“For young people coming to terms with their sexuality today, all I can say is, be true to yourself. Geraldine Page once told me, (The press loved her. They hated my guts.) ‘If people don’t like you, that’s their bad taste.’ I needed to hear that, and I’d like to pass that on to all of you. Just remember… If people don’t like you, that’s their bad taste.”
Tab Hunter didn’t come out as gay until later in his life. He came out in 2005 when he released his autobiography Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star (2005)
Tab died from complications of a blood clot in his leg that caused cardiac arrest. According to his partner Glaser, whom he had been with since 1983, Hunter’s death was “sudden and unexpected”.
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“A breeding ground that perpetuates racism against gay Asian Men”
A man is planning to sue the gay dating app, Grindr, for racial discrimination and is looking for co-plaintiffs across the US’s fifty states so that he can bring a class action.
In a statement released on social media, Sinakhone Keodara, the CEO and founder of the Asian Entertainment Television company says that Grindr allows “white gay men to write in their profiles ‘no Asians’, ‘not interested in Asians’: or ‘I don’t find Asians attractive’,” which he says, leads to people feeling “offended, humiliated, degraded and dehumanised” by the app.
Keodara says that anyone who is considering joining him must be a paying customer.
In 2018, Grindr became fully owned by the Chinese gaming firm, Kunlun Tech Co.
The dating app OKCupid recently analysed sexual racism among 1m of its male site users. The company found that compared to black, Asian or minority ethnic users, white users got more messages. White users were also found to be less likely to reply or match with users of a different race to themselves, and more likely to question interracial marriage.
Recent research from Australia also found that 15% of gay men on the dating app Grindr included sexual racism on their profiles. This was more likely to be the case if the profile user was white, and if the user held broader racist views.
People on Twitter are calling out Louis Walsh after patting her bum live on national TV.
The clip, which has surfaced on Twitter was taken from an X Factor roundup show a few years ago and shows judge, Louis Walsh patting the former Spice Girl’s behind. The clip has been watched over 4.5 million times on the social platform.
After Mel B calls out Walsh on why he is touching her inappropriately, Simon Cowell is seen joking to Mel, “you’re safe” which some have found to be problematic. Louis says he was doing it to “look after” the star.
“Why are you grabbing my butt”
During the interview, Walsh can be seen tapping the singer’s butt while Mel B starts to look uncomfortable and looks off-screen before confronting Walsh. She then stops the interview, mid-flow and asks Walsh directly, “Why are you grabbing my butt?”.
Walsh replies, “I’m looking after Mel.”
Simon Cowell, whose company Syco owns the format for the show, jokes, “honestly you’re safe”.
After Mel calls Walsh out, she physically moves herself away from Louis, before the interview continues.
People are now calling on TV execs to remove him from TV shows and for Walsh to apologise for his actions. Unrelated, it was announced that Louis Walsh would not be returning to judge The X Factor for this year’s show.
Many people have assumed that Walsh is gay, but in 2013 in an interview with the Sunday Times, when asked whether he was gay or straight he replied, “I can’t… Don’t go there. I can’t. I think your private life is your private life…I’m happy. Happy as Larry!”
He’s never been married and has never publicly acknowledged anyone as a partner, however, he was spotted by one of our showbiz insiders at the Balans restaurant in South Beach, Florida, accompanied by a lovely looking tall dark and handsome type a few years back.
Over the weekend, Pride In London’s parade was interrupted by a protest group, Get The L Out. Who are they and what do they stand for?
Get The L Out is a fringe lesbian and feminist protest group which previously called for transgender people to be removed from the LGBT acronym. The petition was ultimately unsuccessful and now they are petitioning to have the “L” removed from LGBT+. The petition was signed by just 310 people. They say that lesbians are being “silenced and threatened” and claim that all women and girls are “at risk” and their interests are taking a backseat to the transgender community.
Over the weekend around eight to ten women stopped the Pride In London march and lay on the ground after being asked by organisers to move on. When they wouldn’t organisers decided to allow the group to march but at the front, well ahead of the official starting line of the parade, leaving enough gap as to ensure that the group would not be legitimised by walking behind the rainbow flag.
The group also makes the claim that publications slur lesbians by using the word “terf” and “cis”.
Terf stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist. Cisgendered people are those whose outward gender expression matches the sex they were assigned at birth by their parents and medical professions.
Anti-trans?
The protest was strongly condemned by Pride In London who said that the group had shown “a level of bigotry, ignorance and hate that is unacceptable”. They also said that the group was not a registered parade group. The statement also went on to say that Pride In London “reject what this group stands for. They do not share our values, which are about inclusion and respect and support for the most marginalised parts of our community”.
