THEGAYUK

Day: 5 June 2013

  • 18-Year-Old gay campaigner dies after “skinhead” attack in Paris

    18-Year-Old Gay Campaigner Dies After ‘Skinhead’ Attack In Paris.

    Clément Méric, an 18-year-old student and well known gay rights activist in Paris has died after he was was violently attacked by a group of three ‘far-right skinheads’, including one women near the Saint-Lazare train station on Wednesday evening.

     

    Four arrests have been made in connection to the attack including the individual suspected of delivering the final blow to Méric’s head in Wednesday’s attack.

    The Local also reports that at least one of the attackers wore knuckle-dusters according to initial reports.

    An eyewitness, named only as Aurelia, described to French journalists the horrendous scene she had witnessed.

    “I was out doing some shopping, when I found myself face to face with the attackers,” who she told reporters had shaved heads and wore leather jackets.

    “I saw the young man falling, and his head hitting a bollard. There was blood coming out of his ears and nose, and then he went into convulsions.”

    “He had a huge lump at the back of his head, and his face was covered in blood,” she added.

    Anti-gay crime has soared in the last few months, as France became the 14th nation to legalise same-sex marriages.

    In April a gay dancer, Raphaël Leclerc was beaten unconscious in Nice, and Wildred de Brujin was attacked in Paris. Also in the same month four people were detained by police on suspicion of carrying out an attack at a gay bar in the French city of Lille.

    Images have emerged of Méric marching against anti-gay violence on 17 April. The banner he held read: ‘Homophobia Kills’.

    Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Paris last night in memory of Méric

  • EDITOR’S LETTER | June, Pride

    Hello all and thank you so much for your continued support for THEGAYUK. Last month we had a record month with as our reach topped over 150,000 unique readers.

    This month we’re dedicating our pages to Pride. Yes love it or loathe it, Pride season is upon us and this year THEGAYUK is happily media sponsoring a number of Prides around the UK – and we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible – if you see us in our sexy T-Shirts come and say hey!

    Pride, I believe, is an incredibly important event for the gay community, from it’s humble beginnings on the July 1st 1972 in London, with just 700 people marching the streets to the mass lavish parties we’ve come to know and love in many of our cities across the UK – But what’s truly wonderful to witness is the growing number of new Prides and smaller Prides that are really starting to blossom.

    My first Pride experience was a little inauspicious shall we say – years before I was out, I happened upon Pride London quite by mistake – as I sat on the Tube from my home town in the far reaches of North London the Tube carriage began to fill with a number of colourful characters – odd I thought, but wasn’t too alarmed. It was only when masses of men boarded the train, dressed in all kinds of costumes, holding hands and yes, even kissing, I began to think I was no longer Kansa, or indeed Southgate… Dorothy.

    Being young and still at that ‘I’m not gay’ stage, I was genuinely shocked and intrigued, my twinset and pearls were being clutched, but I did want to know more, perhaps that man crush I had on a certain Neighbours character was something after all.

    Years on I relish Pride season – putting the clubbing and parties aside, Pride is an important tool for the LGBT community. It breaks boundaries, it allows our voices to be heard and for us to continue our journey to full societal equality.

    We must never forget who we are and how far we, as a community have come, in a relatively short time.

    To quote the theme from Oxford Pride this year, we’re ‘Not There Yet’ but we are getting closer everyday.

    We’re also launching our brand new Sexual Health campaign along with the Freedoms Shop, we’ve dubbed it the No Excuse Project.

    We’re aiming to deliver free condoms to anyone who doesn’t have access to condoms, to those who are too shy or embarrassed or aren’t able for whatever reason to get hold of condoms.

    With the rise of sexual infections and record new HIV infections amongst men who have sex with men, we’re passionate in making sure there is No Excuse not to have a condom in your house or pocket.

    If you’d like to know more or even help us fund the project visit www.noexcuse.thegayuk.com – Every £1 donated could potentially save 8 people from contracting a sexually transmitted disease in the UK.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Scott Capurro Islamohomophobia, Soho Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Scott Capurro: ‘Islamohomophobia’

    Waspish Californian stand-up Scott Capurro is performing his latest show for 4 nights only at the intimate Soho Downstairs at The Soho Theatre on Dean Street. It’s not a show for the faint hearted but is definitely a treat for those with a dry and dark sense of humour.

    Capurro regales us with tales of his recent marriage to his boyfriend, a near lynching in Cardiff and the events surrounding the death of his mother; a story that is by turns irreverent but ultimately poignant.

    Although you may not feel safe sitting on the front row, as he cunningly wheedles out sordid details of the audience’s personal life, Capurro ultimately comes across as a charming and likeable man who’s enjoying his art. He may have the power to make you choke on your Martini with his acerbic comments but he also could probably manage to seduce you if you gave him enough time or wore loose enough trousers.

    The content of his routine may seem controversial, initially, but it’s all fine as Capurro manages to insult absolutely every group of people without discrimination.

