Kira Richards

GAY TIMES • 5th August 2022

French government to create an LGBTQ+ ambassador role

France’s Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, announced the new LGBTQ+ ambassador position on the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country. Borne visited an LGBTQ+ centre in Orleans, where she unveiled plans for the new government position. The Prime Minister said the role of the ambassador is to “campaign for the decriminalisation everywhere of homosexuality and trans identity.” She continued: “The President of the Republic’s approach, my approach, the government

GAY TIMES • 5th August 2022

Angelica Ross to become the first trans lead in Chicago on Broadway

Angelica Ross, known for her roles in Pose and American Horror Story, steps into the leading role of broadway show Chicago from next month. The casting was confirmed by the production team on 4 August and the star begins performances on 12 September. She will play Roxie Hart, a narcissistic murderer obsessed with fame. Pamela Anderson made her broadway debut in the role earlier this year. The 41-year-old is the first trans woman to play Roxie and one of the first trans women to play a leadin

GAY TIMES • 5th August 2022

Here’s your first look at Euphoria’s Colman Domingo in Netflix biopic Rustin

Euphoria star Colman Domingo was photographed in character playing Bayard Rustin in the upcoming Netflix biographical series. In August of that year, 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in protest of racial discrimination. News broke that the 52-year-old would play the role in October 2021. But the actor posted the first image of the production to his Instagram on 4 August. The cast includes Chris Rock, Audra McDonald (Respect) and Aml Ameen (I May D

GAY TIMES • 5th August 2022

Strictly confirms BBC presenter Richie Anderson for same-sex pairing

BBC Radio 2 presenter and ex-footballer Richie Anderson will be trading football boots for dancing shoes this year, as he was the third celebrity confirmed for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. He makes Strictly history as only the third contestant to be in a same-sex dancing partnership. Boxer Nicola Adams was the first in 2020 with her pro Katya Jones. In 2021, Bake Off star John Whaite made it to the final two with Strictly treasure Johannes Radebe. The show’s producers were said to be e

Black Ballad • 22nd June 2022

How To Change Your ‘Money Mindset’ And Work Towards Financial Freedom

In the current climate, becoming financially independent as Black women can be challenging. From rising national insurance to cost of living prices, student loan repayments, mortgages, bills… the list goes on. There is always something demanding our hard-earned coin, and that’s before setting some aside for savings and self-care. Gaining financial freedom doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a much deeper issue than simply having better money management. There’s no doubt it’s daunting to discuss

Black Ballad • 21st March 2022

Ruka Hair On Community, Innovation And World Domination

Not many of us can say we launched a business amid a pandemic, but for Tendai Moyo, 27, and Ugo Agbai, 25, founding Ruka Hair marked the beginning of a much bigger journey. Moyo and Agbai, CEO and COO respectively, have catapulted Ruka into the haircare sphere, offering customers products that already reflect their natural curls and coils. Agbai explains: “I think the immediate thing was trying to find hair extensions that were a true extension of our hair.” Thus, Ruka was born against the back

Black Ballad • 9th March 2022

Why The Sustainability Conversation Needs To Include Our Hair Extensions

The ‘climate emergency’ is a paramount issue, so much so that the phrase was named the Oxford Word of the Year in 2019. Discussions about sustainability in terms of household waste and fast fashion have often been broached. But what about our hair? From knotless braids down to our bums to an ever-growing collection of wigs in every crop and colour, where is all this hair coming from, and what happens to it once we’re done with it? The UK Black hair care industry has an estimated worth of £88 mi

Bustle • 5th March 2022

How Four British TikTokers Are Making Fashion More Sustainable

Sustainable practices have become a growing area of interest for the social media savvy Gen-Z and, thanks to social media, the availability of information on ethical materials and clothing companies has never been more accessible. It’s an issue that is pressing and that many believe can no longer be ignored. In 2019, the Guardian reported that one in three young women in the UK consider a garment old after one or two wears. In that same year, Oxfam estimated that more than two tonnes of clothing

Bustle • 13th January 2022

UK's 'Fresh Prince' Fans Can Watch Will Smith's 'Bel Air' Very Soon

In 2019, film director Morgan Cooper uploaded a mock trailer for a reboot of ‘90s hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The video was a huge success, teasing and garnering the attention of fans who wondered how Will would navigate life in the 21st century. Now, three years on, multi-award winning actor Will Smith, who played the original Will, has turned the concept into a reality – and the first trailer of Bel-Air dropped on Jan. 10. But the new show might be different to what fans might expect. Wh

Bustle • 6th January 2022

All Historic Same-Sex Convictions Will Be Pardoned Under A New UK Scheme

UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is set to announce that more people with convictions for same-sex activity will be wiped, as she expands the government’s disregards and pardons scheme. Patel said, “I hope that expanding the pardons and disregards scheme will go some way to righting the wrongs of the past”. The current pardon schemes only cover nine offences on a list that the Home Office said "largely focused on the repealed offences of buggery and gross indecency between men". Since 2012, peo

