THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • Campaigners plan protest outside Joiners Arms two years after it closed

    A protest will take place outside the Joiners Arms on Saturday afternoon over owners’ and developers “greed”, two years after the legendary gay venue closed.

    CREDIT: Friends of Joiners Arms / Facebook

    The Joiners Arms was shuttered two years ago and now campaigners are planning to hold a demonstration outside the Joiners Arms, Hackney Road, on Saturday 21st January.

    The demo is organised by the Friends of the Joiners Arms, a community group founded in 2014 to save and evolve the Joiners Arms pub. The group hopes to bring the pub into community ownership, so it becomes London’s first cooperatively owned, LGBT+ community centre, with the pub a central part of its operation.

    In 2015 the pub was closed after owners working with property developers – planned to bulldoze the venue to make way for new homes. The pub has remained empty since its closure. One of the Friends of the Joiners Arms co-chairs called the motive to close the iconic venue as “greed and nothing else”.

    Jon Ward, co-chair of the Friends of the Joiners Arms, said,

    “The Joiners was one the few late night LGBTQIA venues in the east end, and its closure has left a massive hole in queer night scene and in our hearts. The venue closed because of greed and nothing else – why should such an important queer space be left to rot when it could be such an asset to the community?”

    Amy Roberts, co-chair of Friends of the Arms, says:

    “We invite everyone to join us at 1.30pm on Saturday to show the strength of feeling that remains – the Joiners Arms is our space, and the community wants it back!”

  • Michelle Visage points out the HUGE difference between Obama’s Big day and Trumps

    As inaugurations go, President Trump’s wasn’t the smallest in history, but as Michelle Visage has pointed out it certainly was no match for President Obama’s in 2009.

    CREDIT: Whitehouse Photographer

    Hundreds of millions tuned in to watch the inauguration of Donald Trump, however, the turn out to watch the event live in Washington DC was well below that of Obama’s 2009 swearing in.  Michelle Visage was quick to share a shocking image showing the poor turn out, where huge areas of land outside the Capitol Building in Washington DC stand empty.

    In 2009 Obama’s inauguration set a new record for attendees, although there is no official count. It was considered that over 1.8 million people turned up to watch the event. Donald Trump was unable to match the 44th President’s numbers or approval rating at the time of their respective inaugurations. Obama’s was 68 per cent. Trump’s is 37 per cent.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BPgZuFfgtf2/?taken-by=michellevisage&hl=en

    According to Washington DC’s own transport system passenger numbers were well down.

    They tweeted that as of 11 AM on Trump’s inauguration 193,000 trips had been made compared with 513,000 on Obama’s inauguration in 2009. Even Obama’s second term swearing in had over 317,000 trips made.

    Within hours of Trump becoming the 45th President, there was panic amongst some in the American LGBT community as the Whitehouse’s official website scrubbed it’s LGBT page, leaving users with just an empty white screen.

     

  • White House website removes LGBT page

    White House website removes LGBT page

    Concerns have been raised after the White House’s official website removed the LGBT page after President Trump’s inauguration.

    Donald Trump
    CREDIT: By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America (Donald Trump) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
    As the world was watching Donald Trump becoming president, tech teams at the Whitehouse.gov were removing some key pages on the website including the LGBT page that President Obama’s adminstation posted to assure the community on their committment to LGBT rights and equality.

    Vistors to www.whitehouse.gov/lgbt are now greated with a clear white page with no writing.

    Former Star Trek actor George Takei was one of the first stars to draw attention to the deletion.

    https://twitter.com/GTremblayVoice/status/822533037271511041

    One commentor on Twitter pointed out that the site’s adminstrators hadn’t removed the meta tags from the bio.

    The site is just in transition as Trump’s own team looks to update information and bring forth their own policies. As with each new adminstration the official White House website, Twitter and other social media accounts are all archived for history.

    So far the current adminstration have uploaded policies on energy, jobs and growth, making the military strong, standing up for law enforcement and trade deals.

     

  • Will Donald Trump dance with Caitlyn Jenner at his inaugural ball?

    Apparently Donald Trump is being urged to dance with Caitlyn Jenner at his inaugural ball…

    CREDIT: andykatz / bigstock

    UNPOPULAR: The incoming president of the US, Donald Trump is very unpopular with the LGBT community. Will a dance with Caitlyn Jenner mend bridges?

    In a move some are suggesting might prove that he is “in touch” with the LGBT community, President-elect Donald Trump is apparently being urged to dance with trans star Caitlyn Jenner.

