THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • ‘Homophobic’ Christmas song crowned greatest festive hit ever

    The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” has been crowned the best Christmas song of all time.

    Topping Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas” and WHAM!’s “Last Christmas”, “Fairytale of New York” has been crowned the nation’s favourite Christmas song.

    It also managed to top Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas“, which took the fourth spot.

    Research commissioned to coincide with the Magic Radio ’12 songs of Christmas’ list found that for nearly half of Brits, Christmas music is most likely to put them in a festive mood.

    A quarter of adults felt seeing Christmas decorations go up helped aid festive cheer, while Christmas shopping came in at third place with 18 per cent.

    A Magic Radio spokesperson said, “When it comes to putting people in the Christmas spirit, music is king.

    “And it’s no wonder that more people are turning to music to bring them festive cheer – it’s the ultimate escapism in another year of uncertain times and bad news.

    “With Christmas bringing loved ones together, there’s no better time to put music on and relax into that Christmassy feeling.”

    “Homophobic”

    However, the song crowned number one contains a homophobic slur and is found problematic by some. Every year a debate rages about whether the song should have the word “faggot” bleeped or silenced when it is broadcast publicly.

    In 2007, BBC’s Radio 1 in the UK, censored the offending word, but soon reinstated it after a public backlash.

    The festive period was selected in the poll as the most anticipated time of the year, with 69 per cent of adults most looking forward to Christmas over New Year and Summer bank holidays.

    Spending time with loved ones was also deemed the most important part of Christmas for 60 per cent of adults, whilst the Christmas Party comes bottom of the list, with just two per cent of adults looking forward to the annual ‘do.

    Magic Radio announced plans earlier this week to switch their playlist to 100 per cent Christmas with non-stop Christmas songs all the way up to Boxing Day.

    rawpixel / Pixabay

    The ’12 Songs of Christmas’ as selected by Magic Radio listeners are:
    1 Fairytale of New York – Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll
    2 All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
    3 Last Christmas – Wham!
    4 Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
    5 Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea
    6 Happy Xmas (War is Over) – John Lennon and Yoko Ono
    7 Step Into Christmas – Elton John
    8 Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
    9 Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
    10 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard
    11 Stay Another Day – East 17
    12 Merry Christmas Everyone – Shakin’ Stevens

     

     

  • X Factor star calls on ITV to create a gay dating show

    X Factor star calls on ITV to create a gay dating show

    “I’m single and hungover and a boyfriend wouldn’t go a miss”

    James Hughes X Factor

    James Hughes, the “smiliest” contestant who starred in 2016’s X Factor has pleaded with ITV to create a gay dating show after revealing that he’s single and needs a boyfriend.

    Taking to Twitter the singer tweeted to his 11,000 followers that ITV really needed to create a dating show for gay people. He wrote, “.@ITV we need a dating show for gay people, I’m single and hungover and a boyfriend wouldn’t go a miss”.

    ITV currently broadcasts one of the biggest dating shows in the UK in the form of Love Island.

    The Scottish singer wowed both Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne during his auditions, particularly when he sang the Tina Turner classic “Proud Mary”.

    Could there be “A Gay Life?”

    His call for a gay dating show comes after E! recently launched its own dating show, hosted by Courtney Act for bisexual people, called, The Bi Life.

    But taking part in a gay dating show isn’t his only TV ambition, the star recently wrote that his new year’s resolution for 2019 was to become a star on C4’s Gogglebox, saying that he and his family would be “insane”.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Wizard Of Oz, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★★ |The Wizard Of Oz, Birmingham Rep

    • a marvel spectacle matching the West End

    This seriously was the most fun I’ve had at a theatre for a long time. My jaw dropped countless times at the set, costumes, effects and the talent of the ensemble. The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg, is a story that has been part of every generation, and The Rep pulled out all the stops with this gem.

    From the start, you were gripped by Dorothy’s plight, and we highly sympathised with her not wanting to give such a cute dog away. The first scenes, our hearts melted with the use of a real dog who just looked adorable as the scenes moved and swished around him. Chisara Agor played Dorothy with much sweetness and love, making for a very heart-wrenching story live on stage. Chisara was very dexterous with her singing and movement abilities; it made for an unstoppable watch.

