FASHION EDIT!

WHERE YOU
SHOULD SHOP
TO LOOK YOUR
BEST AND SAVE
MONEY

WE TALK TO
DOLLIE DARLING:
BODY POSITIVE TRANS
DRAG QUEEN
and
MAZZ IMAGE:
EVENT COORDINATOR
FOR OXFORD PRIDE

EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW!
MISS KITTY
STRYKER
SPILLS THE T!

Contents

pg. 1:
Why We Need Positive
Queer Representation
pg. 3:
Using They as a
Singular Pronoun
pg. 4/5
Non-Binary Idols

Letter from the Editor

Ladies, gentlemen and variations
thereupon: Welcome to the first
edition of The Unicorn! We have so
much great content for this issue
including interviews with Dollie
Darling, a super talented, up-andcoming drag queen. And with queer
porn producer and performer Miss
Kitty Stryker. Weve created this
magazine to give young, queer
and trans folks a chance to learn
more about their culture in a safe,
accessible environment. When it
comes down to it, weve had an
amazine time putting this together
for you, and we hope you have as
good a time reading it.
Yours queerly,
Sal Creber

pg. 6:
Interview with Miss Kitty
Stryker
pg. 8:
Queer Fashion Edit
pg. 10:
Interview with Dollie
Darling
pg. 13:
Reviews
pg. 15:
Interview with Mazz
Image

Why We Need Positive

Queer Representation

Okay kids lets get one thing straight: positive

queer representation is one of the most
important things were fighting for here at
The Unicorn. It means that were able to see
ourselves on screen, something that is either
denied to us or screwed up by the majority of
heterosexual mainstream media.
One of the main reasons for the denial of
positive representation is that a lot of straight
media doesnt quite seem to grasp that queer
people can actually have decent-ish lives
outside of the middle class, and dont have to
be miserable to be interesting. Obviously this is
something that stems from basic homophobia/
transphobia and desperately needs to change.
In 2013, in 102 productions from 7 major
companies (including Walt Disney and Sony),
only 17 contained an LGBTQ+ character, and
even then these were not necessarily good
representations. Using the criteria for the Vito
Russo Test (the character must be LGBTQ+;
they mustnt solely be defined by their gender/
sexuality; they must be important to the plot;
all of which set the bar pretty bloody low), only
7 of those 17 films actually met the criteria.
And then. THEN. There have only been two
openly transgender characters in films over the
past year, both of which were shown as either
unhappy or severely mentally unstable. The
fact that even recently, the number of LGBTQ+
characters is so low is such a serious problem
within our community and denies us any
chance to see people we can genuinely relate
to on screen and who we dont have to read
into or over-analyse in order to infer that they
could possibly be queer or trans. Because thats
what we have to do: with the painful under/
mis-representation of the LGBTQ+ community
on screen, we are generally forced into
obsessively over-analysing every character who
could potentially be part of the community,
and then get mocked for it by the straight/cis
community who just think that were doing it to
ruin their fun.

No. We do it to find parts of ourselves in the

media that we consume. We can now move on
to talking about the positive part of positive
queer representation. A lot of people seem to
forget this, as the negativity of the majority
of queer representation is key in establishing
the self-worth of LGBTQ+ people, especially
the younger people in the community. And
if the only representations we see are either
sad, lonely, confused, or angry, aggressive
and murderous (see Buffalo Bill in Silence of
the Lambs) LGBTQ+ people on screen, whose
emotions stem from their gender or sexuality,
then the self-worth and esteem of queer and
trans people is clearly not going to be very
high. Our confidence and comfort in ourselves
is also hugely challenged, as its implied that
no matter how happy we are in ourselves,
there is still the potential for something to
snap and turn us into one of the horrendously
sad or aggressive members of our community
that we see on screen. In addition to this, the
tendency of straight media to exploit the
suffering and problems of LGBTQ+ people is
actually something that turns our collective
stomach here at The Unicorn: they use the very
real problems that we face to create a sort of
sadness porn genre, which draws in viewers
with descriptors like heart-breaking and never
shows the positive parts of our community.
This exploitation of LGBTQ+ struggle to create
gritty and realistic storylines is having a serious
effect on the mental health of young queer and
trans people, which is shown in our general
mental health and actions that stem from that.
From studies by GLAAD and Stonewall, its
been show that queer youth are six times more
likely than straight youth to attempt to commit
suicide, and 48% of trans youth try to commit
as well. To be honest this is just unacceptable.
Although increasing the amount of positive
representation may not solve the problem
of trans/queer youth suicide, it will definitely
help to decrease rates and help young LGBTQ+
people to see that they do actually have the
chance to get better and that they will find a
community that will accept them.

