Latest news with #OllyAlexander
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
MOCO Museum London Hosts LGBTQ+ Art Auction by Pink Noise Foundation Featuring Beth Ditto and Olly Alexander"
Beth Ditto, Olly Alexander, Glynn Fussell, Katy Richfield, Daniel Lismore and Pink Noise Team at MOCO Museum. MOCO Museum MOCO Museum in London's Marble Arch hosted a Pink Noise Foundation fundraising auction during PRIDE month, featuring emerging and established LGBTQI+ artists and artists who support the community. MOCO Museum Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield curated the exhibition and auction with Pink Noise and Daniel Lismore. Artworks were donated by Alison Jackson, Bambi, Ben Eine, Deborah Azzopardi, Chris Levine, ENDLESS, Fox Fisher, Hattie Stewart, Ian Brennan, Jess Wilson, Kristjana S Williams, Laura Stowers, Lucy Perfect, MYSTIQ, Pussy Riot, Trackie McLeod and Zoe Grace. Daniel Lismore by Chris Levine. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Chris Levine Beth Ditto and Olly Alexander performed before the live auction on 3rd July, which raised £20,000 with top lots including Alison Jackson's PRIDE Playboy , Tongue in Cheek by Hayden Kays and a portrait of Daniel Lismore by Chris Levine, portraitist of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Alison Jackson created the PRIDE Playboy print for the auction in a rainbow-inspired palette, the first time she has veered away from her signature black and white Paparazzi-style shots of lookalikes. Alison Jackson PRIDE Playboy, Courtesy of MOCO Museum Alison Jackson The Pink Noise Foundation auction was conceived by Mighty Hoopla founder Glyn Fussell and MOCO Museum's Katy Richfield. Pink Noise Foundation is a community-led that supports and strengthens the most vulnerable members and organisations of the LGBTQ+ community. Created by the founders of Sink The Pink and Mighty Hoopla, Glyn Fussell and Jamie Tagg, the charity is dedicated to making real change for grassroots LGBTQIA+ charities and organisations and supports them 365 days a year in their efforts to fight for change. Glyn Fussell spoke to me at MOCO Museum before the auction and gave me some insight into why it's so important: 'What we are doing with the auction is bringing together Pop culture and Queer culture. Pink Noise really started because we wanted to create a charity that supports grass roots LGBTQI+ organisations and support the unseen people that maybe don't get to march in PRIDE. Lots of grass roots organisations were vanishing so Pink Noise was set up in response to that. This year it felt so important to be supporting the Trans community, especially as a Trustee of Not a Phase . It's exciting to bring people into this space (MOCO Museum) and put on an event like this.' LOVE by Kristjana S Williams. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Kristjana S Williams Highlights of the online auction include; Day of the City Action by Pussy Riot founding member and conceptual artist Nadya; I LOVE YOU by Bambi, PRIDE Hope , a unique collaged artwork by Kristjana S Williams; London Rainbow by RUDE; Defend Trans Lives by Fox Fisher; and Ian Brennan's Tissues . Ian Brennan explained the meaning behind his painting: 'This piece depicts the internal struggle of having to remove a mask and identify as our true selves. While Pride is a time of celebration, it is also an arrival point. We have arrived at a moment in time, but not without pain. This piece captures the tears that were wept and the tissues used to soak up the painful emotions LGBTQ+ people can feel when trying to just exist as themselves, and sometimes achieving such a basic right still takes a lot of activism and fight to achieve their freedoms and their truth.' The LGBTQI+ community has historically made a significant contribution to the arts and culture–from Studio 54, Warhol and The Factory in New York to Boy George and Leigh Bowery at Taboo in London–and the rich cultural legacy of the community is gaining more prominence in museums, with Tate Modern's Leigh Bowery retrospective and the Fashion + Textile Museum's Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London exhibitions serving as notable examples. MOCO Museum Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield pictured at Pink Noise x Moco Fundraiser. Corinne Cumming MOCO Museum showcases artworks by prominent LGBTQI+ artists including Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, and the museum's Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield explained to me before the live auction how she wanted to thank and support the community through initiatives such as the Pink Noise Art Fundraiser: 'We just really wanted to shine a spotlight on the fact that the art world owes such a massive debt to the LGBTQI+ community. It would be such a boring world without Andy Warhol and all of the club culture from Studio 54. Same with Keith Haring whose work was showing people dancing and rejoicing–at a time when HIV was at its peak, and he was trying to educate. Haring's work still has a powerful impact and message of getting rid of fear from people. We really felt with the museum, we have such a young audience including families and young kids. Sometimes when you go to museums you feel like its an elitist place, but at MOCO Museum we wanted the art to spark conversations about the society we live in today, and to celebrate all these different communities. We wanted to give a voice to artists from the LGBTQI+ community who are emerging or more established, including Fox Fisher, Daniel Lismore and Nadya from Pussy Riot, who protested in a country where being queer is illegal.' Glyn Fussell commented: 'That (quite small) moment with Leigh Bowery in the 80s in London, really informed popular culture. When we started doing Sink the Pink back in the day, it was a smash n'grab of art, punk, Drag and Pop Culture. All very DIY. That's something I like about this museum is that it makes art accessible to everyone, and it's not pretentious. The art is online after the live auction for all of PRIDE month.' The Pink Noise Foundation exhibition is on view at MOCO Museum until the end of July and bidding for the online auction is open here. I Heart You by Bambi. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Bambi
