#Fiona Buckland

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Third Reading

Ayes: 215 (98.6% Con, 0.9% Ind, 0.5% DUP) Noes: 19 (94.7% SNP, 5.3% PC) Absent: ~416

Likely Referenced Bill: Finance (No. 2) Act 2010

Description: A Bill to grant certain duties, to alter other duties, and to amend the law relating to the National Debt and the Public Revenue, and to make further provision in connection with finance.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Unassigned Bill Stage: Royal Assent

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (211 votes)

Aaron Bell Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alex Burghart Alex Chalk Alicia Kearns Alok Sharma Amanda Milling Andrew Griffith Andrew Jones Andrew Lewer Andrew Murrison Andrew Percy Andrew Selous Andy Carter Angela Richardson Anna Firth Anne Marie Morris Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anthony Browne Antony Higginbotham Ben Everitt Ben Spencer Ben Wallace Bernard Jenkin Bill Wiggin Bim Afolami Bob Blackman Bob Seely Brandon Lewis Caroline Ansell Caroline Nokes Charles Walker Cherilyn Mackrory Chris Clarkson Chris Grayling Chris Green Chris Philp Conor Burns Craig Tracey Craig Williams Damian Hinds Daniel Kawczynski Danny Kruger David Davis David Duguid David Jones David Rutley David Simmonds Dean Russell Dehenna Davison Derek Thomas Desmond Swayne Duncan Baker Edward Argar Edward Leigh Elizabeth Truss Elliot Colburn Esther McVey Felicity Buchan Fiona Bruce Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gareth Davies Gareth Johnson Gary Sambrook Gavin Williamson Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Gillian Keegan Graham Brady Graham Stuart Greg Hands Greg Smith Guy Opperman Harriett Baldwin Heather Wheeler Helen Whately Holly Mumby-Croft Huw Merriman Iain Duncan Smith Iain Stewart Jack Brereton Jack Lopresti Jackie Doyle-Price Jacob Rees-Mogg Jacob Young James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Davies James Duddridge James Sunderland James Wild Jane Hunt Jane Stevenson Jeremy Quin Jerome Mayhew Jo Churchill John Glen John Howell John Lamont Jonathan Djanogly Jonathan Gullis Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Julian Smith Julian Sturdy Justin Tomlinson Katherine Fletcher Kelly Tolhurst Kemi Badenoch Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Laura Farris Laura Trott Lee Rowley Leo Docherty Lia Nici Liam Fox Lisa Cameron Louie French Lucy Frazer Luke Hall Marcus Jones Mark Fletcher Mark Francois Mark Garnier Mark Logan Martin Vickers Matt Hancock Matt Warman Matthew Offord Mel Stride Michael Ellis Michael Fabricant Michael Gove Michael Tomlinson Mike Freer Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil O'Brien Nick Fletcher Nick Gibb Nicola Richards Nigel Huddleston Paul Beresford Paul Holmes Paul Howell Pauline Latham Penny Mordaunt Peter Aldous Peter Bottomley Philip Dunne Philip Hollobone Priti Patel Ranil Jayawardena Rebecca Harris Rebecca Pow Rehman Chishti Richard Bacon Richard Drax Richard Fuller Rob Butler Robbie Moore Robert Buckland Robert Courts Robert Goodwill Robert Halfon Robert Largan Robert Syms Robin Millar Robin Walker Royston Smith Sajid Javid Sally-Ann Hart Saqib Bhatti Sara Britcliffe Sarah Dines Scott Mann Selaine Saxby Shailesh Vara Sheryll Murray Simon Baynes Simon Clarke Simon Fell Simon Hart Simon Hoare Simon Jupp Stephen Metcalfe Steve Baker Steve Brine Steve Tuckwell Stuart Andrew Suzanne Webb Theo Clarke Theresa May Theresa Villiers Thérèse Coffey Tobias Ellwood Tom Hunt Tom Pursglove Tom Randall Tom Tugendhat Tracey Crouch Vicky Ford Victoria Atkins Victoria Prentis Wendy Morton Will Quince William Cash

Independent (2 votes)

Mark Menzies William Wragg

Democratic Unionist Party (1 vote)

Jim Shannon

Noes

Scottish National Party (18 votes)

Allan Dorans Amy Callaghan Angela Crawley Anne McLaughlin Brendan O'Hara Chris Law Chris Stephens David Linden Deidre Brock Joanna Cherry John Nicolson Kirsty Blackman Marion Fellows Owen Thompson Peter Grant Philippa Whitford Richard Thomson Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Plaid Cymru (1 vote)

Hywel Williams

[firstfootingscotland]

Bogha-frois Conversations: Joseph Peach

Early this year during Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival I had the pleasure of joining a host of incredible LGBT+ artists for a performance and a panel around the theme of Bogha-frois: LGBT+ Voices in Folk. A brainchild of Pedro Cameron (Man of the Minch), Bogha-frois began as a workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and takes its name from the Gaelic word for “rainbow.” The energy around Bogha-frois has enacted a metamorphosis - far beyond a standalone workshop, panel, or critically-acclaimed gig, Bogha-frois is a movement celebrating gender and sexual diversity within traditional and folk music, song, and dance in Scotland. Following the events in Glasgow, I wanted to continue these conversations and proposed a series of monthly blog posts. It’s hope this series will be a place for dialogue around the intersections of traditional arts, identity, and each artists’ path as a LGBT+ person. Our final Bogha-frois conversationalist is Joseph Peach! 