Will you help

these gentle
giants?

Only 5000 left in the wild

800 deaths from preventable
threats in 2010
830 poisoned by human-introduced
algae in 2013

http://www.savethemanatee.org/

Using They As A
Singular Pronoun
Gender neutral pronouns. Useful right?
They mean you dont have to worry about
misgendering people; can show off your
knowledge of non-binary genders and you
can be respectful to the people who use them.
Pretty cool. The most popular gender-neutral
pronoun at the minute is they, as in how are
they doing? and whats their name?. This has
been gathering speed over the last few years
and is having an increased level of acceptance
within the LGBTQ+ community as an easy to
remember, respectful pronoun. However, as
with any development in language, especially
in the trans community, there are a whole
bunch of Very Angry People (generally binary
gendered) who think that it is either unneeded
or incorrect. If youre one of these people then
please do continue reading, and if youre not,
then Im going to give you a hand tackling
these aforementioned idiots.
One of the main issues these people have
when using they as a singular pronoun is that
it isnt grammatically correct. Honestly theres
no other way to put this but no, its not wrong,
its a linguistic feature that has been used since
the 15th century in place of the very much not
gender neutral he. The most famous example
of they being used singularly in history is
probably Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, one
of the first widely known authors in Britain
to write in Middle English rather than Latin,
which alone puts him in good standing to set
up some basic grammatical rules. He writes:
And whoso fyndeth hym out of switch blame.
They wol come up. Now although Middle
English isnt the most widespread form of
language anymore, the fact that it was a
precursor to modern English and helped to
develop the way we speak today pretty much
indicates that its been alright for 600 years to
use they as a singular pronoun.

Now the main reason people seem to see

they as only a plural pronoun is that its what
theyre taught in primary school. Theyve
been told by countless (incorrect) authority
figures that a singular they is wrong and to
be avoided, despite the fact it makes perfect
sense in any sentence to describe someone
whose gender hasnt yet been revealed, or
someone who identifies outside the gender
binary.
Anyway, moving on from the grammar issue
which I hope youll agree has been suitably
dealt with, we can now look at the inclusive
properties of gender-neutral pronouns like
they. Although there are a huge amount of
gender neutral pronouns, they is the only
one used in day-to-day language (as opposed
to xe or hir). This automatically makes it
easier for non-trans people to understand
and use it. And yet the majority of them do
not. This rejection of a neutral pronoun is
not only harmful to the people who use it,
it also highlights this wider binarist issue
of the exclusion of non-binary identifying
trans people. The fact is that people who
identify within the binary of male and
female have a tendency to slot everything
else into neat categories as well, and Lord
forbid if something falls outside their boxes,
because then they start to waver from angry
to confused to just plain uncomfortable. Never
mind what the unboxable individuals are
feeling. This confusion or anger generally leads
to a high rate of exclusion and discrimination
towards us poor, unfortunate NB trans people
who are trying to use neutral pronouns to try
and make ourselves feel more comfortable in
a world that is based on a male/female binary
system. Now obviously, I do acknowledge
that any of you binary-identifying individuals
out there might genuinely find it difficult to

