lesbian ‣ The Gayly Mirror

A Gentleman Jack, the answer to lesbian relationships

21May

By Roberta MooreNo Comments

closeUp, Lifestyle

A Gentleman Jack, the answer to lesbian relationships

Love has become a misconception in the 21st century as ‘having to marry the right sort of person’. What is the right sort of person ? Financially secured, come from a good family, well mannered and presented, career ambitious, successful and all round what society perceives as perfection. In the lesbian community, there are far too many of us that settle for second best because we feel that what we are looking for does not exist. What most of us seek is a gentleman jack. A woman who would catch us when we fall and would provide the emotional support one needs. The lesbian bars are filled with ill mannered, poorly dressed and behaved women. Women who are far too concerned about the drama and who they are going to jump into bed with next. Whatever happened to desiring what we act...

I will not call you anything else but ‘she’ and ‘he’

18May

By Roberta MooreNo Comments

closeUp, Lifestyle

I will not call you anything else but ‘she’ and ‘he’

She, he, they, her, his... why should we complicate our lives? Scientifically there are only two genders: male and female. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and begin by opening this dialogue with ‘what if someone considers themselves to be gender fluid ?’. Gender fluidity is a paradox, in layman terms it is self contradictory. For example, you cannot support gender equality and claim that gender is non-binary. If we are to debate this topic scientifically then let’s use a relatively easy case. If you are to receive urgent medical care then how on earth is the doctor supposed to guess your gender ? Would you as a woman or man claim to be the opposite gender, therefore injecting you with a lethal dose of medication ? Scientifically we all observe two genders but chose to be neither one or b...

A man in women’s clothing is no lesbian’s wet dream

16May

By Roberta Moore2 Comments

closeUp, Lifestyle

A man in women’s clothing is no lesbian’s wet dream

What you see, might not always be real. My first experience of a sexual assault in a lesbian bar did not come from a woman but from a man dressed as if he was to attend an upmarket soiree - instead, he was roaming the dark, pink and fruitful Candy bar down Deen Street. He dressed in an elegant olive green satin blouse tucked into tight off white slim fitted trousers with heels that were fit for a ball. He wore a light brown wig with ginger highlights and a dark but elegant red lipstick. My initial thoughts were ‘what is he doing in a lesbian bar ?’. Though he looked better than most lesbians in the term of dress sense, he had no place in a lesbian bar if he was to grope women and grope he did. I was thrown against the black railings outside the bar, his hand laying firmly on my pelvis whi...

Film recommendation – Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)

7May

By rebeccaNo Comments

closeUp, Entertainment

Film recommendation – Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)

Watch this stunning French lesbian period drama. This ravishing story of female passion and desire set in 18th-century France is a beautiful masterpiece about love, creativity and the power of just looking. Or, as director Céline Sciamma says, it is about the ‘gaze’ (or is that the – female – gays?). It is a sumptuous love story set in 18th-century France. Artist Marianne must secretly paint the portrait of countess’s daughter Héloïse in the hope it will find her a wealthy husband, although Héloïse doesn’t want to be married – or painted. Nevertheless, a burgeoning attraction between artist and subject develops. Exploring women’s roles in society within a historical context, Sciamma has crafted a poignant, exquisite portrait of female desire and solidarity. Portrait of a Lady on Fir...

Film recommendation – Nina’s Heavenly Delights

7May

By rebeccaNo Comments

closeUp, Entertainment

Film recommendation – Nina’s Heavenly Delights

This is a fun, low-budget film set in the Indian community of Glasgow. It’s a feast of romance, family dynamics and glorious curries with queer representation ahead of its times. It’s not going to become one of your classics, but it makes for a fun night in, and is available to rent on Vimeo. Nina returns home for her father’s funeral, having fled Glasgow to escape an arranged marriage. She mourns her father, an award-winning chef who taught her everything she knows about cooking curries. She decides to try to save her father’s restaurant and win The Best of the West Curry Competition in his honour. But to do so, she must work with Lisa, who co-owns the restaurant. As they practise their dishes, a friendship develops between them and romantic sparks fly. But can Nina let herself go, ...

Relate and Relations: The excluded minority

7May

By Roberta MooreNo Comments

closeUp, Lifestyle

Relate and Relations: The excluded minority

Coming out of older lesbians. We focus primarily on the coming out stories of the younger generation but what we forget to acknowledge is that it is the past generations that have paved the way for today’s acceptance of the LGBT community across Western societies. My goal was to research on how the older lesbians perceive the rose to fame lesbian community. I had found a lady that I had met at a monthly meet-up in London’s famous Retro Bar. Little did I know, the story I was seeking was about to open an entirely new chapter parallel to my initial works. I had carefully prepared triggering questions only to find myself engulfed and thrown deep into the life of an individual, who at first glance one would consider to be your usual Londoner having her well deserved pint after a long day at w...

Being fat in an unloved community: Are we deserving of a fairytale ending ?

4May

By Roberta MooreNo Comments

closeUp, Health, Lifestyle

Being fat in an unloved community: Are we deserving of a fairytale ending ?

Love is difficult enough without having physical constraints that prevent good first impressions. As a lesbian, it is harder to find your soulmate. We are limited in our small community and having to work with a bare minimum is always a challenge. Does the fairy tale ending exist for us ? I have spent many sleepless nights consumed by diving into my imagination of spending moments with my soulmate. Like many women, I dream of a wedding filled with sharing love and happiness with friends and family. It wasn’t until in the early hours of Thursday morning that I had decided to watch an episode of Australian ‘Married at First Site’. I fell upon a lesbian couple called Amanda and Tash. Their wedding melted my heart. The smiles, the giggles, the happiness all around was magical; it gave...

Italy – when homosexuality is compared to mental illness.

21Apr

By RaffaNo Comments

closeUp, News

Italy – when homosexuality is compared to mental illness.

Wedding is NULL because his wife is Lesbian. This is what happens in Apulia, south of Italy, in a beautiful region reach of history, art, great food and breathtaking beaches, where religion is way too strong to sometimes stop homophobia, and where Anna - this is the name of this unlucky character - found her self to be considered guilty of “mental illness” simply because she understood and accepted she was Lesbian. She has been married to Antonio for over 10 years, gave him three beautiful children and slowly, with an inner struggle, she finally understood and accepted her homosexuality, but for the Apulian Ecclesiastical Court and for the Cassation this has been recognized as a disabling reason for the marriage and therefore for its immediate dissolution through the Roman Rota. Th...