Table of contents for November 2015 in Attitude Magazine

I am exceptionally happy to welcome you to the Attitude Awards issue 2015. I’m very pleased that our Awards are now right up there with the Glamour and GQ Men of the Year Awards in the UK’s calendar of most high profile events. Events like this don’t happen on their own. They take months and months of really hard work. I want to thank all the staff – and especially our managing director Mike Buckley, Gloria Maydew, Cliff Joanouu, Annie Bracken, and our outgoing assistant editor Christian Guiltenane, who work their butts off making this special night and issue happen. I also want to thank our headline sponsors Virgin Holidays who continue to be great and committed friends to Attitude. Without them we couldn’t make the event happen. Amongst the…

FASHION GLAD BAGS Your bag should always be an investment piece and Gladstone London have got something you can put stock into. The brand has launched their first collection that is exclusively available in Harrods. The collection includes sleek luxury bags, including totes and elegant travel bags. Launched by John O’Sullivan, it’s uncomplicated, streamlined accessory perfection. GLADSTONELONDON.COM & HARRODS.COM THEATRE NEXT LESSON This play from Chris Woodley is about the infamous Section 28, from its inception in 1988 to present day, through the eyes of a South London school boy. THE PLEASANCE THEATRE, LONDON, 20-25 OCTOBER. PLEASANCE.CO.UK THEATRE LOVESONG OF THE ELECTRIC BEAR Following an award-nominated run at the fringe Hope Theatre, Islington, this Snoo Wilson play comes to London’s West End. Ian Hallard gives an outstanding performance as the…

MARKUS FEEHILY FIRE/HARMONEY ENTERTAINMENT Markus Feehily was the soulful voice who took many a Westlife song to the bridge, and like a fine wine, he has only improved with age. After a few years out of the spotlight, he has emerged with a surprisingly strong collection of serious pop songs, with an urban influenced sound far more credible than one would expect from a former boybander. The lyrics and music convey a turbulence, surely reflective of Feehily’s troubled years struggling with his sexuality. Love Is A Drug, Wash The Pain Away and Butterfly are show stoppers while piano ballad Back To Yours is fragile and tender. Frank and refreshing, this is a big 2.0 moment for Mr Feehily. bk 8/10 JOHN NEWMAN REVOLVE/ISLAND Back with album number two, and John…

TANGERINE KITANA KIKI RODRIGUEZ, MYA TAYLOR, JAMES RANSONE Straight out of prison, trans sex worker Sin-Dee Rella (Rodriguez) takes to the streets of Hollywood with her best friend Alexandra (Taylor) in search of her good-for-nothing pimp boyfriend, who’s been cheating on her. From the start, Tangerine attacks with foul language, sexual objectification and threats of violence. It does have something much grander to say under the aggressive exterior. Filmed solely using iPhone technology, writer and director Sean Baker’s magnificent creation is intimate and mesmerising viewing, which is packed with side splitting dialogue, fast paced drama and unexpected poignancy. OUT 13TH NOVEMBER 4/5 KILL YOUR FRIENDS NICOLAS HOULT, JAMES CORDEN, CRAIG ROBERTS Based on the 2008 cult novel by industry cynic John Niven, Owen Harris' feature length adaptation is led by…

I’ve been thinking about the word ‘heroes’ a lot recently. Not in the sense of a gallant or valiant individual riding up on their white horse to save the day – more in line with those who many idolise and whose works they consider influential and hold in higher esteem than anyone else. Honestly, it’s a word that I hardly ever hear, and it’s not a term I ever tend to think of all that much. When listing the LGBT personalities many are influenced by, it’s easy to jump to some of the most prominent figures within the entertainment industry. I wouldn’t call them my ‘heroes’ per se, but I love the works of Michael Moore, Lee Daniels, Kanye West and Joss Whedon. Straight talking musicians and entertainers such as…