    The three main characters, Scarecrow (Ed Wade), Tin Man (Dillon Scott-Lewis) and Lion (Kelly Agbowu) were surreally brilliant; sublime in their characterisation. Other than the original film, their portrayal was my favourite, and I felt like a kid again. I was a little nervous that the show may have been more for children, but every generation was in awe and drawn in with the magic and illusion. Ed was superb as the scarecrow with mannerisms being truly identical to the film, but with his own twist, rolling around and walking differently. Dillon was a movement mastermind. His dance ability resulted in a masterpiece performance of Tin Man – the way he walked and moved was an eye-popping effect on its own. I would watch it again purely to watch Dillon as Tin Man. Lion, played by Kelly, though lacking in courage, had vocal chords of an Angel, seriously what a voice! I can see why Lion had many songs as Kelly‘s voice was heavenly.

    The set, designed by Angela Davies, was honestly spectacular. I have seen many shows now, but this show really made me feel like it was my first time experiencing new wonders. I can’t imagine how excited the children must have been in the audience.

    The character of Oz was incredible – a massive head with eyes and mouth that moved as Oz spoke, and it made to appear like it was a real giant’s head. This was worth the wait.

    The highlight of the show for me was the Munchkin dance when Dorothy arrives into the land of Oz and crushes the Wicked Witch of the East. The puppets, designed by Samuel Wyer, together with performers puppeteering them, dazzled the audience, and I just kept hearing ‘wow’ and ‘oh my god’ from all around me. The detail of the characters and the versatile movement of each character was a stroke of genius. I could watch that routine over and over again.

    Never have I wanted to recommend a show as much as The Birmingham Rep’s The Wizard of Oz.

    Running: 24 November – 13 January

  • Starbucks is going to start blocking porn in 2019

    Starbucks is going to start blocking porn in 2019

    To become even more “welcoming” Starbucks is going to start blocking porn from its WIFI

    (C) DEPOSITPHOTOS

    Your ability to watch a creampie and eat a creampie at Starbucks is going to be halted in 2019 after the mega coffee chain claims to have to sourced a “solution” that will “prevent this content (porn) from being viewed” at its US locations from next year.

    A spokesperson for the company said, “To ensure the Third Place [Starbucks’ coffee shops] remains safe and welcoming to all, we have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019”.

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    While we think this is probably a good idea, Jake Hook, THEGAYUK‘s editor warned that Starbuck must make sure it doesn’t block safe content from LGBT sites, saying, “Starbuck must ensure that it doesn’t inadvertently block LGBT content from valid news sources such as ours”, Jake Hook editor of THEGAYUK.com said today.

    However, speaking on CNN a Starbuck spokesperson said that it was working to ensure that the censoring tool doesn’t “block unintended content.”

  • Who is Ben Whishaw and is he married?

    Who is Ben Whishaw and is he married?

    Ben Whishaw was made a household name in the critically acclaimed spy drama, London Spy in 2015.

    CREDIT: Denis-Makarenko bigstock

    Ben Whishaw has also appeared in James Bond films playing Q as well lending his voice to the new Paddington films playing the inquisitive bear himself. Last year he starred in the acclaimed A Very English Scandal. In 2015 he starred in London Spy which earned him a Bafta nomination.

    Is Ben Whishaw married?

    Ben is married to his husband, Mark Bradshaw. They got married in a civil partnership in August 2012. Although he’s is notoriously secretive about his private life, telling Out Magazine in 2011 that actors have the right to privacy and mystery. He said, “I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities”.

    The couple met around 2009 on the set of Bright Star where Whishaw played the role of English poet John Keats.

    His husband Mark Bradshaw is an Australian composer who is best known for his music for television and film. He was working on the film Bright Star when he met his future husband.

    CREDIT: (C) WTTV Limited – Photographer: Joss Barratt

    Is Ben Whishaw gay?

