THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • THEGAYUK Loves…

    Things that we’re really loving this week. Our pick of some of the best books, beauty, style and home gadgets going.

    Wavey by Feryl

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Looking for the perfect summer chillout banger then look no further than the new release by out singer-songwriter, Feryl. Normally you’d find Feryl bombing around the country performing at dozens of prides, but fret not you can still get your piece of Feryl goodness no matter what the lockdown situ is.

    Available to download and stream from all good digital retailers / platforms.

    Stoli Vodka Harvey Milk Limited Edition

    One of the gay community’s most enduring icons gets his very own limited edition Stoli Vodka. The bottle has been specially designed to celebrate the life of the trailblazer Harvey Milk. It really is a stunning homage to a man who is a legend.

    The limited-edition bottle is a part of Stoli’s “Stoli Serves Pride” program, the brand platform dedicated to the LGBT+ equality movement. Stoli Serves Pride celebrates individuals and organisations central to advancing diversity and originality within the LGBT+ community. 

    Commemorating the work of Harvey Milk who was the first openly gay elected official in California in 1977, the initiative will help raise funds for the Harvey Milk Foundation. 

    The Stoli Harvey Milk Limited Edition bottle is now available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose stores around the UK.

    VO5 Thickening Powder

    Feeling a little thin on top? Then look no further than this little miracle bottle from VO5. We’re living for the extra volume and fuller feel of our locks thanks to this matt finish, thickening powder. Simply shake on, rub in and feel the thickness.

    You won’t even know it’s there as the formula has been created to provide an invisible, natural matt finish.

    Available from Boots https://www.boots.com/vo5-thickening-hair-powder-7g-10272637

    Ohelo Reusable Water Bottle

    One of the biggest challenges facing our planet right now is the unbelievable amount of plastic there is. Since the 1950s over 8.3 million tonnes of the stuff has been created and it’s not going ANYWHERE. Plastic is ending up in our oceans, littering our countrysides and ultimately ending up into our food chain. It’s really not good.

    You can cut your plastic consumption in small, but significant ways, for instance using the beautifully crafted and rather striking Ohelo Classic 500ml stainless steel bottle. Plus, by filling it up at home with your favourite hot or cold beverage you’ll also be saving your money. It’s a win-win.

    Superby at keeping your hot drinks hot and your cool drink cold.

    Available on their website https://ohelobottle.com/collections/bottles

  • There’s a new way of describing anal sex… and we’re not so sure

    There’s a new way of describing anal sex… and we’re not so sure

    When it comes to gay sex (the penetrative kind) there’s usually just one way of saying what is it, anal. It’s simple, to the point and everyone knows what you’re talking about, but there’s now another way to refer to anal sex and that is, according to Urban Dictionary “Two Guys One Sandbox”

    Insert shrug emoji.

    We’re so not sure about this.

    Firstly, the first rule of anal sex (okay it’s not the first – that’s lube, lube and more lube) but SAND and its introduction to you nether region is a complete no no…

    Can you image sand all up in your junk? Oh. Dear. God. No. Just No.

    I mean, we get the two guys bit, but the sandbox bit, who calls their butt a sandbox?

    It seems that the “Two Guys One Sandbox” entry on Urban Dictionary was created in 2016 by a user called, treezus0522, and that entry is their one and only listing. It hasn’t, not really surprisingly received too much traction.

    Probably wise.

  • Geordie Shore’s Nathan wants you to park your “truck” in his “little garage”

    Geordie Shore’s Nathan wants you to park your “truck” in his “little garage”

    We do love a euphemism here at TGUK and the Geordie Shore’s Nathan Henry‘s latest post has got us stirring.

    The reality star took to his Instagram account to show off his bubble butt and captioned the cheeky video: “I want you to park that Big Mack truck right in this little garage”, of course, he was making reference to the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion collaboration “WAP”.

    He finished off the caption with a rather naughty emoji configuration which included a finger, the OK symbol and the splash. ?????

    In the video, the star pulls his tight jeans over his butt, before showing off the results to the camera. Within an hour the video had been played over 60,000 times and attracted a number of complimentary comments on his style and, well, booty.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1L7GhD7V0/

  • Priti Patel is looking to remove the legal grey area surrounding Poppers

    Priti Patel is looking to remove the legal grey area surrounding Poppers

    The UK’s home secretary, Priti Patel is looking to remove any ambivalence about the legality of Poppers (alkyl nitrates), which she called “uncertain” due to the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, which although was aimed at making so-called legal highs illegal, threatened to make poppers unlawful.

    So are popper actually legal?

