THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • BRIAN PADDICK: UKIP Should Be Allowed To March In Pride

    Speaking to PinkNews Brian Paddick has condemned the decision to ban UKIP LGBT from London’s pride event.

    Originally Pride In London organisers had allowed the LGBT GROUP for UKIP to enter the parade in this year’s march, however following a backlash the board reversed their decision, citing “safety” concerns. The group’s spokesperson decried the decision saying it was “a sad day for diversity and freedom.”

    Speaking to PinkNews, newly-appointed Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Lord Paddick condemned the move by the board by saying,

    “After years of campaigning to be acknowledged and accepted by society, the last thing LGBTI people should be doing is excluding a group gays and lesbians from Pride that has a legal right to exist.

    “The police and organisers should be facilitating their right to peacefully and safely participate, not using understandable hatred of UKIP as an excuse to ban them.”

    This week Lord Paddick confirmed to THEGAYUK that he was backing Tim Farron to replace Nick Clegg has the Lib Dem’s leader.

  • University Awarded £50,000 To See Whether Calling Toilets “Gents” Or “Ladies” Is Discriminatory

    A research team from Sheffield Hallam University have been awarded nearly £50,000 to discover whether the terms “Gentlemen” “Ladies” and “Men’s Toilets” are accessible.

    The award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council is to fund research on the way public toilets are designed, ” in an effort to assess if they are fit for purpose for the UK’s diverse 21st Century society.”

    Led by Sheffield Hallam University’s Dr Jenny Slater, the Around The Toilet project is looking at the lack of adequate or accessible toilet provision for disabled and transgender people, amid fears that definitions such as “Gentlemen” “Ladies” and “Men’s Toilets” are out-dated and discriminatory.

    Dr Slater, from Sheffield Hallam University’s new Sheffield Institute of Education, will lead a project team including the University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, Action for Transgender Health, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP) and Queer Of The Unknown Arts Collective on the nine-month project.

    She said,

    “Toilets may seem a frivolous subject but they are at the heart of important discussions about how we understand our own identities. The starting point for us is to explore how disabled people and those identifying as trans, gender-queer or non-binary are treated in modern society.

    “As well as issues around toilet closures we have much anecdotal evidence that suggests there is a lack of suitable facilities for our diverse population.

    “This project will also consider issues of race, ethnicity, age, religion, faith and homelessness through reflective storytelling, creative arts and performance.”

    Along with the announcement of their research, Dr Slater has also encouraged members of the public to post their experiences of toilets in Sheffield and beyond.

  • Sir Patrick Stewart Supports Anti-Gay Marriage Bakers

    Long time very vocal ally of the gay community Sir Patrick Stewart shocked many of his fans the other night during an interview on BBC’s Newsnight by publicly supporting the Northern Ireland anti-gay marriage bakers.

    Gay rights activist Gareth Lee had commissioned Ashers Baking Co., a Christian-owned bakery in Northern Ireland, to make a cake that was decorated with “Support Gay Marriage’ which they refused to do, quoting their religious beliefs. So Lee sued them and won the case, and the bakery now plans to appeal the decision.

    Later on Facebook Sir Patrick wrote:

    “As part of my advocacy for Amnesty International, I gave an interview on a number of subjects related to human rights, civil rights and freedom of speech. During the interview, I was asked about the Irish bakers who refused to put a message on a cake which supported marriage equality, because of their beliefs. In my view, this particular matter was not about discrimination, but rather personal freedoms and what constitutes them, including the freedom to object. Both equality and freedom of speech are fundamental rights—and this case underscores how we need to ensure one isn’t compromised in the pursuit of the other.

    “I know many disagree with my sentiments, including the courts. I respect and understand their position, especially in this important climate where the tides of prejudices and inequality are (thankfully) turning. What I cannot respect is that some have conflated my position on this single matter to assume I’m anti-equality or that I share the personal beliefs of the bakers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could be further from the truth. I have long championed the rights of the LGBT community, because equality should not only be, as the people of Ireland powerfully showed the world, universally embraced, but treasured.”

    Sir Patrick’s last movie role was in Match when he played a gay dance professor.

  • Gay Icon Shirley Bassey To Be On £20 Note?

    With the Bank of England holding a public poll to pick the next face to appear on the new £20 note, one of the UK’s leading voices on popular culture has called for a black Briton to be celebrated on the note, with Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey their chosen candidate.

    Professor Ellis Cashmore, Visiting Professor of Sociology at Aston University and author of Celebrity Culture and Beyond Black: Celebrity and Race in Obama’s America, says Bassey is the perfect choice as the face of modern British culture.

