Glee for Unconventional Families!

From Santana and Brittney's cute relationship, to Kirk and Blaine's flourishing romance, and the recent addition of cross-dresser Unique, I love Ryan Murphy just for how much he has pushed the boundaries with Glee. Now that the majority of the main characters are graduating in the final episode of Thursday ;-(, I don't know how successful any future series will be but I have every faith that Mr Murphy will continue to represent the under-represented and show just how 'normal' LGBT are. 

Ryan Murphy is currently busy with his new comedy series 'The New Normal' which is due to air on American network channel NBC in the Autumn. Co-written by Allison Alder (Sara Gilbert's former partner), The New Normal centres on a gay couple as try to start a family. The comedy stars Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha as Brian and David, and British actress Georgia King stars as surrogate mother, Goldie. 

Here's a sneak preview of the show which will hopefully arrive in the UK soon (fingers crossed!)

We can be heroes

Award winning young filmmaker Mike Buonaiuto has released a short film that he produced in support of the Coalition of Equal Marriage. The moving film shows British forces returning home to greet their loved ones, with the reunion of one soldier and his partner soon turning into a surprise marriage proposal. The film looks to tackle opposition to same-sex marriage head on, arguing if all have the right to serve in British military regardless of sexuality, then all should be able celebrate their love and commitment with civil marriage, free from discrimination.

"One day I would like to marry my partner of almost 5 years," said Director Mike Buonaiuto. "And the celebration of our commitment should mean no more or less than any other straight couple. I made the film to promote change and also inspire others to use their creativity to support equality."

The Coalition For Equal Marriage is a grassroots campaign established by partners Conor Marron and James Lattimore. It has since grown into a strong group of individuals and organisations coming together to support the government's plans for greater equality.

The short film stars James Knight, from London’s West End (Mamma Mia,) and rising screen-star Lew Smart. Please support the project by sharing it with your friends, hashtag #equalmarriage and sign the Coalition For Equal Marriage petition.

The film captures just one moment in the lives of many; that moment when we know that we have found the person who we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Marriage should be celebrated and it should be a choice for all. As is shown in this film, love is love, regardless of sexuality.

Share the video, spread the Coalition For Equal Marriage's message, and let love be equal.

TV Pick for Tonight: I Woke Up Gay

Tonight's extraordinary documentary follows Chris Birch, a young lad from Wales, who claims that a stroke turned him gay.

At 21, Chris Birch was a typical, burly, rugby playing lad with a girlfriend and a job in a bank, but after a stroke everything changed. Today Chris looks different, sounds different and has a completely different life - he is a gay, image conscious hairdresser interested in fashion and interior decor.

It was a simple forward roll down a hill at a playing field that caused a freak accident which resulted in Chris suffering from an unexplained stroke. The stroke still continues to have an effect on his life as he finds changes occurring to his body and he must take medication to prevent another stroke from happening.

Chris has also suffered from severe memory loss; he cannot recall many of the details of his life before the stroke and lost touch with some former friends and family . During the documentary Chris attempts to get to grips with his new life and his new personality, whilst he tries to discover who he used to be and attempts to build bridges with some of the people he has lost touch with. What are the differences between 'old Chris' and 'new Chris' and could his stroke really have turned him gay? Chris' partner believes that his homosexuality was always a part of him but Chris is convinced that he has undergone a major personality transformation since his stroke and that has not only changed the person he used to be but his sexuality.

What is particularly sad is that it is not only Chris that is finding it hard to accept his 'new self'. Chris' mum used to take him to doctors' appointments after he had his accident but now he goes alone as they have grown apart. Chris remarks that maybe it is his new face that she doesn't like to look at.

Despite Chris' clear differences in personality and appearance, no one believes that a stroke turned him gay. When Chris' story broke, his claims were ridiculed as people insisted that he was born gay. Chris' school friend claims however that back in school, Chris 'looked the least gay' out of the boys. Hmmm nice try but there's no 'gay look' and some people are married for years to an opposite sex partner before they come out as gay...Is Chris really unique to medical science?

I Woke Up Gay will be aired tonight on BBC3 at 9pm.

Lip Service is back!!

Yes, the wait is finally over (well very nearly!). It seems like an age since the Lip Service girls were last on our screens, although I've definitely got my money's worth out of my series 1 DVD in the meantime! Tonight our favourite Lip Service girls return to our screens!!!!

Lip Service writer and creator Harriet Braun has described series two as being more edgy than the first:

'Although there will be as much comedy as ever, I think I would say Lip Service gets a lot darker this season.

'First time around, I looked at people at a pivotal age - late twenties or early thirties, trying to get what they want and avoiding making the same mistakes again. This time it’s about what happens when you get what you want and it isn’t quite what you expected…or you can’t have what you want.

'A lot of life is about how we deal with adversity, do you sink or do you swim? I guess I wanted to throw some emotional curve balls at the characters and see what they did with them.'

After a loved-up month on holiday in South America, Cat and Sam arrive back in Glasgow with a colossal bump as series two begins. Having run away from her relationship with first love Frankie, Cat knows she must now face the music.

Meanwhile, it looks like Tess finally has it all: her first proper acting role, a fabulous new flat and a gorgeous girlfriend. Landing one of the leading roles in a big theatre production should be a cause for celebration, but things don’t go quite to plan on her first day in the job.

Locking horns with self-obsessed co-star Nora, it’s clear Tess is going to have her work cut out, dealing with constant put-downs and snide comments. But new friendship and much needed support come in the shape of Hugo, a cynical but loveable actor.

Frankie and Tess are struggling with the rent for their new flat and go in search of a flatmate. Enter Lexy (pictured top, right) - a sexy, funny and straight-talking Australian doctor who instantly makes an impression on Tess. But she’s not the only one who reacts to Lexy’s arrival…

Also back for the new series is Frankie's former flame Sadie who Frankie decides to offload all of her troubles onto. Sadie, who is down on her luck, decides to deliver some home truths.

