THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • This man proposed to his boyfriend with the help of Jess Glynne

    This man proposed to his boyfriend with the help of Jess Glynne

    This cute couple just got engaged in front of a 6000-strong audience at a Jess Glynne concert.

     

    On Thursday night, Lewis Nicholls gave his boyfriend, Darren, the ultimate surprise by organising with superstar Jess Glynne to proposed to him live on stage in front of 6000 people at her concert at the Eden Project.

    Lewis told THEGAYUK that he messaged Jess’s manager weeks before the concert to say how much he loved his boyfriend and wanted to show everyone how he felt and to see if he could propose to Darren live on stage.

    He said,

    “To my disbelief they replied and was so excited to make it happen.

    “During the concert we went on the stage (he thought it was just to watch a song) and then Jess came out and  got us out on stage and introduced us on stage to the crowd.”

     

    It was then Lewis got down on one knee and proposed – telling Darren, that he was the “happiest he had ever been.”

    “It was just amazing, the crowd were cheering so loud, chanting and showing so much love, we also got a photo with Jess on stage and the 6,000 people are behind us”

     

    jess glynne

    Jess then hugged the pair, saying she’d “never ever forget” the proposal.

    Watch it unfold on YouTube

    So cute… Congrats guys!

     

  • More hate crimes prosecuted than ever before

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that more hate crimes, including homophobic and transphobic crimes, have been prosecuted than before.

    CREDIT: ©-ronfromyork-Depositphotos
    CREDIT: ©-ronfromyork-Depositphotos

    The CPS is reporting that it is prosecuting more hate crimes than ever before, including homophobic and transphobic crimes.

    Year on year the CPS’s success in bringing more prosecutions has risen 4.8 per cent (15,442) from 2014/15 which was a rise against 4.7 per cent the year before 2013/14.

    Overall the conviction rate was high for homophobic crimes was 83 per cent of prosecutions resulting in a conviction for the perpetrator of the crimes. This was a rise from 81.3 per cent in the previous year.

    Solicitor General Robert Buckland said,

    “Tackling hate crime has always been a priority for the Government. We have worked extensively to improve our collective response to this issue and in particular to improve recording of hate crime, so that we now have a fuller picture of the scale of the problem.”

     

    ALSO READ: Homophobic crime soars by 20 per cent in London

    ALSO READ: Homophobic and racist chants heard in London day after BREXIT vote.

     

    There were 1439 homophobic and transphobic cases prosecuted by the CPS in the UK 2015/16.

    Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions said,

    “My message is that a hate crime is exactly that – a crime – and will not be ignored. Hate crime creates fear and has a devastating impact on individuals and communities. Nobody should have to go about their day to day life in fear of being attacked.

    “This report shows that more of these incidents are being recognised as hate crimes, so they are reported, investigated and prosecuted as such. It is important that this trend continues and no one should simply think that this abuse – on or offline – will be dismissed or ignored.

    “More than four in five prosecuted hate crimes result in a conviction, which is good news for victims. Over 73 per cent are guilty pleas – this means that more defendants are pleading guilty due to the strength of the evidence and prosecution case, so victims do not have to go through the process of a trial.

    “The CPS has undertaken considerable steps to improve our prosecution of hate crime and we will continue this improvement.”

  • Everything you need to know about Stoke-On-Trent Pride

    Stoke-on-Trent celebrates its tenth annual Pride event this weekend.

    Here’s everything you need to know, where to go and when to turn up in order to join in with Stoke-On-Trent Pride on the 16th July 2016.

    What time does Stoke-On-Trent Pride beginning.

    Stoke-On -Trent Pride officially opens at 12:00PM in Northwood Park. The activities close at 6:30PM. There is no parade and all activities take place in the park.

    Where is Stoke-On-Trent Pride?

    The pride takes place in Northwood Park, see the map below.

    What does Stoke-On-Trent Pride cost?

    Wristbands must be bought in order to take part in the Pride events. These wristbands cost £5 for adults, £3 for teenagers and under 16s can access for free. Tickets are not sold in advance and can be bought at the park.

    Who’s performing at Stoke On Trent Pride

    There’s a full line up of artists on two stages including the Proud To Be and Building Bridges stages.

    The Proud To Be stage will host:

    The Voice‘s Vangelis Polydorou, Vinyl Overdrive, Rozalla, Pixie Flowers, The Fabulettes, Kelly Wilde, Steve Ayres, Jason Prince, Stacey Jackson, Sam Solace, Baseline Blonde and Dan Budd as Robbie Williams,

    The Building Bridges stage will host

    Nathan Thursfield, Kyle Finn, Mini Mix, Beverly Tight Lipps.

