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  • Sale of “at home” HIV testing kits to be made legal

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust has welcomed the Department of Health’s announcement that the sale of HIV self-testing kits is to be made legal in the UK.

    Policy Director Lisa Power said: “We warmly welcome this decision, which Terrence Higgins Trust has long campaigned for. People deserve to have a choice about how and where they test for HIV and proper regulation will make self-testing a safe and supported option for many more people across the country. The public response to our highly successful home sampling scheme shows that many people who have never tested before, or who have been putting off a visit to a clinic, are willing to test at home.

    “Currently, most HIV transmission in the UK is driven by the 25,000 people who have HIV but have not yet been diagnosed. Anything that encourages these people to test, take control of their health and get treatment is a welcome advance.”

    Since 1992, the sale of self-testing kits for HIV has been illegal in the UK. Kits can currently be purchased over the internet, but they are unregulated, often of very poor quality and lack important information on HIV transmission and where to get support.

    In 2010, Terrence Higgins Trust surveyed 657 people via newsletters, social media, and other online media. Of the 490 respondents that had not tested HIV-positive, 63% said they would consider using HIV self-testing kits if they were legalised and 51% thought legalisation would make them test more often. Among gay men, one of the groups most at risk of HIV in the UK, 60% thought legalisation would make them test more often.

    In January 2013, Terrence Higgins Trust and Public Health England co-launched their first HIV home sampling scheme, where people in groups at an increased risk of infection could request a free HIV test by post. Since launch, the scheme has provided almost 9,000 home sampling kits to gay men and Africans in England, receiving over 1,400 requests in the first month alone.

    For more information on HIV testing options, including Terrence Higgins Trust’s community testing clinics and home sampling service, please visit www.tht.org.uk.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | As Is, Finborough Theatre

    Twenty-five years ago, the gay population in the USA was facing an unprecedented medical crisis, one that threatened to kill off the entire community.

    A new disease had immerged, its origins were little known and any sort of cure or treatment for its symptoms was still a pipedream too far for all of its victims. By 1987, the year As Is first played in London, Act Up, (the Aids Coalition To Unleash Power) reported that over 41,000 people had died because of this new virus, HIV, which essentially killed the immune system, leaving the person unable to fight off disease and infections.
    From this tragedy some incredible human stories were unfurled, astonishing artwork and heartbreaking literature was created out of the despair that was the 1980’s Aids epidemic.

    As Is, written by William M. Hoffman, is reportedly the first of a long line of awarding winning plays which hopes to explain the suffering that this ravaging thief of a syndrome caused; not just to it’s eventual victims, but the people who were around to see their once vibrant friends, family and lovers die, one by one in unimaginable pain.

    The story centres on the rekindling relationship between two ex-lovers Rich (Tom Colley), a young writer, just about to enjoy the success of his writing and his long-time lover Saul (David Poynor), a professional photographer. After Rich discovers that the disease that has destroyed so many of his friend’s lives has struck him, he returns to Saul for sanctuary.

    Both Colley and Poynor offer up extraordinary performances, the frustrations and imprisonment of both Rich and Saul’s situation bubbles through their words and actions. Their combined anguish is palpable and fiery, but amidst the anger, there are moments of pure intimacy, beautifully played and honoured.
    The ensemble cast are outstanding particularly Anna Tierney, who plays a variety of roles. Her more understated performance was a humbling reminder that not every PWA (person with Aids) was a gay male living in New York, but sometimes, as the syndrome drove its way into traditional America, a mother-to-be, caught up in the nightmare.

    The spirited supporting cast includes: Tom Kay, Paul Standell, Clare Kissane and Jordan Bernarde, who offers a breakthrough performance of a brother coming to terms with his sibling’s demise. Stylistic ensemble set pieces, keeps As Is’s aging gay references contemporary, by giving them tongue-in-cheek nods to caricatures we know, love. The fluidity of the cast’s reaction to the drama is a thoughtful way to ensure that today’s audience easily assimilates the play’s sometimes-dated and American centric humour.

    Beneath the surface of Andrew Keates’ direction lies a pacey, raw anger. Each line and utterance demonstrates one of the most honest emotions to emerge from the Aids epidemic in the 80s. The show’s design, by Philip Lindley, is a perfect metaphor, mirroring the end stages for the victims of Aids and the government’s inactivity in responding to the crisis – a crumbling building, dying from the inside and largely ignored.

