Author: Newsdesk

6 awesome UK trans prides that are taking place in 2022 you have to know about

Specific transgender pride events are on the rise in the UK for our transgender siblings to show off their pride and be centred within their own events.

Here are the top six transgender pride you have to know about that are happening in 2022 right here in the UK.

Less than a decade ago there was no specific transgender pride events in the UK, now in 2022, there are over half a dozen, from Northern Ireland to Brighton. Our partner site, The Pride Shop has been keeping track of transgender prides in the UK.

Here are some of the transgender prides that are happening in July and beyond.

Where are the biggest trans pride events in the UK?

First on the list is Brighton’s Trans Pride which takes place on the 16th of July 2022, this is probably the most famous of the transgender prides in the UK and one of the longest-running. Brighton’s transgender pride has been running since 2013. It is a grass-roots, community-led organisation staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers

From one of the oldest events to one of the newest, Cornwall Pride in Newquay this year was dedicated to transgender people. It took place on the 14th of May 2022.

Trans prides happen all across the UK. They usually take place between March and July.

Trans Pride London is set to take place this year on the 9th of July, a week after Pride In London.

Trans Pride Southwest is an annual event which takes place in Bristol. Places are still being put together for its 2022 event. Its first event took place in 2019. During the pandemic, it ran a number of online and limited in-person events.

If you live in Northern Ireland you’ll be happy to know that there is usually Trans Pride in Belfast, however, a date is yet to be announced. Its first pride was marched in 2018. Unfortunately due to Covid-19, the last two events had to be cancelled. it is hoped that an event will take place in 2022.

There is a transgender pride in Scotland, however, it’s already had its march. In May a pride event took place in Paisley. Each year the Pride takes place in a different city in Scotland, in 2018 it was in Edinburgh, in 2019 it was in Dundee.

So why does Trans Pride exist in the UK?

As Brighton’s trans pride puts it, “Our aim is to inspire all trans, intersex, gender variant and queer people to help make a real difference by celebrating trans lives and gender diversity. We aim to educate and eliminate discrimination by promoting equality and diversity through visibility, while also celebrating our unique history,”

23rd June 2022
When is Pride Month 2022 and when is it in the UK?

As 2022 looks to be a more successful year for Pride due to the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions, we look at when Pride Month 2022 is and what it stands for

After Pride season was all but wiped out in 2020 and for the majority if 2021 due to Coronavirus, it looks as though Pride in the UK is back with gusto for 2022.

Many prides decided to postpone their events in 2020 and in 2021, but the majority of prides in the UK are planning a summer return, although some have moved dates and locations. You can keep up to date with The Pride Shops Pride Calendar, which is updated weekly.

Officially Pride Month 2022 is in June to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and this year, prides across the UK will be celebrating an extra special anniversary, as it’s the 50th year of Pride in the UK.

Where did Pride Month originate?

Pride Month stemmed from the US, which has been adopted more widely across the world, but in reality, there are many Pride months across the globe. For instance, Sydney Mardi Gras, Australia’s biggest pride takes place in February (although they do have a Pride festival in June) and here in the UK, there isn’t such thing as one month for Pride. No, the UK is quite unusual in that Pride events are spread out across most of the year.

In the US most prides happen in the month of June to coincide with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, in the UK however things are a little more spread out with more and more county, city and town prides becoming available.

There are over 150 pride events in the UK alone and they start in Feb with the last (outside Winter Pride) in September. So Pride month in the UK is better described as Pride Half Year!

In 2019 the town of Llanelli in South Wales celebrated it’s first pride.

Want to know more about prides, see our entire collection of Pride articles here. Want to shop for Pride Merchandise, visit our partner retailer, THE PRIDE SHOP.

You can find out what pride events are going ahead in 2021, by visiting The Pride Shop’s Pride Calendar for 2021.

2nd June 2022
Lost LGBT Scene | The Backstreet

We’re creating an online memory board for some of London’s lost venues. Since the turn of the century, London’s gay scene has lost over 100 venues.

