Fab Straight Allies On The London Scene

Article about gay London in QX magazine.

It’s all too easy to say things like “BLOODY STRAIGHT PEOPLE!” or “SHUT UP, STRAIGHTY!” Many of us are guilty of it.

The reason we do it is because straight people often are awful – not to mention the fact that most of us have experienced discrimination from straight people.

But some straight people are FAB, and we musn’t forget about them. In fact, we should give credit where credit’s due, because it means a lot when someone’s an ally.

So we’ve decided to do a round-up of some of the awesome straight people we know and love, particularly those involved in London’s LGBT scene. See below!

Lauren O’Donnell

Lauren arrived off the train from Scotland with a perfect smile and a pallet of foundation in her handbag, and the rest is history. She’s now a formidably accomplished makeup artist, with celeb clients including Carole Vorderman and Nadine Coyle (who she did for our cover, dontchaknow). She’s a dab hand at drag makeup too, and has put slap on ALL the most talented queens we know (and Nancy Clench).

Lucy Baker

Nightlife babe and hilarious host Lucy Baker is perhaps best known for being SHEEZUS in drag/cabaret troupe Sheezus & The Sistas. If you haven’t seen them before, well…you’re in for a treat.

Amanda Freeman

THE music PR mogul of East London! Although has never done PR for Madonna, but we’re sure that day will come. Can be found in the smoking area at Horse Meat Disco or giving fake names at Mortimer Market Centre.

Anna Goodman

PR guru Anna is so glamorous she makes us feel all frumpy and boring. She always looks like she’s just stepped out of a 1930s Parisian speakeasy, and is always doing something fab like finding Zandra Rhodes a seat at The Globe or fetching Grayson Perry a gin and tonic. She’ll make you a STAR darling!

Diane Chorley

Diane Chorley is queen of the estuary! A genius drag act who merges Abigail’s Party 70s aesthetics with a surprisingly touching tragic streak. There’s nothing she doesn’t know about leopard print and prawn cocktails. And she’s played by a straight man! More straight men doing drag please – we love it!

Catia Ciarico

We don’t know how Catia does it. She does SO MUCH. She juggles a countryside life with her gorgeous family, with the MADCAP URBAN INSANITY of helping to run the RVT. She does it all with absolute class and a great sense of humour. She can cook a mean roast and put a mic on Mutya Buena at the same time.

Princess Julia

Our very own columnist and Walthamstow witch Princess Julia is a cultural icon! There are photos of her floating around enjoying a casual gin and tonic with David Bowie back in the day. She can often be found wafting up and down Kingsland High Street.

Ally Wolf

Ally is the behind-the-scenes guy at The Grand in Clapham, and he’s been largely responsible for their fab explosion of queer programming over the last year or two. He’s a really cool guy and will always make sure you feel welcome and safe. Also, he’s totally an ally. For god’s sake, his NAME is Ally! Hey Ally!

Lady Lloyd

Lady Lloyd is one of the scene’s best-known faces, so it will come as a surprise to many that she’s actually cis and straight and has never slept with a man. Who knew! The secret’s out, Lloyd.

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