters, portraying them all with truth and style. All of them adopted different physical states, voices and gestures to really bring each different person they played alive. Special mentions must go to Richie Campbell as Tom Robinson, Rona Morison as Mayella Ewell and Simon Gregor as the truly menacing Bob Ewell.

Robert Sean Leonard makes for a strong, believable Atticus Finch with a real command of the stage. He has a wonderful natural presence, and pours every emotion into his court room speech in Act Two.

The real stars of the show, however, are the three young leads. Eleanor Worthington-Cox is simply spellbinding as Scout. Her energy, line-delivery and comic finesse is astounding for somebody of her age. Callum Henderson is equally talented, and brings a very calm nature to all his appearances on stage, as if he’s been doing this for years. Lastly, Sebastian Clifford as Dill brings an endearing quality to his geeky, sweet character and has dazzling chemistry with Worthington-Cox. All three are destined for even bigger things as they continue to learn and grow into their craft.

The set is simplistic yet creative, and adds a real sense of excitement to the proceedings. The constantly changing setting is handled well, and with a contemporary style, with the whole cast never leaving the stage throughout. The live music, written and performed by Phil King, is a beautiful touch, and sounds stunning in the outdoor surroundings. King’s pure voice is simply gorgeous; so much so, we could quite happily listen to him all night.

This production is quite simply not to be missed. A masterclass in staging and acting -just take a blanket for when the sun starts to set. First class theatre.

To Kill A Mockingbird runs at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 15 June 2013. Tickets start at £25.

The Sims

The Sims Logo

There has been a ‘bug’ in The Sims since the first game in the series that allows couples to interact with each other regardless of gender profile – from kissing to all aspects of a relationship. Published by openly pro-equality company Electronic Arts, it was one of the first mainstream games to include romance options for all people, regardless of gender. Due to the lack of formal relationship titles in the first game, there is no marriage options. However, from the The Sims 2 on, there is the option of ‘Marriage’ for heterosexual couples and ‘Joined Union’ for homosexual couples, but this was hacked by many players and ‘Marriage’ was made formally available for all couples in The Sims 3. Again, because there aren’t any relationship titles in the first instalment, parents are user-defined and not defined by the game. This changed in the sequel – although biological children are not possible, adopting a child is available through the phone options, and if the parent is in a relationship, regardless of who with, then their partner becomes a ‘Co-Parent’. It is remarkable how simple the creators of The Sims have made relationship definitions, keeping up with general and LGBT-specific public opinions. If only legislation was as simple to update.

Bully Cover

Bully

From the Rockstar group, known for the Grand Theft Auto titles, came Bully – a game that highlighted the significant issues with cliques and bullying in schools. It didn’t make a splash in the way some of the titles in this list did, as the Rockstar Vancouver office closed down after the first one became big and a sequel would have to be produced by an alternative local office. The gap is now too big for Bully to become a huge series like The Sims, unfortunately. The controversy raised when Bully hit the shelves was the fact that the main character could be bisexual depending on the whim of the gamer. Despite a relationship with a girl called Zoe being integral to the story’s plot, Jimmy could kiss other boys during the course of the game. Putting this into context, Rockstar games have traditionally contained heterosexuals depicted as good guys, and homosexual characters as bad, so this quirk is probably closer to a ‘bug’ than anything Nintendo could come up with. However, it remains to be seen whether GTA V will buck this trend.

Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim, the fifth instalment of The Elder Scrolls series, is about a Dragonborn that the player controls who is imprisoned for trying to break into the region of Skyrim. Dragonborns are people born with the heart and soul of a dragon, but in the body of a mortal person. Skyrim allows couples to get married regardless of gender, but in order to do so, certain conditions (like all RPGs) must be fulfilled. The benefits of doing so are remarkably similar to real life too – a portion of the spouse’s earnings can be asked for; the spouse can make a meal for your character which regenerates certain attributes; and spending the night together induces something called ‘Lover’s Comfort’. Published by Bethesda Softworks, this has become a powerhouse in the next gen console business (Xbox360 and PS3), gaining a huge fan-base, and this kind of approach to equal marriage is very important with the legislation going through to the House of Lords now.

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3

Throughout the Mass Effect series, one thing became clear – that whatever you do, your decisions affect what happens later in the game. As a result, in the first and second outings, it was very easy for people to get lost in the story and try to get as much done as possible, but the one thing that everyone was able to do, no matter how they were at shooting or working on strategy was have sex. It is in Mass Effect 3 where Commander Shephard gets to explore the same-sex side of things, regardless of whether you chose to be male or female in the beginning. Of course it doesn’t explore the longer relationship ramifications, but then this is primarily a war/strategy, RPG-first person shooter. But due to the fact that this was all a bit of a big story for the BioWare game, with lots of people attacking Electronic Arts for publishing it, you may have already heard about it elsewhere.

So, there you have four hugely successful games made by different companies, all of which raise the issue of homosexuality in their gaming and manage to do it right. Their games work across platforms and generations. So why the effing-jeffing is Nintendo getting its boxers in a bunch over the possibility of two men or two women starting a family?

There are two possible reasons for this – 1) Nintendo really is trying to alienate part of its core market by banning LGBT characters in their games, or 2) they are anal-retentive game designers who didn’t code something correctly and a mistake occurred that caused something they did not intend to happen.

The thing that makes me, as a gay-gamer, more inclined to think that the second explanation is probably more accurate is that most hardcore gamers do not consider a game ‘complete’ until everything has been collected, every single ending has been unlocked and explored, and every possible cheat has been used. Reverse-engineer that to the kind of game developers that transformed Pokémon into a game series from a card, or created the likes of Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid, and you start to see the level of OCD that is prevalent in the world.

