THEGAYUK

Category: Interview

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Interview: Nate Higgins

    At 20 years old, Nate Higgins is one of the youngest parliamentary candidates in the country. Standing for the Greens in West Lancashire, he may be a first-time candidate, but he is well known as a leading Green Party voice on gay Twitter. Originally from Suffolk, Mr Higgins left home at an early age following the death of his mother and is now a student at Edge Hill University, where he’s studying musical theatre. He spoke last week with THEGAYUK about his life, his candidacy, and why the Green Party is the best party for young voters.

    This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

    THEGAYUK: If I’m not mistaken you’re a university student and at least one of the youngest PPCs in the country. Why are you standing?

    Nathaniel Higgins: The Green Party candidate for one of the London constituencies… is younger than me. So I don’t want to steal his thunder. But I’m standing for a number of reasons. I originally wasn’t going to. In my mind, I didn’t think it would be fair on constituents to have an MP who spends a lot of his time out of the constituency because of the nature of being a student. But after the local party and regional coordinator and a couple of other people spoke to me and thought I would be the best person to represent West Lancashire, and as I worked out my MP, Rosie Cooper’s voting record, I found a lot to disagree with. And I thought I could make a strong case that I would do the job better than her

    I also think it’s really important for young people and LGBT people to have someone in this constituency that they can vote for. I don’t know if you know much about West Lancashire, but aside from the student population, there’s this image that it’s quite conservative, socially at least. Because of that, there isn’t a lot of people around here standing up for LGBT people or the European Union or students’ rights, for examples. As a student, as a gay person, and as a pro-EU person I’m the best person to stand up for those rights. I’m not willing to compromise on my principle positions to be elected, whereas I think the other candidates are.

    TGUK: So many young gay men, in particular, seem apathetic about politics, especially as equality is achieved and mainstream acceptance is accomplished. Why should LGBT people of your generation care about this election and care about politics?

    NH: A lot of LGB people thinks it stops at the B, and I don’t think it does. Also what I think needs to be remembered is that we don’t necessarily have equality. Although it’s quite a popular opinion to say that we do, there are a lot of issues where if you’re gay, if you’re lesbian, if you’re bisexual, you’re on the backburner. For example, if you want to adopt you’re probably going to be looked at with a little bit more suspicion if you’re a gay couple. If you want to give blood, until recently you were assumed to be dirty and taking part in dangerous sexual activity. Rather than simply asking if they do, they’ll assume that you do if you’re gay. And there’s a whole other host of issues that we haven’t necessarily achieved equality yet.

    It’s not just gay people but young people across the board aren’t apathetic towards politics at all. If you ask them about individual issues on a nonpartisan basis, you’ll find quite a lot of enthusiasm for these issues among people my age. But they are apathetic about party politics, and that’s for a whole number of reasons. Primarily it’s because parties don’t feel the need to speak out to them. It’s sort of a catch-22 situation. Young people don’t vote because parties don’t speak out to them, and parties don’t speak out to them because young people don’t vote.

    TGUK: That leads perfectly into my next question. Your party, the Green Party, has pledged to equalise job seekers’ allowance, universal credit, housing benefit between those over 25 and those between 16 and 25. Many would argue this is unnecessary because so many young people have help from their parents. Why are they wrong?

    NH: If you indulge me and allow me to go into a little of my personal history, I was kicked out of my home when I was 18. I was going to college, and I had to pick up a second job in order to afford my rent, and even then I would not have been able to afford my rent without housing benefit. If that had happened now, now that housing benefit is not available for 18-21-year-olds, I would have had to leave college and move to another town where my dad lived and hope that he would be willing to let me live with him. I would not be where I am now if that had happened…

    In a lot of cases just because someone has access to parental support, it doesn’t mean it’s fair to expect them to use it. For example, say that you have a family who is not accepting of LGBT people but is willing to, when asked by the government, is willing to house you if you deny that part of who you are. I don’t think that’s something someone should have to do, and I don’t think they should have to make that case to the government in order to receive the support that they need.

    TGUK: Was that your situation? Were you kicked out for being gay?

    NH: No, not quite. My mum passed away. My mum was married to an Iranian man, and in the Iranian culture, it’s desirable to remarry as soon as possible. My stepdad’s new wife didn’t like me very much.

    TGUK: I’m sorry to hear that. But moving on to the next question, maybe a little less heavy. The Green Party is known to be on the left of British politics. Jeremy Corbyn is also extremely leftwing.  Why should our readers vote for the Greens and not just vote for Labour?

    NH: As much as politicos like to simplify it this way, politics is not a simple left/right scale. It’s far more complicated than that. What I think you need to see about Jeremy Corbyn is that there’s Jeremy Corbyn the personal politician and there’s Jeremy Corbyn the leader of the Labour Party, and the latter is far more disappointing than the former. Though there’s a lot to disagree with Jeremy Corbyn’s voting record over thirty or so years he’d been a Member of Parliament, he is one of the more progressive Members of Parliament. But as Labour leader, he has left a lot to be desired. For example, he claims to want to break open the establishment but then doesn’t support things like electoral reform that will bring that. And the reason why is there’s a lot of disagreement on the backbenches of the Labour Party on electoral reform. Jeremy Corbyn’s position is nearly untenable as it is, so he doesn’t want to implement something like that. But then you see John McDonell who does support electoral reform.

    …the Labour Party just isn’t standing up for you at the moment. You saw it on their capitulation to the Tories on Article 50, and how they gave the Conservatives a blank cheque on the Article 50 vote. And they do that because the Labour Party is terrified, absolutely terrified, of losing a certain number of its voters. It’s because the Labour Party is, at the end of the day, a coalition of very different people and its voter base is a lot of very different people. So a lot of times if you’re supporting the Labour Party you’re supporting a party that is acting in the interests of other people, whereas I think the voter base of the Green Party is much more unified. By nature of being a smaller party that’s much easier. But the Green Party is almost always going to be voting in your interest

    TGUK: Almost always?

    NH: Well I mean, no politician is perfect. There will be some Greens who disagree with the way that Caroline acts in Parliament sometimes. I don’t personally have any issues that I can think of myself, but it’s just no politician is perfect, and I think we should acknowledge that. What I think needs to be understood is in this electoral system it’s not possible for smaller parties to win a position in government as a smaller party. So a lot of the time they let go of their principles for electoral success, and the Green Party is never going to do that.

    What you also need to remember is if you’re voting for the Labour Party in hopes that Jeremy Corby becomes Prime Minister, what happens if he doesn’t? Does he then resign and you get another Blairite? The Labour Party isn’t Jeremy Corbyn. What I think you need to remember is you’re voting for a representative of your constituency, not the Prime Minister. And Party leaders change often and they change unpredictably. So I don’t think you should vote Labour just because you like Jeremy Corbyn. And depending on where you are, a Green MP might be more supportive of Jeremy Corbyn than the Labour representative is.

    TGUK: Can strategic voting and a progressive alliance actually work?

    NH: I just want to stop you right there. There is no such thing as a singular “progressive alliance.” A “progressive alliance” is a principle that has taken many different forms in many different constituencies. No party wants to implement a national alliance with any party. It wouldn’t work, it would be wrong to the activists on the ground, and it would be wrong to the candidates if they’re already selected. Instead what we’re saying is in constituencies where there is a sitting conservative MP or a progressive Labour MP is at risk of losing their seats, let’s have a conversation about what we can do to best make sure that our principles continued to be implemented by this MP. Because there’s no point in putting in all the effort of standing if you’re shooting yourself in the foot by doing so.

    TGUK: Speaking of democracy, the Green Party is against Brexit and has promised a second referendum. But haven’t the British people already decided that?

    NH: The Green Party has not promised a second referendum. No party is promising a second referendum. What we have promised is, if we were in the ability to implement this, we would bring the final deal that is implemented back to the people in a ratification referendum. And that is not a second referendum. I think that’s really important, because when people hear a second referendum, what they hear is a party trying to subvert the will of the people. But this would be a different referendum with a different question, and it would be something along the lines of “is this deal acceptable for this country?” What I think you need to remember is that though a majority of people voted for Brexit, it was such a small majority – around four per cent. …

    Once we actually know what Brexit looks like, once we know what is achievable and what is possible, we should bring that to the people just to make sure before we embark on the biggest change to our constitution since we joined the European Union.

