THEGAYUK

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  • Russell Tovey admits what panicked him when he first starting have sex

    Heartthrob Russell Tovey admitted something that panicked him when he first starting having sex.

    RUSSELL TOVEY / INSTAGRAM

    Looking star, Russell Tovey admitted that he “panicked” when he first starting having sex, because he felt he wasn’t old enough. Speaking to the Guardian, he revealed, that he always felt that “everything was happening a bit too quickly” and that included his sex life.

    He said, “I’ve always been someone who feels like they need to catch up or pretend to be ready for these things, but in my head I’m not, I’m thinking: ‘Get out of the car and stop having sex!’ Now I feel like I can legit do sex and do driving – I’ve caught up with it. I’m finally ready at 36.”

    He also revealed that he’s a bit of natural worrier, which he gets from his mum, revealing “I’m definitely a worrier, I get it from my mum. She has always gone from zero to panic in seconds. I’ll be flapping about and Steve, my fiancé, will say, ‘Chill out, give it 10 minutes.’ I can’t be with someone who is like me; I need a calming influence in a partner. I couldn’t be with another performer – I can’t have that anxiety.”

  • Why it’s about time Hollywood gave us a Gay Superhero

    With Black Panther breaking records at the box office and another six or seven superhero films due to come out in 2018, Marvel and DC are major power players in the film industry now, and don’t look to be losing their position anytime soon. But where are all the LGBT+ characters? LUKE MARLOW questions.

    LGBT representation in these films has been sorely lacking – and whilst Black Panther has brought some much-needed diversity to the screen, it also cut a reference to a lead character’s sexuality. In addition, last year’s brilliant Thor Ragnarok introduced audiences to Tessa Thompson’s badass Valkyrie – but whilst the actor was keen to play the character true to her bisexual origins, no mention of this was made on screen. With new generations finding inspiration in these films, shouldn’t they be finding representation too? It’s about time we got an LGBT superhero on the big screen – and here are some of the potential Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual heroes who could set the silver screen alight.

    Iceman

    The X-Men comics are hugely popular amongst a gay readership – the tales of a band of outsiders persecuted by the larger world, the parallels to the gay community are clear. Bobby Drake or, to call him by his codename, Iceman, was a founding member of the X-Men and appeared in the very first issue of the comic back in 1963. Whilst the other original X-Men have had torrid romantic lives over the years, Bobby had a number of girlfriends, but none ever stuck. An encounter with a time-travelling younger version of himself (even more complicated than it sounds), led to Bobby accepting what he’d been hiding for so many years – and he’s now an out and proud gay man who’s recently been exploring his new outlook on life in a fantastic series by queer writer Sina Grace.

    Iceman has already been on the big screen – portrayed by Shawn Ashmore in X-Men, X2, X-Men The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Movie Iceman was shown in a relationship with Anna Paquin’s Rogue – but maybe it’s time Iceman made a reappearance and came out of the closet. The planned solo ‘Kitty Pryde’ movie could be a great time for Iceman’s sexuality to be explored in more detail – and as a fun, witty, everyman he could be a great fan favourite if portrayed properly

    Northstar

    Jean-Paul Baubier, who goes by the codename Northstar, became famous as a member of the Canadian comics group Alpha Flight. Northstar is important as he’s probably the first high profile out gay character, with his sexuality heavily hinted at by writers, but not being clearly stated until 13 years after his first appearance. Jean-Paul then made history by marrying his partner, Kyle in a much-publicised wedding back in 2012 – making him the first Marvel hero to be in a Gay marriage. Witty, sassy and full of snark – Northstar could be a great hero on the big screen. Cast someone suitably elfin like Lee Pace to play him, and not only would you have a modern and contemporary hero, but the potential to portray a stable gay relationship in a medium where they’ve yet to make an appearance.

    Karma

    Film company Fox has made a film of comic book group the ‘New Mutants’, which is due for release in 2019. That film is set to feature all of the founding members of that group, with one notable exception – Karma. Xi’an Coy Manh, is a character from Vietnam – with a power of psychic possession and a harrowing origin tale. First appearing in 1980, Karma came out as a lesbian in a comic published in 2002. She’s not received much focus over the years, but could be a great character to receive some time and attention on the big screen, with her dark origins, struggle to be a responsible figure for her younger siblings, and discovery of her sexuality meaning she could be a great fit for the more “teen” orientated New Mutants film, and I’m hopeful she’ll be top of the list should they get optioned for a sequel.

