Queer is a term which up until recently was a derogatory and aggressive term used to describe mainly homosexual men in the 19th century by heterosexual people. Many still find the term triggering and deeply offensive. The dictionary definition of the word means strange or odd.
However, some people in the LGBT+ community have reclaimed the term and ascribe the word to describe their own identity. Some people and organisation have even started to use the word as an umbrella term for the entire LGBT+ community.
Care should be taken by those not in the LGBT+ community in using the word. A recent poll undertaken by THEGAYUK, found that the majority of people did not find the word appropriate as an umbrella term.
Can you expand this definition? Use the comments below and your answer could be used to expand or define this glossary entry.
Undetectable is a term used in the HIV community and describes whether HIV is detectable in someone’s bloodstream. People who are “undetectable” cannot pass on HIV to sexual partners. Undectable happens when someone’s viral load or the amount of the virus in the bloodstream is so low it becomes undetectable. It doesn’t mean, however, that HIV is not present.
An undetectable load can be achieved when a person diagnosed with HIV is following medical advice from their doctors and managing their illness properly – mainly through the use of medication. It can take up to six months for someone’s viral load to become undetectable.
Can you expand this definition? Use the comments below and your answer could be used to expand or define this glossary entry.
Deadnaming is when a person refers to someone by a previous name, it could be done with malice or by accident. It mostly affects transgender people who have changed their name during their transition.
For instance, if a trans woman’s birth name was Martin, but she changed it to Sarah during her transition, calling her Martin or referring to her as Martin would be deadnaming her.
It is very similar to misgendering but focuses more on someone’s name rather than gender pronouns.
Can you expand this definition? Use the comments below and your answer could be used to expand or define this glossary entry.
The brand new series of RuPaul’s Drag Race, All Stars 3 has started in the UK – and is available to watch on a broadcast channel, rather than a streaming service.
The brand new series of All Stars has started airing in the UK, but what channel can you find it on? Here’s a RuCap of what went on.
The new series of All Stars is on the Comedy Central channel, which can be found on:
Sky Channel 112 / 127 / 205
Virgin Media 132 / 133 181
Freewire 148
TalkTalkTV 307
BT 307 / 370
Plusnet 307 /370
The show is broadcast on Saturday nights at 10 PM on Comedy Central.
She’s just turned 60. The star has become an incredible and powerful voice for LGBT+ rights. In the 90s she broke all boundaries when she came out on her sitcom, Ellen. She came out at around the same time on Oprah. It was a time when most TV stars were firmly in the closet. Instead of damaging her career, the move went on to cement Ellen in the hearts of millions of Americans.
Today Ellen is one of the most successful people in show business and is worth hundreds of millions of dolloars.
USA Today made this video to celebrate the six reasons, one for each of her decades, why they love her… We agree with every one of them.
Andrew and Courtney’s showmance is officially over as Apprentice star, Andrew Brady is evicted from the Big Brother house.
Viewers had been voting to save Andrew, Daniel, Jonny or Shane J. Last night – in a triple eviction – Emma Willis revealed live to the house that Andrew and Jonny received the fewest votes and would be the sixth and seventh housemates to leave Celebrity Big Brother January 2018.
Andrew left the house first and was greeted to a mixed reaction from the crowd.
On how it felt to be out of the house, Andrew told Emma, “Epic. To be part of such a fantastic series. Three weeks out of four, that’s good going I think. It’s been amazing.”
Emma asked Andrew about the language he used when speaking about Ann, “That was out of order. I’ll hold my hands up and say it was out of order.”
When asked about first meeting Courtney, Andrew told Emma: “I was like pow, this girl’s fit. We got to know each other quite quickly. Genuinely, Courtney has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”
Emma then asked if he thought of Shane J and Courtney as different people, “No, not at all. Shane has the biggest heart. I’ve got so much admiration for him, for what he’s gone through in his life, and for what message he has. We should all be listening to that sort of message.”
Celebrity Big Brother continues until the 2nd Feb on Channel 5
Garry Kerr from British Military Fitness should know a thing or two about getting fit. He shared a few of his top tips to fight the Christmas Pudding bulge.
