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  • Simon Cowell’s New Boy Anttix

    Simon Cowell’s New Boy Anttix

    Introducing Simon Cowell’s new lad: Anttix

    New kid on the block, Anttix is preparing to storm the charts like some kind of music bad ass with his song ‘Tornado’ which you can listen to here:http://www.videos.thegayuk.com/anttix Is it any cop?

    TheGayUK jury is out on this one, but the chorus is a catchy one.
    Easy on the eye — Check

    T-shirt that looks like he’s been pebbledashed with 100s and 1000s — Check

    Catchy chorus — Check

    Doing every gay pride going —- Check
    Oh ok then… here’s another picture

    Anttix

    The new single is out 26th May 2013
    http://www.officialanttix.com

  • COLUMN | Smoking Is A Problem For Me

    I have an addictive personality, and smoking is the “in” thing at the moment.

    That being said, it’s not something I’m overly keen to stop. Whenever the graphic quit smoking ads appear on television, I will do everything in my power to try and ignore them; ironically I usually do this by getting a cigarette.

    I enjoy smoking. It satisfies me, relaxes me and allows me to think straight. Also it could kill me. Yet I tend to conveniently that aspect every time I fiddle around in my pocket, looking for a Zippo.

    Smoking has always been glamorous. I remember vividly watching Sunset Boulevard as a child and watching Gloria Swanson chicly draw back on her cigarette, held tightly between the most fantastic cigarette holder I had ever seen. To this day, I scroll through the wasteland of the internet, desperately trying to find one. I’m yet to find ‘the one’. (It’s the one in the picture above, should any of you find one and let me know. I’d be forever in your debt.)

    My fellow TGUK columnist Chris Bridges wrote a column a few weeks ago, which summed up my exact feeling toward cigarettes perfectly.

    “I fetishize cigarettes. I love the smell of fresh tobacco, the blueness of the smoke in sunlight and the look and feel of them. I love antique smoking paraphernalia. I had hypnotherapy and lit up as I left the office. I can tell you exactly what each nicotine replacement product on the market tastes and feels like. I start to fret if I have less than 60 cigarettes in the house and used to keep a backup pack in my locker at work. I’ve smoked in lots of places I shouldn’t have and braved wind, rain and ice storms to go outside at work for one. I think I may be a hopeless case.”

    If memory serves me correctly, a few months ago Chris and I actually vowed to quit and perhaps document our progress and help each other out. As of yet, silence has ensued from the both of us.

    Smoking is terribly anti-social. Having to awkwardly excuse yourself from a party or bar then meandering outside into the cold just to get one’s fix, is dreadfully monotonous Although I have come to find a sense of community with fellow smokers, we’re a dying breed… (Literally)

    I have tried various alternatives. I find all of them insufferable. The gum is essentially regular, less minty gum with a different packet. The patches make me twitchy and the new kid on the block “E-Cigarettes are utterly vile. They taste as if you’re licking a well-used ashtray and made me cough and splutter like somebody who just realised they ate a cheesecake made of asbestos.

    I hate smoking yet I have no desire to quit. I know that eventually I will have to, either because of a demanding boyfriend, an intervention or through the eventual exile of all smokers, an exile being led by a growing army of self-righteous past smokers who have recently quit and feel it’s their duty to preach about the benefits of being clean-lunged. Preach all you want, just don’t ram it down my throat, I need my throat clear for all the smoke. *Complete bastard smirk*

  • OPINION | Attacked For Being Gay or Attacked For Being There?

    In my last article I talked about the rise of online ‘trolls’ but something that has been around for much longer than trolls are perpetrators of hate crimes; either through the press or via the traditional old fashioned face to face method.

    Unfortunately it’s something that goes on far too frequently and has probably even gone on in front of you without you ever realising. But what is a hate crime? And how is a hate crime any different from any other sort of threatening or violent behaviour?

    In a previous life I used to work in a gay bar and you would get all walks of life through the door on any given night. Some nights, namely mid-week when drinking on a school night is usually a bad idea, it used to be fairly quiet and it gave you the opportunity to catch-up on any cleaning or get chatted up by the regulars. Well, they would try to chat you up… can’t blame them for trying right?

