PHOTOGRAPHY Amy Lidgett  STYLING Yasmin Williams  MUA Callie Foulsham  MUA ASSISTANT Taisha Sherwood  PRODUCTION Tori West & Madeline Reid This article is originally featured in the BRICKS #13 The ‘Be Tender’ Issue which you can order from our online store now. HIDHIR WEARS SHIRT AND TROUSERS: AMESH SIMONE WEARS FULL LOOK PAUL SMITH Hidhir Badaruddin & Simone Casarotti | Photographer & Musician How long have you known each other and how did you meet?  S: We have known each other for 5 years and met in 2019, on Tinder funnily enough. Hidhir loves telling t ..read more

EVENT POSTER A Healthy Level of Dissent The Eurovision Song Contest has long been hailed as a ‘gay Christmas’ among queer communities for its camp musical stylings, ostentatious outfits and outrageous performances. However, this year, grassroots organisations and activists have called on competitors, broadcasters, viewers and venues hosting viewings to boycott the competition in solidarity with Palestinians for its refusal to ban Israel from competing.  Israel has been allowed to compete in this year’s contest despite its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In response, the Boy ..read more

WORDS Joe Aliko PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Ezekiel This article is originally featured in the BRICKS #13 The ‘Be Tender’ Issue which you can order from our online store now. Sex has been a part of gay culture for hundreds of years. If you think cruising in a bathhouse is anything new, then tell that to the closeted gays in Florence back in the 1400s. The beautiful thing that living in the present has brought the gays is that sex, and most of its forms and kinks, are celebrated across the board. Be it in fashion, art or film, gay sexual desire has been the backbone for many queer creatives.  ..read more

This article is originally featured in the BRICKS #13 The ‘Be Tender’ Issue which you can order from our online store now. WORDS Bella Bonner-Evans At first glance, London-based artist Leo Costelloe’s work seems very of the moment; populated by ornate bows, dolls and silver necklaces, it is easily associated with the ever-growing ‘coquette’ TikTok trend. Yet, over coffee in a Dalston café, the artist assures me that they have been making these pieces since their time as a student at Central Saint Martins, informed by a desire to understand their own gender and identity.   Having been ..read more

HEADER IMAGE Susan Sitko This feature is part of Hysterical’s takeover in BRICKS #13 The ‘Be Tender’ Issue which you can pre-order from our online store now. Back for its third year in a row is Hysterical – an exhibition building-up a new creative community in London with its unique, celebratory curation of queer and feminist art. Named to subvert and reclaim notions of women or people of marginalised genders being “dramatic” or “over the top” when opening up about the issues that they face, Hysterical spotlights a line-up of next-gen creatives, all unapologetically fusing art and activism to ..read more

PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE Matt Spratt STYLING & CREATIVE Lucinda Graham DA Daniel Mcilwaine  STYLING ASSISTANT Medh McPherson  RUNNERS James Robinson, Molly Brennan  MODELS Katharine Magwood, Bekithemba Mbondiya, Jude Graham, Dave Graham, Medh McPherson, Joan Fleetwood, Helmut Lance, Vodka Redbull, Hollie Elyse, Grace Anderson from Antipode & Not Another ITL. SPECIAL THANKS Kodak shoot film, Polaroid, On8Mil, Tallulah Atkin, Taya Good, Jay Zhong, Marthe Studios Team, Christine Donnelly, Leah Maher, Philip Spratt. What brings you comfort when you’re far from home? For so ..read more

WORDS Sara Belkadi HEADER IMAGE Still from ‘The Eternal Daughter’ Courtesty of A24 Fresh off the UK cinema release of ‘The Eternal Daughter’, Tilda Swinton touched down in Morocco for the 20th anniversary edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, held from November 24 – December 2.  A patron since 2019, receiving an honorary award for her life’s work at the last festival, the Scottish actress led her first masterclass appearance at the Palais de Congres on the 27th – the third actor in the “in conversation with” program this year, following on from Mads Mikkelson and Willem Da ..read more

This article was originally featured in BRICKS #12 The Age Issue, which is available to order from our online shop. Trigger warning: Transphobia, homophobia.   Queerness and storytelling have a long and deeply intertwined history, from ancient Greek poet Sappho’s lesbian love verses dating all the way back to the 5th and 6th Century, to prolific drag queens, trans women, and vogue dancers like Venus Xtravaganza and Pepper Labeija sharing the fabulous but turbulent chronicles of New York’s ballroom scene in Jennie Livingston’s acclaimed 1990 documentary, Paris is Burning.  Beyond ..read more

WORDS Rebecca Jane Hill One inevitable thing about ageing is that one day, the process will end. That might sound blunt, but it’s a fact that so many of us are conditioned to ignore. In western culture, especially as women, we aren’t taught to celebrate getting older. It’s something to fear, to avoid displaying signs of at all costs, and even be embarrassed by. I remember crying while being surrounded by a group of friends on my 18th birthday – I felt like I had reached my peak, and that surely it would only be downhill from here. After all, what fun is going to a nightclub if it’s actually le ..read more

This article was originally featured in BRICKS #12 The Age Issue, which is available to order from our online shop. WORDS Ryan Zaman My life has been filled with a lot of change, and a lot of getting on with it. Caring for my mum during her cancer treatment from 11 to 15; the lengthy rehabilitation following a double hamstring release surgery pretty much as my mum got the all clear. Then there was navigating life for the first time by myself at university; moving to the States for a year; moving to London for a government job I never thought I’d get. And then I moved into modelling and advocac ..read more