If you’re a fan of James Franco’s queer sensibilities, then you’ll be pleased that Netflix has four films with an LGBT+ bent.
James Franco has described himself “gay up to a point” and that point being the sex bit, but that hasn’t stopped him exploring his gay side – with James starring in or producing a number of films which explore LGBT+ themes.
Milk
Sean Penn, plays the central role of Harvey Milk and putting aside the hotly debated discussion of whether gay men should fill the roles of gay character’s in the films, Penn does a brilliant job. No ham involved. A remarkably sensitive portrayal of this pioneer in a backward, gay-loathing, backstabbing system. Of course, there is a certain bit of eye candy – that being one Mr James Franco, who plays Milk’s lover Scott Smith.
I Am Michael
Based on the true story of Michael Glatze, who claimed he was no longer gay and became a straight pastor. But in 1999, Michael was in a gay relationship with boyfriend Bennett (Zachary Quinto) and was the editor of the successful real-life XY Magazine, while at the same time living in San Francisco – it was the ultimate gay life and gay lifestyle. But Bennett’s father has a job for him in Halifax, Canada, so they relocate there – it’s a city with not much to do, but they end up hooking up with the young good looking Tyler (Charlie Carver). But after a few panic attacks, and memories of his late father and mother, Michael starts to question his homosexuality – he starts to re-evaluate his life, loves, and takes up to reading the bible for answers, until one day he leaves it all behind for a new life.
King Cobra
Based on a true story, King Cobrais the story of the making of a gay porn star and the demise of another and the murder of a studio owner. Starring the newly out Garrett Clayton as gay porn star Brent Corrigan Also starring James Franco and Christian Slater.
Goat
Although not gay per se, Goat is fairly homoerotic. As these pictures show. However, the film explores the darker and often violent side of college fraternities.
Netflix has an incredible catalogue of LGBT+ films on its service. Here are our picks for September 2018
Pride
The story is simple, set in 1984 in the midst of the Miner’s strike, the Unions versus Thatcher’s government and its hard stance, and a politicised London gay boy suddenly gets the idea to raise funds for the miners, having heard how they are being intimidated back to work. The majority of the film deals with how the two communities grow to know each other, how the London group gets to grips with a small community and its prejudices (or in some cases, lack of them) and the Welsh group and their education into the world of “the gays”! Read the full review here. Biography / Comedy | GAYUK RATING ★★★★★
King Cobra
Based on a true story, King Cobra is the story of the making of a gay porn star and the demise of another and the murder of a studio owner. Starring the newly out Garrett Clayton as gay porn star Brent Corrigan Also starring James Franco and Christian Slater. Biography | GAYUK RATING ★★★★
Boulevard
The late Robin Williams is bank branch manager Nolan Mack. He’s literally just going through life’s motions – working at a bank, with a longtime wife (Kathy Baker) and a very sick father in the hospital. Then one late evening after visiting his father, he drives through a derelict part of town and almost runs over a young man, Leo (Roberto Aguire), who turns out to be a male prostitute. Williams gives a delicate performance as the lonely and subdued Nolan. He’s a man whose conflicted, despondent and depressed until Leo comes into his life. Read the full review here.Drama | GAYUK RATING ★★★★
I Am Happiness On Earth
If you like a conventional start, middle and end to your movies, then this is certainly not one for you. However, if you are up for a very intricate piece that is shot almost like a ballet with its seemingly choreographed moves and against an exhilarating soundtrack (composed by Arturo Villela) that is steeped in both passion and pain (with sex too), then you will revel in this extraordinary new movie. Read the full review here. Drama / Biography | GAYUK RATING ★★★★★
I Am Michael
Based on the true story of Michael Glatze, who claimed he was no longer gay and became a straight pastor. But in 1999, Michael was in a gay relationship with boyfriend Bennett (Zachary Quinto) and was the editor of the successful real-life XY Magazine, while at the same time living in San Francisco – it was the ultimate gay life and gay lifestyle. But Bennett’s father has a job for him in Halifax, Canada, so they relocate there – it’s a city with not much to do, but they end up hooking up with the young good looking Tyler (Charlie Carver). But after a few panic attacks, and memories of his late father and mother, Michael starts to question his homosexuality – he starts to re-evaluate his life, loves, and takes up to reading the bible for answers, until one day he leaves it all behind for a new life. Read the full review here. Drama / Biography | GAYUK RATING ★★★★
Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party
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Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party is a coming out story that’s not, forgive the pun, all preachy about being accepted for being gay. It’s a celebration and a masterfully directed film not just about a young man who happens to be coming out of the closet but also about the Evangelical Christian community. Read the full review here. Drama | GAYUK RATING ★★★★
Paris Is Burning
An intriguing view into the world of New York’s ball scene. Fierce drag queens, heartbreaking trans stories and the celebration of LGBT+ life from all walks of life. Award-winning documentary from Jennie Livingston. Powerful and necessary viewing. Documentary | GAYUK RATING ★★★★★
A letter signed by Stephen Fry, Will Young and Sadiq Khan and 127 others is urging journalists to stop using the phrase “commit suicide”.