    One night however a guy came in who, on the face of it, seemed like a general body from the street that was coming down to the local gay bar to escape the wife / girlfriend / home life; someone that you wouldn’t turn away or guess that they were out to cause trouble or had issues. As the night went on he became more and more frustrated and pushy with staff and customers so was eventually asked to leave. Upon leaving (after much protest and farting about) he proceeded to through all 16 odd stone of himself against the bar door in an attempt to break it down all the while shouting profanities. When that didn’t work, he moved onto the bin outside and tried to throw that against the bar windows.

    Somehow he missed the windows (I’m still not sure how) and as if by magic (or really bad luck) managed to hit and dent the front bonnet of my car.

    Now, anyone that takes any pride – at all – in their car would know the pain and distress that I went through in that moment. What had my car done to him? And how did he know it belonged to me? Or was it a case of “wrong place, wrong time”?

    The police were called, he was duly arrested and statements were taken and on the whole the support the police provided was fairly helpful and engaging. However, when it came to processing the attack under a relevant law it was classed as ‘criminal damage’ and not as a hate crime. This baffled me somewhat as it transpires he wasn’t escaping the family home for evening but instead had just been ‘released’ from the local homeless shelter and was, by all accounts, looking for a target for his next attention fix. The argument at the time was that they didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute under hate crime legislation however there was more than enough for criminal damage and were more likely to get a positive result at the Magistrates Court.

    In that regard they were correct, it went to court and he was forced into a programme, several hours community service and forced to pay mine and the bars repair bill and a small amount of compensation. While I don’t question the outcome (as he was made to pay) for me it raises questions of, well has the reporting of hate crime become a side thought because it just doesn’t lead to “justice”? In this instance, we were more likely to get “justice” by pursuing another criminal offence? What do you need to do therefore to prove that a crime is a hate crime?

    Another example was of a local magazine (although the more accurate term is “local rag”) that usually printed ‘laddish’ type articles designed to make the lads laugh and girls look at the wedding and pampering adverts that were often in there. Usually it printed run of the mill every day jokes or funny stories, nothing that would cause mass offence. Except in one addition, the editor decided to print an article on “10 signs that you aren’t manly”, or something along those lines. One of which stated that if you looked after yourself, or went down the gym or took care of your appearance in any way you were clearly not worthy of the title ‘real man’, and was indeed a ‘homo’.

    A few local LGBT groups, including myself as a private citizen and some friends, all wrote to said editor and asked, politely, that he issue a retraction and reconsider his general approach to the tone of his magazine. These emails and letters went ignored for a week or two until instead he chose to publish each and every one of them and add his own personal commentary about how we all lead sad lives and ‘trust the homos to get their knickers in a twist’.

    Naturally we weren’t happy, even more so as he had just printed out letters with no prior notification or consent (Data Protection breach anyone?). We complained to the local police and were quoted some clause of the Hate Crimes law that said what he had done didn’t qualify as a hate crime. If I recall, they were trying to say that because he hadn’t targeted a person it didn’t qualify? But he was targeting a group of people? Surely that’s what a hate crime is? (Apparently not).

    We also wrote to the Press Complaints Commission who said that because he wasn’t registered into their “opt in” regulation that they couldn’t help or intervene. All we could do was encourage people not to buy the magazine and seek support from some of the shops that had the stands in the windows and doorways. We couldn’t stop him from circulating his nonsense but at least we stopped it being handed out in key places in town.

    Apart from the incident at the bar I have never suffered a “major” hate crime against me. For this I am very appreciative, but I ask myself the question – what about all the times someone has called me “FAGGOT” or hurled abuse because I’m walking to the cinema holding my boyfriend’s hand? Technically would these be classed as hate crimes? They never cause offence to me personally because I don’t value or respect their opinion. Therefore it just washes right off my back. But when you see some of the nastiness in this country (or indeed the world), not only to the LGBT community but also ethnic minorities and social classes, you think why would you do such a thing? Where does that “hate” come from? What has caused you to hate in such a way?

    Last time I checked the LGBT community wasn’t an historic empire that had occupied your lands, or been slave owners or even caused any wars. So what makes a “hate criminal” do the things he does? Should we feel sorry for them as they clearly have some deep rooted issue that uses any distinction as a scape goat to vent at?

