Queer East Festival 2025: Edhi Alice - Film Review

 

Trans people have been moved into the spotlight in the last decade, though not always by choice. Media, politicians, and celebrities have frequently framed trans people, and often the rights and freedoms of trans people, as the hot button topic, pushing us as an 'issue'. As such, it's become increasingly rare to see trans voices actually be given the chance to talk honestly and freely, as we're either forced to defend some small part of our existence, such as toilet access, against a panel of transphobes (purely for 'balance' of course), or we're simply not included at all. Edhi Alice, one of the films at this year's Queer East Festival, centres the experiences of two trans women in South Korea, allowing them to share their stories.

The documentary is really a film in two halves, with the beginning of the film focusing on Alice, a lighting director for Korean film, with the latter part of the film shifting to follow Edhi, a younger trans woman who's navigating her family life and her choices to go through with gender realignment surgery. Because of the structure of th Edhi Alice it's easy to forget that you're going to be following two people, and when the shift in focus comes it does create a slight tonal change that leaves the film feeling a bit disjointed, and more like two shorter films that have been stitched together.

'I'm Alice who is living in the present,' is one of the first things we hear when we meet Alice, a trans woman who's navigating life after coming out as trans. It's a small introduction, and one that doesn't seem to convey much at first glance, though I think that it manages to show the audience a lot about the woman we're going to spend the next hour with. Alice's comment about living in the present almost seems to be her wiping away a past that never felt right to her, yet unsure about her future as a trans woman, forcing her to only be able to live in the present. Alice's story seems to be one that's slightly sad. Over the course of the film Alice tells the audience about how she's been victimised in her work, losing jobs because bosses don't like trans people. She had a marriage that didn't work out, she lives alone in a small apartment, she dreams of being able to dance, and there's a heart breaking scene where she laments being excluded from women's spaces.

There seems to be a trend in documentaries about trans people, where our stories are depicted as either joyous or tragic. Films will either focus on the elation and euphoria that comes when a trans person is able to live freely as themselves, or it will show the tragedy that often comes with being trans in a world so hostile to us. Alice's story comes across as a balance of the two. She makes it clear that in many ways transitioning saved her life, made her so much happier than she was before having to pretend to be someone she's not. But there are quiet moments where you can also see the sadness and trauma that she carries with her.

More so than the second half of the film, Alice's story is one that highlights the tragedy of transphobia. We don't see her experience overt transphobia, there's no scene of her being thrown out of somewhere, of being abused, but you can see the pain of those moments with her in the way she falls back into herself when she's on a film crew in a women's bathhouse, thinking about the fact that despite being a woman she doesn't feel like she belongs there. She want's to dance, to be able to feel comfortable and free enough in her body to express joy in the simple act of dancing, but when she begins her lessons she's stiff, she's holding herself in tight, afraid to draw attention or stand out. These are moments that immediately stood out to me because they're things that I recognised well.

But this isn't to say that there's no joy to be found here, or that Alice is a tragic figure. As the documentary follows her she begins dance lessons, seeking to meet her dream she always saw as being impossible, of being able to put on a dance performance. Whilst she begins very shyly, and you can see that she feels out of place, as time goes on you begin to see a change in her as she becomes more confident and comfortable

I think a lot of trans people will relate with Alice quite a lot, we'll recognise the moments of joy and comfort she finds in getting to be herself, but we'll also recognise the fear and the pain. Unfortunately, there are a lot of trans people who carry trauma with them because of how we've been treated by society simply for being trans; especially those who transitioned older, or are more visibly gender non-conforming. There were times watching Alice where I simply wanted to reach out and give her a hug, to tell her that she wasn't alone, that despite the toughness of being trans there's still a lot of beauty in this world and a community that loves her, despite not having ever met her. Her story draws you in and I think it will probably make a lot of cisgender people watching the film question how tough life is for the trans community.

Edhi makes for quite a contrast to Alice in some regards, and where Alice comes across as introverted, Edhi is extroverted, where Alice seems somewhat alone and uncomfortable in her body, Edhi seems more relaxed and happy. It's a sharp contrast between the two, and there were a few times when the sudden shift in who we were following and the change in their attitudes made the split narrative structure feel somewhat a bit too jarring. It's perhaps a personal issue, but I can't help but feel that going back and forward between the two women and their experiences would have helped the film flow better.

Edhi is younger than Alice, and works for a local LGBTQ+ centre, where she counsels other queer and trans people, using her own experiences to help them navigate their world. We learn a little about her past, more than Alice it feels, and learn that she went through military service before coming out as trans, and about how she came to understand her gender identity through experiences in gay male spaces when she believed that perhaps that was also her own identity. 

Compared to Alice, Edhi seems to have a little more of a stable familial life. Alice spoke little about her family, and when she did it came with the sense that they weren't really in her life anymore. Edhi, in contrast, sees both of her parents a lot, helping her father on his remote farm, and wanting to build a comfortable house for her and her mother to live together in, and she also has a very close relationship with her nephew, who she loves as if he was her son. Family seems to be a  very important part of her life, and they seem to bring her a lot of happiness, even if her parents don't quite understand every aspect of her identity or her life as a trans woman.

There's a moment in the film when her father talks about her as if she's his son, using male pronouns to describe her, and there's a scene where Edhi is talking through her upcoming gender surgery with her mother, something that's been building for years for her, and her mother seems incredibly uncomfortable, asking her about regrets, and safety. The film seems to highlight a generational difference in how family react to someone being trans. Her parents are supportive, even if they occasionally say the wrong thing, and there are some parts where it's hard to tell if their comments are based on fear or discomfort; but they at least love their daughter and still have her in their lives. Her nephew, on the other hand, has no qualms about his aunt at all, and we hear how when she came out to him and told him about her transition he literally didn't really care much. We know children are so much better at accepting things than adults, and are much better at understanding than people give them credit, and that's demonstrated here.

A big part of Edhi's journey over the course of the film is focused on her upcoming gender realignment surgery, or bottom surgery. Edhi travels to Thailand for the procedure, and the film crew get to follow her as she readies herself for the operation, as well as through her recovery. We get to experience some intimate moments with her, seeing her deal with the worry that comes before surgery, as well as the physical and emotional pain of the recovery process. The film is respectful in not showing anything graphic or embarrassing for her, but it's still incredibly personal as we're there for her through dilation procedures, seeing the tears running down her face as her body processes the painful new sensations.

