The fight to end new HIV transmissions in England and Wales is being severely limited according to the Head of Policy, Debbie Laycock, at the Terrence Higgins Trust.
Although there are plans to make PrEP more widely available from April, Laycock says that the “continued lack of detail from Ministers about what a national programme will look like” gives the charity, “serious concerns”.
In a statement, Debbie Laycock, said,
“PrEP stops HIV and limiting access is holding us back in the fight to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. News that the Government plans to make PrEP routinely available by April is long overdue but we have serious concerns about the continued lack of detail from Ministers about what a national programme will look like.”
As it stands, there is a limited medical trial in England and Wales for those at risk of contracting HIV. These trial places are very limited and many people, particularly gay and bisexual men have been denied placement or have had to wait on a list until a placement becomes available.
In Scotland PrEP is available on the NHS.
The Terrace Higgins Trust is concerned, as local councils, who will most likely be responsible for the drug’s distribution, are under enormous financial pressures since having their budgets slashed by the Conservative government by 25% since 2014.
The government needs to “put his money where its mouth is”
Debbie Laycock said,
“If the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock is serious about championing public health, he needs to put his money where his mouth is and provide councils with the resources they need to make PrEP available.’
“We’ve seen delay after delay on PrEP and we simply cannot wait any longer. The countdown to ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 has started and it’s time PrEP had a proper home so no one is turned away from this HIV game-changer.’
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, it is a drug treatment protocol using prescription medicine and has been shown in clinical trials to be highly effective in preventing HIV, when taken daily and used in combination with other infection prevention measures.
The once-a-day pill contains two main drugs (tenofovir and emtricitabine) and is already routinely used in combination with other medicines to treat existing HIV infection, helping those living with HIV to lower their viral load and effectively becoming undetectable.
While my boyfriend takes almost every possible moment to whip his clothes off, I’m happy to keep it AbFab Saffy. He says I’m the only person he knows who dresses up to go to bed.
So the idea of a nudist beach outing isn’t a natural fit for me, my Irish Roman Catholic never-naked family upbringing means that nudity to me is best kept in the dark. But as I’ve always said, “don’t say no, till you give it go”. So on a trip to Australia, I relented to my nagging boyfriend, who had heard there was a gay nude beach somewhere on the shores of Sydney.
We were 9,445 miles away. No one I know would be there, and at 26 years old I was in my prime.
Early one morning, we took a ferry to the Taronga Zoo and walked for what seemed like hours. With every step, my protestations got louder and more pronounced. “Did we really need to do this”, “There’s a perfectly nice, findable beach in Manly”, “What’s so special about getting naked anyway?”
Finally, we found it. Opening up in front of us was a naked haven. It was less of a beach and more of a cove of smooth rocks, facing towards the sea. A bit like a penguin exhibit at a zoo. Numerous, well-placed, seemingly naturally occurring outcroppings of smoothish rocks, perfect for spreading out a towel and basking beneath the Aussie sun. It looked perfect. It looked secluded. At each end, there was a high wall of rocks and thick bush add to the seclusion. Perfect.
My boyfriend’s little eyes lit up like it was Christmas, Easter, Valentines, New Year’s and Wirral Appreciation Day (he’s from Wirral) all in one. He started removing items of clothes as we picked our way across the rocks to find somewhere to settle.
I started casually glancing around, more to make sure I had a good footing on the rocks, rather than goggling the naked men on show. There were penises everywhere.
Some were casually flopping over the owner’s knees, some were neatly nestled in a well-groomed nest of pubic hair. All attached to perfectly bronzed and toned bodies.
We had found a spot to make camp, my boyfriend literally ran off towards the ocean.
I was left to undress and sink lower into my own self-loathing.
I could feel expectant eyes around me. I was, still dressed, very much so. So I began to peel off an item of clothing one item at a time. It was like a very slow, very bizarre Victorian striptease. First flip-flop, second flip-flop and so on until it was just my underwear and nakedness. I was eking out every moment of clothed protection.
I rooted around in my rucksack for my book. It was chunky. In what can only be described as pure magic, I whipped off my undies and firmly placed the book in front of the crown jewels in one swift, deft move. I was naked save for the book.
