THEGAYUK

Author: News Desk

  • AfterEllen.com acquired by new owners

    AfterEllen.com acquired by new owners

    The site AllenEllen.com for lesbian and bisexual women has been acquired by new owners

    AllenEllen.com has been acquired by a company called Lesbian Nation, a limited liability company, privately owned by Memoree Joelle and Gaye Chapman. Speaking about the acquisition Joelle wrote, “We purchased AfterEllen because we wanted to ensure that the site is around for many years to come. There is nothing else like AfterEllen out there, as we see it as the only media site that caters content specifically for lesbian and bi women.

    “To that end, we are proud to represent lesbians, being lesbians ourselves, who we feel are a very underrepresented minority today”.

    The amount the duo paid for the company has not been made public. At the time of sale, AfterEllen has 123,000 followers on Twitter, 112,000 followers on Facebook. According to SimilarWeb, it is the most read website for lesbian and bisexual women.

    Joelle continued,

    “So will there be changes? Well, yes and no. I have served as Editor in Chief since 2016, and that will stay the same, so the content of the site won’t be changing much. What will be different is that, as a new business that is independently owned, we will be focusing on quality over quantity of content in our early days. Our business intention is to grow slowly, so it may be a few more months until we expand with videos and increase our celebrity interviews…but those are definitely coming! In fact, many exciting things are in store, and we have YOU to thank for reading the site, commenting, and sharing articles.

  • Parkfield School caves into the demands of protesting parents over LGBT+ lessons

    Parkfield School caves into the demands of protesting parents over LGBT+ lessons

    “Until a resolution can be reached No Outsiders will no longer be taught at Parkfield”

    The school at the centre of a row over teaching children about LGBT+ relationships has cancelled its lessons, THEGAYUK has learned. Parents of children at Parkfield Primary School in Birmingham, had been planning another protest outside the school this morning, but have called off the demonstration after the school said it would no longer offer the lessons, which taught primary school-aged children about same-sex relationships and gender expressions.

    The parents claim that the lessons infringe on their religious beliefs and that the lessons amounted to indoctrination of their children.  Around 98 percent of the school’s population are Muslim.

    A statement on the School’s website stated,

    “Nothing is more important than ensuring our children’s education continues uninterrupted.

    “Yesterday, both parents and the trust held constructive discussions with the Regional Schools Commissioner, and as a result of these discussions we are eager to continue to work together with parents, over the coming days and weeks to find a solution that will support the children in our school to continue their education in a harmonious environment.

    “Until a resolution has been reached, No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield and we hope that children will not be removed from school to take part in protests.”

    “No evidence” that lessons weren’t age-appropriate

    In a report released earlier this week, Ofsted said there was no evidence the curriculum overly focused on LGBT issues and that it is taught in an age-appropriate way. In reality, the lessons focus on race, religion, gender identity, age and disabilities. Despite this, the No Outsiders programme has caused many parents of children at the school to demonstrate and around 600 children were removed from classes by their guardians at the beginning of March 2019.

    Parents “Welcome” the move

    In a statement on the Alumrock Community group, parents wrote that they welcomed the move and demanded that a new programme needed to be “negotiated”, writing

    We, the representatives of Parkfield Parents Group have had a positive meeting with the Department of Education to discuss serious concerns we have with the ‘No Outsiders’ programme and its implentation at Parkfield School.

    We made our position clear, that the No Outsiders programme cannot continue to be taught at Parkfield School and that a new programme needs be negotiated, with which parents are happy and meets the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

    The school have agreed that “Until a resolution has been reached , No Outsiders lessons will not be taught at Parkfield”.

    In view of this development, we have decided to postpone the protest for Thursday 14th March 2019. We will await further developments early next week when we expect detailed proposals to be tabled. We will then review our actions with respect to protests and schoolwide withdrawal of children.

    We have advised and notified parents that the protest scheduled for Thursday 14th March 2019 is not taking place and that we are keeping future protests under review inview of developments.

    We welcome these developments and reiterate that the school needs to work with parents in a spirit of partnership and cooperation and not against them in educating their children.

     

     

     

  • Parkfield parents in Birmingham plan to protest LGBT+ equality lessons again

    Parkfield parents in Birmingham plan to protest LGBT+ equality lessons again

    Parents of children at Parkfield Primary School are planning another protest outside the school over LGBT+ equality lessons.