On the surface, Edhi Alice is a decent, if not slightly oddly structured look at the lives of two trans women in South Korea. It's a decent movie, one with very endearing and charming leads who you can't help but become invested in. However, looking at it with a step back, and as a trans person, there are some things that I'm a little unsure of; though I'm not sure if this might be baggage that I myself am bringing to the film. Alice seems to be framed as the more sad and lonely of the two women, whose life as a trans woman is harder, whilst Edhi seems to be the opposite. Alice is less conventionally feminine of the two, and there's a point in the film where she discusses the fact that she chose not to get facial feminisation surgery. I've seen some reviews of the film where people have used some more negative words to describe Alice, talking about how she doesn't 'pass' as much as Edhi, and I can't help but wonder if perhaps this was something that the film may have been going for. Is it trying to show that trans women who can better pass as cisgender and more conventionally feminine have an easier life, and if so, are they simply highlighting this as a common experience, or are they pushing the idea that trans people need to pass?

This somewhat ties into another thought that I had about the film, namely its large focus on surgery. Alice says that she has no interest in things such as facial feminisation surgery, but felt the need to have bottom surgery as soon as she could. She talks about how changing her genitalia made her feel more comfortable in herself, and more a woman. Similarly, Edhi's journey across the film seems to be her getting bottom surgery, her last big goal of her transition. The film seems to have shades of transmedicalism, where it could be seen as pushing the idea that surgery is the main goal for trans people, or that it's the thing that finally makes someone trans. Again, I don't know if this is intentional on their part, purely by chance, or me reading too much into it.

Edhi Alice is a lovely insight into the lives of two women who I'd have liked to have seen more of. I wanted to see more of Edhi's home life, of her work at the LGBTQ+ centre, and new outlook on life post surgery. I'd have also have liked to have seen if dance was something that Alice continued to pursue, and if she found ways of becoming more comfortable and happy in her life. Despite being over two hours long Edhi Alice also felt very light in places, and I can't help but feel some of the long sequences of silently following our two women could have been better spent on more meatier subjects or moments that gave us better insight. Whilst Edhi Alice is a great film in itself, I also feel that there are places where I'd have liked to have seen something a little different, but despite these flaws it offers a great look into the lives of two trans woman in South Korea.

Edhi Alice is playing as part of the Queer East Festival 2025. To find out more about Queer East click here.

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Papers Please! EHRC Code of Practice Calls For People to Challenge Those Using Toilets and Changing Rooms

 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has released its new code of practice following their interim guidance after last month's UK Supreme Court decision on the definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010. Whilst the EHRC's interim guidance has been met with condemnation by decent people, and those that understand how ridiculously dangerous it will be trying to police people's bodies, their new code of practice takes things further after their initial push to have trans people put into segregated spaces. The EHRC is now instructing staff in any place that has gendered spaces, which is literally anywhere with single sex toilets, to challenge those trying to use them that they think might be trans.

The regulatory body, headed up by the notably anti-trans Baroness Kishwer Falkner, has given new guidance updates ahead of a six week public consultation period, an extension on their initial plan to rush the changes through with a two week consultation period. Falkner claims that the new guidance will satisfy 'demand for authoritative guidance'.

According to the code of practice people will legally be allowed to have their usage of single sex spaces challenged if it believed their birth sex does not match. This means that anyone who is suspected of being trans can be asked to prove that they're not, and will need to provide evidence. How places will be able to police bathrooms has long been a question around transphobes insane focus on the issue, and the EHRC seems to think they've cracked the case (they've not).

The EHRC says that staff in these spaces can ask someone to prove they're the sex they are in a 'sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment', something that seems like an impossibility as most people would see a bathroom cop asking them what genitals they have would be harassing. To avoid a system in which these bathroom police will force members of the public to drop their trousers and expose themselves the EHRC has decided that people will need to carry their birth certificates on them, producing them upon request to prove their birth sex.

Anyone familiar with a birth certificate is likely already a little confused at this, or possibly even laughing at the idea as these documents have 'THIS IS NOT A FORM OF ID' printed on the bottom of them in large letters. There's also the fact that trans people can have their birth certificates changed to reflect their new gender. However, the EHRC has also put their best minds at work to figure out this slight flaw in their system. If the person who sees your birth certificate has the right sex listed on it but still thinks you're in the wrong toilets they can ask you to then produce your passport, another document that can have gender markers easily changed.

So what happens if you provide your birth certificate, then your passport, but the bathroom gestapo still think you're not the right kind of person they want in the toilets? Well, they're not allowed to ask you if you may have had a Gender Recognition Certificate to change your birth certificate, but if they think you have they can ask you to provide that. If you have one and have that with you (we're now up to three forms of ID documents you're supposed to have on you at all times) they can prove you're trans and kick you out. But if you refuse to provide a GRC, which most people will as very few folks have one and most people who are going to be challenged are going to be cis people, the person asking for evidence of your sex can decide that you're just lying and exclude you anyway.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner - toilet gestapo

The EHRC are either fucking stupid, or there's people there who know how ridiculous this situation is and are trying to sabotage it from the inside. But based on what 'gender criticals' have demonstrated so far I think the first option seems the more likely. 

Maya Forstater, a woman who turned not getting a contract renewed into her entire identity, has claimed that this new guidance brings 'clarity' to the Supreme Court ruling. With that being her insightful and intelligent takeaway from this car crash of a document I wonder why her employers didn't keep her on. 'The draft EHRC guidance reflects the law as clarified by the Supreme Court, so there can be no more excuses for failing to follow it.

'Its clear language and calm, factual tone are a welcome antidote after weeks in which trans lobby groups have sought to present the ruling as complicated and dangerous. It’s shameful that the UK’s flagship public sector bodies, from Parliament and the civil service to NHS trusts, as well as many third sector organisations and private companies, have dragged their heels.

“The Supreme Court judgment was already completely clear, and there was never any justification for waiting to comply. The guidance will now go out for consultation, but the broad outlines are fixed. Organisations that delayed will now have to scramble to change their policies to comply with the law, as every day they delay increases the risk of legal action.'

