THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • INTERVIEW | Trade DJ Stevie B

    With Trades birthday celebrations around the corner some of the regular DJs tell us what they enjoy most about the club night.

    What is your first memory of TRADE?
    Wow what a question! Well as I cast my mind back to the year 1999 I was DJ jing in Leeds and I had been to Turnips, sorry Turnmills, the previous week for the first time and I never knew a club “traded” (excuse the pun) at those times!
    I was invited by the these guys that I had met at the club Melt the week before and they were avid trade goers. One of them is one of my best friends now and well-known Trade pyromaniac, Wyn!!
    Well I’d just driven for 3 hours after a gig and it was about 6am and there was steam coming off the brickwork down the side of the venue. As we hit the top of the stairs this throbbing bass just hit me, then once inside it’s another wow, and holy shit this is really busy!!! We are in it…the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced in such a small space. It was mental and I will never forget it and after that we pretty much went every week 🙂

    What is your most embarrassing TRADE moment?
    I don’t get embarrassed but if I did it would be falling down the stairs…

    What is your ultimate TRADE anthem?
    Jeeeezzzz what a question for a dj…erm…’Inside out’ by Joff Roach, and the sample says it all “party time”

    Why do you think TRADE has stood the test of time in club land?
    High Standards, quality branding, its attention to detail and of course,Trade was like an art gallery!! Plus the sheer love from all the great people that have graced the doors over the years talking about what an amazing piece of history it is.

    What are you most looking forward to at the forthcoming TRADE Birthday?
    Seeing all the people that I’ve met over the years come together dare I say As one?

    Who is the most famous person you have kissed at TRADE?
    Erm hang on…George Michael…No that was a dream! I mean, George Mitchell….wait …oh I can’t think it must be Yvette The Conqueror!!

  • Union J’s Jaymi to marry boyfriend

    Jaymi Hensley from boyband Union J has revealed plans to marry his partner Olly Marmon in 2015.

    Speaking to The Mirror, Jaymi Hensley spoke about his wedding plans for 2015.

    He proposed to Olly in Rome in 2010, the pair have been lovers for four years.

    Hensley was encouraged by the boys’ mentor Louis Walsh to come out when they appeared on the X Factor in 2012. Speaking to The Sun Hensley said:

    “I spoke to Louis about this, and he said, ‘Put it this way, both of my big boybands [Boyzone and Westlife] had a gay member in them’. So he said it fits the formula quite well!

    “Every boyband has got to have a gay one! And Louis just said ‘do it

    “I’m gay and I’ve never been happier!”

    Union J’s current single “Beautiful Life” is currently sitting at number 6 in the midweek charts, whilst Katy Perry’s “Roar” is on course to hit the top spot.

    Gay Marriage is set to become legal in the UK in the summer of 2014 after the House of Lords passed the same-sex bill earlier in the year.

  • 1 In 10 Male Callers To Samaritans Are Worried About Their Sexuality

    Suicide is the number 1 killer of young men in the UK and gay, bisexual and questioning men are disproportionally effected, as the Samaritans releases worrying statistics that show 26% of calls from men, talk about issues surrounding their sexuality.

    More than one in ten calls for help to the Samaritans (10.9%) from men talked about issues surrounding their sexual orientation.This compares with only one in forty similar calls from women (2.4 percent) according to the latest snapshot survey of branches in the UK and ROI.

    Tragically there were 4639 male suicides in the UK last year, making it the single biggest killer of men under 35.

    A petition has been created on the HMGovernment.gov.uk website which calls on Jeremy Hunt MP the Secretary of State for Health, to further fund research on male suicide and to implement a ‘mechanism for those impacted by suicide’.

    You can read and sign the petition here.

    A survey by Stonewall in 2012 revealed that 3% of gay men and 5% of bisexual men had attempted to take their own life, compared to only 0.4% of men in general. In the 16- to 24-year-old age group, 6% of gay and bisexual men had attempted to take their own life compared to less than 1% of men in general.

    There are similar findings for self-harming. 7% of gay and bisexual men had deliberately harmed themselves compared to only 3% of men in general, and in the 16- to 24-year-old age group, 15% of gay and bisexual men had harmed themselves compared to 7% of men in general.

