Remember

11 years ago, around about this time I was at home in Welwyn Garden City having just come back from work. I was really in the mood for a night out, but also feeling really lazy. I debated for a while whether to go into town and finally decided not to. Good decision. That was the day that David Copeland decided that gays would be his third "minority group" to attempt to kill and he left a hold-all in the Admiral Duncan pub containing a nail bomb. At around 18:30 the bag was discovered, but not in time to evacuate. It exploded killing 3 people, Nik Moore, John Light and Andrea Dykes (who was 4 months pregnant). The bomb also injured approximately 70 others.
Tonight there is a memorial service in the area which is open to all. I won't be attending, but I will be in the area and I will think of the victims while I have a drink with my friends and hope that it never happens again.
I would not have been in the pub at the time, as I had never been there and, to be honest despite walking past it hundreds of times had never noticed it (as I'd always either be going to of from Comptons), but I could well have been walking past.
I am sure that there is a large number of people on the gay scene in London who are oblivious to this anniversary and who may never have known about the bombing (either being too young, from out of the area or just so far up their own arses that they didn't care at the time), but it needs to be remembered so that it can never be allowed to be repeated.

30th April

LGBT people born today:

1877 – Alice B Toklas – US Author – Died 7^th March 1967

1946 – Paul Haenen – Dutch Comedian / Playwright / Author

1951 – Craig Lucas – US Actor / Singer / Playwright / Screenwriter / Director

1964 – Kent James [aka Nick Name] – US Singer / Songwriter / Musician / Actor

And those who died:

1936 – A. E. Housman – UK Poet – Born 26^th March 1859

1989 – Albert Kennedy – UK Homeless Person – Born 31^st January 1973

1990 – Michael Boothe – UK Actor / Hate Crime Victim – Born ????

1999 - Nik Moore - UK Murder Victim [Admiral Duncan bombing] - Born ????

2002 – Charlotte von Mahlsdorf – German Museum Founder – Born 18^th March 1928

2003 – Eric Gupton – US Actor / Singer / Dancer – Born 1960?

2006 – Tamsin Wilton – UK Activist / Author / Cartoonist – Born 1952

Events in LGBT history:

1999 - Nail bomb exploded in the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, London killing 3 and injuring approximately 70

2007 – Discrimination banned regarding sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services in the UK

2009 – Iowa, USA officials begin issuing same-sex marriage licences

29th April

LGBT people born today:

1863 – Konstantinos Kavafis – Greek Poet – Died 29^th April 1933

1930 – Jim Toy – US Activist

1933 – Rod McKuen – US Poet / Composer / Singer

1945 – Richard Warwick – UK Actor – Died 16^th December 1997

1955 – Leslie Jordan – US Actor / Playwright

1960 – Gerald Joling – Dutch Singer / Presenter

1966 – Michael Alig – US Party Promoter / Murderer

1968 – Alex Munter – Canadian Newspaper Editor / Politician

1969 – Jack Mackenroth – US Swimmer / Model / Reality TV [Project Runway] / Fashion Designer

1975 – Garrison Starr – US Singer

And those who died:

1933 – Konstantinos Kavafis – Greek Poet – Born 29^th April 1863

1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein – Austrian Philosopher – Born 26^th April 1889

1966 – Eugene O’Brien – US Actor – Born 14^th November 1880

1986 – Glen Byam Shaw – UK Actor / Director – Born 13^th December 1904

28th April

LGBT people born today:

1901 – Weaver W Adams – US Chess Player – Died 6^th January 1963

1929 – John Paul Hudson – US Journalist / Activist – Died 20^th February 2002

1978 – Stephen Williams – US Reality TV [Real World: Seattle]

1981 – Fredy Costa – Hungarian Porn

1981 – Ryan Skipper – US Hate Crime Victim – Died 14^th March 2007

And those who died:

