CatAC 🇬🇧

[Antony Cotton MBE @antonycotton]

Please watch and sign the petition

https://t.co/SCThKtKZI1

[James Dreyfus @DreyfusJames]

Mmmm. Very pretty & professional looking, I’ll admit…

I’ll also admit I wasn’t instrumental in LGB activism, like Bev Jackson, Kate Harris or Fred Sargeant, but, if I may, I’d like to correct the multitude of errors that litter this statement (again, very pretty, all typed out neatly, by Miffy The Whiffy Gamer… either from some bot or his imagination)

But let’s get a few facts straight, shall we?

I’ve been a vocally out gay actor since 1990. In those days, if you were gay, & open about it, you were only cast in gay parts. And it was bloody difficult.

I worked for The London Gay Theatre Company in 1992 & 1994. I was in many different LGB plays throughout the 90’s, & was interviewed & spoke about being “openly gay” with Gay Times, Attitude, The Pink Paper & many other gay publications. In every interview I gave, it was mentioned (much to my eventual boredom & to the irritation of the gay press, who seemed to be frustrated at me for not believing that being gay was the most interesting thing about me.)

In 1993, I was part of the West End cast of “Elegies for Angels, Punks & Raging Queens”, alongside Regina Fong, Simon Fanshawe, Trudie Styler, Kim Cresswell & many others. The show was about those who’d died from AIDS, & every night, we raised a significant amount of money for AIDS charities. We also all performed on the main stage at Pride that year.

In 1994, I was in New York during the Gay Games, where I made a film about lesbian ice skating, which we shot on location. I marched with Ian Mckellen (who was also in the film) & Martin Sherman, to celebrate the Games.

In 1996, myself & 6 other openly gay actors were part of a successful little indie film called “Boyfriends”. Again, we all vocally supported gay rights in various interviews.

In 1997, Stonewall invited me to their Equality Show at the Albert Hall, to high kick with the Tiller Girls, as part of a small group of out performers, including Stephen Fry, Jimmy Somerville, Simon Fanshawe, to encourage others to come out & be proud. Yes, we were actually “celebrated” by Stonewall back then, believe it or not.

In 1999, I played a controversial, purposefully vile gay character in Jonathan Harvey’s sitcom ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’. It was controversial because it was one of the first gay characters that was entirely comfortable with his sexuality, was vulgarly open about it & wasn’t always portrayed in a positive light. The gay press were not happy, initially, but it apparently grew on them. The series continued until 2001. Again, I did interview after interview discussing & championing gay rights.

In 2000, I played Bette Midler’s ‘openly gay’ musical accompanist, Oscar, in the short lived sitcom ‘Bette’. Being a series regular, I used my voice in interviews to speak up for gay rights.

In 2004, I took part in the first series of Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, raising £40, 000 for my chosen charity The Terence Higgins Trust, which I publicly supported & endorsed endlessly.

Do bear in mind, there was no social media as we know it now.

I joined Twitter in 2014. From 2000 to 2014, LGB people had achieved equality & for the first time, it seemed to be ok to be gay.

I rejoined the fight online when I saw the damage the TQ+ was now was doing to the rights we’d, as gay people, had already won, at much cost. I was reluctant & angry, as I’d thought we’d been there, done that, bought the t-shirt etc. But no.

So if you mean I played no part in the fight for LGB rights, you’d either be wrong or lying. The world didn’t start with the advent of the internet.

Perhaps if I stuck on a red beret, a dress, held an Antifa flag & hollered at a crowd through a megaphone to “punch terfs in the f**king face”, I’d already be lauded as a “champion of LGBTQIA+ rights”.

Maybe that was my mistake…🤷

Please RETWEET as my reach is yet again severely restricted. Thank you.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@John_Dabell Keep going tough guy, you’ve been missed.

[Lord Ashcroft @LordAshcroft]

For every retweet of this post, I will donate £1 to the @VC_and_GC_Assoc up to £50,000.
Time is running out following @I_W_M’s decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery.
Visit while you still can, to honour the bravery of those who risked so much to protect our great nation.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@Thehullboy1 What a journey! Have been so impressed watching you through this amazing challenge, well done. Your family must be so proud of you, I know everyone watching you feels that too. ❤️

[Gail Myerscough @GailMyerscough]

If I’m being honest, I’m feeling pretty down about my small business. I’m working so hard but it’s been very quiet. It’s bloody difficult at the moment.
Please have a look at what I do and retweet to spread the word.
https://t.co/W5SXRuwLwR

[Emma Mitchell 💙 @silverpebble]

It would be so so helpful if you could retweet my May botanical illustration & mental health workshop in my previous tweet if you have a few seconds. I've been unable to work since December due to a breakdown (not remotely proud of this) and I'm trying to get back on my feet so if you could RT it would help enormously. I so love teaching people how to draw & how it changes brain biochemistry resulting in better mental health 🌿

[Jools @JoolsJuevans]

If you want to show support for Sandie Peggie in a week where they've gone completely insane at NHSFife.

Nurse Sandie Peggie
Accident & Emergency Department
Victoria Hospital
Hayfield Road
Kirkcaldy KY2 5AH

Send her a good luck card, let's see how many we can get there before Friday.

#IStandWithSandiePeggie

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

#IStandWithFarmers

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@SoVeryBritish I do not wish to eat Halal meat. But the minority and the big supermarkets think otherwise! Better watch what I say or I’ll be up before a beardy weirdy in their ‘special court’.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@BrandonWolfX @K0sher_C0ckney Best yet! That made me chuckle. I can’t post what I really think of the little squirt, glad you did it with humour!

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@kimleadbeater Not content with freezing the elderly to death, Leadbetter is leading the charge to finish them off before the stats of winter deaths in the elderly come in spring.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@joshxhowie Who dear? Me dear? Gay dear? No dear!

[Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav]

Rick Astley got invited to sing with a choir in Toronto and actually showed up

🔊

[L @MsLMG79]

The first two are a Scottish person looking for their Vauxhall.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@JamesMelville Without the gun he could have kept the whole pride fed for a month.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@KDansky @ThePosieParker See the child in its mother’s arms, please let it be a boy and not a girl to be abused and mutilated in the future for the appeasement of the cult. Grab the child, lock the doors and send in mental health professionals.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@jk_rowling @UKLabour I fear the small steps recently made to protect children are about to go in a backwards direction as of 5th July.

[CatAC 🇬🇧 @ClarkDunshalt]

@Ally_McCoist9 @EURO2024 @acdc Those eyes tell us a great story Ally.