Tell me a story... what was a moment when you felt both your identity as a traditional musician and your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person were in focus? (1)

This is such a rare thing, so far at least. Until very recently, I haven't really seen even that a meeting of these two aspects of myself might be necessary, or indeed possible. The Bogha-frois gig at Celtic Connections was certainly one of these times though, it was an amazing and beautiful celebration. I was really surprised by how profoundly moving it felt to be part of a big group of LGBTQIA+ folkies playing music together, and for this aspect of our identities to be what had brought us there. Thinking about it, music- traditional music in particular, has so far been the biggest factor in making my identity, far more than the fact of being an LGBTQIA+ person. I think that's for a couple of reasons. I've been playing music since before I can remember, but I've only been aware and accepted that I was gay for a comparatively short amount of time. I've found understanding and reconciling this fact to be a process that is much more complex, and definitely still ongoing. To me, being a musician is everything: It's a passion, art, creating, a purpose in life, and way of life. If it was only a job, I'd be doing something else like practicing law, and being paid far more to work far more regular hours. More than ever before, the past few years have been a time of discovery creatively; finding worlds of artists and work to listen to, read, see and watch; things to admire, and be moved and inspired by. They have also been a time of doing more learning, playing, and making music. And what I’m really starting to understand, from work that inspire me, and the work that I make, is that for this whole notion of doing something like this only works if everything feeds in quite unfiltered. In a very roundabout way, I guess what I'm trying to say is that as getting comfy with the LGBTQIA+ aspect of myself continues, that of course there needs to be much more space and consideration for these two identities overlap.

How do you identify? What are the pronouns, descriptors or other words you like to use, if any, to describe yourself in regard to your LGBTQIA+ status.

I'm a (mostly) gay, cisgendered man I suppose, and the pronouns I use are he/him/his.

(photo of Joseph Peach by Somhairle MacDonald)

Talk about your perceptions of LGBTQIA+ identity (both yours and others) within your experience playing traditional music in Scotland.

Perception, especially self-perception is something I find very hard. I'm prone to being quite negative in how I see myself, and massively overthinking (usually in a negative way) my own notion of how other people see me- as a musician, person, and everything else. This is probably going to be a bit of a left field (and very long) answer, but relevant I think. It’s quite telling that when first reading the question that my mind immediately went towards anxiety. I think that for me, so much of what causes and triggers anxiety is to do with being a musician, and being gay. So, the musician thing. To me it is such a deeply personal thing, playing an instrument. How and why you do it is something wrapped up in the very fabric of you. And the nature of doing it for a living is one of always putting yourself out there- putting this really personal thing in all sorts of situations where people can hear and judge it. This is a bit terrifying sometimes, and it becomes a challenge not to be totally overwhelmed by the swirling thoughts that come with thinking about it too much- mainly that I’m doing a shit job, and that the people around me can see and hear that. This can present a major problem, but thankfully not all of the time. One of the things I love the most about the bands and collaborators with which I’m most regularly and seriously involved, are the levels of friendship, support, understanding, and trust which make these emotions fade in to the background, and make the space to focus on the things that are actually important. It’s all a question of perspective about perception I think, and there’s a real challenge in that.

And the gay thing. To my knowledge, there’s never been a better time to be LGBTQIA+, and arguably, in terms of rights, protection, and legislation, you’d struggle to find a better place than Scotland. Sadly, you don't have to look too far, to see very present, worrying and heartbreaking examples where being LGBTQIA+ is literally a threat to your life. So I’m extremely lucky to be where I am, when I am. In the great scheme of things though this comfort and protection is a very recent thing. Even in this progressive country we’re emerging from centuries of this sort of otherness being feared and abhorred- an abomination and illegal; something society said to be ashamed of. Thankfully, for all sorts of reasons that I really don’t know enough about, it feels that as society we’re moving away from this pretty quickly, and have been for a while. But certainly when I was growing up (and I’m sure being from a small rural place is part of it), I always had the impression that being some form of LGBTQIA+, (probably not described in such sympathetic terms) was something to be ashamed of. I was told that, saw it in the complete absence of any such people in the community, and heard it in the way such folk were talked about. Of course it’s a problem far bigger than that specific place. A problem it’s hard to see an end to until we stop raising children to expect that they’ll be straight and cisgendered.

I’m really interested in the Suzuki method. Much of it is based on the notion that it is possible to learn music in the same deeply natural way one learns their native language- by immersion, observation and impersonation. And it's so true- we do learn our first language like this. As a child, you become an expert in speaking your language through this deep and unconscious process. By this same principle, I managed to pick up a whole bunch of shame about being gay. My teenage years were spent agonizing about it, resenting it, and feeling quite isolated because of it; worrying about how others would see me, and tying myself in knots about how I saw myself. These things are ongoing I suppose- it's a lot to unlearn. The understanding and perspective that time and learning brings are hugely helpful, but working on my perception of myself in this way is definitely also still a work in progress.

(trailer for Joseph’s forthcoming record Air Iomall with fiddler Charlie Grey made in collaboration with filmmaker Hamish Macleod)

In what ways do you feel your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person and a traditional musician intersect, overlap, engage?

I’m really attracted to music that's quite absolute, just existing to be a wee world of its own, on its own terms, and that makes you go fuck, that’s amazing as an entity in its own right, not as an abstraction of something else. To me that’s lots of piano music, classical things, electronic things, and of course, much of traditional music.

My attitude until quite recently has been that it'd be hard to make any sort of explicit overlap between this sort of music and anything LGBTQIA+. If it is just music for its own sake, how can you make it queer, straight, or anything else for that matter? This is maybe the wrong way of looking at it though- if everything feeds in to music in some way, so being LGBTQIA+ must, even in small ways.

One place this is maybe quite concretely the case is in how I speak and move. It’s an idea that’s crossed my mind quite recently, when I was watching back a film that involves a lot of chat. I don’t often hear myself speak outside of my own head, so watching I was quite struck by how my voice sounded- it was quite camp. I don't mean that negatively- camp as an insult is bullshit from a toxic notion of heteronormative masculinity.

And I notice it too when I see myself playing the piano, the same sort of campness. Granted, I think being quite anxious can make me pretty hyper-aware, so maybe it's not so obvious to other folk. But playing music is a physical thing, so it’s maybe actually really nice that there are ways using my body to do that, or my voice to speak about it that come from an LGBTQIA+ identity. Noticing and valuing these small things already feels like something quite profound.  

Talk about your experience connecting with other LGBTQIA+ folks both inside and outside the traditional arts.

I'm extremely lucky in the community around me in Glasgow- I feel very part of something musically and socially. For me, connecting with LGBTQIA+ people is never something I've really consciously sought out- as with everyone else, it just happens over the course of day to day life. Other than accidentally ending up at Pride in Vienna a few years ago, and deliberately going to the Glasgow one once, the Bogha-frois gig was the only time really I’ve been involved in a gathering centered around LGBTQIA+ identity, and certainly a first time it’s been about music. And there was something unexpectedly and completely amazing about that.