    Professor Cashmore comments:

    “Born into poverty to a Nigerian father and Welsh mother, going on to sell more than 130million records and sing no fewer than three Bond theme tunes, she became a diva to compare with the likes of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Mariah Carey. Dame Shirley Bassey is known and admired around the world; she symbolizes not only a very British kind of success, but the multiculturalism and diversity the British establishment needs to welcome.”

    Professor Cashmore argues that “dead white males” have for too long dominated the face of the notes and that the public should back a black British hero on the £20 note. He says:

    “From Paul Ince, the first black England football captain to cricketer and coach Basil D’Oliveira, modern British culture has an array of national treasures that aren’t the usual male, pale and stale stereotypes. We should reflect the achievements of people like Ince, D’Oliveira, and yes, Dame Shirley by putting their faces on that very British symbol, the £20 note.”

  • Pride London bans UKIP LGBT from March

    London’s pride event has banned UKIP’s LGBT group from marching in the parade over “safety fears”

    Pride London’s committee has rejected UKIP Pride’s application to march in the world famous parade.

    The board of Pride London released a statement that said,

    “For this year we have reached the decision that UKIP’s application to join the Pride in London Parade, 27th June 2015, will be turned down.

    “This decision has been made after careful consultation in order to protect participants and ensure the event passes off safely and in the right spirit, it has not been made on a political basis.

    “We appreciate many in our community have strongly held views about UKIP, their policies and comments, but is undeniable that there are LGBT+ members of UKIP, including their MEP for Scotland, and it is important to remember that Pride in London aims to be an inclusive event.

    “However, of paramount concern to us is the experience of all participants at Pride, most especially the position we would be putting our volunteer stewards in.”

    A petition for the ban of UKIP LGBT had reached just 2383 supporters.

    UKIP LGBT decried the ban saying it was “a sad day for diversity and freedom.”

  • Jennifer Hudson Celebrates Marriage Equality

    We always love us some Jennifer Hudson but even more so today after catching sight of her new music video called “I Still Love You.”

    It is a heartwarming celebration of marriage equality which opens with a young gay man calling his father and getting only his answering machine.

    He’s calling to remind him that today is his wedding day, and he’s marrying a man. But will he show up? In the father’s home, we see memorabilia from his military service and reminders of his son’s all-American upbringing.

    Meanwhile, the young man, played by Brandon Crowder, gets ready for the big day with his fiancee, sharing snuggles and writing love messages on shower doors.

    At the end, the video concludes with a caption that reads, “Jennifer Hudson, W Hotels [where the video was filmed] and the Human Rights Campaign ask you to join your fellow Americans in support of marriage equality.”

  • EXCLUSIVE: Brian Paddick Backs Tim Farron For Lib Dem Party Leader

    Britain’s highest profile out Liberal Democrat member, Lord Brian Paddick has officially backed MP Tim Farron in the race for party leader.

    • Tim Farron “100% Behind LGBTI Rights”
    • Both Tim Farron and Norman Lamb have been nominated, now the party’s 61,000 members will decide who will be leader
    • Brian Paddick confident in Farron’s grassroots approach to politics

    Liberal Democrat peer Brian Paddick has revealed exclusively to the THEGAYUK that he is officially backing ex-Lib Dem party chairman Tim Farron, for leader, after it was revealed that both Tim Farron and Norman Lamb were successful in their nomination for the role that will undoubtedly be a tough struggle to rebuild the Liberal Democrats after a shattering defeat in the General Election.

    The contest for the party’s leadership was sparked by the resignation of Nick Clegg last month after the party lost 49 seats.

    Brian Paddick who was elevated to the House of Lords in 2013, has thrown his weight behind the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP, by championing his leadership and campaigning skills, which have enlivened grassroots activists and the Lib Dem membership.

    “I have to be honest here and say that I didn’t think I would ever come to say this, being a supporter of Nick Clegg when he was leader, and bearing in mind on a couple occasions Tim Farron didn’t make some particularly helpful interventions, but I am supporting Tim Farron for leader of the Liberal Democrats, because I think he is exactly the person that the party needs when you consider the position that the party is in at the moment.

    “Tim Farron has shown himself in being a master of connecting with activists and with ordinary members; he did a fantastic job as President of the party.

    “He developed links with all parts of the country, got to know people in practically every corner of the UK, coupled with the fact that he’s very enthusiastic and has loads of energy.

