Diva (magazine)

DIVA is Europe's leading magazine for lesbians and bisexual women. The magazine contains features on lifestyle issues affecting young women as well as political developments in the gay and lesbian scene. It also contains articles on travel, music and the latest cinema releases in the sector.[2]

Diva
Cover of Diva magazine (April 2013)
EditorCarrie Lyell[1]
CategoriesLesbianism and bisexuality
FrequencyMonthly
Year founded1994
First issueApril 1994
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.divamag.co.uk

The monthly magazine was first launched in March 1994 by Millivres Ltd, under the editorship of Frances Williams.[3]

Linda Riley and Silke Bader became publishers of the magazine in 2016.[4] In 2018, Bader was no longer publisher, with Riley accusing her former business partner of theft.[5]

DIVA's editor Carrie Lyell has held the position since May 2017. DIVA features articles by and for lesbians and bisexual women on a range of subjects, from celebrity interviews and in-depth news features, travel pieces and arts reviews. Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Keira Knightley, Samira Wiley and Sarah Paulson have appeared on the cover.

In November 2008, DIVA commemorated its 150th issue with "The Souvenir Issue" which includied the cover pages of every issue that had been published in the magazine's history.[6]

As well as a monthly magazine the DIVA brand now includes Radio DIVA, DIVA Literary Festival, DIVA Awards, and DIVA Music Festival. DIVA has also previously sponsored the Pride in London Women's Stage in Leicester Square.[7]

In 2020, DIVA launched the first ever DIVA Pride, an online event in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The DIVA Awards

The annual DIVA Awards acknowledge and recognise individuals, charities and brands that support LGBTQI women.[8] The awards celebrate the achievements of LGBTQI women and non-binary people –  and their allies – across business, the media, politics and sport.[9] Previous winners include Lauren Jauregui, Sandi Toksvig and Michelle Hardwick, as well as brands such as Disney and Netflix.[8]

Lesbian Visibility Week

In 2020 DIVA introduced the Inaugural Lesbian Visibility Week to celebrate and support lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women across the UK and beyond to be their true selves, at home and socially.[10] Research showed that lesbians are almost twice as unlikely to be out in the workplace as gay male colleagues [11] and found that LGBTQI women feel that they are misunderstood and under supported.[12]

Rainbow Honours

Rainbow Honours were launched to “shine a light on those unsung heroes and sheroes: those who strive to make the workplace a better place for LGBTQ employees and those who give up their spare time to volunteer” [13] The first ceremony took place at Madame Tussauds, and was hosted by drag queen Courtney Act and Duncan James. [14] Winners at the ceremony included: presenter Sue Perkins; Mayor of London Sadiq Khan; and activist Sue Sanders, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement. [15]

DIVA Box Office

On the 26th of April 2019 DIVA magazine together with Lesbian Box Office launched Europe's first lesbian TV channel.[16][17][18][19]

Shows on the channel include:

Heather Peace at the Bedford[20]

DIVA Box Office Exclusive with... Suranne Jones[21]

Power Lesbians presented by Rebecca Loos[22]

Different for Girls.[23]

See also

References
  1. "Say hello to the new editor of DIVA".
  2. "Diva Magazine Subscription | Buy at Newsstand.co.uk | Women's Lifestyle". www.newsstand.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  3. Georgina Turner (September 2008). "The road to the lesbian nation is not an easy one: us and them in Diva magazine". Social Semiotics. 18 (3): 377–388. doi:10.1080/10350330802217147.
  4. "New owners for lesbian focused 'Diva' magazine". OUTInPerth - LGBTIQ News and Culture. 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  5. "Rainbow disconnection: 'Gay Oscars' founder lays police complaint". The Spinoff. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  6. "15 Women's Magazines That Don't Suck, Are Awesome". Autostraddle. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  7. "Pride in London Women's Area". PrideinLondon. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  8. EDITOR (2020-02-19). "DIVA Awards 2020: Star-studded shortlist revealed". DIVA MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2020-03-05.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  9. "DIVA Awards Archives". Evening Express. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  10. EDITOR (2020-01-17). "Lesbian Visibility Week: Raising awareness, understanding and support for LGBTQI women". DIVA MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2020-03-05.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  11. "Lesbian Visibility Week". Lesbian Visibility Week. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  12. www.rics.org https://www.rics.org/uk/news-insight/latest-news/news-opinion/lesbian-visibility-week/. Retrieved 2020-03-05. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. www.rainbowhonours.com https://www.rainbowhonours.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. www.rainbowhonours.com https://divamag.co.uk/2019/12/05/best-of-lgbqti-britain-celebrated-at-rainbow-honours-🌈/. Retrieved 2020-07-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. wwwlgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/2019/12/sue-sanders-wins-the-first-rainbow-honors-lifetime-achievement-award-2019/. Retrieved 2020-07-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. EDITOR (2019-04-26). "Introducing DIVA Box Office: Europe's first lesbian digital TV channel 🍿✨". DIVA MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2020-04-18.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  17. "DIVA Box Office". DIVA Box Office. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  18. "DIVA Box Office". Vimeo. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  19. "Why We've Launched Europe's First Lesbian Digital TV Channel". HuffPost (Huffington Post UK Edition). 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  20. "HEATHER PEACE AT THE BEDFORD". DIVA Box Office. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  21. "DIVA BOX OFFICE EXCLUSIVE… WITH SURANNE JONES". DIVA Box Office. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  22. "POWER LESBIANS". DIVA Box Office. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  23. "DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS". DIVA Box Office. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
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