Play brings Birmingham LGBTQ campaigner to tears

Andrew Moffat said the No Outsiders project was about community cohesion and learning to live in modern Britain

A teacher who overcame protests to champion LGBTQ inclusion in schools said he was reduced to tears by a play for children, inspired by his work.

The idea for "The Dog With Two Dads", by Birmingham-based theatre company Little Earthquake, was inspired by Andrew Moffat's No Outsiders programme.

It caused some parents to protest outside his school in the city in 2019.

Mr Moffat went on to be nominated for an international teaching prize, and led the 2019 Birmingham Pride parade.

Playwright and co-director Philip Holyman said the production celebrated families of all types.

He said: "The show is for every kind of possible family you could imagine, from the family that might have LGBTQ+ parents or children in it, but also for families who don't necessarily have any contact or experience with LGBTQ+ people."

Mr Holyman added the play was an opportunity to show the latter that LGBTQ people were "exactly the same as everyone else".

The play follows a gay couple, Ash and Ali, as they decide to get their first dog together.

It also represents homophobic attitudes, something Mr Holyman said was important to show.

Writer Philip Holyman said he wished that plays like his had existed when he was a child

Mr Moffat said: "I did get quite emotional. It's great to have two men up there as a family for everyone to see. It made me feel proud of how far we've come.

"To have this happening in Birmingham, when three years ago, people were saying we shouldn't talk to children about LGBTQ+ relationships, it's just so wonderful to have this now."

He added the show was "almost like closure" on the period.

Cast member Olugbeminiyi Bammodu, who plays Ash, said playing an openly LGBTQ character on stage was a first for him.

"As a queer actor, I never thought I'd get to bring that to a character on stage. When I grew up in school, we used gay as a derogatory word. This show is just two men who are completely normal in that sense, and I think it's about normalising that, which, at school, it wasn't at all."

The production has been funded by Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Pride Community Trust, and Sir Barry Jackson Trust. It is being staged at the Midlands Arts Centre this weekend, as part of the venue's 60th anniversary celebrations.

The theatre company hopes to tour the production around the country, and create an associated picture book.