    “If we had been in a different situation and maintained the numbers of MPs that we had, then maybe it would be a different story, but I believe Tim Farron is the leader the Liberal Democrats need at this time.”

    “We’ve got to build the party from the ground up and there’s one thing that Tim Farron is excellent at, and that is ground level politics.”

    When asked if Tim Farron had the right showmanship for leadership and whether in future Leaders’ debates he would turn people on, Brian laughs and says,

    “He’s not my type to be honest, but he is a very effective communicator.”

    Tim Farron has attracted some criticism after he abstained from voting on same-sex marriage. He also voted to delay passage of the same-sex marriage bill, arguing that more time was needed to analyse the impact on religious groups.

    Speaking about Farron’s record on voting Paddick remarked,

    “Tim Farron has come under a lot of criticism from people who either deliberately or simply misread Tim’s position when it came to votes in the House of Commons on equal marriage,

    “He did ask for a change in the timetable to allow more discussion over complex issues around people who have honestly held beliefs who are currently employed as registrars, for example, who would feel very uncomfortable because it conflicts with their faith to conduct an equal marriage ceremony. He felt not enough time had been allowed in the parliamentary time belt to discuss those issues.

    “He has made it absolutely clear subsequently, he was specifically asked by a group of Christians, if there was a equal marriage repeal act or bill to reverse the decision he would absolutely not support that in any way shape or form.

    “As the Liberal Democrats’ gayest highest profile member I am absolutely confident that I can vote for Tim Farron and that he is absolutely 100% behind LGBTI rights.”

    The Liberal Democrats’ 61,000 members will now be able to cast their vote for the person they’d like to see as leader. Ballot papers will be sent on the 24th June, with results announced on the 16th July.

  • Gay Running Group In Birmingham Awarded £2000 From Pride Fund

    The Birmingham Swifts, the city’s LGBT running group, has been awarded nearly £2000 from the Birmingham Pride Trust Fund to build upon the club’s successes. The money will go towards increasing visibility of the Swifts and improving the quality of running sessions on offer for the LGBT community of Birmingham.

    Members of the group, which has only existed for just over a year, were able to proudly wear new running tops during last month’s Birmingham Pride Parade, but the club will now be able to own group kit for individuals who may not be able to afford to purchase their own. Alongside the clothing, the club will have a flag to act as a focal point at races and events, and new publicity materials to attract prospective members.

    The Swifts will also be able to put on extra sessions to complement the existing offering, by training members as leaders and a coach. This includes more Starting Out sessions, which are based upon the popular couch to 5k programme, and a training plan for the Great Birmingham Run.

    Tommy Hill, chair of the Swifts, said:

    “It’s fantastic that Birmingham Pride have chosen to support the Birmingham Swifts. Together we are promoting health and physical exercise for the LGBT community, and showcasing running within Birmingham.

    “We know there are many barriers for LGBT people when it comes to taking part in sport, such as cost, the fear of homophobia and the belief they will not be good enough. The Swifts are determined to remove these barriers by being an encouraging and supportive group where everyone is welcome, no matter what their ability.
    “After enjoying a successful Birmingham Pride, the Swifts are now looking towards the half marathon in October. Thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to put together a training plan for the race and have a striking visual presence on the day.”

  • Three Men Accused Of Being Gay Executed In Iraq By ISIS

    Hundreds of people gathered below a tall building in Iraq to watch ISIL fighters reportedly execute three men accused of being gay, shocking pictures reveal.

    (more…)

  • Countdown To Naked Fest Is On

    Following the success of last year’s event, Naked Fest 2015 returns this year and promises plenty of fun and activities in the glorious countryside – all naked, of course. Naked Fest 2015 takes place from Friday 10th – Sunday 12th July at Abbott’s Farm in Norfolk, a naturist campsite where you can enjoy the freedom of being naked with other Naked Mates. (more…)

  • Homophobic Russian Law Maker Wants It To Be Illegal To Be Topless

    If Russian’s most homophobic lawmaker (and there is quite a fierce battle for this particular title) Vitaly Milonov has his way, we will never get to see any more pictures of President Putin half-naked in public again.

    More importantly if he does strut around on his horse like that once a new Bill against “nudity or unethical attire” is passed, he will fined about £20-£30.

    The bill elucidates this as “either absence of clothes or nudity of either upper or lower parts of the body” for men and women alike.

    The list of “unethical clothing” includes men’s and women’s underwear and swimsuits. Milonov noted in explanations that the definition of swimwear and underwear can be found in the state register of industrial standards!