THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • World War 2 gay love story YANK! to set hearts racing

    World War 2 gay love story YANK! to set hearts racing

    When you think of the Wartime romances, the stories of gay veterans is often overlooked. The musical Yank! is about to set that right.

    Yank! The Musical
    CREDIT: Yank!

    YANK! is a moving gay love story set in World War Two, is told through a MGM-style musical. The focus is Stu, a scared Mid-Western young soldier in the US Army in 1943. He becomes a photographer for Yank Magazine, the journal ‘for and by the servicemen’. He finds himself in a world at war asking himself what it means to be a man. He also happens to fall in love, with Mitch, a fellow soldier.

    During a time of extreme prejudice, you only have to look at how the Government of the day treated code-breaker Alan Turing for evidence of that, the two men must fight against the odds to stay alive and stay in love.

    The musical opens at the Hope Mill Theatre in London from 9th March until the 8th April, tickets are on sale now.

    Yank! will be directed by James Baker, and co-produced with Ben Millerman from Mr Millerman Presents. Completing the creative team for YANK! are James Cleeve as musical director; choreographer Chris Cuming; designer Victoria Hinton; lighting designer Aaron J. Dootson; sound designer Chris Bogg; and casting director Ben Newsome.

    YANK! is the first in a hat-trick of productions for 2017 through a proven partnership between Aria Entertainment and the award-winning Hope Mill Theatre. They first joined forces in January 2016 to spearhead the arts venue as a platform to showcase, revive and bring new musical theatre to the North.

    Aria Entertainment’s Producer and Company Director Katy Lipson commented,

    “We are delighted to be opening our 2017 season with the European Premiere of the beautiful new musical YANK! I discovered YANK! almost three years ago and, after starting to collaborate with Hope Mill Theatre in 2016, I knew it was the perfect venue for its premiere – and that James Baker who directed Parade last year would also be the right director for production. We are extremely excited with all we have planned for 2017 and beyond.”

    Find out more from the show by checking out their Twitter

  • Police are looking for four men in connection to assault on two boyfriends

    Police are looking for four men in connection to assault on two boyfriends

    British Transport Police is searching for four men in connection with an assault in which two boyfriends were attacked.

    British Transport Police would like to make a connection with four men after two boyfriends reported that they were attacked on a train in London. The incident happened at around 1.05am on 15 February on the Reading to London Paddington service, just before the train stopped at Ealing Broadway.

    The victims, a 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were travelling home following a night out for Valentine’s Day. They both fell asleep and missed their stop. When they woke up, as the train was approaching Ealing Broadway, they found they were being attacked.

    Police say a group of men were punching and kicking them repeatedly.

    The victims attempted to get away but the offenders followed and continued to attack them during a prolonged assault.

    Investigating officer, PC Peter Taylor, said,

    “This was a very nasty assault committed by a group of men who attacked two other men while they were sleeping on the train. The victims believe the motivation for the attack was that the offenders thought they were gay.

    “Hate crime such as this will absolutely not be tolerated by British Transport Police. I would like to speak to anyone who recognises the men shown in the CCTV images as they may have information which could help with the investigation.

    “If you recognise them or have any other information about the incident, please contact me by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text information to 61016 quoting reference number 30 15/2/17.”

     

     

  • Absence of gay sex ed by Government continues to cement “stigma, self-doubt, confusion and bullying”

    The government has announced plans to make sex education compulsory in all schools in England, however, they’ve failed to mention LGBT+ issues which critics say is letting LGBT+ children down across the country.

    CREDIT: © tomwang Depositphotos

    The UK’s Government has announced plans to ensure that sex and relationship education is made compulsory in all schools across England, however it neglected to say whether LGBT+ relationships would be covered by any classes.

    Education Secretary Justine Greening said that children from the age of four would be taught about safe and healthy relationships.

    David Geary, Head of Political Engagement Pride in London said that the absence of LGBT+ specifics was cementing stigma and bullying into school culture by not tackling those issues.