remember to use neutral pronouns for your NB

siblings, believe me we know you do, but even
then it hurts. A he or she can feel like a slap
in the face to someone who doesnt fit into the
neat little M or F box, even when they know
that the person isnt trying to be malicious. So
a neutral pronoun is vital if you value being a
kind, inclusive human being. And if you dont?
Well then I dont know why youre reading this
article or this magazine to be honest, because
were here to support people who are eager
to learn new things, or who need a hand
coming to terms with the fact that the whole
world is against them; be it through language
structures or clothing designs: the world is
fundamentally set against NB trans people.
But youre not alone. Here at The Unicorn were
endeavouring to highlight issues for EVERY
part of the LGBTQ+ community, including
those of us who are trans, intersex, asexual or
aromantic. Were here for the minorities within
the minorities too.
Samuel Shanahoy

Papi Coxxx

And to anyone reading this article, who

is in the same, invisible little NB box as
me and countless others will almost
definitely identify with some of the
features in this article, along with the
problem of explaining your identity. Let
alone the damn pronouns to go with it.
But it is a start. Even though you may
only ask a couple of people at first to
use your pronouns, it is definitely worth
it. It means that, if you choose the right
people to come out to, you can have a
little pocket of your world where you are
accepted as you, with the correct gender
for you, rather than having to pretend to
be something that youre not. And this
is why it is important to begin accepting
and frequently using they as a singular pronoun on the part of trans allies,
as although you may not know anyone
who is out as NB, your use of a neutral
pronoun will definitely be noted and will
mark you as a safe person to come out
to.

Non-Binary Idols

Courtney Trouble

Lyric Seal

Quinn Cassidy

Indigo Bleu

Miss Kitty Stryker

(NSFW Content) Being the oldest queer porn

site in America, NoFauxxx.com (established
2002) was set up by Courtney Trouble and has
since flourished into the brilliant production
company TROUBLEfilms. Our cover star for this
issue, and all round awesome human being
is Miss Kitty Stryker, a performer, director,
activist, photographer and editor who has been
working for TROUBLEfilms since 2013. She very
kindly agreed to speak to us here at The Unicorn
about her life, career and involvement in this
revolutionary company.
When did you first start working at Trouble
Films?
MKS: Almost 2 years ago, as a social media
assistant, gradually learning how to work the
cameras, edit photos, and now editing film
myself.

How did you guys come up with and put

together Ban This Sick Filth!?
Over Christmas Courtney and I were
reading about the porn ban in London and
what the impact was going to be. I turned
to Courtney and said we need to write
a blog post about this, and that quickly
evolved into a porn DVD that would seek
to address and challenge the ban. We shot
Banned in the UK Christmas Eve and
Boxing Day in a flurry! Its my directorial
debut and I couldnt be more pleased. Then
we reached out to Pandora Blake to submit
a scene, shot Courtneys First Period
scene on a whim, and included The
Temptation of the High Priestess to round
it out. Even though Im not a pain person,
had never done p**splay before and
usually top, I volunteered to be the bottom
for what would be an intense shoot... and
I had a blast. Getting fisted by Andre and
discussing the legal and social implications
for the ban on fisting at the same time was
a major highlight for me. Also the sheer joy
on Courtneys face during the caning made
bottoming worthwhile.

How has the experience been?

Honestly doing behind the scenes work has
been some of the best job experience Ive
ever had! I love my co-workers, I love how
much Im picking up, and I love the increased
responsibility thats left me feeling like I have
actual movement in the company. Its work I
What was it like meeting such a large
believe in, ethically and politically.
group of cool, like-minded people and
getting to work with them?
How has it affected you in terms of
You have to understand, NoFauxxx (the
confidence and
precursor to TROUBLEfilms) was my first
creativity?
exposure to queer porn. I dreamed as a
My confidence in being a creative partner,
babyqueer that one day I might model for
rather than a logistical one, has been
invaluable to me in other pursuits. Thanks to Courtney... and here I am, working as an
assistant producer! Its kind of incredible
my developed skills of photography, I had
and surreal. I was (and still am!) intimidated
my first gallery show last month displaying
my work. Additionally Courtney Trouble, my by these brilliant folks, but theyre so
boss, has passed along writing and speaking welcoming and inclusive to me and so
interested in raising each other up.
opportunities to me, allowing me to get
better at public speaking and developing/
maintaining a company brand voice.