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
LGBTQ+ figures criticise supreme court's gender ruling at London Pride
Thousands of people gathered in London for Pride on Saturday, but prominent LGBTQIA+ figures at the event voiced concern that transgender people are being 'villainised more than ever'. Singer and actor Olly Alexander and writer Shon Faye were among those to criticise a UK supreme court ruling on the definition of a woman at London's annual celebration of LGBTQI+ communities. Alexander, the Eurovision 2024 contestant, told the PA news agency: 'Trans people right now, they need our support and love more than ever, they're being villainised, demonised in the press, by a lot of the media, and trans people they're just like us … they're you, they're me. 'They deserve the same respect, the same rights, the same privileges, same opportunities, and that's why Pride is so important this year.' In April the supreme court ruled the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Before the march, Faye, author of Love in Exile and The Transgender Issue, said 'we've just seen an unprecedented attack on queer rights and trans rights across the world'. She told PA: 'For the trans community in particular here in the UK, we've seen an onslaught of misinformation, attacks in the media, and unfortunately the roll back of human rights in the courts. 'I think (Pride) is more important than ever – I think a lot of trans people have been made to feel afraid in public space and pride this year is about taking back public space, and showing what we're not going to be silenced, and we're not going to be intimidated.' US pop singer Chaka Khan is headlining a concert in Trafalgar Square after the march, at which about 500 organisations filed from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus and on to Whitehall Place. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to again walk at the front of London's world-famous Pride parade as huge crowds of Londoners and visitors joined together for an incredible show of love, unity and solidarity with our LGBTQI+ communities. 'The fantastic parade and celebrations across central London have shown once again that our capital is a beacon of inclusivity and diversity. 'This year's event was also a defiant reminder that we must keep fighting for equality and take a stand against those seeking to roll back hard-won rights.' A YouGov poll released before the event found 67% of people in the UK believe the country is inclusive to LGBTQ+ people, and 60% would not welcome a shift towards more negative attitudes. Simon Blake, chief executive of charity Stonewall, which commissioned the survey, said, despite the findings, 'we know many LGBTQ+ people do not feel this in their neighbourhoods and workplaces'.
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
LGBTQ+ figures criticise supreme court's gender ruling at London Pride
Thousands of people gathered in London for Pride on Saturday, but prominent LGBTQIA+ figures at the event voiced concern that transgender people are being 'villainised more than ever'. Singer and actor Olly Alexander and writer Shon Faye were among those to criticise a UK supreme court ruling on the definition of a woman at London's annual celebration of LGBTQI+ communities. Alexander, the Eurovision 2024 contestant, told the PA news agency: 'Trans people right now, they need our support and love more than ever, they're being villainised, demonised in the press, by a lot of the media, and trans people they're just like us … they're you, they're me. 'They deserve the same respect, the same rights, the same privileges, same opportunities, and that's why Pride is so important this year.' In April the supreme court ruled the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Before the march, Faye, author of Love in Exile and The Transgender Issue, said 'we've just seen an unprecedented attack on queer rights and trans rights across the world'. She told PA: 'For the trans community in particular here in the UK, we've seen an onslaught of misinformation, attacks in the media, and unfortunately the roll back of human rights in the courts. 'I think (Pride) is more important than ever – I think a lot of trans people have been made to feel afraid in public space and pride this year is about taking back public space, and showing what we're not going to be silenced, and we're not going to be intimidated.' US pop singer Chaka Khan is headlining a concert in Trafalgar Square after the march, at which about 500 organisations filed from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus and on to Whitehall Place. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to again walk at the front of London's world-famous Pride parade as huge crowds of Londoners and visitors joined together for an incredible show of love, unity and solidarity with our LGBTQI+ communities. 'The fantastic parade and celebrations across central London have shown once again that our capital is a beacon of inclusivity and diversity. 'This year's event was also a defiant reminder that we must keep fighting for equality and take a stand against those seeking to roll back hard-won rights.' A YouGov poll released before the event found 67% of people in the UK believe the country is inclusive to LGBTQ+ people, and 60% would not welcome a shift towards more negative attitudes. Simon Blake, chief executive of charity Stonewall, which commissioned the survey, said, despite the findings, 'we know many LGBTQ+ people do not feel this in their neighbourhoods and workplaces'.