1992 – Francis Bacon – UK Painter – Born 28^th October 1909

1992 – Brian Pockar – Canadian Figure Skater – Born 27^th October 1959

1993 – Walter H Breen – US Author – Born 5^th September 1928

1994 – John Preston – US Author / Editor – Born 11^th December 1945

Events in LGBT history:

2000 – Millennium March on Washington [begins this date and runs to 30^th March 2000]

27th April

LGBT people born today:

1906 – Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim – German Imprisoned for homosexuality

1911 – Jack Cole – US Dancer / Choreographer – Died 17^th February 1974

1917 – Mary Meigs – US Painter / Author – Died 15^th November 2002

1920 – Edwin Morgan – UK Poet / Translator / Soldier

1929 – Kenward Elmslie – US Author / Editor / Publisher

1937 – Sandy Dennis – US Actress – Died 2^nd March 1992

1947 – Astrid Roemer – Surinam / Dutch Author / Politician

1948 – Kate Pierson – US Singer

1951 – Luis Zapata – Mexican Author

1956 – Douglas P – UK Musician / Record Label Owner / Photographer / Actor

1965 – Russell T Davies – UK Screenwriter / Producer

1978 – Sebastian Bonnet – Slovakian Porn [or 3^rd May ????]

1985 – Johan Volny – Czech Porn

And those who died:

1932 – Hart Crane – US Poet – Born 21^st July 1899

1993 – Kris Kirk – UK Author / Journalist / Activist – Born 1950

1997 – Bunny Roger – UK Fashion Designer – Born 9^th June 1911

2003 – Craig Armet – UK Presenter / DJ – Born 2^nd June 1961

Events in LGBT history:

2009 – Same-sex marriage effective this day in Iowa, USA

26th April

LGBT people born today:

1865 – Charles Haslewood Shannon – UK Artist – Died 1937

1872 – William Desmond Taylor – US Director / Murder Victim – Died 1^st February 1922

1886 – Ma Rainey – US Singer – Died 22^nd December 1939

1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein – Austrian Philosopher – Died 29^th April 1951

1892 – Adrienne Monnier – French Author / Publisher – Died 19^th June 1955

1898 – Vicente Aleixandre – Spanish Poet – Died 13^th December 1984

1935 – Conrad Susa – US Composer

1951 – Billy Newton-Davis – Canadian Singer / Songwriter

1960 – Jonathan Rauch – US Author / Journalist / Activist

1977 – Tag Ericksson [Fredrik Eklund] – Swedish / US Porn / Businessman

And those who died:

1895 – Eric Stenbock – German Author / Poet – Born 12^th March 1860

1945 – Lucie Delarue-Mardus – French Author – Born 7^th November 1874

1995 – Frieda Belinfante – Dutch Cellist / Conductor – Born 10^th May 1904

Events in LGBT history:

2007 – Final approval for same-sex domestic partnerships passed in New Hampshire, USA

25th April

LGBT people born today:

1284 – Edward II – English Monarch – Died 21^st September 1327

1918 – Graham Payn – UK Actor / Singer – Died 4^th November 2005

1935 – April Ashley – UK Model

1962 – Flex Deon Blake – US Porn

1964 – Andy Bell – UK Singer

1964 – Anne Fleming – Canadian Author / Presenter / Ice Hockey

1965 – Simon Fowler – UK Singer / Musician / Journalist

1974 – Dean Phoenix – Mexican Porn

???? – Trey Rexx – US? Porn / Dancer / Choreographer

And those who died:

1933 – Franz Nopcsa von Felso-Szilvas – Hungarian Adventurer / Palaeontologist – Born 3^rd May 1877

1963 – Sonja Sekula – Swiss / US Artist – Died 8^th April 1918

1988 – Valerie Solanas – US Author / Attempted Murderer – Died 9^th April 1936

1991 – Michael Kuhnen – German Neo-Nazi – Born 21^st June 1955

2004 – Thom Gunn – UK / US Poet – Born 29^th August 1929

Events in LGBT history:

1993 – March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay & Bi Equal Rights & Liberation

2008 – National Day of Silence in the USA

WLTMA - Mum [Christine Robins]

In this series of WLTM I have already talked about my reasons for wanting to meet my father again. I mentioned then that I would also like to speak to my mother again for some completely different reasons.