    Many LGBT advocates are fearful of the backward steps a Trump administration might mean for the LGBT community in the US over the next four years, with some fearing that gay marriage could be repealed once he comes into power. Trump has said that same-sex marriage is “fine” with him.

    The Daily Mail is reporting that his advisors believe that a dance with one of America’s most visible trans stars could build bridges with the community.

    CREDIT: © Jean_Nelson / Depositphotos.com

    REPUBLICAN BEAU: Caitlyn Jenner was a supporter of the Republican party before she transitioned. She is reportedly attending the inaugural ball, but not as an official invite by the President Elect.

    Speaking to pagesix.com a member of the incoming administration said that image of Donald dancing with Caitlyn was a “brilliant idea”. 

    Richard Johnson reports that the Republican aide said,

    “The image of Trump dancing with Caitlyn would send a strong message that he supports gay rights and trans rights,” the Republican said. “A picture is worth a thousand tweets.”

    Caitlyn’s publicists hasn’t confirmed whether the star would be up for a dance… saying,

    “Can’t deal in hypotheticals. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

     

  • Loose Women will not be investigated over “gay best friend” discussion

    Loose Women will not be investigated over “gay best friend” discussion

    Ofcom has said it will not investigate Loose Women complaints about a Facebook post and on-air discussion on whether every woman should have a gay best friend.

    loose women
    ITV

    Last year the TV programme Loose Women on ITV came under intense criticism from some in the LGBT community, after a segment it called “every woman should have a gay best friend.”  Many of the critics slammed the line of questioning as “casual homophobia”.

    Pinknews reports that Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has rejected two complaints made about the show. The complaints were made on the grounds of “sexual orientation discrimination/offence”.

    The show which is broadcast on ITV every weekday morning and has been running since 1999 with 26 series being made. It celebrated its 2500 episode in April 2016.

     

  • The UK’s first LGBT TV channel set to launch

    A brand new LGBT TV channel is set to start broadcasting in the UK from February.

    The UK is about to get its first terrestrial LGBT TV channel. Broadcasting from February 2017 Latest LGBT+ TV will be bringing the best in LGBT news and entertainment to viewer’s TV screens on Freeview Channel 7 and Virgin Media 159 in the Greater Brighton area, as well as online globally.

    Fronting the channel will be two of the city’s best-known journalists.

    Presenter and Head of Latest LGBT+ TV, Sophie Cook joined Latest TV in 2016 and was the first ever transgender woman to front a news programme in Europe.

    Sophie said,

    “I’m thrilled to be leading one of the most exciting developments in British television for decades!  This represents a real opportunity to change people’s lives. We want to entertain, educate and inspire our viewers.”

    Andrew Kay, the presenter of Amazon Prime’s ‘International Chef Exchange’ will bring his wit, charm and soufflé to the channel.  

    Andrew said,

    “I see this as my chance to enjoy, in a public arena, being gay – but also to contribute towards a better and more equal world. Working with the Latest TV team is going to be exciting, challenging and fun and I hope that people – whether they are LGBT or not – will join in.”

    Bill Smith, Latest TV’s CEO and nominee for the National Diversity Award said,

    We’re delighted that our channel will be creating daily LGBT news programmes, entertainment shows, as well as screening the very best LGBT films from across the world.  We’ll also provide a platform for all LGBT filmmakers to share their work. With support from Coast to Capital, Latest TV has launched LGBT+ TV.  However we receive no ongoing public funding, so we’ve turned to crowdfunding to finance our service.”

    People power can change the world from the ground up and help to combat prejudice and injustice wherever it may appear.  Together we can be the change we want to see in the world.  We are giving people pride, not prejudice. 

  • Will And Grace is coming back, break open the Champs

    Will And Grace is coming back, break open the Champs

    It was on, then it was off and now it’s on again.

    NBC/KoMut

    Will And Grace is coming back to our screens it has been officially confirmed. Will, Grace, Karen and Jack will all return for a ten episode series of the hit comedy which was first aired in 1998. The show ran for 194 episodes in eight seasons before being taken off air in 2006.

    Ten episodes of the hit 90’s comedy Will And Grace will return to the small screen after NBC green-lit the production. The announcement came after one of the show’s stars, Leslie Jordan, jumped the gun and told fans that the show was going ahead. The news forced Debra Messing, who plays Grace in the show, to deny the report and say the show was still just in talks.

    “We’re thrilled that one of the smartest, funniest and most defining comedies in NBC history is coming back,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt. “This groundbreaking series for everything from gay rights to social and political commentary — all disguised as a high-speed train of witty pop culture — is coming back where it belongs.”

