When it comes to online hate, Towie star Bobby Norris is getting some horrendous messages, including one from a user who tells the star to “burn in a fire”.
Bobby Norris has revealed a shocking death wish against him from online trolls. The TOWIE star, who recently delivered a petition with over 100,000 signatures on it to 10 Downing Street to bring attention to online homophobic bullying revealed that over the weekend he was subjected to a vile death wish from someone online.
Taking to social media, the reality star, who was apparently about to cook his roast dinner on Sunday afternoon, revealed that he had been subject to online abuse from someone who wished him “a painful death”.
Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham and his BF are celebrating their half year anniversary.
Matthew Mitcham has posted the cutest picture to celebrate being with his boyfriend, Luke for six months. Taking to Instagram the diving champ wrote,
“I’ve been with this funny, passionate, energetic, caring, fun-loving, handsome man for six months. The longest six months of my life, but mostly because of how much we’ve crammed into them. @lukeyluke8, thanks for being the Ricky Ricardo to my Lucy.”
To which Luke simply replied, “Awww love ya you special man xx”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxV2pDHhYqz/
In March, earlier this year Matthew and Luke have travelled to the UK, with Matthew saying that he planned to live here for the next two years.
Lord Sugar has been accused of “casual homophobia” after ‘gay elephant’ jibe.
After Piers Morgan asked his Twitter following whether elephants could be gay, but Alan Sugar couldn’t help but respond. His response missed the mark, however, and was met with condemnation from some followers.
Piers Morgan tweeted, “Genuine question: are there gay elephants?” to which the Apprentice star responded in front of his 5.3 million followers, “Good question they have good memory, That is why they followed you when you went on Safari in South Africa”
RT Genuine question: are there gay elephants? @piersmorgan Good question they have good memory, That is why they followed you when you went on Safari in South Africa https://t.co/O1DC9SDALO
While some were offended by the remark, calling the tweet an example of ‘casual homophobia’ others commented on the laziness of the joke, with one writing, “by all means attempt a gay joke, we wont be offended as long as its witty or clever. This offends me simply because its [sic] beyond dull”.
by all means attempt a gay joke, we wont be offended as long as its witty or clever. This offends me simply because its beyond dull
This isn’t the first time Sugar has been accused of homophobia, last year he was slammed after saying that he had had enough “puffs” in his boardroom. Twitter users were quick to call out the Tweet as homophobic and bigoted living the billionaire businessman having to explain that the tweet was “a bloody joke” and that puffs was not a homophobic slur.
Aussie hunk, Lockie Chapman is leaving the million-selling vocal group, The Overtones, after “difficult decision”.
Lockie Chapman, who is known for his deep bass voice in the vocal group, The Overtones, is set to leave the group after “careful consideration” saying that it was time for him to move on.
The group broke onto the music scene in 2009 and Lockie was one of the founding members of the group.
Speaking to THEGAYUK.com about his decision to leave Lockie said, “It has been a very difficult decision and has taken much careful consideration, but the time has come for me to move on. I hope you will understand. I was one of five boys given a chance at a lucky break, and my goodness, how we ran with that ball! My finest memories have been made and they are countless. I have so much love for the Overtones, for Darren, Mike, Mark and our dearest friend Timmy Matley and the memories we have made and shared together”
Lockie said of the news. “I know the boys will carry on delighting audiences everywhere as The Overtones always have and long may they reign. My heart is beating with pride for them. I have so much love and thanks for our devoted and loyal fans – the love and respect you have given us means you will always be in my heart. Always, always. You have truly been the making of my first decade in the UK and I must now journey on into the adventures and excitements of my next decade. We shall see. We will meet again at a microphone, a stage or a screen near you soon”
Lockie took to Instagram to inform the band’s fans, with a simple handwritten note,
Talking about the future Darren Everest, Mike Crawshaw and Mark Franks added ,“We are excited about our next chapter too and, to our fans, rest assured that The Overtones will continue to make you smile, sing and dance in the aisles for many years to come. We have some big news coming soon so stay tuned because there are exciting times ahead”
Tickets for the concert on Saturday May 4th 2019 at Shanklin Theatre, Isle Of Wight are available from shanklintheatre.com
With their innate charm and adherence to vintage-modernist style, and a devotion to the timeless appeal of male vocal harmonies, The Overtones are a bridge between pre-rock’n’roll classicism and lively 21st Century entertainment. They’ve sold over a million albums, made countless TV appearances and filled venues to capacity on tour after tour, all the while building a relationship with their fans that has real depth and devotion.
In 2018 the group released their sixth album ‘The Overtones’. The first to be released as a quartet following the death of Timmy Matley, the record was a celebration of life, the friendship between the band mates, and the power of the voice. The accompanying 24 date sold-out tour took that sense of celebration and party on the road with the group and their band living up to the promise of “a night to remember”. That’s the tradition they come from and they’re certainly not about to stop now.
