EastEnders icon June Brown teams up with Cookie Monster for an LGBT charity single
EastEnders legend June Brown, best known for playing Dot Cotton in the BBC soap, is set to lead an all-star group to release a Christmas charity single.
The group called Love Against The Machine, includes Union J’s Jami Hensley, Marcus Collins, Tina Cousins, Eva Iglesias, Lenard Pink, James Hur, band 4 Poofs And A Piano, and even the Cookie Monster.
Rallying together, the group have dropped a music video titled, Love Is The Only Law.
The camptastic 90-year-old actress introduces the song’s official video, which navigates key figures and moments across LGBTQI+ colourful and multiplicious history.
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One pertinent milestone emerges as The 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised sexual acts in private between two males in the U.K.
Many institutions, from the Tate Britain to the National Portrait Gallery, have arranged artistic celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the law coming into force this year.
In collaboration with The Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity that aims to provide shelter, mentoring, and digital support, the video hopes to raise awareness and money to support the young people living homeless or in hostile environments.
The Albert Kennedy Trust estimates that at least 15,000 young people in the country are homeless, with a quarter identifying as LGBT+.
Alongside a decentred living situation, three-quarters of these people directly link their circumstance to the rejection they have faced from their families over their sexuality.
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As statistics surrounding real queer people scroll past, one of the more harrowing lines in the video reads: “When a quarter of the world believes that being gay is a crime, punishable by flogging or death – is it any wonder 20% of the LGBTQI+ community have attempted suicide?”
The song will be officially released on December 15 and aims to compete with the traditional X Factor finalist contender for 2017’s festive number one.
The lyrics were inspired by Simon Napier-Bell’s film 50 Years Legal and include: “Half a century to be free to love / Love is our inspiration / Five decades on, is that enough? /We’re moving in that direction / Love is the only law.”
To pre-order the single please click here.
