THEGAYUK

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  • THEGAYUK’s New Year’s Recognition LIST 2014

    TheGayUK reveals The LGBT New Year’s Recognitions for 2014.

    With over 5000 votes cast TheGayUK’s New Years Recognition List has been announced and includes 15 individuals, companies or organisations that actively supported, championed or spoke up for the LGBT community in 2013.

    Readers were asked to vote on 5 categories, which included: Awareness, Activism and Politics, Health, Entertainment, Sports and Health.

    Read the entire list at http://www.newyear.thegayuk.com

    In the field of Education
    Bridegroom – The Documentary film
    Bisi Alimi – Activist and Advocate
    Human Rights Campaign – Advocacy Organisation

    In the field of Health
    Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation – Bullying Awareness Charity
    G-A-Y – Club and Bars
    UK Positive Lad – Twitter user and HIV Magazine Founder

    In the field of Entertainment
    Adam Lambert – Singer
    Graham Norton – TV Presenter
    Theatre 503 – Theatre in London

    In the field of Sports
    Tom Daley – Olympian and Diver
    Jason Collins – Sportsman
    Clare Balding – TV Presenter

    In the field of Activism, Awareness and Politics
    Stephen Fry – Author, Broadcaster, Actor
    Shane Bitney Crone – Activist
    Pinknews – Online Newspaper

    Jake Hook co-founder of TheGayUK remarked: “2013 was an incredible year, so many great things happened for the LGBT community both at home and abroad.

    The seeds of equality planted by the generations before us are starting to take root and without these people’s bravery, persistence and determination the journey would be much harder.

    We’ve still got a long way to go and we still need to stand in solidarity with our LGBT brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world – but we are on the way.”

    TheGayUK would like to thank everyone who voted.

  • Vile Homophobic Reaction To Gay Kiss On EastEnders

    Vile Homophobic Reaction To Gay Kiss On EastEnders

    Numerous Twitter users took to the micro social network to call actors and characters in Eastenders ‘Gay Kiss’ f*ggots, queers and batty boys.

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  • Code Breaker Alan Turing pardoned by the Queen

    The Queen has posthumously pardoned ‘Code Breaker’ Alan Turing under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

    Alan Turing, a World War II hero has been granted a posthumous pardon by the Queen. He was prosecuted and sentenced to chemical castration in 1952 for ‘gross indecency’ after it was found he was in a relationship with a man.

    Two years later in 1954, Turing killed himself.

    David Cameron said,

    ‘Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War Two by cracking the German Enigma code

    ‘His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the father of modern computing.’

    Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has written to the Prime Minister urging a new inquiry into the death of the scientist Alan Turing, who has just been granted a royal pardon for his 1952 conviction for homosexual relations.

    ‘The government should open a new inquiry into the death of gay war-time code-breaker, mathematical genius and computer pioneer Alan Turing, including an investigation into the possibility he was murdered by the security services,’ said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights advocacy organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation,

    ‘The security services would have been very fearful that Turing was vulnerable to blackmail and anxious that he might pass information to the Soviets, as did the British nuclear scientist Klaus Fuchs, who was convicted in 1950 of assisting the Soviet Union’s atomic programme. There was an irrational, paranoid fear that other leading scientists might also aid the Soviets.

    ‘Although there is no evidence that Turing was murdered by state agents, the fact that this possibility has never been investigated is a major failing. The original inquest into his death was perfunctory and inadequate. Although it is said that he died from eating an apple laced with cyanide, the allegedly fatal apple was never tested for cyanide. A new inquiry is long overdue, even if only to dispel any doubts about the true cause of his death.

    ‘Turing was regarded as a high security risk because of his homosexuality and his expert knowledge of code-breaking, advanced mathematics and computer science. At the time of his death, Britain was gripped by a MacCarthyite-style anti-homosexual witch-hunt. Gay people were being hounded out of the armed forces and the civil and foreign services’

  • Time Out halts gay section

    In a sad move TimeOut, the world’s largest listings magazine, has decided to stop the publication of the LGBT section.

    The LGBT section, which had been edited by Paul Burston, had in recent years become smaller and smaller- but the publishers have announced it is to disappear altogether. Paul Burston had edited the section for 20 years.

    The Guardian writes that the section, as well as others, had been closed because of ‘cost cutting’

    As well as the LGBT section, classical music, dance and caberet were to be folded into other categories within the printed edition.

    You can still find listings for all LGBT bars and venues at TheGayUK – by visiting http://www.thegayuk.com/listings

  • Gay and Bi Men In Norwich Urged To Wrap It Up

    Rise in syphilis cases among gay and bisexual men in the Norwich area.

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  • Gay Marriage Law Overturned In Australian Capital Territory

    Gay marriage law in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has been overturned by the Australia High Court, just a few days in.

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  • Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves Returns Tonight At BBC

    Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves Returns Tonight At BBC

    BBC 4 will be showing part 2 of the short mini-series Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves, tonight at 10:00PM

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  • TV REVIEW | Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves

    TV REVIEW | Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves

    ★★★★★  Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves | A man lies dying alone in a solitary hospital room. Two nurses, wearing protective clothing from head to foot are dressing his sores and wounds.

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  • Coca-Cola slammed for gay couple removal in irish broadcast

    Coco-Cola the world’s biggest drinks manufacturer has been slammed for removing the gay couple segment from the Irish version of the advert.

    A Spokesperson for the drinks company said:

    “The wedding images used in the ad for the UK and in other parts of Europe show two men getting married.