    It seems as though Ben Whishaw is gay and not bisexual. In 2014 he talked about his coming out experience saying it was “intense” but that ultimately everybody around him was supportive.

    How much is Ben Whishaw worth?

    According to Celebrity Net Worth Ben is worth $2 million which is about £1.56m

    How old is Ben Whishaw

    Ben was born October 14 1980 which makes him 38. He was born Born in Clifford, Bedfordshire, England, UK.

     

     

  • Mariah says that George Michael’s death “took a toll” on her

    Mariah says that George Michael’s death “took a toll” on her

    Hitmaker, Mariah Carey has spoken out about how the untimely death of George Michael took on her.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    Speaking to Pitchfork Mariah Carey opened up about how George Michael was a massive inspiration to her before her first album was released.

    She also said that artists need a really “great support system” around them as stress is a killer. She said,

    “It’s really about a great support system and working with people who understand and try to create a good environment. Hopefully, those people will also understand stress is really a killer. When we have lost some of our greatest, it’s really taken a toll on me, as someone who grew up watching them and being inspired by them.

    Keep the faith

    The “Hero” singer went on to say how much of an inspiration George Michael was during her early years saying that the Faith album was her first ever album.

    You mentioned George Michael. I remember before my first album, even in high school, the Faith album, I looked at that and said, ‘I want to make an album that crosses all these genres.’ We had a lot of things in common in terms of record company political stuff.

    They discussed their problems over dinner

    “I remember this one dinner that we had. We were both talking about really difficult stuff that we’d been through. And when he passed away on that Christmas, I couldn’t believe it because I thought he would be able to be OK.”

    How did George Michael die?

    George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016. His death shook the world and left millions of fans worldwide reeling from the news. Investigators said that his death was ‘unexplained but not suspicious’. The star died at the age of 53. He was found in his Oxfordshire home by his partner, Fadi Fawaz on Christmas morning. He was found lying, “peacefully in bed”

    The news of the star’s death wasn’t announced to the press until late Christmas evening.

    The superstar’s autopsy was inconclusive and more tests were ordered to determine the cause of his death. There were many reports that drug usage was to blame for the untimely passing, including his cousin who erroneously claimed, on the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC,  that an accidental drugs overdose caused George’s death.

    In March, the cause of George’s death was revealed following more conclusive testing, the corner returned a death by natural causes verdict.

     

  • Ricky Martin offends after wearing a native headdress

    Ricky Martin has been accused of cultural appropriation after wearing a traditional Native American headdress.

    Ricky Martin
    CREDIT: kobby dagan/ bigstock

    International pop star Ricky Martin has been accused of causing offence to Native people and cultures after posing for a picture in which he is wearing a traditional Native American headdress.

    One user on Instagram wrote, “Are you Native? If not, take that headdress off!” While another wrote, “There’s information all over the internet explaining why this is upsetting/offensive to Native people/cultures”

    “Not a costume to wear at a club”

    When a fan tried to suggest that the headdress was a Taino headdress, a user, BellieBunny1 corrected the assumption by saying, “Ricky Martin was raised in Puerto Rico he is not Puerto Rican. He is Spanish Basque and Canarian, and that is not a Taino headdress.

    “Like I said, that is a War Bonnet only to be worn by certain members of the tribe, it is sacred, not a costume to wear at a club or because it’s a carnival. It is earned one feather at a time, so unless Mr. Martin suddenly turned into an important member of one of our Tribes, and earned each one of those feathers on the regalia, he hasn’t the right to wear it as he has not earned it and he is not a part of my culture or heritage.

    “The fact is he is NOT Native American, he is of Spanish, Basque and Canarian heritage and not entitled to wear this War Bonnet, and I AM the daughter of a card carrying Native American / First Nations Elder.

    Not Earned

    BellieBunny1 continue to educate on the matter by saying that each feather in the headdress is actually earned.