Perhaps more laughable that Forstater's reading of this as bringing clarity is Falkner telling the press that 'People with protected characteristics should never be discriminated against or harassed when using a service.' whilst simultaneously pushing for that against trans people any chance she gets. Once again, fuck the EHRC and these people.

The EHRC seems to have crafted a wonderful system where anyone at any time can be accused of being trans, can be harassed and challenged in public, and even if they provide proof when asked for it, can just be called a liar and banned from toilets, changing rooms, and other single sex spaces. I honestly don't know how to respond to this frankly idiotic idea. This feels like it's one of the worst jokes I've ever heard, but it's completely serious and it's going to be used by bigots to try and ruin people's lives.

Pro-trans protests sparked around the UK in response
to the Supreme Court ruling

As the majority of trans people have been saying over and over again for literal years now, the people who are going to get hurt the most from policies such as this are cisgender people. There are weekly news reports of cis people being harassed, challenged, or even assaulted, for trying to use single sex spaces, particularly women's spaces. Women who don't conform to gender stereotypes or conventional beauty standards are much more likely to get harassed than trans people are. Butch women, women with short hair, women who don't dress effeminately, women of colour, women with PCOS, all of these and more are being actively put in danger by the idea that people should be challenged for simply trying to take a piss.

If the EHRC are listened to, if this becomes the legally expected thing, those reports are going to skyrocket. People will he harassed, people will be discriminated against, people will be assaulted, and the group that are being used as the reason for it, the women who need 'protecting' are going to be the victims of this, trans and cis alike. 

It's likely that even if this is put into place that it's hardly ever going to be enforced. Shops, clubs, entertainment venues, ect., aren't going to employ special security guards to check people's papers, regular staff don't have the time to do that, nor will they want to. And let's be honest, it won't be long before we see legal cases springing up against those that do try to enforce this for discrimination. It's stupid beyond belief, it's obviously wrong and un-enforceable, yet we're at the stage where the country is going to be demanding papers just to use the toilet. 

There's not much more to say about this, both because it's clearly ridiculous and because I've reached the point where I just want to swear over and over. If you can, respond to this consultation. This cannot go unchallenged, even if it is clear why this is bad. We need to have our objections on paper, our voices need to be recorded, even if they're going to be ignored completely. Be prepared for this to go through because we've reached the point where Britain is a parody country where bigotry is king. Be angry, be sad, do whatever you need to to process this and deal with your grief, but then fight it every step of the way.

I've been using women's spaces without incident for over a decade, I will continue to do so, and I'm going to laugh in the face of anyone who asks me to produce documents to prove that I belong in those spaces. 

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Downlands by Norm Konyu - Blog Tour

 

'Every street has its stories – those of the living and those of the dead. When James hears of the Black Hound, he finds his own story crosses the boundaries of both.

'After the sudden death of his twin sister, 14 year old James Reynolds becomes obsessed with her tale of a black hound, a folkloric creature that is regarded as a portent of death. Enlisting the aid of his elderly neighbour, who the local children call ‘The Witch’, he delves into the centuries of village history, folklore, and ghosts, until he uncovers a deeper secret beyond his darkest nightmares, beyond the sight of most, and beyond the mortal veil.'

My only previous experience with Norm Konyu was his wonderfully enjoyable children's book A Call To Cthulhu, which put a lovely, whimsical spin on the creations of H.P. Lovecraft that readers of all ages could enjoy. That book, and Konyu's artwork, had left such a positive impression on me that as soon as I was offered the chance to take part in the blog tour for his latest graphic novel, Downlands, I had to jump at the opportunity.

Downlands begins in the quiet English village of Alfstanton in the South Downs, a place rich in local history and spooky stories. It's here that we meet 14-year-old James and his twin sister Jennifer one sunny June afternoon. The two of them are heading home after school, stopping off at the village shop to grab a couple of drinks. When James heads back inside to pick up his forgotten change Jennifer lets out a scream. She tells James that she saw a huge black dog, a frightening hound that seemed to jump through her, leaving her cold and frightened. Dismissing it as simply something unusual, the two of them head back home. But that night Jennifer dies of a brain aneurism.

A couple of months later, whilst attending the wake for his great uncle, James hears a story about how his uncle claimed to have seen a black hound the same day he died. Knowing that there must be some kind of connection between these events, James begins to research into local history, and discovers a wealth of old ghost stories and myths that connect to his home, including a story of a ghostly black dog that brings death to all those who see it. Wanting to know if this ghostly hound was responsible for the death of his twin sister, and hoping perhaps to see her again, James sets out to learn more about the world of the supernatural that's lurking just out of sight.

Downlands is a wonderfully atmospheric mixture of horror and fantasy, all wrapped up in a story of grief and loss. From the first few pages it's clear that Konyu isn't just crafting a story about this one family and the tragic events that come close to breaking it, but is looking to craft a world and narrative that spans decades, centring on this small community, and one street in particular. After being introduced to James and Jennifer there are some brilliant two page spreads that touch upon some of the stranger history of Alfstanton, small clues to larger mysteries that we'll get to explore that lay a solid foundation for a graphic novel that has more to it than you'd first expect.

Konyu sprinkles this history throughout the book, both in events that happen to James, and in small asides that act as nice chapter breaks to the main story. These insights into the history of Alfstanton could be books in their own right, and the stories of ghostly hitchhiker that cause car accidents, the little Edwardian girl found drowned in the river and now haunts the children of the village, or the ghosts of an entire family that exist in their old home, only sometimes seen, feel like the perfect set-ups to their own horror tales. But Konyu uses these to breathe life into the village, creating a place that feels steeped in history, even if we only ever see the one street.

James and his story are the heart of the book, however, and his quest to find answers about why his sister died without warning is subtly heart breaking. The loss of any sibling would be hard, but your twin, your best friend makes it so much harder. The fact that she was only 14, still a child, makes it so much worse. It's awful to see what that sudden loss does to the family, to James' mother and father, who grow more distant and retreat into their own grief. Even James himself, who manages to hold things together and seems fairly normal throughout the book, is barely processing things, not being able to shed a single tear for Jennifer; and the moment he does finally cry is perhaps the biggest gut punch in the entire book.

Norm Konyu has created a wonderful narrative with a richness of both character and setting that comic series with dozens of issues under their belt sometimes fail to do, yet it's been done in a single volume here in a delightful way.