The main reason I would love to be able to talk to my mum again is that I feel that I, and my siblings, never really appreciate or understand her while she was still alive.

With the fact that, over the last 8 years, I have come to understand and accept my depression, I have also come to believe that my mother suffered from depression too. She however suffered in silence, at least when it came to her children.

I know that she was on a number of medications, but assumed that it was for her arthritis and rheumatism, she also suffered from migraines, had mild spina bifida and had had a hysterectomy. So it is highly possible that she was also on anti-depressants too.

My best real clue to my surmising that she suffered from depression were her mood swings, which at times could be quite wild. It is well known within the family that she would slump into a really low mood should she not win at any games we played as a family. When I was still in junior school, within a couple of years of my dad's death, there was an incident that my memory has dulled about. I remember coming home from school to find that the house was locked up and I was unable to get in. I had to ask for help from an older girl from my school. I vaguely recall that my mum was found eventually trying to get a lift from a stranger almost a mile away from home. I don't think that I was ever told the whole story about this event (along with many other events from when I was a child).

Mum was alone for a lot of the time in the years after my dad passed away, despite having an affair with a neighbour who moved in with us for a while. This affair, and subsequent relationship, I believe would only have worsened her depression, because of the way that this arsehole treated her (i.e. when he left her soon after she had her hysterectomy, his verbal abuse and his alcoholism). He certainly added to my teenage angst.

I do feel that my depression, maybe depression in general, could be a hereditary condition (at least behavioural if not genetic). I would be interested to know from mum if she would agree with my opinion on this. Did either of her parents suffer from depression? I can't imagine that her father did as he always seemed like a happy fellow. I never knew her mum though as she died the same year as my dad.

When I left secondary school, I really should have gone to college and then possibly on to university. Instead I went straight to work, kidding myself that I was doing it so that I could pay mum some money in rent. I regret this decision now, especially considering that I only ended up in low paying local jobs without any real prospects. Also, if I had stayed in education my mum would have still got child benefit for me, which would have given her at least as much as I paid in rent. I wonder if she felt as let down by my decision as I now do.

I always had the intention of earning enough money to really pay my mum back for all the stress and hassle of raising the four of us essentially on her own. I wanted to be able to buy her a house, though this is something that she always resisted attempting herself (and something that I'm not even able do for myself).

My sexuality was never discussed with any of my family before mum died. I only managed to come out to my siblings about 6 years ago. With my mother, the subject of sex on any level was something that would not be broached. I remember asking her about where babies come from when I was in junior school and she embarrassingly told me they came from "down there." That was all the explanation that I would get from her. I don't believe that she would have accepted my sexuality, but I think that she would still love me. In fact, I believe that she knew that I was gay, but wanted to ignore it in the hope that it would disappear. I would like the opportunity for her to tell me how wrong I am.

Overall I would like to know that I have not disappointed my mum too much. I don't think that I have actually given her anything to be proud of as such, but as long as I haven't shamed or disappointed her.

24th April

LGBT people born today:

1926 – Otis Charles – US Bishop

1935 – Tucker Smith – US Actor / Dancer / Singer – Died 22^nd December 1988

1940 – Trevor Kent – Australian Actor – Died 4^th November 1988

1952 – Jean-Paul Gaultier – French Fashion Designer / Presenter

1955 – John Epperson – US Drag Queen [aka Lypsinka] / Actor / Singer / Pianist / Author

1958 – Brian Paddick – UK Police / Politician

1966 – Ty Fox [aka J Steele] – US Porn

1967 – Patty Schemel – US Musician

1969 – Dean Coulter – US? Porn

1973 – Colby Taylor – US Porn

And those who died:

1941 – Karin Boye – Swedish Poet / Author – Born 26^th October 1900

1947 – Willa Cather – US Author – Born 7^th December 1873

1962 – Emilio Prados – Spanish Poet / Editor – Born 4^th March 1899

2002 – Nishit Saran – Indian Director / Activist – Born 1977

A Weekend Off At Last, And....

