THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • What Makes The Perfect Dinner Party? 5 Compliments And Smoked Salmon

    Four alcoholic drinks, three couples, two choice pieces of gossip and a dash of Bublé – those are among the key ingredients for the perfect dinner party.

    For a winning evening, add two singletons, chat about the latest films, and a menu featuring smoked salmon and steak, according to a survey of 2,000 UK adults.

    Guests should flatter their hosts with five compliments, while 40 per cent said that requests for second helpings was the ultimate sign of success.

    Jane Rylands, a spokeswoman for Range Cookers by Stoves, who conducted the research, said: “The findings suggest the key to a well-received dinner party is to keep it simple and focus on easy to eat dishes that are full of flavour over trying to impress with expensive or over-elaborate servings.

    “The menu should be nicely balanced – appetising without being tricky to prepare or too fussy to eat and clearly thinking about the atmosphere you create and the dynamics of who you’re inviting are worth putting thought into.

    “It’s natural for anyone hosting to feel a little exposed or at risk of being judged but there are steps that can be taken to give the best chances of success. Putting in the preparation time, having confidence in your oven and plenty of space to prepare will always put a host at ease.”

    Canadian crooner Michael Bublé was number one choice for background music followed by Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Emilie Sandé, while over a quarter said they preferred no music at all.

    Guests are expected to spend about £7 on a bottle of wine, while they shouldn’t consume any more than four glasses of wine or any other alcoholic beverage.

    Travel tales are considered the best conversation topic, while discussions about current affairs, TV shows or movies were also considered a safe bet.

    NO SEX: One of the off-limit talking points.

    The number one off-limit topic was sex, followed by politics, money and relationships.

    Four in 10 people named smoked salmon as their favoured starter, ahead of bruschetta and the old faithful prawn cocktail.

    Steak was the number one main, followed by beef bourguignon, beef wellington and lamb shank.

    Cheesecake was named most popular pudding, pipping Pavlova and profiteroles.

    Four in 10 said board games should remain in the cupboard, although a quarter were in favour of perennial favourites, charades and Trivial Pursuit.

    According to the poll, having confidence in the oven, having enough space in the kitchen and having a well-considered guest list are all advantages in hosting a top notch dinner party.

    Jane added: “Hosting a dinner party comes with a little bit of pressure but there are lots of ways to make it a little easier.

    “Reliable kitchen equipment helps massively – the last thing you want is an undercooked pork belly or dried out crème Brule.

    “Having games on standby is a worthwhile move, but guests shouldn’t be forced into playing them. The host should let the evening take shape naturally without being too imposing.”

    Stoves commissioned the research to celebrate its British-made collection of range cookers, perfect for dinner party hosts and dedicated home cooks and available in sizes to suit every type of kitchen.

    THE PERFECT DINNER PARTY

    START: 7PM

    STARTER: Smoked salmon

    MAIN: Steak

    DESSERT: Cheesecake

    DRINKS – 4 alcoholic drinks for guests

    MUSIC: Michael Buble, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Emile Sande, Paolo Nutini

    GOOD CONVERSATION TOPICS: Travel, films, news

    BAD CONVERSATION TOPICS: Sex, politics, money

    FINISH EATING: 9PM

    BEST GAMES: Trivial pursuit, charades

    OTHER REQUIREMENTS – Compliment the host 5 times over the night

    END NIGHT: 11.30P

  • Gay Man In Texas Charged With Murder After Violent Attack On Boyfriend

    Bryan Canchola, a 20-year-old from Texas has been charged with the murder of his boyfriend after a violent fight over suspected cheating.

    The Austin American-Stateman reports, that the Texas man has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly beating his 18-year-old boyfriend, Stephen Sylvester, to death. According to Canchola’s co-workers the pair had been dating for two months.

    Sylvester was found unconscious by police at his home, but died later from injuries sustained in a brutal attack.

    A roommate told police that he had heard fighting between the two boyfriends after he arrived home in the early morning and it was then that Canchola accused Sylvester of cheating. The fight apparently escalated with the roommate hearing “banging and violent crashing”.

