THEGAYUK

Category: Front Page

  • Guess who’s gonna get naked if he gets to number 1

    A former One Directioner has promised to get NAKED if his single gets to number one.

    So in the battle to get to number 1, Liam Payne has promised to get naked if his single “Strip That Down” gets to the top spot on the UK singles’ chart. Liam is the latest One Directioner to release a single, following on from Niall, Harry and Zayn.

    He made the promise to disrobe on the Vodaphone Big Top 40.

    He said,

    “If we get number one, I’m gonna get naked,

    “Not even an Olly Murs thing, I’m just gonna get naked.”

  • Julian Assange misgenders Chelsea Manning

    Julian Assange has been criticised online after repeatedly misgendering trans whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

    Speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange spoke to a gathered crowd and press after Sweden dropped its rape investigation into him. Speaking of the US whistleblower Mr Assange did manage to use the correct name of Chelsea but misgendered her twice during the segment, he said,

    “We have had an even more important victory this week [and] that is the release of Chelsea Manning after seven years in military prison.

    “With extensive fights, we and others managed to have him released 28 years early, from his sentence”.

    A number of people, including Channel 4’s Cathy Newman, took to Twitter to shared their concern over the misgendering of Chelsea who started her transition whilst incarcerated.

    Chelsea Manning was released from prison yesterday and is already celebrating her freedom, with pizza and Champagne.

     

  • What has Tim Farron’s Lib Dem manifesto promised LGBT people

    The Liberal Democrats are the latest political party to unveil their manifesto ahead of June’s snap General Election. We find out what pledges have been made to the UK’s LGBT community.

    The Liberal Democrats manifesto mentions “LGBT” just five times unlike Labour’s which mentioned it 11 times. So what are the promises and pledges should the Lib Dems become our next Government.

    Healthcare

    The Liberal Democrats have promised to ensure that “LGBT+ inclusive mental health services receive funding and support”. They also want to make PrEP available on the NHS.

    Education

    The Lib Dems have promised to review sex education in schools saying that they will include lessons on sexual consent, LGBT+ relationships and issues surrounding explicit images and content.

    Workplace

    The Lib Dems want companies with more than 250 employees to publish data on their employment of BAMEs LGBTs and pay gaps.

    Politics

    The Lib Dems pledge to introduce legislation that will allow for all-BAME and all LGBT+ parliamentary shortlists.

    On the world stage

    The Liberal Democrats pledge a commitment to promoting the “decriminalisation of homosexuality around the world and advancing the cause of LGBT+ rights”.

     

  • Twitter users are not happy with Piers Morgan after Non Binary interview

    Piers Morgan attracts the ire of Twitter users after a combative interview with a non-binary couple.

    Pier Morgan is being criticised for the way he handled an interview with a couple who identify as non-binary. The couple, Fox and Owl were being interviewed on Good Morning Britain on ITV. You may remember Fox from Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer.

    “Fox and Owl” has been trending in the UK after a segment called “The Gender Debate” saw host Piers Morgan ask if he could identify as an elephant and London Zoo.

    The interview was dubbed “inanely cruel”, disrespectful and “ill-formed”

    During the show, after both Fox and Owl explained their identity and how they define themselves, Piers had a problem with understanding and asked,

    “I’m happy to be persuaded if it makes logical sense – but if you can identify as anything, where does it end?

    “Is anything fine? Can I be an elephant? Can I now go to London Zoo and demand to be put in the elephant enclosure?”

    The interview then turned to the subject of non-binary prisons and where, if Fox or Owl were to break the law, they should be incarcerated. Owl told Piers that a women’s prison would be preferable to the men’s. Piers responded that gender was fine “if it’s convenient”.

    Owl also pointed out the discussion surrounding non-binary individuals wasn’t about erasing gender.

    Owl said,

    “It’s not about erasing gender, nobody is saying people can’t be men and women – we’re also saying people can be non-binary”.

     

     

     

     

     

  • What has Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour manifesto promised LGBT+ people

    With the release of Labour’s Manifesto for the upcoming General Election, we look to see what Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour government has in store for LGBT people, should they come to power.

    In their new manifesto, the Labour Party has mentioned LGBT 11 times. We see what they have in store for our community, should Labour be elected into Government in June.