This weekend is my first full weekend off in over a month (it would have been more but I took some holiday time last month). Now that I have the whole weekend off and the weather is beautiful what do I have planned for it? Nothing!!
I am currently recovering from a coldsore attack and am blighted with severe reddening above my top lip and under my nose which, from a distance makes me look like I have half a Hitler moustache on! Not exactly the kind of thing that is gonna get me laid is it! I have no one to spend time with this weekend (when do I ever?) and I really cannot be bothered to go out and stand in a bar on my own this weekend again.

23rd April

LGBT people born today:

1858 – Ethel Smyth – UK Composer / Suffragette – Died 8^th May 1944

1875 – Elisabeth de Gramont – French Author – Died 6^th December 1954

1882 – Augusto d’Halmar – Chilean Author – Died 27^th January 1950

1918 – James Kirkup – UK Poet / Translator / Travel Writer – Died 10^th May 2009

1932 – Halston – US Fashion Designer – Died 26^th March 1990

1961 – Dirk Bach – German Actor

1975 – Jon Birgisson – Icelandic Musician / Singer

1975 – Bradley Traynor – US Drag Queen [aka Wanda Wisdom] / Presenter

And those who died:

1915 – Rupert Brooke – UK Poet – Born 3^rd August 1887

2008 – Jean-Daniel Cadinot – French Porn Director – Born 10^th February 1944

22nd April

LGBT people born today:

1891 – Laura Gilpin – US Photographer – Died 30^th November 1979

1917 – Leo Abse – UK Politician / Lawyer / Activist – Died 19^th August 2008

1918 – Emile Norman – US Artist – Died 24^th September 2009

1946 – John Waters – US Director / Screenwriter / Actor

1949 – Diana Nyad – US Long Distance Swimmer / Presenter

1956 – Phill Wilson – US Activist

1961 – Ruslan Sharipov – Uzbek Journalist / Activist

1964 – Estelle Asmodelle – Australian Model / Belly Dancer / Screenwriter / Musician / Actress

1985 – Andrea Gabrielle Gibson – US Reality TV [Transgeneration]

And those who died:

1976 – Colin MacInnes – UK Author – Born 20^th August 1914

1978 – Will Geer – US Actor / Singer – Born 9^th March 1902

2002 – Albrecht Becker – German Actor / Photographer / Production Designer – Born 14^th November 1906

2002 – Christopher Price – UK Presenter – Born 21^st September 1967

2004 – Patrick Trevor-Roper – UK Surgeon / Activist – Born 7^th June 1916

2009 – George C Rawlings – US Musician / Singer / Songwriter / Record Producer – Born 7^th November 1921

I'm Back

Apologies for missing the last week of birthdays and updates of my life (you haven't missed anything there!!).
The good news is that I have internet access at home once again. After losing it at the beginning of last week for one morning and then regaining it, we lost it again the next day and it only came back yesterday (after a bit of bullying of my landlord to move his arse). I had to wait until today to use it though as I didn't have the password.
Unfortunately it still is not ideal as the router has been moved to the living room and I can only get access to our WIRELESS internet by PLUGGING in to the router! Anyone else see the flaw in this system?
If anyone knows of a solution to this stupidity then I would love to hear it. In the meantime I will wait to ask my flatmate Alex, who is a lot more knowledgable about computer systems if he can help.

