Tag Archives: lesbian scene

Drag queens: the bridge between queer men and women

As a fan of drag queens and the art of drag, I have always wondered: do other lesbians love drag as much as I do? Why aren’t there more drag kings?

As a loyal fan of Rupaul’s Drag Race and ~~an avid stalker~~ a fan of several drag queens on social media, it’s hard not to notice that the fans are mainly gay men. So why isn’t there a bridge between queer men and women when it comes to drag?

Lesbian Drag fans, are you out there?

I have tried time and time again to reach out and find others who, like me, feel like drag is the ultimate art form; a way to connect us all through music, dance and comedy. And, after hours of reading comments and Facebook posts, there really is only a few of us out there who have the same opinion as me about drag.

Why? Perhaps the majority of lesbians just don’t feel that connected to most drag queens.

I get that it can be hard to have to go through the struggles and daily hurdles we as women have to go through to then see someone else portraying an exaggerated and over the top version of what it means to be a woman and take all the fame, credit and praise for it.

On the other hand, historically, drag has had a bigger gay following than lesbian one. As time passed, we drifted further apart until this day. But why hasn’t there a larger lesbian “fan-base” from the start?

And this leads me to my next question: where are all the drag kings?

Are the kings missing…or just not in sight?

Perhaps it’s my mistake to think that the number of drag kings is much lower than the number of drag queens and perhaps, this is in fact a matter of visibility. There’s no America’s Next Top Drag King on TV, nor there is this big celebration of drag when it comes to women performing as men.

It is always seen as a dirty taboo if a woman deliberately lets go of her own femininity. So are we actually faced with a huge double-standard where femininity in a man is praised while masculinity in a woman is frowned upon?

Maybe our big break is still to arrive! Who’s to say that soon our own RuPaul will become a huge star and put drag kings back on the map. Perhaps, sooner rather than later drag kings will become as mainstream as drag queens!

Whether it happens tomorrow or 30 years from now, I am sure the day will come.

Until then, I will be binging Drag Race and stalking Adore Delano’s Instagram (seriously, I need some help).

21 Undeniable Adult Truths

As a kid all we wanted to do was grow up and become an adult, now that we’re all adults — term loosely used of course — we’d love to go back to the day of being a kid.

Here are 21 truths about being and adult that are spot on!

1. Part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning joined up writing really necessary?

7. Google maps really needs to start their directions on number 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my street.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu-Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection, again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

16. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

18. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent an idiot from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

20. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their mobile phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1 .7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

13 Pitfalls Of Being Solo For The First Time At A Lesbian Bar

For many, going to a bar solo is akin to going to work in just our underwear: an embarrassing and painfully awkward experience.

But if you’re a solo-traveller who also happens to enjoy your adult beverages, frequenting bars without a date is a great skill to master.

1. You allow yourself to get emotionally attached to the first girl who looks in your direction.

2. You pull the “fake texting” move instead of striking up a conversation.

3. You overdo the coolness.

4. You get stuck in a conversation with the girl going through a “really tough breakup right now.”

5. For some crazy reason, you become totally intimidate by every women in there.

6. You’re a femme, but you felt the need to butch it up to get hit on.

7. You turn the conversation in an awkwardly sexual direction.

8. Your flirting enters into creepy territory.

9. You forget to smile.

10. You get way too drunk.

11. You accidentally insult the mixologist behind the bar, meaning you’re not getting served for the rest of night unless you leave a big tip.

12. You fail to send out those “single” vibes.

13. You over do the staring.

The whole situation is completely overwhelming. You don’t know whether to drunk-cry or just go home.

Best solution?

2015 Sees Surge In Homophobic Attacks In London

According to data from the Metropolitan police, homophobic crimes have surged by nearly a third in London in the past year.

The data comes from the force’s latest annual crime figures – which allow types of reports to be broken down by borough and by crime type.

Overall, homophobic crime has risen, year on year, 29.3% in the capital. However this may be a result of more reports of crimes, however it does signify a worrying trend.

Racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks all also saw a rise – though the number of homophobic incidents recorded was nearly double those of Islamophobic crimes, and three times the number of anti-Semitic crimes.

The Met states:

A Homophobic Offence is any offence which is perceived to be homophobic by the victim or any other person, that is intended to impact upon those known or perceived to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual.”

Westminster and Vauxhall, two of London’s main LGBT areas have been revealed as having the most homophobic hate crimes reported.