    It’s a sad state of affairs as parents of children who attend the Parkfield Community School in Birmingham are set to demonstrate outside the school on Thursday morning from 8:20 AM till 9:20 AM, despite an Ofsted report that states that the lessons are age appropriate.

    Parents from the school who are apparently 98 per cent Muslim have questioned the age appropriateness of the lessons and argue that they had not been consulted with over the lessons, which have been labelled as “toxic”.

    Parents of children at the Parkfield Primary School in Birmingham have said that they will protest outside the school grounds every Thursday until the equality lessons, called No Outsiders, dealing with social issues, including LGBT+ relationships are cancelled permanently.  In reality, the lessons focus on race, religion, gender identity, age and disabilities.

    The school is due to provide just five of its No Outsiders lessons for its students over the course of the year.

    A poster, which is advertising’s the protest outside the school is being shared on Facebook.

    At the beginning of March around 600 children were removed by their parents in protest to the planned lessons. The school has said that it will continue with the lessons next term.

  • Assassination of Versace: Did Versace’s partner die?

    Assassination of Versace: Did Versace’s partner die?

    What happened to Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico and is he still alive?

    If you’ve watched The Assassination of Versace you may have been led to believe that Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s long-term partner of 15-years died from a self-inflicted drug overdose, shortly after the designer’s murder by Andrew Cunanan, but in reality, Antonio is still very much alive.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Antonio in 1999, two years after the passing of his boyfriend, Gianni Versace.

    Embed from Getty Images

    SPOILER ALERT BELOW

    In the last scenes of The Assassination of Versace, Antonio, played by Ricky Martin is seen taking a handful of pills before being found on the floor, near death by a member of staff, but in reality, Antonio is still alive and is now around 60-years-old.

    Since Versace’s murder in 1997, Antonio has returned to fashion and has become a designer in his own right.

    In Versace’s will, it is reported that Antonio was left a stipend of 15 million Lira a month (around £6,400 by today’s exchange rate, if Italian Lira were still currency) and the right to live in any of the homes owned by Gianni. However as shown in The Assassination of Gianni Versace the homes were actually owned by the fashion company, but it has been reported that after legal proceedings D’Amico won a limited right to live at homes. In the TV series, the viewer is almost led to believe that Antonio was left with nothing after the death of Versace, however, there was also a legal arrangement, that he would also have rights to a fraction of the 15 million Lira, according to Wikipedia.

     

     

     

     

  • Gay dating app, Growlr just got sold for a lot of $$$s

    Gay dating app, Growlr just got sold for a lot of $$$s

    GROWLr just got sold Y’all!

    GROWLr has become the latest dating app, aimed at gay and bi men to be sold, and it was sold for some big $$$s!

    Although the amount paid for it is dwarfed by the amount paid by a Chinese gaming firm for Grindr, the buyers still parted with nearly $12,000,000 ($11.8m) for GROWLr and that’s not to be sniffed at. This also means the app is no longer gay-owned or operated and becomes an “acquired property” of the much larger company, The Meet Group.

    Currently, GROWLr has around 10 million users of which 200,000 of them use the app daily.

    Speaking about the acquisition, Geoff Cook, the CEO of The Meet Group, said, “In addition to reporting a strong quarter, I’m excited to announce the acquisition of Growlr, which provides a meaningful step into the large same-sex dating market and expands the base of users to whom we can deliver our live video product,

    “We are thrilled to add Growlr to The Meet Group portfolio,” said Cook.

    “Similar to what we have done with our other acquired properties, we plan to be aggressive in bringing our video model to Growlr. We expect to begin rolling out live video on Growlr in the fourth quarter of 2019.

    “We also see opportunities to grow advertising revenue on the app, and we plan to further invest in user acquisition to expand brand awareness and reach.”

  • 100 Copies of Scottish LGBT Poetry Book Donated to Schools

    100 Copies of Scottish LGBT Poetry Book Donated to Schools

    One hundred copies of Wain, a poetry book by Rachel Plummer, have been donated to schools across Scotland ahead of its publication this Thursday.

    Wain is a new collection of LGBT poems aimed at teenage readers, themed around retellings of Scottish folktales. In the wake of abusive messages received on social media, publisher the Emma Press created the option in their webshop for people to buy copies at a discount, to be donated directly to schools. The Emma Press are working with LGBT Youth Scotland to ensure each copy finds a good home.

    One customer included this message with their donation: ‘Thank you for adding the option to donate a copy to schools – it’s so important for everyone of every age to have the opportunity of representation in every area. This stand against the anti-trans hatred that is sadly gaining traction in Britain currently is much appreciated.’