1 LOOK, WE DON’T WANT ANYONE TO FALL OUT AT AN AWARDS SHOW. 2 ESPECIALLY NOT JUDY FINNIGAN’S TITS. 3 BUT IF YOU MUST, ONLY START FIGHTS YOU KNOW YOU CAN ACTUALLY WIN. 4 BEST BUILD IT UP ON TWITTER FIRST TOO, SO PEOPLE CAN PREPARE. 5 THEN PERFORM YOUR SEEMINGLY SPONTANEOUS OUTBURST. 6 IF YOU DON’T WIN, YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO GET OVER IT. 7 AND IF YOUR FRIEND DOESN’T WIN, GET OVER THAT TOO. 8 IF YOU’RE A POLITICIAN, YOU’RE CRUISING FOR A BRUISING. 9 LIKEWISE IF YOU HAVE A GO AT ELTON, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN... DOWNLOAD THE TABLET EDITION OF ATTITUDE. WITH A MOVING COVER, EXTRA PHOTO GALLERIES, INTERACTIVE MUSIC, FILM AND TV REVIEWS, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE…

Substituting a shirt for a tee is often a good way to bridge smart and casual. Make sure the tee is free from any detail. No prints, no exuberant colours. Stick to black, white or grey, to keep it effortlessly crisp. Taking it off: Removing the fuss, such as ties and pocket squares can give you a modern, minimalist look to your tailoring.…

With every new range, Acqua Di Parma takes us on a fully realised journey with their products. Meticulous and conscientious in their process, every detail is fi ne tuned to perfection. Their new range Acqua Di Parma New Colonia Club is no exception. This time they are taking us to the priva e members club which has experienced a renaissance over the past few years. This collection is all about ambience, with top notes of lemon, petitgrain, bergamot, mandarin, mint & neroli. It’s equally modern and classic, geared towards the man who likes conversation, travel and literature. This product wouldn’t be out of place in a country house retreat with open fi replaces, leather chairs and sweeping lawns. The collection includes the eau de cologne, hair and shower gel and…

in association with At Virgin Holidays we are delighted to be the headline sponsor of the Attitude Awards for the fourth year running. This year we’re even prouder because along with the Attitude team, we have created a new award: ‘Young LGBT Entrepreneur’ of the Year. Entrepreneurship goes right to the heart and roots of Virgin and so we’re really excited to be able to encourage and promote this in our community. Virgin Holidays’ partnership with Attitude is important because we passionately believe that travel is for everyone. Last year I launched our mission to promote travel equality across the world. We have been busy lobbying governments, tourist authorities and key partners to help them understand what they can do to make this a reality and take action. Travel doesn’t…

It’s been hard to go anywhere in 2015 without hearing the breakthrough Years & Years album Communion. It has been constantly streaming in the Attitude office, whether we put on a major radio station or a random iPod playlist, and you’re just as likely to hear it at a club, or a house party as you are in the Uber home (and then again on Sunday Brunch in the morning). We’ve also been more than taken by front man Olly Alexander who is redrawing the lines for what it means to be a gay pop star. In an industry that has still been known to muffle the sexuality of artists until they’ve sold big or broken America, it really does matter that Olly has been openly out from the get…

SUPPORTED BY What about the time Yoko Ono did a public appearance at gay London nightclubs Crash and The Ghetto to promote remixed dance tracks that she had released in the noughties? There she was in the middle of a sea of topless boys yelling out her words of wisdom. I wonder if she ever thought she’d be the queen of disco when she started out. But then Yoko never puts anything out of the question. Nevertheless, I think she might have been secretly in awe at the impact she had. She sang a revamped version of Everyman/Everywoman, that added new words to the original in support of gay relationships and marriage, which resonated within the community: ‘Everyman has a man who loves him, Everywoman has a woman who loves…

SUPPORTED BY Ah, Liam Payne. Just ask his 20 million Twitter followers and they’ll tell you he’s the sexiest, most charismatic, charming man the world has ever seen. And with the ferocious loyalty of One Directioners in mind, who are we to argue? Luckily (for our safety), we can say that they are right. When we met the 22-year-old global sensation for our cover shoot last month, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that he was everything his fans say he is, and more. Liam is hot. He proved it when he hit the beach a year ago, revealing his newly sculpted body. And he proved it on set when we caught a wee glimpse of him changing into his shirt. Not that Liam rates himself. Ask him if he…