Lip Service series 2 begins tonight at 9pm on BBC3.

Image credit: BBC/Kudos/Tania Chalkin

TV Pick for Tonight: Mary's Bottom Line

Queen of the Shops, Mary Portas is on a crusade to bring clothes manufacturing back to the UK through the production of a key staple in any woman's wardrobe - knickers.

Yes, Mary wants us to embrace our behinds and invest in 100% British knickers. But first, she has to create a new brand that competes with the cheap underwear produced in the Far East. It's not going to be easy, but Mary believes consumers will pay more for clothes produced in the UK where they can be sure ethical that working conditions were met.

Mary beings her knickers crusade tonight in Middleton, near Manchester, where past generations saw a booming textual industry. These days however, the factories are closed and unemployment is rife. Mary sets out to change this by recruiting eight apprentices who she will train to run her own production line.

Can Mary succeed in producing 100% British knickers, find a retailer to stock them, and convince customers to buy them? Or is the whole idea a bit pants?

Mary's Bottom Line begins tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.

Heather Peace Joins the Cast of Waterloo Road!

Now in its seventh series, Waterloo Road has been one of my favourite dramas of all time since the show began in 2006. Popular with teens and adults alike, the contemporary drama follows the lives of staff and pupils at a challenging comprehensive school in Rochdale.

Over the years, the award-winning Waterloo Road has tackled hundreds of issues faced by teenagers today, from homophobic bullying, teenage pregnancy and knife crime, to death, divorce and under-age drinking.

The show is a brilliant mix of drama, compassion and humour, and it always leaves me excited for the next episode. What makes me even more excited for the next episode however, is that actress and musician Heather Peace will be joining the cast as English teacher Nicki Boston. Yes, she played a fire fighter in London's Burning (Sunday nights were never the same after that ended), currently plays a police officer in the drama series Lip Service, and now it's time for her to put on her angry face in an attempt to control some unruly teenagers!

In the upcoming episode, teacher Tom is tasked with overseeing the selection process for the new Head of English, as two candidates, Vanessa and Nicki, are quickly put to the test. Nicki's disciplinarian approach gets results, but Tom is unimpressed when she offers him some advice about his son Josh who has been taking drugs. Tom later decides that neither of the two candidates are suitable.

Don't worry though, this is not just a fleeting part for Heather Peace, as Tom later sees Nicki's excellence in action, apologises to her and offers her the role of Head of English. Hurrah!

Here's a little clip of the next episode of Waterloo Road which will be shown on Wednesday 7th March, BBC 1 at 8pm:

TV Pick of the Week: My Dad is a Woman

This Thursday, the new documentary My Dad is a Woman explores the emotional affects that can occur when the 'man of the house' transitions to a woman. Following two families, the documentary reveals the challenges faced by two transsexual women as they take life-changing steps that will not only affect their own lives but could impact greatly on their loved ones.

The two women featured in My Dad is a Woman Michelle and Jane, have both been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria medical condition where men or women feel their true gender is at odds with their physical body. Michelle had wanted to be a girl since she was six years old, but feared being bullied if she told anyone. So she tried to bury her feelings and get on with living her life as a boy. Michelle met her partner Julie when they were both teenagers and Michelle was known Michael. They have since been married for 26 years and have two sons.

Michelle tried to suppress her feelings for wanting to be a woman but they never went away. Three years ago, once her sons had grown up, she made the ultimate decision that she could finally leave her life as Michael behind and become Michelle.

Although Michelle's parents and her partner have provided brilliant support for her, transition is a huge undertaking and involves various stages which differ for individual transsexuals; whilst some people may just change their appearance and name, others embark on a lengthy process of taking hormones to encourage breast growth, speech therapy to feminise the voice and electrolysis to remove unwanted hair. Then there is the option of gender reassignment surgery to reconstruct areas of the body to become physically more female or male.

My Dad is a Woman also follows 53 year old Jane, who used to be known as John, She began living as a woman more than two years ago. Jane lives in Lincolnshire with her partner Andrea, Jane’s 17 year old daughter Tash, and Jane and Andrea’s six year old son Rafe.

Having a parent who is transitioning brings practical as well emotional challenges.

Jane’s daughter Tash explains the dilemmas she’s faced since her dad broke the news that he wanted to be a woman:

“It’s the last thing you’d think about your parent. For my dad to do it, who I’ve known as a man my whole life, who’s been wearing jeans and jumpers and not really ever showing to me any feminine habits, it was just really strange.

“I’d never suspected it, ever. I was just crying and all shocked. I didn’t tell anyone for about

four weeks. I didn’t realise but people ended up being quite worried about me."

17 year old Tash continues to explain how, despite the initial shock that her dad wanted to be a woman, she has come to realise that Jane is the same person:

I still call him a him, it’s not that can’t bring myself to say Jane, but…it’s Jane and my dad. Being a dad is a role not a gender. If I keep saying dad, it’s like yes, remember me, I’m here, this is your daughter.”

“I’ve always loved my dad, always have and always will. He’s still the person that looked after me when I was little and poorly. It is weird because dad is my dad, and mostly been a man until quite recently. Now he is Jane. It’s just I’ve got a dad that is a woman and there is a woman that is my dad.”

It is hugely encouraging to see documentaries such as this and My Transsexual Summer on TV. Documentaries like these not only raise awareness of the challenges faced by transsexuals, but they help reduce prejudice by showing viewers that the people featured in the programmes are not alien to the rest of us; they are just people like you and I and they just want to be happy like we do.

My Dad is a Woman airs on Thursday 1st March on ITV1 at 10:35pm.