    It’s almost impossible now for this generation of gay men to imagine losing their lovers and closest friends to an unstoppable virus – the frustrations of the 80’s gay community seems so distance, yet in the mere 25-year time lapse from this play’s first outing in London, it still feels fresh, raw and vitally important.
    As If runs at the Finborough Theatre until 31st August 2013
    http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk

  • Stephen Fry: “Athletes Should Find A Symbol” For LGBT Russians

    Broadcaster Stephen Fry has called on athletes in the Russian Sochi Winter Olympics to find a symbol to show ‘solidarity’ with gay Russians.

    Openly gay writer, presenter and broadcaster Stephen Fry calls upon athletes who take part in the Sochi Winter Olympics to find a symbol to show solidarity with Russian LGBTs.

    During an interview with the BBC Fry said that at the end of competitors’ games, they should stand up and adopt a cross armed pose to show their support and that they ‘are thinking about the gay people of Russian who are being tormented and brutalised everyday.’

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see both nationals and international visitors promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison.

    Lord Coe and the Prime Minister David Cameron have reacted to an open letter from broadcaster Stephen Fry calling for the boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014. In the letter Fry compare the situation in Russia to the decision to host the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi Germany and that President Putin: ‘is making scapegoats of gay people’, adding that: ‘an absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential’.

  • Lord Coe: “I Am Against Boycotts”

    PM David Cameron and Lord Coe are against boycotting Russia’s Sochi Winter Games, despite grassroot calls to challenge Russia on its anti-gay laws.

    Lord Coe and the Prime Minister David Cameron have reacted to an open letter from broadcaster Stephen Fry calling for the boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014. In the letter Fry compared the situation in Russia to the decision to host the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi Germany and that President Putin: ‘is making scapegoats of gay people’, adding that: ‘an absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 in Sochi is simply essential’.

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see both nationals and international visitors promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison sentences.

    The anti-gay law has pulled Russia’s violations against LGBTs into the spotlight, culminating in several boycott actions and numerous petitions.

    In a reply via Twitter PM David Cameron wrote:

    ‘Thank you for your note @stephenfry,’ he posted on Twitter.

    ‘I share your deep concern about the abuse of gay people in Russia.
    ‘I believe we can better challenge prejudice as we attend, rather than boycotting the Winter Olympics.’

    Meanwhile, according to SportingLife.com, Lord Coe, the vice president of international athletics’ governing body IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) said:

    ‘I am against boycotts,

    ‘I don’t think they achieve what they set out to do. They only damage one group of people and that is the athletes.

    ‘I am a profound believer that international sports and relationships developed through international sport are often in the infancy of social change.

    ‘I believe that coming to Moscow in 1980 was the right thing to do and 10 years later we see those changes.

    ‘International sport is not an inhibitor of social change, it actually has quite strong catalytic effects.

    ‘It is an issue that needs to be addressed but not an issue that is one of a boycott.’

    The president of the IAAF told reporters on Thursday that the anti-gay laws were ‘no problem whatsoever,’ going on to say that,

    “This law has to be respected. We are here for the World Championships and have no problem whatsoever and I’m not worried at all.”

    Their remarks come days after the news that a gay teen who was lured into a tortured trap by Neo Nazis in Russia, had allegedly died from his injuries.

    Anti-gay neo Nazi groups have been created online dating profiles on Russian social network VK.com in order to publically out and abuse gay teens.

    Hundreds of people lined the streets around Downing Street today to protest against the Russian Embassy.

  • THREE OF THE BEST: Teeth Whitening

    What has Simon Cowell got that I don’t, well apart from Learjets, black loo roll and oodles of money, he has the most incredible pearly whites. Yes, real or not you can’t help but notice those near luminous perfect teeth. (more…)

  • OPINION | Big Boy, Flash That Flesh

    I am currently living next to a building site. A pub has been demolished and in its place will be some affordable family homes. How wonderful.

    Part of me mourns the loss of the pub, but another part of me welcomes the gaggle of hot builders that have begun to frequent the site. As the weather has been rather nice recently, the hot builders have been working topless. Obviously, I approve of such behaviour. Then on a hot, sunny afternoon one of the builders made a huge error. He took his top off and revealed his flabby physique to the world!

     

    As I casually stood in my kitchen with a friend looking out of the window at the talent on display, my friend became disgusted when the larger guy took his top off. I also noticed the other builders winding him up about having his man boobs on display. Personally, I applauded him.

    I have found that in general we are fine with people showing a bit of skin during summer unless they are overweight. I have heard some quite nasty comments about larger people who have dared to wear shorts or take their top off. My opinion is quite the opposite. Why should people have to hide their bodies because they don’t adhere to maintaining an aesthetically pleasing physique?

    The answer is that they shouldn’t.

    Whilst I am all for people having a type that they find attractive, I don’t believe that anybody has the right to criticise or judge someone for being overweight and taking off some items of clothing.