After receiving our Best Groomed Man Award back in 2013, Oliver Cheshire has continued to solidify his place in menswear. Along with David Gandy, Tinie Tempah and Douglas Booth, he’s an official ambassador for London Men’s Fashion Week. On top of his modelling credentials, Oliver’s also a regular columnist, providing both fashion and grooming tips to the readers of GQ and The Telegraph. It’s clear that this man knows fashion. His face is constantly on the covers of magazines, and he’s the star of numerous campaigns for both high fashion and high street. Most recently he was named the face of Marks & Spencer’s Autograph Range. Oliver can work high street and high fashion and turn out in both tailoring and more casual outfits that he pulls off with aplomb.…

There is no disputing that Alexander McQueen is a bona fide legend and icon of fashion. There are not enough superlatives to describe the late designer. His influence on fashion transcends the industry he dominated, seeping into the realms of art, celebrity, provocation and creating a wealth of urban myths that still swirl around him. In short he created magic. Born Lee Alexander McQueen to Ronald and Joyce in East London, on 17th March 1969, he always maintained that the fashion world seemed ‘other’ to him. The youngest of six children, and incredibly close to his mother until her death, he often said that he wasn’t born into fashion, which created an internal disjoint with his relationship with it. Yet his talent was so explosive that he cultivated his idiosyncratic…

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that is linked to the change in season and the length of daytime. The episodes of depression tend to occur during the autumn and winter months when daylight periods are short and night can be long. The exact cause isn’t really known but it’s certainly understood that changes in the amount of light affects the brain’s chemistry and hormone levels and that this may contribute to bringing on depressive episodes. It’s usually simple to diagnose because of the impact on your feelings and your moods. Generally people tend to feel less cheerful in winter. However, I would advise that you get a diagnosis and look at treatments available, including light therapy, which involves sitting with an…

1 He’s only been into Taylor Swift since 1989 2 His Instagram is more than 50% selfies 3...and in every one he uses the hashtag #gay 4 He only reads books that have already been made into films 5 He uses the smiley and frowning emojis but has never once utilised 'dancing woman in red dress' 6 He says things like 'I tell it how it is', 'I am direct', 'Expect sarcasm' on profiles 7 His favourite Meryl Streep movie is Mamma Mia – “It’s such a romp!” 8 He uses the word romp 9 His idea of eating out is a cheeky Nando’s, every time 10 He uses the phrase cheeky Nando’s...…

At the end of August my partner, John, and I marked our twentieth anniversary together. In many ways this is unremarkable. Virtually every male couple I know are in very long-term relationships – even friends of mine who are in their twenties or thirties seem to be destined to be ‘togethah forevah’. Why is this notable? Simple. Because even nowadays there is this perception that gay men are incapable of maintaining long-term relationships and that they are more interested in one night stands and a life of bed-hopping than establishing deep roots with another person. I’ve never thought gay men (or women, for that matter) are any more hedonistic than their straight counterparts. I think gay men got a reputation for shagging anything that moves because of the ease of…

Located in the heart of Soho, these three bedroom penthouses are a quiet and peaceful space right in the centre of the action, surrounded by all the bars, restaurants and boutique shops that the area offers. These apartments have come with plenty of features, including vaulted ceilings and large windows which work to create an abundance of natural light and space. The living space is open plan to a spacious fully fitted modern kitchen with integrated appliances. The master bedroom has built in wardrobes, a beautiful ensuite with a double shower and free standing oval bath, and access to a second private terrace offering intimate views over London’s skyline. The apartments are mere moments from the best of London, including Covent Garden and Leicester Square, as well as all the…

BENJAMIN BENNETT Born in London, Ben is a freelance graphic designer. Previous to this he worked as Art Editor for the Sunday Express. Experienced in art directing, photoshoots, project managing, he has worked in the industry for almost 10 years. His passion for food landed him the opportunity to work with chef Katherine Frelon – designing and producing her first book, Shop. Cook. Eat. WARREN ALFI E BAKER Warren is Los Angeles based, British born and raised stylist/on screen fashion expert and Fashion Director. Warren enjoys success dressing celebrities for red carpet events and editorial. He can be seen on numerous TV shows in the US as a Fashion expert. @alfiebakerstyle PAUL FLYNN Paul Flynn writes a weekly column for Grazia and is a contributing editor at Love, i-D and…