Konyu isn't just the writer for Downlands, though, as he also provides all of the art. Beautiful might be one of the first words that comes to mind when trying to describe his style. Different from the majority of mainstream comic work, Konyu has a style that's unique and eye-catching, art that draws you in and demands your attention. His designs are fairly simple, yet he's able to convey a ton of character with little detail thanks to cleverly and carefully selected design choices. Perhaps my favourite part of his style is his attention to colour, and the way in which it doesn't just convey the emotions of a scene, but sometimes is the scene itself. There are times that lack of colour, that negative space is used to convey characters, or parts of the environment that makes key moments pop on the page. Konyu's art is fantastic, and worth picking up the book for alone.

Downlands is a fantastic book, one that will captivate readers of all ages. It's filled with mystery and horror, drawing from folklore and urban legend, but it also has a very real, human heart to it that will have readers invested. If you come across Downlands on a shop shelf do yourself a favour and give it a try, and I doubt you'll be left disappointed.

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UK Plummets on the European Rainbow Index For LGBTQ+ Equality

 

In 2015 the UK was at the top of the European Rainbow Index, we were leading the entire continent for our progressive ideals, the action we were taking to make life for the queer community better, and were the envy of other nations. It was a time where LGBTQ+ people felt more hopeful, where it felt like the historic hatred and oppression we'd been subjected to was going to be a thing of the past and future fights for our equality would be easier. However, just a decade later the UK has been relegated to 22nd place on this list, and not because we've stayed consistent and other countries have out paced us, but because we've become one of the leaders for rolling back LGBTQ+ rights, protections, and representation in Europe.

The Rainbow Index is compiled by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Europe (ILGA-Europe) each year, and tracks the various laws and legislations of 49 countries to see how LGBTQ+ they are, ranking them based upon the freedoms, equality, and safety of its queer population. 2025 marks the UK's lowest point on this ranking system, with us having fallen from 16th to 22nd place in just a single year.

The UK's score on the Rainbow Index now sits at 46%, with the top countries ranking much higher, Malta at 89%, Belgium at 85%, Iceland at 84%, Denmark at 80%, and Spain at 78% make up the top five countries. The UK has also fallen dramatically on the Trans Rights Map, created by Trans Europe and Central Asia (TGEU), which has said that the reversal on trans rights in the UK outweighs its progress.

The ILGA spoke on the UK's shocking fall, saying that the recent UK Supreme Court judgement on the Equality Act 2010 in regards to sex specifically referring to sex assumed at birth, and the subsequent rollbacks on trans rights and push for segregation for trans people in multiple spaces across the country, was one of the key reasons for the fast fall. It is worth noting, however, that the UK has been falling on the chart each year even before this event, and that we've been becoming poorer on LGBTQ+ rights for a long while now.

A. Chaber, the Executive Director for ILGA, said 'If left unchallenged these tactics risk spreading further across Europe, undermining a human rights framework that has taken decades to build. The time to push back is now, before the targeted attacks we’re seeing in countries like Hungary, the UK and Georgia become the norm rather than the exception. Political leaders must lead by example and turn their words into action.'

TGEU added that 'Previously a frontrunner on equality, the UK now has a Supreme Court, Prime Minister, and equality body singing from the same hymn sheet as anti-trans campaigners. The UK Supreme Court’s decision, which defined a ‘woman’ for the anti-discrimination law, has severely undermined legal certainty for trans people.  Furthermore, it has reinforced privacy risks and exclusion from essential services such as hospital wards, public toilets, changing rooms, and refuges, as well as reception centres for asylum seekers.'

Kier Starmer at London Pride; all political parties have been banned from major
Pride events thanks to his government's actions against LGBTQ+ rights.

The Prime Minister mentioned in their statement is the Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, who had previously said that he believed trans women were women, but has appeared to have either lied on those occasions, or has chosen to throw the trans population under the bus in order to advance his party's popularity with anti-trans campaigners after saying that the UK Supreme Court decision brought 'much needed clarity' in regards to trans rights. Following his decision not to challenge this ruling or alter legislation to provide much needed protection to trans people multiple Pride events have banned all political parties from attending them, citing Starmer's betrayal of the trans population as a reason. Starmer has also received sweeping condemnation in the UK this very week, after an anti-immigration speech that mirrored Enoch Powell's famous 'Rivers of Blood' speech from the 1960's.

Speaking about the UK government's refusal to support trans people, ILGA said 'Trans people may now be legally treated according to their sex assigned at birth in critical areas of life, including access to services and protections from discrimination. Legal gender recognition must ensure that trans people are recognised in all areas of life. That is no longer the case in the UK. As a result, we removed all points related to legal gender recognition from this year’s ranking. The law now fails to universally recognise trans people as who they are, with serious consequences for their safety, dignity and equality.’

As well as the reduction in trans rights and protections, the UK lost points for failing to ban conversion therapy, a form of torture that is used to attempt to 'cure' queer people of their sexualities and gender identities if they fail to alight with those of the cisgender heteronormative majority. The UK was also heavily criticised for its ban on puberty blockers for transgender youth. The Labour government banned the use of puberty blockers for trans people in 2024, claiming that it was a dangerous practice; despite this claim puberty blockers are still used to treat cisgender children with precocious puberty, which seems to indicate that they are in fact not actually dangerous to children. The UK's decision to remove trans healthcare from young people came following the Cass Report, a document that has been heavily criticised, and has been cited as 'riddled with flaws' following heavy peer review.

The UK's treatment of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers was also a key point of concern for ILGA. The index referenced media investigations into how the Home Office has a history of rejecting asylum applicants for not being 'truly gay', including cases where judges have claimed people are trying to fake being gay to escape persecution and claimed that applicants didn't act gay enough for the judges to believe them. Despite only making up 2% of asylum claims, queer asylum seekers having their claims rejected has risen to as high as 78%, an increase in previous years 58%.  

The UK in 2015 feels like a different country to the one that we have now. As an openly queer trans woman I felt a lot of hope in 2015. My life had been through some massive changes that year, not all of them good. I lost my job through transphobic discrimination, I left my home town because I'd been repeatedly verbally and physically assaulted for being trans. But I moved to a nicer place, I found better, more accepting places to work, I started living as my true self full time, and I started a relationship that I've been in ever since. I was filled with hope because despite the darkness things seemed to be getting better. Trans people were making headlines for positive reasons, transphobes were treated as fringe bigots, and we were top of the Rainbow Index. 