We’d love for you to help us grow this historical archive of London’s lost gay scene. If you’ve got photos or memories of any of the venues you’d like to share please use the comment section below and we’ll add them right here.

The Backstreet

The club’s dress code is among the strictest of its kind anywhere, earning it a dedicated following among rubber and leather men worldwide.

– Strict leather/rubber dress code

– Less than a minute’s walk from the tube

– Free membership for under-25s

– Private smokers’ area

Where: Wentworth Mews, Mile End, E3 4UA

Approx open date: 1895

Approx closed date: July 2022

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31st May 2022
London’s longest-running men’s leather and fetish club set to close

The Backstreet was London‘s longest-running leather and fetish bar/club. It had been running for over 37 years. In a statement released on social media, the management team announced that the club was to close in July 2022

The announcement said,

“After an incredible 37 years, The Backstreet will be closing its doors for the last time on 17th July. John and all the staff would like to say how grateful we are for all the support our customers have given us throughout the years. The club could never have carried as long as it has without your loyalty. From all of us to all you of thank you.

The club which is set in London’s Mile End was established in 1985 when London’s gay scene was booming. Since 2000 THEGAYUK has been tracking London’s gay scene closures of which there have been over 110 LGBT+ venues closed. The Backstreet becomes the latest venue to close. During its time it hosted fetish social nights, life drawing classes, smoking and naked events.

Fans of the Backstreet shared their sadness at the news, with one fan suggesting that The Backstreet was one of the only social clubs in London to be truly accessible, saying, “You’re the one social club and play space all on one level, which made it the most accessible venue I’ve been to in the UK. Such a shame you’ve decided to close, rather than sell the business on!”

Another remarked how the fetish scene had been effectively “cleansed” writing, “Consider the scene fetishised cleansed, remember the battle to save Xxl from closing, even the judge, in that case, said there was homophobic play going from the foreign investors, we’ve allowed ourselves to be marginalised, pushed aside.”

While another added, “It is very sad news indeed. it is 30 years ago (since) I started going to the Backstreet. I was a young man still in my late teens. The UK has become sterile regarding fetish. Most good events are outside of the UK now. Depressing news.”

Another added how marginalised the leather and fetish community had become within the LGBT+ community writing, “This is a tragedy! Leather men have been pushed out of the London scene over the past 20 years. The anvil. Gone. The Colehearne. Gone. The London Apprentice. Gone. And now the BACKSTREET! Very sad news that will affect my life.”

31st May 2022
The 10 Best Gay Authors according to fans

10. Marcel Proust

By <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Otto_Wegener” class=”extiw” title=”w:en:Otto Wegener”>Otto Wegener</a> – <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcel_Proust_1900.jpg” class=”mw-redirect” title=”File:Marcel Proust 1900.jpg”>Marcel_Proust_1900.jpg</a>, Public Domain, Link

Proust wrote In Search Of Lost Time, Swann In Love and Le Temps Retrouve. He was a French novelist, and essayist and was considered to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th Century. He was born in July 1871 and passed away in November 1922 at the relatively young age of 51.

Although biographers of Proust have often spoken about his sexuality, the writer himself never actually came out – even having a public sword fight with fellow writer Jean Lorrain after Lorrain questioned Proust’s relationship with Lucien Daudet (thought to be Proust’s lover). Both Lorrain and Proust survived the duel.

A few years before his death in 1918 Proust was one of the men identified by police in a raid on a male brothel run by Albert Le Cuziat.

9. Virginia Woolf

By See file page for creator info., Public Domain, Link

Woolf was an English writer who is considered one of the most important modernist voices of the 20th Century. She was a pioneering novelist whose books include, To The Lighthouse, A Room Of One’s Own and Mrs Dalloway. London born Woolf was 59 when she died in 1941. She was troubled with mental health issues throughout her life. She was hospitalised numerous times during her life and attempted to take her own life at least twice before drowning herself in the River Ouse at Lewes.

