THEGAYUK

Day: 13 February 2015

  • OBITUARY | Steve Strange, leading light of the 80s

    Steve Strange one of the leading lights of the 1980’s new wave/punk music scene and a prominent promoter in London’s vibrant nightclub scene, has died at the age of 55.

    Strange was the lead singer and frontman of the group Visage who were closely linked to the burgeoning ‘New Romantic’ fashion movement of that period, and who were best know for their hit ‘Fade to Grey’. He and fellow band member Rusty Egan also hosted nights at the celebrated Blitz Club in Covent Garden, one of the ‘hot’ spots to be seen and hear the new music that was emerging. From there they parlayed their success into packed nights at Camden Palace which people still talk about today with such great affection. They were both members of the extraordinary colourful set that fellow member Boy George captured in his autobiographical show Taboo.

    In Blizted! his own very candid autobiography Strange made it known that he had relationships with both men and women, and wrote very open and frankly of his long battle with his heroin addiction.

    Boy George tweeted he was ‘heartbroken’ about the death of Strange adding, “he was such a big part of my life”. It’s a sentiment shared by all of us who grew up and/or ‘came out’ during that glorious time when people like Strange were real life stars and not just ‘reality’ ones.

    Steve Strange (Steven John Harrington) 28th May 1959 – 12th February 2015

  • COMMENT | Why I Am Team Perez

    Okay, this may be slightly controversial, and by the time you read this the show will be over, but I am Team Perez Hilton. In what can only be described as the apex of Channel 5’s existence, Celebrity Big Brother has brought together the nation in a way that hasn’t happened in an age – and at the centre of this ‘community glue’ was the relationship between Perez and Katie Hopkins, Perez and Big Brother, Perez and the Great British public and Perez and himself.

    The outpouring of what I like to call homo-homophobia has been astounding. The hate from the ever expletive laden, venom filled tweets and Facebook posts levelled at Perez was disheartening and vile in itself. It wasn’t just the straights having a pop at the infamous celebrity self-proclaimed gossip queen, it was us gays. Even newly appointed LGBT Editor of Buzzfeed Patrick Studwick had a pop, calling him a ‘stain on the gay community’, and ‘a despicable human being’, sorry but who are you to make such an assertion?

    Yes, his claim that the isolation he felt was like ‘being diagnosed with AIDS in the early 80s’ was despicable, but clearly the man doesn’t have the words or the vocabulary to express himself in any other way than in shock-tactic American News-esque soundbites. The man has built his entire fame and brand from this.

    Why are we acting surprised, his offering has been out there for ten years? What he has to say is crass and often at times offensive, there’s no denying that, but look at his notorious blog, made famous with monosyllabic words and doodles drawn over the pictures of the rich and famous. Doesn’t that tell you a little bit about the man?

    Thousands of us took to social media to decry and effem-i-shame Perez. Many echoing that well-trodden sentiment that he puts back the gay community fifty years, thanks to Michelle Visage’s impassioned diary room moment. It’s the same line we use whenever a gay guy says or does something that isn’t the stereotypical heteronormative or ‘straight acting’ way we seem to like our community to act in the public arena, less we be judged to be lesser than human.

    You only have to look at the hate heaped on the likes of Louie Spence, Rylan Clark or Alan Carr to see that we do this all the time. If an openly gay guy doesn’t ‘act straight’ or ‘talk straight’, then he’s setting us back.

    Bulls**t.

    Well, he doesn’t, they don’t. Perez doesn’t put anyone back fifty years – only himself and after all it’s his life to lead.

    The only people putting us back fifty years are those who shame other guys for expressing themselves in the only way that they know, and if they’re putting it on as an act for their career then so be it, but they don’t represent us.

    The homo-homophobic’s disdain says more about our community than it does about Perez’s way of dealing with his surroundings. His attention-grabbing and self-centred view of the world isn’t anything to do with his sexuality, let’s not confuse the issues here.

    If we want to live in a world where we’re not judged for the people that we love, then we had better stop judging people for the way that they act. Every last overactive, poofy, queer boy, cross-dressing, non-binary, non-clone, bull dyke out there has the right to act and be however they like. If you don’t like it, then as Perez said, leave. For each of us have a colour in our fabulous rainbow.

    If you agree or disagree, take to our forum to have your say.

