THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • The Shocking Face Of Homophobia In France

    A gay couple in France were beaten unconscious in Paris on Saturday night in a shocking homophobic bashing.

    Posting this gruesome picture on Facebook, Wilfred de Brujin said on Facebook that he and his boyfriend Olivier were beaten so badly he lost a tooth, suffered broken bones and two black eyes. He was targeted on Saturday night because they were walking arm in arm.

    The picture was posted on Mr. De Brujin’s Facebook.

    He said: ‘Sorry to show you this,

    ‘It’s the face of homophobia. Last night 19th arrondissement, Paris, Olivier and I were badly beaten just for walking arm in arm.

    ‘I woke up in an ambulance covered in blood, missing tooth and broken bones around the eye.

    I’m home now. Very sad.’

    The President of gay rights group SOS Homophobie, Elizabeth Ronzier, told The Local:

    ‘This was a shocking and incredibly violent incident. We have seen a 30% rise in the number of homophobic incidents since October.

    ‘This is a result of the opposition towards the gay marriage bill,’ she added. ‘These people say they are not homophobic but they are. Homophobia has become trivialized [sic], which is proved by the number of verbal assaults on gay people, which often to lead to physical assaults.’

    Representatives from La Manif Pour Tous condemned the attack and groups like SOS Homophobie saying:

    ‘Groups like SOS Homophobia should be ashamed for trying to blame us for these acts,”

    Xavier Bongibault, one of the movement’s leaders told The Local on Monday.

    ‘We strongly condemn this act of violence but there is no link whatsoever to the Manif pour Tous. We have said since the beginning that we are not against homosexuals, we are simply against the government’s legislation.’said Bongibault, who himself is gay.

    The savage beaten comes just over fortnight after the anti-gay marriage campaigning group, La Manif Pour Tous held a demonstration in France’s capital city protesting the rights of gay people to marry.

    The Local states that gay-rights groups are set to hold a protest on 10th April 2013 in response to the attack against Mr De Brujin

  • Human Rights Campaign Explains SCOTUS

    We’ve all been hearing about about ‘Scotus’ (Supreme Court Of the United States) recently and for those living outside the United States, it could be quite confusing.

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  • Peter Tatchells Calls Baroness Thatcher “Extraordinary” For All The “Wrong Reasons”

    Peter Tatchell Tweets His Condolences For ‘Extraordinary’ Thatcher.

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  • Grindr Fails

    Grindr has become a way of hooking up and cruising for gay guys around the world. Phenomenally the App has had over 6 million download in 4 years. There are bound to be some fantastic Grindr fails. We report… (It’s a tough job)

    Sometimes the ‘play hard to get’ works…

    Beware of false prophets

    This is so Laura Ashley, We love it

    Perfect way to immediately defuse the situation and sexual tension between the two of you.

    If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try and try again… Then give up.

     

  • Stonewall CEO Calls For The Resignation Of Paris Brown Over Homophobic Tweets

    Stonewall CEO Criticises Kent’s First Youth Police Commissioner, over Homophobic and Racist Tweets and calls for her resignation.

    UPDATED: 8th April 2013

    The Chief Executive of Britain’s leading lesbian, gay and bisexual charity – Stonewall, has taken to Twitter to publicly demand for the resignation of Paris Brown, the UK’s first Youth Police Commissioner after the Mail On Sunday reported that she had used the microblogging and social network – Twitter, to write racist, homophobic and drug-related tweets.

    Writing to @Youthpcc (Paris Brown’s official work Twitter account) Ben Summerskill OBE, wrote a number of tweets which said:

    ‘Hi @youthpcc You say tweet me your issues. Our issues are that you are homophobic and young gay people in Kent are the victims of that.’

    He also tweeted to Ms. Brown’s boss Ann Barnes, ‘Hi @AnnBarnesKPCC Given revolting things said by your @youthpcc and way they undermine work of @Kent_police could you pls contact us BW Ben’

    Betty Gudrun replied to Mr. Summerskill’s tweet: she has apologised for her language. It isn’t acceptable but what else can she do at the moment?’

    To which he replied: ‘Resign. BW. Ben’

    Ms. Brown,17, from Sheerness in Kent, was appointed Youth Police Commissioner by the county’s assistant chief constable, who hoped the appointment would bring a ‘mutual respect’ between the young people of Kent and the Police.

    In a statement Ms. Barnes said,

    ‘I absolutely do not condone the content and language of Paris’ tweets. I suspect that many young people go through a phase during which they make silly, often offensive comments and show off on Facebook and Twitter. I think that if everyone’s future was determined by what they wrote on social networking sites between the ages of 14 and 16 we’d live in a very odd world.

    She went on to suggest that thousands of parents would be ‘surprised, shocked and ashamed’ by looking into their children’s social networks.