If you’re comfortable sharing, talk about any incidents of homophobia or transphobia that you’ve witnessed both inside and outside the traditional arts.

I've been very lucky, sheltered, or possibly both in how little of this I’ve experienced, to my face at least. Within the scene within which I live and work, it's barely ever more than some off-colour jokes. When I was young, I think there was a lot of homophobic language, in school and in the community in which I lived- again this rarely amounted to more than off-colour jokes, but sometimes you’d know the sentiment was serious.

In all honesty, the worst homophobia I've experienced was probably levelled at me by me, during the younger years of coming to terms with my sexuality. That feels like quite a drastic thing to write, and when I think back to that time my inclination is to downplay it, but this is definitely no overstatement.

How do you see the traditional arts changing in regard to LGBTQIA+ people? What are the further changes you would like to see?

Malin Lewis said something really interesting in their answer to this question, about a link between some of what we’re talking about here, and the much needed discussion around women in traditional music that's been a big topic in trad scene over the past couple of years. My mind was really blown when the conversation started a couple of years ago. I had so little idea of the privilege I was enjoying in comparison to my female counterparts. It was quite an eye opener in a much wider way towards the workings of privilege in the world around us. It's kind of everywhere- systemic and entrenched societally, but also very individual- on the scales of privilege and disadvantage we all win and lose in different ways. It's a bit of a fucked situation, and I don’t know what the answer is, but what I don't think helps is denial. I think the most useful thing, for our own folky world, but also in the widest possible way, is simply acknowledging the privileges you have, being aware that they might be what allows you to occupy your space, and that they might well create a barrier that prevents other folk from also occupying that space.

You can learn more about Joseph and his music at www.joseph-peach.com.

First Footing is a collaboration between dancer and dance researcher Nic Gareiss, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education, and the School of Scottish Studies with support from Creative Scotland. For engagement opportunities check out the First Footing website.

(1) Following methodology developed by Fiona Buckland in her book Impossible Dance: Club Culture and Queer World-making, I began each conversation asking artists to tell me a story. This, Buckland reminds us, redistributes significance to the voice of the artist, rather than the anthropologist/researcher/interviewer. In Buckland’s words, “the meanings they made from the practices are more crucial than whatever meaning I impose with the theoretical tools in my standard issue doctoral utility belt.” (Buckland 2002, p. 11) This feels incredibly important when collaborating with folks whose voices have so often been underheard or marginalized.

[grandselfmythology]

Fiona Shaw

by David Buckland Iris print, 1998-1999

[edinburgheye]

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

This was first posted on Facebook on 16th March 2021, with support from my Ko-Fi network. I listened to the Second Reading debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on Monday evening and tonight, and I noted that four points were consistently being made by the obedient Tory MPs: Gypsy, Roma, and Irish Travellers are bad and dirty and we need legislation to take action against their…

[oonathefaewitch]

Hey so I'm a self-taught witch who practices independently and I was hoping to learn a little bit from others as well. Do you have any books/resources/people you recommend looking into?

Hi there!

I'm a self-taught witch as well and I'm still at the beginning of my journey, at the moment I'm yet to finish the big blue book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft of which I'm also sharing the lessons (you can find tose posts in my archive here) so for now I can only really recommend that one, but I'm marking down all the recommendend supplementary redings at the end of every lesson if you wanna check them out!

I'm also reading a very interesting and complete book about tarot called Holistic Tarot which i really recommend, it's a bit expensive maybe but it's totally worth it

Other than that I can write down here the list of recommended reading at the end of the blue book (with extra books other than the ones already listed at the end of every lesson), I can't recommend those personally (even if I did buy some of them but I still have to read them) but I think they're worth a shot if you'd like to know more, I'll add the other two I mentioned above in the list, in any case if you find other books online read carefully all the reviews cause many books are not serious about this topic

Also I'm not sure but I think these books below are all from white people and mainly about white cultures (and most of them are very old), so If you (or anyone else) have some recommendations about other cultures' book about witchcraft or ancient traditions I'd be glad to know more about that too!

As for people and other resources, I follow some witches on Twitter that shares interesting stuff, it would be too long to link all of their profiles so I can give you directly the list of people I follow here

I hope you'll find this helpful~

Color Healng by Mary Anderson

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece by Edward E. Jr Barthell

Crystal Gazing by Theodore Besterman

I-Ching: The Book of Changes by J. Blofeld

Primitive Song by C. M. Bowra

Gerald Gardner: Witch by J. L. Bracelin

The Lost Gods of England by Brian Branston

Development of Religion and Thought is Ancient Egypt by J. H. Breasted

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft / Amazing Secrets of the Psychic World / Color Magick / Gypsy Dream Dictionary / A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural / Practical Candleburning Rituals / Scottish Witchcraft & Magick / The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft / Wicca For Life / The Witch Book: Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, WIcca and Neopaganism / Witchcraft From the Inside by Raymond Buckland

The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Zsuzsanna Budapest

Amulets and Talismans by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge

Egyptian Language by Oxford University Press

How to Read the Aura, Practice Psychometry, Telepathy and Clairvoyance by W.E. Butler

Ancient Ways by Dan and Pauline Campanelli

Handbook of Unusual and Unorthodox Healing by J. V. Carney

Handbook of Bach Flower Remedies by Philip M. Chancellor

Color Therapy by Linda Clark

Precious Stones: Their Occult Power and Hidden Significance by W. B. Crow

Lid Off the Cauldron / The Witches Speak Athol by Patricia Crowther

Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper

Earth Power / Living Wicca / Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

Practical Guide to Astral Projection by Melita Dennings and Osborne Phillips

The Silent Path by Michael Eastcott

Patterns of Comparative Religion / Rites and Symbols of Initiation - Birth and Rebirth by Mircea Eliade

The Dream Game by Ann Faraday

What Witches Do / Eight Sabbats For Witches / The Witches' Way by Janet and Stewart Farrar

