THEGAYUK

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  • Indonesia stops public whippings, but will continue to whip gay men, behind closed doors

    Indonesia stops public whippings, but will continue to whip gay men, behind closed doors

    Authorities in Indonesia’s strictest Province, Aceh are to stop whipping gay men in public after an international outcry.

    CREDIT: ErikaWittlieb / Pixabay

    Whipping in public is a common punishment for a variety of crimes, including being gay, but officials in Aceh, the Muslim-Majority province of Indonesia, have decided to stop the cruel punishment from being done in public AFP reports. Instead, the punishment will be handed out behind prison walls.

    The ultra-religious area, the only place in Indonesia that follows Islamic law, has attracted international criticism after people accused of being gay or having same-sex relationships were lashed in public. Now, those found guilty of the crime of being gay, will be whipped, behind closed doors.

    Only journalists and adults will be able to watch the punishment, and it will be against regulations for the penalty to be filmed.

    Aceh is the strictest place in Indonesia and punishes people for being gay. Indonesia (C) Sateda : Depositphotos

    In 2014, same-sex sexual activity can attract a punishment of 100 lashes.

    ALSO READ: Is Indonesia a safe place for gay people to travel?

    Hundreds of men, accused of being gay have been arrested in Indonesia, in what some have termed, an “anti-gay crackdown”.

    In May last year, two men were lashed 83 times after being found in bed together. Earlier this year, 12 transgender women were detained in Aceh. They were “forced to strip off their shirts and cut their hair in public to coach them into becoming ‘real men.’”

    Other crimes which have been punished by public floggings have included, playing an arcade game, gambling and drinking alcohol.

    The regulation was passed on Thursday, but it’s not clear when the new ruling will be enforced.

  • RuPaul has advice for you if you want to be a drag queen

    The world’s most famous DQ RuPaul has advice if you ever want to be a drag queen.

    RuPaul
    CREDIT: Photography Mathu Andersen

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com a few years ago, RuPaul has some sage advice for those who are thinking about becoming a Drag Queen – and it’s real people. Real Estate.

    For those of us in the UK – that means being an Estate Agent.

    When asked what advice he would give, RuPaul said, “get your real estate licence” – because it’s not likely you’ll be making enough for your rent, at least in the beginning.

    ALSO READ: 10 most shocking moments from RuPaul’s Drag Race

    RuPaul, who has been a drag queen since the 80s, has a career that spans films, music, podcasts and, of course, one of the world’s most popular reality TV shows, RuPaul’s Drag Race.

    RuPaul’s career has spawned countless albums and singles. She has also starred in films. More recently she and Michelle Visage started the incredible popular What’s The Tee? Podcast

    RuPaul went on to say that show business is a “hard business” and that you shouldn’t lose your head if you get a glimpse of fame. She told us, “Show business is a hard business. Most people see all the glamour and their names in the paper but that’s just such a small part of what it takes to maintain a career.

    ALSO READ: 10 UK queens who would slay in RuPaul’s Drag Race

    “You have to be very resilient, you have to know thyself and you have to have an understanding of what is being asked of you by the public.”

    Finally, RuPaul has this final piece of advice, “What is it they get from you? What your value is?”

    Drag is a business baby – what’s your USP?

  • Accused serial killer in Canada charged with seventh murder

    Bruce McArthur has been charged with a seventh murder.

    Bruce McArthur has been charged with a seventh murder.
    Bruce McArthur has been charged with a seventh murder.

    The man accused of killing multiple men in Toronto, Bruce McArthur, 66 has been charged with a seventh murder after human remains were allegedly found inside large planters at an address in Canada.

    McArthur made an appearance, via a video link from a detention centre, at a court in Toronto, where the new charge was read to him.

    The charge relates to Abdulbasir Faizi, who went missing in 2010. His car was found in early 2011 close to a property used by McArthur to store gardening equipment, according to local reports.

    The gay community of Toronto have been shaken by the grim discovery of bodies, thought to be of gay men from the city.

    Investigators have found dismembered human remains in some 20 planters at the property’s garage. So far only four of the victims have been identified, one includes that of Mr Faizi, and another a former boyfriend of McArthur, Andrew Kinsman. All of whom went missing from Toronto’s gay village.

    So far, police have charged McArthur for the first-degree murders of Andrew Kinsman, 49; Selim Esen, 44; Dean Lisowick, 47; Soroush Mahmudi, 50; Majeed Kayhan, 59; Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40; and Abdulbasir Faizi, 42.