I feel incredibly privileged to be able to do

my dream job with people who are not just
co-workers but my friends.
Who would be your ideal group of people
to do a film with?
I mean, I work with my ideal people a lot of
the time, which is rad! I do love working with
real life lovers when possible (like Banned
in the UK, where I got to work with my
lover Ned Would), because our chemistry is
excellent and I enjoy having dirty sex while
also showing the love that can be in it. Ive
also really enjoyed working with superpros
like April Flores, Cinnamon Maxxine and
Andre Shakti. Personally I also prefer to do
weird scripts and interesting costumes artporn and porn parody are totes my thing.
Why do you think such a diverse cast is
important?
Representation is hugely important in all
media, and porn is just another aspect of
that. When we consume media, we also
internalise the messages of who we see
doing what. Having a diverse cast, in terms
of race, gender, sexual interests, ability, body
size etc. tells the viewer they dont have to
settle for an insertion character that looks or
acts wildly different from them, that theyre
ok and not alone.
What was the inspiration behind your
Evolve or Die tattoo?
I was in an abusive relationship for three
years, and we had been planning our
wedding. One of the things that I hated
about him was that he stagnated, and a lot
of his abuse towards me came from jealousy
about my mobility. When we broke up and
I realized what I had been submitting to
and justifying, I hated myself and wanted to
commit suicide.
My friends got me through it, and I fled
to Vegas to recover my wounded heart. I
realized that if I wanted to survive,

I needed to take those experiences and

grow from them, not stagnate myself and
end up miserable for years. So the heart is
flesh surrounding clockwork, reminding
me that if I take care of myself I can keep
moving and functioning and heal, that
its ok to be vulnerable and have your
heart on your sleeve when you have that
self-love. The stitches are from a Postal
Service song, which goes your heart
wont heal right if you keep tearing out
the sutures, which reminds me that its ok
to feel pain, and that not pushing it away
helps me get back up and move on. And
the phrase is a reminder that creatures
that are adaptable survive, that multiple
approaches are needed for that survival,
and that personal evolution is vital.

Queer Fashion Edit

Ita a major issue in the queer community,
especially when it comes to trans people:
what to wear. For those who are AMAB
(assigned male at birth), there is the issue
of finding clothing that enables them to
present comfortably as female or neutral.
For those who are AFAB (assigned female
at birth), there is the problem of finding
clothing that conceals hips and breasts
to present comfortable as either male or
neutral. The struggle is real.
One of the issues when it comes to
trans people is passing as their actual
gender, rather than their AAB gender. We
question whether we should have to pass,
or if it just means presenting ourselves
as something that were not in order to
make other people feel more comfortable
when dealing with us as trans people. For
the purpose of this article Im going to
work on this premise: that trans people
should be allowed to dress however
they feel comfortable, but that our
presentation is also an important part of
our identity.
And that is where the clothing problem
comes in. When people say androgynous
clothing, they often think of clothes
that suit slim, white, masculine looking
people, and fit them perfectly, rather
than acknowledging the huge amount of
trans people who dont fit these criteria.
For example, if youre a plus-size trans
person with a small amount of disposable
income, there is the problem of finding
suitable clothing that (a) fits, (b) looks
good and (c), suits how you want to
present. Generally speaking this is more
of a problem for transmasculine people
rather than transfeminine people as
they have the problem of finding mens
clothing that fits around larger hips and
breasts in comparison to finding clothing
that fits slim hips and a flat chest. So
where do you go?