    Lucy Rolfe from the Lesbian and Gay Foundation based in Manchester said:

    “Around half of the people who’ve accessed The Lesbian & Gay Foundation’s counselling service have had at least one previous suicide attempt and many are experiencing current suicidal thoughts. It’s important we continue to provide these much needed services to the community”.

    If you’d like support Please call 08457 90 90 90 (UK) 1850 60 90 90 (ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of the nearest branch.

    Or phone the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard on 0330 330 0630

  • Teen to lose virginity for art class

    Student Clayton Pettet has decided to lose his virginity in front of an audience as part of an art project for his degree at Central Saint Martins Arts School in London.

    The student in his second year, is to lose his gay virginity in front of a crowd of around 50-100 in an undisclosed location in Hackney in January as part of his art degree, the Huffington Post has revealed.

    Speaking to the online newspaper, Pettet said,

    ‘I’ve held on to my virginity for 19 years, and I’m not throwing it away lightly. Basically, it’s like I am losing the stigma around virginity.

    ‘I want the audience to see if anything has changed between me and my partner.

    ‘Since culturally we do hold quite a lot of value to the idea of virginity I have decided to use mine and the loss of it to create a piece that I think will stimulate interesting debate and questions regarding the subject.’

     

    We’ve spoken to the art department here at THEGAYUK (a position that simply doesn’t exist) to ask their opinion on the artistic expression of this young man.

    They said,

    ‘Make sure the cheque clears before committing to any stunt…’

    The art student hasn’t yet told his parents, but it’s safe to assume they’ll have heard by now.

    What do you think? Do you call this art?

  • Gay activists picket former Prime Minster of Jamaica

    A Dozen Activists from Jamaica protested a speech by the country’s former Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, on Tuesday night in New York.

    The gay rights activists shouted ‘Bruce, you’re wanted! Unrepentant murder!’ and ‘Gay rights are human rights!’

    The protesters lined the pavement outside the Harlem Institution for over an hour and received comments from supportive and non-supportive bystanders.

    A statement from the National Anti-Discrimination Alliance (NADA) said that Golding is symbolic of Jamaica’s homophobic culture. He publicly announced his opposition to gays serving in his Cabinet on BBC Hard Talk in 2008 and has since made other homophobic statements.

    This year there have been a number of anti-gay crimes in Jamaica, including the brutal murders of 16-year-old Dwayne Jones and 41-year-old Dean Moriah. Dwayne was murdered in July this year; he was dressed as a woman. His gender identity and sexuality are unconfirmed at this time.

    In September, two men escaped a ‘mob’ of men, who became violent towards them, after a car accident in the small town of Old Harbour. The crowd assumed that the two were gay.

    Dwayne Brown, organiser of the demonstration and a gay Jamaican who fled to the USA because of death threats, said he would not go inside for Golding’s speech because he feared a violent response from the audience.

    The press release from NADA continued with:

    ‘The Jamaica Anti-Homophobia stand feels strongly that Bruce Golding must be held accountable for the human rights offenses he oversaw during his tenure, including the Tivoli Gardens Massacre and the perpetuation of anti-gay attacks.’

    Watch video from the protest here

  • Police in Scotland call for condom ban in Edinburgh saunas

    Police in Edinburgh have called for a ban of ‘all items of a sexual nature’, including condoms in all saunas in Edinburgh, in a move which could put lives at risk.

    Police Scotland want condoms banned from all saunas across the Scottish Capital, including the two gay saunas that are based in the city.

    The story being widely reported is that a number of heterosexual saunas or saunas that are known to have sex workers working there are affected by the potential ban, but speaking to a gay sauna in Edinburgh TheGayUK has discovered that the ban would also have an impact on all gay saunas in Scotland.

    The police set out the contentious plans in a letter which was delivered to the city’s licensing committee, who is deciding on the license renewals on several of the city’s saunas.

    The letter asks the licensing committee to include new licensing conditions, one of which included: “no items of a sexual nature will be permitted on the premises”.

    A Police Scotland spokesman said,

    ‘Police Scotland recently provided reports to the Council Regulatory Committee in respect of a number of public entertainment licence renewals.