    TGUK: So much of LGBT equality is underpinned by rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (which Brexit doesn’t take us out of) and the European Court of Justice (which it does). How can we enshrine LGBT equality achieved through European mechanisms into British law post-Brexit?

    NH: Okay, so one interesting thing is – so Theresa May, and I think people forget this, and I think Theresa May wants people to forget this, but she backed Remain. But what she said was “let’s stay in the European Union but let’s leave the European Court of Human Rights.” So her being Prime Minister now gives me absolutely no faith that we will remain in the ECHR in the long-term. What we need to make sure is that during the transition period of leaving the EU is that all of these ECHR rulings are transcribed into British law wholesale. I think that’s what should be done. There should be a bill in parliament that says all current EU law will be put on the British statute book, and we can then, later on, decide which policies are desirable to remove.

    But I don’t think that’s a negotiation that should happen during the transition process. What you’ll get is all these different – it will clog up Parliament’s time, and it will be impossible for MPs to properly hold the government to account on the thousands of different laws that they would have to decide on. Like, you can’t do this one by one. Every EU law has to become British law, and those rights for LGBT people need to come with them. Then later on if the government wants to repeal certain rights, they can make that case to Parliament. In the meantime, we need to elect progressive MPs who we know stand by LGBT rights when it comes to voting on them. We cannot allow this battle that we’ve won to be undone.

    TGUK: So that’s the opposite of the Great Repeal Bill?

    NH: I’ve not actually read up on the specifics of the Great Repeal Bill, but in my view, we need to make sure that all EU law becomes British law at the time of leaving so that when it comes to repealing specific laws it can be held to account by MPs.

    TGUK: The Green Party is also, obviously, concerned with the environment and climate change. What environmental concerns does Brexit raise?

    NH: Well, by nature the environment is… a cross-border problem. The EU is one of the best ways to coordinate on that on a European level. The United Kingdom could become a carbon neutral perfect country and the planet would still be in crisis. We cannot solve this problem on our own; that’s what the Paris climate talks were about. Removing that level of cooperation between the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, which is required in order to have a measurable impact on the environment, was a mistake in my view.

    For example, our fish don’t stop at country borders. They will swim between country borders. So we need to make sure our seas across the whole of Europe are not polluted in order to stop the negative impact that has on sea life, for example.

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

    NH: I won’t speak for all LGBT people, but for me, my worry is that when we have a Conservative government, that LGBT rights are going to stand still whilst the rest of the world moves forward. There are things like adoption rights – the majority of Conservative MPs voted against that for LGBT people. Same-sex marriage, the majority of Conservative MPs voted against that. And something that was pointed out to me today is that the Conservative government actually banned the Church of England from carrying out same-sex marriages. If that had been any other government, that never would’ve happened. Even if the Church of England decided that it wanted to take out or provide same-sex marriages, they wouldn’t be allowed to because the Conservative Government actually banned it in the process of legalising same-sex marriage. And I think that identifies the Conservative approach to equality altogether…

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Interview: Stephen Doughty

    Stephen Doughty has served as the MP for Cardiff South and Penarth since winning a by-election in 2012. He has since distinguished himself amongst his colleagues, serving first as Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry. Following a reshuffle, he took up a brief as a Shadow Foreign Minister – which he famously resigned from live on the BBC following a disagreement with Jeremy Corbyn over the sacking of Shadow Minister Pat McFadden in January 2016.

    Stephen Doughty openly gay Labour MP

    THEGAYUK Magazine was fortunate enough to talk to Mr Doughty last week. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

    THEGAYUK: First things first – Labour’s draft manifesto leaked last night, and it proves to be the most leftwing in a generation, promising to nationalise the railways and eliminate tuition fees, for example. Are you excited or apprehensive about selling this on the doorstep?
    Stephen Doughty: Well we have a slightly different situation where I’m standing, in Wales, because Welsh labour already launched our manifesto pledges earlier in the week with Carwyn Jones, the Welsh Labour leader. So we’ve already set out our stall here very clearly. We’ve got five pledges: one on the NHS, one on schools, one on housing, one on the economy, and one on police. Those are very much messages I’ve been going on the doorstep with already, as well as my own local record. So in terms of wider manifestos and leaks, obviously until the actual manifesto is published I prefer not to comment.

    TGUK: Last year you had a constituent tell you that gay people should be killed and sent to hell. As one of the higher-profile openly gay MPs, do you experience a lot of homophobia (whether online or on the doorstep)?
    SD: I’ve had some pretty unpleasant comments from a local blogger, as well as people who support the far-right BNP to post homophobic material. I’ve had comments on the doorstep, and I had a UKIP candidate that sent veiled homophobic letters to constituents in the last election, saying things like that I didn’t stand up for family values and the like, which we know are dog whistles for homophobic views. Unfortunately, all MPs over the last few years have suffered significant amounts of personal abuse, no matter what party they’re from. If you’re a woman, if you’re gay, if you’re black, if your Jewish, you’re likely to have received some additional abuse and so it gets very unpleasant.

    TGUK: You’ve been famously critical of Jeremy Corbyn. How are you addressing this as you campaign? How is this going for you?
    SD: I’ve got no personal disputes with Jeremy. We’ve always got on very well on the personal level and have a number of issues where we have a lot of common ground. But I have been willing to speak my own mind when it comes to a number of issues, particularly where we’ve differed on issues to do with foreign policy and defence.

    You know, it won’t come as any surprise but there have been a wide range of views across the Labour Party on these issues. I also think we’re in a quite different situation, as I said earlier, for those of us standing in places like Wales where, since devolution, we have quite a different set up now.
    We have a Welsh Labour leader in Carwyn Jones who is popular on the doorstep, and we have very distinct policies in Wales. So I make it clear to people that there are many policy areas where I agree with Jeremy, and I think his work where he’s set out on NHS, on housing, on mental health, on a fairer economy, and indeed actually on the railways – I think what he’s setting out is exactly the right policy. But I’ve also made it my clear that I will speak my mind and stand up for the interests of my constituents, and not put my party first but put them first.

    TGUK: Last month, you raised an urgent question on the way gay men in Chechnya are persecuted. The Prime Minister has finally spoken on it. What should the government be doing to promote and protect LGBT rights not just in Russia but around the world, including in Syria?
    SD: I think the government in the last few years has actually downgraded human rights concerns, disappointingly. Over the issues of Chechnya, I was particularly concerned that we haven’t seen a very clear statement from the Prime Minister. We haven’t seen a clear statement from the Foreign Secretary. I think all he’s done is put out a tweet. The reality is that even when we have difficult relationships with countries like Russia, and undoubtedly with Chechnya, we need to be seen to be on the very front foot when it comes to exposing human rights abuses and urging for action to be taken. Britain’s got a proud history of standing up against abuses, and making a difference in the world, but unfortunately, we have a slightly checkered record in recent years when it comes to certain issues. We have to be consistent in standing up for all, for the rights of civilians, the rights of women, and the rights of LGBT people around the world, whether that’s in Syria, whether that’s in Chechnya, whether that’s in Yemen, whether that’s in parts of Africa, and have a consistent approach.

    TGUK: You voted against triggering Article 50, despite the referendum results. Why?
    SD: My constituents voted 60/40 to remain. It was a very clear majority for a remain vote, and indeed in the months afterwards I had a clear majority of constituents with great concerns about the way Theresa May was taking the Brexit negotiations. I’m very clear that I respect the overall result… but we need to ensure we get a fair deal for people in my constituency and people across Wales. There are still far too many unanswered questions about things like funding. You know, we rely a lot on funding for local universities, for infrastructure. Still no word on that from the government on access to the single market for businesses in my local area. The rights of EU citizens who have been here for often decades and on a whole series of other issues.
    At the time, I wasn’t satisfied that the Prime Minister had set out a clear plan or answered those questions. I have pointed out to people that of course if every MP voted the same way as their constituents then you’d still get the same overall result. But we can’t be simply giving a blank cheque to the Prime Minister to go down a very hard Brexit route. We must find the best deal for people. It’s important that there are a number of MPs who stand up and hold her feet to the fire.

    TGUK: You talk about getting the best deal, and so many of the victories in LGBT equality we’ve accomplished have been through European mechanisms. How do we ensure those European laws and rulings protecting LGBT rights are enshrined in UK law post-Brexit?
    I made very clear that we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to whether that’s the rights of minority groups, whether that’s workers rights, whether that’s environmental protections. I am concerned that we are headed down a route of quite an ideological, hard, I call reckless Brexit, rather one that retains the very best of some of the protections that we’ve worked on a Pan-European level to achieve. And that’s why it’s important that there are members of parliament that are willing to speak up and ensure that those rights and freedoms are protected.