Bobby Norris created a petition imploring politicians to make online homophobia a criminal offence, and it’s reached a whopping milestone.
From Lime Productions
TOWIE star Bobby Norris is celebrating after a petition he created, asking the UK’s government to make online homophobia a specific offence reached over 100,000 signatures.
Taking to social media, Bobby wrote, “WOW!! Thank you so much to everyone who has signed and shared my petition. I can’t wait to get into Parliament now and get this debated”.
As it stands the petition currently has over 114,000 signatures.
In his original petition, Bobby wrote, that he was “devastated” by homophobic abused levelled at the LGBT+ community and wanted it to be debated in parliament.
The Home Office responded at 10,000 signatures, saying “The Government recognises the harm that homophobic online messages can cause. We are working cross-Government to challenge inequality and make the UK’s online environment a safer place for everyone.”
“The internet provides a wealth of opportunities for people globally. It is a platform for everyone to share experiences and creativity, and it encourages rich discussion. It has allowed people to create communities and interact in ways that were not previously possible. The Government recognises, however, that some people exploit these opportunities to spread harmful messages which would not be tolerated offline. Protecting people online is a top priority for Government.
“In some cases, these behaviours may already constitute criminal offences, and the law does not differentiate between criminal offences committed on social media or elsewhere. We have robust legislation to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour, which may be relevant to some cases of LGBT abuse.
“Hate crime legislation may already apply in online homophobic offences. Hate crimes include crimes demonstrating hostility on the grounds of an individual’s actual or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity, as well as stirring up hatred on the grounds of race, religion or sexual orientation.
“The Government is taking significant steps to tackle hateful activity online:
• We are funding a National Online Hate Crime Hub which uses specially trained police officers and staff to investigate reports.
• We supported the European Commission Code of Conduct for Countering Illegal Hate Speech which has been signed by key companies including Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft, Twitter and Instagram. A key aim is to ensure that requests to remove content are reviewed in less than 24 hours, and content is removed if necessary.
• We commissioned the Law Commission review of offensive online communications. The Law Commission has just begun a specific review of hate crime legislation.
• More widely, a joint Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)-Home Office White Paper will be published this year, setting out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe.
The Government recognises that homophobic abuse can have potentially devastating impacts on victims and we are working to challenge inequality beyond a law enforcement approach alone. This broader approach also recognises that we need to ensure we strike the right balance between protecting citizens and protecting their rights to free expression. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, however this is not an excuse to spread hatred. Article 10 is a qualified right, which means it is not absolute and it can be restricted for certain purposes.
This approach includes a variety of actions. In July 2018, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) launched the National LGBT Survey to understand LGBT people’s experiences of accessing services. Over 108,000 people completed the survey. In response to the findings, GEO also launched an LGBT Action Plan setting out 75 commitments to improve outcomes for LGBT people. The Action Plan includes a £4.5 million fund to address inequality and support the delivery of commitments cross-sector.
The LGBT Action Plan includes the following commitments to ensure LGBT people feel safe online beyond the actions listed above:
• The Home Office is supporting the police to improve how they respond to hate crime and raise awareness of local support agencies for LGBT victims. The 2018 refresh of the Hate Crime Action Plan is supporting police training that is tailored to the needs of victims, such as those of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes.
• The National Crime Agency (NCA) will ensure LGBT people can access educational online safety interventions that are informed by their experiences. The NCA will develop effective and appropriate education interventions to ensure LGBT people can be full, equal and safe participants in online activity.
Frankie Grande is back on the relationship wagon after splitting with his husband duo.
Frankie Grande is dating a hot man and is showing him off to all his 2 million fans on Instagram. The social media star took to Instagram to show off his new beau, who goes by the name of Hale Leon, by kissing him and introducing him as his boyfriend.
The pair locked lips at Coachella, after Frankie’s sister’s (Ariana Grande) “triumphant set”. The pair kissed under a gigantic rainbow flag and Frankie described the moment as something he would “cherish forever”.
His new boyfriend, Hale is an app developer and according to his profile never touched alchol or drugs, which will fit right in with Frankie’s sober lifestyle.
With Brexit rocking the nation and talks of a second referendum never far from the discussion Celebrity Big Brother star India Willoughby has suggested a solution.
With divisions running high on whether the UK should hold another Brexit referendum, the Celebrity Big Brother star India Willoughby thinks she has the answer to who should be able to vote.
Taking to Twitter the CBB star suggested that as London is the most cosmopolitan place in the UK and has the widest representation of people, it should decide on the future of the UK.
“London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world. It has representatives from North, South, East and West. A mix of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Why not just let London decide in a 2nd Referendum? Reflects all of us. We need a speedy resolution”.