    ‘In cases where there was evidence of criminality or premises operating out-with the conditions of their licence, objections were made to those licences being renewed.

    ‘Police Scotland will continue to work with partners to inspect and report on licensed premises operating within Edinburgh in order to keep people safe.

    ‘Whenever criminal activity, or licensing contraventions are detected within these venues, officers will respond appropriately and report all offences to the relevant authority.’

    DRACONIAN

    The call for the ban has put Scotland’s HIV/Aids charities on red alert, with Robert Mckay, the nation director of the Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland saying that the idea was ‘Draconian’

    He went on to say:
    ‘We would be keen to see the full details of any proposals that would prevent saunas from having condoms on their premises. Taking away condoms doesn’t stop people from having sex; it does however result in unprotected sex and increased rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. It is vital that people can protect themselves wherever they have sex.’

    ‘Our point of view is to make sure that people are kept safe. Condoms have proved very successful in preventing STDs and HIV transmissions.’

    GAY SAUNA RAIDS

    Earlier in the year Police Scotland raided two gay saunas in Edinburgh, a report lodged by the police stated that:

    ‘One member of staff and six male customers were found within.

    ‘During the inspection, officers found evidence to indicate that the premises were used for activities other than those permitted by the licence, specifically sexual activity.

    ‘On behalf of the Chief Constable, I object to the renewal of the licence under the terms of Schedule 1, Paragraph 5 (3) (d) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 on the grounds that the premises have not been operated in accordance with the activities on their licence.’

  • UK Government does not support Sochi boycott

    Foreign Office rules out Government supported boycott of the Russian Winter Olympics in Sochi.

    In an email received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by petitioners who asked the Government, to make a political statement to the Russian Government about their anti-gay laws, by officially boycotting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, has said it ‘does not support a boycott.’

    Over 13,000 people have signed the petition that was created by Sean Robertson earlier in the year.

    In June President Putin signed into law, a bill that could see anyone discussing homosexual relationships to anyone under the age of 18 sentenced to a prison term or fined.

    In September the Russian Government moved one step closer to introducing a bill that would remove children from gay parents.

    The statement from the FCO reads:

    As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

    ‘The Government wants to see an open and inclusive games at the 2014 Russian Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, but we do not support a boycott. The Prime Minister believes we have a better chance of influencing Russia by engaging and challenging prejudices than by boycotting.

    ‘We share concerns about changes to the law in Russia prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. In effect, the law could prevent the LGBT community in Russia from fully enjoying the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Prime Minister set out these concerns with President Putin in a meeting in St Petersburg on 6 September, making clear the strength of feeling in the UK and that it was in Russia’s interests to tackle discrimination.

    ‘British officials at all levels have been lobbying on the LGBT law since the first regional “homosexual propaganda” law was tabled. As well as raising the subject in bilateral meetings, we have actively supported LGBT issues in Russia for some years, including through involvement in the annual Queerfest in St Petersburg and funding for the Side-by-Side LGBT film festival held across Russia.

    ‘More broadly, we regularly make clear to Russia that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people, as part of our overall engagement on human rights with the Russian authorities, including at the 2013 UK-Russia Human Rights dialogue in May and in the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe’s regular discussions with their Russian counterparts.

    ‘We have updated our travel advice for Russia to inform British Nationals of the new LGBT law. We review this advice regularly and will update further as necessary. We are committed to providing a modern and efficient consular service for visitors to Sochi.

    ‘Human rights will continue to be a central part of the UK-Russia relationship and we will continue to raise our concerns and encourage Russia to tackle discrimination and homophobia.

    ‘This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold’

    The petition is still open and the deadline is 15th January 2014. If you wish to sign it click here.

  • Anti-gay tweet controversy hits Made In Chelsea

    The brand new series of Made In Chelsea has been marred by reports of homophobic tweets made by new cast member.

    Miffy who was in our top 6 Males of Chelsea article was swiftly removed yesterday from the page after a reader notified us that the Made In Chelsea actor had allegedly made anti-gay remarks via twitter before he appeared in the E4 show.

    A screen grab of @MiffyUK shows that Miffy real name Dave Mifsud had retweeted a homophobic slur aimed towards X Factor contestant Rylan Clark, which read:
    “Bye Rylan you queer tw*t.”