But I don't recognise my country now. In the last month I've been stripped of rights and protections, I've seen places call for trans people to be segregated, the government has refused to help, racists and transphobes are given airtime and treated as reasonable positions. We're living in a much darker world now, every marginalised group are suffering for it. All we can do is fight this every step of the way, and maybe then we'll prevent things from getting even worse.

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Anti-Trans Campaigner Graham Linehan Pleads Not Guilty in Court to Criminal Damage and Harassment of Trans Woman

 

Graham Linehan, a man once well loved across the UK for his part in creating comedy series Father Ted, Black Books, and The IT Crowd has plead not guilty to charges in court today. 

The Irish writer, that some jokingly call 'Ireland's most divorced man', appeared in Westminster Magistrates Court today charged with criminal damages and harassment. The charges relate to an altercation last October at the Battle of Ideas Conference. Linehan reportedly damaged the mobile phone of Sophia Brooks, and then preceded to harass her online via social media between October 11th and 27th.

Appearing in court wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with a photo of a front page from The Daily Telegraph reading 'Trans women are not women', Linehan confirmed his date of birth and name, and said 'not guilty' twice when the charges against him were read.

Upon leaving court he was met with supporters outside, who cheered for him. Speaking to the small crowd he said 'There is more at stake than my own name'. He made the claim that his transphobic comments and campaigning had been met with 'harassment, abuse, and threats' over the last six years, but told his supporters 'I'm still here. I've lost a great deal, but I will not waver in my resolve.'

Linehan has been freed on bail with the stipulation that he is not to contact Sophia Brooks, and his trial will begin on September 4th this year in the same court building. 

Linehan has a history of anti-trans activism and comments, particularly on social media, since 2008, following an episode of the television series The IT Crowd that was met with mild criticism for being seen as playing into negative stereotypes and framing trans violence as humorous. This incident seems to have been the inciting moment that would later cause the man to spiral into becoming one of the most vocal transphobes in the UK; something that seems to have resulted in the loss of the majority of his fame and respect.

Linehan performing on the street to a small crowd following
his stand-up show being cancelled.

Over the years Linehan has praised transphobes, including calling anti-trans campaigners 'heroes', and claiming that the mere existence of trans women somehow erases lesbians. He has openly compared trans people to Nazis, and compared trans healthcare to Nazi concentration camp experiments and eugenics on television during an interview on BBC's Newsnight.

He has also tried to initiate campaigns to defund the trans children's charity Mermaids, trying to strip them of a lottery grant. He has also been accused of targeting an employee at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) for daring to employ a trans person. During this period he was also accused of engaging in online harassment of trans people and trans allies on social media, which resulted in him being sued for harassment, and being visited by police, more than once. According to his own admission, these frequent police visits and his obsession over trans people resulted in the end of his marriage.

This is only a small amount of the transphobia and harassment of trans people that Linehan has been active in over the last several years. It's rather telling that an award winning writers Wikipedia page has more space devoted to his harassment of trans people and desire to see the trans community erased than it does to his actual writing career.

There's little doubt in my mind considering his history, his vicious, abusive personality, and his frankly worrying obsession with strangers and what their genitals might be that Linehan did indeed engage in yet another case of harassment of a person that belongs to a minority he hates and should be found guilty of that. But this is Britain, where trans people are seen as sub-human and our rights are frequently erased, so who knows how this case will go in September.

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Absolute Superman #7 - Comic Review

 

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico, 
Colourist: Ulises Arreola, Letterer: Becca Carey

Absolute Superman issue seven gives us our first real look at one of Superman's big villains as this issue is all about Brainiac. Well, Brainiac and body horror. This stand alone issue (would calling it a bottle issue be too on the nose?) takes some time away from the main story to focus on the origin of this new version of the iconic character, crafting perhaps the most disturbing and dangerous Brainiac we've ever had.

Brainiac has had a varied and somewhat odd history, and you can get very different versions of him depending on what era of Superman you're reading. Sometimes he's a machine, others he's a Coluan, and occasionally he's a psychic that takes over the mind of a human hypnotist. He's perhaps one of the most re-inventable Superman villains, so it would make sense that this new version of him would feel incredibly unique, whilst also feeling like he could easily step into the pages of Action Comics without too much of a shock.

The issue opens with a group of Omega Men infiltrating a Lazarus facility that they believe might be the location of the Brainiac algorithm. They're right in that Brainiac is located there, but they've vastly misunderstood just what it is. Not a computer algorithm or AI, Brainiac is revealed in all of his horrific glory as he uses his shrinking technology in some truly shocking new ways, shrinking a mans skin to rip it from his body, increasing another's limbs to giant sizes, and using to to shrink another's bones, resulting in him vomiting them out before dying as a soupy skin-bag. And this is perhaps some of the least horrifying moments of the book.

Taking one of the Omega Men captive, and vivisecting him, Brainiac begins to have something of a mental breakdown as he's unable to find answers for what Superman is, or how he's able to do the things he can. Speaking to his victim as if he's there to listen to his woes, Brainiac reveals a portion of his history, showing the reader his origins. It's interesting stuff, and feels very different from what we've had for the character before; and whilst it gives us a firm foundation for this interpretation of the character there's also a lot of unanswered questions as to what exactly Brainiac is, and how he came to work for Lazarus that leaves plenty of room for further stories in the future.

Carmine Di Giandomenico's art is absolutely spectacular, and some of the pages are so packed with horrific details that you can't help but stop reading and pour over every panel on the page. Brainiac is a terrifying mixture of machine and organic, a being who looks to be in near constant pain and on the verge of death. There are times where you feel a glint of sympathy for him, before he takes on an expression that sends a shudder down your spine. In some ways this Brainiac feels like a perfect fusion of Brainiac and the Joker. There are moments where he visually resembles the clownish villain in such a way that I wonder if perhaps it's intentional, that the books creators are going for that approach, especially as he seems much less stable and more manic in they way he speaks and acts.