    I’ve always been curious about why people do the things they do. Why someone is shy, or why someone is confident. Sometimes its genetics, but sometimes it’s what their life has made them. And in these instances what sort of a life could create such a willingness to hate in such a way?

    By the way, is it a crime to flirt with a police officer when he’s taking your statement? I didn’t mean to, he was just very nice and comforting in my time of need. I don’t think he noticed… well he didn’t arrest me or even ask me out for a drink. Which is a point, must work on my flirting strategy…

     

    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.

  • COMMENT | Is Homophobic Crime On Its Way Out?

    I recently read something that informed me there has been a reduction in the reporting of homophobic crime.

    It would be easy to interpret that as saying there has been a reduction in crimes against gay people, but the important word to focus on is ‘reporting’. The fact that there has been a reduction in the reporting of homophobic crime does not equate to a reduction in the crime itself. I have some experiences to share with you that show that homophobic crime is very much still alive.

    I live in Warwickshire, which is a county very much stuck behind the times. Recently I have been trying to drag it into the 21st Century by setting up an LGBTQ youth support charity and going about organising Warwickshire’s first pride event. I have come up against much opposition in doing so. From having funding bids rejected by the local Council on the basis of being “one of those groups” (a reference to my LGBT charity’s support group), to having a letter sent to me by a County Councillor who insisted there are no gay people in Warwickshire, it has been a difficult to achieve what I set out to do. So with opposition to anything gay in the local authority, I am not really surprised that the same mentality filters down into the great unwashed – the general public.

    Indeed some of the Neanderthals that oppose gay people appear to be unwashed, but I don’t think that has a direct correlation to their views. Putting bitchiness to one side, there are two instances of homophobia I have experienced that I am going to share with you today.

    The first took place in a pub I used to frequent each weekend, which I eventually started running a karaoke at. Over the years that I went to the pub, I would often come up against people making comments about my sexuality and I knew that I was not liked by the majority. I didn’t really care though and continued to go to that pub out of sheer stubbornness not to be driven away by narrow minds.

    I figured that my friends were with me and they would protect me if something happened. One night that something did occur. I was running my karaoke and accidently pressed a button which cut someone off whilst they were singing. I laughed along with everyone else, but one person shouted out “ha ha you poof”. My immediate thought was to grab the microphone and say something back to him. So I did. I got hold of the microphone and called him a “bloody Neanderthal”.

    At that point the man got up, came charging towards me and physically attacked me, whilst calling me more homophobic names. I could see that some people in the pub were quite happy I was being hit and knew some people felt I deserved it, as I was a “poof”. I fought back a bit in self-defence but was eventually rescued by one of friends who took off her high heel shoe and proceeded to beat the homophobe with it. Now I don’t believe in using violence, but I was grateful for the assistance. I then found myself further shocked once things had calmed down. The landlord of the pub did not say or do anything to the homophobe, but approached me to ask that I “keep my mouth shut”. That really angered me and I have not been in that pub since.

    The second instance of homophobia I have experienced actually started in that same pub. I was with a group of girlfriends who after one too many Jagerbombs decided that it would be a good idea to begin ‘lezzing off’ with each other. It got many of the heterosexual males in the pub interested, with many of them letching over my friends. I was then approached by a straight man who suggested we start snogging to show the girls how it’s done. I agreed to that and we began kissing. After a minute we were interrupted by a man that was shouting obscenities and threatening to hit me. I ignored the man and he was asked to leave the pub. I thought nothing of it. What happened next was quite shocking.

    I used to frequent another bar in my town and went in there a week after the kissing incident. I didn’t know that the man who had shouted at me the week previously was the manager of that bar. He approached me and said that I was barred. The reason for being barred is I was a “f***ing disgusting queer”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I left the bar and took to Facebook to rant about it.

    The next day I received a public apology over Facebook from the owner, who offered me a free drink to say sorry. I was still quite angry as barring someone from a pub due to their sexuality is a crime. I was encouraged to report it to the police but felt they would not take me seriously. So I let it go, accepted the apology and sometime later went back to the bar. Upon my return, I was greeted with further hostility, this time from the DJ and his assistant. It was karaoke night and I wanted to sing, so I took a request slip to the DJ. On doing so I was informed by the DJ’s assistant that my lot are not allowed to sing. By my lot, I guess he meant homosexual (despite being a gay man himself, but one of those gays that hates other gays because he really hates himself). I was not happy about that, to say the least, so I tried to give my request slip to the DJ himself. His response to me was that he knew what I was (that could mean anything, but again I assume he meant a homosexual) and that I had better leave the bar or he’d get security to remove me. Normally I would get angry and shout, but I decided to walk away and leave the pub. My friends tried to reason with the DJ to no avail. I decided that I simply wouldn’t go in the bar again if it’s run by homophobes.