    TGUK: You filed an early day motion to ban Donald Trump from speaking to the House of Commons. As you may be able to tell from my accent, I’m American. Whether we like it or not, Trump is the democratically elected president of the United States. How should the government handle relations with him?
    SD: I was very clear that I wasn’t in favour of banning the President from coming to the UK or having relationships with the UK government. Clearly, as one of our longest and oldest allies, we need to have a constructive and positive relationship with the United States. Recognising that it’s not just the president but a whole series of individual state governments and other parts of the administration. However, I was very clear that we choose who we honour, and offering a full state visit with all the pomp and circumstance and carriages down the mall and an address to the joint houses of parliament is something that is earned, and it’s something that’s given by choice.

    …I don’t think we should be offering up that honour to somebody who has a very checkered record on fundamental freedoms, on sexism, on racism, on the treatment of minority groups. And I think it was a mistake for that to be suggested, to be offered, and Parliament spoke very, very clearly, as did the Speaker of the House of Commons

    TGUK: I want to shift focus a little and ask about sex and relationship education. Her Majesty gave royal assent to a bill making it mandatory, but it doesn’t mandate LGBT issues be taught. Will we ever get LGBT-inclusive PSHE?
    SD: Well I hope so. And certainly, I was part of a group of MPs working particularly with my colleague Stella Creasy arguing for the most inclusive and positive sex and relationships education and a number of others

    TGUK: That was a cross-party group, right?
    SD: Yeah that was a cross-party group. A number of sponsored amendments and pushed forward an inclusive agenda. Again, it’s slightly complex. As a Welsh MP, education is devolved. The decisions about our curriculum are made in Wales. But I’ve always been of the belief that you need age appropriate but inclusive sex and relationships education that reflects the realities of life and the realities of the modern world. When you have a situation where there are still far too many young LGBT people who are bullied, excluded, or in worse cases physically or psychologically harassed or harmed, we need to be setting the very best standards.

    TGUK: Wales does have an LGBT curriculum, correct?
    SD: Yes. Again, it’s age appropriate. But we have a pretty inclusive curriculum here. But again the curriculum is constantly under review. And we have a different system here because we don’t have the same diversity of schools. We haven’t gone down the route of grammars and free schools and new religious schools and things like that.

    TGUK: I guess, I’m going to segue off that question. What can England learn from Wales?
    SD: One of the reasons we have our own distinctive pledges and manifesto in Wales is because we have taken a very different approach when it comes to things like healthcare and education and other issues. We haven’t had a doctor’s strike in Wales. We haven’t had a costly reorganisation of the NHS. We spend 6% higher on health and social care per head of population in Wales than in England. We haven’t gone down the route of having grammar schools. We’ve actually been building new schools and new hospitals.

    The Prime Minister is quite keen to come down and rubbish Wales on a regular basis, but the actual difference is now being felt and recognised by the people of Wales. People do now recognise that distinction and what a difference having a Welsh Labour government makes.

    TGUK: You mention the Prime Minister rubbishing Wales, but the Conservative vote is growing. Does that concern you at all?
    SD: Yeah. One of the difficulties you do have in Wales is that we don’t have a strong and distinct national media, as say in example in Scotland. So a lot of people do engage with a lot of English focused newspapers and broadcasts. Obviously, that reads across into what people are raising on the doorstep and talking about. It is concerning to see the Conservatives doing so well in the polls. However last year the pundits had us losing significant numbers of seats in the National Assembly elections. This year they had us losing significant numbers of seats in the local council elections. And we defied the pundits both times.

    TGUK: What’s the most pressing issue facing the LGBT community in this election?
    SD: To pick one issue I think is very difficult because whilst there are distinct issues facing the LGBT community, members of the LGBT community are human beings and voters just like anybody else. They’re going to have the same concerns about healthcare, education, housing, benefits policy, state of the economy. There’s always a bit of a danger in separating us out too distinctly.

    However, I think certainly one of the issues I’ve come across has been that we have legal equality now in the country. I was very proud to vote on the bill that introduced equal marriage, and sort of fought for many of those last blocks in the inequality picture over the last few years, building on the amazing work others have done over the decades. The real challenge now is to make sure those laws are implemented, that attitudes are changed and that we deal with the stigma that a lot of young people face still in many parts of the country. And in relation to places like Chechnya that we stand as a beacon for LGBT rights and equality in the world. We’ve had the largest number of LGBT parliamentarians in the last Parliament. We’ve taken the most decisive steps on legal equality. We need to now be using our good offices and intent to sell that example to the rest of the world.

  • 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.

  • INTERVIEW | Ray Houghton

    Meet Ray. He’s nearly 60 and he’s got pure fitness game. In fact’s he’s a celebrity personal trainer and he’s here to show you regardless of your age you can have the body you want.

    It’s clear that you take good care of your body… what motivates you to do this?
    The ageing process motivates me to take good care of my body. I want to do all I can to live a long and active life and to remain independent and fulfilled. Sure, Vanity is a big part too! I will be 60 in November and I look at other people, many half my age, and most are overweight, have joint problems or are stressed. I will do everything I can to remain agile, flexible, strong & healthy and happy. I was born to be different, to stand out in a crowd and to inspire others.

    When did you start? Have you always been a keen gym goer?
    Fitness became a big part of my life from about the age of 12, in the way of home gym equipment. But I started proper gym training from the age of 16. I had joined the Boy’s Junior Army Service and therefore gym training was available and I loved it. I was never an academic at school, I wanted to do physical things instead: Braun not Brains! When I first moved to Spain from Manchester UK, I had a 12-year gap from Body Building and that is the only time you didn’t see me in a Gym. The Gym is my life and I love it.

    What do you say to people who say that the body goes downhill after the age of 35?
    People say that after the age of 35, the body goes down hill… well, yes it does, due to the natural ageing process, our bodies stop producing the Human Growth Hormone (HGH). And eating habits have changed over the years, fast foods instead of natural produce. Alcohol is cheap and has become a normal social activity. Stress is a huge problem and all these things accumulate in aiding us to get old quicker. Weight Training is essential, especially as we age. We must work our bodies to do even the simplest things in life such as climbing stairs, carrying shopping, manoeuvring in & out of the bath…the list goes on. Education in Life Fitness is key and this is one area I feel I am qualified to address. How do celebrities stay looking so young and energetic? Google: Celebrities taking HGH and click on images, you’ll be amazed at who you see!

    You’ve said that quite a few of your admirers are gay guys? How do you feel about this?
    Many of my admirers are indeed gay guys. I really don’t mind at all. In fact, I am flattered! There are not many muscular guys around, especially at my age. ‘Super Hero’ movies are very popular at present… I can be a fantasy in their mind? I respect anyone’s sexual preference.

    Ray Houghton

    Ray Houghton

    Are you in demand for more exposing photoshoots? Would you do any?
    Yes, I get asked for exposing photos and yes, I wish to do another professional photo shoot. I would love to do more photo’s ‘on location’ (outdoor shots) and also using different props to show more of my character and sense of humour. I would like to fill my potential as a ‘Celebrity’ and if it gives pleasure and inspires, then it is all good.

    Tell us something that surprises people when they learn it about you…
    People are surprised to learn that I am indeed aged 59. I have a muscular physique, good skin, a young outlook on life, I like to dress in my own unique style. I am an optimist and very positive. I am a quiet man, somewhat shy at times BUT I can come out with some life stories that surprise people. Also when I say I have a FULL BODY SUIT of Tattoo’s, people are shocked. I have a wealth of body building/fitness knowledge – all simple common sense stuff and people (many of them Personal Trainers) love to learn from me, The Master.

    What are your top workout songs?
    I don’t workout to music (I never use headphones). I only listen to one important thing….MY BODY! I have such a Mind/Body connection, that all background noise (songs), simply disappear. However, there is music playing in my gym, mainly 70’s & 80’s music, which I like. My favourite songs are ‘Kinky Boots’ by Nancy Sinatra, ‘Money Talks (Dirty Cash)’ by Stevie V, ‘Perfect’ by Fairground Attraction, ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone.