Taking a break from the main story to focus on a villain can sometimes feel like a story is slowing down, and can interrupt the flow of things, but here it just makes me even more excited to see more. It also makes me incredibly excited to see this creative team present us with their takes on more classic villains. Although, saying that, I wonder if perhaps the experiments on Christopher Smith in the final pages might be Brainiac transforming him into a mixture of Peacemaker and Metallo, especially now that he has access to Kryptonite?

Absolute Superman has done a truly wonderful job at reinventing the character and mythos of the world's oldest and most beloved super hero in ways that I didn't expect, crafting something that feels fresh and new, yet manages to stay true to what's come before. It's a task that not many people would have been able to do this well, but Jason Aaron and his art team have done in spectacular fashion.

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Queer East Festival 2025: Rookie - Film Review

 

Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities. Their sixth edition runs from 23 April to 18 May 2025 in venues across London, exploring notions of what it means to be queer and Asian today.

The festival was established in response to the systemic lack of Asian representation on the big screen, onstage, and behind the scenes. Global events over the past few years have once again reminded us that fair and authentic racial and sexual representation is crucial for our society. The richness of Asian and queer heritage forms a vital part of this country’s identity. Through a diverse and forward-thinking programme, the festival aims to amplify the voices of Asian communities and challenge the conventional norms, labels, and stereotypes associated with queer Asian portrayals.

Working collaboratively with allies across the film, arts, and cultural sectors, they hope to join the forces bringing about change in screen culture and to enable an open space for everyone to explore the contemporary queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia.

On her first day at a new all girls Catholic school Ace (Pat Tingjuy) finds herself something of an outcast. She has no friends in the school, she feels slightly awkward and out of place, and she's already annoying the school's star volleyball player Jana (Aya Fernandez). However, she soon catches the eye of the coach Jules (Agot Isidro), who sees something special in Ace. Learning that Ace used to play basketball, she gets Ace to agree to try out for volleyball instead, promising her that if she can help get the team to the championships she'll try to convince the nuns to make a basketball team; something the nuns have refused to do as it 'makes girls gay'.

Despite some difficult first days on the team, Ace has some one on one training with Coach Jules and demonstrates some decent skills. This fails to warm her up to Jana though, who still views Ace as someone who just walked onto her team and got all of her attention. During a weekend training camp the two of them learn more about each other, and realise that they actually make pretty decent friends. As that friendship blossoms into something deeper, the two of them have to deal with the challenges they face as a young queer couple in a competitive, and sometimes hostile world. 

Rookie begins less as a romance movie, and feels like a teen drama for the first half of the film, and the way the story is presented it's very unclear if this would in fact become a romance piece, or if this would present a more stark series of events. Part of that feeling came from the fact that there's no indication of when the film is set. The teens don't have smart phones, there's no real background technology like computers or television, there aren't even any vehicles to date things. The film has a somewhat timeless quality to it that allows it to occupy this space where it could be set anywhere within the last forty years. 

The lack of knowledge of the time, as well as myself having little real knowledge of queer rights in the Philippines, meant that I was unsure if I would be watching a film in which our protagonist would be facing ostracization for being a member of the queer community. Luckily, Rookie is pretty far from being a dark film, even if it does tackle some darker subject matter from time to time. Instead, it's a rather sweet story about two girls falling in love with each other and learning to find happiness in the world around them.

As someone who's not always a fan of romance movies I appreciated that Rookie doesn't lean too heavily into the tropes of the genre, and doesn't try to make itself too cheesy. There's an element of the 'enemies to lovers' romance sub-genre at play in Rookie, but even then it's feels like small nods. Ace and Jana don't really hate each other, and even when Jana is being the 'bitch' archetype of the popular girl who's been pushed to the side for the exciting new person, she never comes across as cruel or unpleasant. It helps that we see some insight into her home situation and learn that she's facing some difficulties with her father that might be leading her to take out that frustration on Ace. Perhaps the most on the nose 'enemies to lovers' moment is when the two of them are assigned a double bed at volleyball camp rather than a bunk bed, and have to share. However, it never really plays into the story, and there's none of the expected 'made to share a bed' scenes that romance stories can sometimes play with. 

Instead of making the romance overt it was almost subtle, and whilst it was obvious that Ace had feelings for Jana very early on it wasn't until the two of them were sitting close to each other, limbs gently touching, sharing longing stares, that I even knew Jana shared similar feelings. It came both as a surprise, but also felt wonderfully natural, and there were a couple of times where they'd lean in close to whisper something to each other that I'd be urging them on to say something romantic, or perhaps even steal a kiss. 

The first real romantic moment that comes in their relationship is their school prom, where Jana tells Ace that she needs to ask her before someone else does; resulting in Ace quietly claiming Jana as 'mine'. You feel so excited to see the two of them step out in public together, to get their romantic date, that you forget what their school is. It's not until Ace is being denied entry by one of the nuns for being 'immodest' and 'inappropriate' for wearing her fathers suit, and told that no queer dates are allowed, that the reality of the moment hits home. The quiet disapproval that they receive from the religious school staff is one of the challenges that they have to face as they come together, the strange looks, or pointed comments about how they're sinners.

Unfortunately for them, and the rest of their teammates, this isn't the only conflict in the film, as we learn that the team's physical therapist Kel (Mikoy Morales) has been sexually assaulting all of the girls on the team. It's a very dark topic, but director Samantha Lee handles it with extreme care, and Rookie addresses the issue in a careful way. It's a storyline that builds across the film, and one that a darker movie could have dedicated more of it's time to, or had as something that caused more trauma and hardship for the characters, but it ends up being dealt with quickly and well, even if not perfectly.

This plays a little into my only real problem with the movie, it's too short. The film sits at 95 minutes, which doesn't make it short by any means, but it does also move with a pretty quick pace. Ace and Jana start to come together as a couple quickly, yet we never slow down to really spend much time with the two of them just being girlfriends. The girls decide to do something about their abuser, and the school gets rid of him in the next scene. Even the subplot about Ace not feeling comfortable in the small, revealing volleyball uniform gets resolved within five minutes. Rookie crams a lot in, and none of it is bad, but it does mean that there are times where you end up wanting more. I don't know if a longer runtime would have helped, perhaps giving us a chance to have those quieter moments or to allow stories to spend more time taking place, but I certainly would have been happy to have had the film sitting closer to the two hour mark.

