THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • Gay Running Group In Birmingham Awarded £2000 From Pride Fund

    The Birmingham Swifts, the city’s LGBT running group, has been awarded nearly £2000 from the Birmingham Pride Trust Fund to build upon the club’s successes. The money will go towards increasing visibility of the Swifts and improving the quality of running sessions on offer for the LGBT community of Birmingham.

    Members of the group, which has only existed for just over a year, were able to proudly wear new running tops during last month’s Birmingham Pride Parade, but the club will now be able to own group kit for individuals who may not be able to afford to purchase their own. Alongside the clothing, the club will have a flag to act as a focal point at races and events, and new publicity materials to attract prospective members.

    The Swifts will also be able to put on extra sessions to complement the existing offering, by training members as leaders and a coach. This includes more Starting Out sessions, which are based upon the popular couch to 5k programme, and a training plan for the Great Birmingham Run.

    Tommy Hill, chair of the Swifts, said:

    “It’s fantastic that Birmingham Pride have chosen to support the Birmingham Swifts. Together we are promoting health and physical exercise for the LGBT community, and showcasing running within Birmingham.

    “We know there are many barriers for LGBT people when it comes to taking part in sport, such as cost, the fear of homophobia and the belief they will not be good enough. The Swifts are determined to remove these barriers by being an encouraging and supportive group where everyone is welcome, no matter what their ability.
    “After enjoying a successful Birmingham Pride, the Swifts are now looking towards the half marathon in October. Thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to put together a training plan for the race and have a striking visual presence on the day.”

  • Three Men Accused Of Being Gay Executed In Iraq By ISIS

    Hundreds of people gathered below a tall building in Iraq to watch ISIL fighters reportedly execute three men accused of being gay, shocking pictures reveal.

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  • Lord Cashman Lends Support To Play Which Tackles Sexual Abuse And Cover Ups

    The cast of a new play called At Ease will be joined by Lord Michael Cashman, on Friday 5 June, during rehearsals to lend his support to the play which tackles the issues surrounding historic sexual abuse and cover-ups.

    Victims of historical physical and sexual army abuse are given a voice in a new play in rehearsal in Birmingham.

    Lord Cashman appears as a character in the play.

    At the centre of this highly unusual play is the correspondence between one-time Household Cavalryman, Alex Rees who was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder, and Michael (Lord) Cashman, who was an intended target. Rees writes he was brutally tortured and raped while in the army in the 1970s. Rees, who died in 2002, identifies adults involved in the bullying and in the parties in which abuse took place. He also identifies army personnel involved in cover-ups. Rees is, at last, given an opportunity to put his story to the public via his extraordinary correspondence.

    The bond between Rees and Cashman, a life-long campaigner for LGBT rights, is both strange and poignant.

    In an attempt to right some wrongs, while contributing to the present debate around historical abuse by giving voice to Rees and others, theatre company DD Arts Birmingham is piloting its new play, AT EASE, from June 17, raising these issues, together with other contemporaneous accounts.

    Pilot performances 17-20 June: Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham. 0121 200 0946.

  • Countdown To Naked Fest Is On

    Following the success of last year’s event, Naked Fest 2015 returns this year and promises plenty of fun and activities in the glorious countryside – all naked, of course. Naked Fest 2015 takes place from Friday 10th – Sunday 12th July at Abbott’s Farm in Norfolk, a naturist campsite where you can enjoy the freedom of being naked with other Naked Mates. (more…)

  • Equal Marriage and Trans Advocate, Beau Biden, Dies

    Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden has died from Brain cancer the White House has confirmed.

    Joe Biden’s son, Beau, 46, died from brain cancer on Saturday evening. A statement from the Vice President Joe Biden, read,

    “It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life…”

    Beau Biden was the eldest son of Joe Biden. He was described as an “outspoken supporter of LGBT rights” by Advocate magazine. He had been battling brain cancer for several years.

    In April 2013 Biden was a key player along with Delaware Governor Jack Markell in marriage equality legislation and establishing legal protections based on gender identity in Delaware.

    Biden is survived by his wife, Hallie, and two children.

    The state of Delaware legalised same-sex marriage on May 7th 2013, with the law going into effect on July 1st, 40 years after the Delaware repealed its sodomy law in July 1973.

  • INTERVIEW | Simon Gross

    Mr Showbiz is back in the house. We caught up with him shortly before he went in!

    What have you been doing since you were evicted?
    It’s been mad. The eviction was a shock and the initial feeling was, “Why me?” Then I went into performing mode and said, “Well, I’ve had my five minutes of fame!” But I was gutted. I felt cheated. It was like being dragged away from your family even though I had only known those people for two hours. It was a horrible feeling. The Timebomb was a good idea but it was brutal.