Magical Rites From the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch

The Golden Bought by Sir James G. Frazer

The Wisdom of Pagan Philosophers by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy

Totem and Taboo by Sigmund Freud

Witchcraft Today / The Meaning of Witchcraft / High Magic's Aid / A Goddess Arrives by Gerald Gardner

Complete Herbal by Gerard

Stalking the Healthful Herbs by Euell Gibbons

Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense, and Us by Justine Glass

Seasonal Occult Rituals by William Gray

The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemay Ellen Guiley

Ancient Art and Ritual Kessinger by Jane E. Harrison

Palmistry, the Whole View by Judith Hipskind

Myth and Ritual by S. H. Hooke

Witch: A Magickal Journey by Fiona Horne

The Runes and Other Magical Alphabets by Michael Howard

Witchcraft by Penethorne Hughes

Memories Dreams and Reflections by Carl G. Jung

Aradia, Gospel of the Witches of Italy by Charles Godfrey Laland

Witches: Investigating an Ancient Religion / Gogmagog - the Buried Gods by T. C. Lethbridge

Healing For Everyone by E. Loomis and J. Paulson

Numerology by Vincent Lopez

Commond and Uncommond Uses of Herbs of Healthful Living by Richard Lucas

The Herb Book by John Lust

Pagan Parenting by Kristin Madden

Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition by Edain McCoy

The Principles and Practice of Radiesthesia by Abbè Mermet

The Hearbalist by J. E. Meyer

The Craft by Dorothy Morrison

Green Witchcraft series by Ann Aoumiel Moura

Sexual Occultism by John Mumford

The Family Wicca Book by Ashleen O'Gaea

Reclaim the Power of the Witch by Monte Plaisance

Potter's New Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations by R. C. Potter

How to Make and Use Talismans / The Art of True Healing by Israel Regardie

The Seventh Sense by Kenneth Roberts

High Magic's Aid by Scire

The Book of Charms and Alisman by Sepharial

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey

Medical Palmistry by Marten Steinbach

Is This Your Day? by George S. Thommen

Magic and Healing by C. J. S. Thompson

Where Witchcraft Lives / An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present / Witchcraft For Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

The Rites of Passage by Arnold Van Gennep

Herbal Manual by H. Ward

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen

The I-Ching by R. Wilhelm

The Christians As the Romans Saw Them by Robert L. Wilken

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill: Instruction (No. 3)

Ayes: 323 (69.6% Con, 27.0% Lab, 1.6% Ind, 0.9% DUP, 0.3% WPB, 0.3% RUK, 0.3% LD) Noes: 7 (62.5% Con, 37.5% LD) Absent: ~320

Likely Referenced Bill: High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill

Description: A Bill to make provision for a railway between a junction with Phase 2a of High Speed 2 south of Crewe in Cheshire and Manchester Piccadilly Station; for a railway between Hoo Green in Cheshire and a junction with the West Coast Main Line at Bamfurlong, south of Wigan; and for connected purposes.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Commons Bill Stage: 2nd reading

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (222 votes)

Aaron Bell Adam Afriyie Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alex Burghart Alexander Stafford Alicia Kearns Alok Sharma Alun Cairns Amanda Milling Amanda Solloway Andrea Leadsom Andrew Bowie Andrew Griffith Andrew Jones Andrew Lewer Andrew Murrison Andrew Rosindell Andrew Selous Andy Carter Angela Richardson Anne Marie Morris Anthony Browne Antony Higginbotham Ben Bradley Ben Spencer Bill Wiggin Bim Afolami Bob Blackman Bob Seely Brandon Lewis Brendan Clarke-Smith Caroline Ansell Caroline Dinenage Caroline Johnson Charles Walker Cherilyn Mackrory Chloe Smith Chris Clarkson Chris Green Chris Philp Claire Coutinho Damian Collins Damian Green Damian Hinds Danny Kruger David Duguid David Johnston David Jones David Rutley David Simmonds Dean Russell Derek Thomas Desmond Swayne Duncan Baker Eddie Hughes Edward Argar Edward Timpson Elizabeth Truss Fay Jones Felicity Buchan Fiona Bruce Flick Drummond Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gareth Davies Gareth Johnson Gary Streeter George Eustice Gillian Keegan Gordon Henderson Graham Stuart Grant Shapps Greg Knight Guy Opperman Harriett Baldwin Heather Wheeler Helen Grant Henry Smith Holly Mumby-Croft Huw Merriman Iain Duncan Smith Iain Stewart Jack Lopresti Jacob Young Jake Berry James Davies James Gray James Grundy James Heappey James Morris James Sunderland James Wild Jane Hunt Jane Stevenson Jerome Mayhew Jesse Norman Jo Churchill Jo Gideon John Glen John Hayes John Howell John Lamont John Penrose John Stevenson John Whittingdale Johnny Mercer Jonathan Djanogly Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Julian Sturdy Julie Marson Justin Tomlinson Karen Bradley Karl McCartney Kate Kniveton Kelly Tolhurst Kevin Foster Kevin Hollinrake Kit Malthouse Laura Farris Lia Nici Liam Fox Lisa Cameron Louie French Lucy Frazer Luke Hall Marco Longhi Marcus Jones Maria Caulfield Maria Miller Mark Fletcher Mark Garnier Mark Harper Mark Logan Mark Pawsey Mark Spencer Martin Vickers Matt Vickers Matt Warman Michael Ellis Michael Tomlinson Mike Freer Mike Penning Mike Wood Mims Davies Miriam Cates Nadhim Zahawi Neil Hudson Neil O'Brien Nick Fletcher Nick Gibb Nickie Aiken Nicola Richards Nigel Huddleston Nigel Mills Paul Beresford Paul Bristow Paul Holmes Paul Howell Paul Maynard Paul Scully Pauline Latham Penny Mordaunt Peter Aldous Peter Bottomley Priti Patel Rachel Maclean Ranil Jayawardena Rebecca Harris Rebecca Pow Richard Bacon Richard Fuller Richard Graham Richard Holden Robbie Moore Robert Buckland Robert Courts Robert Goodwill Robert Halfon Robert Neill Robert Syms Robin Millar Robin Walker Ruth Edwards Sally-Ann Hart Saqib Bhatti Sara Britcliffe Sarah Dines Scott Mann Selaine Saxby Shailesh Vara Shaun Bailey Sheryll Murray Simon Baynes Simon Fell Simon Hart Simon Hoare Simon Jupp Stephen Crabb Stephen Hammond Stephen McPartland Stephen Metcalfe Steve Barclay Steve Tuckwell Stuart Anderson Stuart Andrew Suzanne Webb Thérèse Coffey Tobias Ellwood Tom Hunt Tom Pursglove Tom Randall Tracey Crouch Trudy Harrison Vicky Ford Victoria Atkins Victoria Prentis Virginia Crosbie Wendy Morton Will Quince