Fans weren’t happy with India’s suggestion, with one saying, “What about the rest of us or don’t we count u taik [sic] diversity equality for everyone then u cum out with that bollocks what about us discusting [sic] thing to say” another added, “Girl, who stole your phone?”.
In the 2016 EU referendum, London voted remain by almost 60 per cent. The highest remainer area outside Scotland, which voted Remain 62.0% to 38.0%
CJ de Mooi has released a desperate YouTube video saying that he’s facing homelessness as legal costs spiral out of control.
Fighting a legal battle former Egghead’s star CJ de Mooi says he is bankrupt and he and his husband are facing homelessness.
The star, who has been cleared of any wrongdoing following dropped sexual assault claims and false claims that he murdered a man in Amsterdam in 1988, is finding it hard to cover legal costs and is on the verge of losing his home.
The star now says he is now unable to work and is surviving on just one disability benefit. He also says that lawyers, who he says are “pursuing him relentlessly”, are trying to take away his only asset, his home, meaning that he and his husband could be left homeless.
In a desperate video, uploaded to YouTube, an emotional de Mooi said, “It looks like they are going to succeed. I had to declare bankruptcy because I had no money, nothing and was heavily in debt because of all the legal fees that amounted up over three years. Working with the system and the trustee it now looks like (they) can force sale of my house to get their hands on my equity in that house even though it still won’t even cover their costs”.
EMOTIONAL: CJ made an emotional video saying that his focus was supporting his husband as they both face homelessness due to spiralling legal costs.
Failing health
Speaking about his health, de Mooi says that his health has deteriorated “severely” and he has had several cancer scares in recent years as well as living with HIV, with his doctor very concerned about his physical and mental health.
He continued, “I hope you understand that I wanted to make this video – I’m not wanting to be overly dramatic but I don’t know how much time I’ve got left and I wanted the truth to get out there”.
“Wonderful source of support”
The quiz master went to admit that despite that he is sometimes trolled on social media, that it was a “wonderful source of support and friendship and love so I just want to say thank you for everybody who’s been kind who’s been supportive”.
Former Boybander, Ben Adams from late 90’s band, A1, just revealed that for one particular photo shoot he was apparently “too chubby” to take off his vest top, while the rest of his band were photographed without their tops on. This, despite Ben looking as hunky as the rest of his bandmates.
Taking to social media, Ben shared a throwback picture of him and his A1 bandmates, with him the only one photographed with a top on. The singer was posed with a white vest top on and placed slightly behind Christian.
Ben Adams was one of the lead singers of the popular British/Norwegian boyband who had huge hits with a remake of 80’s classic “Take On Me” and “Same Old Brand New You”.
Speaking about the throwback picture Ben wrote how he wasn’t allowed to take off his top because he was “too chubby” writing, “Guess who was too ‘chubby’ to be allowed to go without a vest”.
Elton John has ended up in a wheelchair after injuring himself, but he won’t let that stop him from seeing some of the world’s top sights.
Looking glum and down in the dumps, one of the world’s most successful entertainers, Sir Elton John has ended up wheelchair-bound after spraining his ankle, whilst visiting Italy.
The “Candle In The Wind” singer took to Instagram uploading a picture of him, in a trademark tracksuit, looking down in the dumps, sitting in a wheelchair. The singer was quick to let his loyal fans know that his injury wasn’t too bad.
However, he said that despite having sprained his ankle, that he wouldn’t let that spoil his fun, saying “Not even a sprained ankle could keep me away from seeing one of the most beautiful museums in the world”. He was visiting the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Perez Hilton has insisted that he has not endangered the life of a Brunei prince who he outted last week.
Perez Hilton has hit out at critics who say that he has endangered the life of one of the Sultan of Brunei’s sons, Prince Azim, whom he outted as gay last week. The 36-year-old Prince is fourth in line to the throne in the Kingdom of Brunei.
Speaking in a video, Perez Hilton explained his reasoning behind the decision to out the Prince saying, “Do you know the law? I have read the law. Before attacking me, read what the new law says”,
He added that it is not illegal to be gay in Brunei, but illegal to have gay sex.
Perez then went on to say that the Sultan’s son, would not be murdered just because he was gay.
He also pointed out that the burden of proof was “heavy”, saying that “in order for you to be stoned to death, you have to be convicted and in order for you to be convicted there needed to be four witnesses that saw this gay act”.
He went on to add that he thought that the likelihood of anyone, especially Prince Azim, being stoned to death in Brunei was “zero”.
Many people have criticised the fact that Perez outted Prince Azim, but Perez said, “I know the Prince of Brunei, his Dad probably knows that he’s gay, in fact, I’m going to go a step above and say that his Dad knows that he is gay. That’s why I felt the extra need just to out him because knowing your son is gay and still enacting this law, which is symbolic – it sucks”.
Prince Azim has never publicly acknowledged his sexuality.