    He said,

    “Today’s announcement that age-appropriate sex and relationships education (SRE) will become compulsory in every school, is a welcome step in the right direction. The first major shakeup in more than 15 years will empower teachers to promote positive discussions on such a critical area and ensure teenagers don’t learn poor habits or behaviours from online sources.

    “Healthy sex and relationship education cannot be wholly effective until it helps every pupil in the classroom. In continuing to separate, single out and ignore the needs of LGBT+ pupils, the government is helping to cement stigma, self-doubt, confusion and bullying.

    “Such an omission lets down pupils right across the country, who need effective and positive support to develop into the healthy, confident and safe LGBT+ adults they deserve to be. Parents too benefit from having such a support as they learn to be the best guardian they can be for their LGBT+ child”.

    ALSO READ:

     

    The Government has not mandated how these lessons will be delivered and parents will still have the right to remove their children from the classes.

    The number of sexually transmitted infections amongst the UK’s gay and bisexual teenagers and young adults has soared in recent years and Public Health England warned in 2016 that 36% of new infections in 2015 were found in those aged just 15 to 24, the highest increase in a single age group.

    Politicians across the political spectrum have signed up to a pledge which calls for the inclusion of same-sex relationship education in all London schools to ensure the representation of different families and communities within SRE.

  • Tanzania withdraws threat of publishing “gay list”

    Tanzania withdraws threat of publishing “gay list”

    The African country of Tanzania has withdrawn its threat of creating a list of gay people and sharing it publically.

    Tanzania
    Tanzania

    The list, which was threatened last week, would have outed people who are accused of selling sex online. Deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla was to call a press conference on Monday to distribute the list, however, the press call was cancelled. Taking to Twitter he wrote that they were not going to name names due to a “technical reason” and said they would deal with “the issue” differently.

    He wrote,

    “For strategic reasons and to avoid destroying evidence we will deal with this issue differently and will keep you informed at every step.”

    ALSO READ:

     

    Tanzania took the unusual step of banning the imports of lube last year in an effort to crackdown on anal sex. The action was seen as a move which directly targetted the gay and bisexual male community.

    Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania as it is in 38 of the 54 countries in Africa. Those found guilty, in the Commonwealth country, could be handed life imprisonment. However, no arrests have been known to have been made in recent years.

    Homosexual acts attract the death penalty in three African, Sudan, Somalia and Mauritania, where the legal system is based on Sharia law.

  • The Oscars failed to mention Alexis Arquette “In Memoriam” despite having over 70 film credits

    The Oscars failed to mention Alexis Arquette “In Memoriam” despite having over 70 film credits

    Alexis Arquette was left out of the Oscar’s in memory segment which paid tribute to stars who died in 2016.

    Alexis Arquette
    © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

    Speaking to ABC Alexis Arquette’s sister, Patricia Arquette said she was “really pissed off” with the Academy after they seemingly snubbed the star. She said,

    “I was really pissed off the academy left out my sister Alexis in the Memoriam, because Alexis had a great body of work, but Alexis was one of very few trans artists that worked in the business,”

    “At a time when we have trans kids that can’t even go to the bathroom at school, you would think the academy would have a little bit more respect for a group of people that are murdered, and trans women of color are most likely to live in extreme poverty, making $800 a month, so I think the Oscars have a lot of learning to do.”

    ALSO READ:

     

    Alexis died in September 2016 at the age of 47. She starred in over 70 films and television programmes during her career.

  • Katie Hopkins is being SUED

    Katie Hopkins is being SUED

    Katie Hopkins is being sued by Guardian writer and food blogger Jack Monroe.

    Katie hopkins
    CREDIT: Channel 5

    LBC presenter and Mail Online columnist Katie Hopkins is being sued by the Guardian and Cooking On A Bootstrap writer Jack Monroe; over tweets sent from Katie Hopkin’s twitter account in 2015; which Monroe has said has caused “serious harm” to her reputation.

    Monroe, is suing after Hopkins wrote a tweet, which suggested that she was involved with or condoned the vandalism on a war memorial in 2015 during an anti-government protest.