The letter which was signed by 130 celebs, authors, politicians and community leaders is calling on journalists to stop using the terms “commit suicide” when writing about suicide.
Along with Stephen Fry, Will Young and Sadiq Khan, Fearne Cotton, Ed Balls and DJ Lauren Laverne have signed the letter urging media outlets to “portray suicide in ways which reflect our modern understanding of this phenomenon.”
The letter was released on 10th September, which is the World Suicide Prevention Day.
(C) BIGSTOCK
The letter calls for alternatives to be used, such as “died by suicide” as “committing suicide” suggests that suicide is “either a sin or a crime, or both.” Suicide has not been a crime in the UK since 1961. The letter also suggests that “committing suicide” also implies, “that to take one’s own life is a selfish, cowardly, criminal or irreligious act, rather than the manifestation of extreme mental distress and unbearable pain.
Each year over 6000 people in the UK die when they take their own lives – and worldwide this number is a shocking 800,000 people per year.
Reaching out to editors the letter states, “The language and images we see and hear in the media naturally shape our understanding and view of the world. This is why journalism will always be so important – we are influenced by the kinds of stories you choose to cover, the language you use in those stories, and the images that are chosen to illustrate them. This places an enormous burden of responsibility on editors, reporters, photographers, sub-editors, producers, presenters and all of the other people engaged in bringing us news, editorial and comment”.
THEGAYUK.com has updated its style guide and adopting the suggestion by TalkingSuicide.co.uk to change the language it uses and will no longer use the term “commit suicide”.
The Samaritans is available 24 a day on telephone number 116 123 if you are having suicidal thoughts, suffering from depression or anxiety or just need to talk.
The Love, Simon actor post a picture of himself starkers asking, “why is it deemed wrong to not wear clothes?”
(C) Keiynan Lonsdale / INSTAGRAM
Out actor Keiynan Lonsdale, 26, has posted a naked picture of himself asking why we are taught that being naked is wrong. Despite saying that he wasn’t confident being naked, he stated, “each of us is made to feel incorrect inside our own physical form”.
In the post captioned, “Dance naked, lose followers, gain leaders” he wrote,
“***P.s. why is it deemed wrong to not wear clothes? We’ve been taught poorly, & groomed to hold shame for ourselves, our human bodies.
“No matter what we look like, each of us is made to feel incorrect inside our own physical form, told that in order to survive & be a functioning, liked, & well respected person in society, we should hide this form from the world.
“That shit sounds whack to me. Now, I’m not at all at the confidence level to be neked in public lol, maybe one day i hope, but I’m sure as hell working on sharing & showing off my body to myself.. and it feels good.”
The first female host of QI has revealed a massive pay gap between her fee and that of the previous host Stephen Fry.