    “It is only to be worn by certain members of the tribe, and it was made over time, each feather earned. Ricky Martin is fabulous, but it is not about culture or his to wear, as he did not earn it, and he is not part of the tribe of the people’s who bestow that regalia. Ricky himself said that he is of Spanish, Basque and Canarian heritage, not Native American/ First Nations”

     

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    What happens in Miami…… ends up on IG. . #miami #studiotime

    A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on

    Another user hit back saying, “I am Puerto Rican myself. We are from Taíno (indigenous), African, and Spanish descent. Native Americans are NOT the only ones with these headdresses. This is normal from our Taínos, and like I said, in the Caribbean, we dress up to pay homage”.

    In recent years the wearing of headdresses for festivals and in particular Halloween has been heavily criticised for cultural appropriation. The wearing of sacred clothing for fun or for show can be seen as deeply offensive to some from the culture from which the costume or clothing comes from.

  • This year’s Rockefeller Christmas tree was donated by a same-sex couple for the first time

    For the first time in the tree’s history, 2018’s tree was donated by a lesbian couple.

    (C) ROCKEFELLER CENTER BLOG

    The first ever tree to be lit at the Rockefeller Center in New York was in 1931. The lighting of the tree tradition became in 1933. This year’s tree was donated by Shirley Figueroa and Lissette Gutierrez.

    New Yorkers for Parks noted on its official Twitter account that “This year, Rockefeller Center’s tree is from a woman who grew up on a block in the Bronx that had no trees! It’s also the first tree in Rockefeller Center’s history to be donated by a same-sex or Latina couple!”

    Embed from Getty Images

    According to the Rockefeller Centre, “Growing up, Figueroa loved seeing people from all “different cultures and backgrounds” visiting Rockefeller Center at Christmastime, so she’s grateful to help continue that tradition, especially for the kids who come from all over the city to enjoy it”.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The tree was cut from their home in Wallkill, about 60 miles north of New York City. They nicknamed their tree “Shelby”.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Millions of people are expected to turn up to see the 75-year-old tree during the festive period and it will be lit with over 50,000 LED lights and topped by a 9 foot wide Swarovski crystal star.

     

  • This transgender woman is offering £2000 to find the perfect pair of tucking undies

    This transgender woman is offering £2000 to find the perfect pair of tucking undies

    A trans woman has offered £2000 to the manufacturer who can design and market the perfect pair of tuckable knickers, specifically for transgender women.

    JacekAbramowicz / Pixabay

    A trans woman known only as “Bee” contacted a fashion manufacturer marketplace in a bid to find a designer and manufacturer that can create the ultimate ‘tucking’ underwear.

    Tucking is the process by which a penis is “tucked” to the underside of someone’s groin usually with gaffer tape. It gives the appearance of a flat front, particularly when wearing dresses or skirts. The process can be quite painful and can also cause issues when it comes to toilet time.

    Most famously, Courtney Act revealed her tuck during her time on Celebrity Big Brother. The problem is that the traditional tuck is quite unsightly and usually requires transwomen or drag queens to wear multiple layers of tight underwear to conceal their penises.

    The request was sent to online manufacturing marketplace Sewport last week, asking if the site knew of any manufacturers or designers willing and able to help create feminine ‘tucking’ lingerie for transgender women. Unfortunately, Sewport has been unable to find an existing manufacturer and designer on the site, so with Bee’s permission has released her request to the public.

    Tucking Troubles

    Bee’s email details her struggle with current ‘tucking’ methods and how she’s concerned about the medical implications of them. She also says she’s tried the ‘gaff’ method, which is makeshift underwear, but finds it doesn’t provide enough security. Neither method makes her feel like a woman either, and that’s her main motivation for creating something ‘functional and feminine’.

    Initially Bee was only interested in creating something for personal use, however now she is hopeful that if her prototype is a success, she can launch a range of feminine and bespoke lingerie for all transgender women.

    There isn’t any medical research that indicates ‘tucking’ is harmful, however transgender women often say it can be uncomfortable and medical experts have said that regular tucking can lead to urinary tract infections, skin infections and in severe cases infertility when the testes are pushed up into the inguinal canals.

    Sewport connects small to medium sized fashion brands with manufacturers, enabling them to create designs and garments from clothes to handbags, in an easy and cost-effective way. Boris started the company after realising there was a gap in the market for a ‘one-stop-shop’ manufacturing marketplace for new and established brands.

