THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Did Diane Sawyer Misgender Bruce Jenner?

    For many people watching last night’s Diane Sawyer special with Bruce Jenner, it seemed that she was misgendering Jenner after telling her that he was now a woman.

    It may have seemed disrespectful, but here’s why it wasn’t.

    Many took to social media to question Sawyer’s use of masculine pronouns, however, at the beginning of the interview, it was made clear that Bruce was still using male pronouns and had asked to be referred to in that way.

    A statement released by GLAAD may help people understand what might feel like a minefield when assigning pronouns to those who are trans, transitioning or transitioned.

    “At this time, Bruce Jenner has not requested that a new name or pronoun be used, therefore we are respecting his wishes and will continue to refer to Jenner by his current name and with male pronouns. Some transgender people prefer to change their name and/or pronoun quickly. Other transgender people may take more time to decide what name and/or pronoun feels right to them. To be respectful, use the name and/or pronoun requested by the individual.”

    During the 2-hour special, Jenner told Sawyer:

    “I am a woman now. I have told a lie all my life, and this is who I am. I cannot hide anymore and I just can’t pull the curtains”. He adds “I still have all my male parts but I identify as female.”

    He believes that what he is doing is going to change the world by talking about it all now.

  • ISIS Fighters Hug Two “Gay” Men Before Stonning Them To Death

    Shocking pictures have emerged showing ISIS fighters hugging men accused of being gay before savagely stoning the two to death.

    Two more men have reportedly been killed in Syria, for being gay or accused of being gay, in an escalating assault in the area on those ISIS believe are homosexual.

    In pictures released by @Raqqa_Si, a campaign group against ISIS and the Assad regime in Raqqa, two men are seen being led to a holding ground in Homs, a city in Western Syria. Surrounded by onlookers they are treated to an informal reading of their crimes before being bludgeoned with rocks and stones until they die from their injuries.

    Stoning causes a traumatic death that experts suggest can take between 3 and 10 minutes for the victim to die.

    One expert reporting:

    “If you are hit in the head with large stones, then it likely wouldn’t take long at all.
    But, if you are hit only in the body with smaller stones, then it may take quite a while before you actually die from internal injury/bleeding.”

    In pictures released, the men from ISIS apparently hug the charged in a sign of “forgiveness”. Before the stoning commences, an ISIS fighter can be seen, standing by a car, reading out the charges against the accused, using a microphone in a make-shift hearing scenario.

    It has not been made clear if the two men were a couple.

    There have been a number of chilling executions of men accused of being gay in Syria. Up until now, the men have normally been thrown off tall buildings in the region. Many of the accused survive the fall only to be stoned by the bloodthirsty crowd of spectators.

    Hala Jader, award winning journalist for the Sunday Times, tweeted the pictures, saying:

    “#Isis stones homosexual couple 2 death.
    First they hug them apparently in forgiveness, then kill them.”

  • Leading UK HIV Specialist, Martin Fisher Dies

    Professor Martin Fisher a leading HIV specialist has died. He was instrumental in field of HIV medicine and research over two decades. (more…)

  • JD Sports Clarifies Position On Workers Suspended For Homophobic Slur

    Sportswear retailer JD Sports has suspended two staff members after gay couple were allegedly called “battymen” and a customer representative no longer works for the retailer after failing to escalate the complaint.

    Speaking to THEGAYUK, a spokesman for sports retail giant JD Sports have made it clear that the corporation “deplores discrimination of any kind”. A point they make clear to their 10,000 staff.

    Gavin Matthews, 35, and his boyfriend Craig Hards were reportedly called “battymen”, a slur word used against gay men, as they shopped for new trainers at their local store in Eltham in southeast London.

    Mr Matthews informed JD Sports of his complaint via the online customer service centre following the incident on Sunday 5 April.

    According to JD Sports, a new member of agency staff, who was working on trial period at the time, unfortunately failed to properly escalate the complaint to the senior management team, who became aware of this incident on Friday 17th April.

    This individual is no longer working on behalf of JD Sports.

    The spokesman said,

    “We deplore discrimination of any kind and take this matter very seriously and took action as soon as this mistake was realised. The two employees from the Eltham store were suspended on Saturday 18 April pending a disciplinary hearing which is scheduled to take place later this week. The head of our customer service team spoke with Mr Matthews yesterday and he is aware of the action we are taking and will be informed of the outcome of the disciplinary process.”

  • FILM REVIEW | Wild Tales

    ★★★★★ | Wild Tales

    Pretty model Isabel is on a business trip and strikes up a conversation with a gentleman the other side of the aisle of the plane.

    They quickly discover that they have a mutual acquaintance in Gabriel Pasternak who Isabel used to date and whom the man had once turned down for a College Grant. The woman seated in the row in front hears their conversation and proffers up that she once taught this same Gabriel Pasternak. Very quickly they establish that everyone on board had some sort of dealings with Gabriel, most of which had not ended happily, and they also discover that he had not only gifted them all their plane tickets but was one of the crew on board.