CREDIT: (C) BBC – Photographer: ABIGAIL ZOE MARTIN
Sandi Toksvig has revealed that she is paid just 40 percent of the fee that Stephen Fry commanded for her QI hosting gig. Speaking at the Women’s Equality Party conference, Sandi revealed that she puts up with the pay gap because she is the first female of the long-running BBC show.
However, Sandi is paid the same amount as another male presenter, Alan Davies.
Speaking about the pay difference, she said, “I have recently discovered I get 40% of what Stephen used to get. And I get the same pay as (permanent panellist) Alan Davies, who is not the host.
“I temper this with the fact that I love the show and I’m the first woman to host such a show.”
Later, she added, “I love QI and the brilliant team who produce it. John Lloyd and the (production) team champion women on the show.”
Amazon’s brand new show Jack Ryan gave us an extra reason to watch…
John Krasinski, best known for his role on the US version of The Office where he was never nekkid, is now showing the goods in his new TV show, Jack Ryan, which has launched on Amazon Prime. Originally a film, which starred Chris Pine, Jack Ryan is now available on the small screen and is about an up-and-coming CIA analyst who is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time, He uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the middle of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism.
But who really cares about that bit – we’re all here for the butt AMIRIGHT? Click here to see the steamy stills.
New figures, published by Public Health England (PHE), show a 17% decrease in HIV diagnoses in the UK in 2017 and a drop of more than a quarter in the last two years (28%).
However, the new statistics also show that 42% of people with HIV were still being diagnosed late; with heterosexual men and individuals aged 65 and over the most likely to experience late diagnosis.
HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men have dropped by 31% since 2015 and this decline is particularly focused in parts of London. This represents one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention since the beginning of the epidemic, but now we need to ensure we see the same declines in other groups.
Ian Green, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “Today’s drop in new HIV diagnoses among some communities in the UK clearly shows we have the tools to end the HIV epidemic in this country. But, rather than patting ourselves on the back, we need to redouble our efforts, work harder and get to zero HIV transmissions.
“There is continued progress among some gay and bisexual men, particularly in London, with a 31% fall since 2015. This follows on from last year’s numbers where we saw the first ever decline in new diagnoses among gay and bisexual men.
“This turnaround in one of the groups most affected by HIV shows what can be achieved by utilising everything we’ve got in the fight against HIV. That includes the widespread availability of condoms, a range of ways and places to test for HIV, early diagnosis and access to treatment, and increasing the availability of HIV prevention pill PrEP. It also shows that initiatives like National HIV Testing Week are working.
“But we need to work harder and look more broadly to make sure the decline in new diagnoses reaches other groups affected by HIV in all corners of the UK – not just in London and the South East.
“For example, rates of late diagnosis remain worryingly high with 42% of all those diagnosed being diagnosed late, which is after the immune system has already been damaged. Among black African heterosexual men rates of late diagnosis are now 72% while in those 65 and over it’s 60%, which is unacceptably high.
“For the first time, there has been a drop in the number of diagnoses reported among heterosexuals not from black African or black Caribbean communities with a fall of 20%. This is welcome news but more needs to be done to understand what’s behind this decline and lessons learned to ensure the number of new diagnoses continues to fall.
“We welcome the inclusion of women only data tables for the very first time. But while around a quarter of new diagnoses continue to be among women, more needs to be done to ensure women are invisible no longer when it comes to HIV and properly included in HIV prevention campaigns. Similarly, this year we also have trans-specific data for the first time, which is so important in ensuring we have an accurate picture of how this group is impacted by HIV.
“We must also ensure Relationships and Sex Education has a strong emphasis on sexual health and HIV when it becomes compulsory in schools in England from 2020. Currently, more than one young person a day is diagnosed with HIV in the UK and that’s one too many. We have the tools to prevent HIV but we need to ensure our young people know what they are and how to access them.”
On the reason for this continued decline, Ian Green added, “HIV treatment has undoubtedly played a significant role in this decline. Now, when someone is diagnosed, they are encouraged to start treatment as soon as possible. This enables them to more quickly achieve an undetectable viral load, which means HIV can’t be passed on.