Finally, with my undies still on, I rooted around in my rucksack for my book. It was chunky. In what can only be described as pure magic, I whipped off my undies and firmly placed the book in front of the crown jewels in one swift, deft move. I was naked save for the book. I looked around to see if there had been any signs of approval from the expectant eyes, but they had long bored of my antics and were distracting themselves in other ways.
I pretended to thumb through my book. My boyfriend called for me to come down to the ocean.
Could I?
Could I walk to the ocean… exposed? Between where I was sitting and the shore there must have been about ten meters of rocks.
Sod it. Do it. What’s the worst that could happen?
Beneath my book, I gave my little Mr a tug. It’s the tugging that all men give themselves when you need a little something more. You know, in the right circumstances, you add a couple of inches to a flaccid knob.
Finally, appeased by the length, I remove my book, stand up. I blind everyone. My pale never-nude body is so bright I’m sure it can be seen from space.
I feel eyes on me. “Turn it around Jake, turn it around”, I coo to myself. In my mind, Sade’s “Smooth Operator” is playing, as I slink towards the shoreline. Not wanting to rush, I make sure each step is sure and solid. My boyfriend is seven meters away from me. He’s waving at me, encouraging me to come to the water’s edge. He’s waist-deep in the water and he’s been playing catch with some others that are in the sea. It looks fun. I want to join them.
I continue to walk towards the sea. Why did we settle so far back from the shore? I’m five metres away now.
Four meters… and then, I hear voices. These aren’t the subdued mumbles of the cove’s current inhabitants. No, I can hear children’s laughter and a general hubbub. I can hear a tannoy announcement. I can hear the churning of water from a propeller. From the left side of the cove, a tourist boat’s bow begins to appear.
I’m three meters from the water now. More and more of the boat begins to show. It’s big. Actually, it’s massive. And there are lots of people on it. All of them with cameras pointed in the direction of the beach. The boat seems so close I’m sure I can hear the individual shutters of a hundred cameras firing.
Forgetting ‘Smooth Operator’ and my careful footing, I make a dash for the water. Gazelle like, I spring over the last few rocks and dive.
Into 3 inches of water.
My pasty ass isn’t even covered with water.
The tourist boat continues its slow-paced chugging, its slow speed is mocking me. The cameras are still clicking. Eventually, it disappears around the cove.
My boyfriend is almost drowning with laughter.
The expectant eyes, attached to waspy mouths are saying something… I think I can hear “oh look, a floating pomme”.
The past was deeply homophobic. It drove would be out gays, lesbians and bisexual people deep underground and now is their time to walk, heads held high into the light.
When I used to volunteer for an LGBT+ helpline, our extensive training outlined how to help young people navigate their coming out experiences at college or how to tell mum and dad that, actually, they weren’t a daughter but a son. We were told that we’d get a lot of these types of calls, but in reality, every shift I volunteered for, I would have at least one, if not two, men of a certain age, grappling with the fact that they had lived a life of lies.
The story these men would tell would have a regularity to it… They were out walking the dog and another man in the bushes piqued their interest, or while browsing porn online they stumbled upon the GAY button and it opened the floodgates.
“But why now?” would be the question…
“What about AIDS?” would often be another question.
Their concern would also be couched in terms like, “but I’m not gay, I have a wife” – although further conversation would reveal that they had been in a sexless marriage for the best part of twenty years and even when they were in the throes of passion, they felt it never “really clicked”.
Men in their 50s, 60, 70s and 80s grew up with intense social and legal pressures to be normative.
It was illegal to be gay in this country until 1967. The AIDS epidemic hit the gay/bisexual community hard from the early 80s. The World Health Organisation only declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1992 and the patriarchal nature of our world means only a certain type of man makes it to the top.
It must have seemed safer to stay in the closet.
The idea that Phillip Schofield would have had a hint of the success that he’s enjoyed during his career had he come out during his time in the Broom Cupboard is to be dismissed right away. You can imagine the Daily Mail and Sun headlines now.
It must have seemed safer to stay in the closest.
The societal changes to reflect the legal and health changes has taken decades and, worryingly still isn’t fully ingrained.
Every day, hundreds of mostly unreported homophobic hate crimes happen on the streets of the UK. We only hear of a few of them, which leads people to have an overriding sense that “everything is okay, nothing to see here”.
It’s not true.
Back to the phone room, at first when I was taking these calls from men in their 50s and above what I got was a sense of self-loathing, uncertainty but excitement. Something had been uncorked. The genie was out and it was never going to be stuffed in again.
