Category: LGBT+

A wlw couple are set against a background of wavey lines in pink, purple, and blue
LGBT+, Love

I Am Not Your Porn Tag – The Weight of Bisexual Fetishisation

By Rahima Bhatti ÔÇ£ArenÔÇÖt you a bit young for that girls?ÔÇØ A middle-aged man smirks at me at age 15, standing outside school, holding hands with my girlfriend. It makes my skin feel like itÔÇÖs going to turn inside out, but I just smile in hope that heÔÇÖll leave us alone. These experiences stick with you, they ingrain themselves in your consciousness, making every man … Continue reading I Am Not Your Porn Tag – The Weight of Bisexual Fetishisation

Contributing Writer
Culture, LGBT+

Censoring Sexuality

Words By: Abby Allen Header Art By: Human Rights Watch ÔÇ£Happily ever afterÔÇØ. Three words we all grew up reading, hearing, and watching. But who were we looking at? Did they look like us? For the LGBTQ+ community, this question is answered with a resounding no. Media censorship has always been a site of controversy within any society, but when it comes to LGBTQ+ content, … Continue reading Censoring Sexuality

Contributing Writer
A heart decorated with rainbow stripes is surrounded by three fists in the air all with different skin tones. This is on a pale pink background.
LGBT+, Love

Queer History in Schools? Why We Still Need LGBTQ+ History Month

By Emily Bryant With LGBTQ+ History Month upon us, myself and my fellow members of the community can take time to commemorate those who helped shape the culture that we know and love today. Since 2003, LGBTQ+ people have been able to use the whole month of February to learn about and honour figures and events of queer history. Such celebrations, however, are not present … Continue reading Queer History in Schools? Why We Still Need LGBTQ+ History Month

Contributing Writer
Portrait of Sarah Waters beside a illustration of a stack of books on a light pink background
LGBT+, Love

Sarah Waters: The Queen of Vintage Lesbians

By Aruni Deraniyagala What is the ÔÇ£lesbian agendaÔÇØ? For Sarah Waters, it means putting more wlw (women who love women) stories out into the world. Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1966, Waters was encouraged to engage in artistic hobbies from a young age by her father. She particularly loved writing poems and stories. Despite this clear passion for story-telling, it wasnÔÇÖt until she was much … Continue reading Sarah Waters: The Queen of Vintage Lesbians

Contributing Writer
LGBT+, Love

1988, Section 28 and Its Lasting Unwanted Legacy

Illustration by Madeline HowellBy Sarah Belger In 1988, British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher banned the ÔÇÿpromotion of homosexualityÔÇÖ by local authorities with the introduction of Section 28 of the Local Government Act. This meant school children received no formal education about LGBT+ identities or relationships. Local libraries were also prohibited from stocking books and films which contained mentions of homosexuality, meaning that most children … Continue reading 1988, Section 28 and Its Lasting Unwanted Legacy

Contributing Writer
LGBT+ LGBTQ+ lockdown
LGBT+, Love

“I am essentially trapped” – How LGBT+ Students Are Holding on During Lockdown

Words by Kate WaldockArtwork by Kate Waldock Away from family and without the worry of parents and siblings prejudice, University is for many LGBT+ students a haven of peace to be comfortable with themselves. Lockdown presents a new challenge and many have had to stumble back into the proverbial closet at home, hiding their identities for a long period of time. Being pushed back into … Continue reading “I am essentially trapped” – How LGBT+ Students Are Holding on During Lockdown

Kate Waldock
Film & TV, Interview, LGBT+

Struggles of a Female Creator in the Film Industry

Words by Sofia Brizio Anna Alfieri is a young Italian actress and filmmaker who spent the entirety of her career in London. Every creative in the world will tell you itÔÇÖs tough to make it in the real world, even more so in London. But itÔÇÖs not often that you hear their stories of victory or defeat, whatever they might be. The typical mediatised story … Continue reading Struggles of a Female Creator in the Film Industry

Sofia Brizio
Film & TV, LGBT+

Queerantine: Here’s to Queer Cinema!

Here at Quench Film & TV, one of our favourite topics to discuss is The Importance of Queer Cinema, because we all get bored of watching the same heteronormative narratives on our screens. Now that we’re stuck indoors, why not celebrate some of our favourite Queer films and shows? Quarantine? More like Quarantine! Portrait of a Lady on Fire By Phoebe Bowers If you want … Continue reading Queerantine: Here’s to Queer Cinema!

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, LGBT+

Love is Blind as a Microcosm for the Pitfalls of Millennial Dating

By Holly McElroy NetflixÔÇÖs new dating show Love is Blind presents itself as a social experiment, where single women and men date in booths where they cannot see each other, before deciding whether or not they want to get engaged. If they do decide to get married, so begins a whirlwind of a group honeymoon in Mexico, moving into apartments and meeting the family until … Continue reading Love is Blind as a Microcosm for the Pitfalls of Millennial Dating

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, LGBT+

Review: Feel Good – An All Consuming Romance

By Hannah Ryan ÔÇÿYou grew up white and rich and straight and hot. You basically won the lottery!ÔÇÖ These are the words hurled by Mae Martin (as she plays a quasi-fictional version of herself) at Charlotte RichieÔÇÖs George, her closeted girlfriend, in a fit of equal fury and hurt at Feel GoodÔÇÖs midway point. For any queer woman out there thatÔÇÖs ever found themselves in … Continue reading Review: Feel Good – An All Consuming Romance