GTLO says that they,”believe that lesbian rights are under attack by the trans movement and we encourage lesbians everywhere to leave the LGBT and form their own independent movement, as well as to be vocal and take action against the proposed changes to the General Recognition Act”.
Some concrete themselves because of a film they were in, some because of the artist who sung it. Some songs become gay anthems because of their message. We’ve teamed up with Deezer to showcase our pick of the top 40 gay anthems.
1) I’m Coming Out, Diana Ross, 1980
The name says it all. If ever there was a feel-good song to celebrate coming out from Ms Diana Ross. It’s the perfect way to kick off any pride playlist – and was the way in which Ms Ross used to kick off her concerts since 1980, the year in which it was also released.
2) It’s Raining Men, The Weather Girls, 1982
This is an ultra-camp classic that stood the test of time. So loved by the gay community that in 2014, when a UKIP councillor suggest that the unusual flooding in the UK at the time was caused by same-sex marriage, the song was released again and reached number 21 in the UK charts. Geri Halliwell also released a version, but you can’t beat the original, which stars the vocals of Martha Wash and Izora Armstead.
3) Get The Party Started, P!nk, 2001
Who can’t get the party started when they hear the outspoke ally, P!nk sing this song?
4) Bag It Up, Geri Halliwell, 2000
When the Spice Girls split there was only ever going to be one true gay icon to emerge from the famous fivesome, and it was always going to be Geri Halliwell (now Horner). She was the first to release solo material and racked up numerous hits including this mega camp ditty. The promo for ‘Bag It Up’ included Geri literally birthing herself live on stage between the split legs of a giant woman, surrounded by hot, pink-haired dancers in hot pants. It was the 2000 BRIT Music Awards – and Geri the gay icon had arrived.
5) Sissy That Walk, RuPaul, 2013
In 2009 the drag world had become, some might say, passe. Gay venues across the UK, which had been drag’s home, were in decline and closing down at a phenomenal rate. In London over 100 gay bars had closed since the year 2000. Then a somewhat forgotten drag queen star of the late 80s and early 90s launched a show that would change drag and its place in mainstream society. From that, RuPaul rose like a glittery phoenix and began releasing music. ‘Sissy That Walk’ came from her most successful album to date, Born Naked. The lyrics empower some of the most marginalised in our community.
6) Express Yourself, Madonna, 1989
It’s hard to find which track defines the epicness of Madonna’s credentials as a gay icon, but perhaps ‘Express Yourself’ comes somewhere close to the zenith. Its message of self-empowerment is as relevant today as it was back in 1989 when it was released.
7) Your Disco Needs You, Kylie Minogue, 2001
This is Kylie at pure campery. From the album that reignited her career, released in 2000, Light Years. Although ‘Spinning Around’ was the standout hit from the album, this has its own status as a pure camp classic.
8) Dancing Queen, ABBA, 1976
What gay anthem list is complete without an ABBA track? There are so many camp classics in the ABBA catalogue, but ‘Dancing Queen’ has many gay connotations from dancing drag queens to gay men who refer to themselves as queens. We think everyone should feel like royalty on the dance floor.
9) Firework, Katy Perry, 2010
Katy Perry released this track in 2010 and every pop fuelled moment is about being your most explosive self.
10) Stronger, Kelly Clarkson 2007
Kelly Clarkson became a bit of a lesbian icon after the release of her second album. The single ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ is the ultimate song from this album, but her more recent output includes this uplifting song about strength.
11) All The Lovers, Kylie, 2010
Our second Kylie hit on this list. Although some Kylie purists might not class this as the gayest of Kylie’s gay discography, its message is pure inclusivity.
12) Make Me Feel, Janelle Monae, 2018
Janelle Monae came out in 2018 as a queer woman and followed that news with this somewhat Prince-inspired track. It’s sometimes hard to induct a new track into the gay anthem catalogue, but in years to come this song’s meaning and video imagery will go down as iconic.
13) Outside, George Michael, 1998
This was the song in which George Michael publicly spoke out about his sexuality. It was the summer of 1998, and although his previous album, Older, eluded to being gay and fast love, it was after his very public arrest in an LA public toilet that GM made his sexuality known, loud and proud.
14) I’m Still Standing, Elton John, 1983
With a back catalogue like Elton’s, where do you start? Despite the fact that Elton was “in” for the early years of his career, it wasn’t until 1988 that he full left the closet, ‘I’m Still Standing’ seems like the perfect song to stand up against all that life might throw against you.
