THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Rainbow Jews seek crowd funding for its work

    Liberal Judaism’s ground-breaking LGBT history project Rainbow Jews is looking to raise at least £5,000 via online crowdfunding to continue its great work.

    During the last two years, this unique volunteer-led initiative has amassed more than 40 personal testimonies from British LGBT Jews; exploring the struggles, changes and issues experienced by the community from the 1950s to today.

    The Rainbow Jews collection, including documents and a digitised oral history, is held at the London Metropolitan Archives.

    An exhibition was also created and put on display at the London School of Economics and Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend earlier this year. The exhibition is now set to tour England, starting in Leicester on August 31 before moving on to Birmingham and Liverpool.
    Rainbow Jews Project manager Surat Knan said: “We believe in community spirit and want to keep making a difference. This is why we are asking our friends and supporters to help us continue this legacy.

    “We’ve had so much interest in the exhibition from all over the UK, youth groups want us to run sessions and new people have asked us to record their stories – but for all this we need funds.

    “Please donate, so we can make sure that our history will not become our past.”

    Donation can be made until 22 September via http://igg.me/at/rainbowjewslegacy or directly to Liberal Judaism.

  • BREAKING NEWS | Gay icon Joan Rivers dies, aged 81

    Joan Rivers has passed away after being on life support in Mount Sinai Hospital. She had suffered a cardiac arrest in New York last week. She was 81.

    In a statement, her daughter Melissa said she died surrounded by family and friends, and she thanked hospital staff for their “amazing care”.

    ‘My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.’

    Joan Rivers was due to tour the UK in comedy tour in October.

  • X Factor Star Marcus Collins To Co-Host LGBT BAME Media Festival

    X Factor star Marcus Collins to co-host queer cultural diversity media festival of films, conversations & performances.

    Queer Media this October will host Fusion to celebrate the stories of the LGBT Black, Asian and ethnic minority community with conversations with LGBT media professionals, interspersed with LGBT themed short films and performances. As part of Black History Month and partnered with UK Black Pride our aim is to inspire positive LGBT stories and promote LGBT visibility in the media.

    Fusion at the Compass Room at The Lowry, Manchester, Sunday 19th October 2014, 12pm to 8pm with registration from 11am.

    FILMS : CONVERSATIONS : PERFORMANCES
    Fusion asks can storytelling really empower people to create positive social change within their community?

    ‘Help us develop a voice for a new 21st century LGBT community through telling narratives of wholeness, connection and power,’ said Queer Media director Jamie Starboisky. “We want to touch people’s lives by telling empowering and inspirational stories through films, conversations and performances. Ultimately our aim is to promote understanding in society through improving visibility and representation of LGBT people, characters and stories in the media.”

    Being an interactive event with Q&A sessions, live video streaming and a Twitter wall the costs of the technology are high, meaning we are reaching out for people to support us through our Indiegogo campaign which recently launched.

  • House Of Fraser goes gay!

    We love it when big companies show their gay colours…

    In their latest style video, stalwart dept. store kings – House of Fraser have gone a bit gay with their style guide and they’re calling it Mr & Mr. with the caption, ‘You’ve found the perfect man, now you need the perfect wedding day wardrobe. Gentlemen, it’s time to think outside the closet and take him up the aisle in style…’

  • Rain Did Not Hamper The Gayest Sports Day Of The Year

    Yesterday the GMFA held the 9th annual GMFA/RVT Sports day.

    The rain and wind didn’t deter the hardcore fans of the event, which is now in its 9th year.

    Matthew Hodson, CEO of GMFA said, ‘This was the ninth year of the revived GMFA / RVT Sports Day and it was the first one where we had torrential rain. Truthfully, it feels like we’ve just dodged that bullet for all these years. What was brilliant though is that the wet weather didn’t dampen the atmosphere. Moving some of the events indoors, or under the arches, and just accepting that at other times we’re going to get wet, we still managed to have a great games. And we’ve raised a few thousand pounds to support GMFA’s HIV prevention work, including our website and FS magazine, which receive no Government funding, as well as the local charities, Vauxhall City Farm and the Friends of Vauxhall Pleasure Garden.

    ‘I’d like to say a huge thanks to all the teams for competing so gamely, to the staff and management at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and to the GMFA volunteers who kept the event running so smoothly, to Timberlina, Nicholas Heath and Bob Ballard for hosting and commentating on the sporting events and LaVoix for hosting the auction – and to everyone else who came along, helped to raise funds and made it such a great atmosphere.

    ‘We’ve finally proved that we can still have a great Gay Sports Day, even if it rains. But some sunshine next year will be greatly appreciated, all the same.’

  • Watch This Amazing Marriage Equality Video: ARMAGAYDDON

    A brilliant parody video has emerged about the future results of same-sex marriage in Ireland circa 2017.

    The video, which was produced by like:minded productions in association with LGBT Noise, shows what life could be like for two non-gays in Ireland two years after gay marriage.

    The video has already been seen by over 180,000 people.

    Currently same-sex couples can be civilly partnered under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010.

    A discussion about the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the Irish Constitution has grown in Ireland recently. This amendment is due to be discussed in February to April 2015.