Bustle • 5th January 2022

“Grindr Killer” Stephen Port Is Serving A Life Sentence

BBC factual drama Four Lives airs on Jan. 3, depicting the harrowing tale of the Grindr murders of Stephen Port between June 2014 and September 2015. The three-part series, starring Stephen Merchant and Sheridan Smith, recounts the real-life events of the murders from the perspective of the friends and family of the victims. Port’s initial three murders were not deemed suspicious by the Metropolitan Police until the fourth took place under eerily similar circumstances. The force was accused of

Bustle • 29th December 2021

17 Black-Owned UK Bookshops To Know Now

While conversations around anti-racist activism may have died down since the 2020 protests spurred on by George Floyd’s murder, educating yourself on Black culture, experiences, and how to be anti-racist is an ongoing process. The protests and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement saw a surge in the sales of books on systemic racism and anti-Blackness. However, these learnings and discussions should not be a reactive trend. One way to continue the conversation is by supporting Black o

Bustle • 15th December 2021

Strangers On TikTok Are Doing 'The Holiday' House Swap IRL

If you’re anything like me, the quest to find the perfect Christmas movie is a yearly expedition, which is why I find myself returning to The Holiday every winter season. For those of you who haven't seen the film, here’s a quick summary. Iris (played by Kate Winslet) is from a quaint English village and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is from glamorous Hollywood. They are two strangers who decide to swap homes after both reaching a bit of a dead end in their romantic lives. Things begin to look up once

Bustle • 2nd December 2021

Josephine Baker Enters France’s Panthéon of National Heroes

46 years on from her death and her final performance, French-American music hall star and activist Josephine Baker has made history yet again. On Nov. 30 she became the first Black woman to enter France’s Panthéon Mausoleum, which is considered the nation's highest honour and remembers renowned and revered figures in French history. As previously stated, the ceremony took place in Paris, France, on Nov. 30., marking the date Baker legally became French, when she married industrialist Jean Lion

Bustle • 10th November 2021

Glastonbury 2022 Is Sold Out, But There Might Still Be Chance To Get Tickets

For those of us who enjoy standing in a muddy Somerset field, listening to incredible music in the height of British summer time, the lack of Glastonbury Festival for two years has been a struggle. But if you were thinking of trading in your wellies for flip-flops this summer; don’t. Glastonbury 2022 has been confirmed, and a stellar lineup is expected for the festival’s highly anticipated return. Glastonbury has been on pause since 2020. Typically, the festival runs every year, with intervals

Bustle • 6th November 2021

24 Black-Owned British Beauty Brands You Need To Know About

Until a few years ago, the selection of mainstream beauty products aimed at Black people and people with darker skin tones was minimal. Most of the time, shade ranges only went to medium-tones, meaning makeup fans with darker skin would often have to source their products either from smaller, independent businesses, or splash-out on high-end ranges. This exclusivity of makeup was obliterated when Fenty Beauty first launched in 2017 with 40 foundation and concealer shades. From there, the choice

Bustle • 18th October 2021

How To Recreate Jean Milburn's Glam, According To The 'Sex Education' Makeup Artist

Along with its frank and honest approach to sex, talented cast, and stunning setting, Netflix’s Sex Education is known for its bold choices when it comes to beauty. Eric’s eye looks? Lily’s space buns? Ruby’s… everything? The teenagers on this show are far cooler than we could ever hope to be. And that’s before we even get started on Jean. The woman we have to thank for these looks is Emily Bilverstone, a make-up and hair artist whose portfolio spans TV, film, music videos, and commercials. As

Bustle • 15th October 2021

All The 'Peckham's Finest' Instagram Accounts You Need To Follow

ITV2’s newest reality series Peckham’s Finest lands on our screens next Wednesday (October 20). The “observational reality” show will follow a group of young DJ’s, business owners, and social media stars in one of South London’s most thriving neighbourhoods, documenting the highs and lows of friendship, relationships, and work in their everyday lives. Peckham is described in a recent teaser trailer as a “mini Lagos”, a “palace”, “the hub and heart of the Black community”, as “lively” and “fun”

Aurelia Magazine • 20th May 2021

I kept trying until I found the right therapist and it's the best thing I ever did

A therapist’s chair was something I never thought I’d be sitting in. For a long time, I had a great life full of adventure, happiness and supportive friends and family. That didn’t sound like someone who would ever need therapy. Around the time that I engaged with the idea, I was experiencing a lot of trauma, so the details of how it came about still feel soft around the edges of my memory. I was never against therapy, but the stereotypes of seeing a ‘shrink’ were firmly in my mind, having been

Carrot Magazine • 16th February 2021

Black MPs tackle vaccine hesitancy

After the pandemic highlighted deep inequalities in UK health, Black MPs are tackling the issue with an encouraging video. Throughout the pandemic, ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the virus. The issue mainly lies in the degree of vaccine hesitancy. From misinformation circulating on Whatsapp, to feeling unsafe in the hands of medical professionals, older black people in particular are reluctant to get the COVID-19 jab. Black MPs are trying to change this. They have u