    Wain is based on Scottish folklore; the collection contains many magical and mythological beings, such as selkies, kelpies, and the Loch Ness Monster. These characters all fit within the LGBT spectrum. Wain was commissioned by LGBT Youth Scotland, the largest youth and community-based organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Scotland. The cultural commission was funded by Creative Scotland.

    The book features enchanting full-colour watercolour illustrations by Helene Boppert, bringing the mythical creatures in the poems to life.

    The Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh is hosting a launch event for Wain on the 15th March. All ages are welcome, and tickets are free. The launch starts at 6 pm, and will feature a reading from Rachel Plummer, along with a Q&A.

  • Terry Miller gives an eyeful poolside at clothing optional holiday in Palm Springs

    Terry Miller gives an eyeful poolside at clothing optional holiday in Palm Springs

    “That monster should be free to swim”

    Terry Miller, or as we like to call him, the real-life Tom of Finland stunned fans with a series of hot pictures of him poolside in some very revealing swimwear.

    The model, who actually is the official Tom of Finland ambassador was hanging out poolside at the gay men’s CCBC resort hotel in Palm Springs, US, where the pool’s rules state, “clothing optional” however, Terry chose to maintain some modesty and went for the next best thing, a pair of very revealing trunks by Cocksox – which left nothing to the imagination, much to the delight of Terry’s near 90,000 fans on Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Buy_QRjlr9H/

    Needless to say the picture drove Terry’s fans wild, will one saying, “That monster should be free to swim” referring to the incredibly large bulge in Terry’s briefs. Another added, “Loving the bulge action”.

    Another fans pointed out that the picture was “zoom worthy”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1jtjzlzn7/

    In another separate revealing post, Terry appeared in a pair of banana yellow longjohns with the caption, “Lazy, sunny, long john, birthday weekend vibes. Old man Terry catching up on @broadcity this AM.”

  • Petition supporting Andrew Moffat’s No Outsiders programme surges

    Petition supporting Andrew Moffat’s No Outsiders programme surges

    A brand new petition in support of the No Outsiders campaign for Primary School ages gains thousands of signatures in just a few hours.

    Andrew Moffat’s No Outsiders campaign is getting a lot of love after a petition was created in support of the lessons which aim to teach primary school-aged children about LGBT+ acceptance, relationships and equality.

    Parkfield Primary school has become somewhat of a battleground as parents removed 600 pupils from the school in February, and then proceeded to demonstrate outside the school in protest at the lessons. The parents say that the lessons are not age appropriate and that they weren’t consulted with about the lessons.

    Critics of No Outsiders have called it “toxic” and parents and their children at the protest, last Thursday, shouted “shame, shame, shame” at the idea of teaching children that it is okay to be gay and Muslim.

    The No Outsider lessons include reading children, as young as five-year-old, story such as Mummy, Mamma and Me, which can be heard here:

    https://twitter.com/salxerribrooks/status/1103940178941374464

    The petition, which was created by Lacey McFadyen wll be delievered to Parkfield Primary School and reads,

    Andrew Moffatt is the deputy headteacher at Parkfield Community School near the deprived Bordesley Green area of Birmingham. Birmingham is home to a diverse range of people from different backgrounds and beliefs, which is what makes our city inclusive for everyone.

    Andrew’s “No Outsiders” programme reflects this and teaches children about inclusiveness and diversity. This ethos has been extended to parents too through parent/child workshops, where the message can be continued at home. The programme has also been extended to other schools in cities across the UK.

    Andrew also runs a “Parkfield Ambassadors” after-school club that creates opportunities for children at his school where 99% of students are Muslim to meet others of different races, religions and cultures around Birmingham.

    In May 2016 Ofsted awarded the Parkfield School ‘Outstanding’ status, recognizing Andrew’s project as a strength, saying: “The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and permeates the school’s work. This is an inclusive school that celebrates diversity.”

    In November 2017 Andrew was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to equality and diversity in education.

    Programmes like “No Outsiders” are more than ever needed to ensure future younger generations learn about acceptance and respect of others.

    In recent media there has been a backlash of the project with concerns that inappropriate material is being taught to the children. This includes a concern over topics such as LGBT+ being included in the programme. Concerns raised have included the stereotype that LGBT+ is ‘inappropriate’ and ‘sexualised’. This project does not include topics of this nature and instead teaches children about different family dynamics in general.

    Please show your support for Andrew’s “No Outsiders” programme by signing this petition and to support the inclusion of LGBT+ topics in this programme.

