RuPaul, ‘Jealous Of My Boogie’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

“Sharing the stage with three very fierce and fabulous queens isn’t always easy, we’ve got a lot of ideas, energy and body-awdy to fit on one stage but it has been so fascinating for me to learn more about ‘becoming a woman’ from three beautiful men and three beautiful queens.”

Emperor Ai, by Christopher Bryant.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“Emperor Ai reinforced the idea of respect and consideration in an act that would reverberate throughout the history of Imperial China.”

Bronski Beat, ‘Smalltown Boy’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

“I understood why Bronski Beat were becoming the spokesmen for gay men everywhere. They gave voice to the heart, to shared experiences and feelings.”

Hans Christian Andersen, by Bryon Fear.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“Hans Christian Andersen’s legacy is very much defined by his life as an ‘other’. He took the tradition of folk tales and elevated them into literature that has inspired a wealth of art, theatre, ballet and many many films, one of which saved the Disney empire from bankruptcy.”

Marc and the Mambas, ‘Torment & Toreros’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

“Marc once described Torment & Toreros as ‘a nervous breakdown committed to vinyl’. Thirty years on, Torment & Toreros still invokes memories of that day – and sometimes even makes me shed a tear for the boy I once was.”

Mahler, ‘Urlicht’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

” I first listened to it in the ’90s, when I was in my early 30s, and it was a revelation. This may sound cod, but I sat in my flat with tears rolling down my face; I’d forgotten that music could be as profound as this.”

Day 23: Tim Jackson by David Watters.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“Tim Jackson is a man who recognises that employers have a significant role to play in promoting compassionate leadership. He is acutely aware that it is important to develop team leaders who can communicate realistic expectations.”

Erasure, ‘Hideaway’ (Little Louie Vega Mix)’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

“This is my rebellion, finally found! It’s my revolution and my birth into adulthood. I rest in the back of the car with heightened anticipation.”

Queer as Folk, by David Robson.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“Queer as Folk was more than a piece of television to me and it remains so. I was a confused boy looking for some direction and meaning. It provided me with the knowledge that there was something else out there for someone who wanted to break the family mould.”

[rating=4]
110 min • Palladium Theatre • From February 19, 2013

Bob Avian directs A Chorus Line. Dazzling revival of a classic. Forget the Hollywood debacle, this is the real deal.

“A Chorus Line was the first major Broadway musical that not only had openly gay characters but it was the first show in which they were given songs and script that delved unashamedly into their private lives and sexuality.”