The Dorothy Project

Can books change the world? Sharmaine Lovegrove is the founder of the publishing imprint Dialogue Books, which she set up to promote stories by, for, and about queer, disabled, working class, black and minority communities. As a queer Black woman herself, Sharmaine believes that storytelling creates the dialogue we need to build a more inclusive world. I quite agree.
Her own life story is quite something, from homeless teenager to Berlin bookshop owner and now, one of the leading lights of British publishing.
Sharmaine is also the first Black interviewee on The Dorothy Project. That’s not a track record I’m proud of, and I’m determined to improve that ratio from now on.

There are different ways to be an activist. Some people chain themselves to railings and get arrested, others raise money, or deliver services. “Everyone can do something” is the message I was left with after talking to veteran fundraiser and activist Victoria Noe.
After years of fundraising for AIDS causes in the 1980s and 1990s, she was ‘burnt out’, but has since returned and is now a member of ACT-UP New York. 
Asked to reflect on her experiences by a Chicago LGBTQ newspaper, she was inspired to find other women who’d contributed during the AIDS crisis, and her book ‘Fag Hags, Divas, and Moms’ is the result. (And yes, we talk about that title!)

She is currently developing several original dramas and adaptations for TV. On stage, Rose (@RoseLewenstein) performs with queer comedy cabaret troupe Sex Shells - who’ve enjoyed multiple runs at top venues including the Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre and The Glory - as That Woman Rosie.
We got stuck in to being the ‘token woman’, the difference between gay (‘as in…’) and queer, and performing queer work for wider audiences.
Don’t miss Sex Shells at The Glory next Friday, March 6th 2020. After that, you can see their full show at the Spiegeltent on the Southbank, as part of the Underbelly Festival on April 23rd.

This week, I meet a woman who has been professionally and personally involved in the HIV epidemic since 1985. After nursing some of the first people to live and die with HIV in New Zealand, Flick came to the UK and was a Charge Nurse at London Lighthouse from 1994-1998. 
London Lighthouse - most famously visited by Princess Di - offered comprehensive, compassionate care to people dying of AIDS and their loved ones. 
Following the closure of the Lighthouse residential unit, Flick became the HIV psychiatric liaison nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She identified the initial crystal meth problem in London and was instrumental in setting up what has become the highly successful chemsex and club drug clinic. 
Six months into their relationship, Flick and her partner Professor Chloe Orkin were seconded to Botswana to set up the country’s Antiretroviral Programme. Due to Botswana’s laws, Flick and Chloe weren’t able to be out as lesbians or a couple throughout their six months there. (Chloe features in Season One of The Dorothy Project!)
Flick took medical retirement in 2011, and now volunteers with her three (ADORABLE) dogs as a pet therapist in hospices and hospitals in London.

If you’re an LGBTQ person worried about your drug or alcohol use, or that of a friend or family member, then there’s plenty of support on offer:
In London: Antidote
In Manchester: The LGBT Foundation
In Birmingham: Birmingham LGBT 
If you’re straight or don’t live in one of these cities, there are drug and alcohol services provided by every local authority - you’ll be able to find out where yours is from your local authority’s website.

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND STRONG LANGUAGE. You've been warned.

This week we meet a legend among Dorothies - Sophie, the Cock Destroyer. The porn star and social media sensation, immortalised in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Frock Destroyers, tells Alice about her fifteen minutes of fame - which have lasted 18 months and counting.
We talked about what makes a Cock Destroyer, Sophie reveals her fave of the pair’s viral videos, and pays tribute to the sisterhood and aesthetic they share with drag queens including Trixie Mattel.
A member of the LGBTQ community herself, Sophie also opens up about her experience of growing up pansexual, how things have changed, and the importance of celebrating queer life around her teenage son.

Presenter Alice Beverton-Palmer flips the script, and for the first time on The Dorothy Project, interviews a queer man about the women in his life. 
And what a way to start! Simon Jones’s life has taken him from being a teenage Madonna stan in a tiny Norfolk village, to winning a teen magazine talent search, and now shaping the careers of gay icons such as Geri Halliwell and Jade Thirlwall. In his eponymous PR company, he’s worked with multiple Spice Girls, All Saints, Louise Redknapp, Dannii Minogue, Pussycat Dolls and Tulisa to name a few.
We talked about how pop icons speak to their queer fanbases, and how being gay has helped Simon guide his clients, as well as his favourite career memories so far (...this is the man who stuck the promotional message on Geri Halliwell’s horse as she rode down Old Compton Street.)

She wandered into Bloc bar one night with a camera, and hasn’t left the queer scene since. Alice Beverton-Palmer talks to music and drag photographer Corinne Cumming (@capturedbycorinne) about how drag became her creative muse, finding your queer family, and what it’s like to be a female photographer in the straight club scene (spoiler: it’s shit)
Corinne regularly shoots the world’s most famous drag queens, from Alyssa Edwards to Bianca Del Rio, but she’s equally at home capturing London’s alternative drag scene. Her work foregrounds and celebrates drag kings and non-binary performers, and she’s also part of the pan-Asian drag collective The Bitten Peach. She also shoots Alice’s club night Push The Button!

Born into a family of major Bollywood producers, Shelly never got the chance to join them - she was “married and packed off”, and only began her own film career once her children were in school. One of those children turned out to be gay - and Shelly’s experience raising a gay child inspired her to make Ek Ladki. 
We talked about her Trojan horse tactics to bring an LGBT story with a message of acceptance to the biggest possible audience, complete with huge stars including Sonam and Anil Kapoor.
You can find Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga on Netflix, in the UK and around the world.

In the first episode of Season Two, Scissor Sisters frontwoman Ana helps host Alice Beverton-Palmer choose a drag name - and has advice for single Dorothies looking for a guy.
With a gay father and godfathers, Ana is a born Dorothy. She fulfilled her destiny in lavish style - moving to San Francisco as a teenager and then later New York City, where she performed at and hosted burlesque and drag nights. 
She met Jake Shears while he was dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" and the rest was history. Scissor Sisters came together shortly afterwards and became a global sensation, filling arenas and Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. Their album ‘Scissor Sisters’ remains one of the 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century.
After realising they couldn’t possibly get gayer than Let’s Have A Kiki, the band went on hiatus in 2012. These days, you can find Ana hosting BBC Radio 2 show Dance Devotion every weekend, as well as BBC Eurovision coverage.

In this trailer, host Alice Beverton-Palmer is BACK with a sneak peek of who you'll meet in Season Two of The Dorothy Project. 

The first episode, with Scissor Sisters frontwoman Ana Matronic, lands this Thursday January 9th. Subscribe now so you don't miss a second!