Labour (86 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Afzal Khan Alan Campbell Alex Davies-Jones Alex Norris Alison McGovern Alistair Strathern Andrew Western Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Anneliese Dodds Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bell Ribeiro-Addy Ben Bradshaw Cat Smith Catherine McKinnell Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Webb Damien Egan Dan Jarvis Dawn Butler Emma Lewell-Buck Fabian Hamilton Gareth Thomas Gen Kitchen George Howarth Gill Furniss Grahame Morris Harriet Harman Helen Hayes Hilary Benn Holly Lynch James Murray Jeff Smith Jim McMahon Jo Stevens John Cryer John McDonnell Judith Cummins Julie Elliott Karl Turner Kate Hollern Kevan Jones Kevin Brennan Kim Leadbeater Liz Twist Lloyd Russell-Moyle Luke Pollard Margaret Beckett Marie Rimmer Mark Hendrick Mark Tami Mary Glindon Matt Western Matthew Pennycook Mick Whitley Natalie Elphicke Naz Shah Neil Coyle Pat McFadden Paul Blomfield Paula Barker Preet Kaur Gill Rachael Maskell Rachel Hopkins Rebecca Long Bailey Rosena Allin-Khan Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sam Tarry Samantha Dixon Seema Malhotra Sharon Hodgson Simon Lightwood Stephen Doughty Stephen Kinnock Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve McCabe Taiwo Owatemi Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Thangam Debbonaire Vicky Foxcroft Wes Streeting

Independent (5 votes)

Bob Stewart Claudia Webbe Conor McGinn Diane Abbott Nicholas Brown

Democratic Unionist Party (3 votes)

Gavin Robinson Gregory Campbell Jim Shannon

Workers Party of Britain (1 vote)

George Galloway

Reform UK (1 vote)

Lee Anderson

Liberal Democrat (1 vote)

Helen Morgan

Noes

Conservative (5 votes)

Adam Holloway Gavin Williamson Jack Brereton Philip Davies William Cash

Liberal Democrat (3 votes)

Helen Morgan Richard Foord Wera Hobhouse

[sexyrasputin]

“Well, if it isn’t Rose Oomen,” Ambrose said with a grin, sauntering up to the now off-duty model. Datura, his closest friend, stood a few feet away with the clothes Rose had just changed out of.

Rose gave Ambrose a smirk. “And if isn’t the prodigal son. What are you doing here?”

“I’m his ride home,” Datura answered for him. “Since somebody got his license revoked for going twenty over.”

His response was a sheepish smile. “I will neither confirm nor deny that assertion.”

“I’ll confirm it for you,” Datura retorted, but there was a glint of humor in her eyes. Ambrose was a reckless person in general, so she hadn’t been surprised when he called her from the police station a few weeks before they graduated from college. That and he had a leaden foot. The guy was convinced he couldn’t die.

Rose grinned knowingly at Ambrose. “First it was speeding down the ski hill, now it’s speeding feloniously?”

His sheepish grin grew more joyful. “Not anymore, considering Tura won’t let me drive her car and mine is impounded.”

“Because you are a menace to society,” Datura replied to Ambrose’s pointed look.

“He always has been,” Rose agreed. Tura looked between them, and realization settled in. So that was how the model and her best friend from college (and now roommate at the intern house) knew each other. Rose was the childhood best friend Ambrose had recently hooked up with. Something about not realizing they knew each other as kids until the morning after? It didn’t matter. Ambrose had been walking with more of a spring in his step since reconnecting with Rose. It was good to see him cheerful again; after Fiona, well, it was the Fiona Fiasco for a reason.

“You say that as if you aren’t one,” Ambrose replied with a flirtatious grin. Rose matched his smile with her own.

“Maybe I’ll have to show you later just how bad I can be.” Rose, who still wore only her lace bra and underwear, stepped closer to a now smirking Ambrose.

“Yeah, later. When I’m not here,” Datura said dryly. Rose looked at her sourly.

“Then you can leave.”

Datura was starting to think she didn’t like Rose, even if she did make Ambrose happy. Rose may have been a childhood best friend who surfaced after ten plus mysterious years away, but Datura was Ambrose’s friend, too. Rose didn’t win priority. She had to work her way up there, still. That, and Datura wasn’t about to let Ambrose go entirely. He was her closest friend, maybe her only friend. She wasn’t losing him. Not after Prom and Pollux had gone on to their next (and possibly illegal) adventure without a single text or call.

“I’m still required here, so it looks like you’re the one who needs to get out of here,” Datura replied sweetly, a saccharine smile on her lips. Rose shrugged.

“C’mon, then, Ambrose. I can take you home later.” She grabbed her street clothes before taking hold of his hand. Ambrose shot a half-apologetic, half-excited smile to Datura over his shoulder as Rose pulled him away.

Datura sighed. So much for not letting Ambrose go.

////

“Hey, Datura,” Nic greeted when she walked through the door. She adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder and gently kicked the door shut behind her.

“Hey,” Datura said, smiling at her new roommate. Nicolette was the only person in the house who actually worked for Buckland Publishing. Everybody else was an intern. Datura worked with the graphic design and styling teams for the magazine. She was pretty sure Nic did something with HR.

“Where’s your attachment?”

Datura frowned at the mention of Ambrose. Since they hadn’t come in knowing anybody else in the apartment (who all were childhood or college friends, strangely enough), they’d stuck together. Apparently that wasn’t going to last.