    As it stands, Poppers do not sit on the Government’s exempted substances in Schedule 1 of the Psychoactive Substances Act. It is argued that their exemption is not actually needed as the Government’s own advisory board, the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) explained that the drugs do not affect the central nervous system, which the act is aimed at controlling.

    In 2016, the then Home Secretary, Karen Bradley wrote to the ACMD about the usage and effects of poppers on a person saying,

    “Our acceptance of your advice brings to an end the review process we were undertaking in parallel to consider the case for a bespoke exemption for the alkyl nitrites group under the Act on the basis of their beneficial and relationship effects.

    “The process to exempt substances from the Act applies only to substances which meet the Act’s definition”.

    “Lawfulness of the supply of poppers is uncertain”

    Ms Patel is now looking to make the poppers’ exemption absolute by saying,

    “A Court of Appeal judgment in 2018 confirmed that substances which have only an indirect psychoactive effect can still be captured by the 2016 Act,

    “As a consequence the lawfulness of the supply of poppers is uncertain. I am minded to remove this uncertainty by explicitly exempting poppers from the 2016 Act. I would seek the ACMD’s advice on an exemption.

    “My officials will work with you to provide more detail on the proposed wording of an exemption as you consider the issue.”

    Has anyone been arrested for supplying poppers?

    There have been no arrests or charges for the sale or possession of poppers in the United Kingdom and on the Crown Prosecution Service website says,

    “In light of advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, with which Government has agreed, alkyl nitrates (‘poppers’) are not covered by the definition of a psychoactive substance in the Act.

    “This is because they are not considered to have a direct effect on the central nervous system. The understanding is that this is unique to ‘poppers’.”

  • Are there gay cruising grounds in Norwich?

    Are there gay cruising grounds in Norwich?

    Did you know there are many gay cruising and dogging grounds in Norwich?

    Whether you love or loathe the idea of anonymous outdoor gay sex, it’s hard to escape the fact that gay cruising grounds are all around us.

    You probably don’t even know, but from where you’re sitting or standing right now there’s probably a cruising or dogging ground just metres away from you in Norwich, and they’re a hangover from more homophobic times in the UK. At our last count, there were at least 22 known cruising grounds in Norwich and over 27 cruising grounds in Norfolk.

    Gay cruising is not a new phenomenon. It dates back to when sex between men was illegal in the UK. Finding a place where two men could be intimate with each other without too many questions being raised was tricky until it was realised that men’s public toilets were a perfect place.

    These were named cottages because they actually used to look like quaint little cottages.

    The act of finding sex in these public conveniences became known as “cottaging“.

    The sex between men who would frequent a cottage would usually be anonymous. Gloryholes, a hole drilled between stalls in public toilets became a way in which this sex could remain faceless.

    To this day there are loads of cottages and cruising grounds in Norwich and in wider Norfolk.

    Cottaging and cruising etiquette

    Are there gay cruising grounds in Norwich or Norfolk?
    Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

    Generally speaking, not a lot of talking goes on when cruising. A series of looks and gestures would let others know what you were up to. At urinals, guys would stand, playing with themselves subtly to let others know that they were up for some play. Then if the feeling is mutual the pair could make their way to a cubicle for more privacy.

    At cruising grounds, much of the same would happen, except the action took place away from public footpaths.

    Is Cottaging Ilegal in the UK?

    Cottaging is illegal in the United Kingdom under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and applies to both heterosexual and homosexual acts.

    The Sexual Offences Act 2003 doesn’t say however that sex in a public place is illegal. Cruising grounds and cottaging are two different spaces. Cruising grounds are defined as open spaces, where men can hook up with men, or straight couples can meet for sex (often referred to as dogging), as long as no members of the public can see you.

    You risk being arrested if reported by a member of the public. If this happens you have the right to legal advice from an on-duty solicitor at the police station. If convicted you could be sentenced to 6 months in prison and /or a fine.

  • Gay Dating | What does PnP mean on a dating app?

    If you ever see the acronym “PNP” on a guy’s profile, it’s to with having sex and “partying”, simply put, fucking while on drugs.

    PnP stands for party and play – generally speaking drugs play a part in this guy’s sexual activity. Sometimes also referred to as chemsex.

    Drugs that might be used could be

    Crystal methamphetamine,  (Meth, Tina, Ice, Glass, Crank)

    GHB/GBL,  (G, Gina, Liquid Ecstasy)

    Mephedrone (M, Meph, Meow Meow, M-Cat)

    MDMA (Molly, Mandy, Ecstasy)

    Cocaine (Coke, Charlie, Crack, C)

    Ketamine. (K, Ket)

    Make sure you keep safe during PnP often drugs can make people take risks with their sexual health, due to lowered inhibitions and feelings of intimacy and sexual drive when on certain drugs.

