Pride week!

This week is Pride week in Hellsinki but this year I won´t unfortunately be able to march since I have a gig in Tampere that evening, nevertheless I wish everyone a good time for all the events! It´s really important to spread the message of equality -even in Scandinavia the LGBTQ-community is having some real issues about getting the message -and rights, through. Finland more than e.g Sweden, unfortunately. Here the rights of trans-people are being stepped on in some medieval ways: before you can change your gender one has to go through serious amounts of therapy and worst of all you have to go through an operation that castrates you! Plus if you are married before the change, -even if you are happily married, you have to divorce because the Finnish law of marriage is different for same-sex couples. Then if you want you can register your partnership even if it was with the same person you were married to in the first place. It´s utter bullshit.

We still need to explain why Pride is needed. There still is those remarks of "there´s no hetero-pride!" or "why do people need to flaunt their sexuality?". It´s not about flaunting, it´s about raising awareness that yes, even if in many parts of the world things look much more grim, it´s not all peachy here. People have, depending on their sexual orientation and gender preferences STILL not the same value or rights in the eyes of the state (or people, for that matter) and that is a serious issue. I´d like to make a leap into the matter feminism and how women face the similar, hypocritic issues as well but that will be a whole other can of worms and I´ve opened it quite a few times already :) Shortly: feminism is NOT about women (or any other gender for that matter) being "better" than any other, it´s about working towards changing attitudes, norms and right out hrm, "small issues" like getting the same pay for the same jobs as every one else. Or that it won´t be the girl getting raped and then getting the blame for dressing a certain way. Or getting shit for not "giving sex" when some moron goes and shoots a bunch of people because he was " a nice guy but never got any".  Or why she is being "slutty" when he is just "a player". Ohboy. I went there, didn´t I? ALL genders should be feminists! This includes boys/men being able to be all they want to be as well: not just masculinity in one way but to be all those attributes that our societies often lable as "feminine". Stop trying to put people in to boxes and except that we are all different, all equal.
A note 15min later: I just read this article about The strenght in being a feminine gay man that both Meth and Bent van der Bleu posted and its a great summary from another corner about the same issue <3
Added about an hour later: this really starts to feel like one of those "everyone-has-the-same-brain"-moments....Scotty the Blue Bunny just posted this with one of Exposed! the movies performers Rose Wood.

WELL. Before I get too carried away politically here´s some pictures from the Boylesque festivities (from Wednesday) that took place in Vienna this May! Huge love to everyone involved <3

OH! And do NOT miss the Pling Pling Party at Dubrovnik this Wednesday! My gals Bettie Blackheart, Lola Vanilla, Laila-Annikki Koivunen, Linnea von Kattendam and Minna Kivelä will be there for your entertainment as well as Elsa Gaselli and Lollers <3 No tickets before the event, just bring cash and love to the door!!!

My little tribute to Tom of Finland

The whole crew <3

World Famous *BOB* and the wonderful stage kittens clearing the stage of my stuff

Some backstage snaps

I love being backstage with my fellow Glitter Tribers - at best it´s laughter, nakedness (yes Florian, what you witnessed wasn´t anything strange ;) bad jokes, selfies, glitter and just a lot of mayhem that then all of a sudden just come together and become a great show! I say "all of a sudden" but it´s actually a result of practicing your act and knowing what you do. People react differently before going on stage: some are very talkative, others pull away to concentrate. I am of the latter kind, I´m very quiet and weird and last Wednesday I was that way all day it seems. We went for lunch and coffee with Sir Willy Waterlily who was in town already and he kept asking me if i was ok since I was acting so strange :)
There´s been a lot of good stuff written about backstage etiquette (e.g in Jo Boobs "The burlesque handbook") but just remember that try not to take up too much space (physically or mentally), be nice to people and have those emotional antennas out so you can read people and not make an arse out of yourself. If you are unsure of something, ask -and be polite.
Wednesdays´ backstage in Vienna was really good! There were A LOT of us crammed in a small space but it seemed it was very frictionless and -at least to me- there was an air of mutual fun and relaxation even if it was hectic. I met some amazing people that really are SO enormously crazy and great that I´m still floating on air! Thank you everyone for giving me this rush of love and inspiration!

Didi Curv´e & Honey Holiday: the loopy-loop Cardiff ladies <3

With Lola

Denise Kotlett, Miss Anne Trophy and moi

Hazel Honeysuckle and Dangrrr Doll <3

Miss Anne, Tamara Mascara and Sheila Wolf

Lady Francescca <3

This lady probably needs NO introduction: Conchita Wurst, who closed the shows on both nights!

Aurora Galore (GOOD LUCK in Vegas baby!) and Dave the Bear

The mastermind behind the whole festival: Jacques Patriaque

I FINALLY got to meet my idol <3 World Famous *BOB*

Some of Munich´s finest: Stormy Heather and the oh! so hot Nick Naughty

Thank you Wien!

I just got back home after an AMAZING time in Vienna!!! Thank you Jacques Patriaque & the whole wonderful crew for organizing and helping! Also a huge thank you to everyone in the audience and the bloody crazy-brilliant-performers I got to be with! I´ll get back to you on this but right now I need to unpack and get ready for school´s out tomorrow... Phew! *washing glitter off as we speak*

For now this lovely blurry thing sums it up pretty well :)

Photo shamelessly stolen from Didi Curvé <3

Oh, Conchita!

It´s that time of the year again!!! As in: Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). As happy as I am for our Finnish lads to have made the final I am even MORE exited about Austria´s Conchita Wurst!!! I love drag in all it´s forms and I really think she is breaking a mold here with her thing.
Tomorrow night - at the same time as the live shows - I´ll be performing at a private gig but hope to get home in time for the countdown and I so so SO hope Ms. Wurst will win! Such an amazing voice and WHAT a stage presence! Can´t WAIT to share the stage with her and multitudes of other wonderful performances at the first annual Vienna Boylesque Festival the 28th this month! <3

Pics stolen from Jacques Patriaque