    Ray Houghton

    How many days do you work out – and what’s your general routine?
    I workout six days a week. I usually concentrate on training one body part per day: Back, Biceps, Legs, Shoulders, Chest, Triceps. I like to do Body Weight Training: Push Ups, Pull Ups, Tricep Dips etc. I don’t use heavy weights, instead, I concentrate on keeping good form throughout the exercise and higher reps too. I have always been injury free (which is virtually unheard of with most body builders), due to keeping good technique. The only Cardio I do is walking my 3 dogs daily.

     

    All photos (C) Ray Houghton / Used with permission.

  • INTERVIEW | Helen Lederer, still fabulous after all these years

    Recently Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about the 25th anniversary of Absolutely Fabulous. Nice as it was to see them, the announcement slightly freaked me out: 25 years?

    There’s no way the show is that old! The 90s are only like what … two or three years ago, right? I mean, else that picture of my best friend and I posing as the world’s most famous fashion victims is twenty years old! There’s no way … But soon my self-denial had to shut itself up and admit that, yes one of the biggest and most influential comedies of the ’90s has reached its 25th anniversary. Time to look back on how it all begun.

    Someone who was there for the start of it all was Helen Lederer a comedian and author who was part of the famous Comic Strip generation from the 1980s that brought us Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Rik Mayall and many other comedians who are now household names.

    In Absolutely Fabulous she, together with Harriet Thorpe, is part of the recurring double act Fleur and Catriona (Lederer) whom always work at Patsy’s magazine in unspecified positions.

    Here Helen discusses being part of the Comic Strip and working on Absolutely Fabulous.

    How did you become part of the Ab Fab/Comic Strip team?

    “I was a stand-up comedian on the circuit at the time and was cast in a few early comedy TV stand-up shows Including Naked Video for BBC2 -they saw me and I was deemed to be of a similar genre. I got cast in many of the shows Dawn and Jennifer wrote as well as Bottom and The young Ones by Ben Elton and Rik Mayall.

    A lot of Lederer’s early work was in series with Rik Mayall, she starred in all his best-known series: The Young Ones, Filthy Rich and Catflap as well as Bottom and the New Statesman. What was it like to work with him?

    “Utter heaven I loved that man-warm generous and sooo funny.”

    She also starred in “The Dangerous Brothers” a series of sketches Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson recorded for Saturday Live, the famous stand-up show where Lederer was a regular and where Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders also performed. The show was hosted by Ben Elton who would later write the series Happy Families that starred Jennifer Saunders in multiple roles as a grandma and her four granddaughters. The series also starred Adrian Edmondson (whom she married soon after recording the show) and Dawn French and Helen as her cook and maid.

    This series includes one of Helen’s favourite scenes: “When I was playing the maid Flossy to Dawn French’s cook and she bonked me over the head with a saucepan in Happy Families.”

    Before these two series, Helen with French and Saunders all worked on a TV show called The Entertainers also starring Chris Barrie (who also starred in Happy Families, Saturday Live and various Mayall productions and would soon find fame as Red Dwarf‘s Arnold Rimmer.) This series seems to have strangely disappeared from comedy history, with not even a clip out on YouTube.

    Even Helen herself seems to have forgotten it:

    “Oee I can’t remember that one! I’d love any of the stuff I did to come back petition them please!”

    What is known is that after two episodes the series suddenly had to be put out rather late because the naughty Jennifer Saunders used the word “clitoris” in one scene, which apparently killed off the programme immediately, as that word proved too shocking. A few years later Mr Chris Barrie said the same word on Red Dwarf with no problem. Times and standards changed quickly back then.

    Following all these projects, the famous Comic Strip films (over 40 productions and counting) and the hilarious Girls on Top (also starring Ruby Wax, Tracey Ullman, Harriet Thorpe and Helen Lederer) French and Saunders moved on to become … French and Saunders and it was this show that would eventually give birth to Absolutely Fabulous. For the show, Dawn and Jennifer had written a short sketch about a hip and trendy mother and her conservative daughter that planted a seed in the mind of Saunders which would blossom into Ab Fab when the time was right.

    The time was right when Dawn was unable to work on a new series of French and Saunders because family issues (the adoption of her lovely daughter) and Jennifer had to ‘cover’ for her. The first Ab Fab was rushed written project to help a friend with amazing results. In stepped Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks and a hit was born.

    Did Helen feel the series would be a hit when she first joined the cast for “Magazine” in series one?
    “I didn’t know what to expect and only in rehearsals did I begin to see the fun Jennifer was having building the characters and the preposterous scenarios that seemed to keep coming at us all.”

    Rushed writing seems to be the key to Absolutely Fabulous as Jennifer says she always hands in the scripts at the very last moment. “Once she said she was thinking of my lines on the bus.. but it always arrives in the end. “ Helen confirms.

    This could be a good thing as it keeps things fresh and exciting for the actors. The good atmos and friendship between the actors might be another key. No backstabbing and on set bitching here.

    Being on the show is; “Very good fun, people laugh a lot and suggest things and then we do it Jennifer’s way.”

    The driving force, the power behind it all is, of course, the multi-talented Jennifer Saunders, a beacon of hope for many a young comedienne thinking that comedy was “just for men”. Her show proved without a doubt that women were equally capable of being funny as actors as well as writers. Not only that: Absolutely Fabulous was the first sitcom to gain worldwide acclaim since Fawlty Towers (also co-written by a woman; Connie Booth, something that is often forgotten!)

    Ab Fab was a bit of a revolution for women and inspired a generation of talented female writers (including Lena Dunham, Rebel Wilson and Tina Fey) to work in comedy.

    Still, nothing beats the original, as it has something important that many female driven shows never manage to accomplish: true strong women. To me, one of the best things about the show is that all the women in the series are fiercely independent and not after love or a relationship or going soppy over someone pretty. Patsy and Edina really want to be their own person and Edina wants Saffy to be like that too: despite their differences, Edina has often saved her daughter from ending up a downtrodden housewife.

    It seems Ab Fab is the only female TV show out there that shows truly independent women who never back down. Their only loyalty is to each other. Is this on purpose and part of the worldwide appeal?

    “I think it is certainly one of the appealing aspects as you say,” says Helen, “and perhaps it was written at a time when women were becoming more present in the male-dominated world of comedy.”

    Talking about funny women, Helen and Harriet Thorpe are both very funny and talented women in their own right and seem to have formed a great double act outside of the series. Were they friends before the series started?

    “I think we met on Girls On Top? But it was all around that time, she might remember better than me!”

    A few weeks ago they performed as their Ab Fab characters for Comic Relief (supported by Jennifer) and last year there was a very funny sketch for the London Drag Race event.

    Can we ever expect a series or sketch show?

    “Ha ha well ask the men in suits! they seem to control all commissioning, don’t they…a media castle with a large moat around it.”

    Acting and being funny isn’t the only string to Helen’s bow, though, like Jennifer she is clever and multi-talented. She has a BA in applied social science and is a popular and very witty writer with several highly acclaimed books to her name including Finger Food and Coping, with Helen Lederer. Her latest book Losing It is her most popular one. Her writing is warm and descriptive and you can almost see the characters acting the story out in front of you.

    Would she ever be interested in seeing her book turned into a movie?

    “I’d love to and working on it …tricky times to get commissioned and investment I love Losing it to be a film!”

    Returning to Absolutely Fabulous. After so many years as the characters, some of the character traits of Patsy and Edina might have rubbed off on the actors, probably.

    So how much of Jennifer and Joanna can you see in Patsy and Edina?

    “Tricky to say – They are both VERY good actresses so may not a lot.”

    What was Helen’s favourite episode to work on?

    “I loved being in the hospital scene with Joanna Lumley when she had had more surgery in Ab Fab”

    Why does she think Absolutely Fabulous is still so popular after all this time?

    “Because the characters are over the top, fun outrageous and people like to see the bad side of PR!”

    So Absolutely Fabulous is 25 and still going strong! Last year’s Ab Fab movie was a box office hit and the massive enthusiasm for the little bit part Jennifer recorded as Edina for Comic Relief this year shows the demand for more fabulous antics is still high.

    Even though Jennifer herself recently expressed some doubts about a future for the two divas, she seems to be changing her mind constantly saying that whenever she thinks she is really finished with the show she keeps having new ideas and might end up recording Patsy and Edina YouTube videos with Joanna. And why not? No matter where they are these two ladies will always be fun and fabulous!!

    What does Helen Lederer think, will there be more?

    “Ab Fab? Who knows!! Never say never -if there are I hope they put me in it!”

