Lesbian Visibility Day is an annual day to celebrate and bring visibility to lesbians in the LGBT+ community. There is also the International Lesbian Day, which has been observed since the 1990s.
In 2020 Lesbian Visibility Day takes place on the 26th of April.
Lesbian Visibility Day was first observed in 2008 and was created to ensure the visibility of the lesbian community.
What are the colours of the Pansexual Pride flag?
There are, in fact, two lesbian flags. One is know as the Labrys flag, which features a battle-axe on a dark purple background. The other is what is considered the standard lesbian flag which consists of six shades of red and pink colours and a white bar in the centre. Sometimes it has a lipstick mark in the corner denoting that the holder is a “lipstick lesbian”.
16th January 2020
Rainbow Crossing unveiling outside Brent Civic Centre
Photographer: Justin Thomas
Not one, but six Rainbow crossings for the London Borough of Brent to celebrate Brent’s Year of Culture.
The first of six rainbow crossings has landed in Wembley Park, just ten minutes down the road from George Michael’s former school, Kingsbury High School. The crossings are a timely celebration of LGBT+ communities as the London borough kicks off its year of culture. The Mayor of Brent joined members of the organisation’s LGBT+ network, Councillors and Chief Executive Carolyn Downs at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday 16 January.
16th January 2020
Rainbow Crossing unveiling outside Brent Civic Centre
Photographer: Justin Thomas
Over the coming year, Brent Council will install another five of these colourful pedestrian crossings across the borough.
Based on the Pride flag, the crossings signal inclusion and support for LGBT+ communities in Brent and beyond, many of whom still experience discrimination and violence.
Cllr Margaret McLennan, Deputy Leader of Brent Council, said: “Outward signs are important in signalling an inclusive environment for LGBT+ communities. With these rainbow crossings, we are showing our true colours as an open, diverse and accepting borough. The Borough of Cultures where everybody’s story is celebrated.”
Brent is The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture for 2020.
A year-long programme will explore the stories, art and emotions that hold life in Brent together, uncovering and celebrating its untold tales and unheard voices.
There has been a drop in new HIV transmissions between 2014 and 2018, across the UK, a new report has found.
New data showing substantial progress on reducing HIV rates in the capital has been welcomed by London Councils.
National figures released today by Public Health England highlight that HIV diagnoses have fallen faster in London than elsewhere. In 2014, London accounted for half of new diagnoses in gay and bisexual men. The latest data shows this was reduced to 39% by 2018.
The drop in national HIV transmission rates has been especially large among men who have sex with men, with a 73% fall between 2014 and 2018. The number of new HIV diagnoses in people who acquired HIV heterosexually has almost halved over the past decade from 3,400 in 2009 to 1,940 in 2018.
The steepest declines were in London residents, in those aged 25 to 34 years, in persons of black African ethnicity, and those born abroad.
Combination of preventions is to thank for the decline
Public Health England points to the success of the combination prevention approach – which includes the use of condoms, regular HIV testing, starting antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible if HIV positive, and taking the HIV prevention medicine PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) if HIV negative.
Combination prevention is promoted in the capital through the London HIV Prevention Programme (LHPP). The programme, which is funded collaboratively by London boroughs, has been providing HIV testing and condom distribution across the city through its sexual health promotion service since 2014. The LHPP also delivers the pan-London multi-media HIV prevention awareness campaign ‘Do It London’.
Cllr Ray Puddifoot, London Councils’ Executive Member for Health & Care, said, “This data shows that London is making excellent progress in tackling HIV.
“We’re incredibly proud of the contribution made by the boroughs’ collaborative London HIV Prevention Programme and the Do It London campaign. By working efficiently and effectively together on this public health challenge, boroughs ensure clear and consistent messages are communicated to Londoners about the importance of testing and protection.”
Paul Steinberg, lead commissioner of the London HIV Prevention Programme, said, “Today’s report is further evidence of London leading the way on HIV prevention.
“The capital has made very significant progress in reducing HIV in the last decade, which is testament to everyone involved in ending the epidemic. Our world-class NHS services, alongside community-based initiatives including the boroughs’ London HIV Prevention Programme, have played a crucial role in achieving that progress.
