Stonewall today launches the fourth edition of Gay By Degree, the only guide showing how gay-friendly the UK’s 157 universities are. Gay By Degree 2014, now online at www.gaybydegree.org.uk, gives lesbian, gay and bisexual prospective students a single place to find out what each university has to offer them before they apply for places for 2014.
Gay By Degree judges each university against 10 criteria to show how well they support their gay students. These include whether the university has a policy to tackle homophobic bullying, whether there are societies and events for gay students, and what steps they take to support gay staff.
The average score across the sector is just 4.5. Currently only 40 universities engage with the wider community on issues affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual students, and just 27 have an anti-homophobic bullying policy accompanied by mandatory staff training. Just two universities, Liverpool John Moores and Cardiff scored 10 out of 10. The top 21 universities are all working with Stonewall through the Diversity Champions programme which helps employers to support gay staff.
Stonewall Head of Education Wes Streeting said,
‘With universities charging £9,000 fees, it’s right to expect them to provide a high quality experience for all students, including those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. This year, we’ve unapologetically introduced stricter criteria to encourage universities to improve provision for students. Particular congratulations are due to Cardiff University and Liverpool John Moores University for being the only universities in Britain to score full marks.
‘It’s particularly concerning that only fourteen universities have diversity monitoring in place for lesbian, gay and bisexual students. If universities aren’t even counting the number of gay students, how can they assure themselves and prospective students that they are providing an inclusive experience? We hope that the findings from this year’s exercise prompts action by the higher education sector to properly monitor the experience of gay students from the point of application through to graduation.’
The team that brought the internet, NoHomophobes.com has started an online campaign to research homophobic trends online.
The project which is being labelled as NoHomophobes 2.0 is using crowd sourcing techniques to obtain labellers to identify tweets that use homophobic language. These human-generated labels will later be used in a machine-learning approach to this research study.
The research team are looking for as diverse a set of individuals as possible to participate in this unique study. You do not have to be a Twitter user or have Twitter account to participate. You can help them by simply visiting our research project to sign up as a labeller to help code the tweets you will see.
“Not only is the labelling process important, it’s also a fun, educational, and eye-opening experience,” said a statement from projects website.
To get involved simply visit:http://www.nohomophobesresearch.com or the Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/ResearchUofA
When we asked Twitter what they were doing to combat homophobia online, a spokesperson said:
“As a policy, we do not mediate content (see section 4 of our Terms of Service) or intervene in disputes between users. However, targeted abuse may constitute an infringement of the Twitter Rules”
In His Secret Life is Mel Bossa‘s latest book. Allan has taken care of his sister Elise and her daughter Fay ever since Elise was dumped by Fay’s father. But when Elise meets Dayton, Allan knows things are going to change. It’s not long until Elise & Dayton get engaged and Allan gets to meet Dayton’s family.
Allan meets Davinder, one of Dayton’s brothers who is married with two kids. Something about Davinder captivates Allan and he’s about to break his one and only rule: never fall for a straight guy.
In His Secret Life is a love story about a seemingly impossible relationship, which is told over decades. It gives the reader a moral dilemma. On the one hand Davinder is a married man, but on the other it’s clear that he’s unhappily married and that he loves Allan.
The story is written in three parts. In the first part the characters are introduced and Allan & Davinder meet. The second part is about Allan & Davinder’s affair and the duality of their double lives. The third and final part is about Allan & Davinder’s journey on separate paths back to one another.
There’s something magical about Mel Bossa‘s writing that hypnotises the reader from the first word. All of the characters are likeable and the story is written from Allan’s perspective. The reader empathises with Allan’s loneliness, as well as the highs and lows of love – that he likens to drug addiction. The use of perspective and these emotions – that everybody has experienced at sometime in their life, creates a connection between Allan and the reader.
Allan & Davinder’s sexual relationship develops a bit too quickly in the beginning and their was a scene that gave the impression that Allan had drunkenly drove home. But apart from these minor details the plot is perfectly paced, well thought out and exceptionally well written.
