Straight talking

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Courtesy of Ian Betteridge, this is Oliver Hotham‘s interview with Straight Pride UK which was pulled by WordPress at the request of Straight Pride. 

For more details of what happened, see here.

There has never been a better time to be gay in this country. LGBTI people will soon enjoy full marriage equality, public acceptance of homosexuality is at an all time high, and generally a consensus has developed that it’s really not that big of a deal what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms. The debate on Gay Marriage in the House of Commons was marred by a few old reactionaries, true, but generally it’s become accepted that full rights for LGBTI people is inevitable and desirable. Thank God.

But some are deeply troubled by this unfaltering march toward common decency, and they call themselves the Straight Pride movement.

Determined to raise awareness of the “heterosexual part of our society”, Straight Pride believe that a militant gay lobby has hijacked the debate on sexuality in this country, and encourage their members, among other things, to “come out” as straight, posting on their Facebook page that:

“Coming out as Straight or heterosexual in todays politically correct world is an extremely challenging experience. It is often distressing and evokes emotions of fear, relief, pride and embarrassment.”

I asked them some questions.

Continue reading Straight talking →

Reykjavík Boulevard

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The cover of Issue 01 of Reykjavík Boulevard
The cover of Issue 01 of Reykjavík Boulevard

Niccolò Scelfo is a photographer from Florence in Italy who visited Iceland on a road trip in 2012. As so often happens, he fell in love with the place and had soon found himself a house in Reykjavík from where he runs his new web-based art magazine, Reykjavík Boulevard:

“I thought about building a platform for curious people, trying to share stories and discover the world through the eyes and projects of people. I started interviewing famous directors at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, then bands at Iceland Airwaves and many other stories came up. I realized the website and tried to release a magazine about that.”

Issue 00 was launched as a trial a few months ago and received a lot of positive feedback, and so after a lot of hard work and dedication by Niccolo and his small, mostly Italian editorial team, he has this morning launched issue 01 which you can read here. Featured in the current issue are the Icelandic singer Íris, who played at the London launch of Iceland, Defrosted, several other Icelandic and international artists and musicians, and there’s a small feature on some London based photographer who is photographing Icelanders in London…

Go and have a look – it’s a beautifully put together magazine, and you might even learn a little more about yours truly!

More Icelanders

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Helgi and his songbook
Helgi and his songbook

Last Saturday I had a photoshoot with some more Icelanders living here in London. Four of them are all members of the same choir, and kept spontaneously breaking out into song during the shoot. As we were at The Scoop, an open-air theatre outside London’s City Hall, the acoustics were perfect for such musical activities, and we all had a great time.

The photos from the shoot have now been added to my Icelanders in London site, so please feel free to admire the Icelandic cheekbones on display.

Out of the freezer

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Iceland, Defrosted (cover)

When you’re as obsessed with a place like Iceland as much as I am, the people you meet who share that obsession become firm friends very quickly. One such person is Ed Hancox, whom I met online via Twitter and in person at Iceland Airwaves last year, and like me he likes to write about his experiences in Iceland. Unlike me, however, he has published a book.

The book is called ‘Iceland, Defrosted’ and is unlike any other travel book I’ve come across. It’s not a tourist guide, more an anthology of stories and anecdotes from his many, many trips to Iceland (and one trip to Hull!). I’ve only read the first four or so chapters so far, but have been taken in by his charming prose and wit. He has explored Iceland far wider and far deeper than I have, and has spoken to several people who live there, giving his stories much more to them than his own viewpoint.

You can buy the book from Amazon at this link. I’d highly recommend it based on what I’ve read so far (and on the reactions from others who have already finished the book). I’m looking forward to delving further into Ed’s Icelandic adventures.