    Catch Scott Capurro live at The Soho Theatre until Saturday the 8th of June

  • Birmingham Mail columnist asks Pride attendeees to lisp and mince

    Columnist Mike Lockley at the Birmingham Mail writes a series of homophobic remarks about people attending Birmingham Pride.

    In a column entitled: ‘Mike Lockley ‘I didn’t mince my words at festival’ hosted on the Birmingham Mail website Lockley made a series openly mocking, offensive and homophobic remarks to describe revellers at Birmingham Pride this year.

     

    Speaking to one reveller Lockley writes that he asked: “Would you mind awfully facing our video camera and lisping ‘I’m free’ while flicking your wrist?

    “Then if you could mince out of….”

    “That,” hissed the reveller, “is exactly the outdated and offensive image of gay men we are attempting to break free from.”

    “Fair enough,” I nodded. “How about a petulant ‘Shut that door’?”

    The lines refer to various catch phrases that a number of TV entertainers used in the 1970s and 80s, which is now seen by many as a dated and offensive view of gay people.
    Lockley described as ‘Midlands Columnist of The Year, was clearly upset by being asked to cover the festivities in Birmingham, writing,

    “Why I, a reporter who cut his teeth in the 1970s, a time when there was a role for openly gay men (Widow Twankey in the local amdram society’s Christmas performance of Aladdin), was chosen to provide coverage at the lavish event remains a mystery.”

    When his editor said,

    “The gay community has had a terrible cross to bear.”

    Lockley replied with:

    “They didn’t have to listen to that crap music,”

    I argued.

    “I mean, I’d be loathe to come out if meant an eternity of Kylie’s greatest hits.”

  • Nearly half a million new sexual infections in 2012

    Worrying statistics from Public Health England reveal that new sexual health infections are up 5%, whilst the Terrence Higgins Trust calls the news a ‘wake up’ call for gay men.

    From a statement on the gov.uk website:

    “New sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses rose 5% in 2012 according to Public Health England (PHE) data published today (5 June, 2013), mostly due to improved data collection. However, the continuing high STI rates in England suggest too many people are still putting themselves at risk through unsafe sex, especially young adults and men who have sex with men (MSM).

    “Chlamydia remained the most commonly diagnosed STI (206,912; 46%), but considerable numbers of genital warts (73,893; 16%) and genital herpes (32,021; 7%) cases were also reported last year. New gonorrhoea diagnoses rose 21% overall (from 21,024 in 2011 to 25,525 in 2012), and by 37% in the MSM population (to 10,754).

    “Those aged under 25 experienced the highest STI rates, contributing 64% chlamydia and 54% of genital warts diagnoses in heterosexuals in 2012. Young adults are advised to test for chlamydia annually or on change of sexual partner, as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme to control the infection and its complications. In 2012, over 1.7 million chlamydia tests were undertaken and over 136,000 diagnoses made.”

     

    Lisa Power, Policy Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said,

    “The rising numbers of almost every STI among gay men should act as a wakeup call to us all. Unlike heterosexuals, where most infections are in young people aged 15-24, gay men are most likely to get STIs in their late 20s and 30s and high levels continue into their 50s. This is due to differing patterns of sexual behaviour, and more frequent partner change.

    “We need to remind ourselves that treatment as prevention works to reduce transmission of HIV, but it doesn’t do anything to prevent other STIs – and sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea and chlamydia actually increase the risk of HIV transmission, even when someone is on treatment. As such, condoms remain a key ingredient not just in protecting against STIs, but also in controlling the spread of HIV.”

    “Gonorrhoea in particular has increased by a third in the last year in gay men and has tripled since 2009. In the context of new reports of drug-resistant strains of the infection, it is vital that gay and bisexual men use condoms and go for regular sexual health check ups to control the outbreak.

    “On a more positive note, these numbers also highlight the success of improved testing for gonorrhoea, with throat swabs detecting many previously untreated infections. But if we are going to see these figures to begin to drop, we need local authorities to invest properly in prevention measures and testing for STIs. The national campaign from HIV Prevention England is promoting condoms and testing among gay men, but without sustained local investment alongside it cannot be enough.”

  • OP ED | Can a gay guy ever be turned straight?

    After the recent remarks by Colin Murray and Bob Mills about ‘turning’ Clare Balding during a live radio broadcast on BBC Radio 5, writer Barry Heap discusses whether ‘I’ll Have A Go At Turning You’ is an offensive thing to suggest.

    At a recent friend’s wedding, an older glamorous cougar type whispered into my ear

    “I’d have a go at turning you”

    As she slid my tie in a suggestive manner I laughed at Mrs Robinson.

    The statement was meant in a flirty good humoured form of banter. We spent the rest of the night drinking whisky and dancing to northern soul. I took the statement as a huge compliment, I’m not offended.

    But I’m informed that I should be, apparently I was degraded as a man. My sexuality was disrespected and it was implied that I was free and easy to choose my sexuality as easily as I had chosen the trio of lamb for the wedding breakfast.

