August/September 2023

DIVA

Europe’s best-selling and most authoritative lifestyle magazine for lesbian and bisexual women

DIVA1 min read
Colophon
Operations director Fiona Marshall Designer Fernando Safont Sub-editor Ellen Tout Big thanks to Kate Hunter, Elliot Berry, Jamey Rowsell, Jason Woodley, Matty O’Riordan, David Cummins, Fiona Corlett, Ella Porteous, Beth Heath Netherton, Molly Harley,
DIVA1 min readGender Studies
Team DIVA
Nic Crosara (they/them) Deputy editor @niccrosara Char Bailey (she/her) Features writer @char_bailey_ Krysta McKenzie (he/they) Editorial assistant @krystasphotos Language is always evolving and DIVA strives to be a place of inclusion and community.
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Editor’s Letter
I was never one of those gay little girls who played football and wore dungarees. Forever femme even as a kid, I dressed in flowery frocks. I was humiliatingly horrific at P.E. and I bloody loved my Barbie dolls. To the outside world it may have seem
DIVA1 min readLGBTQIA+ Studies
A Letter From Our Publisher
What a summer season of Prides we have had! Nowadays it seems like Pride month doesn’t stop at the end of June. It runs through July and August, even extending into September. In the UK, we have seen a massive increase in regional Prides which has be
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Our Favourite Butch Characters
Played by none other than Lea DeLaria, Big Boo is an icon in the butch community. Funny, no-nonsense and sarcastic, Carrie Black is the definition of butch. While we might not be getting another season of the glorious Gentleman Jack, Anne Lister (Sur
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Celeb Crushes We’re Obsessed With
Between slaying our screens as Elle Argent in Heartstopper and playing the iconic Rose Tyler in Doctor Who’s upcoming 60th anniversary specials, Yasmin is the MOMENT! We hope this incredible young actor continues to receive her flowers. Gillian Ander
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Pick‘n’mix
Everyone’s favourite lesbian from The Sex Lives Of College Girls is releasing her debut album this month! In a bittersweet moment, we’ll be saying goodbye to our faves in this fourth and final (super queer) season. Fans of Gentleman Jack, this one’s
DIVA1 min readLGBTQIA+ Studies
Connect With The Community
Fun & Gaymes is an informal event for LGBTQIA people who want to connect with each other outside of pubs/clubs. Games are decided by attendees on the night – but if you’re eager to play a particular game, you can recommend it by messaging Colchester
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The Pairings That Give You Bi Panic
For me, bi panic is defined in no better way than the night I watched the Eurovision 2021 final. The minute the Italian rock group Måneskin waltzed on stage, I simply didn’t know where to look. One minute I was drooling over lead singer Damiano David
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You Said It...
A big hello from Australia Thank you @divamagazine for adding such an important and needed message to your @prideinlondon float this year to drive even more of an amplified message of trans solidarity. The voice can never be too quiet! Thanks to the
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Paint The Town Pink
Even before its July release date, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie had changed the world. I mean, we literally ran out of pink paint, everyone was planning their pretty-inpink outfits for the premiere and we were dissecting every detail of the trailer. We’re o
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DIVA Meets Jess Darrow
You probably know Jess as the voice of Luisa in the Disney film, Encanto. When the film came out last year, everyone speculated that her character was queer, and Jess says this is something she “cannot disagree with”. Jess now plays sports publicist,
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I Thought I Was Just Codependent...
My first codependent relationship was with my mother, Susan. When my mother would shower, as I couldn’t bear to be alone for more than five seconds, I would barge in unannounced, rip off all my clothes, stretch out my arms, and scream, “NAKED PEOPLE!
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Once Upon A Trans Love Story
I looked at my phone and nervously Facebook messaged my partner. “Hey baby, I’m a woman. I love you.” Apparently, this isn’t the proper way to “come out” to a long-time partner, by ambushing them with a DM. I had no idea how they’d receive the news.
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Three Things In Comedy
I understand that. A lot of the best jokes are really simple. Our favourite characters can be described in three words: dim-witted, naive, loyal. (Alice Tinker. And Baldrick.) But my Three Things, my three identifying characteristics, don’t have tons
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Back To School
In April last year, the hotly anticipated Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s hugely popular graphic novel series, Heartstopper, premiered and changed the world. It served up a gloriously diverse cast, allowing audiences around the globe to feel see
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How Making Bi Best Friends Finally Set Me Free
You know those children that get to sit at the grownups’ table as a special treat? That’s often what being bisexual during discussions about queer issues can look like. When we’re not being ignored, we’re often patronised. We’re not straight enough f
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The Truth About Facial Feminisation Surgery
Massive lashes and a high brow arch that Hollywood legends themselves would envy, with long flowing platinum blonde hair and a diva pink lip still didn’t fulfil a design brief I had in my mind. The mirror would often comment, “That’s not quite it sis
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Confessions Of A Lesbian Cam Girl
The pandemic hit: the nauseating feeling of losing the job I had worked so hard to get was now my reality. Bills were rolling in and I was up against it. While I was scrolling Instagram one morning, a cam model popped up claiming to be making huge mo
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The legacy of UK Black Pride
Co-founded by former DIVA columnist and cover star, and one of the world’s leading LGBTQIA activists Dr Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, AKA Lady Phyll, and led by a team of devoted QTIPOC changemakers, each year UKBP continues to grow. In 2022, as 25,000 people
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Ultimatum: Queer Love THE DIVA REUNION