    Healthcare

    Labour has pledged that it will work to “reverse the damage done to mental health services under this Tory government, which is particularly hitting services for LGBT and BAME communities”.

    Various charities have gone by the wayside or had massive funding cuts during the latest government. Some of these cuts have affected charities which include much-needed HIV care.

    Labour also pledges that frontline healthcare professionals receive ongoing training to understand and meet the needs of LGBT patients and service users.

    And PrEP? Well, they pledge that “NHS England completes the trial programme to provide PrEP as quickly as possible, and fully roll out the treatment to high-risk groups to help reduce HIV infection”.

    Equality

    Labour has promised to build a society and a world free from”all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia”. They, however, did not specifically mention homophobic, biphobic or transphobic issues within this pledge.

    However, the did have a page to specifically outline how, in the past, the Labour party had been at the forefront of LGBT equality. They abolished Section 28, equalised the age of consent and were key to ensure that the gay marriage law was successful.

    Trans issues

    They pledge to reform the Gender Recognition Act, which will protect trans people by changing the protected characteristic of ‘gender assignment’ to ‘gender identity’. They also pledge to remove outdated language such as “transexual”.

    Crime

    Labour pledges to bring the law on LGBT hate crimes into line with hate crimes based on race and faith, by making them aggravated offences.

    Bullying

    Teachers will be given training on how to deal with bullying. They’ll also ensure that new guidance is issued on relationships and LGBT-inclusive sex education.

    On the world stage

    Labour have announced that they will “appoint dedicated global ambassadors for women’s rights, LGBT rights and religious freedom to fight discrimination and promote equality globally”

  • Post Brexit Britain could be seen as “true bastion of equalities”

    Post Brexit Britain could be seen as “true bastion of equalities”

    Ben Howlett has outlined how, post Brexit the UK could be seen as the “true bastion of equalities”, having been “held back” on various LGBT equalities by the European Union.

    CREDIT: EU

    Speaking to THEGAYUK, the former MP for Bath, Ben Howlett has suggested that as part of the European Union, the UK might be “held back” on LGBT equality and education, particularly on transgender issues, and leaving the union could see Britain being a “true bastion of equalities” in the world.

    In the interview, Ben Howlett, who was a Remain campaigner and one of Britain’s openly LGBT candidates for the general election said that European Parliament was lagging with LGBT equality, particular, transgender issues.

    He said,

    “I’ve had battles with colleagues in the European Parliament who are not necessarily on our side with LGBT, in particular transgender rights, issues.

    “In some instances we’ve found we’ve been held back in favour of a more supranationalist approach towards equalities education.

    “So potentially no longer will we be held back and we can actually be seen as a true bastion of equalities legislation for the rest of the world as we exit the European Union.”

    Mr Howlett, was also a member of the women’s and equalities committee during his time as an MP. He told THEGAYUK’s Skylar Baker-Jordan, that the committee had called upon the Government to make sure “they embed, enshrine, and enhance our equalities legislation” whilst the UK negotiates its Brexit deal over the next two years.

    As it stands, LGBT equality differs across member states in the EU. Same-sex marriage is permitted in less than half of the states and there are constitutional bans on gay marriage in six member states. Adoption is permitted in 13 of the 28 states and step-child adoption in permitted in 18 of 28 states.

     

  • Homophobic attack leaves teenager in hospital

    Police in Bristol are investigating a homophobic crime which left a 19-year-old man in hospital.

    homophobic assault in Bristol
    CREDIT: GoogleMaps

    The victim was in Park Street, near to Tesco on College Green, when the 19-year-old was verbally abused by two men before one of them punched him in the face just before 4am on Sunday (7/5). The teenager was leaving the OMG nightclub in the heart of Bristol.

    The police are treating this attack as a hate crime because of the words used by the offenders before the attack was carried out.

    The victim was treated at Bristol Royal Infirmary for injuries to his face.

    Investigating officer PC Leanne Weeks said,

    “This was an extremely unpleasant and unprovoked assault on a man who was targeted because of his sexuality.

    “It’s hard to understand how and why someone would do this and we’d urge people to come forward and help us if they can.

    “The offender who carried out the assault is white, of slim build, around 20 to 23 years old, with light brown hair in a quiff style which was short at the sides. He was wearing a baby blue long-sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans.