“I dunno, but wherever he is, he’s disappointing God,” Datura mused, trying to stay humorous. Ambrose had always been a fan of casual relationships. The thing with Rose was no different. Datura just had to get used to sharing him again.

Nic nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds like Demon and Devil.” These names, of course, referred to Damon and Orion Blackbourne, respectively. Nic’s cousins, new interns, and both demonic and devilish.

Datura made a face. “They won’t bring girls back here, right? As fancy as this place is, the walls are paper thin.” Ambrose was a light sleeper who tossed and turned all night. Datura was hoping he’d never bring Rose or any other girl back for the night.

Nic made a face. “They better not. I’d threaten to tell their parents so they can disappoint them, but I don’t think Aunt Ravyn and Uncle Ave can judge, based on what my dads have told me.”

Datura nodded slowly. She didn’t know the background of the rest of her roommates, but she knew they were all closely intertwined. Rhiannon was the only one who hadn’t grown up with the rest of the gang, but she fit in like she had always been there.

“Fun.” Datura didn’t know what else there was to say. Luckily, Nic’s ringing phone saved her having to finish the conversation.

“I’m on my way, Magnus,” Nic said into the phone, already frustrated with her boyfriend. Datura had met the guy once and hadn’t been impressed.

“I told you, I had to finish cleaning the kitchen, and then I sat down to take a break like I said I would.” A pause. “You’re saying I don’t need time to relax?” Another one. “Fine, I’ll come over and relax with you.” Nic hung up with a roll of her eyes.

“I’ve been summoned. Good luck with Ambrose.” She smiled at Datura before leaving for the garage.

Yeah, Datura still wasn’t impressed with this Magnus guy. He sounded like Fiona. She sighed and headed for the stairs. The walls may have been paper thin, but that wouldn’t stop her from playing music on her laptop while she worked on a side project for work. Nic was going to relax with her boyfriend, so Datura would go relax without a boyfriend. It was fine, though. She didn’t need a relationship to be happy.

But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to be in one.

[firstfootingscotland]

Bogha-frois Conversations: Will Hammond

Early this year during Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival I had the pleasure of joining a host of incredible LGBT+ artists for a performance and a panel around the theme of Bogha-frois: LGBT+ Voices in Folk. A brainchild of Pedro Cameron (Man of the Minch), Bogha-frois began as a workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and takes its name from the Gaelic word for “rainbow.” The energy around Bogha-frois has enacted a metamorphosis - far beyond a standalone workshop, panel, or critically-acclaimed gig, Bogha-frois is a movement celebrating gender and sexual diversity within traditional and folk music, song, and dance in Scotland. Following the events in Glasgow, I wanted to continue these conversations and proposed a series of monthly blog posts. It’s hope this series will be a place for dialogue around the intersections of traditional arts, identity, and each artists’ path as a LGBT+ person. This month’s Bogha-frois conversationalist is percussionist Will Hammond! 

Tell me a story... what was a moment when you felt both your identity as a traditional musician and your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person were in focus? (1)

Obviously the Bogha-frois workshops and concert were a pretty decisive event for this. During those days it felt most apparent and explicitly like "this is what this is about, this is inextricably part of who we are and what we're doing", which did feel like the first time outside of maybe being at pride or a protest that I've felt quite so "out" and among similar people, and the only time where the musician part of my identity has been equally in focus. I'd had a few conversations with other queer musicians about navigating the world the ways we do prior to those workshops, and each time my thoughts of "I'm sure I'm not the only person" became "oh, wow there are other people experiencing these things!" So, to have so many people gathered for the workshops and concert laid out this confirmation on a scale that was very affirming. 

How do you identify? What are the pronouns, descriptors or other words you like to use, if any, to describe yourself in regard to your LGBTQIA+ status. 

 I'm bisexual, in that I am capable of being attracted to people of more than one gender. My own gender is a total mess and I use he/him pronouns but they/them pronouns are fine, kind of whatever, really. Genderfluid and nonbinary are terms that fit; I don't think I really know what I "identify" as on an that instinctive visceral level. If I introspect on it, I always come out thinking "I don't know what feeling like a man or a woman or anything else feels like, I just feel a bit unpleasant." I find personally trans/cis is a pretty quirky binary in itself. "Do you agree with the doctor who said 'it's a boy' when you were born?", I mean, I guess, yeah sometimes but also sometimes not, right? 

(percussionist Will Hammond, photo by Amelia Read)

Talk about your perceptions of LGBTQIA+ identity (both yours and others) within your experience playing traditional music in Scotland. 

When I've played in Scotland my own and others' identities have either gone unmentioned and un-talked about or they've been the focus of the event- referring to the Bogha-frois concert, so my experience has either been extremely welcoming and accepting or I haven't had to think about it. Being English and mostly working in England, I don't expect my experiences of this in Scotland to be comprehensive or universal for Scottish musicians. 

In what ways do you feel your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person and a traditional musician intersect, overlap, engage? 

I am fairly open to talking about my queerness with other people I play music with, and most of these people, if they are not themselves lgbtq in some ways, have usually demonstrated that I can trust them about it. Ever since I first read about it I've enjoyed exploring the idea of music as a verb rather than a noun. I also like the line of thought leading off about how a musician who is just walking down the street, or making a cup of coffee, or trying to get to sleep, is still a musician. Even if what they are doing in those moments is not musicking, their musician-ness has affected how they experience and interact with the world. I think, for myself, I can draw definite parallels to my queerness in here. How applicable that is for other people is totally up to them, of course. At the moment I have "trans rights are human rights" written in block capitals down the side of one of my main instruments, and I don't exactly present as the most obviously straight person in the world, so I suppose I'm not trying particularly hard to keep my queerness and my musician-ness separate. 

Talk about your experience connecting with other LGBTQIA+ folks both inside and outside the traditional arts. 

I have worked a couple of times with other lgbtq artists in the trad scene and beyond, but prior to the Bogha-frois workshops it was never a specific condition or factor of us working together. It would emerge over the course of us practicing usually, or I already knew about the other(s) going in and would tell them about myself. 