Jack Matthews This month Aussie actor Jack Matthews, who stars in Drown, a new film set on the glistening sands of Sydney’s beaches, has caught our eye. Jack’s character Phil, a new – and gay – lifeguard upsets the resident lifesaving champion Len when he arrives on his patch. Things get complicated (don’t they always) and take a dark turn (don’t they always) but Drown is really worth watching. And not just for Jack. Drown is out now on DVD and on-demand from Peccadillo Pictures, www.peccapics.com…

IN NUMBERS 50 It’s been 50 years since a British solo male recorded the Bond song. The last one was Tom Jones Thunderball in 1965. 6 Writing’s On The Wall is the 6th theme song which hasn’t taken its title from the film. Other ‘difficult’ titles which the singers avoided include Quantum of Solace and Octopussy... 1 It’s the first time a gay artist has recorded the Bond theme. 20 The amount of minutes Sam claims it took him to write the track. 1 Only one artist was younger than 23-year-old Sam when they recorded the Bond theme: Sheena Easton, who sang For Your Eyes Only when she was 22. • SPECTRE IS RELEASED IN THE UK ON 26 OCTOBER, FOLLOWED BY A GLOBAL RELEASE ON 6 NOVEMBER.…

In the immortal words of my father (on hearing that a friend’s son had also come out) ‘there’s a lot of it about these days, isn’t there?’ At the time his remark felt so regressive that I practically had an out of body experience hearing it. Now I think, well, yeah. Because, while being gay is hardly the new-fangled trend that his logic seemed to imply, there can be little doubting that sexual fluidity is on the up. A YouGov poll earlier this year found that just under half (46%) of 18-to-24-year-old Brits consider themselves completely straight, while only 6% identified as exclusively gay. In case your maths is as bad as my geography, that leaves 52% somewhere in between. Back then my dad was no doubt guilty of confusing…

TERRESTRIAL: CUFFS This brand new cop show follows a Brighton beat, notably with the handsome Jacob Ifan playing gay PC Jake Vickers. It launches at the end of October on BBC One. CABLE: AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL We love AHS at the best of times, but could we BE any more excited that Lady Gaga is coming on board as the femme fatale? Starring as The Countess, she’ll be playing alongside all the regulars (minus Jessica Lange) in a modern day L.A. hotel, haunted by the spectre of mid century killing sprees. We will definitely be checking in when it hits FOX UK on 20 October. ONLINE: JESSICA JONES One of four live action Marvel superhero adaptations coming to Netflix, Jessica Jones stars Krysten Ritter as a former superhero who…

I want it all – and I’m not ashamed to say so. Call me selfish if you like, but I’ll never apologise for having ambition. Where I come from we weren’t taught to expect much from life other than a job in a pub or being able to buy your own council house. Maybe you hoped to marry and have kids, but if you were gay or trans you didn’t even think those were on offer. Your biggest concern was hoping to land a job without fear of judgement. So, what do you do in a world that says you’re not entitled to anything? If you have any sense, you become selfish. You develop coping strategies. You have to. ‘Fuck you’, you say. I’m not going to be who you…

DAREN PRITCHARDAGE: 23OCCUPATION:PERFORMANCE ARTISTJAMES DICKINSONAGE: 25OCCUPATION: PR FIRST IMPRESSIONS? J: As I walked over to the table my first impression was that Daren was a handsome man. When we were introduced we both immediately went in for a hug and he shot me a great smile, so I got the vibe he was a decent guy and we were going to have a good time. I wasn’t wrong. D: I thought he was good-looking and friendly, if younger than I was expecting. AWKWARD MOMENTS? J: None, actually. I was really nervous that there were going to be a few. But we shared a lot of the same interests and Daren does performance art, so I had a great time asking him all about that. We laughed about the nightmare scenarios…

San Diego based brand Rufskin have a new set of denim style for autumn/winter. They have re-engineered their Maverick jeans, improving the fit and adding colours and various washes; The Matchstick has a new classic rinsed indigo denim; their Hendrix line has a heavier wash and a great fade to the denim; and the Cobra styles have a soft satin-like twill fabric that comes in a sumptuous dark burgundy. The website houses a huge scope of great denim, including jeans, jackets and more. You can simply look up the style and check out your options. Founded in 2002 as a denim brand, they have since branched out into athletic wear, swimwear and underwear, as well as leather clothes and accessories. While denim is still at the heart of Rufskin, there…

