THEGAYUK

Author: Jake Hook

  • EDITOR’S LETTER: Mental Health Month

    Welcome welcome to THEGAYUK, if this is your first time to our online magazine. I want to thank you for stopping by and taking the time to check us out – so to speak.

    Our wonderful team of writers decided that November’s theme was going to be Mental Health. So we’ve lined up some interesting, informative interviews and features which we will published through out the month of November.

    The sad fact is that mental health issues disproportionately affect the LGBT community. Studies show that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people are more likely to suffer higher levels of anxiety, depression and suicide. The reasons for these feelings range from a number of external factors including hostility, bullying, violence and prejudice, which is still rife today – even in one of the world’s most progressive countries like the UK. We need only look at Nick Griffin’s outburst last month in response to Michael Black’s and John Morgan’s discrimination case and win brought against Susanne Wilkinson, a B&B owner who refused them a bed on the grounds of her beliefs. Even though Nick may be a minority in his thoughts, his words will carry weight for some, and his call to intimidate the gay couple in their own home, will reverberate worryingly amongst many in our community.

    One in four people will suffer some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year and British men are three times as likely to commit suicide than British women, most commonly men under the age of 35.

    As the days get colder and shorter and as Christmas time approaches many lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people may find themselves in challenging situations, feeling mounting pressures and worried about their place in the world, but there is help available and we’re going to uncover options you may not have realise existed.

    Also this month we’re very excited to welcome mega group Steps to our front cover. They’ve a new single, album, tour and fragrance out. When you couple this with interviews from Jo Caulfield, Pam Ann, Adi Nes and Stonewall Awards Nominee Tim Franks, you’ll find TheGayUK is bursting with goodness this November.

    As always, TheGayUK is a community-led platform and we want you to get involved. If you’re affected by the theme and want to write an article, or contribute in whatever way you can. We encourage you to get in touch. We want to hear your stories.

     

    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.

  • Make Him Melt With Your Magic Touch

    You know that story of Aladdin? The one where he rubs his lamp and gets his wishes? Well imagine your partner’s body is that lamp. A little bit of rubbing in the right places will have granting your every wish in bed.

    Massage is a feel-good indulgence and it has real health benefits. It’ll improve circulation by encouraging the flow of blood to your body’s tissues and get rid of metabolites such as lactic acids. By stimulating the lymph nodes, you can improve the immune system, but best of all it stimulates the endorphins. You know, the body’s natural feel-good chemical.

    So get your hands busy on your man – don’t go straight for the genie (new penis euphemism) try and rub around elsewhere and you’ll have him granting at least three wishes.

    Preparation.

    Ask your gentleman to lie stomach down on the bed. Naked. Now, this is the tricky bit, because you’ll probably want to get right down to business, but hold out – it will be worth it.

    Put some pillows under his stomach to support the lower back. You – the masseur, should wear some loose fitting cotton, full-length joggers or pyjamas. If you don’t the massage will feel quite prickly once you start using oils.

    Have the lights turned low, maybe some candles and some atmospheric and some music.

    Essential oils are an amazing tool for a great massage. Fran Johnson from Neal’s Yard Remedies says:

    “Use basil and lemon as they’d blend well. It’s all pretty subjective but you’ve got in there a base note of vetiver which is strengthening and an aphrodisiac, reviving and restoring basil with a top note of stimulating lemon. You could also use patchouli instead of vetiver as is a nice skin oil too along with black pepper which is strengthening & stimulating possibly with a drop of luxuriously de-stressing rose? The latter is probably more sensual and the former more energising …”

    Place a pillow under his head so he can rest his head to one side comfortably.

    Feet. Gently rotate each foot in circular motions 3 times clockwise and anticlockwise. Cup your hands around the ankles and rub downwards towards the toes. Work your thumbs into the sole of each foot and the arch of the foot. Feet carry a lot of tension, especially if your man spends a lot of time on his feet. Gently pull each toe to help release any tension in the toes. Sometimes you may hear them click as they release, this is fine and normal. Listen to his reaction. You soon learn what he loves and what he’s less keen on.

    Legs. Working upwards, warm some essential oil into the palm of your hands and work your palm upwards towards the heart. Use moderate strength. When you reach the calf area use your thumbs into each of the calves. The calves are huge and strong muscles and may need extra attention. Keep the massage movement long and sweeping. The blood should really start pumping as you near the…

    Buttocks. As tempted as you might be to stop off here and end the massage tour of his body. Don’t! It will be all worth the while when you’re done. The butt is the biggest muscle in the body, you can apply much greater pressure here to help release any tension that he may have. If your man is feeling a little self-conscious, then always massage from the outside edge of the buttock to the middle – if you work the other way round you will open the cheeks of the buttocks and expose him, which may make him feel uncomfortable.