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A post shared by The Cusp (@thecuspmusic) on Apr 8, 2019 at 9:08am PDT

(Will’s band The Cusp with fiddler Imogen Bose-Ward and harpist Ada Francis)

If you’re comfortable sharing, talk about any incidents of homophobia or transphobia that you’ve witnessed both inside and outside the traditional arts. 

In a performance context I haven't experienced any myself, which has been nice, but on at least two occasions during practices with other musicians, after coming out to them as bi they have immediately asked me about how open my partner and I are to threesomes. Outside of music, just in the last couple of years I've been called slurs in shops multiple times, in the loos at Newcastle railway station a man told me that I'm in the wrong queue and should be in the ladies'. I've been given "that look" by several men for being in public with other queer people. Once, someone I used to work for grabbed my wrist and tried to scrub off my nail varnish with her hand as if she thought that would work and was an acceptable way to treat another adult. I've certainly not had as hard a time as some people I know, but I have plenty of my own evidence for how marriage equality certainly didn't end homophobia, let alone transphobia. 

How do you see the traditional arts changing in regard to LGBTQIA+ people? What are the further changes you would like to see? 

I'm stuck with being a convert, a backslider, and a reformist with respect to trad music. I didn't get into folk until I was introduced by a friend. I was maybe 17, by which time I'd already been playing music in some form or other for about 9 years. Then playing, listening to, learning about, trad things became a focus until I was maybe 21, when I learned a bit more about abstract expressionism and free improvisation and started enjoying the weirder sides of trad playing more and the "regular" playing a bit less. It was partly burnout from having finished university but getting outside of the folk bubble having spent a short time intensely involved in it was definitely a breath of fresh air. The final project of my studies was a summary of this process in a way, looking at how genres are constructed in the modern age and how occupying the spaces between them can result in some interesting things. I'm fascinated in the ability to use this music to tell stories and preserve memories. I'm also aware of the parallel consequence that allows this music to distort realities and, through entirely benign inaction, forget. I hesitate to speak for the Scottish traditions as I'm only an occasional visitor, and in the words of Leon Rosselson, I'm not suggesting any sort of plot. However, there have been times I find it difficult to look at the amount of lighthearted crossdressing, not so lighthearted crossdressing, "shapeshifting", "enchantment", utter disinterest in marriage, and portrayals of homosocial relationships in traditional songs and not feel concern when these things are overlooked.  Even more so when they are explained away in a manner that preserves the current cisheteropatriarchy like it's something that's always been there. The places this music comes from are important, and preserving it and celebrating it definitely is a worthy pursuit. It then follows that to gloss over the parts that don't fit our construction of history is partly what leads us to situations where it takes a whole room of queer musicians simply pointing out that we exist, maybe for ourselves as much as for an audience, to get people thinking about it. As such, and though I recognise that it's difficult to apply current terminology around sexuality and gender to historical time periods, "The Folk", whoever they were, ought to be perceived as less monolithically heterosexual and gender conforming. Applying this way of thinking and looking can go forwards as much as backwards, and  achieving a greater diversity of voices in the trad scene is an important goal, I think.

First Footing is a collaboration between dancer and dance researcher Nic Gareiss, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education, and the School of Scottish Studies with support from Creative Scotland. For engagement opportunities check out the First Footing website.

(1) Following methodology developed by Fiona Buckland in her book Impossible Dance: Club Culture and Queer World-making, I began each conversation asking artists to tell me a story. This, Buckland reminds us, redistributes significance to the voice of the artist, rather than the anthropologist/researcher/interviewer. In Buckland’s words, “the meanings they made from the practices are more crucial than whatever meaning I impose with the theoretical tools in my standard issue doctoral utility belt.” (Buckland 2002, p. 11) This feels incredibly important when collaborating with folks whose voices have so often been underheard or marginalized.

[edgewoodrp]

Can I have a writing prompt for Fiona please?

Sure thing! We have a few prompts for Fiona already posted here, but here are a few more for you: 

In striking out on her own, Fiona worked her way up to becoming a manager at The Dragon’s Lair. You could write about a day or night on the job, or how she convinced her boss to hire her siblings.

Fiona is also the proud owner of Buckland House Apartments, but there’s still a lot of work left to be done on the building. You could write about her working on renovations, or showing one of the finished apartments to a prospective tenant.

You could also write about Fiona having a rare night off and doing something for herself. Whether it’s a date, family night, girl’s night out, or even finding a quiet place in the woods to Change and letting her wolf run wild.

[katefitwithkatebridgeman]

Since Jan 2020, your payment to Sweaty Mama Stroud and Cirencester, £1 has donated to Rushton Dog Rescue.

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the Mamas who renewed, our Monthly Mamas and new signed up.

THANK YOU FOR SAVING DOGS FROM MEAT TRADE.

Our Jan 2022🐕 donation to Rushton Dog Rescue 🌺

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[updatesnews]

QT audience member suggests Farage could take on Tories- ‘Immigration is a vote winner’ | Politics | News

QT audience member suggests Farage could take on Tories- ‘Immigration is a vote winner’ | Politics | News

In last night’s episode of Question Time, Fiona Bruce was joined in Cardiff by ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland MP, Labour Senedd Member Eluned Morgan, Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts, ex-GB News host Guto Harri, and writer and broadcaster Timandra Harkness. During a conversation about the Government’s handling of the Channel crossing crisis, one audience member claimed Boris Johnson’s…

[princess-beef]

Witchy Book Recommendations

Witchcraft Books I Have: ✨If You Want to be a Witch: A Practical Introduction to the Craft - Edain McCoy (my first book) ✨Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) ✨Witch: A Magickal Journey - Fiona Horne ✨A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook - Stewart & Janet Farrar ✨The Witch's Magical Handbook - Gavin & Yvonne Frost ✨Witchcraft: Theory and Practice - Ly de Angeles ✨Wiccapedia: A Modern-Day White Witch's Guide - Shawn Robbins I realize a lot of what I have is outdated and some aren’t from the best sources, but I bought 4 of them from the local antique shop. I didn’t find most of these particularly useful. I don’t know if I’m just at the point where most books won’t help me because they’re primarily beginner faceted, and I should just stick to continuing my research and learning online like on Tumblr. However, I’d really appreciate recommendations! These are the books I still want, but if you’ve read them and don’t think I’d enjoy them/find them useful, feel free to say so. [IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/2j34005.jpg[/IMG]