    Thankfully the bar has now closed down and reopened as something else, but I do regret not reporting what was a crime. And that brings me back to the point of this piece. There may have been a reduction in the reporting of homophobic crimes, but I do not believe that means a reduction in the crime itself. I didn’t report the crime because I felt the Police wouldn’t take it seriously and nothing would result from it. I could have also reported being attacked in the pub, but again I felt I would not be taken seriously. I imagine the majority of the pub would have said I deserved it and had been too gobby. But the reality is that I was a victim of homophobic crime in both those instances. Over the years I have also had bricks thrown at me and had a plank of wood hit round my head just for being gay. I actually reported one of those crimes and the Police didn’t do anything, despite me telling them exactly who had done it. That shaped my thoughts in the future and I’m sure those of others that have experienced homophobic crime.

    On a final note I will say that no matter what your thoughts are regarding the Police taking homophobic crime seriously, you must report it. It’s important that every single one of us report every single homophobic crime. If we don’t then nothing will change, but by taking action we can change things.

    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.

  • What’s In Your Boyfriend’s Bed?

    When I decided to come out, aged 18, I was quite often to be found clubbing away at the weekends and getting the morning bus home from a conquest the night before. Being young, drunk and horny was great fun, though looking back now I do shudder a little at the thought of the random beds I have had the pleasure of sharing, and not just with humans.

    Sharing a bed with someone you’ve just met can be incredibly horny as you explore what’s on offer. How often though do you check under their bed or ask when the sheets were last changed? I try to change my bedding every week mainly because I like the smell of fresh linen. However as a student without a washing machine the bedding could be left for weeks if not months. Now don’t judge me, I’m sure there are thousands of other students, and I bet a few older guys too, who still don’t change the sheets once a week? Month?

    So what’s the worse you could find in an unchanged bed? Well I had a little chat with the Dyson microbiology team who inform me that although you may not be able to see some horrors, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. The most common bedroom pest is the dust mite.

    These little mites can live for up to 4 months and produce approximately 2000 droppings. With an average of 10,000 mites living in any bed at one time, that’s around 20 million droppings every 4 months. Yum yum. If a bed isn’t changed or hoovered every now and then, the numbers could be a lot higher. Sometimes the morning after when you’ve sobered up and the sun sheds some light into the room, it usually bring a reality check on your choice of mate the night before. However more worryingly is it can also give you an indication as to how many mites you slept with the night before!

    Other bed horrors to be found are the larger bed bugs. Whereas the mites may give you itchy watery eyes or a stuffy nose, the bed bugs really like to get involved in the action. Biting into the skin whenever possible to feed on your blood. This blood feeding makes them prone to sharing infections from one partner to another as you sleep. Unlike the mite, which are very hard to spot with the naked eye, the bed bug is quite visible and also leaves visible red itchy bite marks on your body. If he’s bugs about the bed you’ll certainly know about them.

    It’s not only the bedroom critters though you have to think about. The average person can perspire up to a litre per night (I’m guessing a little more if enjoying an active night). The bed can also hide many other human fluids including saliva, blood, urine, faecal matter and semen. Then there’s the tea, coffee, beer, vodka, squirty cream to think about. Ah the memories and smell of poppers, lavender oils and squirty cream. The only excitement I see in bed nowadays is the occasional cuppa in the morning.

    Now please don’t let any of this put you off your evening plans or make you resort to sleeping in a sterile oxygen tent the rest of your life. Living with mites and microbes are a part of life and generally cause no problems whatsoever. They should only become a concern if left to breed to infestations then you should take action.

    The Dyson microbiology team offer this little tip on getting your bedroom clean:

    ‘Homes are full of irritants that can trigger allergic responses. Dust mites are the main culprits in hot spot areas where you spend the most time: The living room and the bedroom. Vacuum intensively around beds and under beds if possible, as dust mites can be disturbed and fall to the floor as covers are thrown back.  And don’t forget to vacuum under the sofa; the perfect hiding place for dust mites.’