    “The man who was with him, who used homophobic language, is white, aged 23 to 25 years old, around 6ft, of muscular build, with dark brown hair also in a quiff style and short at the sides, with a short-cut well-groomed beard. He was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and black jeans.

    “We’re reviewing CCTV from around the area and will be making further enquiries with venues in the area to try and identify these two men.

    “If you were out last Saturday night, or early hours of Sunday morning and recognise the description of these men, or if you saw this incident in the College Green area of Park Street just before 4am on Sunday, please come forward.”

    If you can help, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5217101079

  • Theresa May “Friend of the gays” says Conservative candidate Ben Howlett

    A Conservative candidate has made the claim, that Prime Minister Theresa May is a “friend of the gays” during an exclusive interview with THEGAYUK.

    Ben Howlett, one of the 40+ openly LGBT+ candidates standing for election in the GE2017 has said that Prime Minister, Theresa May, is a “friend of the gays” and that she was key to bringing gay marriage to the UK.

    Speaking with our political contributor editor, Skylar Baker-Jordan, Mr Howlett, who is standing for the Conservative party in Bath, said that Ms May had a “proven track record” on LGBT+ policy, especially with same-sex marriage, saying

    “She’s got a proven track record of delivering leadership when it comes to the LGBT community, and no less than at a time when we were pushing through equal marriage, and she was central to that”.

    “She’s definitely a friend of the gays, put it that way”.

    Ben Howlett was the MP for Bath from 2015 until 2017 (when the GE2017 was called by Ms May). He won with 37.8 percent of the vote, beating the Liberal Democrats’ Steve Bradley (29.7 percent).

    When asked if she thought if gay sex was a sin, a question that Tim Farron, was unable to initially succinctly answer, Ms May gave a swift and decisive answer, “No” and continued,

    “(anyone) …who is a leader of a political party who is putting themselves up for election and is asking the public to trust them is bound to get a whole range of questions from a whole range of different groups”.

    Yesterday Ms May finally responded to the torture and detention reports of gay men in Chechnya saying that the news was “troubling” and “abhorrent” and said that the UK regularly raised the issues of LGBT+ rights with Russian authorities.
    Both UKIP’s Paul Nuttall and the Liberal Democrats’ Tim Farron have condemned the actions of the Chechen authorities.
    Theresa May has had a chequered past on LGBT votes. Up until 2004, she voted against or was absent from the majority of votes which affected the gay community, including the equalisation of the age of consent and the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales. To see how gay friendly Ms May is click here.

     

     

  • Gay marriage now legal in Bermuda

    Gay marriage now legal in Bermuda

    Gay marriage has been legalised in Bermuda after a landmark Supreme court ruling.

    skeeze / Pixabay

    A couple have won the right to marry on the island of Bermuda after a Supreme court challenge found that not allowing gay couples to wed would be discrimination. The couple used the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda’s Human Rights Act to argue their case. They said that not allowing them to marry constituted as discrimination on the basis of their sexuality, something that the act expressly forbids.

    The couple, Bermudian Winston Godwin and his Canadian fiancé Greg DeRoche brought the legal challenge after being denied by the island’s Registrar-General.

    Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons concluded,

    “On the facts of this case the applicants were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation when the Registrar refused to process their notice of intended marriage.

    “The applicants are entitled to an Order of Mandamus compelling the Registrar to act in accordance with the requirements of the Marriage Act and a Declaration that same-sex couples are entitled to be married under the Marriage Act 1944.”

    A referendum on gay marriage was held last June. a majority, 69% – 31% voted against allowing same-sex nuptials to take place. However there was a turn out rate of 47%. Fifty percent is required for the referendum to be considered answered.

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Interview: Ben Howlett

    When Theresa May first announced a she would go to the country, I approached my editors with a rather audacious idea – to interview as many of the openly gay MPs as we can ahead of the general election on 8th June. Since then I’ve begun e-mailing MPs from across the political spectrum, with more e-mails going out this week.

    Ben Howlett

    The first response I got was from Ben Howlett, who has served as the Conservative MP from Bath since 2015. Mr Howlett joined the Conservative Party over 10 years ago, working first for Douglas Carswell and then later for Tory MEP Syed Kamall. Since being elected in the Tory landslide two years ago, Mr Howlett has served on the women and equalities select committee and has been an outspoken campaigner for remaining in the European Union and, subsequently, within the European Single Market. He is also a proponent of LGBT equality and was a fierce critic of homophobic bullying within the Conservative Party following the suicide of young Tory activist Elliott Johnson.