“Testing options have also improved in recent years and now HIV self test kits, where you test at home and get a result within 15 minutes, are sold on the high street. We’re also offering these tests for free to people from the communities most affected by HIV. But testing at home isn’t for everyone and it is vital we have fully funded and easily accessible sexual health services for those who want or need a face to face service.
“PrEP is a game changer for HIV prevention and almost 100 per cent effective when taken as prescribed. PrEP’s portrayal in the media means it is all too often seen as something only for gay men – but that certainly isn’t the case and we need to ensure it is fully utilised by all groups affected by HIV, including both black African people and trans communities.
“Although PrEP is available on the NHS in Scotland and via an uncapped pilot in Wales, it is only available in England as part of a 10,000 place trial and we know that many sites have filled all their places for gay men and are having to turn people at risk of HIV away. In light of today’s data, we’re continuing to strongly call on NHS England to play its part in getting to zero HIV transmissions by making PrEP available to all who need it on the NHS in England.”
The group, called Rainbow Memory Cafe has just celebrated its first birthday.
Opening Door London’s group for LGBT+ people living with dementia, concerned about cognitive decline or caring for someone with dementia is still going strong since its first meeting in October 2017.
The group meets on the second Monday of every month from 2-4pm at Tavis House in Euston. Members have reported a real sense of ‘coming home’ in the group meetings, feeling safe to share free of judgement from others.
It’s been a busy year for the group, which has had high profile media coverage from Channel 4 and BBC London News.
Whilst numbers are steady, Rainbow Memory Cafe is still keen to welcome new members. Find out more click here.
A 60-year-old man has been arrested after a teenager was sexually assaulted while he was fishing in Rochdale.
Earlier today, Thursday 6 September 2018, officers from GMP’s Rochdale Borough arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of sexual assault
He remains in custody for questioning.
This is in relation to a report received by police on Tuesday 4 September that a 14-year-old boy had been sexually assaulted by the canal near to Hollingworth Road, Littleborough at around 5:20pm.
The teenager had been magnet fishing when he was approached by a man who told him to head to another body of water a short distance away as he’d have better chance of success.
When he moved to that location, he was sexually assaulted by the man before managing to run away to safety.
Detective Sergeant Paul Davies of GMP’s Rochdale Borough, said, “This has been a fast-moving investigation and we have arrested a man in the Rochdale area on suspicion of sexual assault.
“He remains in custody for questioning, however, our investigation continues and we are still keen to speak to anyone who may have information that can assist us to please get in touch.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 8441 quoting reference number 1851 of 04/09/18 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
US swimmer, Abrahm DeVine has come out as gay in an inspiring interview in Swimming World Magazine. Before coming out to his teammates, 22-year-old DeVine described his worry about how they would react on hearing the news. He said, “I’m a gay athlete. There aren’t too many of us, so when I came out to my college team, that was a really tough time for me.”
Panic At The Disco singer Brendon came out as pansexual. He said, “I just like good people, if your heart’s in the right place. I’m definitely attracted to men. It’s just people that I am attracted to. I guess this is me coming out as pansexual.”
Twenty-three-year-old Collin Martin came out as gay, wrapped in a pride flag. Amen to that. He becomes the second Stateside pro footballer to do so. Robbie Rogers was the first in 2013. He made the announcement via Twitter, writing “I am announcing for the first time publicly that I am an openly gay player in Major League Soccer, June is Pride month, and I am proud to be playing for Pride, and to be playing as an out gay man.”
The 23-year-old DJ and producer came out as bisexual in Feb 2018 saying, “Now I dream of finding the person I want to share my life with, man or woman.”
Many people interpreted song lyrics to Harry’s song “Medicine”. In the song, Harry sings: “…The boys and the girls are here, I mess around with them, and I’m okay with it. I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda like it, and when I sleep i’m gonna dream of how you tasted…”
He also appeared with a rainbow flag numerous times on his promotional tour.