8. Emily Dickinson

By Unknown author – <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external free” href=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/amherst-wsg/ED-dag-case-720dpi_big.jpg”>https://s3.amazonaws.com/amherst-wsg/ED-dag-case-720dpi_big.jpg</a>, Public Domain, Link

Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived between 1830 and 1886. During her time she wrote, The complete poems, Acts of Light: The World of Emily Dickinson, New poems of Emily Dickinson, and The letters, Letters of Emily Dickinson. She apparently wrote over 1800 poems during her lifetime.

According to Wikipedia, “Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, to even leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most friendships between her and others depended entirely upon correspondence.”

7. William S. Burroughs

By Chuck Patch – Cropped version of <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burroughs1983.jpg” title=”File:Burroughs1983.jpg”>Image:Burroughs1983.jpg</a>, which originally posted to <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external text” href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/65484951@N00/91976954″>Flickr</a>, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Burroughs was an American writer and visual artist. He was born in St Louis Missouri in 1914. He died in August 1997. His works include Cities of the Red Night and Nova Police. Burroughs had a controversial life having killed his second wife Joan Vollmer with a pistol. At first he claimed it was an accident after an attempted “William Tell” stunt. Later he told investigators that he dropped the gun and it fired a shot that killed his wife.

Burroughs also suffered from drug addiction during his life and was once expelled from his school for taking chloral hydrate with a fellow student.

6. James Baldwin

By <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Allan_warren” title=”User:Allan warren”>Allan warren</a> – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Baldwin’s most famous works include Go Tell It on the Mountain, Another Country, and Notes of a Native Son. He was a famed playwright, novelist and black rights activist. According to Wikipedia, Baldwin’s works had themes of masculinity, sexuality, race, and class intertwine to create intricate narratives that run parallel with some of the major political movements toward social change in mid-twentieth-century America, such as the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement. On December 1, 1987, Baldwin died from stomach cancer in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.He was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, near New York City. He was 63 when he died.

5. Walt Whitman

By <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Cox” class=”extiw” title=”en:George C. Cox”>George C. Cox</a> (1851–1903, photo) <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Adam_Cuerden” title=”User:Adam Cuerden”>Adam Cuerden</a> (1979-, restoration) – This image is available from the United States <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress” title=”Library of Congress”>Library of Congress</a>’s <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external text” href=”//www.loc.gov/rr/print/”>Prints and Photographs division</a> under the digital ID <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external text” href=”http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.07549″>ppmsca.07549</a>. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Licensing” title=”Commons:Licensing”>Commons:Licensing</a> for more information., Public Domain, Link

Whitman was born in 1819 and his famous works include Leaves of Grass, Drum Tap and Song of Myself. He passed away in 1892. His work was controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sensuality. Whitman’s own life came under scrutiny for his presumed homosexuality. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. Two of his most well-known poems, “O Captain! My Captain!” and “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, were written after the death of Abraham Lincoln.

He was also a bit of a naturist and liked to be naked!

In Manly Health and Training, using the pseudonym Mose Velsor, he advised men to swim naked. In A Sun-bathed Nakedness, he wrote,

Never before did I get so close to Nature; never before did she come so close to me … Nature was naked, and I was also … Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! – ah if poor, sick, prurient humanity in cities might really know you once more! Is not nakedness indecent? No, not inherently. It is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is indecent. There come moods when these clothes of ours are not only too irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent.

Tennessee Williams

By Orlando Fernandez, World Telegram staff photographer – Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external free” href=”http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c28957″>http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c28957</a>, Public Domain, Link

Best known for his works, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Rose Tattoo and Camino Real Williams lived from 1911 to 1983. Willaims was a playwright and considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, at age 33 he became suddenly famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie (1944) in New York City. It was the first of a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1961).

3. Arthur Rimbaud

By <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:%C3%89tienne_Carjat” class=”extiw” title=”w:en:Étienne Carjat”>Étienne Carjat</a> – Close-up from <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external text” href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/10381539@N03/3379297668″>Arthur Rimbaud [1872] – foto de Étienne Carjat</a>, Public Domain, Link

Rimbaud was a French poet who lived between 1854 and 1891.