    Midnighter & Apollo

    Two for the price of one with these two – Midnighter and Apollo are a superhero couple who first appeared in Stormwatch – a book published by Wildstorm comics. Wildstorm has now become a part of DC comics, and Midnighter and Apollo brought into the same universe as Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman amongst others. They may look relatively familiar – Midnighter is an ultra-violent vigilante who dresses all in black, and Apollo is a caped superhero with flight and super strength… However, the difference between two and the more famous Batman and Superman, is that Midnighter and Apollo are openly gay, and in a relationship. They’re a hugely fun pairing who’ve had their romantic ups and downs over the years, and whilst the similarities to Batman and Superman may mean that Midnighter and Apollo may not be showing up in live action films anytime soon, they’re ripe for inclusion in DC’s ever-growing portfolio of animated films.

    Daken

    The son of Wolverine, Daken is hot, frequently shirtless, very angry and openly bisexual. Introduced in 2007, he’s an angsty, troubled character who’s constantly unpredictable and thus always very readable. Confident yet conflicted, Daken is less about forming relationships and more about using sex as a way of manipulating and controlling people, whether they be man or woman. With Hugh Jackman stating that he’s not coming back as Wolverine, there’s room for a clawed killer who can take his place and look damn good doing it – and Daken is definitely my pick.

    Catman

    Yes, not Catwoman (who, for the record, is bisexual – something fleetingly hinted at in The Dark Night Rises, but Catman. Thomas Blake, was initially designed as a villain for Batman to face, but has become a far more balanced and sympathetic character over the years, showing up in the Secret Six book and coming out as bisexual. With it highly likely that the DC movies are going to bring us yet another version of Catwoman – why not stop and switch to Catman instead? He’d bring some much-needed Bi-Visibility to the movie universe, and if written well could be a darkly sexy counterpoint to the straight-laced Bruce Wayne.

    Mystique

    We’ve had two versions of Mystique on the big screen – first played by Rebecca Romjin in the original X-Men trilogy, and then by Jennifer Lawrence from First Class onwards. Whilst the recent films have given Mystique motive and heart, the character is far removed from her comic book self. Mystique, or Raven Darkholme, first appeared in 1978 –  the adoptive mother of Rogue and the biological mother of Nightcrawler, she’s a complicated, fascinating and untrustworthy character who constantly keeps the reader on their toes. Openly bisexual, Mystique and her former partner Irene Adler served as Rogue’s parents – and despite Mystique’s villainy, they were a loving, tender couple, leading to Mystique’s utter heartbreak when Destiny died. As a character who has yet to find any real happiness in the films – isn’t it time Mystique got a girlfriend?

    (Living) Lightning

    Miguel Santos first appeared in a Marvel comic in 1990 – a man whose encounter with a mysterious machine left him capable of both being and controlling lightning. He appeared on and off over the years – and in 2005 was revealed to be gay. He’s recently moved up to the big leagues in the current Avengers: No Surrender event that’s taking place in the comics. With actors like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr coming to an end of their contracts in the Avengers’ films, and big-name deaths predicted for the upcoming Infinity War,  the timing couldn’t be better for introducing Miguel Santos to the movie universe – and giving us a gay Latino hero with plenty of sparks.

    Batwoman

    Think Batman, but with pops of red on the costume, flowing locks and perfectly applied lipstick – and you’ve got Batwoman. Kate Kane appeared in the DC universe proper in 2015 and she’s a remarkable character. An out lesbian, she’s got a unique look – whether in her brilliantly designed costume or dressed down as her pale-skinned, rockabilly self. She’d certainly brighten up a film universe that’s been rather monotone so far, and her interesting and timely backstory as a marine discharged due to her sexuality, is one that could work extremely well on the big screen.