    Paris Brown, has released a public statement on her tweets saying,

    ‘I deeply apologise for any offence caused by my use of inappropriate language and for any inference of inappropriate views. I am not homophobic, racist or violent and am against the taking of drugs. If I’m guilty of anything it’s showing off and wildly exaggerating on Twitter and I am very ashamed of myself, but  I can’t imagine that I’m the only teenager to have done this.’

  • Marcus Collins Goes Baywatch

    Marcus Collins Goes Baywatch

    Former X Factor contestant Marcus Collins has revealed his swimwear look for 2013.

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  • Dr Paul Cameron: Gay Marriage Will Shorten Lifespans And Cost Us More

    Family Research Institute founder states same-sex marriage will shorten lifespan of gay people.

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  • Kitty Brucknell Sells Lady Gaga Jacket

    X Factor alumni and gay icon in the making – Kitty Brucknell has gone online to auction site, Ebay, to sell a Lady Gaga inspired costume jacket. (more…)

  • Hope For Long-Term HIV Unemployed

    Terrence Higgins Trust calls for participants and mentors for return of Back to Work scheme.

    Team Working At Desks In Busy Office
    Team Working At Desks In Busy Office

    From today, people with HIV who are long-term unemployed will be able to apply for Terrence Higgins Trust’s Back to Work scheme. This year for the first time, the charity is also calling for professionals to volunteer as mentors to those enrolled on the programme.

    In the UK, around 25% of people with HIV are currently unemployed. Thanks to modern drug treatments, many can return to work, but – if they have had a long period of ill health – they may lack confidence, or feel they no longer have the skills or stamina required to find a job in an increasingly competitive market.

    The Back to Work scheme was set up in 2011, with the aim of easing unemployed people with HIV back into the workplace. Each year, Terrence Higgins Trust enrols a small group on a six month work placement within the charity, helping them to develop skills and experience that will get them back on their chosen career path. The scheme has been a great success; of the 10 individuals that completed the course in 2012, two are now in full-time employment, one is on a government work programme, and five are continuing their professional development.

    After finding out he had HIV in 2009, Richard spent a few years out of work. When he felt ready to restart his career, however, he found his career break made it difficult to get interviews. Richard joined the Back to Work scheme in 2012, as part of which he worked in a number of the charity’s departments and received CV and interview tuition, as well as regular mentoring and support from a life coach.

    Richard said: “Prior to starting on the Back to Work scheme, my confidence was taking a battering with every knock back. But Terrence Higgins Trust saw my potential rather than the gaps on my CV. Within a couple of months, I had a part-time role within the charity, which provided an excellent springboard back into the workplace. Just from getting the interview, my confidence has grown and grown.

    “I’m now lucky enough to have two jobs, working for a housing association and also part-time at THT. It’s fair to say I’m a different person today, and could never have achieved everything I have without the help of the scheme. I can honestly say it’s the best thing that’s happened in my life.”

    Ruth Burns from Terrence Higgins Trust said: “Our Back to Work scheme has gone from strength to strength. Each year, we see the initial nerves fall away as our participants transform into polished, confident professionals; a real asset to any workplace. We want this year’s scheme to be just as successful, and would encourage anyone with HIV who feels they need a boost up on to their career ladder to get in touch.”

    The Back to Work scheme 2013 is open to anyone living with HIV, who has been unemployed for two years or more or is receiving benefits. Placements have been confirmed in London and Bristol, and Terrence Higgins Trust hopes to offer places at further offices across the country. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 30th April. People with HIV can also access a wealth of careers advice, including online support from an advisor, by signing up to www.myhiv.org.uk.

    For further information, and to apply, please visit www.tht.org.uk/backtowork. To express interest in becoming a mentor on the scheme, please email backtowork@tht.org.uk.

  • COLUMN: The HIV Community

    ‘Community’ is a broad word that can be used in various ways in our society; it carries different definitions depending on the situation.

    The main meaning we can all take away from this word is that it’s generally a large group of people that all share common values. Without realising, we must all fit into different communities – as a population, as a society, as a sub-culture, as a gender, race, sexuality…the list goes on. One question I wanted to ask before writing this, was, ‘Is there a HIV community in the UK?’ Having had a Google, I haven’t found a great deal so I thought I would explore the potential reasons why it appears to be lacking.

    I was diagnosed back in October 2012 as having HIV and since then, it’s felt like a pretty solitary journey. I’ve felt that I’ve had to make a concerted effort to reach out to others that have this somewhat lonely and yet widespread virus, seeing as there are roughly 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK (to put into a visual context, that’s enough to fill the O2 Arena to full capacity 5 times over). I’ve mentioned in a previous article that stigma is a major issue that needs tackling, and here I find myself thinking that it’s stigma that’s probably the reason why we don’t have that community ‘feel’ when it comes to HIV. People are too scared to disclose their status and so any attempt of an open HIV community is diminished from the outset. I don’t feel part of anything larger, but then I wonder at the same time, do I actually want to be?