  • INTERVIEW | Porn star Izan Loren, “Every day you learn something new”

    INTERVIEW | Porn star Izan Loren, “Every day you learn something new”

    We caught up with porn star Izan Loren to find out what life is like for a porn star in today’s industry.

    Izan Loren
    CREDIT: Izan Loren/Twitter

    MP: So how did you get into porn?
    IZ: At 12-years-old, porn was my dream. The first time I worked was in a scene, alone, for Blakemason. He was not afraid, but I was nervous. The result was wonderful and I left wanting to work more.

    MP: Have you told your family?
    IZ: My sister and some of my best friends knew before I started to act as a porn actor and have always supported me. After starting and shooting scenes, most of my friends have heard.There have been people who criticise and others who give me encouragement and support to continue. My parents were a bit trickier. I had to explain more deeply the concept of porn. They have come to accept it and now support me.

    MP: Is it hard to find romantic partners as sex is such an intimate part of the human experience, how do you balance the act versus the deeper connection?
    IZ: It’s hard to find a guy who understands my work, and not engaged in the world of porn. A guy who works at a hotel, a bank, or in a supermarket, will possibly find it harder to understand my work. We must differentiate sex from love. Whoever wants to be with me, will have to respect my work because it is part of me. When I record a scene, I’m acting.

    MP: Have you ever dated another porn star?
    IZ: Now being tucked in the porn world, it is normal to meet more actors and is more likely to have a boyfriend who is an actor. And no, I have no boyfriend now.

    MP: Are there things you’ve learnt doing porn that you’ve included in your personal life?
    IZ: There are things that I have done for the first time shooting a scene, and others and put into practice in my personal life. Every day you learn something new, a new fetish…

    MP: How do bottoms prepare themselves before a film?
    IZ: I’m more active. I take care of normal care, work always gives us enemas to cleanse us inside and little more. I do not do things out of the ordinary.

    MP: Do you receive bizarre messages from fans? What is the weirdest message/request you’ve received from a fan?
    IZ: I think the weirdest message I received was from a boy from Spain, who paid me for only sucking his feet. Others have sex with others while watching.

    MP: Do you sleep with your fans?
    IZ: I have not slept with fans, or guys I’ve met that night. Many porn stars use their status to become “escorts” or have wish lists on Amazon. Right now I’m just porn actor. The escort being not part of my future plans.

    MP: What would you say to people who want to get into porn?
    IZ: I’d tell you if it’s your dream to fight for it. It is very easy to get into porn, and there are many ways to do it. If the person is worth it, you will be caught quickly.

    MP: What’s the best/worst thing about doing porn?
    IZ: Rolling with someone who smells bad (laughs).

    MP: What do you think is the future of porn?
    IZ: If I knew what would be the future of porn, I’d produce. Really porn has not seen many changes.

    MP: What’s the average day of a porn star?
    IZ: Go to the gym, hanging out with friends, shopping (I love buying clothes!), Partying, going to Spain to see my family and my friends.

    MP: After all the sex and fame and thrill… what’s next?
    IZ: I like living in the moment. Porn does not last a lifetime, so also saving for tomorrow to mount a business.

    MP: Who has been your favourite scene partner and why? Is there anything that you
    won’t do in porn?
    IZ: There are two co-favourite scene because I really enjoyed them, they are great. Called Ashton Brad and Scott Williams for Boynapped. I would never fist. It’s something that I respect, but I do not like.

    MP: What’s the average salary per scene/per film?
    IZ: It depends on several factors. How big is the producer? And it depends on whether you have exclusivity with a producer. Each contract is different.

  • INTERVIEW | Sebastian Evans, ” I’m often Googling new positions”

    INTERVIEW | Sebastian Evans, ” I’m often Googling new positions”

    Matt Peake catches up with UK porn star, Sebastian Evans to chat about life as a gay porn star.

    Sebastian Evans
    CREDIT: Sebastian Evans/ Twitter

    MP: So how did you get into porn?
    SE: I got into porn by going to applytomodel.com cos I needed some money. I didn’t do any auditions I was booked on my photos alone.
    My first job was a solo for Hard Brit Lads. I was f**king sh**ting myself but I did it and had a great time and have since worked for them again.

    MP: Is it hard to find romantic partners as sex is such an intimate part of the human experience, how do you balance the act versus the deeper connection? What are your thoughts about sex and relationships?
    SE: I’m not really a relationship person at the moment. So I have never had to think about doing porn while in a relationship. I can envision myself being in a relationship one day but at the moment I’m far too busy enjoying myself, my body and casual sex! (laughs).

    MP: Are there things you’ve learnt doing porn that you’ve included in your personal life? Do partners expect you to be ‘experts’ of sex?
    SE: I guess I’ve picked up some positions doing porn but I also actively look for new things to try during sex myself. I’m often Googling new positions I can try in my private life. I wouldn’t say there’s an expectation for me to be amazing but I have had guys say to me that they’re nervous to f**k me cos they might not match up, which is crazy!

    MP: Do you ever bottom?
    SE: I always bottom and I ONLY bottom. I’m not interested in topping whatsoever. I douche obviously. And no, we do not get paid more.

    MP: Do you sleep with your fans?
    SE: I probably would sleep with a fan if they paid me as I do escort too.

    MP: Do you worry about STIs? Do you think bareback porn is contributing to rising rates of HIV in young gay men?
    SE: I get tested regularly so I don’t worry about STIs no. I don’t think BB porn contributes to rises in HIV infection as everyone has their own mind and are able to make choices themselves.

    MP: What would you say to people who want to get into porn?
    SE: If someone wants to get into porn and they have the right look for the type of porn they want to do then I’d say go for it.

    MP: What’s the best/worst thing about doing porn?
    SE: The best thing about porn for me was the confidence boost. I don’t think I’ve encountered anything negative yet.

    MP: What do you think is the future of porn?
    SE: The future of porn is probably BB (bareback). As the threat of HIV diminishes and it no longer threatens life as it once did, BB will become even more popular and mainstream.

    MP: What’s the average day of a porn star?
    SE: The average day of a porn star is the same as most people’s lives I imagine. My life hasn’t changed at all.

    MP: After all the sex and fame and thrill… what’s next?
    SE: I don’t really think of porn as a career. So I don’t think about the future. It’s just a bit of fun and a way to make money. If it all stopped tomorrow I seriously wouldn’t give a s**t. I’m a hairdresser and that is my career.

    MP: Who has been your favourite scene partner and why?
    SE: My favourite scene partner was Sam Porter. We had amazing chemistry and I’ve been lucky enough to work with him twice. I get hard with him just being in the same room as me. Haha. My favourite scene I’ve been in was the one me and him did for Hard Brit Lads. Because it was with Sam and because my body looks sick in that one! (laughs)

    MP: What’s the average salary per scene/per film?
    SE: Average salary per scene I’d say is £200.

    MP: How would you describe your sexuality?
    SE: I’d describe my sexuality as gay. I would also describe myself as a late bloomer. My teens and twenties were virtually sexless. Since entering my thirties and moving to Manchester I’m only now exploring my sexuality to the fullest and I’m f**king loving it, and so is my ass!

  • INTERVIEW | Porn star Michael Lachlan: “Be sensible. Look after yourself. Be your own person”

    INTERVIEW | Porn star Michael Lachlan: “Be sensible. Look after yourself. Be your own person”

    Matt Peake speaks to porn star Michael Lachlan about life as a porn star…

    Michael Lachlan
    CREDIT: Twitter/Michael Lachlan

    MP: Have you told your family?
    ML: I haven’t told my family, I have told my close friends and when asked by other friends I say yes to their question. I haven’t had any negative feedback from my friends. They know me as their friend: fun, easy going carefree person who gets along with anyone so no, no judgement. Most people are more intrigued and full of questions more than anything.

    MP: Is it hard to find romantic partners as sex is such an intimate part of the human experience, how do you balance the act versus the deeper connection?
    ML: When I started I was in a relationship and had been for two years at that point. Since then we have broken up for unrelated reasons, I know he still watches it and finds it hot. We still had great intimate sex with each other. Doing porn doesn’t affect that side of things like you mentioned porn is an act, sexual intimacy you experience with a partner or someone you may be ‘hooking up’ with is not an act it’s a feeling based on emotions between the two people. My thoughts on sex and relationships are you need to work
    harder at it as the year’s progress with your partner. If you love him/ her then you work together and progress together and try new things and should always be open to your partner’s thoughts and suggestions without judgement on it. Not saying you need to follow through with the requests or fantasies but you should definitely hear them out and work on it together. Relationships take work and open communication is the key to staying together long term.