  • Obituary: Film Maker, Producer and Actor Richard Attenborough

    Since the death of Richard Attenborough was announced yesterday, we have been reminded of the prolific work of this British theatrical and film genius, which scooped up endless awards over his very long career.

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  • BNP Complains That BBC Bosses Want More Gay Drama

    A post on the British National Party’s Facebook complains that the BBC Drama Boss has promised to boost more gay characters in their output.

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  • Apparently porn has become a problem for UK teenagers

    Eighty percent of 18-year-olds have said that it’s too easy to find porn online a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has suggested, and nearly half have said that sending naked pictures has become routine for today’s teens.

    The survey undertaken by the IPPR showed that seventy percent of the 18-year-olds thought that “accessing pornography was seen as typical” whilst they were at school. It became typical by the age of 13 to 15 years old.

    The polling taken by IPPR shows that many teens are uncomfortable with the ease of finding porn online and the impact of attitudes to sex and their relationships.

    • Almost half (46%) say “sending sexual or naked photos or videos is part of everyday life for teenagers nowadays.”

    • Seven out of ten (72%) 18 year olds say “pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes to sex” and that “pornography can have a damaging impact on young people’s views of sex or relationships” (70%).

    • Two thirds of young women (66%) and almost half of young men (49%) agree that “it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access for young people.” Two thirds (66%) say “people are too casual abut sex and relationships.”

    There was a gender divide to, with nearly 80 percent of young women saying, “pornography has led to pressure on girls or young women to look a certain way,” while almost as many (75%) say “pornography has led to pressure on girls and young women to act a certain way.”

    Nearly half (45%) of young men agreed that porn was a good teaching aid for sex, compared to 29% of young women.

    However teaching sex and relationships in school was still seen as a high priority by those who were surveyed, with nearly 90% saying that sex and relationship advice should be given at school.

    Dalia Ben-Galim, IPPR Associate Director, said,

    ‘This new polling data shows that pornographic images are pervasive in teenagers’ lives and that young women in particular are acutely conscious of how damaging they can be. It paints a worrying picture about the way online pornography is shaping the attitudes and behaviour of young people. It is also clear that young people believe the sex education they currently get in school hasn’t kept pace with the realities of their digital and social media lifestyles. Young people want sex education that includes relationships, taught by experts, preferably who are visiting the school rather than having to discuss these issues with their teachers or their parents.’

    The IPPR interviewed 500 UK adults aged 18 for the survey.

  • Older LGBT Londoners To Benefit From £75,000 Charity Grant

    Age UK Camden (AUC), a Camden based charity, has received £75,000 over two years from the City of London Corporation’s charity, City Bridge Trust, to boost its Opening Doors London (ODL) project for Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people.

    As the largest Age UK group in London, AUC works with around 7,000 older people in Camden, improving their lives through a wide range of services including day centres, information and advice service, volunteering and counselling. The ODL project, which is the largest of its kind in the UK, was established to address the needs of the older LGBT community across the capital and ensure they have access to specialised support and advice for their later life planning.

    It is estimated that there are as many as 150,000 LGBT people aged over 50 living in London, many of whom suffer from mental health problems, as a result of decades of discrimination and social exclusion. ODL supports almost 1,000 older LGBT Londoners, and this grant will be used to recruit two full time Development Coordinators to further develop vital services and strengthen referral networks.
    Stacey Halls, Opening Doors London Project Manager at Age UK Camden, said, ‘This substantial grant from the City Bridge Trust is incredibly important to us, as demand for the support and services offered through Opening Doors London (ODL) for older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Londoners continues to increase significantly. In addition to lobbying and campaigning with, and for, older LGBT people to ensure that services can meet their needs, ODL also provides a wide range of services and activities which aim to reduce social isolation and help to improve the overall health and well-being of older people from LGBT communities.’

    Jeremy Mayhew, Chairman of City Bridge Trust, said, ‘Over the past three years, City Bridge Trust has been working with AUC on this ground-breaking ODL project to expand its reach from five central London boroughs to all the North London boroughs; it is now developing throughout the capital. We are delighted to continue our support for this crucial project for older LGBT people, which provides a lifeline for this community, enabling their voices are heard and their needs are met.’

    City Bridge Trust is the grant-making arm of Bridge House Estates, whose sole trustee is the City of London Corporation. It addresses disadvantage by supporting London charities and providing grants totalling around £15 million annually.

  • There’s been nearly 1500 gay marriages in two month – since it became legal

    Nearly 1500 same-sex couples get married in the two months after it became legal in England Wales.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today released provisional statistics showing that there were 1409 same-sex marriages since 29th March 2014 and 30th June 2014.

    However, the uptake of marriage between gay couples was lower than Civil Partnerships when they were introduced in 2004.

    Same-sex marriage was made legal in England and Wales in March 2014. Scotland is to follow with the first gay marriages to take place sometime before the end of the year.

    56% of marriages were to females, whilst 44% were male on male marriages.

    According to the ONS ‘The majority of men and women marrying had never been married or in a civil partnership before (91% of males and 79% of females). Women were more likely than men to have previously been in a civil partnership or marriage that ended in dissolution or divorce (9% of men, 20% of women). A very small percentage of marriages took place for men and women whose previous marriage or civil partnership had ended with the death of their partner (0.5% of men and 0.9% of women).’