    The truth is if we are to say that this statement is offensive to gay people, we need to cast an eye closer to home or become hypocrites. After all that is where many of us began back is high school, following the unattainable straight boy at high school. But things progress from there it only takes a quick search on the internet to find thousands of pages of slash fiction written about straight characters on TV series having gay sexual encounters. There’s also the endless speculation on the sexuality of celebrity’s such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta

    Taking a further look into the internet, there are many gay porn sites that feature performers who identify as “gay for pay”. This means that off camera they are straight but on camera, they are quite happy to perform with other guys. Yes, it’s exploitive but there is clearly a market for it as many pay sites offer the illicit thrill of seeing a straight jock “turned”.

    On the flip side of the coin, many straight friends are happy to discuss celebrities that they would like to “experiment” with. Russell brand, Robert Downey Jr and Eric Bana are all mentioned. I have no doubt that if any of these unlikely scenarios were to present themselves that nothing would happen; it is fantasy because they are straight. I respect their sexuality as much as they have respected and supported mine. What they may be uncomfortable in saying is that they find these men very attractive and appreciate their beauty I can see their point of view, I find Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman absolutely stunning but I would never fantasise about them sexually, the ways I look at them, are Very different to how I think about Hugh Jackman (which are not fit for publication)

    So where does this leave us? I think that we can find other people attractive of either gender, sexuality is fluid but maybe sexual orientation is less so. For people identifying as gay or straight, we can be sure who we would sleep with and the line between fantasy and reality.

    When it comes to the attraction we are not interested in the others person’s orientation.

    Maybe we should just all relax, it’s easy to judge and be oversensitive over what is meant as a bit of banter. Perhaps Thatcher would not appreciate the irony of the phrase “the lady’s not for turning” being used in this manner,

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • “Gay Cure” app still available on Google Play despite 91,000 signatures

    Setting Captives Free, a controversial smartphone App, which offers to ‘cure’ people of their homosexuality is still available to download on the Google Play store despite a growing petition asking Google to remove the app.

    91,000 people have signed an online petition at AllOut.org asking Internet giant Google to remove an offending App, that offers users a ‘freedom from the bondage of homosexuality’

    The App which claims to have already helped over 500,000 people ‘escape impurity, over-eating, substance abuse, gambling, smoking and more’, was removed last week from the Apple iTunes store, but Google has yet to remove the App.

    A statement from AllOut.org writes,

    ‘UPDATE: After just 24 hours the app has disappeared from the iTunes store! Only Google is left with the harmful app still available in their online marketplace. It’s working – keep up the pressure by signing and sharing!

    Gay ‘cures’? There shouldn’t be an app for that. But, there’s a new one called “Setting Captives Free,” available in both the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores, meant to teach you how to stop being gay.

    It’s a 60-day course that tells gay people they are not “born this way” and offers to help them find “freedom from the bondage of homosexuality.”

    These so-called treatments can cause terrible harm to lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people, or anyone forced to try to change who they are or who they love.

    Apple and Google have policies against these kinds of apps but so far this one has escaped their notice. Sign now to tell them to drop this and all other gay ‘cure’ apps!’

    The App, was available from Apple’s iTunes however the company removed the App after just one day of petitioning.

     

    To add your name to the petition CLICK HERE

  • Lords vote in Favour of Gay Marriage

    In an unprecedented and historic move, Peers in the House of Lords have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the same-sex marriage bill.

    After two days of heated debate in the House of Lords, Peers voted in favour of same-sex marriage, after Lord Dear, former Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police Force tabled a ‘wrecking’ and ‘fatal’ amendment potentially denying the same-sex marriage bill its second reading.

    Peers voted 390 votes to 148, a majority of 242 votes meaning that the Lords allowed the passage of the bill to the committee stage.

    Taking to Twitter human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell wrote,

    “Lords vote a landslide victory for love, marriage & equality: 390 in favour, 148 against. YOUR lobbying efforts helped us win. HUGE thanks

    “With this huge Lords victory, we are on schedule for the first same-sex weddings late this summer. Hurrah”

    The debate initially commenced on Monday at 3:00pm and continued until 10:45pm, it resumed on Tuesday afternoon and concluded with Peers voting.

    Stonewall Chief Executive Ben Summerskill said,

    “‘We’re absolutely delighted. We always expected a tough challenge in the House of Lords, and Lord Dear’s “fatal motion” – very rarely used – demonstrates the lengths to which a minority of peers are, sadly, still prepared to go to deny full equality to lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

    “In the last 24 hours alone, opponents of equality in the House of Lords have compared loving, committed relationships to incest and polygamy. Britain’s 3.7 million gay people don’t deserve to be second class citizens in their own country. A tough fight lies ahead and we’ll continue to work tirelessly every single day to get equal marriage through the Lords. At Stonewall, we fight to win.”

  • Top 5 Things You Need To Buy Your Pa For Father’s Day

    Top 5 Things You Need To Buy Your Pa For Father’s Day

    It’s on its way… Father’s day. Here’s five things your dad probably needs in his life!

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