Mel Bossa‘s use letters and emails to show other characters perspectives was a really clever idea. The description ignites the readers imagination, giving a flawless image of the characters, settings and events. The end this book made me cry (with happiness) and was heartwarming.
In His Secret Life is Mel Bossa‘s best book to date and is one of those incredibly rare books that comes into your life and leaves you feeling changed somehow.
If you want a book about impossible love made possible, that will make you question yourself, leave you feeling satisfied and joyous then I recommend In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa.
In recent time we have seen through various media channels, the march for equal marriage seems to be marching globally and at an ever increasing pace.
I don’t know about anyone else but when I look at each news announcement I feel a sense of excitement and joy that the world takes another step towards a more fair and just world.
But at the same time, how big are our steps forward? What do they realistically mean to us on the ground that lives each day with the problems and issues that (currently) come with being LGBT? Have things changed that dramatically over the past 40 years? I’ll confess at this point that I am 26 so my accounts of what occurred in the 70s and 80s are based on history and what friends who lived through those periods have told me.
In the last 50 or so years the LGBT community has seen many ups and downs. Starting with the Stonewall clashes in 1969 right the way through to the bombing of the Admiral Duncan in 1999 and the “Straight Alliance” marches of today. During the 70’s and 80’s homophobia was widespread and very much an ‘accepted’ legitimate view by most governments. And that isn’t just in this country, but all over the world. ‘Coming out’ was very much a life or death decision for many in the LGBT community. Most chose not to and either buried their feelings or lived a “double life”. There was very little in the way of support and counselling and even less in the way of public support and promotion.
Having said that, during all this darkness and struggle the LGBT community was exactly that; a community. From stories that I have been told and recollections from others who lived in London and Manchester at those times, the communities there stuck together to help each other out. If there was an assault they would rally round each other or if a “gay-friendly” bar or pub was under threat of closure they would come to support and boost numbers. By all accounts, the community was so underground but at the same time so close-knit that it even gave rise to the infamous “hanky code”. (For those that don’t know if it, I highly recommend you Google it. It’s very… interesting!).
So in the 21st century, the age of information and connection where are we? Are we any closer to that Holy Grail that is equality? Well, let’s start with the last point; the hanky code and ‘underground’ culture. On the whole, I think this has died out or is dying out. With the establishment of “gay bars” or gay-friendly bars, there is more choice and selection for venues to attend and for the community to meet in. Social media and the wonder that is Grindr has made interacting with each other far easier and in some ways more open. Although social media isn’t everyone’s cup of tea you have to give it credit for opening up the community even further.
Social media has also meant that the confused teenager or middle aged father of 2 now has an outlet to explore or vent what feelings or inklings they may have. Where would they have gone before to find out more about their feelings? A public toilet? Their local gay bar (if they have one) where they are watched as they go in and out? Not exactly options that fill you with safety and reassurance. However social media offers an outlet where they can explore their feelings, relatively safely and in their own time and terms. Surely that is a step forward?
How about the sense of community and togetherness? Has the LGBT community gelled together or are we growing further apart? In my experience, I think we are growing further apart. In hard times (financial or otherwise) I have seen several different cases where local bars, businesses or organisations have had to close because the local community hasn’t been there to support them. The old community are still there and still have those principles (myself included) but the new age community don’t seem to have or share those principles. (I apologise if I am doing them an injustice).
Pride seems like an opportunity to get drunk and sleep with people you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to; well that at least was my experience of it. Pride should be about the community coming together and taking pride in who we are and what we stand for. I could bet any money that at any pride in any part of the world will be at least 2 people dressed in attire that would suit “Madame Helga’s House of Pain”. When did that become part of being gay? And when did that become making a stand for equality? Children attend these pride events… they shouldn’t be exposed to “backless chaps”. But I digress… the point is, what has pride become? I don’t think it’s about pride in who we are and our community anymore, which is a great shame.
Nationwide and even globally the equality movement is picking up pace and the message seems to be taking hold. This is something to be grateful of and continue to support (and I do) but always be aware of what is happening on the ground. Prejudice, inequality and homophobia are still rampant in this country and we should take pride in all those that work to stamp it out and hope that that message never changes.