    Wiccan and Hulkling

    Two for the price of one here – Wiccan and Hulkling are two young lovebirds from the Marvel Universe. With Wiccan’s magical abilities and Hulkling’s shapeshifting skills, these are a powerful and beloved pairing who would look brilliant on film. Their story, as gay teens accepted and loved by those around them, could be a valuable piece of representation on film, and it’d be great to see a new generation of Avengers be built around this pair.

    Constantine

    DC’s sarcastic, magic-wielding and Liverpudlian detective John Constantine is a hugely popular character who’s made a few live-action appearances over the years, with a Keanu Reeves led film that completely missed everything that made Constantine such a brilliant character. A TV series in 2014 provided a brilliant Constantine in the form of welsh actor Matt Ryan, but sadly decided to steer clear of addressing Constantine’s bisexuality. However, Ryan has now made appearances in the tv show Legends of Tomorrow where he’s flirting up a storm with both men and women, and I’m hopeful that he’ll be pulled into the DC cinematic universe before too long.

    Harley Quinn

    Critics hated Suicide Squad when it was released in 2016 – but Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was a standout star, and the character swiftly became a fan favourite. Whilst the film chose to portray Harley’s doomed and abusive relationship with the Joker, in the comics, she’s moved on from that sadist and found love and companionship in the form of Poison Ivy. Two intensely intelligent characters (Harley has a PhD in Psychology and Ivy one in Botany) with compelling motives, they’re close friends in an open relationship. With the upcoming ‘Gotham City Sirens’ movie mooted to contain both Harley and Ivy – it could be a great place to see their bond forming.

    The Question

    Much like Harley Quinn, Renee Montoya was created for the Batman Animated series, before being pulled through into the DC comic line. A police detective, Renee was outed as a lesbian and later left the police force and became an investigative hero known as The Question. A character who’s gone through huge amounts of change since her debut, Renee is a compelling character who could fit well into the dark and grimy movie world that DC have created so far.

    Rictor and Shatterstar

    Both Marvel characters, these two came together in 2009, 22 years after Rictor’s first appearance, and 18 years after Shatterstar’s. One a mutant with earth quaking abilities, and one a time travelling, dimension hopping superhero, both came to prominence as members of a team called “X-Force”, and with an “X-Force” film scheduled to be released in the next few years, the stars could be aligning for Rictor and Shatterstar’s big screen debut. Here’s hoping they keep Shatterstar in full 90’s garb – ponytail and all!

    Ultimate Colossus

    Piotr Rasputin, or Colossus, has been a mainstay of the X-Men books since his first appearance in 1975. The original version of Colossus is straight, and currently engaged to be married – but an alternate and gay version of Colossus appeared back in 2001 in Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics. This version of Piotr was a Russian arms smuggler – but found happiness as a hero with the X-Men. Colossus has been portrayed on film a fair few times now, but only ever as a minor character. His most recent appearance in the Deadpool film had his Russian accent spot on – so maybe his appearance in the sequel could see his sexuality explored?

    James Howlett

    Another alternate universe character here – this is a Wolverine who appeared in the X-Treme X-Men book back in 2012. This version had a few differences from the Wolverine who’s featured in the main Universe – his claws were gold, and he happened to be in a relationship with Greek God Hercules. This hairy pair were very popular with fans – and with Wolverine likely to be recast now Hugh Jackman has stepped down from the role, why not give us a gay, golden clawed Wolverine?

    Extraño

    First appearing in DC comics back in 1988, Extrano (or Gregorio De La Vega) was a fairly camp stereotype whose biggest storyline was the reveal of him having HIV. In 2016, Extrano reappeared in the DC universe as a mature, handsome sorcerer who could be a great ally for Constantine or a friend for Midnight and Apollo.

    America Chavez

    Given her popularity, it’s surprising that America Chavez hasn’t already made an appearance in the Marvel Movie Universe. First appearing in 2011, she’s a strong-willed, powerful and openly queer latino character. The upcoming animated film Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors is due to feature her, and hopefully, she’ll be pulled into the live action film universe soon enough.

    All Marvel  and DC Comics characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks & Copyright of their respective companies. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • LGBT+ pride volunteers told homosexuality “an illness” in Stratford

    Members of the Warwickshire Pride volunteer team were homophobically abused around 100 times at a Stratford Upon Avon market over the weekend.