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SUPPORTED BY In the café of London’s National Theatre, where he’s appearing as the Governor of an Australian penal colony in a revival of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s 1988 play Our Country’s Good, Cyril Nri tells me that the photo shoot he’s just done to tie in with his Attitude Award was good fun. He liked his “James Bondy” dinner jacket. “But I’m not up against Idris for the part,” he’s quick to remind me. Nri appears sufficiently easy-going for me to ask if we can talk about anything. “Yes, I don’t think anything’s out of bounds,” he replies. Sex may rear its head, I caution him. “I’m sure it will,” he says resignedly. Over the next hour we talk about everything from the migrant crisis to opportunities in the UK for…

SUPPORTED BY Back in the 1960s you could count the number of trans people in public life on one, perfectly manicured hand – France had the beautiful performer Coccinelle and America had the celebrated memoirist Christine Jorgenson, but in the UK, for many years, for many people, April Ashley was the only trans person they’d ever heard of. She became one of the first Britons to undergo genital reconstruction surgery in the 1960s and, a few years later, was outed by the tabloids at the height of her modelling career. To say she’s been around the block would be putting it lightly. “I had to go through six weeks of electric shock treatment as a teenager, which in those days was very primitive,” she recalls today, in perfect BBC English.…

Lorraine Kelly is giggling. “I don’t know, I think my show is quite gay sometimes.” Really, Lozza? “I think it’s quite gay every day. Who have we got on? Oh, we’ve got Judge Rinder on – he’s quite gay. And Dan Wootton’s on talking about showbiz. We’ve got Will Young on the day after that.” Has anyone ever called her a fag hag before? “Oh god, yeah, loads!” She much prefers ‘Honorary Gay’, though. “I can retire now. My life is complete”. It might be clichéd to call Lorraine the Queen of Daytime TV, but she is. Undisputed. And after 30 years in the business, she’s also become one of Britain’s cult gay icons. “It’s funny,” she chuckles, “my friends think it’s fantastic!” She’s always had gay friends but for…

Of all the political surprises that came with this year’s General Election, it was one of the SNP’s 56 victories which captured the public’s attention most. Mhairi Black was just 20 years and 237 days old when she took the Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat from Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander. Though the lines have moved over time, she is known to be the youngest MP since at least 1832. Black is one of the SNP’s seven MPs who identify as LGBTI – a strong percentage that is perhaps unsurprising in a party which has put the rights of minorities at the heart of its ethos, and hosted the largest ever political LGBT conference in February. Indeed the 2015 intake on the whole has more gay, lesbian and bisexual…

Fair and balanced representations of trans characters have been a long time coming on mainstream television. Certainly we’ve had reality TV stars, but as in many other walks of life, our trans brothers and sisters are way behind us in terms of the diversity of their on screen portrayals. But a real moment was reached this year with the arrival of Boy Meets Girl, a sitcom on BBC Two about a trans character called Judy who is, crucially, played by a trans actress, Rebecca Root. Very simply, it follows her budding relationship with a younger man called Leo, and explores the trials and tribulations of their dating experience (with a bit of our pal Denise Welch thrown in for good measure). The BBC commissioned Boy Meets Girl after launching the…

SUPPORTED BY “It’s been a bit manic, yeah, but it’s all been good,” Keegan Hirst attests, reflecting on the monumental changes he’s been through this year. We’re on location for his Editor’s Special Attitude Award photoshoot and chit-chatting (as he says often in his thick Northern accent) about his rollercoaster year. He’s a huge wall of rugged blokey-ness to look at, but his manner is amiable and calm. Exactly how tall are you, I ask? “Six foot six inches,” he says. “Seven foot in heels.” He delivers the line with a wry smile. There’s a relaxed confidence about him that surprises me given the massive upheaval that his life has seen, transforming himself from the 27-year-old captain of West Yorkshire’s Batley Bulldogs rugby side to the world’s newest sporting hero.…