15th April

LGBT people born today:

1452 – Leonardo da Vinci – Italian Scientist / Mathematician / Engineer / Inventor / Painter / Sculptor / Architect / Botanist / Musician / Author – Died 2^nd May 1519

1843 – Henry James – US / UK Philosopher / Psychologist – Died 28^th February 1916

1876 – Friedrich Radszuweit – German Author – Died 15^th March 1932

1894 – Bessie Smith – US Singer / Actress – Died 26^th September 1937

1907 – George Platt Lynes – US Photographer – Died 6^th December 1955

1924 – Howard Junior Brown – US Activist – Died 1^st February 1975

1931 – Sally Miller Gearhart – US Author / Teacher / Activist

1949 – Craig Zadam – US Producer / Director

1952 – Glenn Shadix – US Actor

1955 – Don Roos – US Director / Producer / Screenwriter

1960 – Paul Harland – Dutch Author / Photographer / Murder Victim – Died 17^th June 2003

1965 – Linda Perry – US Singer / Songwriter / Record Producer / Musician

1966 – Samantha Fox – UK Model / Presenter / Singer / Actress

1973 – Paulao DoPicao - ? Porn

1977 – Eddie Stone – Canadian Porn

???? – Anthony Cox – US? Porn

And those who died:

1925 – Fritz Haarmann – German Serial Killer – Born 25^th October 1879

1986 – Jean Genet – French Poet / Author / Playwright – Born 19^th December 1910

1988 – Kenneth Williams – UK Actor / Comedian – Born 22^nd February 1926

1990 – Greta Garbo – Swedish / US Actress – Born 18^th September 1905

1994 – John Curry – UK Figure Skater – Born 9^th September 1949

2003 – Reg Bundy [Regina Fong] – UK Drag Queen / Dancer / Actor – Born 26^th May 1941

What's To Come?

I'm on the first day off of 4 and when I woke up this morning I found that my internet connection had decided to stop working. It had power, all the leads were connected and the phone line was working, but it just would not connect to the internet. I was getting very frustrated (especially as it seems to do this at least once every year). I kept trying the same things but they were obviously not working, so I gave up and worked on my LGBT database. By 13:00 it still wasn't working so I tried all the leads again and voila it worked. I got on to Facebook and then it crashed again. I was just about to throw it out of the window when instead I tried it one more time and luckily it has been on ever since (fingers crossed!).

This Flat From Hell is also infested with mice. My flatmate Alex has seen several and I have seen evidence of them having been on the kitchen work surfaces several times (droppings, food being eaten, sawdust where they have eaten through the skirting boards etc). The landlord Oscar has said that a pest control guy is coming in, but we shall have to wait and see what happens.

I've been to the gym this afternoon, though I hate to admit that, although I didn't love it before, it is now becoming a bit of a chore (not that I have any social life to draw me away from my only pastime: i.e. the gym). While I was in there I kept seeing this very sexy guy. About 6' 2", short dark hair, black t-shirt, big (though not massive) arms and handsome. He looked in my general direction several times, but I could get no reaction when I smiled back.
When I had finished and showered I went into the steam room and there he was. Wrapped in just a towel (unfortunately) showing off his beautiful hairy chest with a small tattoo on his left pectoral. It was just the two of us in there and if I could have caught his eye for just a second I was going to try and start a conversation, but he sat there close-eyed almost the whole time. I am almost certain that he was getting aroused and just as I noticed this someone else came into the steam room and he left and went to the showers. I waited a couple of minutes before I left myself and showered in the only cubicle left, which happened to be the one next to his (pure coincidence, though I probably would have chosen that one anyway). He left the showers before me and when I went back to the changing rooms he had either already gone, was in the furthest part of the changing rooms or had gone for a swim. Such a shame because he was the physical representation of what I am looking for in a guy: masculine, big-built without being overly muscular and good-looking without being pretty or intimidatingly handsome. I wonder if he will be there tomorrow too?
Subsequently though I am now feeling as horny as hell and so am tempted to head out tonight for drinks, but I will try and be strong as Thursdays always seem to be a better night out, especially if I am going to be drinking alone again.