    (C) WARWICKSHIRE PRIDE / Twitter
    The stall which attracted so much homophobic critcism.

    A volunteer team from Warwickshire Pride reportedly sustained a prolonged homophobic, verbal attack by members of the public at a Stratford Upon Avon market on Saturday morning.

    THEGAYUK.com has learned from volunteers that members of the team were told that their sexuality was “disgusting” as well as being told that an LGBT+ market stall “had no place in Stratford”.

    The team were there to raised awareness and funds for 2018’s Pride event in August.

    The incidents began at 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM when the pride team’s decided to pack up and leave. The incidents have been reported to Warwickshire Police.

    “Upsetting and Distressing”

    Speaking on behalf of Warwickshire Pride, Daniel Browne said, “Although what happened that day has been deeply upsetting and distressing, it has not deterred us from continuing to work for LGBT+ people in Stratford. If anything, we are more determined to ensure that LGBT+ people in Stratford feel safe and able to be who they are. For years, LGBT+ people in Stratford have told us that they do not feel safe there due to hate comments and looks they receive from people. We now fully understand why LGBT+ people in Stratford feel that way and will be doing all we can to ensure this trend does not continue.

    “As for our next steps, we will be contacting Stratford’s MP, Nadhim Zahawi, who has pledged his support for Warwickshire Pride via Twitter. We will also be contacting Stratford District Council, Stratford Town Trust and the company that runs the market to discuss the incidents and what can be done to prevent this from happening in future.

    “Furthermore, we are also organising an equality rally to take place in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 21st April. More details will be made available soon, but we encourage all LGBT+ people and allies to join us as we peacefully say no to hate and yes to equality in every way, as indeed these incidents show that while we have almost full equality in law there is still a long way to go until LGBT+ people are fully accepted socially.

    MP calls out homophobia as “outrageous”

    The MP for Stratford Upon Avon, Nadhim Zahawi took to Twitter reiterate that homophobia would not be tolerated, writing, “This is outrageous and should never happen anywhere. Please make sure your team documents what took place. Important that this abuse is never tolerated. I will work with you and @warkspolice to make sure perpetrators are found & brought to justice.”

    This is outrageous and should never happen anywhere. Please make sure your team documents what took place. Important that this abuse is never tolerated. I will work with you and @warkspolice to make sure perpetrators are found & brought to justice.

    — Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) March 10, 2018

    Warwickshire Pride is an annual event that takes place in Leamington Spa. This year’s event will take place on the 18th August 2018.

  • Protest for Commonwealth gay rights to take place today outside Westminster

    Protest for Commonwealth gay rights to take place today outside Westminster

    Peter Tatchell is leading a protest for gay rights for LGBT+ people in the Commonwealth.

    With the Queen in attendance for Commonwealth Day, leading LGBT+ and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell will be heading a protest outside Westminster Abbey to bring awareness to the homophobic laws which exist within 37 of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth.

    The vigil will include human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and LGBT+ people from across the Commonwealth, some who have fled homophobic persecution and is due to take place on the 12th March from 2:00PM to 2:30PM.

    CREDIT: Monty McKinnen. Peter Tatchell will be leading the Protest outside Westminster Abbey, where the Queen will be in attendance.

    Over 100 million LGBT people are “are persecuted on a daily basis”

    Mr Tatchell said, “In sixty years of Commonwealth summits, LGBT+ issues have never been discussed by leaders, not even once. Surely in 2018, as London plays host to the summit, we can at least have a discussion with the Commonwealth Heads of Government? 100 to 200 million LGBT+ people are persecuted on a daily basis and treated as criminals in 70% of Commonwealth nations”.

    A Commonwealth of Inequality

    Out of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth, 37 criminalise homosexuality. Nine of those have life in imprisonment for same-sex relationships. In parts of two countries, there is even the death penalty for being homosexual or for having same-sex sexual relationships.

     

     

  • Meet Jason Domino, the porn star who is championing sex health through porn

    Meet Jason Domino, gay porn star, charity founder and originator of the Porn4PrEP movement, a campaign to get gay and bisexual men educated on PrEP.