“The cross-borough innovation and collaboration by the boroughs on HIV since 2014 is paying dividends, with London’s HIV strategy now regarded around the world as a success story.
“Further challenges remain. We must continue our efforts to reduce late diagnosis, to raise awareness of HIV among our key communities and to diagnose the 2,100 people who are currently living with HIV but are unaware of their status. We’re committed to continuing this progress and achieving zero new HIV diagnoses in London by 2030.”
London is a member of the worldwide Fast-Track Cities initiative and became one of the first global cities to meet the UN’s ambitious HIV diagnosis and treatment targets. London has pledged to achieve three key HIV goals by 2030: zero new transmissions, zero deaths, and zero stigma.
Detectives investigating the death of 43-year-old Adrian Murphy in Battersea and a separate incident in Walthamstow have charged a woman.
In 2019, an Irish man, Adrian Murphy, was found dead in a luxury flat he was housesitting after inviting a man for a dating app hook up.
Police have now arrested a woman and charged her for the murder of Adrian Murphy.
-One count of murder (in relation to Adrian Murphy)
Diana Cristea, 18 (05.10.01) of Barnet, London was arrested on Tuesday, 14 January 2020 and later charged with:
-One count of poisoning – administering a substance to endanger life/inflict GBH (against a 40-year-old man, the victim of the Walthamstow incident)
-Two counts of theft (in relation to both victims)
-Two counts of fraud by false representation (in relation to both victims)
She will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 15 January.
Joel Osei, 25 (11.11.94), of no fixed abode, was previously arrested on Thursday, 24 October and the following day was charged with:
-Two counts of poisoning – administering a substance to endanger life/inflict GBH (in relation to both incidents)
-Two counts of theft (in relation to both incidents)
-Six counts of fraud by false representation (in relation to both victims)
He was subsequently charged with murder on 5 December.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on 17 February.
“Hallmarks of a similar attack on a 40-year-old man in east-London just days beforehand”
The victim, Mr Murphy, from Kilkenny in Ireland, had apparently organised a hook up on a dating app and had the hallmarks of a similar attack on a 40-year-old man in east-London just days beforehand.
The flat in which he was staying had been ransacked and property allegedly was stolen.
Echoes of Barking Murders
CREDIT: met police
Similarly to the Stephen Port murders, in which the serial killer drugged, raped and then murdered his victims, he found on gay dating apps, the 40-year-old victim who survived his ordeal in Walthamstow believes he was drugged by a man he had invited to his flat after meeting him on a social networking platform.
He became unconscious and was found later that day by a friend who raised the alarm.
The mayor of Depok city, in Indonesia, has demanded that police raid the LGBT+ community, to “stop the spread” of LGBT+ people.
Depok City is the hometown of the convicted serial rapist, Reynhard Sinaga and it is thought that the mayor has ordered the crackdown on LGBT+ people following the high profile court case, which saw Sinaga banged up for a minimum of 30 years.
According to Amnesty International, Mohammad Idris, the mayor of the city of Depok in West Java, asked municipal police to search rented residencies in order to stop what he called “immoral” acts.
Idris is part of the Prosperous Justice Party, an Islam-based political party in Indonesia, which has a political affiliation with the right-wing Muslim Brotherhood organisation.
He labelled his crackdown a “prevention toward the spread of LGBTI” in the city, saying he had called for the raids in the wake of global media interest in Sinaga’s case.
Sinaga was convicted of multiple rapes and sexual assaults and is currently serving a 30-year sentence in the UK.
Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director, said,
“This latest vicious campaign against LGBTI people must stop.
“Same-sex relations are protected under international law and there can be no justification for these hateful raids.
“Criminalisation of homosexuality is discriminatory and violates the rights to private and family life, freedom of expression, and the freedom of assembly and association.
“The authorities in Indonesia repeatedly launch humiliating crackdowns on suspected same-sex activity, and misuse laws against loitering or public nuisance to harass and arrest LGBTI people.
“The Indonesian government should also repeal all laws that criminalise specific gender identities and expressions.”