The general LGBT community may not understand that and people jumping up and down saying ‘They are being homophobic’ is not likely to help the situation. If someone could reply to Nintendo’s press department just to point out that what they said could have been – and probably was – interpreted negatively, I would consider it a personal favour. Thanks.

Boys Don’t Cry closely followed Susan Muska and Gréta Olafsdóttir’s documentary film, The Brandon Teena Story, which told the real-life story of Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, a transgendered person who was murdered in rural Nebraska in 1993. Brandon’s brave, tenacious, naive desire to live not as the biological female he was raised as, but as the man he feels he is, is brought to life with astonishing vibrancy and tenderness by director Kimberley Peirce. Not only does the film fearlessly present Teena’s (played by Hilary Swank) aforementioned desire as solid fact, disregarding his inner struggle for the one he must engage with in the smalltown America he frequents, Peirce gives the story a delicate, romantic quality by heavily focusing on Brandon’s love affair with Lana Tisdel (Chloë Sevigny), and Lana’s difficulty with accepting the revelations of her lover’s body and how they can’t fit into the very divided gender roles she’s been accustomed to.

So Boys Don’t Cry refrains from making overt political commentary about the status of transgender people within American society, instead presenting the events as romantically and horrifyingly as they unfold. Brandon remains a recognisable person, rather than a focal point for a sexual question, confronting the audience with the typical behaviour of a teenage boy and mixing it with the biological facts of Brandon’s transformation. Hilary Swank, who won her first and most deserved Oscar for the role, plays Brandon as someone who, until forcefully confronted with the very real facts of his body, is confident in being a man because he wants to be. Instead of focusing on the sexual conflicts – which Brandon simply isn’t interested in – Swank centralises the adolescent sexual charge of Brandon’s interactions with Lana, the irrepressible smile that beams from his face on her every appearance.

Swank makes this innocence sympathetic, charming, but also hopelessly foolish – Brandon can’t even conceive of his fantastical dreams as being ridiculous even when someone’s yelling in his face that they’re impossible. His confidence in his performative male self is endearing even as we see him hold a cigarette in an unusual, gingerly fashion, or disobeying the unwritten rule that males just don’t sleep on a girl’s shoulder. He’s still wary, cautious about the fold he’s accepted into, constantly glancing around at his new friends for cues to laugh, or smile, but the innocent confidence in his new sexual identity is only questioned by Lana’s physical touch. Boys Don’t Cry keenly explores the separation between our presented selves and the people we are inside, a conflict central to the emotional journeys of transgender people in particular because they are forced to live it so visibly.

Boys Don’t Cry, fourteen years on, and almost twenty years since Brandon Teena’s murder (Teena and two other people, Phillip DeVine and Lisa Lambert, were shot on December 31 1993), remains an enormously powerful film, both a careful legacy and a reminder of the violence that sadly continues around the world. Thanks to Kimberley Peirce’s sensitive, vibrant direction and the erotic frisson between Swank and Sevigny, Brandon’s story has been captured forever as a tragic but romantic tale that celebrates the desire and need to be true to yourself as much as it laments the reaction of bigoted people who refuse to let their fellow humans do that.

Boys Don’t Cry is available to purchase on DVD from Amazon.

The church is known for making claims against the LGBT community and those helping them achieve equal rights.

Their website, GodHatesOklahoma.com, now directs to the featured image before clicking on to a Red Cross Donation page. It follows the same pattern as a number of their pages, such as GodHatesFags.

Two days ago a tornado raged through Oklahoma City leaving a trail of destruction. You can see how bad the damage was on the BBC News site.

Carolyn Compton filed for divorce in September 2010 and had been with her partner for 11 years before their separation.

Judge John Roach Jr., who handled the divorce, added the ‘morality clause’ as an amendment to Compton’s divorce papers. The clause prevents Compton from having a partner spend the night in her home whilst her children are also present.

The clause, which has no end date, means Page Price, Compton’s partner, was granted 30 days to vacate the property they have shared for the past three years.

The only way the couple would be able to live together would be if they got married, but marriage between gay couples is not recognised in Texas. The couple can challenge Roach’s decision, but it will be a lengthy and expensive process which could end up in the US Supreme Court.

Joshua Compton said he wanted the clause enforced for the benefit of his and Carolyn Compton’s children, aged 10 and 13.

‘The fact that they can’t get married in Texas is a legislative issue,’ his legal representative said, ‘It’s not really our issue.’

The couple have agreed to follow the court’s ruling ’even though it will be disruptive to their family and has the potential of being harmful to the children.’

Compton and Price are currently considering whether to file an appeal.

He told BBC Radio 4: ‘I think we should think about it like this – that there will be young boys in schools today who are gay, who are worried about being bullied, who are worried about what society thinks of them, who can see that the highest Parliament in the land has said that their love is worth the same as anybody else’s love and that we believe in equality.’

With Stonewall reporting that 55% of LGBT children are bullied in school, Cameron hopes that equal marriage being passed will help make the lives of young gay people easier. ‘I think they will stand that bit taller today and I’m proud of the fact that that has happened.’

Britain, if the gay marriage bill is approved in the House of Lords, will follow France who made marriage available to all last week amidst much protest. Cameron said, ‘Every country across the world is having to address this. In New Zealand a centre-right Government has just legalised gay marriage. 11 or 12 states in the US have done the same thing.’

‘On the gay marriage issue, this is an issue clearly that divides the country. It certainly divides the Conservative Party.

 But I think it is right for Britain, like other countries, to take on this issue and to determine the right approach and that’s exactly what I’ve done and I’m proud of the fact that this legislation has now passed the House of Commons. That’s a good thing.’

The bill will be debated in the House of Lords next Wednesday, when more controversy and heated discussion is expected.