Calderdale Council has said that Tourism in the area in now worth £344 million annually, almost £100 million more than in 2010. Read more of the effect Anne Lister is having in and around Halifax here Plus, Bankfield Museum, where you can see some of the costumes from the TV series, is also considering extending their opening times. Do you see what the Gentleman Jack effect is having? And what about O’Hooley & Tidow could they ever have imagined when they wrote their catchy number, Gentleman Jack (released in 2012), that it would propel them into (almost) superstardom status overnight? By the way, Gentleman Jack writer, Sally Wainwright, was going to name the series Shibden Hall until she heard O’Hooley & Tidow’s song and decided to call it Gentleman Jack. Thank goodness for that (oh do you feel another song coming on??) Now, the other question is did O’Hooley & Tidow make up the name Gentleman Jack because it was a great catchy line for their song? No, unfortunately, they can’t take that accolade; instead, it was Anne’s peers that started to refer to her as Gentleman Jack. Essentially, because she was living exactly as a man did in those days. Dating women, owning land (turning that into a profitable asset), which provided her with a healthy income and living. As we know from the series, the now-famous line "I was born like this, why should I compromise myself?" says it all about our Gentleman Jack. She was not embarrassed and did not make excuses for her sexuality. While we’re on the subject of nicknames; did you know her lover, Marianna Lawton called her Fred? Women from all over the world are now truly celebrating the life and loves of Anne Lister. Not only because it’s such a beautiful story of love and devotion, but also it’s an incredible journey of a women’s sexuality in a time when it was deemed immoral, her daring sexual liaisons, the prejudice she endured throughout her life and her possible struggle with her own gender identity. There is speculation that she was transgender but because at that time there was no language/vocabulary to talk about gender in that way, it is just speculation. Also, we must not forget too that Anne was not only a clever and successful business person but she was quite an athlete and was the first woman to ascend Mount Perdu in the Pyrenees (1830) and Mount Vignemale in France (1838), travelling to many places which was frowned up for women to go to in those times.
PS Just in case you’ve missed the news, we can reveal that the BBC has commissioned a second season of Gentleman Jack References:
Diva Destinations Hosted Group Gentleman Jack Tour https://www.divadestinations.co.uk/gentleman-jack-weekend-tour.html Suranne Jones as Gentleman Jack. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013087/ BBC Series - Gentleman Jack https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00059m9 Shibden Hall http://museums.calderdale.gov.uk/visit/shibden-hall Bankfield Museum http://museums.calderdale.gov.uk/visit/bankfield-museum O'Hooley & Tidow http://ohooleyandtidow.com/ Sally Wainwright https://rts.org.uk/article/how-sally-wainwright-brought-her-heroine-life-gentleman-jack Gentleman Jack Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YInK5yhBQE0 Helena Whitbread https://www.annelister.co.uk/about-helena-whitbread/ Helena Whitbread - de-coding the diaries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrFQcrYn6o4&feature=youtu.be Helena Whitbread, giving this fascinating talk on 28 Feb, 2019, at the unveiling of the new plaque honouring Anne Lister at Holy Trinity Church in York https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfs297sN7bc&feature=youtu.be
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In celebration of London Pride on Sat 6th July, Diva Destinations was included in the Invitation-only event ‘Out on the Roof’ hosted by LGBTIQ human rights charity GiveOut and generously sponsored by the Maltese Tourism Authority. This exclusive rooftop brunch held at Malta’s High Commission in central London proved a fun celebration of Pride and true insight into the work being done by the Maltese Tourism Authority to welcome and encourage the LGBTIQ market to their country. Malta is going through a period of greater cultural acceptance and changes in legislation to offer LGBTQI travellers a hassle-free holiday experience. Keynote Speaker Helena Dalli – Minister for European Affairs and Equality – spoke passionately about her ongoing work towards more inclusive tourism. “Stonewall gave visibility to LGBTQI people and started a process of affirmation and inclusion, but that process remains incomplete everywhere. The Maltese government set this as its goal and we are working towards it. Thank you to GiveOut for hosting such a wonderful event to mark the occasion and to celebrate Malta’s progress on LGBTQI equality.” – Helena Dalli Malta, ranked number 1 on the ILGA-European Rainbow Map 2016-2018 is