Arthur Rimbaud was born in Marseille, France in 1854. He died from cancer just after his 37th birthday. Rimbaud was described as a restless soul who travelled on three continents before he died.

In 1951 many years after his death the French Postal Service issued stamps featuring Rimbaud and his lover Paul Verlaine.

Rimbaud met Verlaine in the summer of 1870 when he was 16. A friend of Verlaine was less than impressed and described him as, “a tall, gawky young man, very thin, with the look of a rather fierce street Arab”, however, Verlaine was so taken with the younger wayward man, he deserted his wife and child and ran away to London. It didn’t go well for the two. Their relationship ended in Brussels and during an argument, Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the arm. Rimbaud, however, did not press charges.

2. E.M. Forster

By Dora Carrington (1893–1932) – <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external free” href=”http://www.todayinliterature.com/biography/e.m.forster.asp”>http://www.todayinliterature.com/biography/e.m.forster.asp</a>,, Public Domain, Link

Forster was an Engish novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist who lived between 1879 and 1970. His famous works include A Room with a View, A Passage to India and Howards End.

According to Wikipedia, Forster was open about his homosexuality to close friends, but not to the public. He never married but had a number of male lovers during his adult life. He developed long-term relations with Bob Buckingham (1904–1975), a married policeman.

1. Oscar Wilde

By <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Napoleon_Sarony” class=”extiw” title=”w:en:Napoleon Sarony”>Martin van Meytes</a> – Library of Congress, Public Domain, Link

Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in “one of the first celebrity trials”, imprisonment, and early death from meningitis at age 46. Oscar Wilde was born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin (now home of the Oscar Wilde Centre, Trinity College), the second of three children born to an Anglo-Irish couple: Jane, née Elgee and Sir William Wilde.

19th May 2022
Blocked on Grindr: Can you find out who has blocked you?

Where is that totally hot guy you were sharing pics and chatting with suddenly gone? Have I been blocked on Grindr?

Chances are that he probably did… the question is can you know for sure?

Previously, a glitch in the Grindr system allowed users to find out a list of people who had blocked them using a website called https://blocked.ongrindr.com/.

However back in 2018, Grindr patched their software to effectively block the block website!

So, no technically there is no straightforward to find out whether a guy has blocked you or not.

How can I find out if someone has blocked me on Grindr?

There’s no simple way to find out if you have been blocked on Grindr. However, there are a couple of ways. You do have the legal right to access all the data Grindr holds on you – you can also do a little bit of sleuthing and detective work.

However, you can always, create a new profile and see if the guy you’ve suspected of blocking you shows up when you log in with your new account. If he does, then you know he’s blocked your other account. However, it’s probably best not to get back in touch. If someone’s blocked you, reaching out to them would be against their wishes and could potentially be seen as stalking.

It’s best to just dust yourself off and move on.

Do I have the right to find out who’s blocked me on Grindr?

Technically, in the UK – Yes. When someone blocks you that data is stored (and by Grindr) by both users – the blockee and the blocker. If you’re in the UK, you still have certain rights to see the information a company holds about you, which could mean any data that is held on your profile, which is not actually viewable by you through the app’s interface.

Thanks to the Data Protection Act, if you really wanted to see what information the company holds about you, you can put in a request.

Getting blocked on Grindr a lot?

If you’re finding that you’re getting blocked a lot there could be some dating app mistakes that you’re making. Maybe you’re sending waaaayy too many dick pics without asking first. Is your face pic a good, friendly picture or do you look like a serial killer on the prowl? Check this article out to find out about what you can do to become some class A ass on Grindr.

7th May 2022
This is how you say Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer in British Sign Language

This week it’s Deaf Awareness week in the UK. So here’s how you say some important LGBT+ terms in British Sign Language.

A few years ago, Deaf Direct produced a video, just before Pride season, which included various British Sign Language signs to help everybody get to grasp with a few LGBT+ terms.

