Discreet gay encounters kendal

Hello friends,

It’s our first rest day, and quite incredibly, I have managed to carve out a couple of hours to hide away in a hotel room, and draft a few paragraphs of newsletter.

It’s hard to overstate just how constantly hectic we always are on Le Loop. Every year I arrive at the start with a couple of items left on my to do list, thinking I’ll be qualified to squeeze them in sometime during the first couple of days - and every year I’m wrong.

Although Le Loop is fully supported (we possess an incredibly talented team of mechanics, physios, doctors, drivers and logistical wizards at our disposal), it’s just as all-consuming as the ultra-races I used to do, because although we’re ‘only’ riding km a day (albeit with huge amounts of climbing), we’re also having to get up at for transfers, deal with all of our personal admin in a different hotel room every night, and somehow find a way of keeping up to very different cyclists on approximately the same schedule. As lead cyclist, I’m also constantly trying to solve problems, make decisions, answer three different questions at once, and construct sure all the riders are happy, safe, and on the right route.

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LGBT+ Language and Archives

This post is a modified version of an online talk which I gave on 10 December, , as part of my series of four online talks on Cumbria’s Diverse heritage. In it, I discuss different aspects of &#;beyond the binary&#; with reference to Cumbria. This includes all sorts of aspects of appearance and behaviour, which are not constrained by conventional gender and sexual binary norms, male and female.

This is the fourth and final talk in my series on Cumbria’s Gay heritage and language through the ages Over the past year, I possess been researching Cumbria&#;s LGBTQ heritage, under the auspices of PiNC, Pride in North Cumbria, and with the generous support of the Heritage Lottery fund; I&#;m very grateful to both of them for their help and support.

In my previous talks, I have introduced ideas about LGBT research, and explored the topics of crime, and of partnerships and relationships. Today, I crave to speak about &#;beyond the binary&#;. I originally saw “beyond the binary” as the title of an excellent exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. It strikes me as an intriguing and productive phrase, so with due acknowledgements, I&#;m using it

LGBT+ Language and Archives

A selection of s and s documentary TV films of LGBTQ relevance.

When I was researching for this blog, I came across an excellent list of old documentary films of LGBTQ interest, courtesy of Will Noble on These programmes were shown on British TV in the s and the s, and many are free to watch online on the British Film Institute player.

You can see the full Londonist list here. Here are a several that I have looked at and found very interesting:

An episode of &#;Speak for Yourself&#; from London Weekend Television in , where the London community of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) made a film about their lives. Written by Jackie Forster and Roger Baker, it shows gay people chatting about themselves and attitudes in wider community, enjoying a boat trip on the Thames, and campaigning; there is also an interview with the programme presenter. The programme was originally screened at pm only in the London area. This is a sympathetic, well made and unpretentious film, which manages to convey a sense of solidarity and the flavour of the times. It is also fascinating to see people&#;s clothes and hairstyles!

Another movie by the Campaign for H

Alan Bates's secret gay affair with ice skater John Curry

Alan Bates was one of our most dazzling actors - and treasured by women. But a new biography reveals his agonised secret life with gay lovers including Olympic skater John Curry

During the spring of , Alan Bates set off for Paris to produce what was to be one of his last films.

By then, nearly 70, and suffering from pancreatic cancer, he knew he had only months to live.

But his regular treatments were often followed by sudden bursts of energy, and it was in high spirits that he checked into the city's Hotel Raphael.

Determined to make the most of his springtime visit to the French capital, the actor spent his days off soaking up its culture, and even agreed to join a fan who had written asking for an introduction.

Less than a week later, Bates had spent at least two days and one blackout with this handsome fresh Frenchman.

When he returned home to Britain he told his friends his new acquaintance was the latest - and greatest - love of his life.

"He decided to have an affair," says the actress Felicity Kendal, a long-standing friend.

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"Now what sort of person, knowing that he's dying

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