THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Life Assurance Policies Up 140% For People Living With HIV

    A new report out today shows that those men and women living with HIV are taking out more life assurance as new policies soar by 140%.

    However, the report also highlights that the average amount for which people are insuring themselves has decreased year-on-year to just £114,607.

    In 2013 the amount that people were insuring themselves for £134,667 and £134,130 in 2012, showing a decrease of just over £20,000 a survey showed.

    Chris Morgan, Marketing Manager of Unusual Risks, Mortgage & Insurance Services says,

    ‘It has come as a complete surprise that the average sum Assured of an HIV Life Assurance Policy has decreased over the last year to £114,607. However, at the same time over the last twelve months we have also seen a rapid increase in the number of people taking up HIV Life Assurance products.

    ‘We believe the volume of people taking HIV Life Assurance has increased by around 140% over the last two years, which seems to have had an effect on the average sum-assured being taken by policy holders. We are of course delighted to see that more people with HIV are protecting their homes, mortgages, families and children’.

    In last year’s HIV Life Assurance Survey it was established that 70% of Life Insurance providers now offer cover to people with HIV. However, the terms and premiums they offer vary wildly between different insurance companies. Those looking for HIV Life Assurance are urged to seek specialist advice before applying for insurance.

  • Gay Ugandans Hold Pride After Anti-Homosexuality Bill Annulled

    Hundreds of LGBTs and allies have turned out to a Pride event in Uganda after the annulment of the anti-homosexuality bill.

    Around two hundred people turned up to a pride event in Entebbe, 25 miles away from the Ugandan capital Kampala yesterday, after the anti-homosexuality law was annulled last week. The law was reversed on a technicality, because the law had been passed by a parliament without quorum.

    This is he third ever pride event in Uganda.

    ‘We are a group of people who have suffered enough,” said Ugandan lesbian activist Jacqueline Kasha. ‘We are Ugandans who have the right to gather in a public place … and we are going to have fun.’

    Many of the attendees wore face masks to protect their identity, fearing violent repercussions. The vast majority of Ugandan society sees homosexuality as morally wrong and sinful.

    The law that was signed by President Yoweri Museveni in February introduced tough penalties including life sentences on anyone who is caught engaging in same-sex relationships.

    Lawmakers in Uganda are already working to restore the law once parliament returns recess.

  • Man Punched Unconscious In Homophobic Attack At Brighton Pride

    Three men who attended Brighton Pride were verbally abused and physically attacked, which left one of the men unconscious in Preston Park during Brighton Pride.

    A police investigation has been mounted and an appeal for witnesses has been launched after one man was left unconscious during Brighton Pride this past weekend.

    The incident took place after two men started to urinate near to where the victims were sitting. When they asked that the men use the toilets, the attackers became violent.

    A single blow to the face knocked one of the victims, a 44-year-old man out. The two other men chased the suspects but were attacked themselves. St John Ambulance staff treated all three of the victims.

    Detective constable Chris Bishop said: ‘The two suspects are described as being white men in their 20s or 30s with Irish accents. One of them was topless and had tattoos on his body and the other was wearing a blue vest top.

    ‘This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and we are appealing to anyone with information or saw what happened to speak to us on 101 or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting 1901 of 2/8.’

    Information of the attack comes just a day after residents in Hanover received homophobic leaflets posted through their doors.

  • Brighton Gay Scene Targeted By Anti-Gay Leaflet Campaign

    Hateful leaflets, which condemned “homosexualism”, were posted through the letterboxes of Brighton households ahead of Brighton’s Pride event.

    An investigation is underway in Brighton today after a number of leaflets condemning homosexuality were posted through the letterboxes of residents in the Hanover area before Brighton’s pride which took part this past weekend.

    The leaflet in parts states, ‘The practice of homosexuality is both blasphemy against God and rebellion against nature.

    ‘It [is] abundantly evident that a penis is made for a vagina, and not for an anus. An anus is in fact designed solely for defecation.

    ‘Homosexuality, as well as being a sin and a vice, is essentially a neurosis, a pathological condition, the result of several factors including childhood experiences.

    ‘Homosexualism has become a cult, and by the indoctrination of school children and regular propaganda through the media, it seeks converts.

    ‘The general acceptance of homosexuality(…) will only lead to a continuing degeneration and corruption of morals, and the disintegration of family life. There is no such thing, and never can be any such thing as ‘gay marriage’.