    The tweet was published in May 2015 and said,

    “@MsJackMonroe scrawled on any memorials recently? Vandalised the memory of those who fought for your freedom. Grandma got any more medals?”

    Monroe is also arguing that a tweet sent by Katie Hopkins, allegedly bore a “defamatory innuendo meaning” that she “approved or condoned the criminal vandalisation of the women’s war memorial in Whitehall during an anti-government protest”.

    ALSO READ:

     

    Monroe’s lawyer William Bennett told Mr Justice Warby:

    “The claimant’s primary case is that by reason of the seriousness of the allegations and the scale of publication, serious harm to reputation has been caused.

    “A widely published allegation that someone has either vandalised a war memorial or approved of such an act will inevitably cause serious damage to reputation.”

    Monroe’s lawyer noted, that even after Hopkins deleted the first tweet, “she did not apologise or retract the allegation even though she knew it was false”.

    Solicitor-advocate Jonathan Price, for Hopkins, told the judge in written argument that Monroe’s case was a “relatively trivial dispute” which was “resolved on Twitter in a period of several hours”.

    He claimed that, “no lasting harm, and certainly no serious harm” to Monroe’s reputation resulted from the interaction.

    Speaking to the court, Monroe said,

    “These proceedings have been a nightmare. It has been an 18-month, unproductive, devastating nightmare.

    “I did not want to be here today. I have offered several times through my lawyer to settle these proceedings outside court. This is the last thing that I wanted to be doing.”

     

  • Moonlight becomes the first ever gay themed Best Picture at the Oscars

    Moonlight becomes the first ever gay themed Best Picture at the Oscars

    Moonlight has made history after becoming the first gay-themed film to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

    In spite of a wrongly announced Best Picture, Moonlight actually took top place at this year’s Oscars and in doing so made history as the first gay-themed film to ever get the top prize.

    In 2006 Brokeback Mountain came close receiving 8 nominations, the most of any film that year. In the end, it won three of them but was pipped at the post for the ultimate award by Crash.

    ALSO READ:

     

    There hasn’t been an LGBT-themed film nominated for Best Picture since 2014’s Dallas Buyers Club in which the film’s stars, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both won gongs for their performances.

     

    You can pre-order Moonlight from Amazon now.

    [amazon_link asins=’B01MUDXL0H’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’th052-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’dae7f407-fcc5-11e6-ba29-1d9ff9a67f6b’]

  • Oh wow. The wrong Best Picture was just read out at the Oscars and it got very very awkward

    Oh wow. The wrong Best Picture was just read out at the Oscars and it got very very awkward

    Oscars 2017 will go down in history as probably one of the most awkward ever after the wrong film got called as the “best picture”.

    So there was a massive, monumental eff up on the Oscars this year after, it seems, the wrong announcement card was given to Warren Beatty. We wondered why Warren took so long to announce the winner. In the end, it was Faye Dunaway who read out the mistake that La La Land had won “Best Picture”.

    The card read: Emma Stone, La La Land, the only problem was that the card was for the earlier category of Best Actress. The actual winner, Moonlight, was supposed to be in that envelope.

    https://twitter.com/SandyraN4/status/836118866946375681

    Only after the cast and crew of La La Land had done their acceptance speeches was the mistake made clear in one of the most awkward hand overs we’ve ever witnessed.

    Warren was forced to announce, “This is not a joke” as he tried to explain the issue.

    “I wasn’t trying to be funny,” he told the audience and the millions of viewers at home, as he explained that the duo had been handed the previous winner’s card. “That’s why I looked at Faye for a really long time”.

    Anyway, watch it unfold with Twitter moments:

     

    https://twitter.com/i/moments/836082426560524290

  • Police target two London gay clubs in drug bust

    Police target two London gay clubs in drug bust

    The Metropolitan Police have arrested three men after drug busts at two London clubs following an “intelligence-led operation”.

    police target gay clubs
    © jvanderwolf Depositphotos.com

    Two gay clubs in London were raided in the early hours of Friday morning by the Metropolitan Police. They arrested three men after a “quantity of suspected Class A drugs” were found on one of the premises.