[mocktheright]

BBC Question Time - 11/6/2020 - Fiona Bruce presents topical debate with an audience from Cardiff. On the panel: Robert Buckland MP, justice secretary and lord high chancellor of Great Britain, Conservative; Vaughan Gething MS, health and social services minister in the Welsh government, Labour; Liz Saville Roberts MP, leader of Plaid Cymru at Westminster; Rocco Forte, founder of the Rocco Forte luxury hotel chain; and Bernardine Evaristo, author of several novels, including Girl, Woman, Other which won the Booker Prize and was listed by Barack Obama as one of his favourite novels of 2019. -- from Mock the Right on Facebook - bit.ly/2TKLJMe

[xera121]

Favorite tweets

Fiona Bruce (CONSERVATIVE) Robert Buckland (CONSERVATIVE) Alex Burghart (CONSERVATIVE) Conor Burns (CONSERVATIVE) Alistair Burt (CONSERVATIVE) Alun Cairns (CONSERVATIVE) James Cartlidge (CONSERVATIVE) Maria Caulfield (CONSERVATIVE)

— Brooks Carter🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮����🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Edbcar) April 13, 2020

from http://twitter.com/Edbcar via IFTTT

[firstfootingscotland]

Bogha-frois Conversations

Early this year during Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival I had the pleasure of joining a host of incredible LGBT+ artists for a performance and a panel around the theme of Bogha-frois: LGBT+ Voices in Folk. A brainchild of Pedro Cameron (Man of the Minch), Bogha-frois began as a workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and takes its name from the Gaelic word for “rainbow.” The energy around Bogha-frois has enacted a metamorphosis - far beyond a standalone workshop, panel, or critically-acclaimed gig, Bogha-frois is a movement celebrating gender and sexual diversity within traditional and folk music, song, and dance in Scotland. Following the events in Glasgow, I wanted to continue these conversations and proposed a series of monthly blog posts. It’s hope this series will be a place for dialogue around the intersections of traditional arts, identity, and each artists’ path as a LGBT+ person. This month’s Bogha-frois conversationalist decided to share her story anonymously. I’m very grateful for her artistry, generosity, and courage in speaking about her experience.

Tell me a story... what was a moment when you felt both your identity as a traditional musician and your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person were in focus? (1)

I’m not sure they have ever been in focus at the same time until the Brogha-frois gig at Celtic Connections this year.

How do you identify? What are the pronouns, descriptors or other words you like to use, if any, to describe yourself in regard to your LGBTQIA+ status.

I identify as gay, would seldom use “lesbian” as I feel it’s more of a noun than an adjective, and when I was first starting to think about how I would describe myself to people, probably around 20 years ago now, I was really conscious that I didn’t want it to make me a “thing,” rather than a way. I guess that has stayed with me into adulthood.

Talk about your perceptions of LGBTQIA+ identity (both yours and others) within your experience playing traditional music in Scotland.

I think the trad music scene in Scotland is becoming increasingly open, and I’m aware of many more openly LGBTQIA+ folk on the scene. I don’t really think about my own identity within the trad music scene.

In what ways do you feel your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person and a traditional musician intersect, overlap, engage?

I don’t feel that my sexuality has had much influence on my music: as a mainly instrumental musician, I haven’t struggled so much with the pronoun issue a lot of singers find difficult. The times I’ve been aware of self-censoring are all around chat - the introduction to a tune written for my first girlfriend ended up having a silly story attached, rather than any affection. A tune written for a great love was seldom introduced at all, as I was conscious that I didn’t want to demean it with a glib story, but couldn’t face outing myself or talking myself in knots onstage! Before anwswering this question, I would have said that I haven’t ever really been aware of these parts of my identity overlapping or intersecting. With the above said, perhaps I have made a strong effort to make sure that they didn’t overlap. The Bogha-frois gig was a big deal for me in regards to that. It was a pretty nerve-wracking thing to allow them to both be visible. And, as it turned out in the end, it really didn’t need to be!

Talk about your experience connecting with other LGBTQIA+ folks both inside and outside the traditional arts. If you’re comfortable sharing, talk about any incidents of homophobia or transphobia that you’ve witnessed both inside and outside the traditional arts.

I don’t really take a great part in the “folk scene,” and even less in the gay scene: a situation with which I am quite content. I have many gay friends, but these are mostly people whose only connection to the folk scene is me! None of these friendships are based on a shared identity, more on shared humour, experiences, university choices!

I grew up surrounded by the casually homophobic language and attitudes that many of my peers did, but can’t remember any overt or aggressive incidents. One really positive thing I’m aware of is that I feel that I’m hearing less and less of that all the time. I’m sure it still exists, but people seem to be much more aware of how offensive it can be and making an effort to alter this. The attitudes may take longer to change, but the language and behaviour being tempered is a positive thing.

How do you see the traditional arts changing in regard to LGBTQIA+ people? What are the further changes you would like to see?

Perhaps it is representative of society in general, but the number of young musicians coming through now who feel completely comfortable to be out and open about their identity is greatly increased since I first got involved with the trad arts scene. LGBTQIA+ audience members are much more likely to see themselves represented by performers now, making the scene feel much less cloistered and way more inclusive. Long may this continue!

First Footing is a collaboration between dancer and dance researcher Nic Gareiss, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education, and the School of Scottish Studies with support from Creative Scotland. For engagement opportunities check out the First Footing website.

(1) Following methodology developed by Fiona Buckland in her book Impossible Dance: Club Culture and Queer World-making, I began each conversation asking artists to tell me a story. This, Buckland reminds us, redistributes significance to the voice of the artist, rather than the anthropologist/researcher/interviewer. In Buckland’s words, “the meanings they made from the practices are more crucial than whatever meaning I impose with the theoretical tools in my standard issue doctoral utility belt.” (Buckland 2002, p. 11) This feels incredibly important when collaborating with folks whose voices have so often been underheard or marginalized.