    You were only in for a very short time but did you have any favourites?
    I’m a good judge of character and I really took to the twins. I love Chloe. Harriet I really like. I like the real people in the House, because a lot of them are not being real.

    Have you kept watching?
    Oh yes, I watch it avidly. I’m not sour!

    Who have you suspected of playing a game?
    Cristian, Kieran, Danny and Sarah, they’re not my sort of people. I think that they are plastic and boring. They’re not entertaining to watch and they are just arrogant and vain.

    You’re coming back in having seen it all. How will you use your knowledge?
    I don’t do fake and I’ll bring them back down to earth. There is no strength in that House and that is what I bring. It’s like a cake with no substance. I’m the icing on the cake, darling!

    What will you bring to the house this time?
    Entertainment…Electricity!

    Will you change your approach from the way you went in first time round?
    I was nervous, I had a few drinks and I went into Showbiz mode! I was very loud and I watched it back and thought, “Urgh!” but I made an impression and I will just go in there with a bang. That is the only way I can do it, but this time, I want people to see the real Simon who is a listener, a friend and a leader. Not just somebody who is flamboyant and loud all the time because there is more to me than that.

    Were you surprised to get the call asking you back?
    I was crying. I still can’t believe it. I was so emotional and I felt like I had won the lottery and now I have been given another chance.

    Now you’re a Timebomb yourself, can you live up to it?
    Yes! I’m just Simon. I’m big, I’m in your face but I’m real as well. No one got to see it last time but they are going to see it this time. The recognition I have had from the public has been tremendous just from that two hour stint. I was standing in Tesco on Sunday and there were people chanting “Showbiz” at me in the middle of the store! I will go in with a bang and live up to the Timebomb in my second, well-deserved, place.

    Will they be pleased to see you?
    Yes. I hope so. Why not? They seemed pretty shocked when I left, but if I walk in and there are long faces then I’ll just make my mark and say, “Well, I am back bitch” and get on with it.

    Is it an advantage to go out and come back in?
    Yes, of course! I have got to know the people more. I know what I am walking into. It feels like you’re bringing a new flavour to it and I feel privileged to be part of it.

    Are you nervous?
    I feel like you could do anything to me now and I would just bounce straight back.

  • Club Owner Outs “Third” Of Staff To Prove Business Is Not Bigoted

    A gay couple in Cardiff have claimed that they were thrown out of the DC nightclub after security staff saw them kissing. In response, the club’s owner Richard Jackson outs a third of his staff in the national press in an attempt to show that bigots do not run the venue.

    Oliver Brown, 21, and Hugh Squire have reported that they were subjected to homophobic remarks by bouncers and accuse the nightclub management of throwing them out after they were spotted kissing at the establishment during an office party in December.

    According to the Daily Mail, the club faces closure following the claims by the couple.

    Oliver Brown, a student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said:

    “I believe we have been targeted because we are gay.

    “If the bouncer had said he was kicking us out because we were fighting I wouldn’t have a problem with that.

    “But he saw us kissing so it was clear that was his problem, it wasn’t anything we had done.”

    In response to the claims and according to the DM the owner Richard Jackson said about a third of his staff are lesbian and gay and refuted the allegations. He said the club’s gay manager warned the couple about their rowdy behaviour.

    He said:

    “I can assure you all they were asked to leave due to rowdy behaviour. They were asked to leave because they were either spraying drinks into the staff.

    “When security came over and asked them to leave that’s when they started hugging and kissing and saying, ‘Oh, you’re only throwing us out because we’re gay’,

    “My gay staff and friends are furious about this”

    “We operate a zero-tolerance attitude towards any kind of discrimination.

    “It wasn’t too long ago that Tom Daley and his partner came in with many of my gay friends – to say we are homophobic is a lie.”

    Jake Hook editor of THEGAYUK remarked:

    “Outing staff to prove whether a company operates a zero tolerance on discrimination not an appropriate way of showing acceptance for LGBT customers. Employee’s personal and private lives should never be traded as means to elicit good will. Staff sexuality should have no bearing on whether motives of removal were homophobic or bigoted and does not prove any policy.”

  • WORLD FIRST: Gay Fighter Game Launched

    In time for this year’s pride season the world’s first gay fighting game, GAY FIGHTER SUPREME, with ten LGBT fighters – including drag queen Carrie Cupcake, GoGo Gary, lesbian Sappho Ethridge and twink Timmy Spears – all competing to win the title of Gay Fight champion.

    GAY FIGHTER SUPREME is available for purchase now on iTunes, Windows and Google Play.