    Detectives on the case, have also searched more than 30 other properties that are linked to McArthur.

    Local media reports that police made the decision to arrest McArthur in January when, during surveillance of his property, saw a young man enter his property. Detectives found the man, unharmed, but tied up on a bed.

  • Pop star, Timmy Matley dies 36

    Singer from The Overtones, Timmy Matley has died at the age of 36.

    Timmy (second from the right) has died at the age of 36.

    Out singer, Timmy Matley has died, at the age of 36, after a battle with cancer. A statement from the band said that the remaining band members, Lachie, Darren, Mark and Mike, was “heartbreaking”.

    “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to announce that our dear friend and brother Timmy has passed away. We know this news will be as heartbreaking for you all as it is for us. We appreciate your love and support at this difficult time. Mike, Darren, Mark & Lachie x”

    Issue 1 The Overtones TheGayUK
    The Overtones appeared on the first ever issue of THEGAYUK digital magazine. (Timmy is the second from the right)

    He was best known for singing the high notes in the band.

    He was diagnosed with stage three malignant melanoma in 2016, however, it’s not clear how Timmy died.

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com in 2013, Timmy spoke about sexuality (three of the five members of the band were gay) stating, “I’m so proud of where we’re at and that we can, as a band, do an interview with you and talk about it first of all, and for there to be no mention about it or strategy at the label. It’s 2013 and we’re so comfortable in our workplace. To be who we are. We’re never told to be anything else but ourselves and I’m very proud of that. We never get any jip for it. When we first started I was a bit nervous.”

    Timmy Matley first on the right.

    X Factor winner, Sam Bailey who appeared with the band on their third album, Tweeted, “This is so very sad!!! What an amazing voice! Such a loss!!! Here for you guys x anything you need xx”

    Philip Schofield also paid tribute saying, “I’m so terribly sorry to hear this and sending lots of love to you all and particularly Timmy’s family and his many friends”

    The singer was due, along with his bandmates to go on tour in the summer of 2018. They announced the tour earlier in March.

    Together they released 5 albums, each reaching the Top 40, and sold over a million records in the UK.

     

  • Gay couple barred entry to “mixed couples only” bar

    A bar in Leeds is investigating why two gay men were told that they could not enter the venue because they were not a “mixed sex couple”.

    Gay couple barred from venue, leeds
    Jake’s Bar in Leeds where gay couple Jake and Patrick say they were barred entry and told it was because they were not in a mixed-sex couple.

    Patrick Hannon, 30, and Jake Archer, 25 were told that they could not enter “Jake’s Bar” in Leeds on the 24th March. The couple were left “speechless” after being told they could not patronage the bar because they were both men, the BBC reports.

    Public sector worker Jake said that neither he or his partner were drunk when they tried to enter the venue and that there was no queue outside the bar. The couple has been together for 2 and a half years.

    “We were a bit taken aback to say anything,” he said.

    “I was just thinking that if Paddy was my girlfriend then we would have been allowed in. It’s discrimination.”

    After the incident, Jake took to Twitter to complain to the bar, saying, “I have just been turned away from your bar for not being “in a mixed-sex couple” – I was out with my boyfriend. Don’t you think this is discrimination: if I was with a girlfriend this would have been fine as you were only allowing mixed male and female groups in?”

    Manager Paul Lane said it has a “strict equality and diversity policy” and would “never discriminate” against anyone.

    The bar has launched an investigation into their “external door team”.

    He said, “We have many customers who identify with LGBTQIA+ communities who frequent the bar regularly.”

    It is against the law to discriminate against anyone on the basis or the perception of someone’s sexuality. A bar cannot, for instance, bar entry because they are gay or a gay couple.

     

  • Mother argues boys need protection against “male genital mutilation”

    ‘He has been mutilated and suffered permanent damage.’

    Mother argues boys need protection against "male genital mutilation"
    Mother argues boys need protection against “male genital mutilation”

    A mother is suing a doctor after her baby son was circumcised, allegedly without her permission. The 26-year-old mother is planning to sue the doctor after her son, was left in pain, bleeding and unable to wear a nappy.

    The boy was reportedly taken to the doctor, by his paternal grandmother.