The video was created by Deaf Direct to “celebrate the diversity of our community”.

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to sign the words lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, this simple video helps you say those words perfectly.

Do people in the UK use ASL or BSL?

William and Simon, who both appear in the video explain that in the UK we use BSL – rather than ASL (American Sign Language) and they take us through the gestures you need to make to say, in BSL, a few terms which identify LGBT+ folks.

How to say LGBT+ terms in British Sign Lanugauge

In the video the LGBT+ words and terms Simon and William demonstrate are:

Lesbian

Gay

Bisexual

Transgender

Queer

Straight

Leather

Bear

Drag

Pride Day

Happy Pride Day

Fabulous

So go learn how to say Happy Pride Day you Fabulous Queers

4th May 2022
Being pansexual – What does it mean to be Pan?

As Samantha Jones said, in Sex And The City, one day we’ll all be pansexual.

Pansexuality, might not be on your radar as much as homosexuality or bisexuality, but its all-inclusive nature has got people falling in love with the sexual and romantic orientation that is pansexuality – which is, essentially as our sex expert says, hearts, not parts – you fall in love and lust with the heart of someone, not just their biological sex, or what’s between their legs or gender expression.

Did you know that the word for pansexuality dates all the way back to 1914! The hybrid words pansexual and pansexualism were first attested in 1914, according to sources. It was coined by rivals of the psychologist Sigmund Freud to denote the idea “that the sex instinct plays the primary part in all human activity, mental and physical”.

What do Pansexuals think?

So, the best way to get to the heart of the matter is to go straight to the source. We asked readers for their best description of pansexuality means to them, here’s what they told us.

“As a 21-year-old pansexual male, I found that there was a lot of stigma that went with being pan and many people don’t understand/know what it means.
“To me, it’s different for different people, I personally think that in my eyes, gender/sexual-orientation does not count towards anything in the way of attraction and in the way of love. I believe that you fall in love with the person and not their genitals or what gender they are attracted to.
“I have dated various genders, various people with different sexual orientations and yes they have been very different partners and have been very different relationships however the one thing that is, all the same, is the feelings towards that person. The spark that I have felt towards each individual person and that feeling was not towards there genitals, it was towards them as people.
“My opinion of pansexuality is love.”

Another user, Alex, told us,

“Love without gender, connection without exclusion, and plenty of fish in the sea”

and another, Eggy, wrote,

“sexual attraction regardless of gender”

Pansexuality is all about ‘Hearts Not Parts’

Our sexpert columnist Jack Devon told us, “It’s about hearts, not parts. Pansexuality is where you fall in love (or lust) with the being, whether they are gay, bi or straight, whether they are male or female, trans, cis or non-conforming. It’s an ability to see beyond the labels and feel for the person, kinda beautiful when you think about it.”

“Despite its all-encompassing nature, it is still a relatively unknown sexuality compared with say, gay or straight. Most people when you ask them about sexuality think only in terms of gay, straight, asexual or bisexual, which is quite unfortunate. Since SATC‘s Samatha Jones quote “one day we’ll be pansexual” way back in 1999, I’ve been wondering when Pansexuality might have more of a moment to shine. You have to be super open-minded and dump the labels – and go with your soul.”

Is there a pan awareness day or week?

Yes, there is an awareness date for pan people. Pansexuality Day happens every year on the same day, in fact, there are two, one in May and one in December.

On May the 24th there is the pan and panromantic day of awareness. You can check out other LGBT+ dates of awareness and visibility in 2022 here. There is also a Pansexual Pride day on the 8th of December.

What are the pan pride flag colours?

The pan 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. Want to find pansexual gifts, flags and even face paints, visit our brand partner, THE PRIDE SHOP.

24th April 2022
10 ways to bag a man for the summer

So, it’s that time of year again, the sun is shining, bronzed bodies are on display, but what is it that we’re looking for? A topless Adonis to fetch our Pimms on a silver tray? A young hunk that will look good in the holiday snaps? Or just a month long fling, with plenty of sun, sand and sex?