    Charity founder Jason Domino has spoken at the United Nations, on primetime BBC News and featured in articles for the New Scientist, Huffington Post, and Dazed. His advocacy in the UK earned him a spot on the “IMPACT” PrEP trial’s advisory board. Jason lives as a public example for sexual health, a VERY public example…

    “For a Sexual Health film, I had sex without a condom, with someone who has HIV. They were off medication and had a high Viral Load. I haven’t contracted HIV. I chose to do this to reinforce confidence that PrEP works even in “high risk” events. My scene partner was about to try his new medication and had a high Viral Load at the time. Rather than encouraging people to be irresponsible, our aim was to highlight rigid attitudes and to educate. We wanted to stop people being so reluctant to talk about HIV and missing out on important major updates in HIV information.

    “That is the problem in a nutshell; people don’t talk about Sexual Health and yet, think they have the most up to date information about it. A few weeks ago I was taking in an UBER home from a night out, and I told my driver what undetectable meant. He then told me, in floods of tears, he had an aunt with HIV, he rejected years ago. He cast her out of the family in case they caught HIV from her, telling her to pray for healing. We pulled over, and I told him modern medication meant, people living with HIV could have long healthy lives, and once undetectable for six months, they could not pass on HIV. We went through the different ways it could be passed on and what preventions existed. I then sat there, as a grown man I barely knew called his estranged aunt for the first time in five years. There were many sad and happy tears.

    “I’d love to say it felt great. It didn’t; it just hurt that people were ever stuck in that situation. It was just a reminder how much people are afraid to talk about things like HIV.

    Finding condoms comfortable or not, is an immature attitude to an important conversation

    “I work a cabaret a few nights a month. For weeks now I have been suggesting an idea for an act. A sexy act that features a zombie and his distant lover finding a renewed closeness after a fairy/nurse gives them some pills. It then turns into a shocking zombie flesh throwing couple strip. They end up seeing each other as equal partners. The last part is not the part the cabaret disliked; in fact, they loved the gory strip. The cabaret saw right through my plan to integrate a constructive message about sexual health, into a sexual space. I have rewritten it a dozen times, each time rejected. When did sex and sexual health become so distant? In real life, they are unavoidably married. In current culture, sex is only palatable isolated in its own fantasy. Only when permitted to speak transparently about sex we can bridge into sexual health, even if only as a casual detail. Sex is an inevitable part of our lives that is seen daily in advertising, and in cases like my own, in work too. Being squeamish talking about, e.g. finding condoms comfortable or not, is an immature attitude to an important conversation. It is much more common to see sex communicated subtly with images and inferring details, than discussing it directly. Subtly praising sex is socially acceptable, but our windows to talk and listen about sexual health are limited and unattractive. They are however two sides of the same coin.

    “The fact that we can’t talk about sex transparently is people sticking to their comfort zones, often embarrassed to revealing their personal sex life.

    “Many things are hard to do without practice, but most things that can save someone’s life get the man hours put in. Last year I was a victim of my own assumption. I thought I was completely up to date on my sexual health information, but I wasn’t. I am a man, and like the majority of sexually active adults, I had contracted HPV. Most adults don’t express symptoms, or only do when their immune system is running low. Many men don’t even think they can catch HPV. HPV is a collection of around 100 strains of a virus, some cause genital warts, and some lead to cancer. In the UK girls are vaccinated against the worse and most common strains of HPV on the NHS. Boys are not, but it does work for boys. As I lay on the operating table going under general anaesthetic for surgery, I wondered why no one offered me the vaccination. It existed, but no one was comfortable talking about it. A laser burned 360 degrees inside me, and I spent a number of months on tramadol feeling like I was giving birth every time I went to the loo.

    “I am doing ok now; I look healthy down there. But I will always carry HPV, like many. But I’m aware now. I will need regular checks to detect cancerous changes, and I need my partners to either be unaffected or be vaccinated against it.

    Abstinence and condoms is an embarrassingly basic prevention lesson.