Personally, I would
recommend cheaper,
online shops like
Jacamo, as they have
a wide range of sizes
and styles, and will
almost definitely have
something that will fit
and suit you. Jacamo
also have a free and
easy returns policy
of 28 days, so you
dont have to worry if
your order doesnt fit
properly, or doesnt
look how you expected.
For larger transfeminine
people, there are shops
like Boohoo Plus, which
have a large amount
of super cool, plus-size
clothing, which doesnt
make you look like a
primary school teacher.
The added bonus of
Boohoo is that they
frequently have sales
and opportunities for
free shipping, so you
wont have to worry
about being overcharged for ordering
your clothes online.
And, like Jacamo, they
have a super easy
returns policy.
Both these shops are
cheap, high quality
and easy to order from,
making them perfect
for people who dont
have much money to
spend on clothing but
who still want to look
good.

a fast delivery time. These guys are probably my

favourite clothing company out of all the queerowned brands Ive come across. They have
awesome clothes and accessories with queerpolitical messages and ace designs, all on fabric
that is stretchy and comfortable to wear.
At this point Id also just like to point out
the website xdress.com, who sell really cute
lacy underwear for AMAB people. These
guys are one of very few websites that cater
to transfeminine people, and even though
they only sell underwear, dress-up clothes
and nighties, I suppose its a small win
that transfeminine people are now being
acknowledged and catered to by large-ish
websites. Another website that, although it
is also American, sells a range of clothing for
transfeminine people is Janets Closet. Now, a
quick caveat for this website: it does have the
word crossdresser plastered all over it, which is
a word that we at The Unicorn generally dislike,
however we support its use for people who are
Then, there are shops suitable for people who comfortable and educated as to its implications.
And there is also the issue of a huge amount of
dont come under the plus-size category:
fetish wear to navigate around so be warned
Primark, New Look and Burton are good,
about that. However they genuinely do have a
cheap shops for trans people to shop at and
also afford them the opportunity to try things lot of nice clothing that is designed for AMAB
people, so give it a chance before dismissing it.
on in store. Id also hesitantly recommend
H&M, I use hesitantly because they do have Happy shopping!
a rather unique way of sizing trousers and
jeans. And by unique I mean they pretty much
just close their eyes and whack a number on
whatever pair is closest to them. But apart
from that, if youre anywhere between a size
4 and 14, then the jeans and tops from H&M
are of pretty good quality and are also quite
cheap.
Now, if youre looking for more expensive
option, then theres websites like Wild Fang,
run by friends Irish and Fox in Portland,
Oregon. These guys sell high quality clothing
for tomboys and queer women, which can also
be worn by anyone of any gender.
Theres also Proud Animals, a company run
on BigCartel that sell t-shirts, hats, socks,
trousers and jumpers which riff on a political
pride theme. Theyre clothing comes in a huge
range of sizes and, considering it comes from
America, has a pretty decent shipping rate and

100% Customer Satisfaction

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Shes A Real Doll

For hundreds of years, drag has been a

hugely populqar form of art and gender
expression. From Shakespearian dress
roles to RuPauls Drag Race, it has held
a strange, subversive place in popular
culture. Drag queens have been staple
features in modern LGBTQ+ Pride
parades, and were originally responsible
for the Stonewall Riots in America
alongside Marsha P. Johnson. One drag
queen who also happens to be a friend of
mine is Dollie Darling aka. Benji Dee. Born
in 1998, Dollie started messing about
with drag make-up etc. early last year,
and has developed a small fanbase on
Twitter (@dolliedarling/@beardelacreme)
and Tumblr (@jinkxalicious). Taking time
out from college work and everyday life,
Dollie was kind enough to let me ask her
a few questions about her life and drag
style:
What inspired you to start doing drag?
(DD) The creativity, the ability to become
someone else who you want to be,
escaping your problems
Who are your favourite drag queens?
Why?
Jinkx Monsoon because I love the
balance of humour, Broadway, glamour
and overall-drunkenness that her
character embodies. I find her incredibly
relatable especially since out of drag
she is genderless. Bendelacreme because
I adore burlesque and how through her
terminally delightful