    “The reason this was changed for Ireland is while civil partnership for gay people is legal, gay marriage currently is not. We wanted each ad to be relevant and valid for its own market.”

    Coca-Cola trended in Ireland as many people took to the social network to complain about the edit.

    Adam Long an LGBT Rights activist from Dublin said:

    “@CocaCola Ireland excuse for deleting gay couple from ad just not credible. Cut scene could just as easily have been a Civil Partnership

    “Accurate ‘consumer research’ on issue would also tell @CocaCola that Ireland has one of the highest levels of support for marriage equality.

    “@CocaCola Ireland made a bad call. They need to apologise to the Irish LGBT community and put the deleted scene back into ad #cocacolaadvert”

    TheGayUK has asked the spokespeople for Coca-Cola about the scenes shot for the advert – as it is impossible to tell whether the scene is a marriage or civil partnership. We’ve yet to receive a response.

    The first same-sex marriages are to be legal in the UK in March 2014.

    The new ad campaign by Coca-Cola, which is called ‘Reasons To Believe’, shows a male same-sex couple holding hands in wedding suits in the UK, but the Irish version of the same advert omits the scene for a straight interracial couple walking down the aisle.

    The advert is apparently tweaked to fit where the advert is shown – with the gay couple being shown everywhere in Europe where gay marriage and civil partnerships are currently legal.

    Coca-Cola has been under fire recently for not speaking about LGBT issues in the run-up to the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. On the 22nd of December a PR event hosted by the company was ambushed by Peter Tatchell and other gay rights protesters.

    “Coke is sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics, without even a murmur of unease at the anti-gay and repressive policies of the Putin government. It is shameful acquiescence with oppression,” said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights advocacy organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, who coordinated the protest.

    “By sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics, Coca Cola is rewarding the Putin regime; giving it legitimacy and credibility. Coke’s sponsorship comes at a time when homophobia and other human rights abuses are widespread in Russia.

    “It is shocking that Coca Cola has not been willing to express its disquiet at the anti-gay legislation and violence in Russia. Equally remiss is Coke’s unwillingness to speak out against other Russian human rights abuses.”

    In a survey by TheGayUK, 96.3% of respondents believed that commercially supporting Russia’s winter Olympics threatened a company’s LGBT friendly image.

  • ALLOUT: Coca Cola ‘Refused To Speak Out Against Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws’

    Despite a petition that was signed by over 125,000 supporters asking the world’s biggest drinks manufacturer to speak out, Coca-Cola has failed to pass comment about Russia’s anti-gay laws.

    In an email from the petitioning site AllOut.org, organisers said:

    ‘Coca-Cola’s statement completely ignored people facing discrimination and abuse in Russia. Instead, they tried to rely on their history of supporting equality in countries like the US. That’s not enough – you can’t support lesbian, gay, bi and trans people when it’s convenient and stay silent when they need you the most.

    ‘In the time it took for Coca-Cola to issue their weak statement, the violence in Russia escalated. Anti-gay thugs broke into a meeting of organisers, beat people with baseball bats, and even shot one man in the eye. Over the weekend, another group even fired guns at a gay club in Moscow.’

    Coca-Cola is one of the Sochi Winter Olympic main sponsors, along with ATOS, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Visa.
    In research conducted by TheGayUK, we asked readers if a company’s sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympics threatened a company’s LGBT friendly image, to which 94.5% of respondents said that they agreed.
    In a letter to the Human Rights Campaign, Edward E. Potter, the director of Global Workplace Rights at Coca-Cola said:

    ‘We have a longstanding commitment to the LGBT community. It is reflected in our statement that is available on our public website. We will continue to demonstrate our support of the LGBT community and, more broadly, promote our values for diversity through our policies and actions.

    ‘In the spirit of the Olympic Charter, as I indicated in my June letter, we believe the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken seriously the human rights concerns you have raised and followed up on them with a strong sense of urgency. As part of our long-term partnership with the IOC, we continually engage with them on various issues, including those that you have raised, that relate specifically to the Olympic Games.’

    Read the letter to HRC

    AllOut are now asking supporters to help create a campaign that will target Coca-Cola around the world. To find out more click here.

  • MSNBC suspends Alec Baldwin’s late night show

    MSNBC suspends Alec Baldwin’s late night show

    MSNBC has yanked Alec Baldwin’s show off the air for 2 weeks following an incident earlier in the week

    Yesterday GLAAD accused 30 Rock Actor, Alec Baldwin of ‘Degrading Gay People’ after video footage emerged which showed him using an F word. The actor insists the word he used was ‘Fathead’.

    In the video the 30 Rock actor is heard calling a photographer a ‘cksucker’ although a media storm has been created after it was suggested that Baldwin actually called a photographer a ‘Cksucking F*g head’. Baldwin is insisting that he said ‘Fathead’ and has threatened to sue TMZ for suggesting that he used a homophobic word.

    Baldwin said that acoustic analysis of the recording proves the word said was ‘fathead.’

    However MSNBC have pulled his new show Up Late With Alec Baldwin for 2 weeks, in a post on MSNBC.com the network shared a personal statement from Baldwin, in which he addresses the comments he made in the week.

    ‘I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have – and for that I am deeply sorry. Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward. What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support. I understand “Up Late” will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week.

    I want to apologize to my loyal fans and to my colleagues at msnbc – both for my actions and for distracting from their good work. Again, please accept my apology.’

    MSNBC has not given any reason to why it has suspended the show – nor has responded to requests for comment.