one of the most LGBTQI friendly destinations in the world. The Islands have 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites, is known for its stunning architecture, wonderful cafes, crystal clear waters and beautiful beaches, perfect for exploring, diving and relaxation in equal measure. GiveOut is an award-winning charity that works to address this problem by enabling individuals and businesses to give in one place to support LGBTQI activism worldwide. The charity distributes these pooled donations as grants to activist-led organisations around the world, ensuring they have more of the resources they need to defend their communities and campaign for equality. “We were delighted to host our supporters, friends and sponsors in such an incredible space to celebrate the Pride and mark the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. It was an honour to welcome Minister Dalli to speak and we are tremendously grateful to the Malta High Commission in London and the Maltese Tourism Authority for their generous support.” – Elliott Vaughn, GiveOut’s founder and chair of the Board of Trustees In total, through the event, GiveOut raised £20,000. To find out more about the work GiveOut does, check out GiveOut.org Watch out for Diva Destinations forthcoming LGBT Hosted Trip to Malta 2020 If you have never cruised before and are thinking about booking a cruise holiday but still unsure... then look at our 10 very good reasons to make sure your next holiday is a cruise holiday ~ Visits lots of countries There is no other holiday where you can visit so many destinations in 1 or 2 weeks than on a cruise. Multiple holidays in one! ~ Unpack only once. Surely a big tick here! You can settle into your cruise ship cabin without having to move your belongings - make yourself at home straight away ~ There's a cruise for everyone. Cruising has moved forward leaps and bounds. Whether you're looking for a large or small ship pr specific ports of call - it's your choice. All our cruises are different so find the right one for you! ~ Stress free planning. Avoid the hassle of booking lots of elements in multiple destinations, enjoy the convenience of it all being organised for you. ~ On-board entertainment. As well as our exclusive group meet ups, events and meals, there's also plenty of ways to keep yourself busy on-board, from shows, to zip-lines to take a moment to relax in the spa! ~ Meet new women. You'll meet women from all over the country and world and it's easy to make friends with lots of social activities going on with us ~All in! All-inclusive means great value and helps you stick to your holiday budget
~ Premium level of service. With a high staff to passenger ratio, the level of service will exceed your expectations ~Switch off. Cruising offers a great opportunity to get away and allow yourself to completely unwind at sea, whilst visiting different destinations ~ No flying. For some people flying is not an option whether it's a fear of flying or it's just too much hassle. But it also adds an extra cost to your holiday. This can be avoided if you cruise out of one of the many UK ports. Southampton, Bristol, Tilbury to name but a few. If there is a group or a family paying extra for flights makes a holiday prohibitive. So, as you can there is so much to love about Cruise Holidays. The mix of ages, genders, demographics has all changed over the last 10 years. That's why Diva Destinations love our hosted lesbian group cruise holidays. Mix a little fun with designer shirts and what do you get? A great little fashion show on Diva Destinations hosted lesbian group holiday to the Lesvos Women’s Festival. When Lisa Honan, founder of GFW Clothing went to the International Eressos Women’s Festival with Diva Destinations they decided to ask some of the Divas if they fancied being models for a fun fashion show to showcase GFW’s range of unique shirts. What we didn’t expect was the large number of women who were happy to do it … in fact they WANTED to do it….. Our models were all shapes and sizes, which reflects just what GFW Clothing is all about … “That people's bodies are all different, in addition to height and size there are variations in hips, bottoms, shoulders and chest sizes. One size does not fit all”
So we mixed a few 1970’s tunes, fixed the date and hey presto we had a show to put on! There you have it…. On a magical balmy evening with the sun setting across the beautiful blue Aegean Sea and with an audience of over 70 lesbians ready and waiting; we hit the play button, and released our models onto the catwalk. And boy did they love strutting their stuff… I told you Lesbians love their shirts!! Read more about GFW Clothing and quote LHD2018 code to get a 10% discount off your purchase |
Jennifer grant, mANAGING DIRECTOR, diva destinationsManaging Director & Founder of Diva Destinations Archives
August 2019
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