    But then it’s not just about being overweight either. What if somebody who is quite hirsute too decides to take their top off? I’ve witnessed people pretend to vomit when a big hairy guy has taken their top off. Does it really matter? If someone has the confidence to take their top off in public, I say more power to them. I haven’t got that confidence. But then that stems from the kinds of reactions I have just covered.

    Recently I went to Ibiza and for the first time in my life I took off my top and got into the hotel pool. Nobody cared that a big hairy guy had jumped into the water. They just carried on about their business. Perhaps they were just used to tourists like me getting it all out.

    Back in Blighty I have started to go swimming at a local health club. This is after not going swimming in a public pool for ten years due to negative reactions and criticism of my body. It has been a big step for me to take and I was apprehensive about getting undressed in the changing rooms and walking around in just my swimming shorts. With a bit of support and encouragement from my partner I have managed it.

    I am beginning to gain some of the confidence that has become lost over the years. I shouldn’t have to hide away because my body does not appeal to some people. If I was to go topless it would be for me rather than other people, and that is the way to look at it.

    So, big guys, hairy guys and big hairy guys, be proud of what you have. Flash the flesh if you want to and truffle shuffle in the face of anyone who doesn’t like it. You have the power.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Titanic, Southwark Playhouse

    ★★★★ | Titanic

    It’s always difficult to reinterpret a story we all know as well as that of the Titanic – certainly, the ending can be no surprise (SPOILER: THE SHIP SINKS), but this brand new production does manage to stir up some new human stories from onboard the ill-fated vessel.

    Unfortunately, it does this on a set that I found as uninspiring as the music. On a story we know this well, emotional investment is crucial and it is a huge disservice to an otherwise excellent musical that so little feeling comes across. This was, in no way, the fault of the excellent actors and musicians, but rather of the sound design which simply didn’t carry any real feeling forward. I first felt a stirring of emotion towards the end of Act 2, with the heart-breakingly touching song Still by the elderly Straus couple (performed wonderfully by Judith Street and Dudley Rogers) as the ship disappears beneath the waves.

    Other notable performances came from James Austen-Murray, Jonathan David Dudley, Philip Rham and Simon Green.

    The passengers are introduced during a lively number, according to their class, and the aspirations that the Titanic carried are conveyed incredibly well throughout, but never more so than during Lady’s Maid, midway through Act 1.

    Cressida Carre’s choreography is lively and inventive, and in keeping with the emotion that the music is intended to carry, as is excellent direction from Thom Southerland. Unfortunately, this is also let down by some aspets of the set design. I have a fairly vivid imagination, but transforming a black stage with a single white table, set in a distinctly average style, into a first class saloon was just too much for even my mind to manage.

    Despite these few failings, Titanic carries a particular magic through its inventive writing and original score. I particularly enjoy that the focus is on four separate couples – just the right amount of stories to get involved with on a production of this scale, and the interplay between the ship’s designer, owner and captain is excellent. It is very worth seeing and, if you can allow the design issues to float by, you will be fully immersed in a very enjoyable production with some truly excellent performances.

    TITANIC plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 31 August. Tickets are £22 from

     

    http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/the-large/titanic

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Sound of Music: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

    ★★★★★ | The Sound of Music

    Singing nuns and handsome widowers? Lederhosen and dresses run up using a pair of old curtains? An innocent yet savvy governess saving the day against a Nazi threat? No wonder that The Sound of Music has always had a massive gay following.

    Whether you’re a diehard fan or (like me) have merely snoozed off in front of the film on a rainy Bank Holiday Monday; you’re sure to find something to love in this fresh and highly accomplished revival of a classic musical.

    The beautiful Regent’s park Open Air Theatre is a suitably outdoorsy setting for a sojourn into Austria, with its banks of Alpine flowers, a stream at the front of the stage, the backdrop of trees and the night sky. It’s not just the surroundings that dazzle and imbue atmosphere, as the cast bring a series of classic songs to life and manage to convey a storyline that keeps the audience rapt throughout and last night, ended with a thunderous standing ovation.

    The painfully handsome Michael Xavier is a dashing and alluring Captain von Trapp, equalled only by Charlotte Wakefield’s passionate performance as Maria, which oozes vitality. The songs may be over familiar but the gusto and skill of the large cast combined with witty choreography, makes them seem brand new and every bit as accomplished and exciting as when you first heard them.