    ‘If the practice of homosexuality is acceptable, then in time any form of sexual deviation, perversion and experimentation will be acceptable, including the progressive lowering of the age of consent, taking it below the age of puberty, and thus legalizing paedophilia.’

    A number of people in the area said that they had seen a ‘sinister looking monk’ delivering the leaflets.

    A spokesperson from Brighton’s police force said,

    ‘Police received reports on Wednesday, July 30 that homophobic leaflets had been delivered in the Hanover area of Brighton.

    ‘The PCSO for the area made contact with those who had reported the leaflets and the LGBT team at Brighton police station were made aware.’

  • The Putin Butt Plug

    Butt plugs come in all shapes and sizes, as individual as their users – as unique as a snowflake – or something like that – but this new Putin Plug, is something that we’re curious about.

    Have you seen the Putin butt plug yet? Putin’s war against gay people in Russia has outraged many, but one designer in Orlando has taken revenge to a whole new level.

    The sex toy was designed by Fernando Sosa, who said, ‘As many of you guys know Russia is bringing an all out war against the civil right of Gay people in Russia. Leading the charge is Mr. Putin and his homophobic leadership.

    ‘I wanted to ridicule Mr Putin so I wanted to make a voodoo-like doll of him so people could do whatever they wanted to him in the privacy of their own home.’

    The current version of the toy is made from sandstone, but Sosa is looking for funding to make the toy a reality.

    He continued, ‘What better way to attack Mr Putin’s shirtless bear wrestling reputation?

    ‘We are looking to make this into an actual usable toy but we need funds and resources to manufacture this. For the meanwhile This is meant as a decorative item and a conversation piece.’

    You can buy Putin sex toys from http://politicalsculptor.com

  • BREAKING: Uganda court strikes down anti-gay law

    The BBC is reporting that the Constitutional Court in Uganda has annulled the anti-gay law, which was introduced earlier this year.

    The law, which was introduced this year, has been widely condemned by world leaders, including President Obama, who called it ‘odious.’

    The UK’s deputy PM Nick Clegg, said that the anti-gay law, was ‘abhorrent’.

    The law, which included lesbians for the first time, could see anyone conducting same-sex relationships or promoting homosexuality facing life imprisonment.

    The gay community in Uganda have suffered huge harassment since the introduction of the anti-gay law, which was introduced by MP David Bahati and signed into law by the Country’s President Yoweri Museveni

    Activists reportedly cheered as the law was pronounced ‘null and void’.

    More to follow

  • Uganda Anti-Gay Law Null And Void

    The anti-gay law which was introduced earlier this year has been declared ‘Null and Void.

    Activists in the crowded court room reportedly cheered as the law was pronounced ‘null and void’.

    The BBC is reporting that the Constitutional Court in Uganda has annulled the anti-gay law, which was introduced earlier this year.

    The law, which was introduced this year, has been widely condemned by world leaders, including President Obama, who called it ‘odious.’

    The UK’s deputy PM Nick Clegg, said that the anti-gay law, was ‘abhorrent’. Many overseas aid givers had stopped payments over the laws.

    The law, which included lesbians for the first time, could see anyone conducting same-sex relationships or promoting homosexuality facing life imprisonment.

    The gay community in Uganda have suffered huge harassment since the introduction of the anti-gay law, which was introduced by MP David Bahati and signed into law by the Country’s President Yoweri Museveni

    Commenting on the decision of Ugandan judges in the constitutional court that the Anti-Homosexuality Act is unlawful because it was passed by parliament without a quorum, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said, ‘This is a major victory for gay campaigners and their straight allies in Uganda. They fought this law and won, against all odds. Congratulations to the Ugandan gay and straight civil society coalition that brought this legal challenge.

    ‘Human rights and the rule of law have prevailed against a homophobic, tyrannical parliament and president.

    ‘The judges have shown commendable independence and integrity by upholding the law, despite majority government and public support for anti-gay legislation.

    ‘It demonstrates that President Museveni may have nobbled many judges but not these ones,’ said Mr Tatchell.