    “I talk about sex a lot. Some say too much, and that it isn’t a subject worth dwelling on. I am then unsure they understand why I talk about it, which challenges me to talk more. Attitudes towards sex are perverted. In other aspects of life, we praise learnt wisdom, but we hide sex behind a veil. Praising virginity as opposed to sexual wisdom. We don’t do this for other elements for good reason; celebrating a naïve state encourages vulnerability and reduces learning motivation. Why should sex be any different? Sex isn’t such a big deal that we can’t chat about it. It can be difficult at first, but by sharing information we can all be wiser. If you care for children you’d want them prepared rather than vulnerable. Abstinence and condoms is an embarrassingly basic prevention lesson. Awareness of treatment options is equally important, along with many other elements like on-going consent and communication.

    “Context Dependent Memory is a psychology principle placing value on the situation a learner is in. There is up to a 50% decrease in recollection of the information with changing scenarios, environments and emotional state changes. An example of this is the Divers Study, divers were trained to know how to fix an oil rig. They dived to the repair site, and all divers forgot their training. They remembered it again once surfacing. Eventually, divers were trained in a submerged environment; they had better success. When it comes to teaching about sexual health, principles like this, are completely ignored. A Sex Ed class is often awkward, formal and largely danger-focussed. Sex in real life is about pleasure, excitement, feeling turned on, and sometimes anxiety. If we take the subject seriously, then students deserve a more effective way of educating them. It is the reason I started a unique charity. My charity makes porn, and soon Erotica, both contain seeds of sexual health information. A skilled director or writer can integrate these messages without throwing the piece off topic. Many people can’t even imagine the two being compatible.

    “Porn isn’t like real sex, but it reaches people regardless who they may be. Viewing porn is also a closer context to real sex than the current format for sexual health classes. Biological terms like “penis” are less sex-associated than words like “cock”. Even the language we use makes sexual health distant from sex. The language to teach these classes may make us feel more professional, but it might literally be undermining the purpose of teaching it in the first place.

    We don’t need to put sex on a mysterious plinth.

    “I am a porn actor and a sexual health speaker. I was recently asked to speak at the UN in Geneva about sexual health. I do events like that while maintaining my status as a porn actor because we need sexual experience to become respectable and socially acceptable. We don’t need to put sex on a mysterious plinth. Sex is easily used to sell perfume and products, but what we need most, is people sharing their experiences and being examples for others to learn from. We need this, so the sexually naïve (yes even those who think they have it all covered) can make informed decisions about topics they’ve not been exposed to. We owe it to people to provide them with the most up-to-date information, so they don’t stumble into dangerous ignorance.

    You can find out more about Jason from his charity Porn4PrEP or his twitter @thejasondomino

  • Man arrested for gay club massacre threat

    Man arrested for gay club massacre threat

    Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay

    An Ohio man was arrested for a threat he made on a dating app to kill dozens at a gay club, reported WBNS, a CBS affiliate in Columbus. Me’Schach D. Israel-Miller sent the message on Grindr, threatening to “kill 85 f—-ts at a gay club.” (more…)

  • Man confesses to killing two gay men and two others after starting a Jihad

    Ali Muhammad Brown has admitted to the murder of four men, some of whom he believed were gay.

    Ali Muhammad Brown has shocked a court in the US after he admitted to killing numerous men, some because he thought they were gay. At first, Brown admitted to killing a 19-year-old, Brendan Tevlin in New Jersey.

    Brown then confessed to killing three other men, two of them because it was his belief that they were gay.

    In July 2014 it was thought that Brown may have used a social app to meet with at least two men. The victims had been enjoying an evening at R Place, a popular gay nightclub on Capitol Hill, in Washington State. Initial autopsies suggest that the victims were ‘essentially executed’, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wyman Yip said.

    Prosecutors say that two of the Washington victims, Ahmed Said, 27 and Dwone Anderson-Young 23, were targeted and lured via a social app.

    Brown is already serving a 35-year term for an armed robbery.

    “Jihad”

    If Brown is convicted he will given the death penalty. The prosecutor’s office said: “In his statement to the court today Brown admitted that the killings were a part of what he described as a ‘jihad.’”

    Jamel Semper, who led the prosecution in New Jersey, said that Brown had “grievously harmed families and terrorised entire communities across the country.