Indonesia’s LGBT Crackdown
In recent years, LGBTI communities in Indonesia have faced increasing crackdowns from the authorities.
In 2018, police in Padang, West Sumatra, arrested ten women and accused them of same-sex relations after one of them posted a photo of her kissing and hugging another woman on Facebook. In the same year in the neighbouring province of Lampung, local police raided a beach and arrested three people who they suspected of being transgender women in an operation said to “provide safety and maintain public order” in the city. And in October 2018, West Java Police arrested two men for administering a Facebook group called “Facebook Gay Bandung Indonesia”, which has a total of 4,093 members.
Sharia Law?
Recently there has been a crackdown on homosexuality and transgender people, particularly in the Aceh Province, which uses Sharia law to govern its people, Sharia law outlaws same-sex sexual activity.
There have also been reports where there have been raids on gay men in the Country’s capital city, Jarkata. In May 2017, dozens of men were arrested for allegedly attending a party at a sauna. Police raided the venue and captured 144 men, under broad pornography laws. The broadly written rules have been used to target the gay community in the past unfairly.
It’s a startling story, but at its centre is convicted murderer, Luka Magnotta, whose grisly past is now the subject of a Netflix documentary series, Don’t F**K With Cats.
Is Luka Magnotta gay?
Although he never officially came out as gay, it is assumed that Luka is gay. In the horrific murder video of his victim Lin Jun, a 33-year-old computer engineering student from China he is seen having sexual intercourse with the body.
He was also an escort, stripper and starred in a number of gay porn videos. In 2005 he was a pin-up model for fab magazine.
In 2007 he also took part in OutTV reality TV series, COVERguy, where part of the prize was a land a cover shoot with the gay magazine, abOUT magazine.
When was Luke Magnotta born?
Luka was born in 1982 and Luka isn’t actually his birth name. His given name at birth was Eric Kirk Newman to teenaged parents in Toronto, Canada.
Is Luka Magnotta in jail?
Yes, he was imprisoned in Canada for life for the murder of Lin Jun. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years. In 2014 a jury, after eight days of deliberations, convicted him of first-degree murder.
He’s probably the most famous butler in the UK (outside of Downton Abbey, of course!
Yes, Paul Burrell is gay. He came out in 2017 after separating from his wife of 32 years. The couple has two sons together, Alexander and Nicholas.
Paul, who was most famous for being the butler of Princess Diana at the time of her death in 1997 is now famous for his reality TV stints as well as being a spokesperson on all matters Royal.
He has released a number of books of his time as a staff member for the royals and has sold over 2 million books. He has also appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Celebrity Big Brother.
For the perfect, Pita , Mezze or Salad in the West End, you can’t beat Fafa’s
Open only for four months, Fafa’s is on the cozy corner where Neal and Monmouth streets converge to face Shaftsbury Avenue. It’s a busy intersection and it’s easy to walk past Fafa’s, but please don’t. Pop in and you’ll be rewarded with very good food with prices that are very affordable.
If it’s a quick meal you want, Fafa’s is perfect. The food comes in three choices: Pita, Salad, or Mezze box. The Pita options are falafel and meat or fish. I tried the Short Rib, with harissa and beetroot. It had a bit of a zing to it but it was a nice portion of Short Rib stuffed into the pita, very good and good value for £8.50. My friend had the Falafel Mezze Box which included several ingredients including aubergine, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, tabbouleh, and a bit of chilli. At £7.50 it’s a good deal if you’re not starving but need food prior to a show or an event. Chicken breast, grilled shrimp or Fafa’s burger can be added for a small supplement to the mezze box.
Pitas are offered with several options including chicken liver with caramelized onion, chicken breast with tahini, Fafa’s Burger, tahini and aubergine, grilled shrimp, harissa and tzatziki (both at £8.50), and roasted salmon, harissa and tzatziki (£9). There is lots of variety to choose from!
There are also salad options. Goats cheese, beetroot and pesto salad (£ 8), halloumi salad as well as chicken tabbouleh salad (both at £8.70).