    You can add your support by click here.

  • Frankie Grande feeling confident and isn’t ruling out another 3 way relationship

    Frankie Grande feeling confident and isn’t ruling out another 3 way relationship

    Frankie Grande is back out on the prowl and has revealed that he’s dating again – and is not ruling out another three-way relationship.

    After he recently revealed that his three-way relationship hadn’t worked out, Frankie Grande has revealed that he’s dating again and “and ready to meet whoever is the right person or persons out there for me.”

    Speaking to US Weekly the TV star said that he was “feeling strong and confident” following on from his breakup from his boyfriends, Mike and Daniel at the end of January.

    Frankie Grande.
    CREDIT: Channel 5

    He hasn’t ruled out another thruple either saying he was ready for the “right person or persons”.

    Speaking about single life Frankie said, “When [I became] publicly single, I got so many messages from boys that I had not spoken to in so long on Valentine’s Day, being like, ‘Boo, what are you doing today? How you doing?’ I was literally like, ‘Oh, my God, wait, what’s happening?

    He added, “I think the single people smell that I’m single.”

  • New Music: Andrea Di Giovanni’s ‘Bang’ is the Queer anthem you need RN

    New Music: Andrea Di Giovanni’s ‘Bang’ is the Queer anthem you need RN

    LGBT+ activist and Pride’s Got Talent Finalist, Andrea Di Giovanni, is set to release the pulsing queer hit you’ve been waiting for.

    The new track mixes strong synth backing with powerhouse vocals on the topic of self-liberation. Andrea believes we should “let go of everything that holds us back, so we can thrive and do what we love”, and ‘Bang’ is a track that reminds listeners to lose their inhibitions and live in the moment.

    As a rising pop star and activist, Andrea’s music resonates not only with the LGBT+ community but with the pop music scene as a whole. With the main focus on “making a difference” and using the platform they have to inspire positive change, ‘Bang’ is a track that holds no barriers, persuades no minds, and allows the listener to simply break free and enjoy music.

    Andrea Di Giovanni is an openly gay gender-fluid pop artist, from Italy and based in London, UK. Andrea’s unigue performance style has led the singer to be scouted by many well-known pop stars, such as 80’s pop icon Sinitta who stated the performer was, “A star… original and fantastic”.

    Andrea’s music finds roots in the struggle for equality, combining memorable melodies with empowering messages of self-acceptance.

    Bang will be released on Friday 8th March, and available via music platforms Apple Music and Spotify.

  • Birmingham Cllr, speaks out over Parkfield Parents LGBT Protest

    Birmingham Cllr, speaks out over Parkfield Parents LGBT Protest

    The Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities, Cllr John Cotton has spoken out at the anti-LGBT protest held at Parkfield Community School in Birmingham.

    As hundreds of parents and students stood in protest outside Parkfield Community School yesterday shouting “Shame” over lessons aimed at teaching inclusivity and equality for LGBT+ people, one of Birmingham‘s leading politicians, Cllr John Cotton has spoken up to remind Birmingham’s residents that the city has been built on “tolerance and mutual respect” and that insulting language has no place in the city.

    His statement read,

    “Birmingham City Council’s first priority will always be to stand up for the rights of all children, whoever they are and whatever kind of family they are from. This city is built upon diversity and we value and celebrate difference as a strength.

    “For many years, the council has supported various programmes, including No Outsiders, as a means of promoting the values of the 2010 Equality Act and ensuring all protected characteristics are respected. We have also championed the importance of ongoing dialogue and consultation with parents, so everyone is clear about what is and is not being taught in the classroom.

    “We remain concerned at the continued protests by parents of Parkfield School and urge both the school and parents to come together in the spirit of cooperation in the best interests of the children. Parkfield School is an academy, but in spite of the restrictions this places upon the council’s scope to act, officers have been closely involved in supporting Parkfield and its staff.

    “We are working with the Regional Schools Commissioner – which is responsible for academies – to address this issue. Whilst we recognise that parents have concerns, continuing protests only serve to attract extreme fringe movements taking an opportunity to further messages of division and hate.

    “In recent days, we have been appalled to see attempts to divide the people of our city by using insulting and incendiary language targeting the LGBT community. This has no place in our city. Birmingham is a place of tolerance and mutual respect, where people of all faiths and none, all sexualities, all ethnicities, come together in pursuit of a common aim. This council will continue to champion these values and support all communities in putting them into action.”