THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Olympic star Gus Kenworthy considered suicide before he came out

    Speaking out about the pressure he felt before coming out as gay in 2015, Olympian Gus Kenworthy spoke about the dark times he faced in an interview on YouTube with fellow out champion Megan Rapinoe.

    He opened up about his experience of being in the closet before he came out.

    “It’s exhausting being in the closet. There was so much time and energy put into harbouring that secret that I think it really took a toll on my mental health and I struggled with depression and at moments in my life, thoughts of suicide.

    “I think for a lot of my career and my coming up in the sport, my mental health was kind of put on the back burner, and I feel like I was really compartmentalizing. I was not out of the closet. When I did take that stand and come out it was the best thing I could have ever done for my mental health.

    Coming out had an unexpected up side for the star

    He continued, “I thought it was gonna be, like, a thing that maybe it was a hindrance for my sport, and it was the exact opposite. My following year after coming out was my best season to date. I felt so liberated, I had a huge weight off my shoulders…I think that mental health is so important and I’m so glad that it’s something that is getting talked about more and more frequently now because it’s so important for everybody.

    “It’s especially important for LGBTQ kids who are at a much higher risk of self-harm, just because they do struggle to come to terms with themselves, ourselves, and the rate of suicide is so much higher.”

  • Facebook says sorry after removing pictures from charity calendar

    Facebook says sorry after removing pictures from charity calendar

    Facebook, which owns the Instagram platform has apologised after numerous images, which complied with its nudity policies were removed from The Naked Rugby Player’s profile.

    Yesterday we reported that The Naked Rugby Players, which aims to raise awareness of male cancers and body positivity through its partnerships with LGBT+ Rugby Clubs and Balls To Cancer, had been threatened by Instagram to have its profile deleted after two pictures were uploaded to its account.

    The two pictures in question featured no actual nudity and were cropped inline with Instagram’s no genital policy.

    “We’re sorry for this mistake.”

    (C) FACEBOOK

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com, a spokesperson for Facebook said, “Every day we’re inspired by the millions of people using our platforms to connect with, and raise money for, meaningful causes. This content was removed in error and has now been restored. We’re sorry for this mistake.”

    The Naked Rugby Players have released a calendar every year since 2018 with the aim of raising money for Balls To Cancer and LGBT+ Inclusive Rugby Clubs.

    The players have managed to put together a calendar for 2021 despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. This year’s calendar is called “Unseen Bits” and features 12 never-seen-before pictures from previous photoshoots.

  • Instagram removes pictures and threatens to delete charity calendar account

    Instagram removes pictures and threatens to delete charity calendar account

    An account by The Naked Rugby Players, which aims to raise awareness of male cancers and body positivity, on the Facebook-owned Instagram platform has been threatened with removal after it uploaded two pictures from its 2020 calendar featuring the LGBT+ Rugby club, Chester Centurions.

    The two pictures in question featured no actual nudity and were cropped inline with Instagram’s no genital policy.

    This isn’t the first time that Instagram has pulled, censored, deleted or threatened to delete an account over pictures of nearly naked men or men that are naked but have their genitals covered.

    Screenshots shared by The Naked Rugby Players seen by THEGAYUK show that the account holders weren’t even permitted to lodge an appeal with Instagram and told that because there are fewer reviewers due to the coronavirus outbreak, one of the largest companies in the world, Facebook, wouldn’t be able to review the post.

    The two images in question complied with Instagram’s “Nudity or sexual activity guideline” and did not show genitals, or “close-up of fully-nude buttocks”.

    In fact take a look at them here.

    Fans were quick to defend the calendar and accused Instagram of being “prudish” and “ridiculous” and that their deletion of images of men happened all too often.

