THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • There’s now a gay sauna board game – and we’re so in

    There’s now a gay sauna board game – and we’re so in

    Gay Sauna the Board Game is a brand-new adventure game that has just launched its first Kickstarter campaign. Conceived and designed by Adrian Collier, an avid ‘gaymer’, this gay-minded game brings adult fun to board game fans willing to spice up their playdates.

    The game was completely born in Amsterdam. Gay Sauna the Board Game, which has been under development for more than 2 years and has been through over 20 iterations based on feedback from hundreds of playtests, aims to bring a taboo topic (gay saunas) to the masses in a very fun, naughty, and witty way. The Kickstarter campaign, launched on July 26th, has already reached 20% of the fund total in just 5 days – a key element of success for any Kickstarter.

    “After the idea was in my head for over a year, I decided in Autumn 2018 to leave my professional career in IT Development and investigate if my novelty game idea had any merit,” stated the brain behind the game, Collier.

    “I spent the next months doing a lot of research, prototyping and playtesting to see what I wanted to do with my idea. I created ReRoll Works, a creative organization with the intent to create and publish exciting and funny games for the LGBTQ+ audience, with Gay Sauna the Board Game being just the first in what I hope to be a great series of games.”

     

    The Kickstarter campaign runs until Friday August 30th. The intention is to really help a true entrepreneur with no corporate backing to reach his goal of a launch. For interviewing opportunities with Adrian Collier, contact Anthony Hodge, in Dutch or English: ahodge.vansteenbergen@gmail.com, +31 6 308 616 31. For game testing and questions about playdates, contact: adrian@gaysaunatheboardgame.com , +31 6 152 597 51.

    About Gay Sauna the Board Game Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rerollworks/gay-sauna-the-board-game

    Website: https://gaysaunatheboardgame.com/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saunagame

  • This student union apologises for the wrongful historic expulsion of safe sex pioneers

    This student union apologises for the wrongful historic expulsion of safe sex pioneers

    The University of Salford Student Union has apologised and offered lifetime membership to those who were expelled.

    Twenty-Five years after a collective of LGBT+ activists found themselves expelled from the University of Salford’s Student Union have apologised. Jeff Evans and Simon McGurk were accused of distributing offensive materials on campus, in the form of a graphic image within their annual Pink Guide. The Students’ Union has recently issued a formal apology to all the banned students and awarded them lifetime membership to the SU

    In that year’s guide, the collective had included a “graphic image” to illustrate safer sex. It was during the AIDS epidemic and the students were trying to educate on safer-sex practices. The aim of the Pink Guide was to educate new starting students about LGBT life in Greater Manchester.

    Despite the insistence from the Pink Collective that the image was vital to the dissemination of safer sex practices, the University of Salford Students’ Union upheld a distribution ban of the Pink Guide and expelled the students involved. T

    his image was obtained from Government-issued health information.

    By pure coincidence, a recent University of Salford Students’ Union Student Officer met a member of the Pink Collective at an external event. This former student, Jeff Evans, told the Student Officer his story and showed him the Pink Guide that led to the ban.

    The Students’ Union felt their actions in 1993 were discriminatory and not in line with the current values of the organisation. They invited Jeff and another Pink Collective member, Simon McGurk to campus and tell their story. This visit was documented alongside a visit to the Manchester Central Library Archives, to create a short film about the Pink Guide.

    The premiere of this film is taking place on Tuesday 20 August, between 5-6pm at the North Side, University House at the University of Salford, featuring a Q&A with Jeff and Simon. Everyone is welcome to the screening of this film, find out more here.

    Jeff and Simon have been working with the Students’ Union to create a new Pink Guide which will be available to Salford students during Welcome Week.

    Former Pink Collective and lifetime Students’ Union member, Jeff Evans said, “It is a shameful period in the past of the Students’ Union, and I am so pleased that the organisation has had the maturity to put their hand up and say, ‘this was wrong, and we want to try and make it right’.”

     

  • The UK gets its first permanent rainbow crossing in Lambeth

    The UK gets its first permanent rainbow crossing in Lambeth

    The London borough of Lambeth has become the first in the UK to install a permanent rainbow crossing.

    2019-08-16 The UK’s first permanent Rainbow Crossing opened today (16 August) outside the Herne Hill entrance to Brockwell Park, Lambeth. The crossing is a celebration of Lambeth and London’s LGBT+ community with an eye-catching rainbow crossing spanning four lanes of major roads., and celebrates the borough’s inclusive nature and creative culture. Speakers were: Cllr Ibrahim Dogus, Lambeth Mayor, Cllr Sonia Winifred, Faith Henry, a young local resident, and guests were also treated to a vocal performance from singer Almaz. www.magnus-andersson.com

    The London borough of Lambeth has unveiled its brand new rainbow crossing – a planned permanent feature on Herne Hill, which aims to bring visibility to the LGBT+ community in the area.