At first, I was surprised that the number of calls I’d answer – in amongst the “wank calls” (that’s another story), but with each shift, I began to understand that these men all hailed from a truly toxic age. They felt they had to be strong, get married, father children and provide. The only time you could cry and not be called a poofter was when England lost the World Cup.
Our issues as a community haven’t just started. It’s been decades. Actually it’s been centuries in the making.
…Coming out after 30 years of marriage doesn’t just affect one person. Spouses are often forgotten in the blaze of support that can surround someone’s coming out.
I also understand that someone coming out after 30 years of marriage doesn’t just affect one person. Spouses are often forgotten in the blaze of support that can surround someone’s coming out. It must be incredibly lonely for them. Their emotional response must feel very limited, less they are seen as a homophobe.
We need to find tools to help both people. The person coming out and the person feeling that their entire adult life has also been a lie.
Phillip Schofield isn’t the first man to come out later in life. He won’t be the last and instead of the hype that surrounds that revelation, maybe we need to question why they felt they needed to wait so long.
In a move which has left many people on social media baffled, the Conservatives have released an official tea towel feature a picture of PM Boris Johnson with the slogan, “Got Brexit Done”, despite the fact that the UK doesn’t officially leave the EU until the 31st January 2020.
The move has left many on social media questioning whether the account had been hacked or was even a parody account.
Proudly made in the UK
The tea towel, which is “proudly made in the UK” is selling on the Conservative’s website for £12.99 and apparently is the perfect way to “Show your pride in Britain and celebrate Brexit in your kitchen”.
Delivery of the towel won’t happen until the 10th Feb 2020.
Twitter users were quick to slam the product and the Conservatives as “delusional” while another added that they thought the tea-towel would be sold in car boot sales for 50p within a year.
Matthew Hodson commented, “I predict these will age like a fine yogurt.”
You could always team the tea towel with a mug, with the slogan “I got Brexit done” for £15.00.
In a poll by THEGAYUK in April 2016, 82 per cent of our readers thought that the UK was better off in the EU, while only 18 per cent thought that we would be better off out.
The hitmaker has launched a non-profit organisation in order to support LGBT+ human rights.
The organisation has “the vision to see LGBT+ communities of all ages and backgrounds enjoy full human rights within a fully-inclusive society”
The organisation will, in part, be financed by Adam Lambert himself
Musician, actor and activist Adam Lambert has launched the Feel Something Foundation (FSF), with the mission to support LGBT+ organisations that are moving the needle for communities of all ages and backgrounds.
Founded by Adam in 2019, the Feel Something Foundation is the result of a career travelling the world, meeting global members of the community, hearing their stories and witnessing first-hand the difficulties LGBT+ people continue to face in all areas of life.
Having spent time throughout his career engaging in LGBT+ activism and as a member of the community himself, the foundation sees Adam’s philanthropy institutionalised into an organisation with the aim to truly make a difference. With the vision to see LGBT+ communities of all ages and backgrounds enjoy full human rights within a fully-inclusive society, FSF first aims to ensure support is given to the myriad of issues that continue to disproportionately affect them.
This will be achieved through working with charities that have a mission or project directly focussed on impacting the LGBT+ community in areas of Education & the Arts; Homelessness; Suicide Prevention & Mental Health. The Feel Something Foundation wants to abolish “coming out” as a term used to define someone simply being themselves.
FSF will build its revenue through the personal charitable contributions of its founder, directors and with public funds raised through fundraising and awareness campaigns, events and initiatives. The first fundraiser will be initiated in the coming weeks with an online clothing auction of some of Adam’s best looks. Initial charities will be chosen based on those Adam has worked with previously and that stand for the positive, progressive messages of the Feel Something Foundation in supporting and empowering LGBT+ communities.
In past years, the Oscars have come under fire for being too white with the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag trending to blast the organisation for its lack of diversity. This year people are saying it’s too white, too male and too straight.
#OscarSoWhite became a headlining story in 2015.
This year, it seems is the LGBT+ community’s time to shout about how undiverse the nominations are, along with how male and white the nominations appear to be.
Across Twitter people have been blasting the Oscars for the lack of LGBT+ (or more specifically how cis and heteronormative the award nominations are in 2020.
