Aah May – the favourite month of many a worker in the UK since our illustrious leaders allow us to have not one but two bank holiday weekends in the same month. We have May Day of course, so be sure to whip out your maypole gather a few game dancer-dykes and give it a go! But what does ‘a go’ look like?? Well, apparently you need a few things to get you going: firstly a Maypole, but we have it on good authority that as long as your ‘pole’ is sturdy and well sunk any ole pole will do – it does need to be about 12-15 feet high though. You also need to attach some ribbons to it and apparently the ribbon of choice is 4 inches wide and about 20 feet long. You need an even number of them – the ideal Maypole dance involves 16 dancers but we are also assured that 8 or more (even numbers) will manage a decent Maypole dance. We’ve found you a couple of sites that give Maypole dancing instructions so do try them out. Firstly check this out and for the more Wicca amongst you try this one. Finally, just to get you in the mood we've tracked down an instruction book (because we just know you'll want to dancer-dyke this one up year in, year out!), and some music to get you on the way! (Just follow the links of our related products listing on the right).
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Manchester is the place to be this month for the discerning sapphy. Queer up North runs for 3 weeks from 7 May through to 27. There are lots of events running as part of the festival including comedy nights, exhibitions, theatre, workshops, television, dance and debate. Straight from the horse’s mouth, ‘Queer up North exists to support, produce and present queer arts and to make queer arts and culture accessible and available to the widest possible audience.’ If you are within striking distance of Manchester make sure you put it on your social calendar. For further details of Queer up North click here.
Manchester's gay scene has been thriving for quite some time now but it hit the world stage big time with Queer as Folk, Channel 4's much welcome and groundbreaking drama series. Our shopping partner Amazon is currently stocking a collector's edition. Get yours by following the link on the right.
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May sees the Pride festival season begin in earnest. There is mixed feelings amongst our community about Pride events but if you’ve never been to one this month’s offerings include:
Birmingham 26-28 May
Blackpool 19-20
Lancaster 26-28
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May is also the season that all you gardening buffs have been waiting for. The Malvern Spring Gardening Show kicks off the garden show season with Chelsea Flower Show hot on its heels! Malvern with its beautiful setting and community feel is the show to visit if you’re a garden show virgin. Not too much to overload but enough to inspire even the most reluctant of Sapphic garden goddesses. The Malvern show runs from 10-13 May, click here for further details.
Chelsea on the other hand IS the goddess of garden shows. The RHS’s annual showcase of the brightest and the best in gardening terms must be on the Sapphic garden goddess’s social agenda at least once in her lifetime! For further information about the show click here and for those of you who just can’t make it this season be sure to try to catch some of the coverage on TV. We’re not all gardeners here at Sapphic Central but even we find ourselves strangely drawn in by this one!
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17 May is International Day against Homophobia (IDAHO). Whilst we are lucky enough to live in a relatively liberated country in terms of our rights there still remain many countries throughout the world where being gay is still criminalised. IDAHO was set up in order to provide a platform for everyone to make a powerful statement to demand improvements for people’s quality of life both overseas and in the UK. The date was chosen because it was 17 May 1990 that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders (yes really, that recently!). For ideas of how you can support IDAHO visit their website here.
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23 May - Equality Matters Conference at the Law Society in London. Now that our community finally has a lawful right to receive an equal level of service to our heterosexual counterparts this conference explores the new Equality Act and its related issues. Spaces are limited. Visit the website here for further information and a booking form.
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May apparently has its very own illness. “May Sickness” – a well known Japanese phenomenon – is generally thought to be the point when students/workers begin to wane in their new school or work after the adrenaline inducing “Golden Week Period” which marks the euphoria of being accepted in - and starting - their chosen school/job. You know how it is: you work hard to get a new job or win a place on a course that is your chosen lifepath and then feel elated when you achieve that goal, you’re also excited when you first start it. May sickness seems to then kick in when the excitement levels drop often resulting in lack of concentration, tiredness, negative thinking. (Is this ringing any bells??) Its name links specifically to the school/college/university cycle in Japan where entrance exams, new terms, etc traditionally occur in April. By May though many students were noticeably flagging and “May sickness” was eventually born. It has since been applied more generically and now also tends to refer to the same, or similar cycles job applicants go through.
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