    What should I bring to pride?

    We’ve created a list of Pride survival ideas. Take a look – but don’t forget to bring sunscreen, money and fully charged phone!

  • David Cameron said one last good bye and Twitter was scathing

    The former Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron took to Twitter to say one last good. The responses were scathing to say the least.

    Photo: Crown copyright Credit: Georgina Coupe
    Photo: Crown copyright
    Credit: Georgina Coupe

     

    David Cameron, who expressed his joy in being able to bring same-sex marriage to the UK during his time as PM, sent one last tweet as Prime Minister simply stating:

    It’s been a privilege to serve the country that I love.

    The responses weren’t so obliging.

    https://twitter.com/joelycett/status/753271779439837184

    https://twitter.com/PhatPoch/status/753255092313288704

    https://twitter.com/EthanDLawrence/status/753279718523277315

    https://twitter.com/CausticCorner/status/753255405782982656

    https://twitter.com/KellDeggers/status/753255146084237313

    https://twitter.com/GLove39/status/753255158319083520

    https://twitter.com/AdamMcKola/status/753258783560830978

    https://twitter.com/captain_az/status/753267826207711232

    https://twitter.com/CJBurgess11/status/753255399499923456

     

    What do you think too harsh?

  • BREAKING | UK gets first openly gay Cabinet member

    The UK’s new Prime Minister Theresa May, has appointed the UK’s first openly gay Cabinet member Justine Greening.

    Justine Greening, who came out during Pride In London has been announced by Theresa May as the new Education Secretary making her the first openly gay member of the cabinet. She replaces Nicky Morgan, who tweeted that she was “disappointed” to be leaving the job.

    Nicky Morgan was also the government’s Equalities minister, a position for which garnered a great deal of criticism after she voted against gay marriage in 2013.

    Yesterday Mrs May appointed the pro-LGBT Amber Rudd as the new Home Secretary.

    Ms. Greening has, according TheyWorkForYou.com, generally voted in favour of LGBT equality however was absent for a number of key votes, including a vote on the Equality Act (sexual discrimination) in 2007, which makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sexuality during the provision of goods and services and she was absent on two pieces of legislation which impact the same-sex marriage bill.

  • Man found hanging from tree was gay man whose family “despised” gays

    Man found hanging from tree was gay man whose family “despised” gays

    A young black man who was found hanging from a tree in Atlanta, has been confirmed as Michael George Smith Jnr. known to his friends as London Jermaine.

    A young African-American man who committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in a public park has been identified as Michael George Smith Jnr. known to his friends as London Jermaine. London Jermaine identified as a gay man, who described members of his family, on his social media account, as despising gay people.

    The discovery of Smith’s body became a trending topic on Twitter after many believed that his hanging was a modern-day lynching.

    The Fulton Country Medical Examiner’s office confirmed that his death was caused by suicide with no defensive wounds or signs of struggle apparent on the 22-year-old’s body.

    Moments before he took his life, the student wrote a heartbreaking message on Facebook telling his friends and family that he’d see them “in the next life”.

    He wrote,

    “I see y’all in the nextLife… Deadass. Father forgive me.”

    The Georgia Tech student had posted a message on the 17th June which accused his mother of teaching his siblings to “despise” gays.  He said,

    “My mother is teaching my siblings to dispise Gays.. I’m done with Life. I’m Hurt To The Core.”


    According to another post an unnamed sibling told him:

    “God doesn’t born gay people. You make yourself gay.”

    In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here

  • Prince Harry takes HIV test live on social media

    Prince Harry takes HIV test live on social media

    Prince Harry has made history by becoming the first member of the Royal family to take a HIV test on Facebook live.

    Credit: Masha Maltsava, Milk Studios / Via Flickr

    Prince Harry has become the first Royal to publicly take a HIV test live on Facebook, using the platform’s “live” service.

    The popular Prince visited London’s Guys and St. Thomas’ hospital to have the pin-prick HIV test, which reveals a person’s HIV status within minutes.

    The video has already clocked up 41,000 views.

    Leading HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust praised the Prince’s openness and awareness campaign.

    Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said,

    “Prince Harry’s decision to take an HIV test, live on social media, is a groundbreaking moment in the fight against HIV.

    “Not only does it show His Royal Highness’s genuine and personal commitment to tackling the HIV epidemic, it will amplify a message to millions all over the world: testing for HIV is easy, quick and nothing to be feared.

