As usual… 5.5 minutes to read. A weekly digest of the most important queer news in your backyard! Exclusively for paid subscribers every Monday, “The 9” is curated weekly by Taylor Abbot + the GenZ editorial team.
Your guide to the queer media circus.
This week, a biopic about Bayard Rustin, and then:
Members of the Gay Liberation Movement protesting outside the Old Bailey over Mary Whitehouse’s court action against the Gay News Magazine on 4 July 1977 (Getty). Andrew Lumsden was there.
Andrew Lumsden was the founder of the Gay Liberation Front and Pride and the first British magazine Gay News – Yaas. (Credit: Act Up London)
UK. ACTIVISM. ANDREW LUMSDEN HAS PASSED AWAY at 82.
Andrew Lumsden, the pioneering founder of the UK’s first LGBT+ publication and an iconic Gay Liberation Front activist, has passed away at the age of 82. His death has triggered an outpouring of tributes from fellow activists and LGBT+ organizations, both in the UK and abroad. Lumsden’s groundbreaking journey began in 1971 when he established “Gay News” after facing rejection from mainstream newspapers. He persevered, eventually creating Gay News magazine Lumsden’s life was marked by resilience, and his legacy as a champion of LGBT+ rights will continue to inspire generations to come. For us, his life and work are particularly important as an editor and journalist opening the road of queer journalism as it is today.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, director Anna Hints
ESTONIA. FILM. SUNDANCE AWARDED DOCUMENTARY.
The first Estonian documentary to ever compete and win at the Sundance Festival is now in cinemas across Britain, coming to Europe. In Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, director Anna Hints brings us into the secret rituals of the Estonian smoke sauna, a practice which is part of Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage. In the sauna, a group of women and minority-gender people share the joys and sorrows of inhabiting a female body.
UK. ADVERTISING. CHANNEL 4’S 2023 DIVERSITY IN ADVERTISING AWARD.
E45 and The & Partnership have clinched Channel 4’s 2023 Diversity in Advertising Award, receiving £1 million in free advertising space. Their campaign, selected from six finalists, seeks to address the underrepresentation of LGBT+ communities in UK TV advertising. The winning campaign, set to air in 2024, will receive £100,000 worth of social media value, £40,000 of which will come from Channel 4’s in-house digital content creation department, 4Studio. The annual award aims to foster diversity in advertising. This year’s theme resulted from research revealing that brands had become hesitant to promote LGBT+ campaigns due to potential backlash.
WORLDWIDE. TECHNOLOGY. NEW MENTAL HEALTH APP FOR LGBT+.
Voda, often referred to as the LGBT+ Mental Health app, provides self-guided therapy programs created by LGBT+ psychotherapists. The app offers a range of valuable resources, including guided meditations for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria. Voda was founded by Jaron Soh, a business investor who created several start-ups like Artisan & Fox and Traktion. We did not use it and we cannot say about its quality and effectiveness.
Richard Linklater and Gregg Araki, photographed by James Duval last month in Austin, Texas.
UK. FILM. FAMOUS DIRECTOR GREGG ARAKI CALLS EUPHORIA MISERABLE.
Filmmaker Gregg Araki, known for teen-focused indie cinema, praised his works “Nowhere” and The Doom Generationfor their enduring appeal nearly 30 years after their release. Speaking with Richard Linklater for Interview Magazine, Araki highlighted the films’ unique blend of angst, anger, and youthful confusion, enhanced by punk and new wave music influences, which he described as fun and joyful. Araki contrasted his works with modern teen dramas like “Euphoria,” emphasizing the latter’s focus on the darker aspects of adolescence at the expense of joy. He attributed his joyful punk aesthetic to the era when he began making movies, shaped by punk and new wave culture. Gregg Araki is an American cult filmmaker noted for his heavy involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement. His film Kaboom (2010) was the first winner of the Cannes Film Festival Queer Palm.
WORLDWIDE. GAMES. FASHION DREAMER IS OUT.