    When the show first broadcast it faced criticism after it failed to star an openly gay actor.

  • Lib Dems go to war on dating apps like Grindr

    John Leech, the former MP for Manchester Withington, has declared war on Tinder and Grindr, accusing the companies of a “serious and shocking lapse in care.”

    CREDIT: ©-Vadymvdrobot-Depositphotos

    The prominent Liberal Democrat has launched a campaign publicly calling on the dating apps Tinder and Grindr to display safety notices and dramatically increase the safety of users after a spike in related sexual assaults. Mr Leech wrote to the two leading applications after discovering that neither provided any notice of safety before allowing users to speak with complete strangers.

    His demands come after he uncovered that 58 incidents across Greater Manchester, including rape and serious violence, were linked to the two apps.

    John Leech, who will now lead a campaign to get dating apps to display safety notices, stressed his concerns saying:

    “It is completely unacceptable that neither of the two leading dating apps display safety alerts or notices at any point from download to real life use, not even anything as simple as meeting somewhere public and letting a friend know where you’re going.

    “Something as serious as rape has an enormous and life-shattering impact on so many lives, from the victim to their friends, family and co-workers. One is too many, but 17 in Greater Manchester is just unacceptable and these dating apps need to start taking preventative steps immediately.

    “Tinder and Grindr should not be let off the hook over such a serious and shocking lapse in care to their users.

    “They must introduce safety alerts immediately and dramatically increase the safety of users, and they must do it now.” 

    John Leech’s heavy words come as a Freedom of Information enquiry made by the former MP revealed that more than 58 crimes across Greater Manchester have been linked to the use of dating apps Tinder and Grindr, including rape and serious violence. 

    Of the 28 incidents related to Grindr, four resulted in rape, with a further ten other sexual offences. Theft, non-sexual violence and drug trafficking were also reported.

    A much higher number of 13 out of the 30 reported Tinder incidents resulted in rape, with other violent offences making up a further 15.

    John Leech, who now stands as the sole opposition on Manchester Council, added,

     “I am extremely concerned to see that Manchester has one of the highest numbers of incidents, and in what I would desperately like to be seen as a safe and welcoming city, these numbers are distressingly high and must be tackled immediately.

    “I fear that these worrying incidents are just the beginning of a much wider issue surrounding a serious lack of sexual and relationship education that must also be confronted.

    “In an evolving and increasingly digital age where many people have found their perfect match through these dating apps, the real dangers of online dating must also be highlighted to ensure that these horrific and life-shattering crimes are avoided.”

    Across the country, officers reported at least 162 sexual offences, including 63 rapes, linked to the two apps, which are used by more than 60 million people.

    Tinder launched as a smartphone app in 2012 and Grindr, used largely by gay and bisexual men, in 2009.

    Jane Brophy, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, said,

     “These numbers are a serious cause for concern, and as more and more people use these apps we must get better at tackling the safety of users.”

    Committing to tackling the concerning rise, Jane Brophy added,

     “Seeing an increase in sexual, health and relationship education, and a decrease in these assaults will be part of my plan to step forward for Greater Manchester.”

  • James Jordan and Jasmine are evicted from Big Brother

    James Jordan and Jasmine are evicted from Big Brother

    Following the ‘Weekend from Hell,’ on Sunday, Jasmine entered ‘Hell’ never to return. On Sunday, in the final part of the task, Housemates chose to evict Jasmine over James C and Speidi in a shock eviction. Jasmine immediately left the house in shocking style through a back door in the garden.

    CREDIT 5

    Tonight, Jasmine joined CBB host Emma for a quick chat at the start of the live show. On her unceremonious exit Jasmine said: “I wasn’t expecting that, it was such a brutal weekend.”

    Jasmine on being voted out by her friends: “So disappointed, I thought they would have had my back, I’d said to a few people that this isn’t for me, I’m not used to this kind of lifestyle, this is a lot of toxicity, heavy drama.”

    Emma asked how different this was from Jasmine’s previous time in the Celebrity Big Brother house: “It was a lot of tasks, everything that came my way was negative and then I just broke.”

    On her problems with fellow Housemate Stacy: “I still have love in my heart for this poor girl but… she would come at me at the wrong place, wrong time, she’s extremely confrontational, nosy and butts into conversations.”

    On an alleged past relationship with Calum: “We had a lot of experiences together… I was definitely hurt that he didn’t have my back.”

    After the initial shock of the way she was evicted last Sunday, Jasmine said she was “very glad” to be out.

    On Monday, Housemates were made to turn on each other for the first face-to-face nominations of the series. James C, James J and Jedward all received the most nominations and therefore face the public vote.