    I think about the gay community, and to me, it’s something that is quite close knit. It tends to be in concentrated pockets in the UK, in areas that thrive such as popular cities, and everyone tends to be linked to someone through one way or another. Up until a few years ago, you’d find me every weekend out on my local scene, on a stage or podium dancing this derriere of mine off non-stop; shaking loose the stresses of life with friends and loosing calories in the process and maintaining a nice athletic physique with hardly any effort – sounds great right? The scene was my release, where I could fully be ‘me’. In time though, I got really bored. It’s a story we must all be able to relate to, the same places and same faces just weren’t enough for me anymore and so I withdrew myself. Being part of the gay community is something that fortunately we can choose, similarly I guess with any community. It’s a choice in our lives that we are very lucky to have as it has the power to alter us as people so dramatically. Who I am today, is not who I was those years back, when I was out every weekend.

    So to choose to become part of a community and go looking for it if it does exist, where does someone with HIV go? Well, the main prevalent community that HIV people have is actually found online. I wonder how people reached out to each other before this though? I can only hazard a guess at support groups perhaps arranged by HIV drop-in centres or local hospitals. The internet is a HIV person’s saviour. We can hide behind anonymous identities if we wish to and say how we feel, reach out and get the support needed and make friends. My saving grace has remarkably been, Twitter. I have two accounts on Twitter, a personal one and my @HIVPozGuy one. I use the latter much more as I’ve developed a network of friends with HIV on there, and we all help each other out and provide a much needed resource of fun and laughter. It’s astounding that groups can be created from nothing, from simple connections made over wireless air-waves and wires, that can then become first-class compadres. My twitter friends live all over the place, but having them in my pocket on hand, makes them feel like they’re with me every day. We’re now in talks of arranging a meet up!

    Twitter isn’t the only resource I found in terms of community. Other websites offer great forums, I think the first whistle-stop that every HIV person should stop at post-diagnosis before doing anything else, is to get themselves registered with The Terrence Higgin’s Trust website – ww.tht.org.uk. This is the main HIV charity in the UK with a growing number of members each day with brilliant resources and help. You can delve into the forums and get pretty lost and carried away with other peoples’ stories, and find common ground to rid those feelings of shame, anger, guilt, sadness and so on that many experience from their initial diagnosis. You can even call their helpline and speak with people that have HIV. My Step-Dad did this on the day I revealed my HIV status so he could gather an understanding of it, this he relayed to my mum and it put their anxieties at great ease (if you work/volunteer for THT reading this, massive thank you from me!). So THT isn’t just there for HIV people, it’s there to help out family and friends that have a close one with HIV.

    So, to answer my question from the start – Yes, there is a community, and it’s mainly online. It’s not huge but it’s what people choose and make of it, that will allow them to construct their own idea of how to achieve that community ‘feel’, should they need it. I’m extremely content with the people I’ve got to know along the way so far and look forward to someday meeting them too.

    by HIVPozGuy

  • Top 6 Best Gay Apps

    There are over 775,000 Apps in Apple’s App store and around 872 of those are labelled as gay – so, it’s a bit of search to find the right one for you, luckily we’ve done some downloading to find you the good, the best and the brilliant.

    Well occupying the top spot is Joel Simkhai’s ubiquitous Grindr App, which has dominated the App scene for a few years now. What started off as a personal hookup App for Simkhai, has literally changed the way gay men date around the globe. Last year we had a chat with the genius behind Grindr – read the interview here.

    Bashing. We wrote about this App a short while ago and initially weren’t sure what to think, however on reflection, Bashing is a brilliant App to bring visibility to the hundreds of gay bashings that happen across the world. The developers say, “Sometimes it seems like homophobia is claiming the streets. And in order to address this problem, people need to know what happens and where.”

    Pinknews. It’s a must for every gay on the go, keeping you abreast of the homophobic happenings across the globe. Contributed to by a team of journalists Pinknews has won a number of awards for its content and it’s a free App too!

    Gaydio. If you like your radio gay, then you have to download Gaydio. Recently Gaydio took over from Gaydar Radio to become the UK’s number 1 gay radio station. Playing a steady stream of current chart hits Gaydio also keeps you informed with daily gay round ups and breaking news from the Sky News Centre.

    My Free Gay Agenda, is a powerful personal calendar app. What we love about the MGA App is its “Today In Gay” feature, which gives you ‘a daily historical synopsis of key “historical events” from the gay community. Insightful – and apparently today in 2005 Alan Cumming launched his fragrance ‘Cumming’ at Fred Segal in Los Angeles.

    And finally, well we have to plug our own TheGayUK App.Every gay business, bar, hotel, sauna and sexual health service in the UK listed in one place – and you can find which one is closest to your present location. Plus our full magazine is available for free as well as RSS news feeds from all your favourite news organisations around the world – what more could you want? (Yes there are also pictures of hot mens!)