    So next time you dive into the boyfriend’s bed just check all looks and smells clean, at least at the start of the night!

    Happy Sleeping.

  • Reports Of Homophobic Crime Drop In London from 2012 to 2013

    Figures released by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the UK’s biggest police force, show that reports of crimes that are perceived as homophobic, either ‘by the victim or any other person’ are down 12.7% in the last 12 months.

    In total 1,103 homophobic crimes were reported to the MPS in the 12 months up to March 2013, whilst the year before 1,264 crimes were reported.

    Of the 32 boroughs policed by the MPS, 12 reported an increase in reported homophobic crimes, with Enfield observing the biggest increase in reports. Nineteen boroughs had lower reportages and Ealing had exactly the same number of reports as the previous year.

    An Enfield Council Spokesperson said:

    “Enfield Council works closely with the police and the local community to deal with hate crime against the LGBT community and works tirelessly to create an environment where people affected by homophobic hate crime feel confident enough to report what has happened to them in a supportive environment.

    “While the number of homophobic crimes reported in Enfield this year remains extremely low, thanks to our extensive work with the police in this area, we have seen a significant increase in confidence amongst the LGBT community and consequently the number of reports of homophobic hate crime have increased.

    “Enfield Safer and Stronger Communities Board have a number of initiatives in place to engage with and support the LGBT community including our hate crime strategy, Enfield Council also funds the LGBT Network to help provide support for the community work it does and we have run a number of successful initiatives to improve tolerance and community cohesion amongst all our communities.”

    Overall crime is down in London by 6% and the MPS Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “Crime is down by 6%. This includes some excellent performance across London, with serious youth violence down by 28%, gun crime down 20%. Robberies are down by over 10% and 1000 gang members are in prison or under judicial restriction.

    “These are very significant numbers that have been achieved against a backdrop of substantial operational challenges to the Metropolitan Police such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the London Olympics and Paralympic Games. All of this has been done whilst also saving money.

    “I hope the people of London will be proud of the Met’s achievements.”

    You can take a look at your borough’s crime rates at:http://www.met.police.uk/crimefigures

  • James Franco In Bed Selfie With Keegan Allen

    Thank Liza For Instagram… Sometimes we can’t believe the gay coming out of that platform, we love it!

    (more…)

  • France Becomes 14th Nation To Legalise Gay Marriage

    France’s Government passes same-sex marriage in final vote in Parliament.

    France is ready to become the 14th nation on earth to legalise same-sex marriage after the National Assembly passed the bill in a vote.

    331 voted in favour, while 225 voted against – giving same-sex couples the legal right to marry.

    Pinknews are reporting that the final step in making marriage equality law in France is for the president, Francois Hollande to sign the bill.

    President Hollande as already given his formal approval.

    The revelation follows the news that New Zealand voted in favour of marriage equality last week.

    However there has been much tension in France surrounding the issue of gay marriage with one major organisation, La Manif Pour Tous (Demo For All), coordinating mass rallies in the French capital, Paris.

    Indeed, tensions where so high during voting that “legions” of police were assembled outside the National Assembly with water cannons.

    In January over 340,000 people took to the streets of Paris to demonstrate against the bill.

    A less successful attempt was orchestrated by La Manif Pour Tous in London in Trafalgar Square last month.

    A number of high profile homophobic attacks have also been reported in the last few weeks. On April 6th a gay couple were beaten in Paris and last weekend a young gay dancer, Raphaël Leclerc was beaten in Nice.

  • OP ED | Vice Of Reason

    Vices, innately immoral or simply unaccepted activities, can range greatly from the outright degrading to the purely inconvenient. The difference? How it impacts us personally as well as the perception of others. But when does a vice become more than just ‘naughty’ and turns into something actually detrimental and destructive?

    In collaboration with PACE, a London-based charity that promotes the health and wellbeing of LGBT people, I will be looking at common vices and the negative impact these can have (if unregulated) on us all.