    The baby’s parents are separated and the father is not named on the boy’s birth certificate, but was allowed visitations to his son. In 2013 the Nottinghamshire mother left her baby with its father during the Eid festival, and allegedly his mother took the boy to be circumcised, according to The Sunday Times.

    Male genital mutilation “an unnecessary assault”

    If the boy’s mother is successful, campaigners say that it could open the floodgates to other victims of “male genital mutilation”, who claim that the circumcision procedure was done without their permission as children, before they could decide whether they wanted the operation or not.

    The mother claims that her son, neither can be named for legal reasons, was left in pain saying that her son was “mutilated and suffered permanent damage.”

    The mother made a complaint to the police and also to the General Medical Council in 2013, when the operation took place, however, the police found there was “insufficient evidence” for a successful prosecution. The mother’s lawyer, Saimo Chahal QC, is seeking to “Crown Prosecution Service’s decision last November not to prosecute”.

    Chahal QC said, ‘This mother clearly did not consent to her son undergoing the circumcision procedure, which could constitute a criminal offence.

    ‘While some people with religious beliefs see circumcision as normal, there are others who see it as an unnecessary assault which can be physically and psychologically harmful.’

    It is currently illegal to perform female genital mutilation. There are no such laws in place for males.

  • Over 700 LGBT+ domestic violence incidents logged in Manchester last year

    “These figures are a positive step in supporting victims and ensuring they are signposted to the right services that are then able to provide appropriate care.”

    Over 700 domestic violence incidents recorded in manchester

    In the first year where Manchester’s police force recorded domestic violence incidents between same-sex and LGBT+ couples, 775 incidents were recorded.

    Last year the force created the D66 code, specifically to record incidents of domestic violence between LGBT+ couples.

    It is hoped that recording these incidents will identify trends and patterns which will help implement appropriate practices to support survivors of domestic abuse.

    “Positive Step”

    Detective Superintendent Denise Worth from Greater Manchester Police said, “These figures are a positive step in supporting victims and ensuring they are signposted to the right services that are then able to provide appropriate care.

    “The D66 coding is a simple process which enables us to identify the community affected and provide local authorities with latest figures which allows them to commission relevant services to support victims.

    “Our findings and processes have also been shared nationally and we hope this will assist other forces in adopting their own practices to help those victims.”

    The Force is also continuing its partnership with the national LGBT domestic abuse helpline at Galop to better understand the issues surrounding domestic abuse in the LGBT community and encourage victims and friends and family of victims to report the issue and have the confidence to come forward.

    Peter Kelley Head of Domestic Abuse Service at Galop said, “Every day staff at our National LGBT Domestic Abuse Helpline are contacted by LGBT+ people looking for help and support with domestic abuse and violence. It’s really important that victims and survivors get the help they need without facing additional barriers because of their sexuality and gender identity. Galop fully supports the continued efforts of Greater Manchester Police to increase the number of LGBT+ people reporting domestic abuse through the D66 initiative and we hope that its success over the last year will encourage other police forces across the UK to adopt similar initiatives.”

    Joanne Simpson, manager at Independent Choices said, “The implementation of the D66 code has revolutionised accessible and appropriate support for LGBT domestic abuse survivors. Independent Choices are proud to offer a domestic abuse support service that is Greater Manchester-wide in partnership with the LGBT Foundation. GMP using this code has meant that the service has run to capacity from the offset and that barriers have been broken down enabling LGBT Victim/survivors to receive appropriate, timely and accessible support.”

    Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Bev Hughes said: “Greater Manchester has led the way as the first area to record domestic abuse within LGBT communities and now, one year on, we can show the positive impact of this work. This reporting code is giving us a clearer picture of abuse, helping to break down barriers and encourage people to report it.

    “Vitally, this also means that we can ensure the right services are in place to support victims of domestic abuse while continuing to work with LGBT people to raise awareness of domestic abuse and empower more people to take that first step to seek help and support.”

  • Three years after its closure, The Black Cap still stands empty, unused

    It’s “an insult to the people of Camden and the LGBTQ+ community”

    What happened to the Black Cap
    Three years after its closure, The Black Cap still stands empty, unused

    Three years after one of the UK’s longest standing gay pubs, The Black Cap stands empty, still boarded up and unused. For over 60 years members of the LGBT+ community called the beautiful and historic building in Candem their safe space, that was until it was closed, almost without notice three years ago. The building lies empty and is covered with graffiti.

    Now campaigners are demanding change.

