THEGAYUK

Category: Front Page

  • YouGov Polls Shows Strong Support For Gay Marriage And Adoption

    Strong support across Europe for gay marriage and adoption, but France remains divided.

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  • NoHomophobes.com Launches Hard Hitting Television Ad

    Brand new Public Service Announcement for NoHomophobes.com aims to get viewers to question whether anti-gay slurs are still acceptable.

    The University of Alberta in Canada, the institute behind the website NoHomophobes.com, has released its first public service announcement to draw attention to the language we use in day to day life.

    Words like faggot, dyke, and homo are just a few slandering words still casually used in everyday speech. In response, a new television commercial has just hit the airwaves asking why we continue to tolerate homophobic language. The commercial is the next phase of a “No Homophobes” campaign developed by the University of Albertaʼs Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS).

    In a statement Dr. Kristopher Wells from NoHomophobes.com said,

    “We no longer tolerate racist language, weʼre getting better at dealing with sexist language, but sadly we still see and hear homophobic and transphobic language in our society,” says Dr. Kristopher Wells, the Instituteʼs Associate Director. “While this language might not always be meant to be hurtful, we must not forget that words like “faggot” contribute greatly to the continued alienation and isolation of sexual and gender (LGBTQ) people, especially our youth.”

    The commercial also directs viewers to www.nohomophobes.com, the iSMSS site that tracks homophobic words on Twitter. The site, which shows actual live tweets, has tracked over 6 million tweets containing “faggot” since July 2012. Nohomophobes.com itself has had remarkable worldwide attention since launching in September 2012, with media coverage coming from Western Canada to the UK and Italy to Cambodia.

    The commercial was produced with generous support from Global Television.

    “We are proud to be part of this campaign,” says Tim Spelliscy, Senior Regional Director Global News Edmonton and Prairie Region. “This is a pressing social issue that has been swept under the surface for far too long.”

    Nohomophobes.com was honoured in this year’s New Year’s Recognition list by TheGayUK for its services to LGBT activism, awareness and politics.

  • Essex Is The Randiest Place In The UK

    According to statistics gathered by TheGayUK, Essex tops the list for randiest County in the United Kingdom. (more…)

  • New Year’s Recognition

    TheGayUK announces its first ever New Year’s Recognition list, to acknowledge the massive support and campaigning efforts that companies, organisations and individuals have made to the LGBT community.

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  • GROOMING REVIEW | Top 10 Aftershaves For Winter

    The holidays often bring new fragrances into our lives as our Christmas stockings are filled with last minute present ideas in the form of aftershaves and EDTs, tasked with finding my favourites I’ve scoured the scene for good smelling men. Here are my findings.

    ‘Higher’ by Dior, It’s a classic fragrance, designed for the ‘modern urban man’. It smells cool and energetic with notes of pear, citrus and spice. £59 100ml Amazon

    Emporio Armani ‘Diamonds For Men’ Eau De Toilette. I just love this smell. Masculine, sexy and slightly smoky. This is always a request on my Christmas list. £48.60 75ml  Amazon
    Jean Paul Gaultier ‘Le Male’ – no Top 10 aftershave list could be complete without this perennial of the fragrance world. There is hardly a gay man who hasn’t worn this aroma at some point in his life – plus the bottle makes me want to be a better man. £49.50 125ml Amazon

    ‘Cool Water’ by Davidoff – again another aftershave that has stood the test of time and is revered by many. Cool Water – also had those amazing television ads, which may have caused me some stirrings. £49.50 125ml Amazon
    ‘Declaration’ by Cartier. If you can’t have jewellery by Cartier this Christmas then push for this gorgeous woody scent. Plus the bottle is pretty beautiful. £70 100ml Amazon

    ‘Prada for Men’ by Prada, a real grown up scent for the man about town. If you want to smack of money, but not actually of money, then Prada For Men is the fragrance for you. Distinctive and reacts well to body heat. £52.20 100ml Amazon
    Emporio Armani ‘He’. I love this smell. It feels every bit as classic as Chanel No. 5 is for women. It strong, long lasting and perfect for evening wear. £51.30 100ml Amazon

    Comme Des Garcons ‘MAN’. The name itself put this fragrance on our Top 10. Uniquely packaged, with a woody, musky scent. £64 100ml Amazon
    Acqua De Parma, ‘Mirto di Panarea’ Eau De Toilette, a fragrance that is divine and suspended in time. Floral and fruity. Distinctive as it is lingering. £70 Amazon150ml

    ‘Eau Du Verdon’, by L’Occitane. I discovered this amazing fragrance almost by accident this year – and have been lusting after a bottle since using the shaving cream. It’s fresh, sporty and herby. A definite daytime fragrance – you have to hold me back when I smell it. £29 50ml

  • Cover charge lifted at Soho’s Manbar

    Today, the City of Westminster Council has lifted the mandatory minimum admission fee that Manbar inherited when it took over the premises licence.