Stick to my top dating tips, and you’ll find yourself bagging this season’s must have accessory…the summer boyfriend!

First of all, it is no longer 1922, so the traditional conventions of dating have been long withdrawn, as much as we hate to admit it, looks and personality are way down on our summer dating agenda – it’s confidence, style and a cracking smile that 2022 is shouting for.

So, you’ve found the guy you’re after, whether you’ve met him through the steam in the sauna, or stacking shelves in the local supermarket, if he’s caught your attention your already onto a winner! Regardless of what social networking site or app you have met him on (we aren’t here to judge, only to help!) You can guarantee there are ten other blokes chatting him up too!

So, Step 1 – Give Him Your Number.

Play it cool though, if you get a text or a call, he’s interested! If you don’t, move on to the next! It goes without saying though, that if his texts make you smile, he’s a keeper! If the conversation is a struggle – don’t ask him out! Simple.

Step 2 – Planning A Date.

Whilst you’re texting, flirting and sending those dirty pictures – you need to remember, spending too much time getting to know someone, runs the risk of creating a friendship rather than a relationship – my advice, 2 days of flirtatious texting and then ask him out! Don’t be shy! We all like a confident guy, so don’t wait around for him to suggest a date, get in there first!

Step 3 – Play It Cool.

Once you’ve got the date planned, where you’re going, what you’re doing etc – don’t keep mentioning it! You don’t want to look over eager, nobody likes to feel badgered, there’s only so many times you can smile at a text, before you think change the record! (And he may decide to cancel on you!)

Step 4 – First Impression.

Now, this step goes two ways, You have approximately 10 seconds to make your first impression, likewise he has 10 seconds to make it on you – think EASY – Eye contact, Ask how he is, Smile at him, and You must look interested! Even if you don’t really care how his day was, and just want to rip his shirt off – you still need to pretend!

Step 5 – Be Realistic.

A good friend of mine once told me, ‘Don’t say or do anything on a first date, that you can’t keep up’, and I’ve always stuck by that – so I’m sharing it with you guys! We all like honesty, so don’t make out like you’re a Fashion Scout for Vogue magazine, when in fact you work the checkout at Primark, it just doesn’t work, and you’re setting yourself up to fail! Similarly, don’t order a bottle of Moet when all you can afford is three pints of cider and a packet of pork scratchings – he wants you, for you – not who you think you should be!

Step 6 – Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover.

First dates bring nerves; remember, if you’re smiling, and he’s smiling back, if you’re laughing, and the conversations is flowing easily – then it’s going well, don’t worry that his trainers don’t go with his chinos, give him the second date to fix those problems!

Step 7 – Afterwards?

I always find that asking for the bill is always a clear indication of where the night is heading! Drinks afterwards? A coffee at his? A vodka at yours? Either way – if he isn’t paying, the bill is going Dutch! Don’t be quick to decide! Kissing is definitely allowed on a first date, perhaps some heavy petting – but I would advise against giving it all away, you don’t want to seem easy! And after all, you’re on a date because you like him! Don’t want this to be an expensive booty call!

Step 8 – The Next Day.

Depending how the night went, you don’t want to text too soon! Ideally he’ll text you first, but we don’t live in a perfect world! Late morning, or lunchtime is an acceptable point to send him a text, telling him how you enjoyed the night, and would love to arrange another date! (After all. second dates are where the magic happens!) My advice is stick to the 3S’s – Shower, Shave and Send! You don’t want to seem eager, so get up, make yourself human and then message him, I say no texts before 11 guys, after all – you’re a god! Let him do the chasing.

Step 9 – Social Networking.

If you already have him in your friends list, or he’s following your tweets – keep it at that, don’t be adding him to all of your devices, you need to have somewhere to discuss and vent, without him seeing what you’ve said! Likewise, you don’t want to see what he’s saying about you (it could get messy, and we gays don’t like drama!)

Step 10 – Don’t Be Too Available.