    We have reported that Instagram has blocked numerous gay male accounts for images that it says breaks its policies, such as porn star Brent Everett, meat Magazine, Celebrity Master Chef winner Riyadh Khalaf however, it seemingly has set a double standard, by allowing singer Lizzo and Kim Kardashian to keep, to name a couple, fully nude pictures published on the platform.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGj9jJcFEEc/

    After THEGAYUK.com reached out to Instagram for comment on the picture removals, the two posts in question were restored as well as a number of other pictures which had been deleted by the social network in the past.

    Facebook told THEGAYUK that it’s ‘investigating’ the issue.

    The Naked Rugby Players 2021 Unseen Bits calendar is now available to order.

  • Chris Bryant calls Dan Wootton a “nutcase” and “dangerous” in a fiery exchange

    Chris Bryant calls Dan Wootton a “nutcase” and “dangerous” in a fiery exchange

    During Dan Wootton‘s drive time live Talk Radio show, Labour MP, Chris Bryant called Wootton a “nutcase” and “dangerous” after Wootton said he believed in herd immunity as a way to control COVID-19.

    The fiery exchange happened during Wootton’s evening show when Bryant was invited on to speak about the Welsh government’s decision to put Wales into a total lockdown for two weeks, but it soon descended into name-calling from the Labour MP for Rhondda, who branded the journalist a “nutcase”, and labelled his way of presenting radio as “tedious”. He also said that Wootton was dangerous and questioned his intelligence.

    “Well you don’t seem very bright”

    When Wootton asked what the Welsh government was hoping to achieve by a nationwide lockdown, Bryant retorted, “Well you don’t seem very bright” before outlining that hospitals in Wales were “rammed full”, when pushed Bryant admitted that his local ICU (Intensive Care Unit) was 75 per cent full, which according to Bryant, is double what it was in 2019.

    He stated that the aim of the lockdown was to ensure that “the NHS isn’t overwhelmed”.

    Herd Immunity

    [totalpoll id=”124376″]

    However the real fireworks happened when Wootton asked about the idea of Herd Immunity, saying “You do understand that science has forever used herd immunity to deal with these corona viruses”

    To which Bryant responded, “So you subscribe to herd immunity do you?”

    Wootton answered, “yeah and protecting the vulnerable…”

    Bryant then asked how you’d protect the vulnerable before stating, “you’re a nutcase, you’re a complete and utter nutcase and you’re dangerous as well”.

    Wootton then banished Bryant from his show.

    Watch the drama unfold here:

  • John Leech shortlisted for ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award for “pushing the envelope as far as possible for the LGBTQ+ community”

    The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce, alongside the LGIU, that John Leech has been shortlisted for their Lifetime Achievement in public service for his dedication to the LGBT+ community.

    John Leech, who has dedicated nearly three decades of his life to public service, has been shortlisted for the Lifetime Achievement award from more than 200 nominations.

    Whilst working at McDonald’s as a student, John Leech began getting involved in local campaigns and social good projects. In 1998, he was elected to Manchester City Council and has continuously served its people since, securing historic victories for equal rights.

    He spent 10 years as Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington from 2005–2015 and immediately returned to Manchester City Council in 2016.

    His work has reached every corner of the UK, and beyond and is certainly no stranger to the LGBT+ community.

    He is probably best known as the “architect” of Alan Turing’s Pardon and ‘Turing’s Law’ which used Turing’s pardon as a precedent to grant a posthumous pardon to more than 75,000 people historically criminally convicted of ‘Gross Indecency’ for being gay.

    But his expansive record of standing up for LGBT+ people goes much further, and has solidified him a powerful leader in the community and a strong voice for those so often suppressed.

    He led the campaign and designed the bill to criminalise homophobic chanting at football matches, played a key role in the construction of historic bill to introduce same-sex marriage, launched a localised campaign to tackle the rise of homophobic and transphobic bullying in high schools and unequivocally backed the end of the gay blood ban.

    During the COVID-19 crisis, he continued his fight for a more just society, most recently pressuring the Big Five Tech Giants to step in and save Bletchley Park, where much of Turing’s work was carried out.