    According to the BBC, a ‘Walk the Rainbow’ messaging will appear throughout Lambert, guiding people to the Herne Hill gate at Brockwell Park to visit the crossing, a council spokesperson said.

    People have been invited to share images on social media with the hashtags #WeAreLambeth and #HerneHillRainbow.

    2019-08-16 The UK’s first permanent Rainbow Crossing opened today (16 August) outside the Herne Hill entrance to Brockwell Park, Lambeth. The crossing is a celebration of Lambeth and London’s LGBT+ community with an eye-catching rainbow crossing spanning four lanes of major roads., and celebrates the borough’s inclusive nature and creative culture. Speakers were: Cllr Ibrahim Dogus, Lambeth Mayor, Cllr Sonia Winifred, Faith Henry, a young local resident, and guests were also treated to a vocal performance from singer Almaz.
    www.magnus-andersson.com

    Cllr Sonia Winifred, Lambeth Cabinet Member for Equalities and Culture, said: “This is a colourful and fun symbol of Lambeth’s inclusivity.

    “We’re proud of our LGBT+ community and have a tradition of championing equality and LGBT+ rights – this crossing celebrates that and is a physical example of our bold and progressive thinking.

    “What better time to unveil the rainbow crossing than in the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. We’ve come a long way, and in Lambeth, we’re proud to be leading the way.”

  • GoFundMe page created for the guy with the “never ending” erection

    GoFundMe page created for the guy with the “never ending” erection

    A man who has had a permanent erection for over a week now has a crowd funder.

    A gay man who has a permanent erection after having a drug injected into his penis by a one night stand, hook up, who happened to be nurse, has had a crowd funder created for him by two friends, to help create awareness of his condition, which is called Priapism.

    Danny checked in a hospital when his erection wouldn’t subside. According to reports, he took a viagra before going clubbing but ended up hooking up with a nurse who then injected his penis was an “erection enhancer” he told Pink News.

    His condition has left him “screaming in pain” and could suffer from permanent damage to his dick. Doctors have given the odds of around 50 per cent that he’ll ever be able to have an erection again.

    “he lost a lot of blood and may have been close to death”

    Medical professionals have tried numerous ways to calm his erection including blood-thinning drugs.

    Two friends of Danny, Paul Jones and Mariana Ungaretti have organised a fundraiser for him, writing,

    “Danny has been suffering with a potentially life-threatening priapism for more than 10 days.

    He has been in a lot of pain, last week he lost a lot of blood and may have been close to death. He is being brave, focused and is a survivor! But however positive he’s trying to be, he’s also traumatised and often crying with extreme stress and anxiety.

    “Some days he’s been in so much pain, that he has blacked out / fallen unconscious, even with strong pain relief.

    “His aim is to raise awareness about Priapism; A misunderstood, painful and dangerous condition that is affecting the gay/queer community increasingly more each year”.

    Ouch.

    The fundraiser is aiming to reach 5000 Euros, and is created just under €1000. If you’d like to donate, click here.

     

     

     

  • Almost a quarter of gay and bi men unable to get access to PrEP via the NHS

    New data shows that nearly a quarter of gay and bisexual men who tried to access PrEP via the NHS IMPACT trial were unable to in the past year.

    PrEP pills
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    Data from AIDSMAP shows that 22 per cent of people who tried to access PrEP via the IMPACT trial were unable to secure the HIV prevention medication in the last year. Those who live outside London were more likely to fail in their attempt to access the drug.

    The AIDSMAP statement stated that the importance of access to PrEP was underscored by the fact that 82 per cent of those who tried to access had condomless sex within a six month period.

    The survey was answered by 2389 people during six weeks between 17 May and 1 July 2019. It was conducted by Public Health England in collaboration with PrEPster and iwantPrEPnow.

    Of those who answered the survey, 92 per cent identified as gay, 6 per cent bisexual and 2 per cent who ID’d as non-binary or transgender. 86 per cent of those who answered ID’d as white 14 per cent ID’d as BAME.

    Marc Thompson, Health Improvement Lead at Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “PrEP is a key tool in the fight against ending HIV transmissions. These new findings demonstrate that PrEP isn’t just stopping HIV it is having an overwhelming positive impact on people’s lives. That’s so important to remember as there remains far too many people unable to access this HIV game-changer.