    According to arrest warrant affidavit the roommate also heard Sylvester’s pet dog crying out in pain after Canchola reportedly threatened to kill it.

    The last picture on Stephen’s Instagram account is of Canchola and him in an embrace. In the profile section of his account Stephen wrote: “This is my life’s journey, Dare to follow?”

    The roommate found Sylvester after the fight, conscious but with bleeding coming from the back of his head and transported him to University Medical Center Brackenridge. However, Sylvester left the hospital before receiving medical treatment. He returned back to his apartment.

    Later, Canchola called the police to report that the 18-year-old was unconscious. He was once again rushed to the hospital but died of bleeding on the brain according to an autopsy. He also suffered a neck fracture.

    Chanchola is in the Travis County Jail and his bail is set at $500,000

    A friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help fund Stephen’s funeral.

  • Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen: “Not Secretly Gay”

    The flamboyant designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 50, and his wife have been married for 25 years, but that doesn’t stop the rumours that he might be gay, simply because as he says, he’s a man that “likes to look after himself”.

    Speaking about the gay rumours in Radio Times, the famous lifestyle designer says he’s not bothered by the gossip but his wife is another story.

    His wife Jackie is apparently pi*sed of when people question and mistake him as gay.

    He said, “And I’m certainly not secretly gay – I don’t like the idea of being secretly anything…”

    The pair met when they were both 19-year-old and married in 1989.

    Llewelyn-Bowen is currently starring in an advert for the National Lottery.

  • Gay Couple Sprayed With Pepper Spray In Violent Homophobic Attack In Kiev

    A violent gang in Kiev physically attacked a young gay couple after trying an experiment to see what social reactions they would get if they held hands or showed public affection.

    Zoryan Kis and Tymur Levchuk from Bird In Flight TV repeated an experiment filmed by a Russian Vlog team, ChebuRussia TV, to see what would happen if two men showed affection in public in Kiev, unlike the Russian experience, Kis and Levchuck found themselves in the centre of a violent attack involving pepper spray and kicks to the head.

    The shocking video reveals the real danger posed to openly gay men in the city of Kiev.

    In the video, the two men start by holding hands around the city. Their actions weren’t met with anything more than stares. Kis said, “We never heard any insults and those people who did have a verbal reaction… we were like aliens to them.”

    The couple then decided to heat up the action a little by sitting on each other’s lap and giving flowers. It was then that they were approached by a group of 10- 15 reportedly neo-Nazis, with one of them saying:

    “It looks like they’re f**king mistaking this place for America.”

    Luckily for Kis and Levchuk the attack was quickly broken up when a man in blue stepped into to separate the group, but not before at least three of the gang had landed kicks to the faces and bodies of the gay couple.

    Neo-Nazi groups have been accused of violence and even the murder of several gay men in the last few years. In 2013 it was reported that neo-Nazis were posting fake personal ads in Russia in order to lure gay teens into an ambush.

    In June 2013 an 18-year-old French gay rights activist Clément Méric was left brain dead after a violent attack by a gang of neo-Nazis.

    The Uk’s Foreign Office warns gay travellers that, “Although homosexuality is not prohibited by law, public attitudes are less tolerant than in the UK and public displays of affection may attract negative attention. There is no provision under Ukrainian legislation guaranteeing freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and there has been an increase in intolerance towards the LGBT community.”

  • Free Pride U-Turn On Drag Ban

    The organisers of Free Pride have made a U-turn on its policy to ban non-trans drag queens at its pride event in Glasgow

    A controversial pride event which made international headlines when it banned non-trans Drag Queens from performing at its pride event has u-turned after being slammed by social media users, celebrities, drag queens and other pride organisers.

    In a statement released the unnamed organisers said:

    “Sadly, this attracted not just fair criticism, but also an immense amount of harassing, abusive behaviour. This harassment took the form of rather nasty insults and threats which were aimed at free pride organisers.

    “The original decision was made because many trans members of Free Pride have had negative experiences with drag acts veering towards racism, misogyny and transphobia; the lack of contact with the drag community contributed.

    “We made a mistake, and we apologise.”