    Boris Hodakel, Sewport founder, said, “I am really proud that Sewport is fast becoming the place to go if you have a fashion solution to a very real problem, and although Bee doesn’t have the solution yet, she is trying to work with people who might, and willing to put her savings into making it happen. It’s very admirable and I hope we can help her find a suitable designer and manufacturer, because I can see the value a garment like this would add to transgender women’s lives.

    “I implore any designer or manufacturer who has experience in the lingerie market to get in touch. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how the garment would look or functionally work, Bee is open to any sort of discussion, and I’m sure from her personal and your professional experience, something great will happen.”

    So could come up with a design?

  • This school in Brighton has over 70 trans and genderfluid kids

    There is a school in the south-east of England, where over 70 children aged between 11 and 16 feel comfortable enough to question their gender identity and identify more closely to how they feel.

    According to The Sunday Times, the Dorothy Stringer secondary school in Brighton has at least 40 transgender children who don’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth and a further 36 students who say that they are genderfluid – people who define their gender as fluid, flexible or changeable.

    The number of transgender students who were open to their families was much lower, however. Students were much more comfortable to share their gender expression with their classmates and faculty.

    The headteacher, Richard Bradford told the newspaper, “The number of ”openly trans children” who had approached us with their families to say that they are transgender [was] much lower”.

    Transgender Flag

    The now iconic blue, pink and white flag that the transgender community uses for identity. 

    The disclosure from the Dorothy Stringer school came through the school’s  “equality information report”. It is believed that the school has the highest number of trans identifying children in the country.

    What does genderfluid mean?

    Genderfluid is an identity which describes someone who doesn’t have a fixed gender expression, like “man” or “woman”. They are likely to feel that their gender expression is flexible and changeable from day to day, or even several times a day, due to its fluidity. Genderfluidity has close links to the non-binary identity where a person doesn’t see their gender as either masculine or feminine.

    Why is Brighton so LGBT+ friendly?

    Brighton has long been the home of a large LGBT+ community outside of London and is often referred to as the ‘gay capital of the UK’.  The city holds the UK’s biggest pride event and has a large number of LGBT+ venues.

  • How many gay people are there in England?

    How many gay people are there in England?

    The number of people who identify as lesbian, gay and bisexual in England is a hotly debated subject, with no clear answer, but here will look at all the available stats.

    how many gay people are in England
    (C) BIGSTOCK

    There has long been a widely-held belief that around 10 per cent of the population is gay, lesbian or bisexual or who identify as non-heterosexual. This is probably the most accurate of all the figures – as more and more people feel comfortable to come out about their sexuality.

    ALSO: How many gay people are there in Scotland?

    ALSO: How many gay people are there in Wales?

    ALSO: How many gay people are there in Northern Ireland?

    The most up-to-date statistics from healthcare company Euroclinix show that six per cent of people identify as homosexual while seven per cent of people identify as bisexual. This equates to 13 per cent of the population identifying as either gay, lesbian or bisexual. EuroClinix surveyed 2,000 people around the UK to find out more about the sex lives of Brits.

    The current population in England is estimated to be 54.79 million people, which means that there are over 7,122,700 gay, lesbian or bisexual people in England if you take that 13 per cent statistic.

    Other sources:

    The ONS (Office of National Statistics) says that in a survey of people in the United Kingdom it found that 1.5 per cent of people identified as LGB. This result was arrived at by extrapolation of data collected. However, these statistics were disputed for not being accurate or showing the full picture. By their estimations, this would mean that there are only 821,850 LGB people in England.

    However, in 2005 the HM Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry of the UK estimated that nearly 6 per cent of people were LGB after studying the economic impact of civil partnerships and same-sex marriages. By their estimations, this would mean that there are 3,28,400 LGB people in England.

    In 2008 the Guardian newspaper reported that 8 per cent of the population were LGB in 2014 the same newspaper group conducted another survey and found that the figures were still consistent. By their estimations, this would mean that there are 4,383,200 LGB people in England.