    So in this month’s issue we’re jam packed we have a Cucumber overload, which does sound painful, but we’ve got interviews with the cast of Russell T. Davies’s acclaimed new series, we have a word with Louie Spence and Joey Essex about their Jump experience, we share cocktails with RuPaul Drag Race’s reigning champ Bianca Del Rio and then there was Pam Ann. We also have an EXCLUSIVE with Barbara Hulanicki, famed iconic designer of the 60s who can call Cher, Twiggy and Freddie Mercury amongst her lifelong friends and clients.

     

    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.

  • 25 Signs You Are With The Right Man

    25 Signs You Are With The Right Man

    We used to say it with flowers — but now the true sign of modern love is a change in Facebook status from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’, according to new research.

    A survey asking 2,000 adults about the modern signs of true love found a massive 64 per cent said updating on social media makes a new relationship ‘official’. Having your partner’s photo as your desktop background, using their name for your online passwords and saving their favourite shows to your Netflix account were also named as modern signs of true love.

    Amazingly, over a third of adults confessed they would say ‘I love you’ for the first time in a text, instant message or video chat.

    A spokeswoman for gifting website GettingPersonal.co.uk, which carried out the survey, said,

    ‘’As technology and the internet has taken over our lives, of course our relationship habits have changed too.

    ‘’Traditional romantic gestures of showing our love have now been replaced by texts, Facebook updates and picture messages, which is a real shame.

    ‘’Being romanced the old fashioned way with a card or gift (or even a love note) is so much more personal than a social media status or wall post and shows that special person just how much they mean to you.

    ‘’After all, when it comes to true love, you don’t want to cut corners.’’

    The research also found being in constant contact is indicative of a modern relationship – with the average couple texting or instant messaging each other seven times throughout the day. Texting habits were often mentioned amid the list of true love, with 13 per cent who said they’d rather send a soppy text than buy a spontaneous gift for their partner. Sending a text in the morning and night is the done thing if living separately, said a quarter of adults – as well as sending one more when arriving somewhere safely.

    Signing greeting cards from both of you, coming home from a night out to be with them and feeling strange having the bed to yourself were all named as modern signs of a serious relationship.

    Interestingly, the results showed independence to be important in modern love, with many who said being able to have your own bank accounts and your own friends are signs of true love.

    The study found many look to Facebook to confirm a relationship – as a huge 63 per cent of adults said they’ve only found out about a friend’s new partner because of their profile updates. s well as a change in online relationship status, things are serious with a partner if they’re Facebook friends with your family members, said 19 per cent of adults.

    And one in ten said a committed partner would ‘tag’ them on social media to let their friends know they’re on a date.

    The spokeswoman said,

    ‘’The results show that sadly, nowadays we often rely on a text or status update to express how we feel about our partner.

    But sometimes it’s the real-life gestures that are the most important.’’

    THE MODERN SIGNS OF TRUE LOVE

    1. Signing greeting cards from both of you

     

    2. Come home to them early when on a night out

     

    3. Not wearing make-up or doing your hair

     

    4. Feeling strange when you have the bed to yourself

     

    5. Updating to ‘In a relationship’ on Facebook

     

    6. Knowing what to order them when getting a takeaway

     

    7. Being in constant contact, through texts, instant messages or calls

     

    8. Texting when arriving somewhere so they know you’re safe

     

    9. Texting goodnight/morning texts if you aren’t staying together

     

    10. Having their photo as your desktop background/phone wallpaper

     

    11. Buying their favourite food when grocery shopping

     

    12. Answering the door to them in pyjamas/trackie bottoms

     

    13. Having your own bank accounts/cash as well as a shared account

     

    14. Your family members ‘adding’ your other half on social media

     

    15. No longer being envious of your friends’ single lives

     

    16. Finding yourself getting them spontaneous gifts based on private jokes

     

    17. Each having your own friends, not just ‘couple friends’

     

    18. Finishing off each other’s sentences

     

    19. Enjoying doing their laundry when they’ve been staying with you

     

    20. Having their favourite shows saved to your Netflix account

     

    21. Tagging them on Facebook when you’re out together/on a date

     

    22. Using his/her name or birthday for online passwords

     

    23. Wearing one of his t-shirts to bed

     

    24. Leaving a long line of kisses at the ends of texts or messages

     

    25. Going on a diet/cutting out alcohol when they do