Both locations are known to home the majority of London’s LGBTI spaces. Crimes in Westminster have soared 23% while in Lambeth, which homes Vauxhall’s gay scene, anti-gay crimes have risen 25%.

When Hackney, which homes another important LGBTI centre (Shoreditch) is included in the number of crimes reported up to July 2015 rises to 406 – over 1 crime per day.

Of course these figures do not reflect the true scale of the problem – as many crimes against LGBTI’s go unreported. Research from University of Leicester’s Centre for Hate Studies reveals that 88 per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people had experienced some form of hate incident and that over 35,000 of these crimes go unreported across the UK.

Shockingly some boroughs have seen increases of up to 217% (Bromley) and 185% in Croydon. Almost every borough has seen an increase of anti-gay crimes.

Is the LGBTQ Social Scene Divided by Race and Gender?

Growing up in Delaware, going to school in Mississippi, and currently living in New York City, Femi Redwood has a unique perspective on the gender and racial divide in the LGBTQ community.

5 Lesbian Archetypes at the Gay Bar

Go into any gay bar and you’ll find different kinds of lesbian barflies. Here are just a handful:

Gay Bar Hater: She’d rather be at home watching TV, but her mates have dragged her out and she is having an awful time. Here body language is negative: she’ll be tutting, rolling her eyes and frowning. She’ll be trying to drink her Bacardi and Coke as fast as possible in order to start enjoying herself – not that that will happen as long as she’s in the gay bar.

Under-Rager: Before she gets barred for drinking too many shots, the under-rager would have had sex with the hot peroxide blonde in the toilet. Usually has a black X on each hand.

Plastic Dyke: Another common type, the plastic dyke likes to wear a bandana, tight trousers, studded belts and a blazer or bomber jacket. Her hair is fixed with various kinds of pomade and hairspray and she likes to pose as often as possible.

The Faux Straight: Her high heels and too-much make-up give off the signal that she might be too pretty to be gay, but appearances can be deceptive. In reality she can’t wait to be banged by the masculine gals and her eyes will wander in that direction while she sips her cocktail.

The Recent Convert: She’s just come to terms with who she really is sexually, but she’d very inexperienced. She’s enthusiastic enough but she has no clue about how to seduce a woman so every time she tries to subtly check out the talent, it is obvious to the whole bar what she’s up to. Having made the switch from straight to gay relationships, she sincerely hopes that every dalliance with a girl she has will be fulfilling, long-term and life-changing. How sweet and naïve!

The Missfit’s Carnival – London’s Newest Lesbian Night

Tomorrow night is Carnival Night, so today we made it our mission to meet up with one-half of the fantastic duo behind the lesbian event taking London by storm – Effi Mai.

KitschMix: So, guys who are Missfit? Can your tell our readers more about the team behind the events?

Effi Mai: Missfit started last year when my flatmate (Sandra Davenport) and I wanted to do more for the queer girl scene. We wanted to put on nights that didn’t have to cost the earth, and create something where everyone would feel comfortable – could have a good dance, and drink some tequila.

KM: And the name?

EM: The name was Sandra’s idea, a few drinks and boom – Missfit.

KM: So, it was drink inspired?

EM: No – not at all. If you’re part of LGBTQ scene, you’ll know we’re all different. We’re individuals, we’re brilliant, but we can be considered Missfit by the rest of society. So that’s how the name and the event came about.

KM: So what events do the Missfit put on?

We do a monthly club night, which is actually called ‘Missfit’, where we play the songs people want to dance and sing along too. This event appears randomly all over London.

Otherwise we do big nights – like the Lesbian Prom, which was on in March and now the Queer Carnival, which is on tomorrow at Scala, London.

KM: And whom would you say your events for?

Our events are for everyone and anyone. Even with the word Lesbian in the title we had allsorts attending the Prom – some up at the front drooling over CharliXCX and others at the bar making their own cocktails.

I think the lines have blurred a lot more now on the lesbian scene – the scene is less divided. We just have a no dickheads policy. If you’re a dickhead, you’re out.

KM: So what is it about Missfit that makes the nights different from other lesbian club nights in London?

We don’t just do club nights where there’s Djs and drinks. We like to mix it up and add a little extra to the night – like having amazing performers such as Neon Jungle, Ms Dynamite, Heather Peace and Chvrches.

KM: What made you decide to put on a Carnival night?