    The organisers, which haven’t yet made public whether the organisation is a charity, a CIC (community interest company) or how it is managed added:

    “We hope to learn from this in order to foster the kind of community we want to see. We believe there is a greater need for dialogue within, and indeed between the trans and drag communities. We look forward to creating spaces where these dialogues take place with mutual compassion and respect.”

  • There Are Just 20 Openly Gay Athletes In This Year’s Olympics

    According to Outsports.com there are twenty openly gay and lesbian athletes competing at the 2012 Olympics in London this summer.

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  • Channel Island Gay Pride Starts Fundraising

    An organisation called Liberate Jersey has started a fundraising campaign to start a gay pride event in September.

    The crowdfunder is looking to raise £2500 to help launch the very first LGBT+ Pride, because the organisers state, “it’s long overdue”.

    Homosexuality has been legal in Jersey since 1990 and same-sex couple has been able to get civilly partnered since 2012, however same-sex marriage is still illegal.

    TheGayUK reached out to Liberate for comment.

  • MR SHOWBIZ Set To Release Single

    The man who screamed “Showbiz” at anyone who would listen during this year’s Big Brother is set to record and release a single, called… you guessed it Showbiz.

    Simon Gross, who was the first housemate to be booted and then reinstated became known for his “Showbiz” catchphrase which he shouted constantly during his first few hours in the Big Brother house and then in subsequent TV appearances.

    He eventually became the ninth housemate to be evicted back in June

    According to his Twitter feed, he’s started working with “top producers” to record and release his debut single, which will be out in September.

  • Emmerich Stonewall Film Has Oscar Desires

    Film producer and director Roland Emmerich is eyeing up Oscar inclusion with a film dedicated to the Stonewall riots of 1969.

    The film documents the Stonewall riots. The protests, which happened around the Stonewall Inn in New York, were the results of a gay community relentlessly discriminated against and bullied by the police force in New York. The Stonewall riots are often cited as the start of the modern gay rights movement.

    The film, which stars Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ron Perlman will be released in time to be included in 2016 Oscars considerations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will have a late September release date in US cinemas.

    Speaking about the film Emmerich said:

    “I was always interested and passionate about telling this important story, but I feel it has never been more timely than right now. Less than 50 years ago, in 1969, being gay was considered a mental illness; gay people could not be employed by the government; it was illegal for gay people to congregate, and police brutality against gays went unchecked.”

  • Anti-Drag Pride To Fund Event With Drag Film Fundraiser

    A pride event which has come under immense criticism for banning drag performers at its event is planning a fundraising film night by showing a film about a drag queen.

    UPDATE: Free Pride has now announced it has overturned their ban on drag performers.

    Glasgow based Free Pride, is hoping to run a fundraiser for it’s “anti-capitalist” pride by showing a film called Pay It No Mind: The Life And Times Of Marsha P Johnson, a drag queen who was instrumental in the Stonewall riots in 1969.

    However, the pride event has been condemned after announcing a policy banning “cis” drag performers at its event, in favour of allowing trans or non-binary drag acts to perform, a move which has commenters questioning the legality of the policy as it could breach the Equality Act 2010.

    The pride event has been scheduled on 22nd August in direct competition with Glasgow Pride. Writing in THEGAYUK, Warwickshire Pride founder Daniel Browne called the move “confrontational”.

    Gay right advocate Michelle Visage called the move to ban drag queen performers as “Bullsh*t”

    The fundraiser event, which is being advertised on Facebook is due to take part this Saturday.

    TheGayUK has reached out to Free Pride for comment.

  • EastEnders Defends Ben Mitchell Gay Sex Scene

    EastEnders producers have defended the gay sex scene between the characters Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker saying the sex was implied rather than explicit.

    The scene which attracted 48 complaints to OfCom has been defended by the BBC with a spokesperson saying,

    “The millions of regular ‘EastEnders’ fans who tune in each week know and expect dramatic storylines.”

    “We are always mindful of our time slot in which we are shown and the scenes in question were implied and not explicit.”

     

    This isn’t the first time the BBC has had to defend gay storylines on EastEnders, in 1987 the BBC received a record number of complaints when Colin kissed a then under age Barry.

    The fallout from the kiss raised questions in the House of Commons.