performances she manages to

convey strong political messages
in a fun and quite accessible way.
Varla Jean Merman because she
is such a strong character queen
who is absolutely hilarious and just
genius, her performances inspire
me so much.
How would you define drag?
I would define drag as a character
or look you have created that
you share with the world, usually
for a purpose, whether thats to
look more like another gender, to
entertain, to make money, to make
people laugh, or to look beautiful.
It can be a combination of so many
things and there are so many
different aspects to it. Its art.

What are peoples reactions when

they find out you do drag?
Most people are confused because
Im a trans-boy. They assume only
cisgender men can do drag, and
they often think that a
drag queen is the same as a transwoman.Once I explain it to them
theyre usually pretty cool with it.
How did you get your name?
Well, my drag sister Bunnie Darling
adopted me into her family so thats
where Darling comes from and
thats why Dollie is spelt with an ie
at the end.

What would you say to people

who think that drag is inherently
transphobic?
That they need to watch Paris is
Burning, immediately. And to stop
erasing the fact that trans people
started drag.
Trans people can do drag, and
that the two often intersect. It is
possible to criticisecertain aspects of
something or people involved with
it without branding the thing in its
entirety as transphobic when its not.
Finally, would you ever hope to
perform in drag?
I want to perform in drag as soon
as Im ready, which will probably be
within the next two years.

DRAG FACTS
1. The phrase drag queen first appeared in print in
1941
2. Robert Baden-Powell regularly dressed in drag for
theatre performances
3. Divine was one of the most famous drag queens
(Pink Flamingos; Hairspray)
4. Drag kings are traditionally cis-women who dress up
as men
5. Similar terms for drag are genderfuck and genderbending

Telephone: (0208) 1234819

NEW
COLOURS
NOW
AVAILABLE

Review Time!
The Naked Civil Servant
An autobiography is an obituary in serial form,
with the last chapter missing. After starting life as
a radio interview in 1964, The Naked Civil Servant
was originally published as a novel in 1968 after
a commission from the publishing company
Jonathan Cape. Born in 1908, Quentin Crisp was
an effeminate homosexual, who openly flaunted
his personality and sexuality in England in a time
when homosexuality was vehemently outlawed.
Dying his hair crimson, wearing blouses and open
toed sandals to show off his painted nails, Crisp
worked as a nude model (hence the phrase the
naked civil servant), a rent boy, and a raconteur
in the later years of his life; being in high demand
in both England and America while spreading
his philosophy: Never keep up with the Joneses.
Drag them down to your level. Its cheaper. This
book is an account of his earlier life: with a focus
on his modelling and rent boy careers, and Crisp
captures all of this with his catty remarks and wit.
Oscar Wilde only bitchier.

Transgender Warriors

In all honesty I finished this book in about a

day, couldnt put it down. The way Crisp writes
and jokes about his life is instantly captivating
and makes it very difficult for you not to like
him. His self-deprecation through the whole
thing is something a lot of queer people can
relate really easily to: better to get to the jokes
first than let someone else make them about
you. Reading his descriptions of encounters
with family members, sailors, law enforcement
and other random members of the public, it
really hits home how revolutionary he was:
coming out in 1936 and being so flamboyant
and unapologetic at that time was pretty much
completely unheard of and usually didnt end
well. But here is this peculiar looking man with
purple hair and painted nails who managed to
survive it all and flourish against all the odds,
then joke about his hardships. This book isnt just
a hugely entertaining and amusing read, its also
an insight into this inspirational mad-man and
I would completely recommend it to all of you
reading this review.