    THEGAYUK spoke with Mr Howlett over the phone. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

    TGUK: Your seat is one of the marginals most targeted by the Liberal Democrats. How are you feeling?

    Ben Howlett: I’m just carrying on what I normally do. Knock on doors, attend community events, and I’m actually fine on that basis. Unfortunately the Liberal Democrats, for them anyways, selected someone who isn’t from Bath. I’m a little surprised by their choice of candidate, to be honest.

    TGUK: You once repeated allegations that Tim Farron told gay MPs he would “pray for them,” which he strongly denies. But amidst the uproar over his comments on gay sex, this has become more prescient. Do you think Tim Farron is homophobic?

    BH: Well, it’s really for Tim Farron to say. However, I know anecdotally and from alleged conversations, exactly as I said on the select committee – so I’m not going to refute what I said on that basis. Tim’s obviously got some very interesting views on the LGBT community. I just think it’s an absolute shame that it took him nigh on two and a half years to come out and say that homosexuality isn’t a sin. Now why he couldn’t say that two years ago, I have absolutely no idea.

    TGUK: The majority of Conservative MPs voted against equal marriage, and just last week Andrew Turner stood down, ostensibly at the behest of CCHQ. Why should the LGBT community trust the Conservative Party to advance our interests?

    BH: Well the Conservative Party has gone through a journey ever since I’ve been a member. And there is a broad church of views. I don’t agree universally with things that my colleagues all say. But on the issue of gay marriage in particular… look at what’s happened over the last six years in particular, since I’ve been more formally involved. We’ve seen equal marriage pushed. We’ve seen, for the first time, the government listen in relation to the transgender community by responding incredibly positively towards one of the most discriminated groups in society. And I’ve been working and leading the charge on transgender policy issues ever since I’ve been an MP. So it’s incredibly refreshing to see how the Conservative Party in particular is really fighting for the rights of the LGBT community and also pushing an equal opportunities agenda.

    TGUK: Do you think that the spousal veto will be something that’s addressed in the next Parliament?

    BH: Well the government’s obviously made its case in relation to the spousal veto, saying in relation to our common law agenda they need to review it an see how equal marriage has been working in practice for a certain period of time. I get that. If you ever make a massive change to the common law system in relation to British law, than it’s going to take some years to embed. I personally have campaigned hard for the spousal veto to be removed in the English system…. But it is absolutely, managing everybody’s expectations, a legal nightmare to get this changed. We know how long it took to get equal marriage done. It’s not going to be an overnight change.

    TGUK: This is being called the Brexit election. You supported the Remain campaign. Do you still think we should remain in the EU?

    BH: I haven’t changed my mind. If there was a referendum tomorrow I would campaign to remain. However, it’s not in the cards. We’re now in a very different circumstance. I’m working with my good friend Neil Carmichael, who’s the MP for Stroud, on something called Modern Europe… I think I need to redouble my efforts to make sure we’re campaigning hard for that new modern relationship with the European Union.

    I have to say, there’s a huge amount of work that we need to do to shift the mindset of the public which has been moving towards a Eurosceptic mindset for the past twenty years. In the here and now, we have to deliver strong government to make sure there is a mandate to deliver a zero tariff free trade agreement with the European Union. I know that’s 100% our top priority. That isn’t some sort of hard, soft, left right, whatever type of Brexit you want to call it. This is a sensible Brexit that will keep the European Union together and also make sure the British public secure the best possible deal from the European Union.

    TGUK:  Why should our readers trust this government to deliver a Brexit that’s in their interest?

    BH: You will have seen the work that I’ve been doing with my women and equalities select committee with the impact of Brexit on equalities. The UK is signed up to literally thousands of international obligations when it comes to equalities legislation. Parts of the European Union are very behind on LGBT rights, and even the UK has got its own issues in relation to LGBT rights. Particularly, obviously, in relation to the Northern Irish issue.