At secondary school, not only did I receive the accolade of being the ‘Fattest Kid in School’, but I was also known as the loudest and one of the most badly behaved too. To protect the shy, sensitive and wounded child within me, I transformed into the exact opposite; a seemingly arrogant, attention seeking, loud mouth comedian, quick to rebuff jibes by taking the piss out of others and myself. Of course, I was hiding behind my fat, all sixteen stone of it. Like Dawn French, Heather off EastEnders and other famous fatties, I revelled in my larger than life persona, using self-deprecating humour as my armour. With the help of my new alter-ego, I became the life and soul of the party. I did impressions; told jokes; sang songs…

1 Have you sat down and had a chat about what kind of relationship you would like? If you’re thinking of having an ‘open relationship’, then you really need to find out if it’s something you both would be comfortable with. 2 Is this something you would do long term or for a specific ‘trial’ period? Whatever you agree, you both need to be happy with it. 3 Would you be happy telling other people about your relationship? It’s likely to come up if you are seeing other people, and it’s probably better to be upfront. 4 Are you both practising safer sex? Are you getting regular sexual health checks? If not, having an open relationship poses big health risks to you and your partners. 5 Have you got a…

GORE VIDAL’S THE CITY AND THE PILLAR One of the most radical gay novels of all time, The City and the Pillar was published in 1948 when its author Gore Vidal was just 22 and a celebrated young writer. It shocked society, failed to secure a single review in a major American newspaper, and The New York Times blacklisted all Vidal’s books for the next six years. But it’s a magnificent novel. Yes, it’s candid about gay lifestyles and sexual activity, but it’s also beautifully and simply written, often entertaining and sometimes desperately sad. It tells the story of Jim Willard, a handsome high school tennis champion who falls in love with his equally athletic but very straight friend Bob Ford. After the two of them have sex…

Why the name SOAK? Well, it comes as a combination of the genres soul and folk, which I don’t think the music is at all. People read into it but it’s just a name. What would you describe your music as then? It’s been described as dream pop – that’s kind of the indie genre that it would tie into. But the things I’m writing now don’t fall into that category. I think it’s important not to limit your sound to one genre. How has touring been? Intense! It’s been a lot of work and we’ve been doing a lot of shows. I’ve been touring for about three years now, from Europe to the States to Australia. It’s great getting to see all the new places, but I love coming…

After selling over 44 million records as part of one of the world’s biggest boybands, Westlife, Shane Filan returns with his sophomore solo album Right Here, which features current single Me and the Moon and a duet with Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle. The first song you ever bought: Funnily enough, the first song I remember buying is Uptown Girl when I was four. I can still remember seeing the video on TV. The song that reminds you of falling in love: R. Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly was popular around the time myself and my wife Gillian first started getting together. I remember hearing it and wanting to dance with her in the discos back in the day. But it was KC and JoJo’s All My Life that I…

LITTLE MIX Officially the new Girls Aloud, who were officially the new Spice Girls, who were officially the new Bananarama, who were officially the new Supremes. Maybe. So there. And Destiny’s Child. STRICTLY Oh, the good old days. When men were men and women were women. LOL YES LOOOOOOOOL. *Craig purses lips and sneers* HALLOWEEN Gay Christmas! When men were men and women were women.And every body wore a hat. *Craig purses lips* THE GLORY The best gay pub in the country. ANTHONY OGOGO 10. *Craig touches self* JAMIE LEE CURTIS Queen. *Craig purses lips* ‘Divine, darling’ ‘DISASTER/DIVINE DARLING’ *Craig purses lips* THE MUPPETS Hmm. We’re not sure about this clever post modern thing. Hmm. Yes, Hmm. GIFS AND MEMES AND FUKKIN SHIT Oh, we’re so ABOVE EVERYTHING! Why don’t…

NO HOUSE TO CALL MY HOME RYAN BERG/NATION BOOKS By his own admission Ryan Berg was lost in his own life when he took up a job as a caseworker in a group home for disowned LGBTQ teenagers in New York City in 2004, but the problems he saw reflected back at him far outweighed his own. No House to Call My Home is both a memoir of his years in the role, and a lyrical ode to the lives of these tragic youths, who struggle to break the destructive cycles and systems into which they have been born. As a gay white man from the Midwest, Berg’s disclaimer is that he is not attempting to “save or speak for young queer people of colour,” but rather to showcase their…