    Dr. Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of the Equal Rights Trust, said, ‘We are delighted that the Supreme Court has struck down this pernicious legislation. The law violated many fundamental human rights of LGBT people in Uganda including the right to a private life, the right to dignity and the right to equality. We note that the legislation was found unconstitutional on procedural grounds rather than for its substance and so urge the government of Uganda not to attempt to re-enact the law.
    ‘As we celebrate this victory, it is important to remember that LGBT people in Uganda continue to suffer profound discrimination and gross inequality, not least through the criminalisation of same-sex sexual activity. We will continue to call for greater protection and respect for the rights of LGBT in Uganda, notwithstanding today’s decision.’

    ERT has been lobbying the Ugandan Parliament and President Museveni on the Anti-Homosexuality Act and Uganda’s treatment of the LGBT community since 2009. After a detailed study of the then Bill, the Equal Rights Trust produced a comprehensive legal analysis of the proposed law concluding that it violated not only a number of Uganda’s obligations under international human rights law but also the human rights protections within the Constitution of Uganda itself. ERT made repeated calls both to the Parliament and to the President calling for the proposed law to be abandoned in 2009, 2011, 2013 and again in January 2014 before the Bill’s assent.

  • Safer Sex Message Urged Ahead Of Belfast Pride

    Sexual health experts are supporting Belfast Pride, to make sure that everyone taking part in this year’s festival; ‘plays safe and stays safe’. Gay and bisexual men are at particular risk of sexually transmitted infections; latest available statistics from the department of health reveal that rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis in Northern Ireland’s MSM continue to soar.

    To tackle the problem, Belfast Pride has teamed up with Confidante, who have developed the world’s only home test, to detect 10 common STIs. Stephen Henderson, Manager at Confidante, says partnering with Belfast Pride, is about, encouraging men who have sex with men to take action:

    “One of the reasons that men who have sex with men, have such high STI transmission rates, is because they don’t get tested; perhaps they’ve had a bad experience previously; or perhaps they aren’t showing any symptoms – even though they are infected; many STIs are asymptomatic. We are encouraging MSM and everyone taking part in Belfast Pride to be proud of their sexual health, protect both their partner and themselves and to get tested.”

    Seán Ó Néill, Chair of Belfast Pride Festival, is supporting this focus on Sexual Health:

    “This year’s festival is about celebrating Diversity and calling for Equality – and this equality is needed within healthcare services for all citizens including LGBTQ people. We are pleased Confidante is coming on board as a partner of the festival and offering more choice in Sexual Health testing and we are working with them to get the message across to the MSM community in Northern Ireland, in particular, to play safe and stay safe”.

    The safe sexual health message comes ahead of today’s Belfast Pride Parade, 30 thousand people are expected into the city centre to take part in the event.

  • Gay police officers are worried about impact on their career

    Gay and lesbian police officers sometimes fear the consequences of revealing their sexuality as they rise through the ranks, it has been revealed.

    Some senior police officers are worried that coming out may impact on their career prospects and that homophobia still exists within some policing teams.

    At the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales annual conference in September, officers from across the country will discuss encouraging the service to be more accepting of diversity, ensuring gay and lesbian officers who would like to be out can be and the benefits of this to police officers and communities, in a session titled: “Taking the uniform out of the closet.”

    Mike Gallagher, the association’s lead on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) policing, said: ‘It must be emphasised that homophobia is not accepted in policing. The police service has come a long way, as has society, and that has to be acknowledged. But there is more to be done.

    ‘We want colleagues to feel they can be themselves at work. Sadly some police officers and staff are not confident to be out in their police forces, particularly as they rise through the ranks. It is of course a choice – and for some officers it is a conscious decision – but some fear homophobia still exists in areas of policing.

    ‘We need to improve the confidence of some LGBT communities in policing and having role models – senior gay and lesbian police officers being confident and open about their sexuality – would help this.’

    He added: ‘We need a police service that reflects the public we serve – this will help gain trust and confidence in communities but also in fighting crime. And this will also bring a diversity of thinking to the many policing challenges the service currently faces.’

    TWO FIFTHS OF GAY SUPERINTENDENTS EXPERIENCE DISCRIMINATION
    A survey of senior police officers – carried out by the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales – has revealed four out of 10 lesbian or gay superintendents and chief superintendents say they have “experienced discrimination in the policing workplace” during their careers.

    One respondent to the survey said: ‘Discrimination by some senior officers exists, but it is at a subtle underlying level.’
    Another added: ‘As a senior leader I would love to be openly gay.’