    Officers entered Vauxhall clubs, Fire and Lightbox and searched customers and members of staff. The venues were also searched.

    According to police reports two 30-year-old men were arrested at Lightbox on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs. One of the men arrested is a staff member of Lightbox. The other man was additionally arrested on suspicion of breaching a court order. A third man, aged 28 was arrested at the same venue on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

    All three were taken into custody at a south London police station where they remain.

    No one was arrested at Fire.

    Chief Inspector Lance Lamnea, of Lambeth borough, said,

    “This operation was based on intelligence that indicated harmful substances were being sold at these nightclubs. We are committed to supporting a vibrant night time economy in the capital, but where we suspect offences are taking place we must take swift action to protect the public.

    “In this case, anti-social behaviour – believed to be generated by those attending the clubs – has been having a detrimental effect on the lives of those living and working in the area.

    “We will be working closely with both the clubs’ management and our partners to ensure the continuing safety of the public and consider whether there will be any impact on licensing issues.”

     

  • Neo Nazi homophobe jailed for terrorism offenses

    Neo Nazi homophobe jailed for terrorism offenses

    A London man, who believed that Adolf Hitler was God, has been jailed for terrorism offences, including promoting ISIS and writing homophobic and racist posts on social media.

    Sean Creigton
    CREDIT: Metropolitan Police

    Enfield resident and neo-Nazi extremist Sean Creighton has been jailed for five years following an investigation by the Metropolitan police in London. The 45-year-old was accused of a terrorism offence as well as writing anti-gay and racist posts on social media that were intended to incite hatred.

    Creighton, a right-wing extremist, pleaded guilty to seven public order offences and one terrorism offence at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 6 January.

    He was sentenced on Thursday, 23 February to four years’ imprisonment for the public order offences and five years’ imprisonment for the terrorism offence, to run concurrently.

    The police launched an investigation after a post appeared of Mr Creighton holding an assault rifle, standing in front of a Nazi flag, on social media.

    In June 2016 police executed a Section 46 Firearms Act warrant.

    The court heard how police found a “terrorism manual” on his laptop, which contained “viable recipes” for making bombs following a raid on his North London home.

    He was arrested under Section 19 Public Order Act 1986 – distributing written material intending to stir up racial hatred in relation to material on his social media account. When officers further investigated his activity they discovered he was using various methods to spread hate, including offensive stickers on street furniture and what can only be described as prolific activity on social media. They also discovered he had possession of a manual of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

    On 31 August 2016 he was charged with a terrorism offence and public order offences and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the following morning where he was remanded in custody to await trial.

    Commander Dean Haydon, of the Counter Terrorism Command, said,

    “We are as committed to apprehending and prosecuting far right extremists who commit terrorist offences and promote hatred as we are those who support and promote ISIS. Both are intent on destroying communities and pose a real risk if they are allowed to continue.”

  • Out basketball player wonders if he should not have come out as gay

    Out basketball player wonders if he should not have come out as gay

    Openly gay basketball player Derrick Gordon says sometimes he wonders whether he should have stayed in the closet.

    Derrick Gordon
    CREDIT: Derrick Gordon/Instagram

    Derrick Gordon was the first National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I player to come out as gay in 2014. He is just one of a handful of out, high profile players in sports. He was also the first openly gay man to play in the March Madness tournament.

    His decision to come out followed that of football player Michael Sam and the National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jason Collins who he says inspired him to come out.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BQe7hCwAXbb/?taken-by=flash32gordon&hl=en

    Taking to Instagram the 25-year-old told his fans that all he ever wanted was the for the NBA to give him a chance to play, stated that he is the only player in NCAA history to have taken three different teams to the NCAA tournament.

    ALSO READ:

     

    He said that although his coming out in 2014 “changed a lot of things”, that the decision still “haunts” him every day.

    He told his fans,

    “I know I should be in the NBA right now! The NBA just isn’t ready for a gay player. Which makes me wonder sometimes should I have just stayed in the closet?”