Marvelous Europe has announced the exclusive release of Fashion Dreamer for the Nintendo Switch. This creative-focused video game takes place in the world of Eve, where players can express their unique fashion sense through customizable avatars known as Muses. It caters to aspiring fashion influencers, allowing players to curate iconic looks, from cosy casualwear to grungy gothic glam. The game encourages players to showcase their outfits in designated areas called Cocoons, where other Muses’ creations can be appreciated with likes and thumbs up. “Fashion Dreamer” also offers design challenges to increase players’ influence and unlock customization options, making it a go-to game for unleashing one’s inner fashionista and creativity.
Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin in “Rustin.” Parrish Lewis/Netflix
USA. FILM. A MOVIE ABOUT LEGENDARY BAYARD RUSTIN.
Film spotlighting Bayard Rustin, black and queer civil rights activist, premieres amid educational controversy. A groundbreaking film, ‘Rustin,’ set to debut in cinemas this Friday, brings to the forefront the remarkable life and legacy of Bayard Rustin, a prominent Black gay activist and a key figure in the Civil Rights movement. Rustin, born on March 17, 1912, was instrumental in organizing the historic 1963 March on Washington alongside leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph. Directed by George C. Wolfe and produced by the Obama family’s Higher Ground media company, ‘Rustin’ also sheds light on the challenges Rustin faced as a gay man in mid-20th century America. This release coincides with ongoing legislative efforts across the nation to restrict LGBT+ rights and the teaching of Black history. The film highlights Rustin’s invaluable contributions, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of Civil Rights history. Also, this week was launched the excellent mini-series Fellow Travelers and we wrote about it and Paris Police 1905 (on Prime Video), a series that tracks several queer characters and storylines. Queer binging all the week.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, holds talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the presidential office in Seoul, Nov. 3. Yonhap
IRELAND. POLITICS. THE PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND DISCUSS LGBT+ ISSUES WITH THE SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT.
Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) Leo Varadkar has announced his intention to raise concerns about LGBT+ rights during his upcoming meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Varadkar, along with three ministers, is currently engaged in a trade mission aimed at strengthening Irish relations with less-visited nations, including South Korea. While discussions will primarily focus on security issues, peacekeeping, and multilateralism, Varadkar emphasized his commitment to advocating for equality on the global stage, particularly for women, minorities, and the LGBT community. Varadkar’s comments coincide with South Korea’s recent constitutional court decision upholding a law banning same-sex relations in the military. The Taoiseach also commemorated Irish soldiers’ sacrifices in the Korean War during his visit to a war memorial in Seoul.
UK. POLITICS. METRO ADDS HIJACKED FOR PALESTINE.
LGBT+ activists hijack London ads to share messages from queer Palestinians. Bus and tube advertisements in London were hacked and replaced with placards sharing the stories of LGBT+ Palestinians amid the Hamas-Israel conflict. A group of LGBT+ activists called The Dyke Project hijacked tube and bus ads in London to share messages and stories from queer Palestinians and call for a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel conflict. Claiming responsibility for the action, The Dyke Project shared that they hijacked over 100 advertisements across London public transport and replaced them with placards displaying messages from queer people in Gaza, as reported by Truth Out. The messages in question came from the website Queering the Map, where numerous queer Palestinians have started to share their stories after violence in Gaza escalated amid the Hamas-Israel conflict. One such message read, “I’ve always imagined you and me sitting out in the sun, hand and hand, free at last. We spoke of all the places we would go if we could. Yet you are gone now. If I had known that bombs raining down on us would take you from me, I would have gladly told the world how.” Taking to Instagram to share a picture of one of the placards, the group reiterated that as queer people, they “recognise the impact of colonialism and state violence” and called out Israel’s “‘pinkwashing’ and the guise of progressive queer politics to distract from and legitimise its violence against Palestinians”. The group referred to a deliberate strategy employed by the Israeli government to distract from its politics of apartheid and occupation of Palestine by drawing attention to a supposedly positive track record on LGBT+ rights. This “pinkwashing campaign” was launched almost 20 years ago by the Israeli nonprofit StandWithUsand has been instrumental in enhancing the world’s image of the country. According to the Associated Press, more than 1.4 million people have been forced to flee since the airstrikes began, and the Head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions”.
Photo: Guadalajara Gay Games 2023.