    A total of 27 of the association’s 1,300 members – who include senior operational commanders and leaders delivering local policing, specialist investigations and operations and support services within police forces – took part in the survey.
    Responding to the survey’s findings, Mr Gallagher, a Met officer, added: ‘The fact that 40 per cent of our gay and lesbian members have experienced discrimination in their careers is frustrating and unacceptable.
    ‘It is very disappointing that we are still talking about this as an issue in 2014. We need to do better. And we can.’

    Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, said: ‘Here at Stonewall we know that people perform better when they can be themselves, so it’s fantastic to hear the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales proactively encouraging LGBT employees to be themselves at work while emphasising the fact that homophobia will not be accepted in policing.’

  • Belarus on the brink of replicating Russian anti-gay laws

    Europe’s last dictatorship to replicate Russia’s “anti-homosexual propaganda” law, claim anti-discrimination activists in Belarus.

    Concerns that Belarus plans to enact an “anti-homosexual propaganda” law, of the type enacted in Russia in 2013, were raised at a meeting convened by the London-based Equal Rights Trust (ERT) in collaboration with the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) last week. A draft of the law has not been released, but work on a bill on protecting children from propaganda of homosexuality has been included in a presidential decree concerning the legislative agenda of parliament.

    The meeting, held in Minsk on 22 July brought together leading civil society groups from around the country to discuss equality law reform and agree on guiding principles for a model equality law that would bring Belarus in line with international standards.

    Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of Equal Rights Trust, said: ‘While in Minsk I saw signs that Belarus may be starting to distance itself from Moscow in the wake of the annexation of Crimea. Yet, at the same time, we learn that the country plans to replicate Russia’s homophobic law, relying on populist calls to defend children from “propaganda of homosexuality”.

    ‘Belarus, despite its pariah status, has a good record on promoting equality for women, disabled persons and others. We urge the government to resist the wave of homophobia issuing from Russia and uphold its track record on issues of equality.’

    Of particular concern to participants was an alarming rise in homophobic hate speech in Belarusian media. In the past 12 months alone, more than 200 publications have used homophobic language or terminology, inciting violence and discrimination and even equating homosexuality with paedophilia, zoophilia and crime. Some media reports went so far as to call for the LGBT community to be quarantined, while others said that it threatened the territorial integrity of Belarus.

    The Equal Rights Trust has been supporting civil society in Belarus to promote equality law reform since 2011. In November 2013, ERT published “Half an Hour to Spring: Addressing Discrimination and Inequality in Belarus”, the first comprehensive report on the enjoyment of the rights to equality and non-discrimination in the country, which recommended, among other things, the adoption of a comprehensive equality law.

    To read a summary of ERT’s report in English click here
    To support Equal Rights Trust and its work in Belarus visit www.equalrightstrust.org

  • Ruth Hunt announced as CEO of Stonewall

    Ruth Hunt has been announced as the new CEO of Britain’s biggest Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual charity, Stonewall.

    Ruth Hunt has been acting CEO of the charity since February this year and before that, was Deputy Chief Executive. She joined the charity in 2005 as a Senior Policy Officer, having begun her career at the Equality Challenge Unit. Her appointment concludes a comprehensive and transparent search, throwing up a strong set of candidates from which Ruth emerged as the clear winner.

    In May Hunt controversially refused to back a boycott of the Dorchester Collection, after it emerged that the owner of the group the Sultan Of Brunei said that he would adopt the Sharia criminal code for his country, the law carries harsh penalties for adultery and sodomy – which includes death by stoning.

    Hunt commented, ‘The recent boycott of The Dorchester Collection has undoubtedly raised awareness in the West of the issues in Brunei but the crucial questions for Stonewall are whether there is a mandate for the boycott and would such a boycott work? We believe the answer is no, on both counts. I do not believe the somewhat beleaguered Christopher Cowdray, Chief Executive of the Collection, can somehow influence the implementation of Sharia criminal code in Brunei.’

    Her statement led to a public outcry, which led to Stonewall changing its stance 3 days later.

    On the announcement of her appointment, Ruth Hunt said, ‘I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead Stonewall, a highly-respected organisation that is synonymous with achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. It is full of committed, intelligent and creative people and I am very pleased to be heading up such a talented team.

    ‘There are so many opportunities ahead, as well – of course – as challenges. I look forward to working with Stonewall’s many partners to develop what the team and my predecessors have already achieved, to advance equality and challenge discrimination both throughout the UK and abroad. These goals we share with the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and it’s fundamental that we work together to achieve them.’