    Gambling, overuse of profanity, habitual lateness or the ‘picking’ of various orifices are all common vices; so too is noisy chewing (especially tobacco or gum), staring at desirable people and over-splurging on shopping, just to name a few. So what is your vice? Smoking? Drinking? Drugs? Excessive dieting, gyming or kinky sex?

    Research highlights that there is a disproportionality of alcohol abuse amongst lesbian and bisexual women and body dysmorphia amongst gay and bisexual men. As a community, we are seen as especially prone to these and other vices. One argument is that legislation and policy can impact on LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) mental health associated with a dependency on certain activities or habits.

    One study found a higher incidence of mental health problems among LGB populations who lived in the American States whose policies discriminated based on sexual orientation (1). Despite UK policies which seek to address the inequalities which LGBT people continue to experience, on-going discrimination and prejudice is bound to have a negative impact, manifested through health implications, or a reliance on certain vices.

    Research has suggested that there seems to be a higher risk of substance use dependency associated with minority sexual orientation, but especially among homosexually experienced heterosexuals and bisexual women(2). Research using large population-based samples has indeed consistently demonstrated a higher frequency and intensity of alcohol use amongst lesbian and bisexual women in ‘western’ industrialised societies (3).

    It is important to recognise that some factors that may appear to bolster resilience, like socialising with other lesbians in gay venues, therefore enhancing a sense of belonging and integration, may also act as a risk, as it exposes individuals to the temptation to drink (4) .

    Looking at any gay magazine or scanning TheGayUK website it is clear to see that beauty and physical beauty is important, valued. Body image is widely agreed as especially pertinent to the gay male community. Muscle dysmorphia (MD) or ‘a preoccupation with a misperception that muscles in general are small despite sufficient muscularity (5) can lead to people engaging in body change behaviours, such as dieting, binging and purging, excessive exercise and the use of performance and body enhancing drugs including anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) (6) Prolonged use of AAS in particular can pose potentially serious mental and physical health risks (7). One study has found that compared to their heterosexual counterparts, gay men reported dieting more, being more fearful of becoming obese, and were more dissatisfied with their bodies generally as well as with their muscularity (8). They were also more likely to hold distorted beliefs about the importance of having an ideal physique.

    These are two examples whereby the LGB community is affected by drinking and excessive dieting. There are several reasons why LGB people may employ these – and other – vices:

    •Defiance – to overcome a sense of shame caused by homophobia (9); however, it has also been described as possibly creating vulnerability thus increasing risk of self-destructive behaviours (10).

    •Need for acceptance and connection with others – socialising and wider support for sexuality related issues is important in promoting mental health among LGB youth.

    •Personality factors – self-criticising tendencies, personal insecurity, perfectionism and obsessive compulsive disorders (11).

    •Heightened aesthetic sensitivity and over-valuation of physical appearance – individuals with Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD) have been reported to have a more critical eye and greater appreciation of aesthetics especially when evaluating their own appearance (12).

    •Dealing with loneliness and poor self-esteem (13).

    •A fear of rejection – excessive body image concerns are associated with fear of rejection for one’s appearance(14).

    •Challenge experiences of bullying – experiencing negative comments in childhood is also a predictor of poor self esteem in adulthood (15).

    •Shame, internalised homophobia and the need for validation (16).

    •Overcoming pressure to conform to culturally constructed ideals (17) .

    Do you know why you have your vices? Does the above resonate with you? These theories hopefully provide food for thought and highlight some reasons as to why we, as a community, are disproportionately engaged in a variety of vices, some of which can have lasting, negative effects on us mentally and physically. Although it is generally now regarded that same sex attraction is compatible with psychological good health (18) . LGB people have been found to be at higher risk of mental disorders, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and deliberate self-harm when compared to heterosexual people(19).