    “The impact of not increasing places on the trial has been laid bare in this survey, with nearly one in five people who want to access PrEP unable to do so. While nearly a quarter of people who had been purchasing PrEP privately having to stop due to being unable to pay for the anti-HIV drug. People should not be forced to make a decision that ultimately increases their risk of HIV. That’s why there must be increased places on the trial and immediate action towards providing routine access to PrEP.

    “It is concerning that only half of people who have purchased PrEP privately have undergone the necessary kidney function tests before or while taking PrEP. Despite the side affects of taking PrEP being minimal for many users, it’s vital anyone wanting to or currently taking PrEP has the relevant screenings. This puts even greater urgency on our calls for PrEP to be embedded in routine HIV prevention services.”

    What is PrEP?

    CREDIT: © garyphoto Depositphotos

    Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, it is a drug treatment protocol using a prescription medicine called Truvada and has been shown in a recent trial to be highly effective in preventing HIV in gay and bisexual men, when taken daily and used in combination with other infection prevention measures.

    Truvada contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) and is already routinely used in combination with other medicines to treat existing HIV infection.

     

     

  • Disgraced Rugby Player Israel Folau wants $10 million

    The disgraced rugby player, Israel Folau has launched a $10 million lawsuit against Rugby Australia.

    Israel Folau was dismissed from his position at Rugby Australia earlier this year after a series of homophobic tweets surfaced. At the time he was one of the highest-paid sportspeople in Australian sport.

    In April the Australian Rugby Union served Israel Folau with a contract ending breach notice, following on from offensive social media posts, one of which said that “hell awaits” gay people and bashing transgender people, using his Christian beliefs as a defence for his views.

    In June Folau and Rugby Australia entered mediation at a Fair Work Commission hearing. There was no resolution after a near four-hour meeting.

    Now Folau has apparently filed a lawsuit and wants a cool $10 million in compensation from Rugby Australia to cover the loss of sponsorship and potential future contracts.

    Free Speech, Religious Freedoms or both?

    Under the Fair Work Act, it is not legal to sack an employee for an employee’s religion. Folau’s suit is a test case in this area and could determine “whether the word ‘religion’ should be interpreted to include protection for an employee’s religious expression and activities” according to employment layer Josh Bornstein.

    Many of Folau’s supporters have raised concerns over whether the player’s right to free speech was curbed.

  • Actor Joshua Rush comes out as bisexual

    Actor Joshua Rush comes out as bisexual

    Disney actor, Joshua Rush has come out and used his platform to bring attention to internalised homophobia, the life expectancy of trans women of colour and finding the courage to come out.

    Joshua Rush as his character Cyrus Goodman in the Disney show, Andi Mack.

    Joshua Rush, who starred in the Disney show, Andi Mack has come out as bisexual. The 17-year-old actor, who turns 18 in December,  became the first openly gay character in a Disney show, when, his character Cyrus Goodman uttered the words, “I’m Gay”.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The actor came out in a series of tweets,

    He took to Twitter to write, “I’m bi. And now that I’ve said that, I have a few things to rant about. There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.

    “I saw so many of you watch Cyrus come out and said “Hey! I can be me!” How ironic, isn’t it, that me, playing that character, never had mustered up that courage?

    “Instead of feeling the courage to tell you today that I am an out and proud bisexual man because of the character I played for four years, I feel that courage thinking of all of you, who felt emboldened by Cyrus to come out.

    “I had a close friend of mine come out to me in fifth grade. FIFTH GRADE! That was well before I had any clue of my own identity and orientation. I suffered with some level of my own internalized homophobia even while playing the first openly gay character on Disney Channel.

    “Release it into the world”

    Embed from Getty Images

    “I stuffed the existential crisis of talking about my sexual orientation into a box in my mind for years. Today, I release it into the world.

    “Being bi isn’t all of my identity”

    The star also used his coming out as an opportunity to bring attention to the life expectancy of trans women of colour – who’s life expectancy is just 35-years-old in some parts of the world.

    He continued,  “Being bi isn’t all of my identity, nor is it the most important part of my identity. Bi erasure and issues like it are important, but trans women of color still have a life expectancy of THIRTY FIVE YEARS and that is absolutely unacceptable.

    “So. I want to encourage you all to donate to GLAAD. Our show wouldn’t have existed in the form that it did without them, but also because their hard work in furthering acceptance in media helps an uncountable number of people”.

