A Straight Bloke's View
"the gays are trying to get our kids."
"gay equality will get officially buggered"
"our local class of paedophile in the UK is rarely well dressed"
"the controversial Gay Marriage Bill"
"us straight people in the West must check our stereotypes"
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Crisis in Russia: two brutal murders for being gay within weeks. One man was stabbed to death by neighbours, and a younger man was beaten to death with rocks after coming out.
The rise in attacks is happening as President Putin wages war on gays and lesbians. His government has banned Pride marches and is trying to bring in a new anti-gay law. And this Tuesday, a major Russian gay organisation will go on trial to fight closure.
Putin is getting away with the crackdown because there’s little international media attention and no real pressure from other world leaders.
We can work to get the crisis on the to do list of every world leader and onto the front pages of newspapers. I’ve just signed a big, global petition with All Out. Can you sign too before the trial on Tuesday?
“Apparently black and white pictures of a naked Madonna exploring bestiality was taking it all a step too far”.
We’re a little bit in love with Michael Griffiths.
Unless you’re in Australia, New Zealand, New York or (soon to be) Edinburgh, there’s a chance you may not know who he is. This will change, of this we’re certain.
Michael is a singer, pianist, composer and musical arranger. He’s also becoming a bit of a musical theatre mainstay down under, currently performing as Bob Crewe in Jersey Boys after touring in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and We Will Rock You.
His acclaimed one man cabaret In Vogue: Songs By Madonna was commissioned for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2011 and has since been performed in Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Auckland, Brisbane and Hobart.
Imagine then how moist we got to see that this August, he’s coming to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with In Vogue: Songs By Madonna; and will be performing in the incredible Edinburgh Playhouse which is just opposite our house.
Between figuring out if we’ll be leaving him boxes of hair or little envelopes of toenail clippings nightly, we managed to grab a quick word with him to see how he’s feeling about it all.
Tell us a little bit about you? How did you get into performing?
I grew up listening to pop music, playing the piano and singing – I was a terrible show off! I ended up studying music composition at University but was secretly doing amateur musicals on the side until one day I realised performing was much more fun than composing so I went to drama school and have been working in musicals ever since. Cabaret is a new venture for me and I’m loving it.
How did the show come about?
My best friend Dean Bryant is a writer/director who’d already had a lot of success in cabaret (his show ‘Liza on an E’ debuted to great acclaim in the West End earlier this month) and one day out of the blue he suggested we should work on a one-man show together. Pop music has always been my first love and Madonna came quickly to my mind. We’re both gay men who grew up in the 80s so it was a no brainer really!
What made you decide to bring the show to Edinburgh and how do you think audiences will respond to it here?
I’ve been wanting to visit the Edinburgh Fringe forever. I grew up in Adelaide (which has the second biggest Fringe festival in the world) and as a cabaret performer Edinburgh is a rite of passage so this will be my first time and I’m incredibly excited. I did New York last year but really that was just my out-of-town tryout. I’m hoping audiences respond to it there as well as they have down under – if you’re a Madonna fan you’ll get every gag!
It’s fairly tongue in cheek but addresses the fact that Madonna is quite an underrated lyricist. Have you forgotten that she once said: “My father had to go to work, I used to think he was a jerk?”.
OK so Madge doesn’t always get it right, have you seen ‘Swept Away’? How about her cover of ‘American Pie’? Whoops!! When you’ve been around as long as she has you’re bound to miss the mark now and then. Let’s not forget this is the artist who wrote the unforgettable lyrics to the pop classics ‘Vogue’, ‘Express Yourself’ and ‘Like A Prayer’.
I’m sure you get asked this all the time, but what’s your favourite Madonna track and why?
I adore ‘Human Nature’. When the saucy coffee-table ‘SEX’ book came out it seemed like the entire media turned on her. Apparently black and white pictures of a naked Madonna exploring bestiality (but the dog looks like he’s enjoying it!) was taking it all a step too far. Rather than apologise, she hit back with this defiant little number sporting a killer hip-hop bass line. The perfect blend of pop and confession and it’s one of her best video clips.
There are over 2800 other shows to choose from during the Fringe, why should our readers come to see yours?
If your readers have a soft spot for cabaret and the Queen of Pop herself, look no further! It’s your favourite songs as you’ve never heard them before. It’s also a lot of fun. There was a rumour going around a while back that Kabbalah frowns upon foreskins. A few cheeky lyric substitutions and suddenly ‘Cry Baby’ from the ‘I’m Breathless’ album is all about Madge insisting Guy Ritchie have an adult circumcision. Ouch!
Finally, we like to highlight people of significant achievement from the global LGB or T community. Who is your LGBTicon, and why?
I have been a Pet Shop Boys fan since ‘West End Girls’ was a huge hit down here in Oz in the 80s. They are my idols. The fact they are still doing what they want, exactly how they want to is nothing short of inspirational. I’m eagerly anticipating the new album.
Buy tickets for In Vogue: Songs By Madonna
We can’t wait!
Here’s a fascinating snapshot of general global attitudes to homosexuality taken from a recent survey from the Pew Research Centre. It hit 39 countries and 37,653 people over a two month period this Spring. There’s a few surprises in there, though it also paints a fairly bleak picture for many countries.
