{"id":74178,"date":"2023-03-15T00:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T00:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=74178"},"modified":"2023-04-01T00:01:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T00:01:50","slug":"lgbtq-awareness-through-the-lens-of-live-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/lgbtq-awareness-through-the-lens-of-live-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ+ Awareness Through the Lens of Live Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Andy Mills-Brown<\/a>\u00a0made history twenty years ago when he opened the first gay village pub in the UK. He did so in the wake of the 2003 repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act of 1998, a highly contested legislation that banned the \u201cpromotion of homosexuality\u201d by local governments and schools.<\/p>\n

Mills-Brown, who moved on to become a corporate VP and an entrepreneur in the hospitality business, owning gay nightclubs and bars, took the step as a practical way of dissolving barriers and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ people among the local villagers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the end of it, the village community loved us because they realized we were just \u2014 gay,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was absolutely fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

After leaving corporate world and starting\u00a0TAG Live\u00ae<\/a>, a live entertainment company,\u00a0Andy Mills-Brown<\/a>\u00a0never stopped working to spread awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. But, two decades after the significant strides in gay rights, he sees the need for another barrier-shattering push.<\/p>\n

While the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century brought some advancements in the acceptance of homosexuality in many countries, the globe is still divided.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/a>2020 Pew Research poll<\/a>\u00a0confirmed what most would expect. It showed an overall increase in a positive attitude toward accepting the LGBTQ+ community by societies. However, countries with more traditional cultures, and those with lower economic performance, tended to be less accepting.<\/p>\n

Even as the world has been marking these advances, plenty of causes for concern exist. In the United States, ACLED\u00a0<\/a>found<\/a>\u00a0an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ mobilization, with close to 200 anti-LGBT+ incidents being reported before the year\u2019s end. In March of 2023, ACLU was tracking 429 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States.<\/p>\n

At the same time, one of the most important venues for LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation has been faltering. The entertainment industry is crucial in advancing acceptance and awareness of LGBTQ+ people, their lifestyles, and their unique issues.<\/p>\n

In its 27th<\/sup>\u00a0annual\u00a0<\/a>Where We Are on TV report<\/a>, GLAAD noted that while LGBTQ+ characters are getting more racially diverse, the overall representation of people GLAAD advocates for was down in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

Live entertainment might be called upon to pick up the slack with scripted entertainment not meeting the mark. London\u2019s queer theatre scene is lively as it ever was. Hits like the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop or Everybody\u2019s Talking About Jamie always hit the spot.<\/p>\n

With a new project in the works,\u00a0Andy Mills-Brown<\/a>\u00a0aims to bring LGBTQ+ representation closer to community members at their most vulnerable ages.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very young when I came out; I was 16, and that was tough back in the early 90\u2019s\u201d he says. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a single person I could look up to, not a single icon on TV or in theatre. I wish I\u2019d had someone or something at my school that told me that it was okay to feel different.\u201d<\/p>\n

While\u00a0Andy Mills-Brown<\/a>\u00a0is working on bringing his vision to life, young people can turn to organizations such as the BeYou Project, the Allsorts Youth Project, or the Proud Trust for support.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are not born prejudiced it\u2019s a learned behavior. It\u2019s about educating children that you have a choice about who you want to be. It\u2019s about tackling equality and diversity and ultimately working towards helping to combat LGBTQ+ prejudice before it can begin to form\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s an important message to get into schools, and live entertainment is one of the best mediums for communicating.\u201d<\/p>\n

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