    I’ve always been more Cruella DeVil than Maria von Trapp when it comes to schmaltz and singing children with rosy cheeks, but even my stony heart contracted just a tiny bit by the end of the show. I briefly considered joining a convent just so that I could learn to sing like that awe inspiring Mother Abbess but decided that black just isn’t my colour. I heartily recommend this wholesome but inspiring treat. You’ll be humming about lonely goatherds and raindrops on roses all the way home, whether you planned to or not.
    The Sound of Music runs until the 7th of September 2013

  • Stephen Fry: Open Letter To The Prime Minister and International Olympic Committee

    An open letter to the Prime Minister, David Cameron and to members of the International Olympic Committee from Stephen Fry has gone viral over the internet, crashing Stephen Fry’s own website.

    The letter reads,

     

    Dear Prime Minister, M Rogge, Lord Coe and Members of the International Olympic Committee,

    I write in the earnest hope that all those with a love of sport and the Olympic spirit will consider the stain on the Five Rings that occurred when the 1936 Berlin Olympics proceeded under the exultant aegis of a tyrant who had passed into law, two years earlier, an act which singled out for special persecution a minority whose only crime was the accident of their birth. In his case he banned Jews from academic tenure or public office, he made sure that the police turned a blind eye to any beatings, thefts or humiliations afflicted on them, he burned and banned books written by them. He claimed they “polluted” the purity and tradition of what it was to be German, that they were a threat to the state, to the children and the future of the Reich. He blamed them simultaneously for the mutually exclusive crimes of Communism and for the controlling of international capital and banks. He blamed them for ruining the culture with their liberalism and difference. The Olympic movement at that time paid precisely no attention to this evil and proceeded with the notorious Berlin Olympiad, which provided a stage for a gleeful Führer and only increased his status at home and abroad. It gave him confidence. All historians are agreed on that. What he did with that confidence we all know.

    Putin is eerily repeating this insane crime, only this time against LGBT Russians. Beatings, murders and humiliations are ignored by the police. Any defence or sane discussion of homosexuality is against the law. Any statement, for example, that Tchaikovsky was gay and that his art and life reflects this sexuality and are an inspiration to other gay artists would be punishable by imprisonment. It is simply not enough to say that gay Olympians may or may not be safe in their village. The IOC absolutely must take a firm stance on behalf of the shared humanity it is supposed to represent against the barbaric, fascist law that Putin has pushed through the Duma. Let us not forget that Olympic events used not only to be athletic, they used to include cultural competitions. Let us realise that in fact, sport is cultural. It does not exist in a bubble outside society or politics. The idea that sport and politics don’t connect is worse than disingenuous, worse than stupid. It is wickedly, wilfully wrong. Everyone knows politics interconnects with everything for “politics” is simply the Greek for “to do with the people”.

    An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential. Stage them elsewhere in Utah, Lillehammer, anywhere you like. At all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world.

    He is making scapegoats of gay people, just as Hitler did Jews. He cannot be allowed to get away with it. I know whereof I speak. I have visited Russia, stood up to the political deputy who introduced the first of these laws, in his city of St Petersburg. I looked into the face of the man and, on camera, tried to reason with him, counter him, make him understand what he was doing. All I saw reflected back at me was what Hannah Arendt called, so memorably, “the banality of evil.” A stupid man, but like so many tyrants, one with an instinct of how to exploit a disaffected people by finding scapegoats. Putin may not be quite as oafish and stupid as Deputy Milanov but his instincts are the same. He may claim that the “values” of Russia are not the “values” of the West, but this is absolutely in opposition to Peter the Great’s philosophy, and against the hopes of millions of Russians, those not in the grip of that toxic mix of shaven headed thuggery and bigoted religion, those who are agonised by the rolling back of democracy and the formation of a new autocracy in the motherland that has suffered so much (and whose music, literature and drama, incidentally I love so passionately).

    I am gay. I am a Jew. My mother lost over a dozen of her family to Hitler’s anti-Semitism. Every time in Russia (and it is constantly) a gay teenager is forced into suicide, a lesbian “correctively” raped, gay men and women beaten to death by neo-Nazi thugs while the Russian police stand idly by, the world is diminished and I for one, weep anew at seeing history repeat itself.

    “All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” so wrote Edmund Burke. Are you, the men and women of the IOC going to be those “good” who allow evil to triumph?

    The Summer Olympics of 2012 were one of the most glorious moments of my life and the life of my country. For there to be a Russian Winter Olympics would stain the movement forever and wipe away any of that glory. The Five Rings would finally be forever smeared, besmirched and ruined in the eyes of the civilised world.

    I am begging you to resist the pressures of pragmatism, of money, of the oily cowardice of diplomats and to stand up resolutely and proudly for humanity the world over, as your movement is pledged to do. Wave your Olympic flag with pride as we gay men and women wave our Rainbow flag with pride. Be brave enough to live up to the oaths and protocols of your movement, which I remind you of verbatim below.