    Back. Running your fingers up his back should literally have your man squirming in pleasure. The back is a huge erogenous zone for many men – so he’ll enjoy a variety of different techniques here. Tracing his spine with your two thumbs run the entire length of the backbone, stretching out the top of the neck when you get there. The lower and middle back may be carrying a lot of stress, especially if he works in an office all day and sits for extended periods. Using some more oils and gauging your partner’s reactions start are the base of his back and work the muscly area either side of his spine. The shoulders maybe tense so start gently with your thumbs, progressively increasing the pressure to rub out those crunchy muscles.

    Shoulders. Work your thumbs in circular motions; gently apply pressure and kneading the muscles. Be careful not to place both hands on the neck as this will feel like you’re about to strangle him.

    Neck. It’s a very sensitive area, so again be gentle. Gently stroke and work your thumbs and fingers into the sides of the neck. Work your way into the back of the head, and gently knead the scalp.

    With long sweeping motions run your hands doing his neck to his coccyx (tailbone just above his asshole.) Do this a few times. This should really get him purring. Run your fingers down his crack to his scrotum – he’ll most naturally open his legs wider for you to gain access. Run your fingers around the area to really get his passion lit.

    Then let the passion commence. You can use the oils to have a slippery time together rubbing your bodies against each other – but it is best to rub away oils from the anus if you are going to penetrate. Essential and other massage oils will damage condoms and weaken condoms. Always use a water based lube with condoms. Never use essential oils as a lubricant for sex. You don’t want to end up in A&E. 

  • Top 10 Homoerotic Horror Movies

    I’ve always felt that Horror movies were a bit gay. So I’ve decided to take a look at the top 10 homoerotic horror movies.

    The way-to-good looking heartthrob, who incidentally always has great hair, teeth and wears Daz white Ts only to eventually get ripped and shredded by an ugly monster, it’s a bit like Saturday nights at The Black Cap.

    10. Jeepers Creepers 2

    First in our list of homoerotic horror movies is the 2005 flick Jeepers Creepers. The first time we see the winged monster from Jeepers Creepers (in the first movie) he’s preying after some boy in a cornfield, clearly, after tasting boy fear, he can’t help himself but go after an entire busload of jocks. It’s a bit like Bait Bus but messier, a bit like HazeHim.com but deadlier. So after the bus, they are all travelling on, suffers a flat tyre, the boys proceed to lie on top of the bus half naked basking in the sunshine as well as taking extended urinating breaks together.

    After doing away with the grown-ups on the trip the Monster starts picking on the jocks, leaving the first victim half naked and provocatively draped on the ground for the remainder of the film. Hot and Homoerotic.

    Prognosis Homoerotic  60% BUY DVD FROM AMAZON

    NEXT: Hostel

  • INTERVIEW | Star Of Vampires Brighter In Darkness

    It’s not everyday you get to meet vampires, especially two beauts like Rhys and Dan from Bad Cat’s new DVD release Vampires: Brighter in Darkness (Out Monday).

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Supreme Fabulettes

    When drag is done badly – it’s hilarious, when it’s done well – it’s tremendous, when it’s done like the Supreme Fabulettes it’s phenomenal.

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  • TV REVIEW | X Factor The Live Shows 2012

    Same old same old, but with makeup so thick, I’m surprised the contestants could bat their collective eyelids as the harsh light of showbiz hit them, like karaoke Bambis standing in the open meadow for the first time.

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  • Interview with a real life Bond Stunt Man: Bobby Holland Hanton

    Interview with a real life Bond Stunt Man: Bobby Holland Hanton

    Ever wondered what it’d be like to body double for Daniel Craig or Ryan Reynolds?

    We caught up with Hollywood stuntman Bobby Holland-Hanton on the set of the brand new Ford B-Max advert to find out about the man whose job it is to jump through hoops of fire, moving cars and all manner of dangerous, death defying tricks to make those silver screen legends look like the hard men we think they are…

    1. At what age did you decide you wanted to be a stuntman and jump off things?

    I decided I wanted to become a stunt man at the age of around 20. I had performed in a lot of live action stunt shows in the UK as well as many commercials worldwide. I wanted to really test myself and take it to the next level. Go that one step further.

    2. Is diving through a suspended open car the scariest stunt you’ve ever done?

    It is for sure up there with one of the biggest stunts I have done, but also very different in its own way as a lot of stunts are!! They are never quite the same….

    3.How many takes were required?