For those of you with a keen film mind, the title of this entry comes from a quote from the Matrix movies. I was watching them the other day and the phrase stuck in my head as something fairly apt. No matter what the age or period, the notion that some things change and some things stay the same still holds true.
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.
I fully expected to be greeted by a throbbing crowd of Hemsworths when I got off the plane at Melbourne Tullamarine airport a few months ago. That didn’t quite happen – but there are still plenty of hotties to stare at…
CREDIT: Pixabay / Skeeze
Unlike its sister city and rival for tourists attention Sydney, Melbourne doesn’t scream gay. It simply comments on it every now and then without overstating. I think the best way of describing gay Melbourne is to picture how gay you are throughout the week. If Sydney is you being gay on a Saturday, Melbourne is how gay you are on Monday. You’re still plenty gay but you’re less likely to be dancing in a parade in skin-tight silver hot pants on a Monday … Less likely but still could be.
So the gay things you enjoy mid-week are what Melbourne has to offer in spades! Fantastic restaurants, a barrage of cafés on every street corner, wine bars and wineries, spas, museums, theatres, concert halls and festivals. Melbourne is everything a trendy gay could ever want.
CREDIT: Pixabay / Wimkantona
Let’s start with Chapel Street, a stretch of road that runs through several of Melbourne’s precincts that if you can remember their names you’ll sound less like a tourist. It runs from South Yarra through Prahan (pronounced puh-ran… seriously), Windsor and St Kilda. If you’re ever feeling homesick for trendy shopping and pretentious twink shop assistants this is the place for you. Famously the home of Melbourne’s first Top Shop as well as a myriad of other brand-name stores, restaurants and cafes, this may be the reason all the gays flock here. Or the fact that all the gays flock here is why they opened a Top Shop; chicken vs egg.
If you’re in the mood to have a few drinks and people-watch or get together over dinner and bitch about what people are wearing, this is where I’ll be doing just that so come join me.
Another thing that Melbourne does well is a good festival. It seems that pretty much every weekend the city centre is shutting down in celebration of one thing or another, and for 3 weeks in the summer Melbourne celebrates all things gay with the Midsumma Festival. A huge range of shows, exhibitions, concerts and events culminating in the Pride March in St Kilda (the area by the beach where all the Brits and gays tend to flock) topped off with a massive beach party towards the end of March.
At the same time of year, there is also the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (See I told you they do a good festival.) This makes January – March an ideal time to visit with so much going on and weather in which short-shorts are almost compulsory.
CREDIT: Pixabay
If you fancy a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, Daylesford is just a 90-minute drive away and is more than gay-friendly; in fact it’s gay-centric. The area boasts the highest concentration of mineral springs in the country and so spa breaks, massage and holistic treatments are in abundance out here combined with breath-taking mountain views it makes for the perfect little romantic getaway.
Clubbing:
Having said all that, you’re gonna want to go out and get drunk at some point and while there is no dedicated gay area as in some cities there are still some great haunts for a great gay night out.
The first venue that people mention is the Greyhound Hotel, this is a massive venue with several different rooms within and always a great show to be seen. The greyhound is a gay venue from Wednesday – Sunday but it open for other events and functions throughout the week.
Another great venue is The Peel Hotel over in Collingwood (not quite in the city centre or as the Melbournians call it the CBD but close enough to walk/stumble). The Peel is a great venue if you want a wide variety of music throughout the night and, as it opens at 9pm until 8 am, it’s usually the place to go after you’ve been kicked out everywhere else.
The imaginatively titled Poof Doof is a Saturday night event held in the CBD (central business district, in case you didn’t know) on Little Collins St. Not so much a gay club Poof Doof is held in the equally suggestively titled Bottom End Pub, which believe it or not isn’t a gay bar! It’s just a cool, trendy pub/bar/dance floor that is transformed into a perfectly seedy gay disco from 11 pm on Saturdays.
