Category: News
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Police Urge Gay Community To Come Forward In Murder Investigation
Detectives investigating the murders of four men are appealing for information and witnesses.
The Homicide and Major Crime Command launched an investigation following the deaths in Barking of Anthony Walgate, 23, from Barnet on 19 June 2014; Gabriel Kovari, 22, from Lewisham on 28 August 2014; Daniel Whitworth, 21, from Gravesend on 20 September 2014 and Jack Taylor, 21, from Dagenham, on 14 September 2015.
A man has been charged with four counts of murder. The alleged killer is thought to have met the men all under the age of 26 via gay dating apps and websites.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, said:
“We are keen to trace anyone who may have information in connection with these incidents.
“I would encourage anyone with information to come forward, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. If you have any reservations about speaking to the police, please rest assured that your call will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0400 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The investigation team are working closely with LGBT independent advisors. If you don’t want to speak to police you can contact the charity Galop at www.Galop.org.ukor via their Shoutline on 020 7704 2040.
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Amazon Removes “Lady Boy” Costume After Complaints About Transphobia
Online retailing giant Amazon has removed a “Lady Boy” costume after a backlash over its offensiveness.
A costume being sold on the Amazon store, which featured a man wearing a dress and wig with a fake penis poking out the front has been removed after reviews called the costume “repugnant” and numerous customers took offence.
The dress, by Orion Costumes, was described as,A short sequin dress in silver with spaghetti straps. The back of the dress features a half elasticated waistline to create a tailored appearance when wearing.
At the front of the dress are fabric male genitalia in a light skin tone colour hidden behind a fabric flap which fastens in place with velcro. The flap can be lifted to reveal yourself, or left down to protect your modesty.
Within 30 minutes of the store being contacted by GayStarNews the costume had been removed.
The costume follows a similiar line of the disgraced halloween costume which featured Caitlyn Jenner – however, when asked whether Jenner took offensive at the costume she said she was “in” on the joke.
The costume had been for sale on Ebay but has since removed the product from its website.
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FILM REVIEW: The Program, Not A Winner In My Book
Director Stephen Frears brings us the rise, and fall, of cycling champion Lance Armstrong in the new film ‘The Program.’
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A man has been charged with four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of four men
Stephen John Port, 40 (22.02.75) of Cooke Street, Barking was tonight, Sunday, 18 October, charged with four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of four men between June 2014 and September 2015.
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TRAILER: Swan Lake II: Dark Waters
The annual contemporary performance season, Sacred, starts at the Chelsea Theatre November 5th – 28th. One piece to keep an eye on is the very talented PanicLab’s Swan Lake II.
A new solo performance from jordan Lennie, who helped to choreograph the piece along with Joseph Mercier, is a visual treat. Jordan may be naked on stage for a lot of this performance piece, which will always draw the crowds, however the overall beauty of the piece is in the artistic playfulness of the character.
We spoke with Joseph this week who told us,
‘Swan Lake II: Dark Waters takes a queer approach to ballet. It plays with aspects of the art form that are often denied or downplayed. Aspects like eroticism, campness, seduction, vanity and excess. In Swan Lake II these are highlighted and magnified in playful ways, drawing out some of ballet’s inherent queerness’.
Watch the full trailer here:
COMPETITION: We have a pair of tickets to give away to see Swan Lake II: Dark Waters. Free Entry Here. -
Legendary Gay Porn Star Blue Blake Found Dead, 52
Blue Blake has been found dead at his London home at the age of 52.
The performer Blue Blake, real name, Glenn Marsh, was found in his London apartment by friends, who became concerned after not hearing from him. Letting themselves into his flat he was found unresponsive in an armchair.
The death is not being treated as suspicious by the Met Police at this time. No details have been released at this time about the actor’s death.
Born in Nottingham, a stream of dedications have been posted on his social media profiles. Blue started his career in the adult industry 20 years ago. He started as a performer but became a writer and director. In 2008 he released an autobiography of his time as a porn star in a book called, Out Of The Blue: Confessions Of An Unlikely Porn Star. -
Stonewall Cancels All Future Awards
Britain’s biggest LGBT charity Stonewall has said that it will no longer be holding its annual awards.
Stonewall, Britain’s biggest LGBT charity has said that it plans to cancel its annual awards after 10 years of the ceremony. The £240 per ticket awards which have courted controversy over the decade, most notably with its bigot of the year award, are bowing out with Sir Ian McKellen hosting the final ceremony.
Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s Chief Exec spoke about the decision to step back saying,
“Ten years ago, a peck on the lips between two men on TV would have caused uproar, and books featuring lesbian characters rarely made the best-seller list. And this was one of the only award ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of the lesbian, gay and bi community. That simply isn’t the case today, and ceremonies and awards that recognise the success and diversity of our wonderful community have blossomed.
“We have therefore decided that now is the time for us to step back, making this year’s awards the final Stonewall Awards.”
Tickets for the event have increased from £155 + VAT in 2012 to £198 + VAT in 2015. Guests will be treated to a champagne and canapé reception on the 5th November in the magnificent Raphael Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Judging this year’s competition are past presenter of the awards, Gok Wan, Bethany Black, Lord Browne, Sandi Toksvig, who is due to take over from Stephen Fry on QI, Russell T Davies and Kevin Jenkins.
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WELSH LIB DEMS: Protect Vital Funding For LGBT Community
Vital help for vulnerable LGBT+ people in Wales is at risk of being slashed and must be protected, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have said.
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Tom Daley’s Biggest Fan Responds to Hate Messages
Last week the internet went crazy as Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black announced their engagemen
In the wake of their happy news, Tom Daley’s “biggest” fan, Carl James posted a heart-felt video to his YouTube account declaring his undying yet unrequited love for Tom, and his heartbreak over Tom’s recent engagement.Shortly after the video was picked up by various news outlets, the YouTube personality was inundated with views, and comments on the video, many of them extremely nasty.
This week, Carl has responded to the hate messages with his latest video. Towards the end of the video Carl addresses the issue of online bullying, and promotes the services of online anti-bullying site DitchTheLabel.org.While Carl James is not the first person to be attacked by online bullies, it is important for us all to remember that bullying in any context is not OK. It’s not ok at school, in the workplace, among friends, and certainly not online. Your words can have real effects on real people, and in some cases, online bullying has had fatal consequences.If you, or someone you know has been the target of online or offline bullying, head to DitchTheLabel.org to find ways to overcome and deal with bullies.