    So what we’ve got to do is work with everyone in the world – and I mean everyone in the world – in relation to the UN’s sustainable development goals, particularly goal five as well, in order to enhance the position of equality around the rest of the world, and in the UK, and in the European Union. I think there is as many positives as there are negatives in relation to our relationship with the European Union on equalities legislation, and what I want to make sure is that Britain is an open facing, global nation that’s going to steer the world towards the positives of LGBT rights rather than the negatives. And this could be a very good opportunity for us to deliver that.

    TGUK: So would you lobby the government to enshrine LGBT rights in any Great Repeal Bill or any repeal of the Human Rights Act, which I don’t think is in the cards right now but could be at a later date?

    BH: So in relation to the Brexit negotiations, we made a report on the women’s and equalities committee on a range of different issues towards equalities. And we called on the government to make sure they embed, enshrine, and enhance our equalities legislation during the Brexit discussions, particularly in relation to the Great Repeal Bill. But also all the other types of employment legislation attached to it…

    And don’t get me wrong, I’ve had battles with colleagues in the European Parliament who are not necessarily on our side with LGBT, in particular transgender rights, issues. In some instances we’ve found we’ve been held back in favour of a more supranationalist approach towards equalities education. So potentially no longer will we be held back and we can actually be seen as a true bastion of equalities legislation for the rest of the world as we exit the European Union.

    TGUK: Gay men are being tortured in Chechnya, yet the Prime Minister has been largely silent. You’re a Conservative MP and an out gay man. Why won’t she speak?

    BH: Well as I know for a fact, as I’ve had conversations with her, she’s spoken up on a range of different sessions with leaders around the world on issues of LGBT rights. Chechnya is one example. I know the Foreign Office has been incredibly active in relation to Chechnya. As an MP myself, I helped form the all-party parliamentary group on LGBT international rights.

    We should be doing more to push the case that wherever you are in the world, any persecution of the LGBT community is abhorrent and should be stopped. I think there is a huge opportunity, by the way, for thinking of this more in the long term. Whenever we’re striking trade deals with other nations around the world, and also the European Union, that we also use that as an issue to enhance our views and also to change their views in relation to LGBT. Because we have an amazing opportunity here to deliver change… why can’t we use this as an opportunity rather than a regression?

    TGUK: Should asylum be granted to gay men from Chechnya or should we extend asylum for LGBT people around the world?

    BH: Our all-party parliamentary group has made recommendations on this particular issue, not just Chechnya but around the rest of the world. Britain’s got a huge responsibility to accept asylum seekers wherever they’re coming from if they face persecutions, according to our international obligations and our moral obligations, as well. We should take people in wherever they face persecution, and protect them.

    In relation to Chechnya, I know the Foreign Office is dealing on a case-by-case basis with individuals who have claimed asylum from there, and they’ll be looking at their individual cases. But we have to do more to make sure that, at source, countries aren’t persecuting the LGBT community… Wherever it happens, it shouldn’t, and we need an international movement to stamp it out.

    TGUK: What’s the most pressing issue facing the LGBT community in this election?

    BH: It’s about making sure they have someone in post to negotiate the best possible deal with the European Union. I’m not going to give you the “strong and stable” buzzline which has been going on, but compare and contrast what Jeremy Corbyn is offering in relation to his approach. For two years I’ve seen someone stumble and fall at the dispatch box in the House of Commons on regular occasions. This, versus someone who’s got six years worth of proven leadership in the Home Office then also as Prime Minister, to stare in the eyes the leaders of Hungary, Poland, and also Germany on equalities education. Trust me, I know who I’d rather back as our chief negotiator in our Brexit negotiations on equalities legislation. She’s got a proven track record of delivering leadership when it comes to the LGBT community, and no less than at a time when we were pushing through equal marriage, and she was central to that.

    She’s definitely a friend of the gays, put it that way.

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Weekly Roundup, All Politics is Local

    The general election is a month away from today, but the big news last week was the already-scheduled local elections which took place throughout the country on Thursday.

    The Tories, rather predictably, swept the local councils. Meanwhile, there hasn’t been this much Labour shock and pain since Sonia Fowler unexpectedly gave birth on EastEnders. The party suffered heavy losses throughout the country, while the Liberal Democrats similarly failed to accomplish the surge they were hoping. Likewise, UKIP was virtually wiped out by a Conservative Party which has annexed their pro-Brexit, anti-globalist agenda.