“Boycotting”
Fans of the show have sworn off this year’s show, with some suggesting that the organisation hadn’t learned from previous years.
I guess the Oscars haven't learned any lessons from their past decisions. I'm boycotting this year's #OscarsSoStraight
However, Antonio Banderas is up for Leading Actor for his performance in Pain And Glory. And Rocketman receives one nomination for Best Original Song.
No Nomination for Rocketman
Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman from Paramount Pictures.
One of the biggest omissions from this year’s “big category” nominations was the widely acclaimed Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton.
The Dorian Award from the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has shortlisted 6 LGBT+ films for its awards including, Booksmart, End of the Century, Pain and Glory, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Rocketman.
Gay and lesbian couples are now able to get married in all four nations of the UK.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Northern Ireland – despite repeated attempts by the DUP to thwart legal equality for gay and lesbians in the region.
The subject of same-sex marriage had been voted on at least five times by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Northern Ireland is the last nation in the United Kingdom to legalise marriage between two people of the same sex. England, Scotland and Wales have permitted same-sex marriage since 2014.
This also means that gay people who are already married will have their marriages recognised in Northern Ireland.
From today, couples in Northern Ireland can register their intent to marry with the authorities with the first actual marriages expected to take place on the 10th February 2020.
An ASOS customer has been left outraged after receiving a discount code from the online clothing giant.
When Eric Omikunle opened a birthday email sent by ASOS containing a discount code he thought “how sweet and kind” – that was until he noticed the gay slur in the code itself.
The clothing company, which also made Pride In London’s clothing range in 2019, had indeed sent him a 10 per cent off discount code, however, to Eric’s disgust the code contained a three-letter anti-gay slur, “FAG”
@TheGayUK I want to share a situation that occurred. I was looking through my email and saw that ASOS had wished me a happy bday-how sweet and kind… so I thought! Till I then looked at the discount code they offered me and it included an outrageous gay slur. #LGBTQpic.twitter.com/varUMilX30
The code that Eric was sent, in full, was “FAG162NV7S23”
ASOS prides itself on being diverse and inclusive, but this blunder has left one customer feeling outraged and disappointed. (SOURCE: ASOS Frontpage).
Eric says that he had reached out to ASOS but was left with a “resolution” that he was happy with.
ASOS Here To Help, ASOS’s online Twitter handle, replied, that it was “just a generated code” and invited Eric to DM them if he had a complaint to make.
The Pansexual Awareness Day, also known as Pan (Pansexual and Panromantic) Visibility Day is an important part of the LGBT+ calendar and it takes place, annually at the end of May.
In 2020 Pansexual Awareness Day takes place on the 24th of May.
Pansexual Awareness Day was first observed in 2015 and was created to ensure the visibility of the pansexual community.
What are the colours of the Pansexual Pride flag?
The pansexual flag was designed sometime in the mid-2010s. The designer is unknown. It is comprised of three coloured horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: Pink, Yellow and Cyan.
The creator of one of the 00’s most enduring US comedies, Ugly Betty, Silvio Horta has died at the age of 45.
Representatives of the creator confirmed his death but did not confirm the cause of his death. He was found dead at a hotel in Miami where he was staying.
The cast of the show has mourned his passing, with Michael Urie saying, Horta had given him his first break. He wrote on Twitter, “I hear from LGBTQ people all the time that the show helped them,
“Me too. He and that show will always be with me.”
Horta was openly gay and came out to his family at the age of 19, according to Wikipedia.
Ugly Betty ran from 2006 until 2010 and starred America Ferrera as Betty and Vanessa Williams as the camptastic “Mode” magazine editor in chief Williamenia.
The Spanish former porn star dies after apparently taking his own life.
An adult porn star Macanao Torres was found dead at his home on the 29th December 2019. Apparently he died after falling to his death.
Torres left the porn industry in 2016 after a career that spanned a decade. When he retired in 2016 he told fans that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma.
The star was known to have worked with Hardkinks, Treasure Island Media and Butch Dixon.
Taking to Twitter a statement from Hardkinks said, “The first time I took pictures of a model was you. The first time I shot a scene was with you. Unforgettable moments that sadly will not be repeated. Thanks for everything. RIP Macanao”
If you need to speak to someone about suicide or you are having trouble with your won mental wellbeing please reach out to Samaritans on 116 123.