    This is first of six extraordinary and wonderfully wicked hilarious short stories that all end badly and have one thing in common. I.e. vengeance. Created by Argentinian filmmaker Damián Szifrón each one is magically bizarre and all, nothing less than brilliant, show his delightfully warped imagination

    In the second tale called ‘The Rats’ which is set in a remote roadside diner, the waitress discovers that her sole customer that night is a loan shark who had driven her father to kill himself. The cook, a tough female ex-con, declares that merely rebuking the man is not enough and she is determined that this will be his last meal ever. It’s followed ‘Road to Hell’ which is the bloodiest episode of the set, with its tale of road rage that so gets out of control when an arrogant hot-shot yuppie in an expensive Audi tries to belittle a country redneck in his beat up wreck. The fourth of Szifrón’s yarns ‘Bombita’ is about an unfortunate demolition engineer who is having a really bad day. His car is impounded when he stops for one brief moment to pick up a birthday cake for his young daughter. He is forced to pay a hefty fine to the rude staff at the compound to retrieve it, and then gets screamed at by his wife for completely missing the child’s party. It’s the last straw for her and she demands a divorce and so his car is towed away again and he literally explodes.

    The penultimate tale is the only really serious one that is totally devoid of any humour. It’s the story of a very wealthy family whose son has killed a pregnant woman in a hit-and-run accident and they try and bribe their gardener to take the rap instead. Their ploy almost falls apart when everybody, including the Police, seems to want to ensure that they get the heftiest share of the hush money.

    The rather spectacular finale has the very apt title ‘Till Death Do Us Part. It’s set at a Jewish wedding reception where the bride loses her big smile when she suddenly discovers that her groom has been having carnal knowledge with a very pretty younger girl in his office. The bride loses it big time and is determined that not only will her new husband suffer, so too will his family and inevitably all the guests too in an outrageous seemingly endless slapstick performance.

    The pace never lets up in the entire 2 hours that for once just flies by as you sit on the edge on your seat unable to even guess what could possibly happen next. What is really quite delicious though is Szifrón’s subversive humour which sets this unique piece really apart and must be a major contributing factor in the movie getting a Best Foreign Picture Oscar Nomination. It also benefitted from an excellent cast, a stunning soundtrack from Gustavo Santaolalla, and the fact that it had the Almodovar Brothers as its Producers.

    Wild Tales is really one wild ride that you will not want to miss. In UK cinemas now.

  • JD Sports “Suspends” Two Workers After Homophobic Slur

    JD Sports “Suspends” Two Workers After Homophobic Slur Aimed At Customers

    Sportswear retailer JD Sports has “suspended” two staff members after a gay couple were allegedly called “battymen”.

    The Evening Standard is reporting that three staff members from a JD Sports store have been “suspended” after one shop assistant allegedly called a gay couple “Battymen”.

    Gavin Matthews, 35, and his boyfriend Craig Hards were reportedly called “battymen”, a slur word used against gay men, as they shopped for new trainers at their local store in Eltham in south-east London.

    Gavin is said to have overheard a male store assistant use the term, which left the couple “mortified”. Mr Matthews also is quoted in saying that he has never been subjected to homophobic abuse in all the time he’s lived in the area, around 30-years.

    After making several complaints to head office, he was told that three members of staff had been “suspended” over the incident pending a full investigation.

    He told the Standard:

    “I was mortified. I have not heard that kind of talk before. I wasn’t expecting to be treated like that as a customer – it was very offensive.

    “My first thought was to go over there and speak my mind. He was totally oblivious to the offence he had caused – he was just standing there laughing.”

    He continued:

    “If I had been a young person, just coming out, then that would have been even more upsetting.”

    Speaking to the Standard Mr Matthews explained the incident:

    “There was this shop assistant in my way and I heard him say to his colleague ‘those battymen over there’. He was laughing away as he stood in the shop doorway.

    “I looked over at his colleague and he was so embarrassed. By this point my partner came back to me to ask what was going on. I thought I was going to get angry but I just left the store. My partner later said he had had worse [abuse] but I said ‘that is unacceptable’. There is no way that someone in a customer service position should get away with that.”

    TheGayUK reached out to JD Sports for comment.

  • Gay Domestic Violence Charity Relocates To Manchester

    The North West will be the base for Broken Rainbow’s main office and as well as new outreach programmes, such as the LGBT Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) role. The Broken Rainbow helpline will still be based in London, giving the charity much wider remit.

    Jo Harvey Barringer, Broken Rainbow’s Managing Director, says:
    “We’ve had such a warm welcome from LGBT groups and organisations here in Manchester and we are so excited to be part of a place with such great LGBT history and community. And as a national charity it is only right that we have a base outside of London.”

    As part of Broken Rainbow’s relocation it has also recruited of its first ever LGBT IDVA in partnership with Manchester City Council. The role’s inaugural incumbent, Tiffany Cunningham, brings a huge amount of experience to the position, and is keen to hit the ground running, ‘We’re keen to provide the service and support that this community needs, and actually deserves’

    The LGBT IDVA’s role will be to offer LGBT victims/ survivors support and assistance, such as help with safety planning and risk assessments, liaising with agencies as well as support through the criminal justice system.