two-spirit Native Americans and the hijras of

Written by trans-activist Leslie Feinberg in
India. It was also nominated for the Lambda
1996, Transgender Warriors: Making History
from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman is a century Literary Award for Transgender Writing and
was featured in Sojourners Feminist Books
spanning, massively influential and important
of the Twentieth Century, which gives you a
history of transgenderism and the effect of
pretty good idea of how great this book is. In
these transgender warriors on Feinbergs
understanding of gender and politics. Growing up addition to detailing a wide range of trans and
queer cultures, Feinberg also tells the story of
whilst battling feelings of gender and sexuality
hir life, and how ze discovered and related to
dysphoria and the prejudices of anti-Semitism,
all of these different trans and queer people.
ze spent a large proportion of hir childhood
After hir death in 2014, this book remains as
looking for people similar to hir, who struggled
with their genders, sexuality, religion and political relevant as it was 19 years ago, and is still one of
the best and most interesting works chronicling
views. Describing hirself as a working-class,
trans and queer history and culture, PLUS it is
secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female,
a comprehensive, easily accessible book which
revolutionary communist, Feinberg spent time
presenting as male to secure better jobs that were would be perfect for anyone with an interest in
the history, culture and politics of trans-people
closed to hir when solely presenting as a butch
across the globe.
woman; ze also took testosterone for a while
during this period, which added to hir already
masculine presentation. Transgender Warriors
takes a look at gender variant people around the
world, from the working-class Welsh men who
wore dresses to protest taxes (one of my favourite
bits in the book), to the

The Boys in the Band

This film is amazing. Properly amazing. I love it.
And I hope you will love it too. Not only was it one
of the first films that didnt end with the death
of a queer (that was pretty much all we had to
look forward to when it came to representation
before that, a nice miserable suicide to prove how
terrible we were and to discourage any potential
queers), it also highlights how ridiculous overly
masculine product marketing is (This hairspray
has for men written on it about a hundred times
its called a homosexual panic) and highlights
issues with religion (youre a homosexual.not
all your prayers to your God can change that),
polyamory and racism in the process of being
genuinely funny and accurate. You have Harold,
the self-described pockmarked Jew fairy, whose
birthday party it is; Michael, a self-hating Roman
Catholic recovering alcoholic; Donald, who is my
favourite character, if only for his reference as
the anxious queer in Michaels line Im hosting a
party for six tired screaming fairy queens and one
anxious queer; Emory, the token overly effeminate
queeny character; Bernard, a black man who spends
most of his time trying to control Emory or crying
in the corner; Larry, a promiscuous guy who is in a
relationship with Hank, a recently divorced bisexual
with vague issues concerning his sexuality.

Pride
Looking for a film about a large group of gay
people helping a political cause because theyre
decent human beings? Who combat homophobia
via disco dancing? Who challenge the stigma of
AIDS? Well here it is. Released last year, Pride
gathers up an awesome cast of British and Irish
actors to relive the true story of LGSM (Lesbians
and Gays Support the Miners), a group of queer
people who decide to start raising money, led by
the indomitable Mark, to assist the out of work,
striking miners in the mid-80s.
After locating a tiny village in Wales whose local
committee are willing to accept money from
these perverts, they go down there and bond
with several members of the community and give
them all the money they make from on-the-street
fundraising and the Pits and Perverts concert.
Among these community members are Cliff,
adorably played by Bill Nighy, who is a closeted,
shy gay man (something that is revealed about
halfway through the film and is received by
Imelda Staunton as something shed known since
1968)
Another fab performance is Dominic West as
Jonathan Blake, the second person diagnosed
with AIDS in the UK,

Finally, there is Michaels friend Alan, who is so

straight (and straight-laced), it does sometimes
hurt to look at him, and is also unaware that
Michael and his friends are gay before crashing
the party that is being held for Harolds birthday.
He is also the main cause of tension in the film,
along with Michael, as he successfully gives
Emory a bloody lip after screaming fa**ot at him
and going on to vomit upstairs at the abundance
of happy gay men surrounding him. Other than
the token homophobe, the other characters are
all incredibly diverse in their levels of general
mental health and comfort with their sexuality.
Self-deprecation, bitchiness and confusion
abound when they are all left alone by Alan (who
is still vomiting upstairs), giving a pretty accurate
depiction of groups of gay men. It is also worth
noting that, although Michael does comfortably
fill the role of the self-hating queer (and a racist
one at that), and that Emory does fit the sissy
stereotype, this film was dealing with queer
issues when nobody else was, and gave audiences
a chance to see a very accurately written group of
gay men being at ease with themselves (for the
most part), and for that it should be appreciated
and recognised.