    A fantastic resource and read into the world of chemsex is the book by James Wharton, Something For The Weekend, available from all good book stores and Waterstones online.

    If you need help with addiction or are worried about drugs in your life, you can find resources at the Drugwise website.

    Check out more gay dating terms.

  • Polish police seen kneeling on the neck of LGBT+ activist during a street protest

    Polish police seen kneeling on the neck of LGBT+ activist during a street protest

    LGBT+ campaigners in Poland have taken to the streets after a leading activist was given a two-month prison sentence.

    Earlier this week, the LGBT+ activist was also detained for 48 hours after taking a picture with a rainbow flag in front of a statue of Jesus Christ. 

    Hundreds of LGBT+ people and their allies took the streets in Warsaw in protest in front of the Campaign Against Homophobia offices.

    According to sources, at least 48 people were detained and several were injured according to reports. Footage from the protest shows a wall of police becoming heavyhanded with the protesters, with some of the activists comparing the scenes that unfolded to the 1969 Stonewall riots.

    Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

    Poland now has one of the most anti-LGBT+ leaders in the EU after Andrzej Duda was recently re-elected thanks to an aggressive anti-LGBT campaign.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Photos from the protests flooded social media, including one of an activist with what looks like a policeperson’s knee on their neck, many users on Twitter remarked that the actions of the police and their treatment of the protesters echoed the horrific footage of a policeman’s knee on the neck of George Floyd in the USA, which sparked the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.

    Shocking pictures from the protests

    LGBT Activist, Remy Bonny has called on the EU to “convene an extraordinary session of the @EUCouncil on the authoritarian events that have taken place in Poland over the last weeks.

    He added, “There is no way to deny that the events that took place in Poland Yesterday is the prelude of the establishment of a dangerous dictatorship in the middle of the European Union.

    “A Europe without values is not worthy to be called a ‘Union’!”

  • This Grindr guy felt the wrath after he criticised someone’s open relationship

    This Grindr guy felt the wrath after he criticised someone’s open relationship

    So, it’s no secret that many gay guys in relationships are also in open relationships or semi-open relationships and many of them use dating apps, such as Grindr to introduce a third/fourth/fifth into their love lives.

    CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

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  • THEGAYUK Loves…

    THEGAYUK Loves…

    Things that we’re really loving this week. Our pick of some of the best books, beauty, style and home gadgets going.

    Umbrella Academy

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    We read somewhere on Twitter, someone calling the new season of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy even better than the first – and while the jury is still out on that for us, it is undeniable that Netflix has a hit on its hands with this new superhero franchise. This season gets pretty gay as well, with two of the “7” getting their own same-sex love story. Cute. Oh and the campest, vampest villainess we’ve seen since Cruella and Ursula.

    Umbrella Academy season two is now streaming on Netflix.

    BABE Rosé with bubbles

    What’s not to love about Rosé, that’s bubbly and served chilled in a can. It screams soo-fis-tee-cation… BABE Rosé With Bubbles is a canned alcohol beverage created by the world-famous influencer, The Fat Jew, Josh Ostrovsky – totes perfect for a heatwave.

    We’ll leave you with these famous words, printed on the side of each can, which has now become legend around these parts…

    “Love you, Miss you, Hate you, Love you, Mean it”

    Babe.

    Available exclusively from Sainsbury’s and on their website https://drinkbabe.net/

    SOCKSHOP’s Lazy Panda Undies

    Soft doesn’t even come close to describing these incredible undies from SOCKSHOP. These trunk-style underwear are made with bamboo fibres, which are non-irritating and help keep the boys down there fresher and drier for longer – which, let’s face it, is very welcome in these heatwave times. Plus, £11.99 for three pairs is a steal.

    Shop online from their shop. https://www.sockshop.co.uk/products/mens-3-pack-sockshop-lazy-panda-bamboo-boxer-shorts

    Henry Bell Heavy Duty Bird Feeder

    Within two minutes of erecting our Henry Bell Heavy Duty Bird Feeder, we had our first guest. Honestly, the TGUK garden has become a hive of activity. I don’t know about you, but in these troubling times, finding moments of joy are becoming so difficult, turning off our phones, disconnecting from the Internet and watching the birds – is free and it’s completely relaxing (and dare we say it, more entertaining than the drivel you’ll find on social media) after all, birds are the original Tweeters!