But that's my only real complaint. The script has some lovely moments, and the characters all feel pretty genuine and realistic. Ace and Jana are played wonderfully by Tingjuy and Fernandez, and their chemistry feels very relaxed yet compelling. Even the volleyball league story is engaging and gets you interested. Everything just works for Rookie, to the point where it became one of those films where I'm sad it's over when the credits final roll. As the first film from the Queer East Festival that I got the chance to sit down and watch it felt like a fantastic introduction, and I can only hope that more of their programme is like this.

Rookie is playing as part of the Queer East Festival 2025. To find out more about Queer East click here.

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Absolute Green Lantern #2 - Comic Review

 

Writer: Al Ewing, Artist/Colourist: Jahnoy Lindsay, 
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Green Lantern is one of those characters that I think is best when leaning into the big ideas. Being one of the few big DC titles that isn't constrained by the bounds of being in one place, it's able to do some wild stories. It's why I loved the Geoff Johns run on the series, introducing multiple Lantern corps, ancient entities, and universe spanning wars for life itself. Green Lantern should be a science fiction book before it's a super hero book, and Absolute Green Lantern feels like it's taken that ethos to the extreme as it's presenting one of the boldest, end even frightening, new books in the Absolute line.

The first issue played out with a sense of mystery as we followed a dazed and confused Hal Jordan as he made his way through the desert to a small diner, trying his best to keep his head down and out of trouble. Something happened to him in his town of Evergreen, something that makes him a danger to others. By the end of the issue we learned that a mysterious alien being named Abin Sur arrived in the skies above the town, and that Hal had somehow been transformed, his hand now coursing with black energy, capable of destroying anyone who threatens him, even if he doesn't want it to.

This issue picks up where that left off, with Hal in the ruins of the diner, where everybody there was seemingly killed by him, meeting with his friend Jo Mullein, who seems to have also been transformed by what happened in Evergreen. Unlike Hal, however, she's coursing with green energy. As the two of them talk we flash back to the events in Evergreen after Abin Sur arrived and placed the town within a dome no one could escape from.

There's a huge amount of tension throughout this issue, one that comes from knowledge of the GL mythos, and with having that knowledge completely flipped. On the one hand (no pun intended) it seems that Hal Jordan is the new Black Hand, that somehow he's been connected with the power of death, and if so may be an incredible threat to everyone around him. But there's also the fact that nothing in this issue feels like the Green Lantern books we know.

Abin Sur has always been presented as a figure that we should like. A Green Lantern who crashed on Earth and recruited a human to take on his mission. He wasn't hugely different from any of the other GL's we would meet, a decent man trying to make the universe a safer place. This Abin Sur, however, is absolutely terrifying. He's very alien, very mysterious, and very threatening. Two issues into this series and I have no idea if the Green Lanterns of the Absolute universe are even good people. They might be beyond such concepts of morality, and Jo could end up being a renegade GL because she actually cares. 

This lack of knowledge, the sheer alien nature of Abin Sur, and the slow unfolding of the story makes the book tense to read. Each page turn filled me with dread as we went back to the events of Evergreen, as I waited for the hammer to fall and something terrible to happen. Even when we cut back to the diner it didn't do much to help as Hal becomes increasingly scary over the course of the issue, ending up with all black eyes, a creepy voice, and talking about an ancient force that wants to devour things. It was a book that I both wanted to put down but also couldn't stop reading.

The art on the issue stands out as some of the best in the Absolute line too, with Jahnoy Lindsay creating some very alien, very beautiful images. I've seen some people online making reference to the previous issue having an almost manga inspired visual style, and whilst for the most part I'd disagree with that Abin Sur does feel familiar as a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise. But I think that plays out brilliantly here, as Lindsay creates a truly alien feeling alien, one that feels otherworldly and monstrous, rather than just a human with different colour skin or pointed ears. I'm genuinely excited to see what's done with other alien characters we know, and am anticipating this to be the most visually unique Green Lantern title we've ever had.

Absolute Green Lantern is absolutely a science fiction book rather than a super hero book, but it might be as much, if not more, of a cosmic horror series too. We're still in some very early days with the title, but it feels like this might be the biggest swing the Absolute line has taken, and one that's going to create one of DC's best titles in years. 

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Ultimate Wolverine #5 - Comic Review

 

Writer: Chris Condon, Artist: Alex Lins, 
Colourist: Bryan Valenza, Letterer: Cory Petit

Ultimate Wolverine was one of those books I was a little unsure about when it was first announced. The Ultimate X-Men book was great, even if I think it works better in a single read than month to month, and is its own unique animal that feels very unconnected in story and tone to the rest of the Ultimate universe. As such, I was unsure how this book was going to fit in with that. Whilst this title has done more to help push Ultimate X-Men even more into feeling like its own thing it's absolutely blown my expectations away, and has become my favourite title in the line so far.

The first four issues have spent a lot of time setting up Logan, and showing us how the Eurasian Republic rules with an iron fist, using awful techniques to put down any opponent. Logan, a former member of the resistance group The Opposition, is one of those methods, having been captured, experimented on, and physically and psychically broken and rebuilt into the Winter Solider, their ultimate weapon.

This issue moves away from Logan somewhat, and makes him more of a supporting character as we focus instead on Victor Creed, the man we know as Sabretooth. The cover, along with our experiences with the character in the main universe, build a certain expectation for this version of the character, and those expecting a vicious monster on par with the creature that Logan has been made into might be getting something of a surprise. 

Opening in the city of Rasputingrad, we find Creed running a small bar. But he's not just there to enjoy the quiet life, as it seems that Sabretooth is a part of The Opposition and their underground railroad, smuggling young mutants out of the country and the tyrannical rule of the Rasputins. With two children, Leech and Artie Maddicks, literally living under his floorboards whilst they wait to be taken to safety, this issue evokes some strong images from history, and instantly showcases how this version of Victor Creed is a very different animal.

I love this shift in the character. One of my favourite versions of Sabretooth was the Age of Apocalypse version, who I mostly knew from Exiles. His relationship with Blink was great, and I loved him being a caring father figure. It's also a wonderful inverse of the roles he and Logan have in the 616 universe, where he's the monstrous killer and Logan cares for mutant kids. I was also surprised how quickly a few pages of him being kind and caring towards a couple of kids made me really care about him, and genuinely fear for his safety once Logan arrived on the scene.