14th April

LGBT people born today:

1904 – Sir John Gielgud – UK Actor – Died 21^st May 2000

1948 – Claude Vivier – Canadian Composer – Died 7^th March 1983

1949 – June Millington – US Singer / Musician

1949 – Mary Wings – US Author / Artist / Musician

1951 – Jose Maria Mendiluce – Spanish Politician

1958 – Andrew Boff – UK Politician

1966 – Andre Boisclair – Canadian Politician

1972 – Paul Denyer – Australian Serial Killer

1984 – Carim Bouzian – Belgian Politician

1987 – Sam Brodie – UK Reality TV [Big Brother]

???? – Matthias von Fistenberg [aka Matthew Green] - ? Porn / Producer / Porn Studio Owner

Abd those who died:

1945 – Maurice Sachs – French Author – Born 1906

1986 – Simone de Beauvoir – French Author / Philosopher – Born 9^th January 1908

1988 – Daniel Guerin – French Anarchist / Author – Born 9^th May 1904

WLTMA - Dad [Ronald Robins]

For those of you who don't know, my father died when I was 7 years old. He had a brain tumour and died while in hospital after a long illness, most of which was spent at home. He died on the first day that we (my brother and sisters) were due to visit him for the first time since he had gone to hospital. Being so young I don't think that I fully understood what had happened and was probably more upset that I didn't get to go on my "trip" to London after coming home from school.

My mum had to subsequently cope on her own with raising the four of us. Some of us made it easier than others for her, but each of us caused our own problems for her. But more on my mother another time, she deserves her own tribute.

I would like to meet my father again, theoretically, to find out what he was like. Being just 7 when we lost him I don't feel that I really knew him. I have very few clear memories of him and sometimes, most of the time actually, I feel that I don't have the right to call him dad. I have a real problem with saying that little word, father seems more appropriate for someone I really didn't know (or at least don't remember knowing).

I can actually list all the memories that I do have of him:

• I remember him taking me to the cinema to see Watership Down, which he slept through and I had to wake him when it had finished.
• I also recall him taking my brother and I, along with two neighbouring kids to see the Jungle Book on the wrong day and having the car (a Mini) catch fire on the way home just outside the petrol station. It wasn't too bad, but I was upset that I wasn't allowed to help push the car back home and had to stay sat in the back seat!
• I remember him forgetting to take my yellow socks off once when he bathed me, and that I hated the fact that he always poured water into my ears at bath time to clean them.
• It was my father who would always take me to the barber to have my hair cut. He wasn't happy one time when he hadn't taken me and I came home from the barbers with a "skinhead" haircut for the first time, though I think by this point he was ill.
• I sadly remember when, well into his illness, at the dinner table he had finished his meal and proceeded to lick his plate clean only to be scalded by my mother for doing so as if he were one of us children.
• Another time, when he, my mother and I were in the living room, someone came to the front door. My mother went to answer it, but I was too afraid to stay with my dad in the living room (scared of how strange he acted probably). I went and stood in the doorway and my father tried to get out of his seat, lost his balance and banged into the wall, denting it. I then had to help my mum get him back to his armchair (bearing in mind I was probably only 6 at this point and my mum was only 5' 5", with my dad over 6' and of a large build enhanced by his illness and lack of mobility).
• My last memory of seeing him alive was seeing him carried down the stairs of our home, strapped into a stretcher being taken to the ambulance which took him to the hospital where he died.

The tumour on his brain made him behave in a child-like manner, affected his speech, balance and his coordination. He effectively had become a fifth child for my mother to cope with alone. We had little help from his brothers, and none from my mother's brother. I really don't know how she coped (well actually I know now that she didn't, but again that is another story).