CREDIT: curaphotography-bigstock
Nom, nom, nom…extra eating: During the winter and especially over the festive season we typically eat more than we would normally and exercising is a great way to burn those extra calories and keep yourself in shape so when spring finally arrives you’re in tip-top shape! Here are some tips to help you beat the Christmas flab!
1. Keep a fitness journal!
A workout log can help keep your exercise routine on track when you’re struggling to stay motivated because it will show you how far you’ve come since you started, and therefore how worthwhile it is to keep going.
2. Commit yourself.
Get moving! Just do it! There is no time like the start of a New Year. You’ve got the indulgences of Christmas behind but it’s important you commit. Why not write all the classes you can attend in your diary so they are viewed as actual appointments and you’re less likely to cancel.
3. Set short-term goals
Having something specific to aim for, such as losing a certain amount of weight or entering a race / marathon, for example, the Major Series (www.majorseries.com) in the Spring will help you stick to your training plan. But make sure your goals are achievable. Setting and failing to reach outlandish targets will put you off.
4. Find the fun in it
Exercise should not feel like torture. After all, you have made a conscious decision to do it. You can take great pleasure in overcoming challenges and progressing with your fitness alongside other people.
Does that mean that it will be easy? No. In order to change your body, you need to experience ‘overload’. This means that you need to keep challenging your body in order to increase your fitness levels. You will, however, improve your fitness levels if you rest and recover properly after each workout.
5. Reward yourself
Once you’ve hit one of your targets reward yourself. By training and committing to your training you’ve earned the right to spoil yourself. Whether it’s a new item of clothing or fitness-related gadgets or clothing – enjoy your achievements.
6. Use visualisation
If you don’t believe that you can do that final burpee or make it through those final reps, you certainly won’t be able to but by picturing yourself doing it before you try it, you’ll create a mental template that can translate into success.
7. Eating right
Food is 90% of the health and fitness battle. You can make great changes just by making small adjustments to your eating habits alone. While changing any habits may seem like a daunting task, there is a wealth of resources available to guide you. By eating a regular mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates you will reap the benefits of your physical training routine. You will have both the energy to perform and the nutritional foundations needed for recovery. This exercise and nutrition relationship will help you to achieve your goals
8. Be realistic
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Unfortunately, while over-used, there is some truth in that saying.
A healthy approach is to aim to improve on yesterday. By repeating this process you will start to feel like you have made great improvements over a course of weeks, months and years. It is also important to consider where you want to be.
9. There is gain without pain!
While exercise should be challenging in order to encourage the body to adapt and therefore improve, it should not lead to any injuries.
Many people, particularly those new to exercise can become over-enthusiastic because of the physical changes that they experience. Our bodies can only truly complete exercises at 100% intensity for a number of seconds. Exercises completed over the course of an hour-long session are performed below maximum intensity. You should, therefore, focus more on your technique and try to work as hard as possible but not push yourself to the point of nausea.
10. Abandon an all-or-nothing attitude
Don’t think of exercise with an all-or-nothing approach. If you unexpectedly miss a session, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on track tomorrow. Remember; exercise and fitness is a way of life, it’s not a destination.
British Military Fitness (BMF) is the UK’s number one provider of outdoor fitness classes. BMF was the first, it’s the biggest and it’s the best. Come rain, shine or snow, BMF runs over 400 classes a week in over 120 parks and outdoor spaces across the UK. www.britishmilitaryfitness.com
The death of TV star, Joel Taylor has sparked an FBI investigation.
The 38-year-old TV star, Joel Taylor was found dead in his cabin onboard the cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Harmony of the Seas. According to TMZ, Taylor became so “out of it” on the party drug GHB, that he fell unconscious on the ship’s dance floor. He was taken to his cabin to recover.
When the ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico when his body was discovered. A spokesperson for the cruise confirmed that a body had been discovered.
The FBI is now investigating his death and who supplied them and how they got onboard.
TMZ reports that they’ve been told there was a huge amount of drugs onboard the ship, including cocaine, ecstasy and GHB. The ship’s owners, Royal Caribbean, have a strict zero tolerance on illegal drugs.