    Embed from Getty Images


    “John just can’t let inequality go unchallenged”

    Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said, “For nearly three decades, John Leech has been an incredible, relentless and fierce public servant, and I am so proud that his tireless work has been recognised.

    “John has never been one to shout about his achievements, and I’m sure there’s a part of him that will hate this attention, but he has been a transformational voice for the LGBT+ community in both Parliament and Council, and that deserves recognition.

    “John just can’t let inequality go unchallenged and his commitment to pushing the envelope as far as possible is inspirational. Thanks to him, more than 75,000 men and women including WWII hero Alan Turing who, as recently as 2013, still held criminal convictions for being gay had their records wiped clean and received a formal apology. 

    “Congratulations to you, John, on celebrating an unparalleled lifetime in public service. Your extraordinary dedication to fighting for a fairer society is exactly what the Liberal Democrats stand for, and I know that your fierce passion isn’t going anywhere any time soon.”

    Councillor Richard Kilpatrick, John Leech’s colleague on Manchester Council, said, “I’m not in the least bit surprised to see John recognised so highly. I have worked with him for six years now, and he’s never stopped fighting to make this country fairer––not once.

    “He is always the first one in the office and the last out. Every second of his day is spent fighting for other people, often to his own detriment. 

    “People’s lives are unequivocally better because of the work he does and the never-ending passion he brings, and I’m so proud to serve alongside him.

    “Congratulations, John!”

    Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has presented this country with a set of challenges that few could have predicted. However, councillors up and down the country have risen to these challenges and stepped up to plate for their communities.

    “From delivering food parcels to vulnerable residents and sourcing PPE for frontline workers to finding temporary accommodation for the homeless, local government has kept the country safe and moving. 

    “It is for this reason that we are particularly proud to unveil the shortlist for this year’s Cllr Awards. Their achievements showcase the best of local government at a time when the country faces one of the greatest hardships of our lifetime.

    “We would like to congratulate all of those councillors shortlisted and look forward to revealing the winners on the 26th of November.”

  • Jeremy Joseph perfectly sums up why the Tier system is causing a lot of confusion

    Jeremy Joseph perfectly sums up why the Tier system is causing a lot of confusion

    The owner of the G-A-Y brand, Jeremy Joseph, has perfectly laid out why the new “tier” system that Boris Johnson’s government has imposed to tackle the increasing number of positive coronavirus test results is so confusing. The new system leads to many questions about who exactly is responsible for policing it.

    As London is to follow a number of places around the UK into “Tier 2” this weekend, – the “High” tier, the hospitality sector once again finds itself at a loss for answers from the Government. There are three tiers, Medium, High and Very High. As it stands the only major city that is in the “Very High” tier” is Liverpool.

    Under the “High” tier rules, according to the Government website,

    • People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
    • People must not meet in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other space.
    • People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.

    Taking to social media, Jeremy Joseph explained why the new tier system was confusing.

    “I’m So Confused, just done an interview about London going into Tier 2 & don’t know any of the answers

    “The legislation refers to people not participating in gatherings which consists of two or more persons indoors, which would suggests two people from different households (one from each) can meet indoors. So can you meet in with one person in a different household?

    “Tier 2 is no indoor mixing between households (including in bars). So who is responsible that households are not mixing, is it the venue or the households. How does a venue manage this?

    “Does The Social Bubble Still exist? How does a venue know who is in each other Social Bubble?

    To cap off his statement, Jeremy reminded readers that he was still awaiting answers from the Government about why the 10 PM curfew had been introduced, when there was no scientific data, readily available to back up their policy.

    He added, “I would ask someone from Government, but they still haven’t answered the reasoning behind 10 pm Curfew.

  • Hate crimes against LGBT+ people in England and Wales have soared

    In a year where the UK had no physical prides, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, hate crime against LGBT+ has soared new statistics from the Home Office have shown. Homophobic crime was singled out as have the biggest growth in reported incidents.