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, LGBT+

The Importance of Queer Cinema

By Megan Evans Queer cinema has evolved significantly over the past 50 years, as an attempt to cultivate the mainstream cinema and to raise awareness of the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. As the movement has made sharing explicitly queer engagements much more acceptable, performances across major films highlight the breakthrough of ‘gay cinema’, with the term coined by B. Ruby Rich in Sight & … Continue reading The Importance of Queer Cinema

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, LGBT+

What to Watch on Streaming: December 2019

The L Word: Generation Q By Maja Metera The L Word: Generation Q is a continuation of the revolution started in early 2000s. Therefore, it pushes boundaries and touches upon taboo subjects from the first scene. The episode opens with what turns out to be period sex. It has been ten years since The L Word finale. When first episode aired in the US in 2004 … Continue reading What to Watch on Streaming: December 2019

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, Interview, LGBT+

Interview: Conor Leach on ÔÇÿSequin in a Blue Room.’

By Cynthia Vera Appearing in his first film, fresh faced Conor Leach is quietly fascinating at the film’s core. Sequin is confident yet heÔÇÖs hardly the chatterbox, but the actor is ever so expressive; capturing both the characterÔÇÖs sulking self-assurance and lingering anxiety. Newcomer Leach comes up in full force, oozing confidence, itÔÇÖs almost intoxicating.  HereÔÇÖs what Conor Leach had to say about his experiences … Continue reading Interview: Conor Leach on ÔÇÿSequin in a Blue Room.’

Cynthia Vera
Film & TV, LGBT+

Review: Sequin in a Blue Room

By Cynthia Vera A heart-warming debut from director Van Grisnven, ÔÇÿSequin in a Blue RoomÔÇÖ is a queer thriller that unfolds itself like a teenage fantasy; a stunning tale of obsession, seduction, and ultimately, loneliness. Sequin in a Blue Room is a story that follows 16-year old Sequin (Conor Leach), an endearingly mysterious boy who chooses instant sexual satisfaction with older men over meaningful relationships. … Continue reading Review: Sequin in a Blue Room

Cynthia Vera
LGBT+, Music

The Modern-Day Relationship between Music and the LGBTQ+ Community

by Hannah Ryan The world of indie rock is currently undergoing an unprecedented change, it would seem. Where before the genre was dominated by young, largely heterosexual men, in recent years, there has been a significant challenge presented to this in the form of the young, non-straight women that have been making a name for themselves on this scene ÔÇô take, for example, the recent … Continue reading The Modern-Day Relationship between Music and the LGBTQ+ Community

camillestanley
Film & TV, LGBT+

BFI Flare 2018: Love, Simon

A light-hearted romantic comedy is as essential to adolescent life as heartbreak and rebellion. Yet, for years, the only romcoms found in the mainstream were dominated by straight characters and their stories. From the classics, such as ÔÇÿWhen Harry Met SallyÔÇÖ to the modern features, like ÔÇÿLove and Other DrugsÔÇÖ, the number of romcoms out there with a heterosexual romance at their center are too … Continue reading BFI Flare 2018: Love, Simon

mollyjackson
Film & TV, LGBT+

What is BFI Flare 2018?

BFI Flare is an event that celebrates and showcases the best of LGBTQ+ cinema every year without fail and is one which has grown exponentially in recent years. Since its establishment thirty-two years ago, BFI Flare has shown some of the greatest LGBTQ+ films of modern times, including ÔÇÿMoonlightÔÇÖ, ÔÇÿCarolÔÇÖ, and the lesser known gems such as ÔÇÿLovesongÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿThe PassÔÇÖ. Year upon year, Flare … Continue reading What is BFI Flare 2018?

mollyjackson
Film & TV, LGBT+

BFI Flare 2018: 120 Beats per Minute

Stories of the AIDS epidemic have been told through film before, be it through Tom HanksÔÇÖ meek, wronged lawyer in Philadelphia, or the raucous group of bohemians at the centre of Rent. In some cases, such as Philadelphia, the subject has been tackled well; handled with true care and made in order to encourage awareness and understanding of the impact that the disease had on … Continue reading BFI Flare 2018: 120 Beats per Minute

mollyjackson
Film & TV, LGBT+

IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: We Love Moses

During my time at the Iris Prize Festival I was lucky enough to be able to see a few of the competition winners, which includes ÔÇÿBest British ShortÔÇÖ, and ÔÇÿBest International ShortÔÇÖ, to name a few. We Love Moses Until last yearÔÇÖs astonishing ÔÇÿMoonlightÔÇÖ, it is safe to say that black, gay masculinity was a subject rarely explored in film. At least, not with the … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: We Love Moses

mollyjackson
Film & TV, LGBT+

IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: ‘One Summer’

During my time at the Iris Prize Festival, I was lucky enough to be able to see a few of the competition winners, which includes ÔÇÿBest British ShortÔÇÖ, and ÔÇÿBest International ShortÔÇÖ, to name a few. One Summer The pastoral to gay narratives is what waterlilies were to Monet; inseparable and unimaginably beautiful. ÔÇÿOne SummerÔÇÖ is the quiet, sun-drenched story of two sheepshearers wiling their … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: ‘One Summer’

mollyjackson