    MP: Are there things you’ve learnt doing porn that you’ve included in your personal life? Do partners expect you to be ‘experts’ of sex?
    ML: Yes – Don’t judge a book by its cover. Everyone I have worked with including the production team are such great friendly people. The porn industry is much more friendly than the modelling industry. Don’t judge a person on someone else’s opinion of that person. So it really taught me to not judge a person on what they do but more on how they act and how they treat you. Yes, people do expect you to be good and to know more tricks in the bedroom.

    MP: Do bottoms really get paid more than tops?
    ML: No bottoms do not get paid more than tops. I don’t see why they would. The top has to put in a lot of effort and a lot of cardio into a sex scene it is actually very tiring.

    MP: Do you bottom?
    ML: I bottom yes, I top too. Most of my scenes are versatile scenes where I do both. I use to shave, but for the last two years, I’ve been getting my crack waxed every 4-6 weeks. I watch what I eat. Mexican is the worst bottom food #justsayin. So yeah stick away from that stuff if you can. Eat clean healthy food, plenty of protein and you’ll find it’s much easier for you as a bottom to ‘prepare’ shall we say.

    MP: Do you sleep with your fans? Would you sleep with a fan if they paid you?
    ML: Depends on what you class as a fan. Guys that have seen my work and enjoyed I wouldn’t class as a fan so yes to these guys. But
    guys that follow me on Twitter and are interested in what I’m doing next, where am I going to next, what parties will I attend and that sort of thing. No.

    MP: Do you think porn fuels a form of prostitution within the industry?
    ML: Most definitely not. It’s acting. If Hollywood actors do a sex scene does that mean they are lowering themselves to prostitution within the industry? Just because there is penetration in porn compared to movies doesn’t put it in a category of prostitution. It’s still acting, and if it looks like it should be in that category then aren’t the actors doing a great job in making you believe that this is amazing sex happening in front of your eyes. Queue orgasm face.

    MP: Do you worry about STIs? Do you think bareback porn is contributing to rising rates of HIV in young gay men?
    ML: STI’s in filming? No, because the models I work with have to present current test results and they won’t film if they can’t present them. Bareback porn helping contribute to the rise in HIV? The Very debatable topic this could go on for hours. My personal view is no and I’m judging that based on my own personality. I am not easily influenced, I’m not a monkey see monkey do type of person. Come legal age to have sex I believe people are old enough to make their own decisions and choices in life and their sex life. Sexual education is more to blame from schools.
    Teenage pregnancy rates have declined because teenagers are taught at school about safe sex and the effects on a young person’s life should they fall pregnant. I was never taught anything about HIV, I had to research it myself which is terrible because people that don’t research it don’t know enough about it which can go two of which ways. One being they are naive to it and don’t realise quite how it is caught and how it can affect you. Second is not knowing enough about it making them so scared of it and the people that are HIV positive. Education or lack there in a growing population of homosexuality is the contribution to the rising numbers.

    MP: Do you use any pills to enhance your career?
    ML: Yes, of course, we take pills to help us get hard and stay hard during filming. Some scenes can take 3 hours some can take 5 hours. We have to do all the still images and promotional images that day also for DVD covers etc. So yeah we need something to sustain an erection while taking photos and no sexual stimulation is happening. We aren’t magicians. Though some guys can fit a lot up their ‘sleeve’.

    MP: How do fans react to you in the street? Do you find that a lot of people chat you up?
    ML: In the street. Normally a double take and a whisper to their mate. People will chat to me if I’m alone in a shop or something. At a club quite often I get guys subtly come up to me and say in my ear “I’ve seen your porn, it was hot”. As I said earlier guys reactions to it is they love it and wish they had the balls to do it themselves. Those are the words they use themselves.

    MP: Why do you think porn is so popular?
    ML: Everyone likes sex right. I couldn’t get off to a gardening show I don’t know about you.. 😉

    MP: What would you say to people who want to get into porn?
    ML: Be sensible. Look after yourself. Be your own person. Voice your opinion. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Don’t do it if you don’t want people to find out because they will.

    MP: What’s the best/worst thing about doing porn?
    ML: Travelling the world for free (in a way) is the best part for me. The worst part is always having to maintain a good body.

    MP: What do you think is the future of porn?
    ML: Hmm the future of porn is a hard one (no pun intended). There’s more free stuff out there these days so it is slowly losing the financial wealth it once had.

    MP: After all the sex and fame and thrill… what’s next?
    ML: My porn career is just kicking off and growing fast. I’ve recently returned to it after being made redundant from my job in real estate after a year. So I’ve returned to make a few films to get some money in and it’s been a better experience emotionally and financially than I expected so I’m riding the wave and hope to return back to real estate at some point later. Age I don’t think is an issue. The silver fox is in right now. A sexy muscular 40 something is very hot normally teamed up with a guy 25 – 35 years of age.

    MP: Who has been your favourite scene partner and why?
    ML: The last three scenes I filmed with Lucas Entertainment were SO hot and I loved working with all three guys. Dylan Janes. Logan Rogue and his husband Tomas Brand. These films are out now.

  • INTERVIEW | Porn star Josh Milk: “one day the cum shots will splash through 3D”

    INTERVIEW | Porn star Josh Milk: “one day the cum shots will splash through 3D”

    We sent writer Matt Peake to speak with porn star Josh Milk on what it’s like to be in gay porn and what the future of gay porn will be like.

    Josh Milk
    CREDIT: Josh Milk / Twitter

    MP: Can you explain the experience of your first job?
    JM: I got into the porn by chance. I was lucky. A well-known friend of mine who just started in the business had a shoot in a porn film but his partner failed, and then asked me to join him and I did accept immediately. My first experience was absolutely great to me since I did it with a very close friend of mine.

    MP: Is it hard to find romantic partners as sex is such an intimate part of the human experience, how do you balance the act versus the deeper connection? What are your thoughts about sex and relationships?
    JM: From my point of view it is not difficult to find a romantic partner or boyfriend no matter of the profession I dedicate myself. To me, it is more important the feelings and respect of your partner to go through the relationship. Business is business, and out of it is personal decision. When I am doing porn I am working and do not have affection, feeling or love. With my partner sex is completely different, I do express my feelings and totally different.

    MP: Have you ever dated another porn star?
    JM: Absolutely not. I never date with other porn stars.

    MP: Are there things you’ve learnt doing porn that you’ve included in your personal life? Do partners expect you to be ‘experts’ of sex?
    JM: Before the porn business, my sexual life was completely satisfactory and then I have not discovered anything that I already knew before. Most people think that as a porn actor you have to be a sex machine, and I find it crazy. You can be a porn actor and have no idea how to f**k privately and the contrary too.

    MP: Do you receive bizarre messages from fans? What is the weirdest message/ request you’ve received from a fan?
    JM: Yes, I receive a lot of messages, from those that are in love with me or from those that want me as a boyfriend. The rest of the proposition they can pay me!

    MP: Do you sleep with your fans? Would you sleep with a fan if they paid you?
    JM: Of course I do sleep with my fans if I get paid. I do not offer my porn side when I am escorting, although some do not find the difference.

    MP: Do you worry about STIs? Do you think bareback porn is contributing to rising rates of HIV in young gay men?
    JM: I am very worried about STIs as everybody is. Nobody fancies having diseases. With respect to bareback, the answer is yes and no. Each time I shoot bareback porn all partners have to show analytical tests to make sure we all are negative. But of course, there is always a risk.

    MP: What’s the best/ worst thing about doing porn?
    JM: The best is that you get to know many new people, and the worst is that sometimes the shooting lasts too many hours.

    MP: What do you think is the future of porn?
    JM: The future… let me think… Oh yes, the cum shots will splash through 3D (laughs).

    MP: What’s the average day of a porn star?
    JM: When I am shooting I spend time with partners, directors, camera men, etc. When the shoot is finished I am again Jose and do not behave as Josh. My average day is to do cleaning house, shopping at supermarkets, preparing food, going to gym, visiting friends, etc.

    MP: What other plans have you got in place for the future? JM: The best thing about porn, if you do not get bored too soon, is that you can change your role from twink, daddy to BDSM.
    In the near future, my plans are to go on in this business. But who knows what life throws at you.

    MP: How would you describe your sexuality?
    JM: Open minded.