There’s a hidden upstairs entrance that I could not find the first two times I went there and a strict “no photos” policy which means what happens in the disco, stays in the disco.
Other gay venues include but are not limited to: IQ in Collingwood, Pretty Please in St Kilda and Love Machine over in Chapel Street; all of which have been described as young and a bit pretentious… which maybe your thing or not.
Lesbian club-wise there are a few gay-friendly and centric venues geared towards the ladies such as Alia bar in Collingwood and DnM in South Yarra. Having said that when I was there, DnM had a drag show with hot male AND female dancers, alongside Carly Rae Jepsen remixes and break-dancing miniature lesbians … now that was a fun night.
Melbourne is a fantastic city and one of my absolute favourites in all the world; and just because it isn’t in your face gay, doesn’t mean it can’t be.
Gaydar have released information on what its users consider to be the world’s sexiest man. In a poll of over 4000 participants, we reveal the world’s most wanted man.
Gaydar.net, one of the world’s most popular gay dating sites, has just surveyed its male members to uncover their thoughts on the most attractive elements of their favourite male celebrities. In a bid to create the sexiest looking man, members rated celebrity body parts and personality traits from David Beckham to Zac Efron.
Typically a heterosexually focused survey, Gaydar has taken the reigns and decided it’s time for the sexiest man to be identified from the gay male perspective, and here he is…
The Body
According to the poll, the sexiest man would be fortunate enough to have Ben Cohen’s chest with Taylor Lautner’s stomach, Ronaldo’s butt, Hugh Jackman’s biceps and personality, as well as David Beckham’s legs, tattoos and wealth.
The Face
Facially, the most attractive combination voted for includes Brad Pitt’s smile, Gerard Butler’s voice, Jake Gyllenaal’s eyes and nose, Zac Efron’s hairstyle, Tom Hardy’s lips and Jason Statham’s jaw.
What Are Top Priorities for Gaydar Guys?
Sex appeal is, by far, the main element in making the sexiest man with nearly a third of men picking this as their first preference and one fifth including it as one of their three preferences.
It’s confirmed: guys are also a sucker for a pretty face as the smile and eyes were the second most important factor (with 14% and 13% of votes respectively).
Personality and talent were also considered, with respondents choosing their ideal man to possess Gerard Butler’s personality, David Beckham’s sex appeal, Amir Khan’s sporting prowess and Jude Law’s dress sense. Surprisingly though, just 8% of guys identified a personality as a primary factor in attractiveness and only 1% said dress sense.
It’s fair to say that guys aren’t gold diggers because wealth is not seen as important either, with less than half a percent choosing this as a preferred feature.
The Celebrity Relationship Favourite
The sexiest celebrity overall is David Beckham. He is also the celebrity gay guys would most like to introduce to the parents (13%), yet a similar percentage of guys said they would actually avoid him (12%) suggesting that although sexy, not everyone thinks Becks is relationship material.
Pride events have been happening in the UK since the 70s, with new ones currently popping up every year. But have they lost their original meaning? Are they now just about getting drunk and partying?
I think so.
For me Pride events are essential. They provide an opportunity for the LGBT community to be visible and show the world that they exist in many forms. However I do feel that over the years the original meaning of Pride has been lost. When the first Prides started taking place all those years ago it was a human rights and political movement aimed at showing we exist and want the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. Cut to 2013 and it seems to be a big party and the activism slant appears to now be a small part of the wider occasion, certainly from the Pride events that I have been to. They are now huge commercial events and people only seem interested in what performers there will be and which club to go to in the evening. It really saddens me because I believe there is so much more to Pride.
This year I went to Birmingham Pride with the LGBTQ youth support charity that I run. We marched in the Pride parade with placards referencing comments made by MP’s in the marriage equality debate. It was slightly tongue in cheek but the meaning was clear. It was about politics and the rights of LGBT people. It was a protest. It was also probably the best Pride experience I have had. I felt like I was spreading an important message and doing my bit for our rights and freedoms. Admittedly I did then party a bit and watched the Cheeky Girls (to my slight embarrassment I am a huge fan), but the day wasn’t all about the party.