If ever there was a survivor’s song, Gloria Gaynor’s disco hit is it.
17) Young Hearts Run Free, Candi Staton, 1976
The song came out of a story Candi had relayed to the writer, David Crawford. She told him that she had a hard time getting out of an abusive relationship. He replied that he was going to write a song for her that would “last forever”. A new version of the song was released in 1999 and it peaked at number 29.
18) Finally, Cece Peniston, 1992
You can thank The Adventures ofPriscilla Queen Of The Desert for making this song an undeniable gay hit – and one that countless drag queens around the world have mimed to ever since 1994. It wasn’t even a hit when it was first released, managing to just creep into the top 30 in the UK. However, a re-release in 1992 meant that it reached a rather respectable Number 2.
19) Queer As Folk Theme, 2000
In 1999 a TV programme called Queer As Folk shocked and delighted the British public – but not in equal measure. These were the years where we were coming out of the AIDS crisis and into an era where sexual diversity and LGBT+ rights were being celebrated. A new dawn of equality was in the air at the turn of century. The repeal of Section 28 was just a few years away and Civil Partnerships were just around the corner. However, the rimming scene in the first episode caused, as you would guess, reactionary headlines from the right-wing and conservative newspapers.
20) All For You, Janet Jackson, 2001
“Nice Package alright, guess I’m gonna have to ride it tonight”. With lyrics like these how could Janet Jackson’s 2001 hit ‘All For You’ not be an anthem. In the US it was a number 1. Janet Jackson has since the 90s been seen as a gay icon. Her sexualised music and her long-term support of the LGBT community using her fame and even her music to speak out against homophobia have made her an LGBT+ favourite.
21) How Will I Know, Whitney Houston, 1985
Whether you choose Sam Smith’s ballad version or Whitney’s pop classic, this song is a pure anthem.
22) One Day In Your Life, Anastacia, 2002
One of the most feel-good anthems from powerhouse vocalist Anastacia taken from her second album, Freak Of Nature. Although it didn’t chart particularly well, Anastacia told THEGAYUK.com “My thoughts would be is that I was hard to out do ‘I’m Outta Love’, and it was really close. It was a strong reminder and I think if anyone else did it, it might not have even gone that far, but because I did it, it was reminiscent”. However we’ve chosen this song because the message is pure positive and a reminder that no matter how hopeless life can feel, it will get better.
23) Doin’ It – Nathan’s Theme, Queer As Folk, 2000
“I’m doin’ it, I’m really doin’ it” was one of the standout quotes from Queer As Folk as a young Nathan loses his virginity with Stuart. He boasts it loudly and proudly that he is having unapologetic gay sex. Bravo.
24) Stronger, Britney Spears, 2000
Britney’s hit ‘Stronger’ is yet another song about winning against the odds and realising how much strength you have in you. Britney’s place as a gay icon has long established. At the 29th GLAAD awards, she was awarded the Vanguard Award.
Despite picking up some heat from social media, ‘Girls’ explores female sexuality and bisexuality and that doesn’t happen all too much in music. Rita Ora did apologise for any offence caused, but many in the LGBT+ community voiced that she didn’t need to make an apology.
26) The Best, Tina Turner, 1991
Usually, you can’t go to a pride event without hearing ‘Proud Mary’, another iconic hit by Tina Turner, but we have to say that once we heard it sung as a love song between two men in Netflix’s Schitt’s Creek, we had to add this to our list.
27) Go West, Pet Shop Boys, 1993
It was only after the Pet Shop Boys performed this Village People original at an AIDS charity benefit in Manchester that the duo released it as a single in 1993 and is one of their campest, proudest songs.
28) We Are Family, Sister Sledge, 1979
Like Priscilla, The Birdcage forever cemented this Sister Sledge classic. You never be able to forget Gene Hackman lipsyncing to the track in full drag. Speaking to THEGAYUK about the song’s icon status, Kim Sledge said, “Well I’ll tell you, that anyone and everyone who embraced that song makes us feel amazing and grateful. It is a song of love and it’s a song that embraces so we’re ecstatic about it.”
29) Like A Virgin, Madonna, 1984
It could be argued that this is the song that turned a young Madonna into a fully fledged pop queen.
30) Same Love, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis & Mary Lambert, 2012
In the UK, ‘Same Love’ reached number 6. It was released during the fight for the right for gays and lesbians to marry in Washington State in 2012, before same-sex marriage became legal in every state in the US.