I apologise for the preamble there, but it is important to know some of this to explain why I want to talk to my dad again. At age 7, I was beginning to understand that I was "different," that there was something about me that I couldn't tell people. I knew that I liked boys and that it wasn't what was generally acceptable. At the same time I lost my dad and was told that it just wasn't done to talk about the dead. So, for years I felt that, on top of not being able to be open about my burgeoning sexuality (or the equivalent term at that early age), I wasn't allowed to talk about what had happened to my dad. No one ever talked about his illness, just very occasionally talking about things he had done when he had been well. It was years before I knew exactly what he had died from.

If I got to speak to him again, I would like to know if he liked me. It sounds silly, but it does leave me feeling empty sometimes that I do not know what sort of relationship I had with my dad. I don't doubt that he loved me, but did he actually like the person I was becoming? Could he have accepted me if he had known about my sexuality? Would I have gained better life skills if he had been around? Would I have been more sporty? Would I still have been as spoiled by my mother?

I want to know what life lessons he would have taught me. What stories he could have told me about his time in the merchant navy.

The saddest thing, not having a father for my memorable childhood years, is that I don't know what exactly I missed by him not being there. I do know that I lacked experience in dealing with adult men which I still find difficult to this day.

I do wonder how I would have turned out had he been around.

13th April

LGBT people born today:

1936 – Win Ng – US Sculptor / Illustrator – Died 6^th September 1991

1937 – Lanford Wilson – US Playwright

1945 – Joseph Douce – Belgian / French Psychologist / Minister – Died [between 19^th July & 24^th October] 1990

1947 – Deborah Batts – US Judge

1949 – Christopher Hitchens – UK Author / Journalist

1950 – Terry Lester – US Actor – Died 28^th November 2003

1955 – Ole von Beust – German Politician

1971 – Martin Valko – Slovakian Porn

1974 – K Sello Duiker – South African Author – Died 19^th January 2005

1976 – Robert Biedron – Polish Politician / Activist

1982 – Tim Hamilton – Czech Porn

And those who died:

1986 – Stephen Stucker – US Actor – Born 2^nd July 1947

1988 – Rebecca Wright – US Hate Crime Victim – Born 1959

12th April

LGBT people born today:

1526 – Marc-Antoine Muret – French Poet – Died 4^th June 1585

1920 – Robert Fizdale – US Pianist / Presenter / Author – Died 6^th December 1995

1939 – William M Hoffman – US Playwright / Editor / Professor

1941 – Toi Derricote – US Poet

1943 – Charles Ludlum – US Actor / Director / Playwright – Died 28^th May 1987

1947/51 – Alex Briley – US Singer

1961 – Willi Ninja – US Dancer / Choreographer – Died 2^nd September 2006

1964 – Amy Ray – US Musician / Singer / Songwriter / Record Producer

1974 – Slava Mogutin – Russian Artist / Author / Photographer

1980 – Derrick Hanson – US Porn

And those who died:

1975 – Josephine Baker – US / French Dancer / Singer / Actress – Born 3^rd June 1906

1991 – James Schuyler – US Poet – Born 9^th November 1923

2005 – Alejandra Galicio – Argentine Murder Victim

11th April

LGBT people born today:

1890 – Marion Dickerman – US Suffragette – Died 16^th May 1983

1901 – Glenway Wescott – US Author – Died 22^nd February 1987

1920 – Emilio Colombo – Italian Politician / Diplomat

1941 – Joop Braakhekke – Dutch Presenter / Chef

1949 – Dorothy Allison – US Author / Poet / Screenwriter

1955 – Michael Callen – US Singer / Songwriter / Composer / Author / Musician / Activist – Died 27^th December 1993

1968/75/6 – Diesel Washington – US Porn

1973 – Sadie Benning – US Director / Musician / Artist

1976 – Chet Lam – Hong Kong Singer / Songwriter

1986 – Roman Heart – US Porn

Events in LGBT history:

2008 – Out On Film [Atlanta LGBT Film Festival] begins [runs through to 17^th April 2008]