  • Porn star Silas dies just days before his 26th birthday

    Porn star Silas dies just days before his 26th birthday

    A porn star who filmed scenes with Military Classified and Cocksure Men has died at the age of 25, of an apparent drug overdose.

    Silas, who was known to film for the studios Military Classified and Cocksure Men has died after an apparent drug overdose just days before his 26th birthday. He also worked for Raw Castings and Active Duty.

    The star died on the 8th July, but the news of his death was made public last week.

    The news was broken by Rob Navarro who owns the Military Classified studio, who wrote, “With a heavy heart I bring this disturbing news, one of my models, Stephen Morgan, Jr. (SILAS) passed away on July 8, 2019, of an apparent overdose, he was 25. In my 15 yrs online I’ve only sent 2 tweets like this…it’s never easy…RIP Silas, your beauty will live forever now”.

    https://twitter.com/mclassified/status/1154430081302851584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1154430081302851584&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.queerty.com%2Fadult-film-performer-silas-dead-25-20190729

    An obituary for the performer, who’s name was Stephen, said,

    Stephen 25, of Orlando, Florida passed away Monday, July 8, 2019. He was born on July 23, 1993 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    Stephen is survived by his mother, Kathleen Lahr (husband, John Lahr, Sr.); father, Stephen E. Morgan, Sr.; brother, John Lahr, Jr.; brother, Damian Lahr; sister, Carissa Wheeler; sister, Amanda Ross; sister, Olivia Lahr; and maternal grandparents, Douglas and Connie Artin.

    Services will be held privately at a later date.

  • South Wales police denies making any stipulations over who can attend Rhondda Pride

    Police in South Wales have stated that they have never stipulated who can and can’t attend.

    In an initial email sent by organisers of Rhondda Pride to Leathermen Cymru, they alleged that South Wales police had made stipulations about who could and couldn’t attend the pride.

    South Wales Police have set the record straight by releasing a statement saying, “just to confirm, our role at events such as this is public safety. We have played no part whatsoever in stipulating who attends”.

    The pride has received a huge backlash over a now-deleted statement, in which the pride warned that “no bondage or sexualised costumes” were allowed as they were “trying to make this a safe space for under 18 LGBTQ+ individuals and families and a place for parents of young LGBTQ+ people who want to understand and support their children”.

    “Picking and choosing”

    The UK Pride Organisers Network said that it did not support the erasure of any part of the LGBT+ community. It went on to blast the event for “picking and choosing” who is and isn’t allowed to be at the event”.

    “We don’t support erasure of any part of our community. Rhonnda Pride you are NOT a Pride, you are a family fun day that is picking and choosing who is and isn’t allowed to be at your event. There is NO Pride in Exclusion! We are 1! #WeStandWithEveryone Together we are UKPON!

     

    We may have to pull our event due to the actions of the BDSM community. This is a tragedy.

    In a statement to THEGAYUK.com a spokesperson for the event said,

    “We should start by saying that we are a small valleys Pride with a capacity for 500 maximum people plus a market. We only asked for no charity or political stalls due to the fact that we don’t have enough room to hold them. This was not exclusion this was practical. As for the Leathermen we have never banned leather, that is ridiculous. What we have requested is due to the family friendly nature of the event and the fact our headline act is 13 years old no BDSM wear or sexual costumes be worn. I don’t see any issues with wanting to be family friendly however we may have to pull our event due to the actions of the BDSM community. This is a tragedy for the LGBTQ + children, adolescents, teenagers, young adults and families who wanted to support an event of this nature.”

     

  • MP CHRIS BRYANT: Rhondda Pride org hasn’t “thought this through”

    MP CHRIS BRYANT: Rhondda Pride org hasn’t “thought this through”

    The MP for Rhondda, Chris Bryant has called for pride in Rhondda to be done “properly”

    The openly gay MP for Rhondda in Wales, Chris Bryant has made a statement suggesting that the organisers of the Rhondda pride event, which has faced a backlash due to its policy of excluding various communities from its event, haven’t thought through their policy.

    He wrote in a Facebook post,

    “If I’m truly honest, I don’t think the organisers, whoever they are, have really thought this through. It seems a bit self-defeating already and bizarre not to have involved the Rhondda MP who happens to be gay.”

    The MP also said that he was concerned that the fallout from the exclusionary policy would make people believe that Rhondda was as an unwelcoming place. Which he said  “couldn’t be further from the truth”

    He finished his message by saying that there will be a Rhondda Pride – but added, “let’s do it properly!”