“The tabloids complain about her looking old, and people laugh at her for that. Then Madonna goes and fixes her face, and they laugh at her for that. Even thought they begrudgingly say she looks amazing, they’ll still laugh at her for trying to look young. Then she steps out, looking amazing, and the tabloids go and blow up a picture of her aging hand. Nobody’s doing that to George Clooney, blowing up pictures of his hands! I look at these magazines, and I want to say to them, What’s your point? That she’s aged? Does that surprise you? Or is your ‘point’ an attempt to undercut what she’s achieved? I think it is, even if it’s on a subconscious level. And you probably wouldn’t turn down those hands if they were grabbing you under the table, you fucking idiots.”
Shirley Manson
“It is time we stand up for what is right and support people who are being harmed. Every person on this planet has a right to be true to themselves, to love and be loved, and to be happy”.
Barry Church-Woods
A couple of weeks ago, I was given the rare opportunity to sit down and have a chin-wag with a bona-fide fully fledged gay icon.
Considered one of the top ten rugby players in the world, Ben Cohen is a champion for equality and the Chief Executive of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, an organization that works to combat the lifelong effects of bullying. He’s also a model in his spare time; as you do.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect with my first meeting. Sportsmen are a bit out of my comfort zone and I always get a little bit gangly in the speech department when I’m in the company of good-looking men. Ask my husband. I’m like a muppet whenever he looks into my eyes. (Marriage saved). Now back to Mr Handsome.
As it turns out, he’s one of the humblest people I’ve met in a long time. He appreciates all he’s achieved, the platform he’s been given and adores his wife and kids. Family is key to what he’s doing with his life.
In November 2000, Cohen’s father Peter Cohen, was fatally injured while protecting an attack victim at the Eternity nightclub in Northampton which he managed. He died a month later from head injuries sustained in the assault. Three men were found guilty of violent conduct.
Reflecting on how that particular time impacted his life and that of his family he knew that he wanted to make a difference. He was also alarmed as more and more stories of injustice emerged.
“I’ve heard from many fans and friends how bullying has impacted their lives, and I am moved to make a difference for them. Parents have written to me, sharing painful stories about how their children, who might be perceived to be different, are ruthlessly attacked and scared of their own schools.
It is time we stand up for what is right and support people who are being harmed. Every person on this planet has a right to be true to themselves, to love and be loved, and to be happy”.
Without a doubt, Cohen is the sort of man that can make a difference. He’s already doing it. He believes that everyone 
deserves the right to be treated with respect and dignity and is more than comfortable with his status as a swoon-worthy pin up for the gays. He’s flattered by it, but most importantly, he knows its power.
Recounting the time when he discovered the value of the pink pound (or dollar to be more precise), his real currency took value when an image of him in just shorts hit a friends’ Facebook page. Within a few hours it had 39,000 ‘likes’, mostly from men. And not Rugby fans. So why is this relevant? The answer is simple.
It’s a source of income.
Over the next couple of years, Ben hopes to build a powerful social-commerce brand, like Livestrong or (RED), to unlock profits that are donated to help people who are bullied. Profits from his calendars, t-shirts, underwear and much more are shared with the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation which currently funds 13 projects in the UK and the US, all with an aim to reduce bullying by education, intervention and tackling injustices as they arise.
A quick glance at the foundations portfolio of philanthropy shows major support for Camp Pride, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, The Boys Club of New York, BeLong To, Bully Free Zone and other peer based schools initiative with genuine sustainable results.
Not bad for an organization still in it’s infancy, and looking at his board of directors, with representation from Microsoft, Coke, The CDC, It Gets Better and the Scissor Sisters, it’s clear that the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation isn’t even touching the sides of what it will eventually do for every single one of us that’s ever been made to feel that we’re wrong for whatever our difference is.
As for why I actually met him, that’s a very big but brilliant secret; one I’ll keep you informed of in the coming months.
“I believe we are nearing that moment in time when athletes lead the way as role models for fairness once again”
Billy Bean
Former Major League Baseball player Billy Bean, who has been an advocate for LGBT rights in sports since coming out in 1999, has been named vice chairman of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.
The group was started by former pro rugby player Ben Cohen to fight homophobia in sports. The foundation issued this release: The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation announced that former Major League Baseball player Billy Bean has been named vice-chairman of its board. He will focus on helping professional leagues and athletes at all levels commit themselves to the fairness, equality, dignity and respect that defines true sportsmanship.
The Foundation, founded and chaired by rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen, MBE, is the world’s first dedicated to anti-bullying and equality in sports. “We believe it sends a powerful signal to all athletes and fans to see two highly accomplished professional sports stars, one straight and one gay, join forces to advance the acceptance and inclusion reshaping sports today,” said Patrick T. Davis, chief executive officer of StandUp.
Bean played major league baseball from 1987 through 1995. He broke into the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers, and tied a major league record with four hits in his first major league game. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. He kept his personal life a secret from the public and the sports world, before coming out as gay in 1999. “I want people to learn from my pain and journey, not repeat it. My dream is to help end this social epidemic called bullying that so many kids are subjected to each and every day in locker rooms and on playing fields,” Bean said. “I believe we are nearing that moment in time when athletes lead the way as role models for fairness once again. I am honored to serve StandUp as vice-chairman to help make that dream a reality.”
“Billy has worked tirelessly to dispel the myths and stereotypes that follow LGBT athletes. We can think of no better way to help create understanding, respect and real sportsmanship than from one major league athlete to another. It is at our core, and Billy will extend our work in professional sports,” said Cohen.