EM: I love fairgrounds and rides and toffee apples and all that jam, so it sounded like a fun event to do. It’s definitely more than a club night. Neon Jungle will be performing in all their glittered glory and we have the glorious Bela Takes Chase headlining. They’ll be a few more surprises, but I’ll stop there, because I’m really bad at keeping secrets. It only takes a small shot of vodka to get them out of me. Lets just say the night will make its mark.

KM: At Carnival you are collaborating with some popular lesbian nights – Ruby Tuesday, Bar Wotever and Domo. What made you want to join forces?

EM: We thought Bar Wotever definitely had the twisted gender-queer the Carnival theme was after. DOMO is one of my favourite nights, so I wanted them involved, and with Ruby Tuesdays, well we wanted to bring the soho scene in as well and mix it up. We don’t have to be all separate. Lets all throw our glitter in the air like we just don’t care.

KM: Has working with different promoters been a challenge or well received?

Our rooms are pretty separate, so they’re in charge of their own room and we’ll just hope it comes together! And then I only have one room to worry about and I don’t have to start freaking out.

KM: Will Carnival be a regular event?

EM: Yes! As long as no one chokes in glitter at this one, we’ll do another next year.

KM: Lesbian Prom was a massive success, are their plans to do another one?

EM: Yes we will be doing another Prom next year too. Which is just enough time for me to find a dress. Just.

KM: Why do feel it is so important for you to hold these events?

EM: We wanted to bring the scenes together and there’s just not enough for girls on the scene at all. Last week we were all in Soho and after 1, there was nowhere for us to go. I wanted to dance until the early hours of the morning, not sulk home on the N73 drinking vodka and cranberry from a can. I put on heels and everything!

KM: What does the future look like for Missfit?

EM: We want to do a lot more events and we have a lot of different sort of stuff planned for the end of the year.

KM: Do you have plans to hold any events outside of London?

EM: When we take over the world yes. Being Welsh, I would like Cardiff to be our first stop. I’ll bring the glitter.

Carnival is coming this Friday 23rd May…

Scala – 275 Pentonville Road, Kings cross, N1 9NL London, United Kingdom

Buy your tickets here

Planet London Celebrate Women as Media Partner for Pride in London

We’re happy to share that Planet London has recently been announced as a media partner for Pride in London. With a dedication to building women’s involvement and interest in Pride, they will be promoting a vibrant schedule of women’s events between now and Pride festival week, including the parade on Saturday 28 June and the picnic on Sunday 29 June. Their efforts support a larger movement for women’s representation at Pride in London 2014, making this summer a truly exciting one for the LBQ community.

Naomi, Co-Founder of Planet London explains,

“We’re encouraging the many LBQ women in London to come out of the shadows. Women have to be involved to improve the visibility and representation of women at Pride – if we don’t participate…how we can expect there to be anything on that suits our interests?”

With women’s interests truly at heart, Planet London has already begun arranging fundraising events. confirmed already are She’s Quizzical in Soho; Bridge Girls Late in Clapham; Down Girls in Camden; and an event by Elaine from The Glass Bar. Another event from L Wired is to be announced very soon. At each fundraising event, there will be an ongoing raffle with various prizes including VIP entry to LBQ events and other goodies. For those who want to support these events but can’t attend, raffle tickets are also available to buy online, with 100% of the money collected going to efforts for Pride in London. For information about all of these events check out the Proud Planet page.

In addition, Planet London is currently working with various organisers and venues within the London LBQ community to plan further fundraising activities throughout May and June, and encourage the inclusion of more women’s events during the Pride festival. If you want to be kept up to date with the schedule, Planet London will be listing all of their LBQ events on their app, My Pocket Planet.

Planning your own Pride Event? Planet London has pledged to help promote and support any cultural events that women would like to arrange during the festival week from 23 to 27 June. Anyone running or hoping to run an event aimed at women is urged to get in touch with Planet London via their website to find out what support is available and to ensure that they get the promotion they need to make their event a success.

For those who are keen to support this campaign in other ways, Planet London is inviting women to march with them in the Pride parade. This is an open invitation to all women, whether they are LBQT or allies. Marching in Pride is a fun and humbling experience, and a wonderful way to participate in the biggest LGBT event of the year. You can join the marching group by filling out the marching registration form.

We hope you’ll consider getting involved in at least one of these fantastic events, and help to boost women’s representation at Pride in London 2014.