THIS MONTH: JAMES CREATED A NEW LINE OF T-SHIRTS, REMIXED THE UNRELEASED RIHANNA ALBUM (IRONICALLY), WROTE A SCRIPT ABOUT THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S FICTIONAL GAY LOVER, DEBATED THE CONSTRAINTS OF GENDER AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN ARKANSAS, OPENED A RESTAURANT THEMED ON TRADITIONAL PERSIAN CUISINE, AND CALLED HIS MUM. GO JAMES! AFTER RYAN ADAMS COVERED TAYLOR’S 1989 IN ITS ENTIRETY... COVER ALBUMS WE WANT TO HEAR NEXT NADINE COYLE OVER-SINGING THE HITS OF CHERYL COLE STEPTACULAR BY STEPS, REIMAGINED BY KANYE WEST LITTLE JACK HORNY: MILEY CYRUS SEXES UP THE CLASSIC NURSERY RHYMES MKS COVER SWEET 7 BY IMPOSTER SUGABABES MADONNA DOING AN AVICII VERSION OF REBEL HEART…

The suit has often been perceived as a rigid and stiff outfit. The man of today requires much more from tailoring. He needs a suit that can adapt to the demands of his work, including travelling, working long hours, going to meetings and attending important after work events. A pristine look is essential and Paul Smith is using new technologies to ensure that you truly get the most out of your tailoring investment. Leading by example, Paul Smith’s ‘A Suit To Travel In’ is unique, dynamic tailoring made using high twist 100% wool yarn, which ensures their suits have a quick recover, crease-resistant cloth that’s also water repellent. With sleek contemporary silhouettes, the collection that launched this September is highly practical. Paul Smith is bringing us sophisticated yet functional suiting.…

I am thrilled to share with you that there has been an amazing and dramatic shift in the global AIDS epidemic and the Foundation is deeply proud to have played its part. For the first time ever, during 2014 the number of people newly accessing HIV treatment around the world exceeded the number of people diagnosed with the disease. Why is this so important? Because people living with HIV who are on the right medical treatment are up to 96% less likely to pass on HIV to anyone else. As soon as they are no longer infectious, fewer people are at risk of infection, fewer people get sick or die and the epidemic is in reverse! It’s called the Tipping Point. More than anything, we have prioritised support for those…

In 12 years on the Street, Antony has earned himself a National Television and Stonewall Award, neatly bookending his great gift to British culture “There is just something inherently Manc about me. I live for that city” In a taxi conversation from the Thames Barrier to Waterloo station, Antony Cotton takes a brief pause to consider how he differs from the character he plays in Coronation Street, Sean Tully. Since 2003, Sean and, by extension, Antony have become gently omnipresent in the national living room. “I’m not necessarily intense storyline-wise,” he says, “but I am intense schedule-wise. I live at number 11, I’m in the factory and I’m in the pub, so I’m across the exterior and the interiors. Every episode has six scenes in the Rovers. So, I’m there…

SUPPORTED BY When Holly Johnson began the preparations and rehearsals for his first solo tour in 2014, an astonishing 25 years since his first solo record Blast, he decided to perform at least one track from each of the six albums of his authorship that comprise his brilliant back catalogue. The selections from the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood albums that sent Holly to an unparalleled level of global ubiquity for an out gay man in the mid-80s were easy to cherry pick. There is perhaps no stronger three-song finale to rival his incendiary pummel through sex (Relax), war (Two Tribes) and a particularly devastating romantic optimism 80s house pioneer Frankie Knuckles, the 90s French filter maestro Bob Sinclair and a thoroughly modern addition to the queer quick-step, Poisonous Relationship.…

SUPPORTED BY The undisputed grande dame of British Fashion (as well as being an actual dame too) Vivienne Westwood has been causing anarchy on the catwalk for decades. An environmental activist, Vivienne uses her exposure through her fashion shows to articulate her political beliefs, demonstrating that fashion can be much more than clothes. Dame Westwood is vocal about tackling climate change and, clad with a megaphone, has led marches against fracking in the capital city. Most recently, she drove a tank to David Cameron’s house to protest it. Vivienne has sent men down the runway wearing fake breasts and spearheaded an Ethical Fashion Africa collection, which employed thousands of local women to make bags, ensuring that they earned a fair wage in return. Westwood has kept her bonds to Britain…