  • This UK pride event is telling people what they can’t wear and people aren’t happy

    This UK pride event is telling people what they can’t wear and people aren’t happy

    Rhondda Pride has faced a huge backlash after it said that people wearing bondage and kink attire were not welcome at its event.

    close-up of man wearing black fetish leather pants

    A pride in Wales has outraged many in the LGBT+ community after it said it was excluding political parties, religious organisations, charities and anyone wearing bondage or “sexualised costumes” effectively erasing a number of communities from its event.

    Leathermen Cymru had asked to be involved with the event but were told that “certain groups who are not family-friendly” were not permitted to attend. It said that Leathermen and its sexual connotations did not “sit well in an event of this nature”.

    It also said that the police had made stipulations on the pride, THEGAYUK.com has reached out to South-Wales Police for clarification.

    “Safe Space for under 18s and their parents”

    In a now-deleted statement, the pride warned that “no bondage or sexualised costumes” were allowed as they were “trying to make this a safe space for under 18 LGBTQ+ individuals and families and a place for parents of young LGBTQ+ people who want to understand and support their children”.

    It continued, “Over 18s LGBTQ+ are going to have a fun, inclusive event without politics, religion and over-sexualisation of the community.

    “Our acts on stage will be suitable for all ages”.

    “We are celebrating our rights in an open way. Pride is about celebration and acceptance”.

    The Tweet and both the organisation’s Twitter and Facebook account have since been removed.

    Calls for resignations

    Many in the community felt that Rhondda Pride’s policy went against the spirit of pride and some were calling for a change in policy or for those in charge to stand down.

    Nick wrote, “This nonsense contributes to the homophobia still aimed at GBQ ppl (men esp), suggesting that our sexual practices are depraved & that we are a sexual threat to children. It is the antithesis of gay liberation. I hope that the organising committee will review this or stand down”

    https://twitter.com/nikku_man/status/1155942365195976706

    Buster added, “Pride is about acceptance, and you are having none of it. You should hang your heads, as you promote division in the community & exclude others so you can appeal to straight people. Call yourself Mardi Gras if you want, but don’t act like you have any Pride in our great community.

    https://twitter.com/BusterBDSM/status/1155935178188918784

    While Mr Leather Wales wrote, “This is exactly the kind of whitewashing Pride should be protesting against”.

    https://twitter.com/MrLeatherWales/status/1155938454313635840

    Picking and choosing”

    The UK Pride Organisers Network said that it did not support the erasure of any part of the LGBT+ community. It went on to blast the event for “picking and choosing” who is and isn’t allowed to be at the event”.

    “We don’t support erasure of any part of our community. Rhonnda Pride you are NOT a Pride, you are a family fun day that is picking and choosing who is and isn’t allowed to be at your event. There is NO Pride in Exclusion! We are 1! #WeStandWithEveryone Together we are UKPON!

    Pride responds: This is very upsetting to all of us.

    The organisers of the pride have claimed that there has been a lot of “hatred” stirred up against them and it was “very upsetting to all of us”

    Writing on their Facebook page they wrote, in a now-deleted message,  “Hello everyone. We wanted to put on a small valleys Pride which was child friendly. Unfortunately asking members of the community not to wear BDSM clothing and bring their boyfriends on dog leads has caused a backlash. We have at NO POINT asked anyone not to wear leather we asked for family friendly costumes.

    “The aggressive nature of the hatred being stirred up by the Leathermen and their allies is now being made personal against our organisers. We have therefore suspended our social media temporarily.

    “The Leathermen are apparently writing to various equality groups to get our small valleys Pride shut down before it’s even started.

    “A family friendly event with no politics, bondage, overt sex or sexualised costumes is not what parts of the community want. I have been even emailed that Pride cannot be family friendly. This is very upsetting to all of us. If you want this Pride to happen then please stand up for us against this hatred.”

    We may have to pull our event due to the actions of the BDSM community. This is a tragedy.

    In a statement to THEGAYUK.com a spokesperson for the event said,

    “We should start by saying that we are a small valleys Pride with a capacity for 500 maximum people plus a market. We only asked for no charity or political stalls due to the fact that we don’t have enough room to hold them. This was not exclusion this was practical. As for the Leathermen we have never banned leather, that is ridiculous. What we have requested is due to the family friendly nature of the event and the fact our headline act is 13 years old no BDSM wear or sexual costumes be worn. I don’t see any issues with wanting to be family friendly however we may have to pull our event due to the actions of the BDSM community. This is a tragedy for the LGBTQ + children, adolescents, teenagers, young adults and families who wanted to support an event of this nature.”