and the person also responsible for an iconic

disco scene which causes LGSM to be accepted
almost completely into the village community.
Among the other characters are Steff, the
gobby Northern lesbian; Joseph, a baby gay
who isnt out to his family, who think hes at
pastry school; and Sian, the loveable, sweet
wife of one of the miners, who is completely
open to introducing LGSM to everyone is and
is consistently kind to everyone there. In real
like, Sian James went on to become the first
female MP for Swansea East.
The film also accurately presents queer life in
the 1980s, and gives each character a great
amount of development and depth which
a lot of queer characters in straight driven
films lack. Obviously thanks to this being
a queer character driven and political film
poor character development isnt an issue.
Although the film may be totally lacking in
characters of colour and the trans element of
LGBTQ+ Pride, it is genuinely heart warming
and has an ending at the London Pride Parade
that reduced me to (happy) tears.

The Unicorn talks to:

Mazz Image
Born in Australia, but living in Oxford since
times frustrating but the whole experience
2006 (via San Francisco), Mazz Image is the
of working towards a goal with a team of
event and parade coordinator for Oxford
likeminded people is very rewarding.
Pride and has been working on its committee
since 2008. She has published a book which How did you go about planning the
showcases 15years of the Sydney Gay &
parade as it looks like a huge task?
Lesbian Mardi Gras (parade, parties and
One of my favourite events to photograph
festival events) and has produced 2 short art is a Pride Parade, but Oxford didnt have
films based on pride event photos. In addition one. The pride committee, which at the time
she has also photographed (and exhibited)
consisted of 2-3 guys, said if I wanted to look
at other pride events such as London, Paris, into organizing a parade they would support
Rome, Milan, Berlin, Montreal, San Francisco, the event. I stated planning for it. It was
Las Vegas ....and more. After asking Mazz if
very exciting. Then came the AGM (Annual
shed be able to take time out of her hugely General Meeting). I was elected chair with a
busy schedule to ask a few questions for this full committee of eager volunteers.
article, we talked via email and here are the
results...
How and when did you get involved with
Pride here?
MI: Im very passionate about LGBT visibility
and celebration so I actively searched for
signs of the gay village or community in
Oxford. I was delighted one day to look down
from the end of the Queen Street shops
to see a rainbow flag flying on a pink pub
on Castle Street. After returning from my
annual pilgrimage to Sydney Mardi Gras I
was chatting to the bar maid about Pride in
Oxford. Later that night she introduced me
to one of the founding committee members
and we talked for hours about all things
pride, both from a local and an international
perspective.
How has it been?
All went really well so the following year,
having secured 5k sponsorship quite early,
I started working on a 10 day art & culture
festival. It has been a challenging and at

Why do you think Pride is important?

Oxford Pride, the parade and the umbrella
style festival is a celebration of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and queer life
in Oxfordshire. The events supporting
or arranged by Oxford Pride promote
awareness of LGBT issues by providing
information, education and entertainment
in a safe and encouraging environment.
Oxford Pride is a membership based nonprofit organisation run by a dedicated team
of volunteers.

OXFORD PRIDE KEY FACTS

1. Began May 3rd in Oxpens Field
2. Recieved charity status in
March 2013
3. The parade first started in 2008
4. The 10 day arts and culture
festival first began in 2010
5. This years Oxford Pride is on
June 6th

2015

PARADE STARTS AT 12 NOON

MEETING POINT: SHIP STREET

 The Unicorn