With all of those things in mind, I began setting about organising my county’s first ever Pride event, Warwickshire Pride. There’s a growing buzz around it and many people are asking who will be performing (Chica Latina from Britain’s Got Talent if you must know), but the emphasis of this Pride is on celebrating diversity and highlighting what Pride events were originally about. The strap line for Warwickshire Pride is ‘celebrating diversity in the community’ and that’s what it’s all about; bringing people from different communities together and demonstrating the struggle that LGBT people have had whilst also showing the massive progress there has been. Yes, there will be performers and entertainment through the day. Yes there will be a huge after-party when the sun sets. But Warwickshire Pride will primarily be a peaceful protest with a message.
Warwickshire lags behind many parts of the country, with much homophobia and opposition to the progression of our rights (I’ve personally been beaten, abused and barred from a pub for being gay), so perhaps that is a reason why I feel the need for this Pride to have a big element of activism as part of it, but I truly feel that it is an element that Prides up and down the country would benefit from introducing more of.
Pride started off as a protest. It still should be.
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.
Former Disney starlet Miley Cyrus takes to twitter to congratulate Disney on the introduction of gay characters to a brand new show.
The 20-year-old entertainer tweeted to her 12 million followers:
“I commend Disney for making this step into the light of this generation, They control…so much of what kids think! Life isn’t bright sets & wardrobe & kids becoming superstars! This is INSPIRING,”
Disney is due to introduce a same-sex lesbian couple in a forthcoming episode of Good Luck Charlie.
Speaking to TV Guide a spokesperson for Disney said:
‘This particular storyline was developed under the consultancy of child development experts and community advisors.’
The Disney Channel’s first broadcast was in 1983 and in such time it has never shown any gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender characters.
Recently a boycott by US hate group One Million Moms was organised after they were made aware of an unofficial ‘gay day’ at Disney in Florida, the group urged families to boycott the corporation after it said,
“Tens of thousands will make reservations in Orlando, Florida, for the first weekend in June. Warning! Not everyone there will be excited, innocent children anticipating a fun weekend at Disney World. The first Saturday in June, homosexuals, bisexuals and transvestites will be at the Magic Kingdom with an agenda and purpose different than what would be expected at Disney.”
Much better is Guy Lee Thys’s movie “Mixed Kebab”, which details the love affair between a closeted Turkish Muslim boy, living with his ex-pat family in Antwerp and a completely out Belgian boy. ★★★
We sit down with one of pop’s most eligible contenders for the next big thing. Meet Sam Callahan, who isn’t afraid of getting naked or walking across hot coals to be remembered. Remember his name… (more…)
Is it possible to explain the incomprehensible? How can anyone begin to understand what would make a man abandon a deep friendship in favour of joining a radical political movement? ‘Address Unknown’ is a stunning play from 1938 in which Kathrine Kressman looks at just these issues.
Max and Martin are close friends with strong bonds but when Martin moves back to his native Germany a rift grows between them; a rift that will eventually lead to rejection, betrayal and revenge. The problem being that Max is Jewish and Martin is beguiled by the emerging National Socialist Movement and becomes an official in the Nazi party.
Max and Martin are close friends with strong bonds but when Martin moves back to his native Germany a rift grows between them; a rift that will eventually lead to rejection, betrayal and revenge. The problem being that Max is Jewish and Martin is beguiled by the emerging National Socialist Movement and becomes an official in the Nazi party.
It’s a powerful piece, well staged and well acted by the two men and is much more than a dry political commentary. The story is a very human one which subtly unfolds in a well paced and intriguing manner and makes the audience both squirm in horror and laugh with glee.
It’s a powerful piece, well staged and well acted by the two men and is much more than a dry political commentary. The story is a very human one which subtly unfolds in a well paced and intriguing manner and makes the audience both squirm in horror and laugh with glee.
He has a good point. Essential viewing for our modern times.
‘Address Unknown’ runs at The Soho Theatre until the 27th of July 2013