After years of begging the reality TV gods to provide us with some queer drama, Netflix handed the sapphic community The Ultimatum: Queer Love on a platter. For 10 episodes we got to gasp, cry and fall in love with the five couples on the show. If yo
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The Life-changing Power Of Queer Women Of Colour, In Love
On multiple occasions when I came out, I was told by women in clubs that they “don’t date Black girls”, so neither did I. I wanted to fit in. I wished that I looked like Shane from The L Word and that I didn’t have curvy hips, thick lips and darker b
DIVA3 min readLGBTQIA+ Studies
This Is What Chosen Family Means When You’re Black And Queer
However, when you’re Black and you realise you’re queer, there is often a feeling of isolation. This is because of overwhelming narratives that our queerness strips us of our Blackness – one of the many lasting impacts of colonial thought. We find ou
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Continuing The Fairy Tale
“I had no choice but to jump in,” Sarah chuckles before taking a sip from her mug. She’s just returned to LA after visiting her mum in Texas with her kids. She’s looking effortlessly gorgeous, sporting a white and blue baseball cap and graphic T-shir
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This Barbie is... Alexandra Shipp
I’m only seconds into our Zoom call ahead of the film’s release when I find myself in awe of how infectious Alexandra’s vibe is. She’s cool (and not just because she’s dyed her eyebrows hot pink) and grounded, while also being enthusiastic and warm.
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Screen
Directed by Matthew Lopez This charming adaptation of the best-selling book penned by queer and non-binary author Casey McQuiston is sure to be your new favourite romcom and perfect viewing for summer. You’ll get swept away in the heartwarming and do
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Enter: Kokomo City
Interior, a young queer’s bedroom, night. Enter: Kokomo City. She tells the young queer stories of Black transfemme personhood, survival and the joy in community. Her vulnerability and openness takes root in this young queer’s heart and shows them a
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Music
Don’t miss these artists on tour The talented Brazilian drag queen and singer will be putting on a show in London and you do not want to miss it! London, O2 Forum Kentish Town, 27 August Witness the sapphic magic of the group formed of Julien Baker,
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Books
By Chloe Michelle Howarth In this atmospheric, sapphic coming-of-age romance, set in the early 90s in the Irish village of Crossmore, we meet Lucy, who’s struggling with feeling out of place. Through this novel, the author offers the reader a tender
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Queering The History Books
Today we are speaking about these historical books via the modern medium of Zoom. Lex is fresh from the shower, wearing a tank top that shows their tattooed arms. On the wall behind them hangs a beloved and enormous two-metre-wide Edwardian tapestry,
DIVA3 min readLGBTQIA+ Studies
Embrace Your Anger Just As You Embrace Your Joy
In a lot of ways I still am, because although I can now love the person I have become, the narrative about queer and trans people in the media is reverting back to one of fear and disgust. It’s so frustrating because it highlights how much of the “su
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THrIVing
Despite women making up over half the global population with an HIV-positive diagnosis, HIV is surrounded by a stigma that excludes women from the conversation entirely. This lack of representation has shrouded HIV in a culture of shame for women, pu
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Introducing GIN & Lime
In the early 2000s I wrote my DClinPsy thesis on the role of community shame (“sharam”) and “family honour” (“izzat”) on suicidal behaviour in young South Asian (SA) women. Research at that time showed that rates of suicidal behaviour in this group w
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I’m Putting On My First Ever Pride Event And It’s A Big Deal
I often get asked what Middlesex means – what that area actually is. It is somewhere that was officially named Middlesex (alongside Sussex and Essex); the space than narrowed down until it was a postal area, the title then removed in the 1990s to acc
DIVA2 min readGender Studies
Visible Actions Of Solidarity
Thanks to the allyship and solidarity of Laura-Rose Thorogood, founder of LGBT Mummies, I had the opportunity to work with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. We worked together to wrap the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag around a new buildin
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Queer Desire During Menopause
*Names have been changed for anonymity. This was a bed I had laid in before. Within the first year of my monogamous relationships, I always experienced a steady decline in my horn. My ignorance of how to keep things spicy, and an increased feeling of
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How To Have Sex On Your Period
But before you blow out the candles and sweep away your rose petals, maybe consider trying out period sex. Not sure where to start? Whitni Miller (she/her), pleasure coach and owner of bde-moves.com, is here to help you out. “If you’re worried about
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Strapping 101
If you are the wearer, it’s important that the strap-on suits your body. It’s not one strap that fits all. Harnesses with more adjustable anchor points can give you more stability for thrusting. Brief or panty-style harnesses sometimes feel more seam
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Sexy Bits
App controlled vibrator Are you a bit of a control freak in your day-to-day life? Maybe it’s time to hand over the power to your partner with this wearable app-controlled vibrator. Whether you’re looking to spice up your long-distance relationship or
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What’s The Deal With Unicorns?
So… what the heck is a unicorn? A unicorn within the bisexual world is a term often used to describe a bi woman who has sex with a straight couple. Not to be confused with a typical threesome, the key part of this arrangement is that the bi woman is
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My Secret Sex Diary
When my wife told me she had landed her dream job, I was over the moon for her. I knew better than anyone how much she’d wanted this. I’d been there right by her side, practising her interview technique, helping her prepare presentations, and all her

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