    “This defendant is no martyr.

    “He’s just an admitted terrorist who will now spend the rest of his life in prison.”

    He will be sentenced on the 1st May.

  • More human remains found in planters in Canada serial killer case

    A forensic search uncovered more human remains hidden in large planters used by a Toronto landscaper and alleged serial killer charged with murdering gay men, Canadian police announced Monday. Authorities appealed to the public for help in identifying one victim from a photograph seemingly taken post-mortem. (more…)

  • Brewdog released an equality beer and called it PINK IPA, it did not go down well

    Gawd loves a trier, but perhaps the marketers at Brewdog should have sat a little longer around that Flipboard.

    Today, Brewdog released a new beer and called it, Pink IPA. On Twitter, they wrote, “This is not “beer for girls”. This is beer for equality. Pink IPA has landed.”

    Yes, this is exactly what equality needs Pink Beer. I mean look – the Pink bottle is smashing the Blue bottle in half in the promo pic… This beer means business.

    Don’t worry about equal pay for equal work, equal maternity and paternity leave, ending the patriarchy, diverse hiring, equal power gap, sexual harassment, sexual assault and all that. No drink a f*cking Pink Beer that’ll make it.

    Brewdog’s marketing statement read, “we have always believed that beer is for everyone, and equality is a fundamental right. So today we are launching a clarion call to end the discrimination of gender pay inequality. In the UK men earn on average 20% more than women. And that’s not ok.

    “So ahead of International Women’s Day this Thursday, we are launching Pink IPA. A beer for women. A beer for equality,

    “…. What’s more, people who identify as female will be able to pick up Pink IPA in any BrewDog bar for 20% less. The beer will launch in our bars this Thursday 8th March to coincide with International Women’s Day”.

    Oh, btw they say that the name, Beer for Girls is satirical and their aim is to expose sexist marketing to women.

    So you know, they made the label pink.

    Now, wait, remember Brewdog once made a “trans” beer, which was called “No Label” and they made a “Protest Beer” against the homophobia in Russia.? Where are they now? Nowhere.

    This beer will be available for 4 weeks only and 20 percent of the proceeds will be “donated to charities that fight inequality and support women”.

    The reaction

    Well, by and large, people on Twitter weren’t having it. Nope, they weren’t having it AT ALL.

  • Qantas is going non-binary

    Qantas is going non-binary

    Qantas is urging its staff to use non-gendered terms when talking to their customers.

    skeeze / Pixabay

    Qantas is going the way of the London Underground and is encouraging its staff to lose terms like Ladies and Gentlemen, “honey”, “guys” and “love”.

    Instead of using “husband and wife” a booklet given to cabin crew and other staff at the airline have suggested that they start using words like “partner”, “spouse”.  Instead of “mum and dad”, they’ll be using a simple “parents” in a bid to use non-gendered language.

    moerschy / Pixabay Staff were given a booklet outlining the change in language to help make the airline more inclusive.

    People and culture group executive Lesley Grant said, “We have a long and proud history of promoting inclusion among our people, our customers and society, including support of indigenous issues, gender parity in business and marriage equality”.

    The company is also warning against “manterruptions” and “mainsplaining” to stop male workers from talking over their female counterparts.

    The company is drawing a line under gendered terms like “Chairman”.

    The booklet explains, “Language can make groups of people invisible,”

    “For example, the use of the term ‘chairman’ can reinforce the idea that leaders are always men.”

    A Qantas spokeswoman told Yahoo7 News the booklet was created by the Diversity Council of Australia and was supplied to around 150 other companies.

    “We want Qantas to be an inclusive workplace and we shared some factsheets created by the Diversity Council of Australia with some suggestions on more inclusive language, particularly on gender, age and LGBTI issues.”

     

     

  • Washington to ban ‘Gay Conversion’ therapy for minors


  • A bill outlawing performing so-called “gay conversion” therapy on minors has been passed in Washington state. House amendments to Bill 5722 were approved by the state’s Senate Saturday, and the legislation will now make its way to the office of Governor Jay Inslee for its final approval, the Associated Press reported. (more…)