    “The idea for GAY FIGHTER SUPREME arose from banter between friends discussing our mutual love for 90’s fighting games,” says Michael Patrick, the game’s founder and creator.

    “The characters are all influenced by dated jokes, pop culture icons, and camp. We wanted it to be like a pride parade gone rogue.”

    “The game is intended to be irreverent, satirical, fun spirited and ironic.”

    Melchor Cardenas, the games co-creator added, “Anyone who mistakenly views the game as offensive or feels it perpetuates gay stereotypes is missing the point.

    “It’s pure satire. We don’t mean to offend anyone. If it does offend someone, we hope it inspires them to create a fun queer themed game of their own.”

     

    There are twelve levels in all. The final three characters that must be defeated to win the game are The League of Oppressive Self-Righteous Zealots (LOSRZ for short). They are the real enemies, a group whose aim is to wipe out the LGBT community by brainwashing its members and transforming them into gay hating cyborgs.To preserve the tongue in cheek nature of the game, no blood or gore is ever seen in GAY FIGHTER SUPREME, only rainbows and unicorns.

    “The message I would take from the game is that the LGBT family shouldn’t fight among each other,” concludes Patrick. “There are larger enemies afoot!”

    Follow the creators online:http://www.twitter.com/GayFight

  • Big Brother JOEL: There Will Be A Hate Campaign Against Me

    Big Brother’s Joel Williams is worried about the fall out from Aaron’s unexpected removal from the compound in yesterday’s show.

    Openly gay Big Brother contestant Aaron. 24, was removed from Big Brother for what producers called “inappropriate behaviour”, when he paraded around the bedroom and chased Joel Williams, 19, naked.

    In tonight’s show Sarah has it in for Joel. During a blazing row, Sarah has suggested that Joel led Aaron on. In tonight’s episode an argument breaks out where Sarah tells Joel that his behaviour in the wake of Aaron’s departure has been inappropriate.

    Joel asks what Sarah’s reaction would have been if she had been in that situation. Sarah says,

    “No one in this house would do that to me because I would have made it extremely, unequivocally clear that that was not on.”

    Joel responds, “What are you trying to suggest?”

    Nick tries to defend Joel but Sarah tells him not to get involved.

    Sarah says, “I have no issue with the fact they removed Aaron. My issue is you then parade around in women’s clothing. You encourage it.”

    Joel responds: “I think that’s bang out of order for you to suggest that justifies his actions.”

    Later in the bath Nick and Joel are talking, Joel is worried about how he will be perceived out of the house saying: “There will be a hate campaign against me.”

  • The Summer Of Bisexual Big Brother

    Tonight the world of the big brother housemates is going to be turned upside down as three new housemates will be introduced, one stripper and two bi-sexual women.

    After the shock removal of Aaron Frew last night, life in the house isn’t going to get any easier as four original housemates will be evicted tonight in what some media are calling a Big Brother Massacre. However as doors slam for some, doors open for others.

    An unsuspecting Amy & Sally, Chloe, Danny, Harriet, Kieran and Sarah now face a mass eviction and the lines are open for viewers to vote to EVICT four housemates from the house.

    Tonight, however, we’ll be introduced to three new housemates. The three new Housemates include a 29-year-old science student in his final year studying organic chemistry that is also a, ‘UK Pleasure boy’ and strips across the UK. A 22-year bisexual model who has worked as a dominatrix and on Babestation webcams. Apart Sri Lankan bisexual who is a singer and entertainer whose attitude is ‘flirt with the world and get stuff for free’. As a side note, same-sex relationships are illegal in Sri Lanka.

    Big Brother host Emma Willis commented: “Just when they were adjusting to life in the house, Big Brother is about to drop a whopper of a time bomb. I can’t wait to see how the surprise mass eviction, some brand new housemates and a very familiar face go down.”

  • Will Simon Gross Re Enter The Big Brother House?

    Simon Gross entered the Big Brother house on launch night, however his journey as a housemate ended shortly after. He became Big Brother’s first TimeBomb victim.

    The “SHOWBIZ” king was booted from the show within two hours of the show’s start, making history as the first male ever to be the first evictee. However in a twist which will be revealed in tonight’s show, four new housemates will put into the house.

    Big Brother has given details about three of the new housemates, but has remained tight lipped about the fourth only saying, “as an added surprise, one of the ‘new’ housemates will be a very familiar face…”

    Since Simon’s departure he has been a featured guest in Rylan’s aftershow Big Brother’s Bit On The Side and has become notorious for his catchphrase, “Showbiz”

    Sneaky and devilish. We like we like.