Powys County Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
LGBT artists decry Supreme Court ruling at rainy London Pride parade
LGBT artists including singer and actor Olly Alexander decried the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman and expressed fears trans people are being 'villainised more than ever' at a rainy Pride in London parade. Writer Shon Faye and the lead actor in the BBC drama What It Feels Like For A Girl, Ellis Howard, also criticised the judgment. The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan shouted 'happy pride' and thousands people started to walk through central London, led by a more than a dozen motorcyclists from LGBT groups. There were shouts for 'trans rights now' as the engines roared and rain started to fall on Saturday afternoon. American pop singer Chaka Khan is headlining the event that saw around 500 organisations file from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, and on to Whitehall Place. Former Years And Years singer Alexander told the PA news agency: 'Trans people right now, they need our support and love more than ever, they're being villainised, demonised in the press, by a lot of the media, and trans people they're just like us… they're you, they're me. 'They deserve the same respect, the same rights, the same privileges, same opportunities, and that's why pride is so important this year.' The solo artist and Eurovision 2024 contestant added: 'There's been a real backlash against DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies and that's been going on for years, and I think we're in a bit of a swing, that's going against where we were maybe five years ago. 'We've had the Supreme Court ruling and I feel like a lot of trans people are scared, rightfully scared, they don't understand… what their lives are going to look like.' In April the Supreme Court ruled the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Before the march began Shon Faye, author of Love in Exile and The Transgender Issue, said 'we've just seen an unprecedented attack on queer rights and trans rights across the world'. She told PA: 'For the trans community in particular here in the UK, we've seen an onslaught of misinformation, attacks in the media, and unfortunately the roll back of human rights in the courts. 'I think (pride) is more important than ever – I think a lot of trans people have been made to feel afraid in public space and pride this year is about taking back public space, and showing what we're not going to be silenced, and we're not going to be intimidated.' Asked what she hoped would change, Faye said: 'I feel like it's not a one year change deal… movements move in generations, I think what we have to do now is accept the reality of the situation we're in and we have to work together with other groups, within the LGBT community and outside it, to really start forming strong coalitions in order to fight this stuff. 'I think where we're going in the UK, unfortunately this rightward turn is going to continue for some time. The people together are powerful.' She added: 'I think the reality is what some of these attacks are designed to do is exhaust us… we become very focused and frightened and then sometimes it's easier to retreat in and the reality is we need to do the opposite of that – we need to be willing to work with people who aren't necessarily like us'. Howard played Paris Lees in the BBC dramatisation of her memoir and, like Alexander and Faye, was supporting trans rights charity Not A Phase at the parade. He told PA that 'we're in an incredibly precarious political time' and said pride this year is 'more important than ever'. The actor added: 'I think it's so, so important that we show up as queers, as allies, and we celebrate. Joy is an act of resistance. 'I hope it shows queers of all ages that we stand with you, we are for you, and we love you'. He added: 'The recent Supreme Court ruling concerns me, the lack of proper tangible support from our Government concerns me, the lack of funding to amazing organisations like Not A Phase really, really concerns me. 'But honestly, I look around, I see stuff like this, I see what grassroots activism can do, and the power that that can have'. Sir Sadiq said: 'It was an honour and a privilege to again walk at the front of London's world-famous Pride parade as huge crowds of Londoners and visitors joined together for an incredible show of love, unity and solidarity with our LGBTQI+ communities. 'The fantastic parade and celebrations across central London have shown once again that our capital is a beacon of inclusivity and diversity. 'This year's event was also a defiant reminder that we must keep fighting for equality and take a stand against those seeking to roll back hard-won rights. 'Together, we sent a powerful message to the world that in London you are free to be whoever you want to be and love whoever you want to love, as we continue to build a better, fairer London for everyone.' A YouGov poll released ahead of the event found 67% of people in the UK believe the country is inclusive to LGBTQ+ people, and 60% would not welcome a shift towards more negative attitudes. Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall, which commissioned the survey, said despite the findings 'we know many LGBTQ+ people do not feel this in their neighbourhoods and workplaces'. He added: 'In policy terms, the reality is different too. 'The UK has dropped sharply down the global leaderboard for LGBTQ+ rights.' This year the UK fell to its lowest-ever ranking for LGBTI human rights, an annual report found.
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Thousands turn out to rainy Pride in London parade
Thousands gathered for the annual Pride in London parade, with The Independent acting as an official news partner. Attendees, including musician Olly Alexander and writer Shon Faye, criticised the Supreme Court 's ruling defining "woman" and "sex" as biological. Olly Alexander stated that trans people are being "villainised" and "demonised," emphasising their need for support and equal rights. Shon Faye described the ruling as an "unprecedented attack" on queer and trans rights, urging the community to reclaim public space. Despite a YouGov poll indicating public belief in UK LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Stonewall highlighted a significant decline in the UK's global LGBTQ+ rights standing