Source told TMZ that several people were arrested when the ship left Fort Lauderdale.
Storm Chasers TV star, Joel Taylor has died at the age of 38.
A 38-year-old TV star has been found dead in his cabin onboard the cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Harmony of the Seas. The ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico when his body was discovered. A spokesperson for the cruise confirmed that a body had been discovered.
An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of his death.
Gossip site, TMZ has reported that a police official said the death “could be an overdose”. The spokesperson also said that Taylor was “consuming controlled substances”.
According to some passengers onboard, recreational drugs were “plentiful”.
Joel, who lived in Oklahoma, starred in Storm Chasers in 2008 on the Discovery Channel. The show ended in 2012
Blind Date is about to air its first-ever gay episode.
Although this isn’t the first episode featuring an all same-sex line-up – that happened in 2017, it is the first time gay men will take part in the legendary TV show, presented by Paul O’Grady. It’s taken 19 series to get to this point!
Speaking of the episode, Paul said, “This is another huge milestone for Blind Date and I can’t wait for viewers to see the guys having a blast on screen”.
Meet 28-year-old Joni, a nightclub host from Newcastle. Joni is titled Mr Gay England 2016 after entering the competition. He uses his title as a platform to help and prevent young suicides in the LGBT community.
Joni, from Newcastle, is the first gay “chooser” for Blind Date and will have the chance to question three suitors for his blind date.
Blind Date is hosted by Paul O’Grady, taking over from his late friend, Cilla Black.
He’ll have the opportunity to question these three lovely lads,
36-year-old Alex a project manager from Henley On Thames. Alex classes himself as a ‘serial relationshipper’ he would like another relationship but with someone that lasts the distance and he’s hoping Blind Date will find him the one.
Then there’s Mark. The 29-year-old Case Handler for Airline claims, currently lives in London, but hails from Fife in Scotland.
Finally, there’s Paul. A 32-year-old Operations Manager from Barbados, living in Birmingham. He describes himself as a ‘full of life’ Barbadian, who loves English men but he just hasn’t got enough of them. He’d like Blind Date to change that and help him find his ‘true love.’
This episode airs this Saturday at 8 pm on Channel 5.
A man has been jailed for 16 years for multiple sexual offences against boys in 1970s.
Retired musician, Neil Duncan, 74 from Southend-On-Sea, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on Wednesday. Along with his prison sentence, Duncan will be made to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
He previously pleaded guilty, in December 2017 to 39 offences:
One count of attempted buggery with a victim aged under 16;
– Seven counts of buggery with a victim aged under 16;
– One count of incitement to commit buggery;
– 13 counts of indecency with a child under the age of 14 years;
– 15 counts of indecent assault on a male under the age of 16 years; and,
– Two counts of making indecent images.
Detective Constable Amy Dobner, from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (CASO) Command, said, “Duncan is a prolific offender who spent the 1970s abusing young children. I am grateful that they have since come forward so that we could take the necessary action to bring him before the courts.
“I would like to take this opportunity to praise their bravery and resolve, and hope that today will further help them move on with their lives, knowing that Duncan has been punished for his crimes.”
Showing boys pornography
Police were first contacted by one of Duncan’s victims in March 2016. Three other victims subsequently came forward towards the end of 2016 and early 2017. They all told officers that they had been assaulted by Duncan as young boys in the 1970s.
Duncan would show the boys pornographic material before forcing them to perform sex acts.
Officers quickly established that he had offended across west London and the Home Counties.
Duncan was arrested on 4 August 2016. A number of computers were seized and found to contain indecent images.
Officers also discovered several diaries that were kept by Duncan which corroborated the allegations.
He was charged in mid-August 2017.
Detective Chief Inspector John Foulkes of CASO said, “Given the number of victims and offences that Duncan has admitted to, it cannot be ruled out that there are other victims who have yet to contact police.
“I would urge anyone who has been abused by Neil Duncan to come forward and speak to police where you will be supported by specially trained officers.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Barnet Child Abuse and Sexual Offences team on 020 8733 5139.
