Queer Margins Rhys T Mathews

This week's episode is with the co-founder of Queer Britain, the UK’s first national LGBTQ+ museum, Joseph Galliano.

Joseph and I spoke over the phone in the first half of 2020. It's the first time I've spoken to him but I've been to a couple of Queer Britain's events over the last few years- and they're always brilliant.

I've been so excited about Queer Britain ever since I first heard about it a few years ago- so it was great to talk to Joseph about all their plans for the future.

We spoke about the journey Queer Britain's been on so far, what the museum is going to have to offer, when they might be able to offer, marching in London Pride with Sam Smith and lots more.

It would be great to know what you think- so please drop me a message on Instagram @QueerMargins with your thoughts. And if you want to find out more about any of the things we spoke about- you'll be able to see that on Instagram too.

Thanks!

Lisa Power's achieved so much during her life: she helped set up Stonewall, worked at Switchboard, was the policy director at the Terrence Higgins Trust and is now on the board at Queer Britain and was a consultant on Russell T Davies' new series 'It's a Sin' (more of which in the interview).

When I spoke to people for series one Lisa's name popped up so many times in various places and times- so I knew I wanted to talk to her.

So towards the start of lockdown in 2020 I called her for an interview.

ADMISSION: we recorded this when I still didn't really know what I was doing with remote recording- so the quality in some parts is a bit crap. It does get better though!

Here are links to the films that Lisa mentioned during our conversation

We were here - the documentary about HIV/AIDS: https://wewereherefilm.com/

120 beats per minute- the French film about HIV/AIDs
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/08/120-beats-per-minute-observer-review

Thanks so much for listening.

Happy LGBT+ history month

HAPPY LGBT HISTORY MONTH

Making Gay History has been a top listen of mine for years, so when I started doing this series I knew that I wanted to ask Eric Marcus to join me for an episode.

I've listened to the Making Gay History podcast and Eric's soothing voice so many times, so when he said he's be on the Queer Margins I was over the moon.

We spoke about Making Gay History (obviously), his life in the 80s, living through the AIDs epidemic, his life now, lockdown (again, obviously), interviewing Marsha P Johnson and the similarities between our podcasts...

I really love Eric's podcast and Eric was so nice and encouraging, he was really great to chat to.

Also- I've been receiving newsletters from Eric's neighbourhood and it's the perfect amount of escapism right now.

Here are links to some of the things we spoke about in the episode that you might like to check out:

- Making Gay History podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NlHk37Vo7HlGE1CFg8uGx?si=A-AnUPmlQRii6t2L_bVv1w

- Making Gay History the book, by Eric Marcus: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/making-gay-history-eric-marcus?variant=32128599785506

- Marsha P Johnson and Randy Wicker: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6M8p9RRy59QsemQNvbnOGR?si=Cc3Mlop0SWavw0zyOz-BiQ

- Marsha P Johnson park memorial that Eric mentioned: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/new-york-dedicates-east-river-state-park-to-lgbtq-activist-marsha-p-johnson-082620

- Sylvia Rivera episode of Making Gay History: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zqM4hKnqmrHqJGktBu5Vw?si=6OpGv8QpQrWWwpBfma4frA

- The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito Russo: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/374224.The_Celluloid_Closet

- Vito Russo's episode of Making Gay History: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gOIEPhsBmaNRjHlvqQavM?si=-wEvgHDhTSWPUcxWrZTT5w

- Jeanne and Morty Manford's episode of Making Gay History (PFFLAG episode): https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JogCNjy4QZ5xikOlOCoAx?si=gS4325PYTHWmKWFJ-HQvfw

Thanks again for listening and thanks so much to Eric!

This episode I talk with the owner of Attitude Magazine Darren Styles.

Attitude is the biggest gay magazine in the UK and has been around for 26 years. Darren bought Attitude back in 2016 when it was failing. Since then it's gone from strength to strength, with subscription numbers, followers on social media and online monthly user growing all the time- that and with the continued success of the Attitude Awards- the magazine has never looked better.

I spoke to Darren about whether Britain really needed a "gay" magazine in 2020, what the future looks like for Attitude and asked him about my favourite Attitude cover (take a look on @QueerMargins on Instagram to see the cover).

If there's someone you'd like to hear interviewed in this series or if you have any questions or something to say please drop me a message on Instagram which is @QueerMargins or on email QueerMargins@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening.

Welcome back to a brand new series: Queer Margins in Quarantine.

This series I'm focusing on talking to some of the most interesting people working within the LGBTQ+ community. I wanted to talk to these people during lockdown to find out how their work is changing but also to chat about what their lives are like normally. You can read more about that on the instagram page at @QueerMargins.

This episode I'm talking to A Man To Pet. They're an amazing, hilarious drag performer who I first saw at the supper club The Pale Blue Door where they host and perform. We caught up about how they got into drag, how lockdown has changed their life and… of course… the highs and low of being a drag performer.

I hope you enjoy it.

And I hope you'll come back next week to listen to the next installment in the series. If there's someone you'd like me to interview please drop me a message on instagram (@QueerMargins) or email (QueerMargins@gmail.com) and let me know who you'd like to hear from and I'll try and get them on.

Thanks.

This is the last episode of the series Old Queens. And in this episode I'm talking to Dr Rupert Whitaker.

Colin from episode one introduced me to Rupert when we were at an event for the National HIV story trust. And a week or so later I went round Rupert’s house in South London to chat to him.

Rupert’s a psychiatrist and has been living with HIV since the early 80s and he helped set up- what is now- the UKs leading HIV charity after his partner Terry Higgins died at the age of 37.

On the day that this episode is being released- 10th June Terry Higgins would have been 75.

In this episode we spoke about Rupert’s life now, his work, seeing his partner die of an illness no one understood and the difficulties he came across when trying to set up the Terrence Higgins Trust- plus a lot more.


Thank you so much to everyone who's listened to this series. I've had so much fun making it and meeting all the amazing people I've interviewed.

And on that topic- thank you to all the people who've happily shared their stories with me for this series, I feel really honoured that you've felt comfortable talking to me and have been so willing to talk.

In the next week or so I'll be releasing the first episode of the second series which I'm currently in the process of recording.

If you want to get in touch please drop me an email on QueerMargins@gmail.com or follow the podcast here: Instagram.com/QueerMargins.