    Emma announced that the housemate with the fewest votes and therefore forth to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house is James J.

    James J said his goodbyes and left ‘Hell’ to a mixed reaction from the crowd.

    On how it feels to be out, “Gutted, but at same time I get to see my wife, its win win.”

    Jedward have got a massive following, James is just a true gentleman, he’s adorable.”

    CREDIT: Channel 5

    On his friendship with Jamie and Calum: “I definitely knew Calum was going to nominate me and knew Jamie might have, Jedward were stirring, they’re not as innocent as they make out.”

    James J on Calum: “When we saw him snap when we wanted to put his mum up, I liked that and I told him I wanted to see more. I forgot he’s from America so doesn’t fully get the humour.”

    On the difference between this, and his first time in the CBB house: “I was exactly the same 100 percent, I was ill with flu, so I apologised for a few things, I had a week moment (laughs).”

    On an expected clash with Spencer and subsequent friendship: “How can you argue with someone you like.”

    On his relationship with new Housemate Kim following several arguments: “She loves me now, she said ‘I think you’re wonderful’… she’s gone in there to wind up the house, no-one can be that stupid.”

  • Alleged Chris Mears’ naked selfies leak online

    British Olympian Chris Mears has become, it seems, the latest victim of an online hack of naked pictures.

    Pictures that purport to be of the Olympic diver, Chris Mears, have leaked online. Since the alleged nude pictures of him leaked the sportsman started trending on Twitter. He’s become just one of many celebs who had their naked images hacked or leaked online last year including, Sam Callahan, Ben Cohen, Shayne Ward and Jake Quickenden.

    The diver has yet to speak out about the leak.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BNxNJcQDb7O/?taken-by=mearschris93&hl=en

    Last year it transpired that the athlete was planning a leave from Diving to concentrate on his music career setting his sights on dominating the charts. Speaking to The Sun a source said,

    “Chris is obviously heavily invested in diving but music is his passion.

    “He released a single in Latin America last year but now he is targeting mainstream success in the UK.

    “He saw the way Tom Daley used his success at London 2012 to create a massive media profile for himself and wants to replicate that formula.

    THEGAYUK.com spoke to a leading solicitor about revenge porn and what you should do if you’re ever a victim of hacked or leaked private photos.

    He told us,

    “The sort of easy thing to say but rather difficult thing to do is, where these images are taken consensually then you need to be thinking very carefully about whether you actually want to do it or not. Not putting yourself in the position where there are images around in the first place is the easy fix but not necessarily something that someone will always want to do.”

    The stars who have had their pictures leaked have reacted differently to the leaks. Ben Cohen has said that he was “devastated by the leak” and has passed the matter on to his lawyers, Shayne Ward was embarrassed and spoke of his disbelief. Sam Callahan apologised for the leak.

     

     

     

  • Fans wreck George Michael’s car with tributes

    Fans wreck George Michael’s car with tributes

    Hundreds of distraught fans, some who have travelled from as far as Argentina, have transformed the late pop star George Michael’s car into a shrine.

    CREDIT: SWNS

    TRIBUTE: A large amount of flowers, tributes and mourners line the pavement and the Land Rover outside the home of George Michael in Highgate, North London, almost a month after the pop star died.

    The tragic Wham! singer, 53, was found dead at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day.

    Flowers, balloons, cards and chocolate bars cover the grey Range Rover outside Michael’s £8 million Highgate mansion – with some fans writing messages directly onto the car bonnet.

    The shrine has steadily grown over the three weeks since the Careless Whisper singer’s death.

    CREDIT: SWNS

    LOVED: Fans have scribbled their thoughts and prayers on to the singer’s car.

     

    CREDIT: SWNS

    MISSED: Tributes continue to pour in from all over the world.

    One framed letter nestled on top of flowers read: “Dear George, I have no words to express my pain.

    “Since you’ve gone I feel so sad and empty.

    “You’ve gone too soon… I love you and miss you. Cecilia Vazquez from Argentina.”

    A poster in the hedge beside the pop star’s driveway said, “Words cannot express how much we feel about you.”

    Messages written directly on the bonnet of the vehicle include “RIP George“, “Love you George” and “Thank you George“.

    The star sold more than 100 million albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades.

    CREDIT: SWNS

    At the end of December a post-mortem examination was carried out and Thames Valley Police said,

    “The cause of death is inconclusive and further tests will now be carried out. The results of these tests are unlikely to be known for several weeks. Thames Valley Police will prepare a file for the Oxfordshire Coroner. Mr Michael’s death is still being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.”