Haus of FGV

Three Years of Queer Open Mic

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Three years ago, my friend Josh and I sat down and decided the London LGBTQ community needed something. We needed a place to express. To perform. To create. To listen. To connect. So we started Queer Open Mic.

That was back in 2022. We had no idea where it would go, but we knew what we wanted it to feel like. We wanted it to be safe. We wanted it to be welcoming. We wanted people to turn up with songs, poems, guitars, jokes, and voices.

And we wanted them to leave feeling like they’d been seen and that they belong.

Fast forward to 2025 and Queer Open Mic is still going strong. In fact, it’s thriving. We now call The Cock Tavern in Kennington our home. It’s a proper south London gay bar with heart, and it’s the perfect setting for a night that is all about lifting up community voices.

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Gaza Destruction Is An Absolute Nightmare

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You know me. I write about vegan pizza, social events, and eating snacks on trains.

I bang on about tofu like it’s going out of fashion and tell you when your local supermarket has added another fake meat to the shelves. I’m all about helping people feel celebrated in their compassionate choices.

But I don’t yell about not eating animals for the hell of it. I do it because I want to reduce my contribution to unnecessary suffering. Because I think kindness is political.

And that’s why I’m writing today.

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Palestinians in an open air market in Gaza in 1956. Credit: Moshe Marlin Levin /Meitar Collection / National Library of Israel / The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection

Imade of Palestinians at market in Gaza strip in 1956 (Moshe Marlin Levin/Meitar Collection/National Library of Israel/The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection)

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A Blog Post About Absolutely Nothing

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I have absolutely nothing to blog about today.

Not a thing. Nada. Zilch. I sat down in front of my laptop, stared at the screen for a bit, drank a cup of tea, stared at the screen some more, and then admitted the obvious. No inspiration. Not a single crumb of content. But here we are. You’re reading this. I’m typing this. We’re both involved now, so let’s make the best of it.

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Back in My Day… Vegan Days of Old

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Nowadays, being a vegan in the UK is easy.

You walk into your local supermarket and it’s all “suitable for vegans” this and “plant-based alternative” that. You can fill your basket with everything from laundry detergent to pasta sauce and spot the little vegan label with ease. Shampoo, toothpaste, bread, bottles of wine. If it exists, chances are there’s a version with a smug little “suitable for vegans” badge right on the front.

But let me tell you something. When I went vegan a quarter of a century ago, none of this existed. Supermarkets weren’t trying to woo us. Most of them didn’t even know (or care) we existed.

How did we cope back in the dark ages?

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Wellness Warnings and Influencers From Hell

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I just finished watching a two-part documentary on Belle Gibson, the Australian wellness influencer who pretended to have terminal brain cancer and built a small empire off the back of that lie.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, brace yourself. This influencer made hundreds of thousands of dollars (or possibly more) through app sales, a book deal, media appearances and brand partnerships, all while claiming she had treated herself through natural and alternative therapies.

She never had cancer.

Her story is one of the most shocking and extreme examples of what happens when wellness culture goes unchecked. But the uncomfortable truth is that her case isn’t as unique as we might like to think. It’s just the tip of the influencer iceberg.

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Episode 51 Of The Pod

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The podcast and I are sharing a number this week.

We are both 51!

Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) latest episode is out now and this week Josh and I chat toilet emergencies, prison reform, and the legend of Venus Xtravaganza.

Latest episode on YouTube:

Latest episode on Apple Podcasts:

Latest episode on Spotify:

You can browse older episodes on the YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify channels.

Follow Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) on Instagram and Threads.

If you appreciate my blog posts and the work I do to support vegan business and challenge injustice, please consider making a one time small donation of a couple of quid online here. You might also be in the position to sponsor my work on an regular basis via Patreon.

You can order my book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’ online now. It has been out a while now but is still a good read. You can also listen to the Audiobook read by me!

Follow me on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, and Blue Sky.

Episode 50 (!!!) of the Podcast

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Time flies when you are releasing the most low-effort DIY podcast on the planet.

Episode 50 of a weekly podcast means Josh and I are coming up on a full year of the Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) podcast. If you have been watching all that time, I know you are not any wiser for it but hopefully we’ve been keeping you company.

The latest episode features chat about vegan pizza in Brighton, the sadness of UK seaside towns, and the strange career choices of Scarlett Johansson.

You can catch up on this latest episode via the platforms below and probably a few others I don’t know about because I am so DIY and cool. I don’t even know where my pod is published!

Watch/stream via YouTube:

Stream via Apple Podcasts:

Watch/stream via Spotify:

You can browse older episodes on the YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify channels.

Follow Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) on Instagram and Threads.

If you appreciate my blog posts and the work I do to support vegan business and challenge injustice, please consider making a one time small donation of a couple of quid online here. You might also be in the position to sponsor my work on an regular basis via Patreon.

You can order my book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’ online now. It has been out a while now but is still a good read. You can also listen to the Audiobook read by me!

Follow me on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, and Blue Sky.

15 Years of Teaming Up With Vegan Businesses

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I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to work with many compassionate and creative vegan businesses over the past 15 years. Being able to merge my love for vegan food, community, and activism into meaningful collaborations has felt like a true privilege.

Why is this important to me?

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Australia Is Calling

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I was born and raised in Australia and, even though I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life living in the UK, the idea of going back to my original country has been drifting into my thoughts more frequently.

Maybe it’s the passing of time. Maybe it’s the feeling of getting older and realising that I want to be closer to people I love. Maybe it’s just time.

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Still Blogging After All These Years (and Sweets)

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There are moments when I sit down to write this blog and genuinely wonder how I’ve managed to keep it going for fifteen years.

Fifteen years. That’s longer than most houseplants survive.

But why do I keep doing it?

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