    Due to a few different angles I think we roughly shot the stunt about 8 times

    4. I hope there were no accidents during filming?

    No accidents at all, it did get quite close a few times because of the nature of the stunt, but I had an amazing safety team, rigging team and stunt co-ordinator in Tom Struthers who I have worked with many times before on Inception and The Dark Knight Rises to mention a couple. So I felt very safe and we spend a good amount of time rehearsing the stunt to eliminate as much danger as possible, and if you do this only fate can take over

    5. Have you ever sustained injuries from your work?

    Yes I have due to the nature of what I do. Luckily nothing majorly serious, we are, as stunt men always going to get knocks here and there but with a good amount of rehearsal time, and a great team around, you work hard to prevent it.

    Gratuitous swimwear shot… You’re very welcome..

    6. You obviously work out quite a lot to keep your physique, do you have any special diets?

    I do have a pretty strict diet and eating programme at the moment in fact the most demanding I have ever had due to the job I am working on at the moment and shape the actor is in that I am a stunt double for…. Lots of protein, training twice a day, eating small amounts but every 2 hours… It’s hard, but a good challenge and I am very lucky and feel blessed to have been given this chance in life so I want to make the most of it.

    7. What advice would you give someone who’s a little bit well fed, in their mid 30s and contemplating a missed calling in life to jump through suspended cars and hoops of fire?

    That’s a very difficult one to be honest as each and every person is very different in many ways. I have 24 years of training experience in all kinds of physical fields, but I would say try to better your food habits and start training 4 times a week i.e. running, boxing classes, swimming, gym training and you have to really want to get into some kind of shape. Give it 100% and you will see results thats for sure.

    8. Is there one person or character you would love to stunt double for? 

    Well I have already been so lucky stunt doubling for Batman, James Bond, also Ryan Reynolds in The Green Lantern, and Jake Gyllenhaal in the Prince Of Persia. David Beckham is a hero of mine but I have already doubled him which was just amazing. I would have to say probably Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling. I would love to double Superman also. I would love to work with Sean Penn and Daniel Day Lewis as for me they are the 2 best actors ever….

  • FILM REVIEW | Beauty

    Francois is a middle aged white Afrikaner family man who is unable to reconcile his inner desires with the values of his contemporaries.

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  • FILM REVIEW: Shelter

    Thwarted by his family circumstance and finding it hard to find his place in a small industrial Californian town, heartthrob Zach (Trevor Wright) is a trapped, talented artist.

    Stymied by his situation; a selfish and homophobic sister, a loveless relationship with his girlfriend and a father who is next to useless. With Art College and a new life calling him, Zach finds himself suffocated by his life with a hopeless acceptance. However things begin to change when Shaun (Brad Rowe), Zach’s best friend’s brother returns to town. Life begins to click into place when a drunken night together shows Zach a new reality. One that offers a life unlimited.

     

    As the relationship develops between the two would-be lovers, the reality of his new secret life mounts pressure on his daily existence. Zach is torn between the release of who he wants to be and the pressures of his real life. Zach has become a surrogate father to his sister’s five-year-old son, the adorable Cody (Jackson Wurth) in-between his shifts flipping burgers. His small town, wrong side of the tracks existence and expectations battle directly with the possibilities that lay ahead with Shaun, Art College and escaping from his humbler beginnings.

     

    What makes Shelter a wholly charming film to watch is its warmth and honesty. Its tentative steps and its revealing of Zach’s new potential is stunning. You know where you are with Shelter and you know where you’re going and clichés aside, it’s a magnificent film for many reasons. It’s a hazy, sweet, Gaussian, Californian coming out story. Filmed with a sensitivity that’s not often found in queer cinema. The sex scenes aren’t graphic, but leave enough to the imagination. It’s everything you wish your vanilla first time with a man might be. Its lack of reference to the gay scene or to gay culture makes it a film that can be enjoyed by most audiences, who appreciate a good romance. Filled with instamatic – esque shots of the Californian shoreline, crashing waves mix well with a thoughtful and provocative soundtrack.

     

    The camera does linger on Trevor Wright and he deserves the attention. Acting with an introspective knowing, Wright leads the story through and along with Brad Rowe gives great screen. Their chemistry is undeniable, their potential promising. It is an entirely shameful that Wright hasn’t garnered more film success because he is a riveting actor to behold.

     

    Shelter never fails to deliver what you’d expect from a coming out story, perhaps a little less complicated than real life situations, but definitely a film I’d revisit.

     

    Perfect if you like: Rainbows, Hollister and Hollywood endings.

    Dreadful if you like: Slings, fisting and earthy dramas.

     

     

  • INTERVIEW: Fab 3: AJ Gibson, Kari Gibson and Ryan Allen Carrillo

    UK TV Channel WATCH acquired the rights to Expedition Impossible, a brand new reality series by ABC.

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  • FILM REVIEW | Bad Boy Street

    Finding passed out hunk Brad (Kevin Miranda) on the streets of Paris, Claude (Yann de Monterno) takes him home and a passionate romance ensues, however Brad it seems isn’t exactly who he says he is.

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