    Alex Green, #WeAreTheBlackCap spokesperson said, “We stand firm, despite the continued frustration of trying to work with the owners to get the legendary and important LGBTQ+ performance venue and stop the Black Cap becoming yet another sterile, overpriced food outlet and unaffordable flats. The continued closure of this flagship LGBTQ+ venue is very bad for the Borough of Camden’s reputation as a leader in terms of diversity, arts and culture.”

    Campaigners are planning a 3rd anniversary protest outside the landmark venue on the 14th April from 2 PM.

    #WeAreTheBlackCap CAMPAIGN 3rd ANNIVERSARY PROTEST 14th April 2018, 2-4pm. Outside The Black Cap, 171 Camden High Street, CAMDEN TOWN, LONDON.

    14th April scheduling is:

    1.30: Welcome and thanks/messages of support
    2pm: Media interviews (at the right side nr Boots for this)
    2pm; Black Cap Campaign ‘singers’ – Outside and other campaign classics
    2.30 Speakers – Will update on campaign and call to action for next steps
    3pm Followed by more singing out

    The campaign’s focus now is to finally restore the Black Cap to its place at the heart of Camden’s diverse and exciting cultural economy.

     

    1. Bring the actual pub mortgage lenders to the negotiating table, while also renewing our engagement with Camden Council and City Hall
    2. Building a consortium of community and business partners who will push to take over the pub for the Camden and the LGBTQ+ community.
    3. Continue to protest and campaign until the pub is reopened as a LGBTQ+ performance venue:
    • This Saturday 14th April, 2-4pm, as we still can’t perform inside, singers and supporters will perform songs and tributes to celebrate the past and future of the legendary Black Cap which has been a cultural home to LGBTQ+ community and its allies for 60 years.
    • Regular Saturday protest vigils will continue with the new campaign theme, ‘I am the Black Cap’ – to highlight the many reasons why people all over London and the world love the Black Cap and want it back
    • 2nd May we are staging a fabulous night of LGBTQ+ cabaret at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to show what a night at a resurrected Black Cap could be like (details: http://www.vauxhalltavern.com/events/event/not-another-night-at-the-cap/?oid=1930).

  • This is why you probably shouldn’t be wearing jockstraps at the gym

    Should I wear a jockstrap at the gym?

    That’s the eternal question. I swear I spend 90% of my time in the gym adjusting my junk, and that’s not intended as a boast. Wedgies, front wedgies, nut smashing; all are potentially dangerous distractions when I should be focusing on my next rep.

    Add to that the desire to have your assets looking their best when you’re squatting, lifting, and thrusting; deciding what to wear under your shorts is a crucial decision when planning your gym-wardrobe. So should I be wearing jockstraps at the gym, and are they really better for my … performance?

    Is it safe to wear a jockstrap when working out?
    Let the jockstrap be the window to your ass…

    Pros and cons of jockstraps?

    Despite being used mainly for fetish websites and bubble-butt tumblr feeds, jockstraps were originally conceived as a purely functional form of underwear to improve athletic performance. Invented for cyclists back in 1874, the purpose of a jockstrap is to hold your boys in place and reduce any excessive movement down there while exercising.

    It has the added advantage of being able to add a protective cup for those of you taking part in sports or other events where your testicles might sustain some heavy impact.

    The major downside of the jockstrap is the stigma that surrounds them. Having your ass hanging out of the back of your shorts is not as socially acceptable as it once was (although that may be part of their appeal). Its bulky front might not be as comfortable as you’d imagine when you’re sprinting on a treadmill or swinging a kettlebell.

    Alternative: Compression shorts/leggings

    In addition to keeping your package in place, compression shorts and leggings support the whole upper leg, your butt, and can help to reduce friction/chafing all over. They keep things in their place and “out of harm’s way” so to speak.

    A study published in the “Journal of Sports Science” in 2003 indicated that compression shorts might also increase performance and help prevent injury to the upper leg muscles.

    However, if you do decide to opt for these, it’s only really socially acceptable to wear them under a pair of shorts. Despite what the afore-mentioned tumblr feeds might suggest, the regular gym-going public will not enjoy seeing your sweaty compressed bulge looking them right in the eye while you’re stretching.

    Do you wear jockstraps at the gym?

    So now we need to know, do you wear jockstraps at the gym? Or compression shorts, short shorts, leggings, joggers, or something we haven’t thought of?