31) Silent Whispers, Jake Hook, 2007
This song is from a relatively unknown, but openly gay singer-songwriter, Jake Hook, (although he more famously wrote for other artists) the song is a simple love song between two men, with a subtle hint within the lyrics, “When X&Y collide” and talks about a love which is difficult to be open about in public. It came from an EP which was named SXY from which he launched a sexual health campaign for gay and bisexual men in 2007.
32) Can’t Take That Away, Mariah Carey, 2000
Despite not being a hit, Mariah’s theme, is a strong reminder that she is by far, one the best female singer-songwriters of the 21st century. She teamed up with Diane Warren to write this, most intimate of songs. The song’s lyrics speak about inner strength and not permitting anyone to tear you down. Plus the vocal run at the end is incomparable. The song comes from the album, Rainbow.
33) Beautiful, Christina Aguilera 2002
It was the video that accompanied this song which deserves a special mention. In fact Christina Aguilera won a GLAAD award for the song. It had a really positive representation of a gay couple and a transgender person, which was ahead of its time in 2002.
34) Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Judy Garland, 1939
The original gay icon, Judy Garland. This is the song that gave birth to the saying “friend of Dorothy”, which was a code gay men used to identify each other before homosexuality became legal.
35) I Didn’t Know My Own Strength, Whitney Houston, 2009
Before she died, Whitney Houston released this track. A testament to how, regardless of how powerless you might feel, that you are always stronger than you think.
36) Let It Go, Demi Lovato, 2013
Some have classed this song as the Coming Out theme of the 21st century a, perhaps, unintended gay anthem from the hit film, Frozen or maybe entirely intended!
37) Anytime You Need A Friend, Mariah Carey, 1994
Our second Mariah track is a soulful gospel song from the album that brought her wider recognition in the UK, Musicbox. The song’s theme tells the listener that they’ll never be alone and that anytime they need a friend, she will be there. Who wouldn’t want Mariah as a friend, when they’re in need?
38) I Kissed A Girl, Katy Perry, 2008
Although some have blasted Katy Perry for appropriating gay culture in this song for the purposes of gaining attention and sales. In 2018 Perry expressed regret about the lyrics saying, that she would edit them now. However, again, like Rita Ora’s ‘Girls’ this song has a nod to bisexuality and experimenting with some of the same-sex – and liking it. It’s all about opening minds y’all.
39) Man! I Feel Like A Woman, Shania Twain, 1999
Who can’t help but wiggle their way through this song?
40) Born This Way, 2011
In 2011 Lady Gaga knew exactly how to speak directly to her LGBT+ fans. ‘Born This Way’ is the song for its generation. The lyrics are a lesson in inclusive and diverity as she pays tribute to many in our wonderful community.
A victim has been left with a fractured skull after an alleged “vicious” attack at a London gay bar.
An alleged homophobic attack happened at one of London’s most popular gay venues.
A man was left with a fractured skull after an assault at the Eagle bar in Vauxhall. The alleged attack happened in the early hours of 2nd July 2018, when two men and a woman were asked to leave the premises.
After the small group was ejected they became violent, according to the Met police. Two males, 42 and 30 and a female, 20-year-old, were taken into custody. They were released under investigation.
According to a police statement, “It would appear that two men and a woman took umbrage to being asked to move from the smoking area, and were then subsequently ejected from the premises after making homophobic comments to staff at the venue”.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Phill Govett, from Lambeth, said, “This was a particularly vicious attack which stemmed from a minor incident and involved the use of homophobic language. Hate crime in any form will not be tolerated by police and we will take all possible action to bring perpetrators of these offences to justice.”
This weekend, the UK’s capital, plays host to one of the countries biggest pride events, Pride In London. The Met have made policing the event a “priority”.
Chief Superintendent Helen Millichap, Met spokesperson for the event, said, “As with any large event the Met’s priority is public safety and we are working closely with the organisers in the lead up to Pride to develop our policing plan. We want Pride to be a friendly, safe event for everyone to enjoy and to help us we need the public to take the usual precautions by remaining vigilant and reporting anything of concern to police officers or stewards at the event.”
Up until now if you were looking for a car-parking space and you happened to be an LGBT+ parent your representation was ZERO. Now thanks to Volvo, Westfield has got a wide range of icon representations for all different family types. From Grandparents to single mums to gay dads.
The trial, conducted in partnership with Westfield London in Shepherds Bush where the new icons can be seen, aligns with the theme of Volvo’s TV advertising programme for the V60 – “The New Family Model”, which launches on 9 July. Over the years, the definition of family has evolved, hence the icons profile different examples of family within society, including same-sex couples, single parents and nuclear families.