The yummy sides include Sweet Potato Fries with Tzatziki sauce, (ask for no salt to taste the real flavour of these), the Halloumi Strips with Harissa. These were absolutely superb and cooked to perfection – I’ve never tasted Halloumi Strips as good as these! a must. Other options include Fries with Beetroot Ketchup, Roast Vegetables, and Falafel and Tahini.
Fafa’s has the best selection of drinks I’ve ever seen in a small cafe – it’s mind boggling with so much to chose from. Non-alcoholic choices include Char Tea, Square Root, Crooked, and Belvoir, to alcoholic drinks such as Eden Mill, Nice (wine), and Metroland (beer) – excellent selections.
You can’t beat the location, the food, and the prices at Fafa’s.co.uk. Don’t rush by, go in and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Gemma Watts has been jailed for eight years after being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court.
A deceitful woman who pretended to be a young boy online so she could groom young teenage girls from around the country has been jailed.
Gemma Watts, 21 (18.09.98) from Pembroke Avenue, Enfield has been sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to eight years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty at the same court on 28 November 2019 to:
– Assault by penetration (Section 2 of the Sexual Offence Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 2;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 2;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 3;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 4.
Watts was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made subject to a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Phillipa Kenwright, who was the Met’s Safeguarding Lead for the case, said , “In this particular case, Watts targeted her young victims on social media platforms and duped them into believing they were entering into a relationship with someone whom they could trust.
“She then went on to form physical relationships in which she spun a web of lies and deceit, giving her the opportunity to commit sexual offences.
“Her arrest, and now lengthy prison sentence, has prevented her from targeting further victims, but I hope that it also gives reassurance to other victims of sexual exploitation that offenders will be brought to justice. I encourage them to come forward and speak to us.
“I am delighted with the sentence that the Judge has passed today and hope it acts as a warning to others intent on exploiting and manipulating children online, that they will be dealt with robustly.”
Watts created an “elaborate web of deception”
Following a joint operation by the Met and Hampshire Constabulary, it was established that Watts had spun a bizarre and elaborate web of deception by inventing a fictional alias ‘Jake Watton’. She used this profile to groom teenage girls she met through social media sites and then sexually assault them.
Watts contacted her victims through social messaging apps, Facebook, Snapchat, Yubo and Instagram, under the alias of 16-year-old Jake Waton or Jake Watton.
Watts exchanged messages with her victims, obtaining their trust before meeting them and committing a number of serious sexual offences.
Hampshire Police contacted officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime unit informing them an investigation had been launched after receiving reports from a medical professional that a 14-year-old girl (victim 1) had reported being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend ’Jake Waton’ in April 2018.
She used various aliases, including “Jake Waton”
The investigation showed that ‘Jake Waton’ was actually an adult female called Gemma Watts. Further research by officers identified another two victims, both under 18, (victim 2 and victim 3) who also reported being groomed and sexually assaulted by Watts under her alias.
Officers executed a search warrant at Watts’ home address in July 2018 and arrested her for a number of serious sexual offences.
During interview, she admitted to grooming the victims whilst pretending to be ‘Jake Waton’ and partially admitted a number of the assaults. Watts was bailed to allow further enquiries to be completed.
It was later established that she continued to groom young females whilst on police bail and was re-arrested in October 2018 in West Midlands when she was found with a 15-year-old missing girl (victim 4). The victim reported to officers that she had been sexually assaulted by Watts.
In November 2018, officers from the Met obtained an interim Sexual Risk Order from Stratford Magistrates’ Court which allowed Watts to be closely monitored by officers to prevent her from re-offending until charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Hampshire. A final Sexual Risk Order was obtained on 2 May 2019 and Watts was charged on 12 September 2019.
PC Nicola Benson, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Missing and Exploited Team, said , “The level of manipulation and deceit used by Watts to snare her victims, in this case, was truly shocking. Children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation online with increased use of social media apps, and there is a real risk that any contact with a stranger online can lead to a child meeting an offender in person.
“This case demonstrates the stark reality of that, and it is astonishing the lengths that Watts went to, to ensure she could abuse these girls.