    Last year Broken Rainbow made headlines after it was uncertain that it could continue its services after the government failed to make clear funding options for the year ahead. MP Caroline Lucas said:

    “If Broken Rainbow is forced to close its services as a result of Government cuts, it will mean the loss of a unique service which has made a real difference to the lives of tens of thousands of people. To see it close just at the time when its services are under greatest demand would be perverse and counterproductive.”

    An LGBT specific IDVA service is important because it will enable LGBT victim/survivors, to receive the targeted support that they need, with the reassurance that as a service we fully understand the dynamics of LGBT domestic violence and work in a respectful, confidential and professional manner.

    Jo Harvey Barringer, Broken Rainbow’s Managing Director, says:
    ‘One of the main things our service users ask for is on-going support by a caseworker and with this new IDVA post we will finally be able to offer this service. And although this initial role will be based in Manchester, our hope is that the service will grow and we will be able to host IDVA’s across the UK.’

    Manchester City Council is very excited to be in partnership with Broken Rainbow and is looking forward to collaborate with them and other organisations in the North West in the near future.

  • Mirror Reports Ed Sheeran alleged Homphobic Rap Pulled From YouTube

    A video clip in which million selling singer Ed Sheeran is seen rapping about a “fagotty man” has been pulled from the internet.

    The Irish Mirror is reporting that a film made of Sheeran in 2011 has been pulled from the Internet because it contains deeply offensive, homophobic words.

    In the “freestyle” rap battle with fellow artist Devlin, Sheeran is reportedly heard to say,

    “Yo, I freestyle to the faggoty man.”

    He continues: “I go on the bus and I sleep for a day, then I come back and they’re like, Ed, you look like this gay.”

    He adds: “These guys are safe they’re not gay mans.”

    The video is thought to be shot in late 2011.

    A spokesperson from Ed’s label, Warner Music, said,

    “Ed was sending up rappers who make homophobic remarks. He is clearly not ­homophobic.”

    According to The Mirror, a spokeperson from Stonewall said,
    “It’s important to think about the words you choose to use, as what some people see as ‘banter’ can have a ­negative and lasting effect.”

    In 2013 former X FACTOR winner James Arthur released a rap in which he used words like “queer”. He said:

    “Some of the things said in this rap can be mistaken for homophobic slurs and I assure you homophobia is something I do not believe in’”.

    The artist was dropped by his label, SYCO, shortly after.

  • Russian Embassy Corrects BBC On Its Anti-Gay Law

    BBC 3 was corrected after it Tweeted the wrong information to its followers about gay rights in Russia.

    The BBC were slammed last night by the Russian Embassy after it tweeted:

    “In Russia it’s illegal to tell anyone that being gay is normal. #ReggieYatesExtremeRussia: Gay & Under Attack, now pic.twitter.com/NVyabGblBn”

    The Russian Embassy were quick to snap back:

    “.@bbcthree This is plain wrong. Care to read http://rusemb.org.uk/press/1436 #ReggieYatesExtremeRussia”

    The programme fronted by Reggie Yates was centred around the fight and struggles that many LGBT Russians face after the introduction of a law in June 2013, which makes it illegal for anyone to talk about homosexuality to people under the age of 18.

    Since the introduction of the law Russia’s gay community has been on high alert from attacks and abuse. In 2014, Channel 4 broadcast a film called Hunted, which documented the cruelty that many face in their day-to-day living. In Russia it is claimed that only 1% of gay people dare to live openly because of the homophobic attacks on the gay community.

    The BBC replied to the tweet,

    ‘@RussianEmbassy Sorry for simplification. As the show correctly said, in Russia it’s illegal to tell anyone under 18 being gay is normal.”

  • Pizza4Equality Raises $155,000

    With over 4115 individual donations and a massive 62,000 social shares, Pizza4Equality, a campaign with aims to raise money for homeless LGBT youth has raised an incredible $155,000.

    The campaign was started initially as a counter to a fundraiser for a pizza parlour, Memories Pizza,  in Indiana that said it would discriminate against a gay couple. After national press exposure, the owners went on to receive in excess of $800,000 in donations to keep their business afloat.

    All proceeds of the Pizza4Equality fund will go to Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping LGBT Youth on the streets.

    A user on the crowd funding site, Christa Sheehan, wrote:

    I see this campaign’s a flop! So much for outshowing Memories Pizza! LOL #praiseHim”

    However the fund’s creator, Scott Wooledge countered,

    “But we’ve raise $155,000 to help LGBTQ homeless youth! So how can that be a ‘flop?’ We at #Pizza4Equality are super-proud and you should be too! Thank you!”

    The fund is collecting until the 29th April, the first national #40ToNoneDay – a day set up by the True Colors foundation to end LGBT youth homelessness.

  • Even Kids Are Saying Yes To Gay Marriage In Ireland

    The folks behind the “YES” Campaign in Ireland’s Referendum for Marriage Equality are doing such an amazing job.

     

    Hot on the trail of the Video we shared with you the other day comes another wee heartwarming film about what children think of it all. If this doesn’t move those voters who are still sitting on the fence on the issue, then nothing will.