    Crime against people motivated by their sexuality or percieved sexual orientation, has increased by 19 per cent according to the Home Office, more than any other demographic recorded by the hate crime statistics. This means that there were nearly 16,000 reported incidents, up from 13,314 in the previous year. Homophobic crimes recorded have more than doubled since 2015, however some of this down to better recording of crimes by the police.

    Hate crimes against transgender people rose by 16 per cent, to 2,500 reported incidents from 2,183 the previous year.

    Overall police in England and Wales recorded a rise of eight per cent for all hate crimes, the majority of which still remains on the basis of race (76,070 offences). Hate crime on the basis of religion was the only hate crime to have fallen to 7,203 incidents.

    Nearly a quarter (23%) of reported hate crime against gay people included stalking and harassment, whilst this rose to 32% for transgender people.

    The rise in homophobic crime reflects statistics released from Scotland earlier in the year which showed that homophobic crime had also skyrocketed in the nation. In July we reported that, in the period between 2019 and 2020, there were 1486 total homophobic hate crime charges brought. In 2018 to 2019 there were 1194 – an increase of 292 charges for the current year, which is equal to a 24 per cent rise. Last year the rise was five per cent. Meaning that crimes against gay, lesbian and bi people has ballooned in Scotland.

    What is a hate crime?

    According to the Government website, “Hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic.’ There are five centrally monitored strands of hate crime: race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, transgender identity and disability.

    Has the UK become toxic towards LGBT+ people?

    Equal rights campaigner John Leech, who is no stranger to the LGBT+ community, warned that the country is in desperate need of change and laid the blame firmly at the Prime Minister’s door for creating a toxic political and social atmosphere.

    John Leech, who led the decade-long campaign to pardon Alan Turing who was criminally convicted for homosexuality, said:

    “These figures show a horrifying backwards trend and point to a systemic targeting of the LGBTQ+ community.

    “It is embarrassing that in 2020 in this country, the gay community has increasingly become the intentional victims of hate crime.

    “But is it really that surprising when Boris Johnson’s Government doesn’t just tolerate, but actively promotes a toxic political and social atmosphere?

    “The extreme and divisive language from our own Prime Minister is destroying the soul of this country.

    “Politics needs to change; education needs to change—this country needs to change. We must be an open-minded and inclusive society that doesn’t just tolerate the differences in people, but actively celebrates them.

    “We must teach our children to grow up to embrace everyone around them regardless of their background, and that must start with politicians taking a lead.

    “Liberal Democrats have a long and proud history of standing up for the LGBTQ+ community, and the fight for equality can never end. We will always fight for a far kinder, more understanding and welcoming United Kingdom.”

  • Royal Vauxhall Tavern demands to see the evidence that hospitality is high risk when it comes to COVID 19.

    Royal Vauxhall Tavern demands to see the evidence that hospitality is high risk when it comes to COVID 19.

    One of the UK’s longest-running LGBT+ venues, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, has demanded to see evidence that the hospitality setting is a ‘high-risk setting’ when it comes to spreading the coronavirus. The hospitality industry has been targetted by the UK’s governments, which have introduced numerous restrictions on the sector that could lead to job losses and closures.

    Taking to Twitter the RVT stated simply, “Show us the evidence. Be more precise” after MP Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, insisted that there was “academic evidence” to show “quite a high risk associated with hospitality settings”.

    RVT went on to Thank Sky News‘ Kay Burley for her robust questioning of the MP who was unable to provide details, or to name the study on the show, in which he was invited on to talk about the measures the government were taking. He said there was “academic evidence” from the US, but was unable to cite the study or researchers who provided the evidence, but said that it was “robust”.

    Business owners are planning to sue the government after the hospitality industry, in particular, has been heavily hit by Government-mandated restrictions.

    Last week it was announced that Jeremy Joseph from G-A-Y had launched a legal challenge to the government’s controversial 10 PM curfew. He argued that the government had not put forward any scientific evidence to show that the new restrictions would work.