    “We have a real opportunity to end HIV transmissions in the UK, but it starts with each person knowing their HIV status. Too many people are either put off testing by the stigma that still surrounds HIV, or simply do not think HIV is an issue anymore. Today, Prince Harry has got people talking about HIV again and has normalised HIV testing to a global audience. In doing so, he could inspire a generation to take control of their sexual health.

    “Thanks to treatment, testing for HIV could stop you from getting seriously ill, enable you to live a normal lifespan and prevent you from passing the virus on to anyone else. That’s why it’s so invaluable to have Prince Harry’s support  as we aim to bust stigma and end the HIV epidemic.”

  • Theresa May appoints pro-gay equality Amber Rudd in key Parliament position

    Theresa May appoints pro-gay equality Amber Rudd in key Parliament position

    The new Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed Amber Rudd as the new Home Secretary.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Amber Rudd has been appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May as the new Home Secretary. Ms. Rudd who has been in Parliament since 2010, has “consistently voted for equal gay rights” according to TheyWorkForYou.com

    The MP for Hastings And Rye, who campaigned to remain in the European Union,  entered the House of Commons on 6th May 2010.

    Since the beginning of her Parliamentary career, Ms. Rudd has had to vote on six pieces of legislation pertaining to the rights of gay and lesbians in the United Kingdom. The majority of which were to do with issues surrounding same-sex marriage.

    She voted in favour of all votes, ensuring that Britain’s gay community enjoy marriage equality.

    Home Secretary is an important role for the safety of Britain’s population. It requires close contact with emergency services, such as the police and intelligence services to reduce crime and terrorism. The LGBT community will be looking to Ms Rudd to reduce hate crimes in the UK. This year in London alone homophobic crime soared 20 per cent year on year.

    Mrs May becomes the second female Prime Minister of the UK after David Cameron resigned following Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

     

  • WATCH | British boxer Ryan Farrag gets naked for his weigh in

    WATCH | British boxer Ryan Farrag gets naked for his weigh in

    So reasons to get naked in front of a room full of men…

    ryan-farrag-weigh-in-2-670x377

     

    We can think of a few reasons, obviously we’re too classy to explain them all here… but one that might surprise you would be to fight another man – but that’s exactly what British boxer Ryan Farrag did.

     

     

    When he first stepped on to the scales in his black boxer briefs it seemed the sportsman was too heavy… so what did he do? He whipped of his undies and flashed the room…

    Although there were calls for a modesty towel, Ryan was less interested in keeping his privates private than making sure he made the weigh in… Which he did…

    Watch it all unfold here.!

    H/T Queerty

  • Man found gulity of the “homophobic” murder of student William Lound

    The killer of student William Lound has admitted to his murder.

    The body of William Lound, 30, was found, with multiple stab wounds in what is now a suspected homophobic / transphobic attack in his university halls in February.

    Mr. Lound who described himself as male on his Facebook profile, was apparently known to wear women’s clothes.

    Police confirmed that they are treating his murder as a “transphobic hate crime”.

    The Liverpool Echo reports Lee Arnold, 37, of no fixed abode, admitted to killing Mr. Lound via videolink at Manchester Crown Court and apologised to Mr. Lound’s family for the “pain and suffering” he caused.

    Mr. Lound, from Southport was a first year IT student in Salford, his family said that he was,

    “Very kind, thoughtful and very caring young man.”

    “His sense of fun, very interesting character and great sense of humour culminated in him being a very charismatic individual, so well-liked and respected by so many.”

    Arnold is due to be sentenced in August.

     

  • Andrea Leadsom withdraws from Tory leadership race

    Andrea Leadson has withdrawn from the Conservative leadership race.

    By Policy Exchange (Flickr: Andrea Leadsom MP) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

    Gay marriage opponent Andrea Leadsom has withdrawn from the Prime Minister race, meaning that Theresa May will now become Brtain’s next Prime Minister.

    The controversial candidate announced that she was no longer going to go ahead with her campaign to run the country.

    Her withdrawal means that Theresa May, who has been the Home Secretary since 2010, will become the UK’s next Prime Minister.

    The race for a new Prime Minister for the UK was triggered after David Cameron resigned from his position after the European Union referendum last month saw 52 per cent of the country voting to leave the EU.

    Andrea Leadsom was criticised heavily during her campaign because of her views on key equality issues, such as same-sex marriage which she did not vote on in 2013 and said had caused “hurt” to Christians across the UK.