    MP: What are your opinions on porn?
    JM: Porn should be back to the 80s for creating a new star system. Nowadays you can’t earn enough money for living.

  • INTERVIEW | Jonny McGovern: “Kiss my motherfu**ing ass, fu** yourselves Dolce & Gabbana”

    INTERVIEW | Jonny McGovern: “Kiss my motherfu**ing ass, fu** yourselves Dolce & Gabbana”

    Taken from Issue 12 of THEGAYUK (June 2015)

    New York native, McGovern is part of LGBT technology history. As each new advancement made it possible for gay voices to be heard he’s been at the forefront of it. From taking advantage of a newly introduced iTunes to Podcasting to Vlogging. We sent MARK GOGGIN to find out what the original gay pimp is doing now.

    Jonny McGovern
    Credit: YouTube/HeyQueen / Supplied

    I caught up with the Gay Pimp Jonny McGovern and he spilt the T about his show Hey Qween, his musical past and what Dolce & Gabbana can kiss…

    MG: First off, congratulations on the success of Hey Qween! Where did the idea originate?
    JMG: The idea for Hey Qween started after I finished shooting Whoa, Dude! which was the first show I did with The Stream studios (co-producers of Hey Qween) that celebrated the best intentionally and unintentionally homoerotic content from around the Internet, kind of like The Soup. They asked me what I wanted to do next, and I had an idea for a talk show. The only thing that I really knew about it was that I wanted to call it Hey Qween, I would sit down with a guest and I would say “Hey Qween,” and they would say “Hey Qween,” back and we would have a conversation. That was it, almost like Charlie Rose a very basic interview show. But when it hit me like a lightening bolt to include Lady Red Couture in the mix, it all came together. I knew that if I had her there she would be like my drag Ed McMahon sidekick and we could kiki at the beginning of every show.

    MG: Your relationship with Lady Red Couture is hilarious. How did you meet?
    JMG: I first saw Lady Red perform at Hamburger Mary’s in West Hollywood where she was part of the Goddess revue hosted by Calpernia Addams and Lady Red stole the show. She did a big gospel number where she wore church robes and started testifying and would run to the back of the club and disappear and then run out of a totally different door. I was in drag love. I asked her to be part of my Dickmatized video where she played around the way banjee girl. Then I wrote the song Rich White Woman for her and I thought she was so fun and so charismatic that when I started Hey Qween I thought she would be the perfect match. Though we didn’t know each other that well when we started Hey Qween we are now best friends and spend all the time together and always have a ton of fun. It’s been like a dream working with her, she is a superstar.

    MG: Is she EVER going to sign up to Drag Race? She’d kill it!
    JMG: Yes! That is our dream. We did work on an incredible audition tape for her for Drag Race season 8 and it has been submitted, so may the best woman win! I know she would kill it.

    MG: Talking of Drag Race, some great contestants have graced your couch. Who was your favourite to interview? Or at least who were you most excited about meeting? 
    MG: RuPaul herself. I’ve been a fan since I was a teenager and though I got to interview him on the phone once for my podcast we had never really gotten a chance to sit down and talk in real life. The show was so fun, and he was so open and inspiring that it was truly a dream come true. As far as the other queens I’ve enjoyed all of them. Our most popular episode was Willam – he’s always a hoot and he bought his own pizza. We also really enjoyed Alaska who came in an amazing garbage bag couture dress. They’re all a lot of fun and come ready to kill. Trixie Mattel was also a highlight for our season premiere because she was so funny and honest.

    MG: Did anyone turn out to be a bit of a letdown?
    JMG: No. I think everyone has always been great. Some interviews are harder to edit than others, some people are more ready to spill the T, other people I need to warm up into being comfortable. That sometimes leads to a harder editing job to make the conversation seem as lively and spontaneous as it needs to be. But most of the Drag Race girls come prepared to have fun and we just have a kiki.

    MG: Hey Qween! Series 3 is currently underway. How’s it going?
    JMG: It premiered two weeks ago with Trixie Mattel and our latest episode is with Latrice Royale. Next week the legendary Coco Peru comes on, followed by Mathu Andersen, followed by more and more amazing guests! We’ve been working with The Stream who is an incredibly supportive studio and they have given us our own channel Hey Qween TV. Season 3 is bigger than ever and we are having a ton of fun.

    MG: You suggested upping the gay ante this series and were helped out by the fans to raise the budget. Did you get enough to support your new ideas?
    JMG: Yes we ended up raising almost $13,000 from the fans, which was incredible! We have been able to use it to not only make Hey Qween better but to expand the brand into a whole bunch of other shows that I know our audience is going to love.

    MG: Have you bagged any celebrities for season 3 that you’ve wanted to interview for ages? Who would your dream guest be?
    JMG: Mathu Andersen was definitely a dream guest since he’s been creating the RuPaul look the last 20 years. He’s such an incredible artist and mysterious elusive enigma that I was excited to chat with him. My dream guest is one of the surviving cast members from Paris Is Burning, Junior Labeija who was the MC in all of the ballroom scenes. We would love to have him on, he is one of the most iconic figures from that film and to get to talk to him about his experiences and his incredible charisma would make for a legendary Hey Qween how. Of course, I would also love to interview Kevin Aviance who is my number one favourite drag queen in the world. Martha Wash who is the voice behind Everybody Dance Now from C+C Music Factory, Black Box and tons of others. I’d also love to interview Miss J from America’s Next Top Model. The list goes on and on.

    MG: I definitely think you should consider bringing Hey Qween! to the UK, make it some sort of club tour! Will the season 3 budget stretch to that – possibly?
    JMG: We would love to come to the UK! I love London, I went as a teenager several times but I have not gotten to come back as a fully-grown homo. We actually would love to see Hey Qween come on real TV in the UK. I feel that the audience over there and the networks might be more open to putting our show on real TV because you have excellent taste and are less scared of drag and stuff like that than American networks. So hopefully someone in the UK, a producer, will read this and you can send us over. If RuPaul’s Drag Race UK happens maybe we could do a simultaneous Hey Qween season at the same time – that would be dreamy honey.

    MG: Outside of Hey Qween you’ve produced some great music and comedy under the persona The Gay Pimp. Are you dropping any new music soon?
    JMG: I had been doing The Gay Pimp stuff for ten years and as much as I love it, I wanted to be able to evolve and do stuff where I wasn’t trying to be the same person I was ten years ago. I am able to reflect who I am and what I do now. So I’ve taken a little break from that but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped making videos! I have the final video single from my Gayest Of All Time album coming out in the next couple of months. It’s full of sexy guys with Lady Red and some lady back up singers. It’s really fun so that should be coming pretty soon.

    MG: Who inspires you as a musician?
    JMG: When I was a kid I thought I wanted to be a RnB singer, but then I realised I was a 6’4” gay white man so that was probably going to be a difficult path! I kind of put it aside but when I started to do comedy, doing sort of comedy songs and using my musical skills like that, it really made sense. It is something that I have truly enjoyed and has let me play at being a pop star for many years. My biggest musical inspiration is my co-producer Adam Joseph who works with me on all of my records. He is a musical genius and anytime I have a seed of an idea he has such incredible musical knowledge that he is able to listen to my vision and create it seemingly instantaneously. He is incredible and if you’ve never heard him sing before he has many of his own albums, I call him the white soul hummingbird because he sounds exactly like your favourite black diva but he’s a little white man.

    MG: What’s your number one go-to album?
    JMG: I currently listen to lots of club music and trap music because I DJ at a party here called Saturday Night Slut in West Hollywood every week. When I’m just listening myself, old Aretha Franklin records from the late 60s and all through the 70s, Martha Wash’s solo album, DJ sets by Junior Vasquez from the 90s and Prince’s Sign ‘O’ The Times is probably one of my favourite all-time records.

    MG: We heard The Gay Pimp was started because of a homophobic Eminem rant, is there any truth in that?
    JMG: Yes… (the)Eminem (album) had come out and though it seemed at first like he was kind of like a modern guy and maybe wasn’t going to be homophobic, as the album rolled out we saw that he was kind of having a lot of homophobic stuff. He was throwing fag around and I felt that the media was giving him a pass on it. I figured the best way to protest would be to write a musical. When you’re an artist you got to protest with your art. So we wrote a hilarious little show called The Wrong Fag To F**k With The Gay Pimp vs Eminem, which was a parody musical where Gay Pimp was this pop star in an alternate universe who battled Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards. Needless to say, it ended up with Eminem getting f***** up the butt by Gay Pimp – and hilarity ensued. The show became so popular; people started asking me to perform at nightclubs around town. It was the era of Britney and NSync, so I would go with backup dancers and drag queen cheerleaders and we would go to these tiny bars and perform these Gay Pimp songs as if we were doing a stadium show in these tiny little dive bars.