Finally, you need to play hard to get, you may have had the most amazing night, but you don’t want to seem overly eager to do it all again! Planning your second, third, fourth or even fifth date to suit you! Don’t ever let him have the upper hand – you need to be in control!

Most importantly though guys – all of us at TheGayUK promote safer sex! We all like to have fun, and we understand so do you, but never forget, don’t be a fool – wrap that tool! For more information on sexual health visit: http://www.gmfa.org.uk/sex/ better to be safe, than sorry!

Hope this helps guys! I wish you all the greatest of luck in your summer dating – don’t forget to check out our website: www.TheGayUK.com find us on Twitter:@TheGayUK for all things gay!

This article is a republish of previous article and updated.

21st April 2022
Is Cosmé McMoon from Florence Foster-Jenkins dead or alive?

Cosmé McMoon is undoubtely one of the star from the Florence Foster Jenkins story. We loved seeing the character being affectionately portrayed by Simon Helberg in the 2016 Meryl Streep film, Florence Foster Jenkins – a light-hearted, but fairly innocuous biopic about the New York socialite, Florence Foster Jenkins whose passion for singing despite her inability to it, led her to a sold-out performance at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York, along with her pianist, Cosmé McMoon.

However, what do we know about him?

Is Cosmé McMoon still alive?

Born in 1901 Cosmé would be over 120 years old if he were alive today. He actually died at the beginning of the 80s. He passed away in 1980 at the grand old age of 79. He died after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He moved back to San Antonio, sadly dying two days after he arrived.

He was cremated. His ashes are in place at Sunset Memorial Park in San Antonio.

Was he married, was Cosmé McMoon gay, straight or even bisexual? We do some digging to find out.

Not much is written about McMoon’s personal life. Times are different now compared to then – where as being someone’s sidekick nowadays can bring about a huge spotlight on your life (think Nicole Richie to Paris Hilton or Michelle Visage to RuPaul) back then the gossip pages of the tabloids were only really fixated on the super rich and super famous. Florence Foster-Jenkins really was neither of these things, although she was rich, she certainly wasn’t Rockefeller – so McMoon, her humble accompanist was really just a side-note in the papers, if featured at all.

However there is a little bit of info, mainly that he was never married or had kids – and apparently took interest in “body building” and judging body building contests – one could read between the lines that perhaps, maybe, he took interest in the male form – alluding to homosexuality.

However we must also look at how difficult it would have been for someone like McMoon to have come out as gay. For much of his life, he was born in 1901 and died in 1980, at the age of 79. In context, homosexuality was actually illegal in the United States. Homosexuality was only and partially decriminalised in the States from 1962. He was also the son of religious parents, who were of Irish and Mexican extraction.

McMoon never married nor had any children.

Was the film accurate about Cosmé McMoon?

However, it’s interesting that McMoon’s portrayal in the Meryl Street film, shows him to be of a certain campness and gives a nod to his homosexuality – such as a brief, but knowing (and longing) look at a man at an afterparty at the homes of Foster Jenkin’s partner, St. Clair Bayfield.

There are very few interviews with Cosmé and so little written about him after the death of Foster Jenkins in the 1944, so we have to assume that the directors and producers of the film did a certain amount of homework on the character, but also allowed for artistic license when it comes to the portrayal of McMoon.

13th April 2022
What is my internet speed?
Think that your internet is playing up, lagging or slower than it should be? Use our Internet Speed Checker to find out what speed your broadband is.

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Use our free Broadband speed checker to find out whether your internet is fast as it should be. If the speed isn’t what you’re expecting you can try a couple of things to speed up your connection.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
1. Restart your computer. It’s a cliché but its true. Most technical issues can be sorted by a simple turn off and turn on.
2. Restart your router. Again. Simple and should sort out most problems. Leave around 20 seconds before plugging in your device again.
3. Close down some apps or browsers on your computer. There might be some programmes running in the background that are sapping up your broadband.
4. Check to see if anyone or any device is streaming music or TV. These can take up a large volume of data and may be responsible for your slower broadband.
5. Check to see if there’s a black/brownout of services in your area.
13th April 2022