MEXIC & HONG KONG. SPORTS. GAY GAMES
The 40th edition of the Gay Games, a biennial celebration of diversity featuring multi-sport competitions and cultural events, begins today across two cities – Hong Kong and Guadalajara, Mexico. This unprecedented dual-host arrangement comes after a one-year postponement due to COVID-19 restrictions in Hong Kong. Organizers had high hopes for the event’s impact on LGBTQ+ representation and tolerance in Asia. However, safety concerns and complex logistics have led to surprisingly low registration numbers. Guadalajara has 2,458 participants, and Hong Kong boasts just 2,381, marking a significant drop from previous Games. Activists voice concerns about safety in Guadalajara, known for crime and kidnapping, while others cite recent crackdowns in Hong Kong as a deterrent. Some events in Hong Kong have already been cancelled due to low registrations. The Federation of Gay Games believes the dual-city approach allows for broader LGBTQ+ representation, but some participants fear long-term consequences, such as reduced corporate sponsorship. Despite the challenges, organizers remain committed to creating a positive, lasting impact on LGBTQ+ inclusion in both cities.
Polish activist Bartosz Staszewski, holding a removed sign, said it was a ‘great day for Poland’
POLAND. POLITICS. FIRST “LGBT-FREE ZONE” CANCELED POST-ELECTIONS.
In a monumental turn of events, Poniatowa, the Polish partner community of the Berlin district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, has officially abolished its four-year-old “LGBT-free zone” designation, marking a significant shift in local politics. The backdrop to this story dates back to the summer of 2019 when the city council passed a resolution to vehemently “oppose the administration and committees against the spread of LGBT+ ideology.” At that time, Poland was witnessing a concerning trend with an increasing number of municipalities and cities adopting anti-queer stances. However, as the political landscape evolved, Poniatowa experienced a transformation. In March, the city council of this partner municipality took a groundbreaking step by passing a new resolution that prominently upholds the principle of respecting the right to self-determination of every individual. Notably, this decision was the result of combined efforts from both local and international civil society actors, including district politicians, citizens from Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and queer communities in both Poland and Germany. The resounding message from this development in Poniatowa is clear: a new era of tolerance and inclusivity is dawning, setting an inspiring precedent for communities worldwide.
137,000 people at the Taipei Pride Parade.
TAIWAN. POLITICS. RECORD-BREAKING AT TAIPEI PRIDE.
In a remarkable display of unity and acceptance, Taipei witnessed an unprecedented surge in participation during the Pride parade on October 28th, setting a new milestone for LGBT+ rights and celebrations in Asia. The event, held under the theme “Standing up for diversity,” saw a staggering 176,000 attendees joyfully embracing queer life in the vibrant Taiwanese capital. Taiwan, as a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights in Asia, marked a historic milestone in 2019 by becoming the first country on the continent to introduce marriage equality for all. The enormous Pride turnout stands as a testament to the continued progress in the region.
EUROPE. EDUCATION. ERASMUS CHAMPIONS LGBT+ INCLUSIVITY
While the European Union’s renowned Erasmus program is primarily celebrated for facilitating student exchanges, it also dedicates substantial resources to foster inclusivity among LGBTQ+ youth. In 2021 and 2022, a substantial allocation of 8.83 million euros was invested in various projects aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community, making it a beacon of hope and support for queer individuals across Europe. Erasmus’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is not only a testament to its mission but a powerful reminder that progressive change knows no bounds. The program not only broadens horizons but also paves the way for a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Recommendations from our favourite newspapers. This week NYT.
Pack your overnight bag with all your essentials.
Unmoor how you think about your health from the scales.
Pair these novels with their settings, in our quiz.
Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today’s Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here.
Curated every week by our news editor Taylor Abbot & GAY45 editorial staff. Exclusive for subscribers on Monday through Substack and Wednesday on the website.
Taylor Abbot is a 23 y.o. staff writer for GAY45 and MA student at the University of Oxford. Previously he studied at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is passionate about journalism, contemporary literature, poetry, technology, socio-political involved art forms and queer implications in society. He wrote previously for several magazines as Bay Area Reporter or Männer. Nerdy curious, passionate about the weird parts of life and the good stories written by great journalists. Taylor decided to delete all his social media accounts two years ago. Lives and works between Berlin and London.
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