    MG: With that in mind, do you think it is important as a gay male to stand up for LGBT issues? Do you get involved in LGBT debates – the Dolce & Gabbana debacle or Indiana’s recent outburst for example?
    JMG: Yes I think it is extremely important for all of us to be aware of what is going on as far as civil rights for LGBT people in our countries and around the world. We can’t be ignoring how our brothers and sisters in other countries are being treated and we can’t just be satisfied with sitting around and letting big corporations and the right wing make decisions that affect us. So it’s very important for us all to speak out. As far as the Dolce & Gabbana debacle that makes me think they are completely out of touch and in a self-hating bubble of their own. For them to have any comment about what makes a family real – you can kiss my motherfu**ing ass, fu** yourselves Dolce & Gabbana.

    MG: Thank you so much for your time. Where can we visit to get all of our Gay Pimp needs?
    JMG: Make sure you subscribe to Hey Qween TV on YouTube – the Look At Huh aftershow, Hot T, He’s Fit and Judge Lady Red. Plus you can visit my blog everyday gayestofalltime.com for sexy gent pictures, new podcasts, Hey Qween updates and more dirty gay fun. Plus make sure to support me by buying my music on iTunes. Daddy needs to pay rent.

    Twitter: @GayPimp

  • How gay is: Sister Sledge?

    How gay is: Sister Sledge?

    It has to be said, Sister Sledge’s repertoire looks like the go to playlist for any gay party, with hits like “We Are Family”, “He’s The Greatest Dancer” and “Thinking Of You”, the gals certainly know their audience. We catch up with Kim Sledge to talk gay icon status, what’s the best thing to get in bed and why James Brown’s cape is the stuff of legend.

    JH: Okay firstly… You are all looking slightly amazing? What’s the secret?
    KS: Oh it’s the formaldehyde (laughs). No it’s the love. It’s the love and our grandmother’s genes.

    JH: Good old grandmother’s love and genes.  “We Are Family” is a bit of a gay anthem, which ultimately makes you all gay icons… How does that feel?
    KS: Well I’ll tell you, that anyone and everyone who embraced that song makes us feel amazing and grateful. It is a song of love and it’s a song that embraces so we’re ecstatic about it.

    JH: Do you still love singing it after all these years?
    KS: Absolutely, it’s such a privilege. I love singing that song; you know what’s so amazing. We’ve met so many people who have said, “This song is what I held on to through the toughest moments in my life”. Then other people say, “that was my team song,” then somebody else might say, “ooo that was my family union song,” someone might say, “that’s our anthem!”

    You know, it’s just a song that touched everybody’s heart. I’m so honoured. It didn’t have to be us to have that song. But it was given to us.

    JH: It’s kind of a Drag Queen song because of The Birdcage… do you like it when Drag Queens tak off the song?
    KS: I love it when anyone plays or sings that song, because it is a song of love and a song of family.

    JH: Apart from houses and cars, what’s the most extravagant thing you’ve ever bought yourself?
    KS: I bought myself (laughs) a beautiful white faux fur coat that was a gift to myself, years ago… I mean this is a long time ago. I wouldn’t buy it now, but it was something I wanted to do. It was my gift to me on my birthday.

    JH: Do you still have it?
    KS: I do! (Laughs) I actually do as a matter of fact. Those types of things, you know, they don’t go away you just have to preserve them.

    JH: When you buy expensive things, even though you hate them, you just have to keep them, it’s too painful to chuck them out…
    KS: Right!

    JH: So what’s the best thing to get in bed?
    KS: Fluffy sheets. Warm, soft sheets.

    JH: If you could put one thing into Pop History’s hall of fame, which would it, be:
    a) Miley’s tongue?
    b) Madonna Cape?
    c) Lenny Kravitz’s leather trousers?
    KS: Are those my only choices? James Brown, God Father of Soul’s Cape. That cape is the cape that will last forever (laughs). If I could have that cape, I would have it on my wall okay, (laughs). It’s probably electric. It’s still moving. I love it.

    JH: Have you ever had a stage invasion?
    KS: Absolutely. We invite stage invasions! We’ve always invited them and the promoters would freak out, but I mean it’s a party. The party’s on the stage. You might pull one person up for something, like when we used to for Greatest Dancer we used to invite someone up. You’d look out and they’d be four or ve (coming up). You can’t say, “you have to sit down!” Before you know it there’s four hundred. So my only concern was that the stage could hold them. You know, you want a stage that’s sturdy.

    JH: Do you have a quote or saying that you live by?
    KS: I do, one in particular because it’s something we actually are doing now, and it’s called “Nothing’s Greater Than Love”. I believe it, I stand on that. It’s a true statement. It’s not just one of those catchy campaigns. No, it’s the absolute core of who we are. “Nothing’s Greater Than Love”.

    JH: So why is “Nothing’s Greater Than Love” so important now – more than ever?
    KS: Because I believe we were created to love one another and I believe God is love. He is love himself. That’s what everybody’s looking for. That’s what everyone’s entitled to. That’s what everybody needs. It’s what everybody requires. It’s like water.

    If you don’t give water to a plant it’s going to dry out. Love just revives, it renews, it restores and it builds. It encourages it gives. It gives sel essly. Love is a server, it doesn’t take. There’s nothing greater than that. People can thrive from love. They can have nothing else, but if they have love they can make it.

    JH: Apart from Sister Sledge, which is the ultimate girl band?
    KS: There’s so many. Oh my gosh. (Laughs). The first thing I did is I went into the archives. The first that popped in my head. You know Aretha Franklin?

    JH: That’s like asking a gay boy if he knows who Madonna is!
    KS: Right. So back in the day we used to listen to this when we were really little – The Franklin Sisters. OMG. Oh my gosh. The harmonies, their singing. It was like a waterfall. I mean the ripples and the runs… That came to mind first of all. The Clark Sisters were that way too.

    JH: Do you know what poppers are?
    KS: You mean like for music videos?
    (We explain)
    KS: Ah okay, I’m sorry! (Laughs) I was thinking like a New Year’s Eve thing…

    JH: Okay another gay question. What is your preference? Bears, Otters Twinks or Jocks?
    KS: Okay you got me on this. I’m not gay so I don’t know a thing!

    (We explain tribes…)

    KS: Okay… I’ll have to go with what my husband is and you didn’t have him on the list. I would have to say, kind of puffy. (Laughs).

    JH: What do you think Madonna should do next?
    KS: Well, She’s always been quite a visionary. She’s always been someone who walks to the beat of her own drum. So if that’s what works for Madonna she should stay in her own lane and do it.

    JH: Do you think she’s on the formaldehyde too?
    KS: (Laughs) You’d better not repeat that! (Laughs) Love and laughter makes the wrinkles go away…

    JH: So what you up to now?
    KS: We’re being creative, this is the time, this is the season. We’ve got a Christmas CD now too, There’s a song that we’re giving out to anyone who wants it, they can go to our website and have it and download it for free as a Christmas gift.

    JH: What’s it called?
    KS: It’s called ‘Mary Did You Know’. It’s one of my favourite Christmas songs, oooo I love that song.

    JH: Do you have any regrets?
    KS: No I don’t I really don’t have any regrets, If I have any, I would say this: I believe you should seize opportunities.
    I went to a funeral of a friend years ago, he was a brilliant conductor and people were standing up to say something. There was a song that they were playing and I really wanted to just sing it. Stand up and just sing it. We used to go through musical gymnastics with him. He was so brilliant and talented. The stuff he taught us about harmonies and intricacies was so amazing. I wanted to stand up and sing and I didn’t. I can never get that day back. So seize opportunity and seize moments. And also, the other thing that I have learned is that I would do is try to think through what saying something will mean. It’s like, If I make this choice in my words or something I might do, what will it mean? Will I get a result of A B C or D. Look at the results and look at what result I want from it and choose that course as the best one. I’ve opened my mouth in situations and it’s been whoops! (laughs). Think a little bit about what the result could be and then bring about that result. Rather than just jump out and say anything as a response to something

    Follow Sister Sledge on Twitter