This issue Logan is a bogeyman, a monster that arrives in the middle of the night to threaten decent people and take children away in the dark. It hammers home how frightening a figure he is in this universe, and the fight that takes place between him and Creed is bloody, brutal, and fantastically depicted by the art team.

Speaking of the art, this issue sees a change in the artists, with Alex Lins taking over for Alessandro Cappuccio. It's a very different feel for the book, though one that works well in this setting. I absolutely adored Cappuccio's work on the previous four issues, and he created some absolutely gorgeous environments, depicting the brutal beauty of the Russian landscape. Lins, in contrast, creates art that seems to focus on the characters more, with the panels often having little to no background art in them, drawing the focus to Creed, the kids, and eventually Logan too. It helps to make the story happening this issue feel more grounded, a more human story, and whilst the awful beauty of the violence has a different flavour to it than previous issues it's no less brutal and shocking.

This issue ends up adding a lot more background information, and begins to fill in more of the blanks we have for Logan and his past, even if he's not learning about them himself. We also get another familiar face introduced that we'll likely be seeing more of next issue.

For those who've been enjoying this series I'm hoping that you love this issue as much as I do. It's a wonderful change of pace that doesn't feel shocking or out of place, and adds to this interesting tapestry that Condon is crafting. And if things continue as they have this issue the 6160 version of Victor Creed might become one of my favourites.

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UK Government Cares More About Statues Than Trans People

 

Statues have sparked debate for a number of years now as more people have become conscious to the fact that a number of them have been erected to memorialise people that probably shouldn't be remembered too fondly. Some of the biggest examples of this in recent years were Confederate soldier statues in the United States coming under fire (rightfully so), and here in Britain we've had a statue of Edward Colston, who made a fortune in the slave trade, being torn down and thrown into a river in Bristol.

One event that seemed to galvanise people against statue defacement in the UK was during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, in which the words 'was a racist' were spraypainted on the plinth of a statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. Since then the statue has received added protection during events, up to the point of having police officers form a protective ring around it; lest someone dare come within a foot of something so vitally important.

Winston Churchill is a figure that has become mythologised in Britain to the point where any talk of critiquing the man, or exploring the well documented facts of his life that cast him in a poor light will likely get you shut down on the spot. The Prime Minister during World War Two, Churchill was indeed important to the war effort, and the defeat of the Nazis, but has been transformed into a figure that some believe was so vital to that cause that without him the Nazis would have won, and is therefore immune to criticism or hate. This completely ignored the very real harms that Churchill committed during his lifetime.

'Keep England White' was a Churchill campaign slogan during the 1955 elections. He talked about how white people were a 'stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place' in reference to the destruction of indigenous peoples in countries like North America, Australia, and Palestine. He said that 'Indians breed like rabbits', and oversaw the Bengal Famine, in which three million people starved to death. He expressed his disgust of Asian people in 1954, saying 'I hate people with slit eyes and pigtails'. Churchill pushed colonialism as a form of 'help' for those that were conquered, saying 'by conquering and dominating other peoples, the British were also elevating and protecting them'.

Churchill also believed in eugenics, and pushed for the forced sterilisation of those deemed 'feeble minded'. He wrote openly about his views on the matter, even going so far as to send a letter to the then Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, in which he described the presence of these 'feeble minded' people as 'a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate'. Churchill also played roles in people being sent to concentration camps in multiple countries, and there are some claims that he even supported the killing of 20,000 Kenyans in one such camp following the mau mau revolt.

So we have a man who held awful, racist views and wasn't afraid to share them. A man who wanted to force sterilise people he didn't like. A man who put people into camps. A man who oversaw a famine that claimed the lives of millions. A man who if he was anyone but the man who was in charge of Britain during the fight against the Nazis would be as villainised as they were. Unfortunately, Britain is so steeped in the vestiges of colonialism, it's racist history, and 'wartime nostalgia' that Churchill is seen as a hero despite his awful actions.

Today a new law has passed that would make climbing on the statue of Churchill that stands in Parliament Square a criminal offence, one that could land you with a £1,000 fine, and three months in prison. Whilst the statue is not an official war memorial, it will now be protected under the Crime and Policing Bill.

The Conservative Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer (let's be honest, he's basically a Tory), said 'Sir Winston Churchill stands at the summit of our country’s greatest heroes, and has been an inspiration to every prime minister that has followed him. The justifiable fury that is provoked when people use his statue as a platform for their protests speaks to the deep and enduring love that all decent British people have for Sir Winston. It is the least we owe him, and the rest of the greatest generation, to make those acts criminal.'

'But Amy, what does this have to do with trans people?' I hear you ask. Well, a month ago the UK Supreme Court made a ruling on the definition of woman as it pertains to the Equality Act 2010, and things have gotten very bad for trans people since then. Anti-trans campaigners have called this a victory for their side, with some even being so satisfied that trans people are finished that they've moved on to campaigning against immigrants. Organisations have used this ruling as an excuse to bring in new rules that discriminate against trans people. Some places have even enacted segregation-like tactics, forcing trans people into their own facilities that effectively force them to out themselves as trans and make their lives more dangerous. And throughout all of this Starmer and his government have remained either silent on the matter, or have come down on the side of bigots.

The UK government could shut this down, they could see that this ruling from the Supreme Court has put trans people in danger and change the laws to make it safe for us. They could condemn those calling for our rights to be taken away. They could be doing literally anything. But they're not. They're allowing this, and even making it worse. Let's not forget that this is the same government that decided that puberty blockers were super dangerous and had to be banned, but only for trans kids of course, cis kids could use them without any problem.

The British government doesn't like trans people. The voices within it that are standing up for us are few and far between, and most of the people in power either hate us, don't care enough to say anything, or will back any view that seems loud and popular to advance their own career. That's why the people who are calling for the eradication of trans peoples lives are given a free pass, and why the people who are kicking and screaming about the safety of statues of racist war criminals are listened to. Hell, they're the same type of old, white, hate filled fuckers. Even Starmer's statement that 'all decent British people' love Churchill frames those who disagree as indecent, terrible people. But why wouldn't this 'Labour' frame people that way?

The British government cares more about a statue than the thousands of lives it's putting on the line every single day to appease bigots. This is Britain in 2025, a Britain where the establishment seems to still hold many of the views they'd rather you not know Churchill had.

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