    However, research also indicates that being LGB (or having a transgender identity) is not in itself associated with mental distress and increased rates of mental illness. Indeed it is the negative impact of transphobic, homophobic and heterosexist cultural norms which can spur the discrimination, bullying, marginalisation and stigmatisation of LGBT people, causing ‘minority stress’ (20). So, are your vices an escape? Are you trying to compensate for societal or other rejections? Are these vices simply a bit naughty or something more?
    For more information visithttp://www.pacehealth.org.uk/services
    1) Hatzenbuehler et al, 2010

    2) Cochran and Mays, 2009

    3) King et al., 2008; Rosario, 2008

    4) Gruskin, 2006

    5) Pope et al., 1997, cited in Maida and Armstrong, 2005, p.75

    6) Grieve, 2009 citing Olivardia 2001

    7) Thiblin and Petersson, 2005

    8) Kaminski et al., 2005

    9) McDermott et al., 2008

    10) Amadio, 2006

    11) Pavan et al., 2008, p.4741

    12) Lambrou et al., 2011

    13) Chaney, 2008

    14) Calogero et al., 2010

    15) Wolke and Sapouna, 2008

    16) Downs, 2005

    17) Blond, 2008; Grieve, 2007 cited by Grieve 2009

    18) King, 2004; McFarlane, 1998

    19) King et al., 2008

    20) Eisenberg and Wechsler, 2003; Meyer, 2003

  • Touching Tribute From A 7-Year Old Pupil Of Trans Teacher Lucy Meadows

    Nearly 100 Teachers, union members and students joined forces on Saturday to march in memory of Lucy Meadows, a trans teacher from Accrington in the United Kingdom, who was found dead in her home in March.

    Miss Meadows was thrust into the media spotlight after a letter to parents from the head teacher of St. Mary Magdalene’s Primary School, where she was working, regarding her transition was sent to the press in December.

    A day later the Daily Mail published a column by Richard Littlejohn that was headlined:

    “He’s not only in the wrong body… he’s in the wrong job”

    A petition, which called for the resignation of Richard Littlejohn because of the article, garnered over 200,000 signatures in less than a week and a vigil held outside theDaily Mail offices in London in memory of Miss. Meadows attracted over two hundred people.

    Daisy Moreton, a 7-year-old student at St. Mary Magdalene’s attended the event on Saturday and according to the Manchester Evening News carried a handwritten poem that she had composed for her late teacher.

    The poem read: “Makes you happy/ in high spirits/ smiles/ said kind things./ Made us feel good/ ever helpful/ always nice/ delightful/ one of a kind/ wonderful teacher/ scientist.”

    Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, organiser Debs Gwynn, the North West National Union of Teachers Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender representative, said:

    “This rally was called for two reasons – to allow the local community to show support and solidarity for what happened and to raise the issue of transphobia more widely.

    “I have been talking to parents and pupils today and the kids were supportive of Lucy. And they are devastated that their teacher is now dead.”

    She added:

    “It was a great success, lots of people spoke at the end and they were keen to stress that they were there to support Lucy, her family and her colleagues.

    An inquest into Miss. Meadows death has been opened and adjourned.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Californian Lives

    Issues surrounding love and trust are often explored in a variety of ways, but this powerful and original production written by Martin Foreman and directed by Emma King-Farlow has brought something entirely new to the table. A series of three monologues, Californian Liveslooks at what it really means to three very different characters living three very different lives.

    In the first piece, Los Feliz, performed intensely but very well by Robin Holden, a young man falls in love with a beautiful woman and concocts an entirely fictional life in order to get close to her. As he weaves his tale, the initially unlikeable character reveals his insecurities and gradually draws the audience closer to him. Holden commands the stage extremely well and holds the audience’s attention throughout; something that is inherently difficult in a monologue.

    Ben and Joe’s is a look into the lives of a group of mostly middle-aged men who while away their afternoons in a San Fernando Valley bar, united in their lust for the young barman who flirts expertly with each of them. A new arrival, Christopher, shakes their easy existence and causes a rift between the men as each of them is forced to confront their own prejudices. This difficult subject is delivered expertly by John Vernon who held the audience captivated throughout his performance.

    Finally, the evergreen treat that is Carolyn Listerbrought an instant warmth and dose of humour to Sunset with her portrayal of a grandmother reminiscing to her husband on the long life they have shared together, with its succession of highs and lows. On the surface, her story is one of a very traditional marriage, but this is soon revealed to be a somewhat thin veneer as this apparently timid character reveals a strength and resilience initially unseen.

    Californian Lives is no light-hearted feel-good piece, and not one for the faint-hearted. It is, however, exactly the kind of emotionally-charged and thought-provoking theatre that we need to see more of in this age of Disney-esque expectations.

    Californian Lives plays at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington on Sundays and Mondays until 26 May. Tickets £11.50 – £20 from the King’s Head website.

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