    Rule four: Cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace.

    Rule six: Act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement.

    Rule 15: Encourage and support initiatives blending sport with culture and education.

    I especially appeal to you, Prime Minister, a man for whom I have the utmost respect. As the leader of a party I have for almost all of my life opposed and instinctively disliked, you showed a determined, passionate and clearly honest commitment to LGBT rights and helped push gay marriage through both houses of our parliament in the teeth of vehement opposition from so many of your own side. For that I will always admire you, whatever other differences may lie between us. In the end I believe you know when a thing is wrong or right. Please act on that instinct now.

    Yours in desperate hope for humanity

    Stephen Fry

     

    This post first appeared on www.stephenfry.com

  • Russian Gay Teenager Tortured By Anti-Gay Group Believed To Have Died

    Gay Teenager Tortured by Russian Anti-Gay Group believed to have died.

    • Teenager was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by Russian neo-Nazis
    • Spectrum Human Rights Alliance (SHRA) say he died from injuries caused by his torture
    • Victim was forced to come out to parents and soaked with urine.

    TheGayUK recently reported that gay teens were being tortured anti-gay groups who used personal ads on popular social networks to lure their victims. According to SHRA, Dr. Valentin Degtyarev, MD, who closely monitors infamous Neo Nazi group “Occupy Pedofilyaj” reports the victim shown in the pictures has died from numerous tortures against him. TheGayUK has censored the picture.

    The SHRA also claims that no arrests or charges have been filed against any of the men in the picture. The identity of the victim in the photo has yet to be verified, so we’re unable to validate the claim.

    The Spectrum Human Rights Alliance is a leading international organization devoted to human rights advancement on behalf of people who experience discrimination or abuse on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression in Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and former Soviet Union countries.

    The SHRA also reports that an activist Artem Gorodilov who dared to stand-up to the gang, was kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken a local cemetery in Kamensk-Uralsk. He was brought the grave of another alleged victim of this group, who later committed suicide, a point the kidnappers were pleased to point out. He was tortured and bullied for being gay and spreading gay propaganda.

    ‘Eventually this Nazi group dismantled a huge wooden cross from one of the graves nearby and made Mr. Gorodilov to run with it for his life while being chased by their car. This incident caught attention of the local branch of the Russian Orthodox church who thought that the Nazi group displayed a disrespect to the Holy Cross and offended feelings of their believers thus the church representatives complained to the police. As a result, these Nazi group was brought by the police for questioning and immediately released,’ a statement from the SHRA reads.

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see both nationals and international visitors promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison.

    A mass protest is due to take place this Saturday in London to demonstrate against the violations against LGBT people in Russian.

    Over 3000 people have signed up to protest near the Russian Embassy in London.

  • Over 2500 People Signed Up To Protest Violations Against Russian LGBTs

    Over 2500 people have signed up on the official Facebook page for a forthcoming protest aimed at the Russian Embassy in the London.

    Protest Date: August 10, 2013
    Protest Location: Richmond Terrace, Westminster SW1A 2JL
    Protest Time: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/133404016869068/?fref=ts

    A statement on the official Facebook page reads:

    STOP the LGBT violations in Russia NOW.

    In 2012 The Russian government banned all gay pride events throughout the country for the next 100 years.

    In 2013, The Russian government adopted a trifecta of anti LGBT bills basically criminalizing homosexuality. One bans the distribution of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. This law imposes heavy fines for using the media or internet to promote “non-traditional relations.”

    Secondly, the government made it illegal for the adoption of Russian children by gay couples or any single person who comes from a country that recognizes marriage equality.

    Thirdly, a bill has just been passed giving authorities the rights to arrest foreign nationals whom they suspect being LGBT or pro gay and detain them for up to 14 days.

    There is talk in the media of the next step being the removal of children from Russian homes, natural or adoptive, from parents who are, or are suspected of being LGBT.

    We are witnessing imagery in the media showing unspeakable violence towards LGBT people. We see evidence that the new laws are being broadly interpreted by the Russian public and by the legal system to unfairly and violently persecute, intimidate and vilify LGBT people. This violence must stop, and the laws must be repealed.

    We are organizing a peaceful static protest for our Russian LGBT family, with whom we show solidarity. We want our Russian brothers and sisters to be free from persecution and to have the freedom to love without fear.

    We call on David Cameron, the UK Parliament and the G20 to urge the Russian government to repeal these laws and to provide the same level of human rights protection to all of its citizens regardless of their sexuality and gender.

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