    Manbar is now open until late every day and is FREE entry on the door. This free admission includes weekends.

    London’s gay scene and visitors now have a Central London gay bar with extended hours they can go to without ever having to pay an entry fee.

    Gay owned and run, Manbar offers the gay scene a mature gay bar where customers can socialise and drink until the early hours of the morning. Aside from no cover charge, Manbar continues to offer customers a free coat-check room and free wifi internet usage.

    Owner Charles Hill had this to say: “From when we took over the licence, we decided Soho needed a bar where the gay scene can catch up with mates, make new friends, listen to good music and not be ripped off paying for extras. It is excellent news the City of Westminster Council has lifted the cover charge requirement we inherited when we took over the venue. Now all our customers can come in for free until 2am during the week and 3am on weekends.”

    Since opening its doors on the 1st November 2012, thousands have enjoyed Manbar. Already the bar is famous for it’s sexy wall murals which includes the now famous portrait of Prince Harry as featured in Time Out, Evening Standard, Boyz, Qx and Grazia to name a few publications.

    Please note Manbar is not associated with the Man Bar once opened in Borough a few years back nor is it owned by the former site licensee 79CXR.

    Opening hours for Manbar are Monday to Wednesday from 4pm until 2am; Thursday and Friday from 4pm until 3am; Saturdays from 2pm until 3am and Sundays from 2pm until 11pm. Free Entry always.

  • The Gay UK and 56 Dean Street Announce UK’s First Online Sexual Health Clinic

    TheGayUK and 56 Dean Street, the popular HIV and sexual health centre in Soho, are pleased to announce a brand new venture to bring sexual health information to your desktop, tab or Smartphone. (more…)

  • Leveson Report Makes Important Recommendations On Complaints Around Discrimination

    The Leveson Report published today recommends that anyone should be able to make a complaint under the new regulatory system of an alleged breach of the Code of Practice, including ‘a representative group affected by the alleged breach’ (Summary of Recommendations 11). (more…)

  • HIV Infections At A New Record High

    A worrying new report from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows there has been a rise in sexually transmitted diseases and significantly new HIV infections amongst gay and bisexual men in the UK. (more…)

  • Fever FM Fined £4000 For Violent Threats Against Gay People

    A UK based radio station was fined £4000 after one of its presenters said that gay people were ‘evil’ and should be ‘punished, rebuked, beaten and humiliated.’ (more…)

  • LEGAL ADVICE: Will My Partner Be Okay Without A Will?

    Dear TheGayUK

    My partner and I have been together for 6 years and although we’re not civilly married, I was wondering what our rights were in case of an accident or death. We currently rent and don’t own our house, but we do have various other assets such as stocks and savings. Neither of us have made a will. What would happen to the surviving partner if the worst was to happen? Would my assets go directly to him?

     

    Thank you for your time

    Steve N. Tunbridge Wells

     

    The simple answer is no. Currently co-habiting partners have no (automatic) legal right to inheritance from their Partner’s estate unless such inheritance is granted in a Will. Only assets that are held Jointly (such as Joint Bank Accounts) will pass to the surviving Partner by the process of Survivorship and requires the simple removal of the deceased Partner’s name from the account etc; such assets are not affected by the presence (nor contents) of any Will. In the case where the deceased Partner left no Will (or a defective/invalid Will) all assets held in the deceased Partner’s sole name will pass according to the Laws of Intestacy. The Laws of Intestacy stipulate who will inherit the estate in a strict order of priority of blood relatives, spouse/civil partner, children, parents, siblings and so on and so forth, co-habiting Partners do not feature in this list!

     

    My advice would be to always seek professional advice of a Solicitor to draw up appropriate “Mirror” Wills to ensure that the loved ones left behind are not unwittingly disinherited through inaction.

     

    This response is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice, and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. Individuals should always seek legal advice from a professional which is specific to their unique set of circumstances.

     
     

    More About The Author

     

    You can find out more about Matt at http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/matt-parr/37/373/135