This isn’t the first time Harry Styles has talked about his sexuality, however. A few years ago he told a reporter during an interview, that gender wasn’t an important factor for him when looking for a mate. He said that a sense of humour and being natural was key for him.
Despite this, Harry has not actually commented on his sexuality, but watch this space.
Jaden Smith confirmed that he was dating rap artist Tyler The Creator live on stage at a concert. Taking the microphone Jaden said, ‘I just wanna say Tyler, The Creator is the best friend in the world. And I love him so fing much, and I wanna tell you guys something, I wanna tell you, Tyler doesn’t wanna say, but Tyler is my mother fing boyfriend.’
Jake Atlas
Pro Wrestler Jake Atlas came out in Feb 2018 saying, “I am proud to fulfil my promise of coming out publicly about my sexuality to be a voice for those that struggle with this issue like I have for many, many years.”
Actor Jake Choi said that while he shot the TV series, Single Parents he identified as straight, he said “When I shot the movie I identified as straight – that’s how I was conditioned. Now, I identify as fluid.”
Twenty-seven-year-old actor Jake Borelli came out via Instagram the same night as his character on the show Grey’s Anatomy. Jake Borelli, took time on Thursday to write a heart-warming message on social media after his character, Dr Levi Schmitt, on the long-running TV drama, Grey’s Anatomy embarked on a same-sex love story. The actor wrote how he “craved” as a young person, storylines like the one his character is involved with and hoped that the character would bring hope to others.
Before the release of Love, Simon, Joey came out as gay. Speaking to US magazine, The Advocate the star said the film’s lead character, Simon, had an experience that was similar to his own.
He said that he came out to his friends and family when he was 18, saying that he thought that most of them “knew on some level”, but his mum always knew apparently. He revealed, “My mom knew. She laid hints for me everywhere.”
Kevin McHale
(C) BIGSTOCK
The Glee actor came out in 2018 on Twitter and is a brand new entry to this list. He has over 1.35 million followers on Twitter. Apart from Glee Kevin has also starred in the E4 panel show, Virtually Famous.
Kevin Laroy
http://gty.im/1052447514
Tattoo artist Kevin Laroy – also known as Babyface Killa came out to his father on the TV show Black Ink Crew. He said, “Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be me. The fact of the matter is… I am a gay black male.”
Boy Erased star Lucas Hedges has confirmed in a recent interview that he doesn’t identify as totally straight. But not Bisexual or Gay. Somewhere on the spectrum. The Boy Erased and Manchester By The Sea star was speaking in a Vulture interview when he sort of “came out” after revealing he had a crush on a boy at camp.
The Hobbit and Guardians of the Galaxy star Lee Pace came out in March this year saying, but was affronted by the question about his sexuality when asked by a journalist saying, “I’ve dated men, I’ve dated women,” he said. “I don’t know why anyone would care. I’m an actor and I play roles. To be honest, I don’t know what to say – I find your question intrusive.”
Matt Evers
Professional skater Matt Evers came out as gay in an interview with Attitude magazine. The 41-year-old star who is set to take part in the ITV show, Dancing On Ice, reveals that he was brought up in a very strict religious household, but decided to come out after being inspired by his uncle, who died of an AIDS-related illness over twenty years ago.
Michael shared that he was “sexually fluid”. Speaking to the Daily Beast about his new project, a play called Thom Pain, Dexter actor, Michael C Hall spoke about his own sexuality, saying that he thinks that sexuality is on a spectrum and that making out with a male actor night after night made him “lean” into being sexually fluid.
He told the website, “I think there’s a spectrum. I am on it … If there was a percentage, I would say I was not all the way heterosexual.”
Journalist Ronan came out as part of the LGBT community in 2018 saying, “Being a part of the LGBT community … which recognised that reporting I was doing early on and elevated it, and has been such a stalwart source of support through the sexual assault reporting I did involving survivors who felt equally invisible … that has been an incredible source of strength for me.”