Mike Johnstone, Marketing Strategy Director, Volvo Car UK, said: “The introduction of the new V60 gives us the ideal opportunity to celebrate the modern family in all its guises. As the contemporary iteration of our mid-size family estate, the V60 perfectly reflects our human-centric approach to car design which aims to make its owners’ lives easier and safer.”
If you’ve walked past the massive FOCUS sign on the Thames and wondered what it was, we’ve got the answer.
It’s an Artifical Intelligence, interactive art piece. The installation’s interactive letters, spelling F-O-C-U-S, use artificial intelligence to interact with visitors and passers-by to discover and highlight their interests or passions.
Once determined, these passions are displayed across 540 LED video tiles embedded in the six meters high, 30m long structure, alongside a video edit of the experience uploaded to Facebook to share.
It took approximately 200 hours to train the AI programme to ‘understand’ and respond to users, and it is able to converse in four languages, with London the second stop on a five-leg European City tour. Standing at six-metres high, the 20-tonne structure took over 6,000 hours to fabricate.
“The Ford Focus has an extensive fan base, coming from nearly two million customers over 20 years,” said Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director. “Those in London over one of its busiest weekends can celebrate the arrival of the 2018 Ford Focus by sharing their passions via our giant F-O-C-U-S letters.”
Ford will be supporting Pride Festival during the switch-on moment and throughout the weekend, displaying the Pride flag across the installation, as well as unfurling the St George’s flag on Saturday ahead of England’s quarterfinal World Cup fixture.
Edmund Rogers from Ford’s GLOBE group, an employee resource group for sexual orientation and gender identity commented, “Ford has a strong history of supporting LGBT rights, and Pride, so we’re very proud to be flying the flag in support of Pride 2018.”
The installation is open to the public until 8th July, supported by a range of new Focus vehicles, allowing people to explore the technology on offer in the new Ford Focus.
Having trouble getting enough fibre in your diet, here’s a super colourful way to do it
We love a smoothie – and not just a Steve with the dreamy eyes and pecs you can nestle in. We love the type you can drink too. Now you can rainbow that smoothie up with this exclusive recipe, brought to you by the World Avocado Organization (WAO).
Here’s what you’ll need
Ingredients:
2 tbsp acai powder
1 litre almond milk
1 pear
150g spinach
½ avocado
½ mango
75g strawberries
75g raspberries
4 bananas
150g blueberries
Method:
Create each layer and store separately in the freezer for 5 minutes allowing them to settle:
Purple: Place half a banana into the blender, add two tablespoons of acai powder, cover with almond milk and blend
Blue: Blend together the blueberries and pear
Green: Blend the spinach and avocado with almond milk
Yellow: Break up two bananas into the blender, cover with almond milk and blend
Orange: Peel and cut up an orange with half a mango, add one banana and blend with almond milk
Pink: Add strawberries and raspberries with half a banana, cover with almond milk and blend
Pour an equal amount of each smoothie carefully on top of one another into a highball glass – your smoothie is complete!
The Birdcage is one of the most famous gay movies in history and one of Robin William’s most successful, but where can you stream it?
The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane is available on Netflix UK.
The film was originally released in 1996 and has become one of the highest grossing LGBT+ films in history. Find out about where the cast is now.
The film is about a nightclub owner (Robin Williams) and his long-term partner (Nathan Lane) who is the club’s drag queen star. When their son, Val, announces he is to wed the daughter of a conservative senator, who deplores liberal values and gay rights, they scramble to make their home, lives and partnership suitable for homophobes. Although it doesn’t all exactly go to plan.
The Adventures Priscilla Queen Of The Desert is one of the most enduring of gay movies and has turned into a cult classic.
The film was released back in 1994 when times were less accepting and there’s no doubt that Priscillaand its cast have played a part towards LGBT+ acceptance in its home country, Austraila, but also more broadly across the globe.
The film follows two drag queens and a trans woman who travel to the centre of Australia to play their show in a casino resort. Along the way, they encounter some interesting and dangerous people.
Is the story based on a real-life story?
Sadly, although it would make for a brilliant real-life story, The Adventures Priscilla Queen Of The Desert is a work of fiction. Although much of the film’s subtext: intolerance, homophobia and transphobia are very much facets of LGBT+ life.
The film was written and directed by openly gay director and screenwriter Stephan Elliot. Stephan only came out as gay in 2012, nearly two decades after Priscilla was originally released.