  • Darren Grimes set to “take on the Met Police”

    Darren Grimes set to “take on the Met Police”

    Darren Grimes, an openly gay, conservative journalist, has said that he’s set to take on the Metropolitan police after they opened an investigation after an interview Grimes published on his podcast, in which its subject used terms that have caused offence. In the interview, Dr David Starkey suggested slavery was not genocide because so many black people survived.

    Taking to Twitter, the 27-year-old, said that the UK’s biggest police force, the Metropolitan Police had “threatened an unprecedented use of Public Order legislation to target me and my channel @ReasonedUK“, he added, that it should “concern anyone that believes in freedom of the press”.

    Grimes released a video after he was summoned by the Met, by email, for a “voluntary” interview. However according to Grimes, he was threatened with arrest if he failed to attend. He described the investigation against him as an “outrageous abuse of taxpayer cash”.

    Embed from Getty Images

    In the video, uploaded to his official social media channel he said,

    “So earlier this week I was contacted by the Metropolitan Police and told that if I didn’t attend a voluntary interview with them, I’d be arrested.

    “I’ve been accused for stirring up racial hatred for an interview I did with Dr David Starkey back in June.

    “It’s just such an outrageous abuse of taxpayer cash and the trust that we have in the police as citizens. So much so that at first I couldn’t believe it was real. I went into my local police station to verify the email.

    He continued, ‘The only hatred Dr Starkey stirred up was against himself, even after apologising, the repercussions for him after that interview had been severe. He’s lost every position he ever held, he wasn’t cancelled, he was airbrushed from history.

    “I even said myself in a statement that I hold my hands up and should have robustly questioned Dr Starkey, but why would I bother if my intention was to stir up racial hatred?”

    Does the polices’ action threaten free speech and the press?

    Speaking about the “chilling effect” on free speech, Grimes said that the press has to be permitted to interview a wide range of people.

    He added, “Where does setting this precedent get us if journalists and broadcasters are arrested if the people they’re interviewing say things that can be classed as likely to stir up hatred?

    “In a free and democratic society, journalists and broadcasters have to be permitted to interview a wide range of people, including those likely to make a controversial remark.

    “To then threaten them with arrest will have a real chilling effect on free speech and debate in this country.

    “I’m going to fight this all the way and I’m delighted to say that I’m joined by the Free Speech Union.

    https://twitter.com/darrengrimes_/status/1314608615077052417
  • A Security flaw has been playing havoc with this male sex toy

    A Security flaw has been playing havoc with this male sex toy

    A chastity device has apparently had security issues in which users have found themselves locked out after someone managed to hack the product’s app.

    The £145 product, called the Cellmate Chastity Cage by Qiui, has now apparently had a fix issued by its Chinese developers, but users must update to the new app. Using the old app could expose users to the security flaw and become locked into their device, without the ability to cancel its locking mechanisms.

    The hack meant that everyone who was using the device could be locked into it and their ability to control it was overridden. Scarily there’s NO manual override, meaning many users would have had to destroy their chastity devices to get out of them.

    There is a fix however, there’s a new app. Users who are still using the old app are still at risk of having their device hacked.

    Pen Test Partners discovered the hack and took to YouTube to explain their findings, saying

    “Over the years we’ve looked at a number of smart adult toys, raising concerns.

    “My esteemed colleague Alex Lomas […] has been looking at this device, which is wonderful: a male chastity device. The idea is you put the appendage in here, you put a clamp on behind the testicles and you’re then well and truly locked in.

    “It’s smart, so it’s locked under Bluetooth, so you can use a smartphone to lock it. There’s a mobile app, an API.

    “Then, being a chastity device, you then give permission to lock to someone you trust, who then has control over your… device.

    “Unfortunately Alex found an insecure direct object reference in the API. It meant he could take over everyone’s chastity device and lock everybody in.

