Birmingham‘s very own LGBT Centre, which raises the awareness of the needs of LGBT people in Birmingham, has been vandalised for a second time in just a couple of months. In a tweet, the centre wrote that although the window-smashing might be the work of “petty vandalism” it also noted that none of the other shops or businesses in the immediate vicinity had their windows targeted.
The centre added that the cost of replacing the window was an additional expense that they did not need. The centre doesn’t know whether the damage would be covered by insurance and may have to set up a fundraiser to have the window replaced.
We are really sad to report that this happened again last night to our lovely LGBT center this is the second time in a couple of months and while it is probably petty vandalism no one else in the area has had their windows targeted. we dont need the additional expense pic.twitter.com/SaWtXEbB6h
— Birmingham LGBT+ Centre (@birminghamlgbt) July 19, 2020
According to the centre, the damage has been reported to the police and the charity is in receipt of an incident number.
In a statement on the official Facebook said, “We have reported to the police and will be getting the CCTV on the island checked we have an emergency contractor going out today to board it up and hopefully it will be covered by insurance if not we may well set up a fundraiser thanks for all who are contacting with offers of support”
Things that we’re really loving this week. Our pick of some of the best books, beauty, style and home gadgets going.
Hideous Beauty
Ⓒ THEGAYUK / Jake Hook
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
A brand new LGBT+ Young Adult mystery novel by author William Hussey. Follow the story of 17-year-old Dylan as he comes to terms of being outing at school in the most gutting way imaginable. This book covers first love, revenge porn, conservative parents, a terrible accident, sexual assault and grieving… but who brought all this pain on Dylan? We can just see Hideous Beauty cropping up as a Netflix film in the near future with its flavours of Sex Education, 13 Reasons Why and Love, Simon. Brutal but beautiful.
Available from all good book shops and digital retailers.
Mini Felt Bear
We love, and we mean love these felt bears from jonesyinc, what’s more, we love supporting artists and creative people, especially during this pandemic. All handmade here in the UK. Jonesyinc’s Etsy page is somewhere we find ourselves going just to chill out amongst the subtle tones and understated hues of his work. Fine chairpersonship and great ideas for gifts and a little pick-me-up for you. Oh and there’s 50 per cent off when you use: JONESYINC50
Code 22 Jock
We have to say, we love a jock, especially when it just frames the booty just right. This Jock from Code 22 features a comfortable cotton front and elastic with just enough give as not give you the love handle effect. Fetchstore online sells the Code 22 Jock, currently with a money-off offer. What’s not to love.
#PrideInside with Superdrug
Ⓒ THEGAYUK / Jake Hook
Superdrug is helping you get your Pride on in 2020 at home, as most Pride events have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It has branded some of its products with the iconic rainbow flag and teamed up with the LGBT+ helpline, Switchboard, so every item you buy from their pride range you know you’re supporting a worthwhile cause.
The Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X is the latest in our series of lifestyle pickup reviews.
Mitsubishi’s L200 is now in its 6th generation with production beginning way back in 1978, and worldwide production topping five million vehicles so far.
If you’re looking for a pickup, you will be interested in some or all of the statistics, so here we go; There is an all-new 2268cc all-aluminium turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine producing 150bhp and 400Nm torque. Gearbox options are the new 6 speed automatic or a 6-speed manual.
The payload is up to 1080kg and gross train weight (GTW) is 6100 kg. Curb weight for the L200 is 1935kg and the towing capacity is 3100kg with a twin axle trailer.
At just under 5.3m long, this is a long vehicle and certainly doesn’t fit into a small, modern parking space. Width is 1.8m and feels no wider than most of the traffic around you. Lastly, the bed length is 1850 on this model. List price on the L200 starts at around £21,000, rising to £32,000 for what you see here, the Barbarian X.
Solid axle and leaf spring at the rear and double wishbones and struts at the front.
It wasn’t all that long ago that a pickup was simply a work tool. I remember early L200’s, Ford Rangers and many others, being pretty agricultural and basic. Over time, manufacturers have added more and more creature comforts. These days, manufacturers generally include at least one well-appointed, lifestyle type pickup in their range.
Mitsubishi is no exception with their L200. This Barbarian X model is like a luxury SUV inside.
Barbarian X comes with leather and Alcantara upholstery. The seats have sixpack quilted stitching, and leather features on door cards, centre console, armrest, and rear seats. The interior plastics are high quality and soft touch and after several thousand press fleet miles (aka hard miles) the interior is fresh, unmarked and doesn’t squeak or rattle.
Exterior styling is a bit contentious. In a time when manufacturers seem to be trying to soften the styling on pickups to make them less aggressive, Mitsubishi decided on a more bold approach to the styling. The front is particularly striking with angle and straight lines dominating. They call is dynamic mesh. One thing is for sure, it’s an imposing sight in your rearview mirror.
Side steps have been raised, in fact, the whole vehicle rides higher.
Pickups have generally lacked in creature comforts over here. In the last few years, things have certainly changed, and this L200 boasts an impressive list of active safety aids. Partly lead by legislation and partly by customer expectation, o modern pickup is very well specified. This Mitsubishi has every active safety aid you would find on a modern car. Mitsubishi proudly state this barbarian X has class-leading active safety.
As you would expect, there is a touch screen infotainment system. It’s not the last word in refinement but works well and has a good stereo.
What’s it like to live with and drive? It has a poor turning circle and is a little bit bouncy over potholes, to be honest. Mitsubishi have stiffened the suspension over the previous generation. There are stiffer springs but in my humble opinion, the damping could be better. It works much better with a bit of weight on the back and is very smooth then. Let’s put this into perspective. This L200 is a pickup, designed to work for a living. It’s also a serious off-road tool with increased ground clearance over the previous model and a host of off-road features such as a low range gearbox and locking diffs. It’s also a luxury SUV and all for £32,000. Bearing that in mind, there is bound to be a compromise. Saying it’s compromised seem unfair though, it’s very nice to drive. I did 5hrs on the road in it one day with absolutely no issues or complaints. It was a lovely place to be.