“I am pleased that Watts has now received a custodial sentence, and I would like to commend the bravery of the girls and their families who found the courage to come forward and make this happen. I want them to know that they are not in any way to blame for this, and hope they can now move on from this ordeal.
“I would also like to thank officers from West Midlands Police, Devon & Cornwall Police, Kent Police and the Metropolitan Police for their involvement in this complex and lengthy investigation.”
Anyone who has any information that could help lead to an arrest, or protect a child from online abuse, is asked to call 999. Alternatively, they should contact the NSPCC or Internet Watch Foundation (https://www.iwf.org.uk/).
Detective Inspector Mark Rogers, from the Met, added, “Thankfully, these type of crimes are rare. However, it is important that parents, guardians and everyone who works with young people takes an interest in what children are doing on the internet and educates them about the risks associated with using social media.
“The internet is a fantastic resource enabling young people to socialise and learn. Unfortunately, it can also be used by predatory offenders to target children. We will robustly investigate any child sex offences committed online, and I would urge any young person who has experienced unsolicited contact to report it to police.”
PC Maria Carrick, Hampshire Constabulary’s Education and Youth Engagement Coordinator, said ,“Young people are vulnerable to exploitation online, and in serious and worrying cases, adults pose as young people to groom and exploit them into engaging in sexual activity online, or trick them into meeting with the intention of physically causing sexual harm.
“This is what makes prevention so important and why we continue to actively work with young people, schools, parents and youth partners in a joined up approach to educate whole communities about the risks children face online, and the impact this can have on them and their families.
“We encourage parents and teachers not to be afraid to talk to children about their activities on social media and explain the importance of privacy, and thinking before uploading content online to help prevent them from becoming victims or perpetrators. This is key to developing young people’s trust and confidence to talk to you, someone else they trust or to report if they’re concerned about inappropriate contact they’ve had online.”
The FBI investigation of actress Jean Seberg is told in the new film Seberg.
Kristen Stewart, who plays Seberg, is fine in this film of Seberg’s life which was filled with glamour and controversy. Director
Benedict Andrews, who directs with little enthusiasm, and the writers focus on the years in Seberg’s life when she was being investigated for her ties to the Black Panther party in the 1960’s. This is told through the fictional eyes of FBI investigator Jack Solomon (a very good Jack O’connell). Seberg, an American born in 1938, was most famous for her performance in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film Breathless which immortalized her as an icon of French New Wave cinema, donated lots of money and time to the Black Panther Party. She also had an extramarital affair with Black activist Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), which led to a baby being born prematurely, due, according to Seberg, the stress of the FBI investigation, and her rocky marriage to her husband Romain Gary (Yvan Attal).
Solomon, ever increasingly, gets more involved in the case, taking him away from his frustrated wife Linette (Margaret Qualley). Vincent Vaughan plays his partner, who knows not to get too close to the case. But we really don’t get to understand why Seberg wanted to support the Black Panthers. She was sympathetic and wanted them to have opportunities? And if so why?
Seberg died at the age of 40 in Paris, with police ruling her death a probable suicide, after having disappeared for ten days. Her life was anything but boring, yet Seberg doesn’t quite get to the heart of who she was and why she was involved.
Her life was fascinating and glamorous, but her story needs to be told again.
Police are looking to speak to this man after a 13-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted at an ice rink in Manchester.
According to cops in Manchester, at around 6 pm on Tuesday 23 April 2019, a 13-year-old boy reported that he been sexually assaulted in the public toilets of Planet Ice (formerly called Altrincham Ice Rink) on Oakfield Road, Altrincham.
The victim left the toilet cubicle to go wash his hands and was confronted by a man who sexually assaulted him by the washbasins.
Police Constable Neil Murphy, of GMP’s Trafford division, said: “An assault of this nature is completely unacceptable and has left a young boy feeling violated in what should have been a safe environment.
“I appreciate that this incident took place a while ago, but I would like to stress that we have been following every line of enquiry available to us and trawling through several CCTV opportunities. As a result, we have been able to release these images in the hope of talking to the man pictured.
“If anyone has any information that could help us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at the very earliest opportunity.”
Anyone with any information can contact police on 101 referring to incident number 2080 of 23/04/2019 or alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