    “Believe it or not there’s no manual unlock, key or override. The only way to get out is to cut through this, which is hardened steel and given where it’s a that’s going to be quite difficult to get yourself out of.

    “Now, it’s not for us to kink-shame. If people want to use these devices that’s absolutely fine with us. I just think people should be able to use these securely and safely.

    “Unfortunately, many adult toys are let down by their lack of attention to security which really exposes their users.”

  • Met police supports National Hate Crime Awareness Week

    Met police supports National Hate Crime Awareness Week

    The Metropolitan Police Service supports National Hate Crime Awareness Week which launched on Saturday, 10 October, and across London officers will be holding a range of events to get the public talking about hate crime and how to tackle it.

    National Hate Crime Awareness Week (National HCAW) is an annual event organised by charity 17-24-30 National HCAW, which aims to bring people together in solidarity against hate crime in all its forms. 

    Throughout the week, the Met is working with partners, charities and local authorities to highlight support available to victims, raise awareness, and encourage victims of hate crime to report it.

    Due to the coronavirus restrictions, most of the events are being held online. However, there will be real-world community drop-in events at venues that can be made COVID-19 safe, throughout the week. There will also be enforcement activity, targeting offenders wanted for offences where hate crime is a feature.

    The outbreak of COVID-19 has presented many new challenges for the Met and policing as a whole. In London, there was a rise in reports of racially-aggravated hate crime incidents where certain communities were targeted due to the pandemic.

    In response to this, alongside our enforcement work, hate crime advice leaflets and videos were translated into a number of languages and distributed to the affected communities to ensure victims knew where to go to seek support, and how to report to police or other organisations.

    Between September 2019 and August 2020, hate crime reports saw a 12.7 per cent increase compared with the previous 12 months.

    Superintendent Waheed Khan, the Met’s Lead Responsible Officer (LRO) for hate crime, said, “London is a city that celebrates diversity and tolerance, and in 2020 no-one should be discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

    “The Met takes all reports of hate crime extremely seriously, and we work with partners to support victims and identify offenders. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have continued this work despite the challenges. 

    “We have Hate Crime Co-ordinators working across all London boroughs engaging with affected communities. The Met also has a Central Hate Crime Hub which supports investigations into hate crimes committed both in the real world and online.

    “While there has been a rise in the number of hate crimes reported which may be due to victims feeling more confident and empowered to report incidents, there is still work to be done. 

    “We know that some victims might be reluctant to, or not think to report hate crimes committed against them to police, and they often aren’t aware of the support available to them. 

    “We would urge anyone who has experienced hate crime and not spoken to police to come forward – we will take it seriously. If you don’t want to speak to police, there are other ways you can get help and support.”

    The Met’s main hate crime partners form the CATCH alliance, a group of anti-hate crime charities which include TellMAMA (Islamophobia) Galop (anti-LGBT+ hate crime), and the Community Security Trust (anti-Semitism).

    Hate crime is any crime deriving from hostility or prejudice towards a person because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. Incidents may involve a physical attack, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, or abuse using social media.

    How to report a Hate Crime

    To report a hate crime, call police on 101, report online or tweet @MetCC.

    If there is an immediate risk or an emergency situation, always call 999. Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online, or via the TruVision website.

    For advice about how to report hate crime, go to our website. 

    + The Met has arranged a large number of free hate crime events online that are open to the public and will feature a range of guest speakers. They will be held on Zoom and British Sign Language will be available. Many of these events have been organised locally.

    Further information about a small selection of webinars is available by clicking the links below:

    – Race: Monday, 12 October – 14:00 to 17:00hrs

    – Religion: Tuesday, 13 October – 11:00 to 13:00hrs

    – Disability: Wednesday, 14 October – 12:00 to 14:00hrs

    – Sexual Orientation: Thursday, 15 October – 09:30 to 12:30hrs

    – Gender Identity: Friday, 16 October – 11:00 to 13:00hrs