SUPPORTED BY This year’s Young LGBT Entrepreneur Award goes to two very dashing young brothers from France who came up with the clever idea of creating a career-networking site specifically for the LGBT community. MyGWork.com allows LGBT men and women to search for jobs with employers who promote a diverse and LGBTinclusive environment. It also includes a forum for users to share their experiences and advice with other professionals, as well as giving its members a chance to network via direct messaging, attend networking and career events and keep up to date with the latest LGBT professional news. The idea came after the boys both experienced homophobia in their individual work places. “I worked for a large software vendor in Madrid where I suffered direct bullying from my superiors,” Pierre…

When I speak to Reggie Yates over the phone he is overjoyed and surprised at being named the recipient of the Ally Award at this year’s Attitude Awards. “I’m so proud and excited,” the 32-year-old north Londoner exclaims. “It’s an incredible honour to receive this award. To make programmes that matter is one thing, but to make programmes that resonate with the audience that you’re discussing is the most gratifying aspect.” He should be pleased. His most recent documentary series for BBC Three, Extreme Russia, garnered much buzz in the press and on social media after shedding light on modern day Russian society, culture and politics and showed a new side to the DJ and presenter. The three-part series focused on everything from the country’s extreme nationalism and xenophobia, to…

Q Sometimes I find it really difficult to get myself out of bed in the morning. No matter how long I sleep, I still feel really tired when I wake up. What’s wrong with me? Jonathan, Bristol A There could be many different causes for this, including mood disorders like depression, or even problems with your hormones like thyroid disorders, or with your blood like anaemia. Even simple things like disturbance of your sleep because the room is too hot or your bed is too uncomfortable could all be playing a part. I think the first step is to have a quick general check up with your GP to check there aren’t any underlying medical disorders and then have a quick look at your bedroom arrangements. The idea that we…

Kavon Everett, 21, Bromley, Student I thought Real Bodies would be a fun shoot to do, to just get my thoughts out there about what I think of body imgage. I’ve done modelling stuff before but never anything like this. Before, I didn’t really go to the gym, but recently I’ve been going a lot more. I’ve been more interested in getting my body toned up. I go to the gym in the morning when it’s quiet. I’ll work on cardio, then the rest of my body, building and toning. HEIGHT/WEIGHT 5’7 9.5 STONE 133 POUNDS Diet I EAT WHAT I WANT. I KNOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE 80% WHAT YOU EAT AND 20% GYM WORK, BUT I JUST EAT WHAT I LIKE. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I DO DETOXES…

WHERE ARE ALL MY SEXUALLY FLUID MEN AT? You may have spotted some recent excitement around a YouGov poll revitalising the Kinsey scale of sexuality. Alfred Kinsey was a pioneering bisexual scholar and scientist who spent some of the last century investigating a sliding scale between heterosexuality and homosexuality (1=completely straight, 6=completely gay). In the 2015 render, almost 50% of 18-24 year olds identified somewhere in the middle of his scale. Yay! At first glance, this appeared to be major news. It felt about right. The Guardian ran a sweetly rambling story identifying a nascent generation for whom sexuality is now fluid. The brilliant one man gay think-tank Mark Simpson went further still, announcing it the end of ‘monosexuality’. Yet something about the survey was irking me, an itch I…

IN SOME WAYS MEDITATION HAS BEEN A FOUNDATION FOR MY LIFE. IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S MADE MY LIFE VERY CALM AND PEACEFUL, A WAY TO DEAL WITH THE STRESS. IN THE 60S AND 70S, GAY MEN WERE VERY KEEN TO HELP EACH OTHER BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE A SECRET CLUB. THAT’S PROBABLY WHY MY BUSINESS APPEARED: BECAUSE THERE WAS A NEED FOR IT. I choose to be happy, regardless of what anybody else around me is doing – whereas a lot of people wallow in their self misery. I’m a great believer in letting negative things go: comparing and competing, blame, anger, worry, fear, guilt, regrets – they’re all pointless things. I think you can be happy wherever you are: you don’t have to have silk cushions to be happy, you…