    The full results in England show a Conservative Party in ascendency and virtually every other party losing ground to them, which bodes well for Theresa May as we look towards the next few weeks. That’s still to come, though, and four weeks is an eternity in politics. Meanwhile, let’s look back on the big gay week that was.

    The biggest news undoubtedly comes from two hotly contested and highly anticipated inaugural mayoral races. In the former Labour heartland of the West Midlands, gay Conservative Party candidate Andy Street made history as the first openly gay metro mayor in the country’s history. In the final round, he narrowly defeated former Labour MP Sion Simon with a majority of just over 4,000 votes.

    Still, the historic nature of Mr Street’s victory coupled with the fact that a Tory won in the West Midlands makes this accomplishment even more remarkable. It is also no doubt terrifying for Jeremy Corbyn. He is desperately trying to be the party of tolerance and openness while also holding on to the traditional working class heartlands which aren’t quite as keen on his metropolitan inclusiveness.

    It wasn’t all bad news for Labour, though. Andy Burnham won the Manchester mayoral race. The former Secretary of State for Health and the politician with the most beautiful eyes (or is it just me?) won just over 63% of the vote, making him one of the most important Labour leaders in the country. He stood against Jeremy Corbyn for the party leadership in 2015, when his own questionable history on LGBT equality was made an issue by opponents. Mr Burnham has since said that his support for gay rights has led to rifts in his family, but that he does unequivocally support equality.

    This is especially important as hate crimes have soared in Greater Manchester over the past few years, increasing by a third between November 2014 and October 2015. How Mr Burnham addresses the safety of the LGBT community, particularly in Manchester’s Gay Village, will be of vital interest to the local community and the LGBT activists across the nation.

    The local elections were, as I said, the major story of the week – but they weren’t the only one. Of particular interest is the happenings in Ilford North, a key marginal constituency in North London. The seat is currently held by openly gay Labour MP Wes Streeting, a former NUS president and critic of Jeremy Corbyn. Before 2015 it was represented by Conservative Lee Scott, who is standing to take back the constituency this year. In an effort to help him do this, Ukip have decided not to stand a candidate of their own and instead back Mr Scott. Meanwhile, the Greens announced last week they are also standing down in order to back Mr Streeting.

    Ilford North looks poised to become a – perhaps the – key Brexit battleground in London, if not the whole of England. Mr Streeting supported the Remain campaign but now accepts that Brexit is happening – though he’s hardly supporting the Hard Brexit of Theresa May. Ukip, on the other hand, see in Mr Lee and Mrs May two people who will support their vision of a Britain free from Europe and cracking down on immigration – that is, the Hard Brexit everyone keeps banging on about.

    By standing down, Ukip all but guarantees Mr Lee’s victory. They took over 4,000 votes in 2015 – far more than Mr Streeting’s slim majority of 589. Looking at the results of the local elections, we see that the Conservatives have basically gobbled up Ukip like a late-night kebab.

    It’s worth asking why the Conservative Party – long derided by Ukip as too pro-Europe – is suddenly so appealing to them under Theresa May. The Tories’ Brexit strategy is so similar to Ukip’s own platform that they’re willing to stand down, which should worry anyone who doesn’t want a Brexit harder than Tom Daley’s tushy.

    While we’ll undoubtedly be talking about Ilford North more as the campaign carries on, there were some stories that flew under-the-radar this week but which are of particular interest to the LGBT community. The Tories selected former LGBT+ Conservatives vice chair Emma Warman to contest the relatively safe Green seat of Brighton Pavilion, currently represented by the Greens’ only MP (and co-leader), Caroline Lucas. Elsewhere in Brighton, the Tories are standing a woman who claims to be able to heal the deaf by prayer against openly gay Labour MP Peter Kyle. (No, seriously, they are.) Labour is standing openly trans Sophie Cook against anti-equality Tim Loughton in the Tory safe seat of East Worthing and Shoreham. And SNP MP John Nicholson claims an opponent accused him of hiring his wife to manage his constituency office. Only one problem: Mr Nicholson is openly gay and partnered. “My boyfriend will be so angry when he finds out,” he tweeted.

    So that’s the second big gay week that was of this general election. If you’ve any tips you’d like me to consider for next week, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at skylar.baker-jordan@thegayuk.com. Until then, no matter which colour of the rainbow your rosette is, have a gay ole’ time out on those doorsteps.