    Need some compression pants? Check out the huge selection on Amazon.

    Let us know in the comments below, or better yet, show us by tagging us @gayfitnessuk on Instagram!

  • You’ll never guess how Marc Jacobs picked up Austin Armacost

    Back in the day, when Austin Armacost was an unknown model living in New York he was discovered by Marc Jacobs on a website…

    In 2007, Austin Armacost and fashion designer met on a social network

    Remember Myspace? Well, that’s how Austin Armacost was discovered by fashion designer Marc Jacobs before they became boyfriends for 6 months in the noughties.

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London, Celebrity Big Brother star Austin Armacost explained, “It was 2007…He wasn’t in my top 8!”

    Not expecting any response from the famous designer, Austin reveals, “I sent him a message saying, “you’re a great artist, you deserve better, all the best…”

    At the time Marc was going through a very public split from a previous boyfriend.

    Marc Jacobs in 2007 – was going through a very public, tabloid split from an ex boyfriend.

    Austin added, “I never thought that he would respond… about 9 minutes after I sent the message, he said “hey great to meet you, great to hear your words of support, do you want to come over”

    So what was that first meeting like?

    On his way over Austin bought himself some knock-off Louis Vuitton sunglasses, which Marc Jacobs immediately noted, after giving the password “Mickey Mouse” to get up to his hotel suite.

    Marc Jacobs more recently.

    The pair went out to dinner and when they returned to the fashion icon’s hotel room, there were $10,000’s worth of Louis Vuitton men’s collection sunglasses that he had bought Austin to take home with him.

    The pair were seen as boyfriends for around six months and Austin went on to star in the reality TV Series,  The A-List: New York.

  • Julie Bindel: Gay men who use surrogacy: “Narcissistic, rich, racist, entitled pricks”

    “There is no ‘right’ to have your own biological child, or to use a poor, desperate woman’s body to carry that child. Narcissistic, rich, racist, entitled pricks”

    Julie Bindel, who writes for the Guardian, and New Statesman has hit out at gay men who use surrogacy to have their own, biological child. The columnist was commenting on an April Fool’s Joke about surrogacy by German LGBT+ website Queer.de.

    The article, which has been apologised for, was a competition to give away an egg donation and to pay for the services of a surrogate mother in Bangkok worth €36,000.

    Bindel has often spoken out about gay men using surrogate mothers in order to have children. In her latest social media outburst, she appeared to call gay men “Narcissistic, rich, racist, entitled pricks”.

    She wrote on Twitter

    “Those of us aware of the human rights abuses involved in surrogacy, or rather womb trafficking, will be very well aware that this so-called April Fools’ Day joke happens in real life, & the attitude is prevalent among gay men who consider it their right 2 use the inside of those women’s bodies for their own inconvenience. There is no ‘right’ to have your own biological child, or to use a poor, desperate woman’s body to carry that child. Narcissistic, rich, racist, entitled pricks:” She then linked to the April Fool’s article by Queer.de.

    When Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black announced their baby news, Bindel reiterated her stance, saying, “No-one has the ‘right’ to their own biological child. And renting the womb of a desperate women to fulfil a selfish desire is a human rights violation. Surrogacy is the interface between extreme capitalism and patriarchy.”

    However, Bindel’s comments have been blasted as “hate speech” and bigotted.

    Sam Everingham from Families Through Surrogacy criticised the journalist saying,

    “Activist Julie Bindel should be ashamed at the hate speech she has ejected onto Twitter. Ms Bindel has attended a Families Through Surrogacy conference in the UK, so has surely heard both UK and US surrogates speak about their altruistic motives for nurturing a child for a couple who otherwise can’t carry one. Thousands of gay men around the world have embraced the opportunity to create a longed for family of their own via surrogacy and the majority of these have done so in a respectful, carefully planned manner, often establishing ongoing friendships with their surrogate and her family.

    “No, there is no ‘right’ to have your own biological child, but when educated, empowered women in countries like the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Greece and Eastern Europe make informed decisions to carry a baby for a childless couple, bigots such as Ms Bindel have no right to label them ‘poor, desperate women’.

    “The bans on surrogacy for foreigners in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Nepal in recent years seems to have completely escaped Ms Bindel’s notice. Wake up and smell the flowers!”

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to Julie Bindel for comment.

    UPDATE since publishing: Bindel claims not to have received the email sent – and told THEGAYUK.com to “fuck off”.