    The Henry Bell Heavy Duty Feeder is rugged and feels solid (it’s made from aluminium, it’s easy to clean and offers the birdies lots of perch space and costs just £9.99.

    Products are available nationwide in 150+ garden centres and online (such as Dobbies), pet shops and mainstream retailers.

  • This porn star just broke down STI stigma in the most 2020 way

    For most of us finding out that you’ve got an STI (sexually transmitted infection) can be an embarrassing moment. For some, the awkwardness comes from the prodding and probing of sexual health nurses and doctors but for many, it’s because there’s a stigma attached to contracting an infection, which is silly right?

    The majority of us have sex at some point during our lives and with sex comes risk and responsibility and there are literally hundreds of thousands of infections caught and dealt with every year by our healthcare professionals and that’s just here in the UK.

    The vast majority of STIs are curable with medication or at least manageable, and with many of us contracting at least one STI in our lifetimes we have to ask why there’s such a stigma?

    “Dirty Vs Clean”

    getting the right medication and quickly if you've got an STI is really important.
    Getting the right medication and quickly if you’ve got an STI is really important.
    Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

    One doctor in March this year said that people should stop using the words “dirty” and “clean” when it comes to talking about sexual health saying that STIs were “not a matter of personal hygiene” as there was “no way of telling who has an STI by just looking at them”. Doctor Sutton added that the words “dirty” and “clean” had a stigma attached to them.

    “If we’ve slept together, by all means, get in touch about it”

    Part of the embarrassment, for some, finding out that they’ve got an STI is the track and trace element, whereby they’re encouraged to tell their sexual partners that they’ve tested positive for something.

    After contracting an STI it’s best to contact everyone you’ve had sex within recent months, this is so they can go and get tested themselves and get treatment if necessary. As many of the infections can actually be asymptomatic, many people won’t know they’ve got anything wrong with them so telling them to get tested empowers them to stop the disease from spreading any further.

    “I’ve had a positive STI result”

    Porn star John Thomas has managed to break the stigma by tweeting his sexual health diagnosis on Twitter saying, “I’ve had a positive STI result (if we’ve slept together, by all means, get in touch about it).”

    He even managed to make a joke about the situation by adding that when he was asked about how many people he had had sex with, he could only answer “a lot”. Well, he is a porn star after all!

    His Tweet was met with dozens of positive messages from fans and fellow porn stars congratulating him for breaking down the stigma to getting tested and revealing the results.

    https://twitter.com/johnthomasxxx/status/1291325890161516544

    John also added, “If you’re sexually active, getting tested is a part of life. Talking about it helps break down people’s feelings of shame around it that we’ve been conditioned to feel.”

    Fellow porn star, Luca D’amore said, “Thank you for taking the stigma away from getting tested!”

    A fan added, “I have HUGE respect for you sharing this. Thank you for this post!”

    Another said, “Yes -more disclosure! Thank you. Normalize sexual health and responsibility!”

    Star DADDYBLACKXXX said that using Twitter to inform John’s sexual partners that they may need to get in touch with him was an “honest way to go about it informing people Quick and easy … more people should do this” adding that he would do it like that in future.

    It is recommended that sexually active people, who have a number of different sexual partners should go for an STI test at their local Sexual Health clinic every 3 to 6 months, or order a FREE at-home HIV test kit from Saving Lives. if you use the promo code: GAYUK20.

  • This gay dating app is using its platform to highlight suicide prevention

    Daddyhunt, which boasts around 4 million members, is using its platform and social media channels to focus on suicide awareness and prevention and domestic violence.

    Since the creation of the Daddyhunt website over 15 years ago, “Daddyhunt has focused on educating its members about sexual health issues as well as creating a stigma-free environment for those living with HIV/AIDS. While connecting people is a vital part of our mission, we also want to use our platform to educate our members and fans about important issues affecting the gay community”, says Casey Crawford, Daddyhunt’s General Manager.

    Through stories and posts on Instagram and Facebook as well as its weekly newsletter to 4+ million global members, Daddyhunt now shares national suicide awareness and domestic violence abuse hotlines for the US and other countries as well as articles related to how to assist friends or family who are dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts.

    The app’s social media manager Nebojsa Cirok told THEGAYUK, “Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and the increase in suicide rates within the LGBTQ+ community and increases in domestic violence, it is important for us to focus on the issue even more and to educate as many people as we can reach about awareness and prevention programs and hotlines,”

    “While we recognize that a lot of people view and follow our social media to see Daddies, we felt that it was incredibly important to highlight these issues. The feedback that we have received from our members and followers has been positive”