    However, the first offensive tweet read:

    “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve #gaymarriagef***off.”

    Which was tweeted on the 21st May, the same day that the same-sex marriage bill was voted on in the House of Commons.

    The bill passed its third reading by 366 votes to 161.

    He deleted the offending tweets before his appearance on the show however one Twitter @LadyHz user took a screenshot before he managed to delete it.

    A spokesperson for the show told OMG,

    “Made in Chelsea does not condone homophobic behaviour of any kind. We have spoken to Miffy about his personal Twitter account and appropriate action has been taken.”

    However another twitter user tweeted directly at MIC’s Twitter account,

    “So @E4Chelsea says they “do not condone homophobic behaviour of any kind” so why is @MiffyUK still in the show? He’s still homophobic.”

    THEGAYJK contacted the press team at Channel 4 to ask them what ‘appropriate’ action had been taken. A spokeswoman for the channel said,

    ‘…Both C4 and E4 have a strong and proud background of tackling this type of prejudice and it’s something we take seriously as a portfolio of channels. Even on a rare and isolated occasion like this I would want people to get a clear message that we don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour personally nor professionally. It has been made clear to Miffy that any such activity is completely unacceptable and that Miffy was genuinely sorry for his ill-judged comment.’

  • Male In Chelsea – 5 Hot Guys In Made In Chelsea

    We like a bit of ruff, but we also like a bit of posh – so we decided to take a closer look at the males of Made In Chelsea – and we called it Male In Chelsea – see what we did there?

    Not everything can be doom and gloom in gay media – which is why we’ve dedicated this page to the yumminess of the Males Of Chelsea.

    We’ve done some deep research to bring you these hot mens…

    Freddie

    Freddie is ours. Hands off. So apparently his mum used to be super model and his dad was in the hotel business. If only he were gay so he could sweep us our feet and whisk us away to some far flung destination for a free hotel stay…

    Mark Francis

    Mark Francis looks so posh that just one moment of looking into those deep brown eyes will probably turn you into an aristocrat. Probably not.

    Alex

    Apparently Phoebe’s Ex. Blah.

    Proudlock

    Proudlock wears Timmy Mallet glasses and has a perchant for silken shirts. Want him? He’s also got a cool earing which we may or may not want to nibble. Probably.

    Spencer

    He’s either thinking ‘who made that smell’ or ‘hug me till I stop crying.’ Spencer we will hug you. Always mon cher.
    There you have another incredible waste of 5 minutes of your time… Ta da.

  • THEATRE FEATURE: From Russia, With Love

    A theatrical fundraiser which aims to tackle homophobia in Russian is to take place on Sunday 27th October 2013.

    (more…)

  • The 6 Weirdest Things You Searched For On THEGAYUK Last Week

    So, we took a look into the analytics vault of THEGAYUK to discover what our readers Googled for on TGUK last week – here’s a few of our favourites:

    top 10 things to say during gay sex
    Firstly does one need to say anything during sex? Secondly, 10 things to say whilst having sex? Seriously? You’re making whoopie not collecting an award for best climax.

    what former teen queen turned to ebay to help clean out her closets in summer 2006
    We have no idea who or what you’re talking about dear… Odd what search requests can bring you to the pages of THEGAYUK… Teen (check) Queen (check) Closets (check) Ta da!

    x factor sam callahan coming out the water
    Just like Daniel Craig or a more masculine Ursula Andress – We also love watching the video of X Factor‘s Sam Callahan coming out of the water butt naked.

    anal and lesbian
    Now these aren’t usually two words you’d put together – but hey on TGUK anyone goes… However, it did link to one of our most popular posts from last week, in which writer Daniel Browne asked: Are Lesbians More Accepted Than Gay Men?

    is Harvey milk an icon in the gay community
    Dear person, please remove yourself from under the rock from which you have been holed away. Yes. Yes he is.
    Check out our little homage to the great man.

    matt demon white speedo
    Despite the fact you spelt Damon wrong, we’ll forgive you – for the pictures of Matt Damon are quite spectacular. So good we’ve posted them again! Did you know Behind The Candelabra is out today!