It’s a startling story, but at its centre is convicted murderer, Luka Magnotta, whose grisly past is now the subject of a Netflix documentary series, Don’t F**K With Cats.
Is Luka Magnotta gay?
Although he never officially came out as gay, it is assumed that Luka is gay. In the horrific murder video of his victim Lin Jun, a 33-year-old computer engineering student from China he is seen having sexual intercourse with the body.
He was also an escort, stripper and starred in a number of gay porn videos. In 2005 he was a pin-up model for fab magazine.
In 2007 he also took part in OutTV reality TV series, COVERguy, where part of the prize was a land a cover shoot with the gay magazine, abOUT magazine.
When was Luke Magnotta born?
Luka was born in 1982 and Luka isn’t actually his birth name. His given name at birth was Eric Kirk Newman to teenaged parents in Toronto, Canada.
Is Luka Magnotta in jail?
Yes, he was imprisoned in Canada for life for the murder of Lin Jun. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years. In 2014 a jury, after eight days of deliberations, convicted him of first-degree murder.
He’s probably the most famous butler in the UK (outside of Downton Abbey, of course!
Yes, Paul Burrell is gay. He came out in 2017 after separating from his wife of 32 years. The couple has two sons together, Alexander and Nicholas.
Paul, who was most famous for being the butler of Princess Diana at the time of her death in 1997 is now famous for his reality TV stints as well as being a spokesperson on all matters Royal.
He has released a number of books of his time as a staff member for the royals and has sold over 2 million books. He has also appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Celebrity Big Brother.
Gay and lesbian couples are now able to get married in all four nations of the UK.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Northern Ireland – despite repeated attempts by the DUP to thwart legal equality for gay and lesbians in the region.
The subject of same-sex marriage had been voted on at least five times by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Northern Ireland is the last nation in the United Kingdom to legalise marriage between two people of the same sex. England, Scotland and Wales have permitted same-sex marriage since 2014.
This also means that gay people who are already married will have their marriages recognised in Northern Ireland.
From today, couples in Northern Ireland can register their intent to marry with the authorities with the first actual marriages expected to take place on the 10th February 2020.
For the perfect, Pita , Mezze or Salad in the West End, you can’t beat Fafa’s
Open only for four months, Fafa’s is on the cozy corner where Neal and Monmouth streets converge to face Shaftsbury Avenue. It’s a busy intersection and it’s easy to walk past Fafa’s, but please don’t. Pop in and you’ll be rewarded with very good food with prices that are very affordable.
If it’s a quick meal you want, Fafa’s is perfect. The food comes in three choices: Pita, Salad, or Mezze box. The Pita options are falafel and meat or fish. I tried the Short Rib, with harissa and beetroot. It had a bit of a zing to it but it was a nice portion of Short Rib stuffed into the pita, very good and good value for £8.50. My friend had the Falafel Mezze Box which included several ingredients including aubergine, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, tabbouleh, and a bit of chilli. At £7.50 it’s a good deal if you’re not starving but need food prior to a show or an event. Chicken breast, grilled shrimp or Fafa’s burger can be added for a small supplement to the mezze box.
Pitas are offered with several options including chicken liver with caramelized onion, chicken breast with tahini, Fafa’s Burger, tahini and aubergine, grilled shrimp, harissa and tzatziki (both at £8.50), and roasted salmon, harissa and tzatziki (£9). There is lots of variety to choose from!
There are also salad options. Goats cheese, beetroot and pesto salad (£ 8), halloumi salad as well as chicken tabbouleh salad (both at £8.70).
The yummy sides include Sweet Potato Fries with Tzatziki sauce, (ask for no salt to taste the real flavour of these), the Halloumi Strips with Harissa. These were absolutely superb and cooked to perfection – I’ve never tasted Halloumi Strips as good as these! a must. Other options include Fries with Beetroot Ketchup, Roast Vegetables, and Falafel and Tahini.
Fafa’s has the best selection of drinks I’ve ever seen in a small cafe – it’s mind boggling with so much to chose from. Non-alcoholic choices include Char Tea, Square Root, Crooked, and Belvoir, to alcoholic drinks such as Eden Mill, Nice (wine), and Metroland (beer) – excellent selections.
You can’t beat the location, the food, and the prices at Fafa’s.co.uk. Don’t rush by, go in and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Mexico is vast and stunning country, but many travellers never make it past Cancun or Tijuana. Puerto Vallarta is a coastal city that sits on the western coast just south of Mexico City, and it is chock full of fun gay things to do that make it well worth a visit.
1. Go gay clubbing
Let’s start with the obvious one, you’ve got to go gay clubbing when you visit Puerto Vallarta. The gay scene exists mostly in the romantic zone (Zona Romántica as they say) along Lázaro Cárdenas. Though not expansive, the gay scene in Puerto Vallarta is warm and welcoming, with a string of stylish bars opening out onto the street. Wandering from one to the next is a great way to meet both visiting and local gays as each will have an opinion of where you should go next.
We started out with dinner at The Top Sky Bar (LGBTQ, where you can enjoy both the stunning sunset and the go-go boy dancers while you eat. From there we went to Roxy Rock house for a couple of cervezas, and then danced to Madonna in Mr Flamingo. If you want something a little more hardcore, Cici’s Slaughterhouse is your more traditional club setting. Complete with sex swings should you so desire.
2. Head to the beach clubs
If clubs aren’t your thing, or they are and you need a place to chill out the next day and nurse your hangover, then you should absolutely spend the day at Mantamar Beach beach club. Whether you want to sprawl out on the beach, splash around in the pool, or chill out in the VIP area and have hot waiters bring you drinks.
3. Visit the islands
With year-round sunshine you need to make the most of your time outdoors, and if lounging around the pool isn’t your thing then you should take a trip to Las Caletas with Vallarta Adventures. You’ll receive endless refills on your margarita as you set sail for the islands, with plenty of high-energy entertainment from your hosts during the hour-long trip. As a happy coincidence our tour leader was a screaming homo, but in all honesty the straight ones are so camp you wouldn’t notice the difference.
The island itself offers all the typical beachfront activities including water-sports (not those kind of water sports though), boat rides, zip lines and all that fun stuff, as well as cooking classes and tequila tastings. For something a little different, visit the island at night for Cirque du Soleil-style evening experience.
4. Naked boat trips
Unfortunately there are no nude beaches in Puerto Vallarta, which is criminal given the sensational weather they have all year round. So the next best thing is to head out on a nude excursion. Jets Private Boat Tours offer both public and private tours of a nearby beach that is only accessible by boat, offering the closest alternative to a nude beach experience.
Trips last 5 hours and include a number of activities including nude snorkeling, nude jungle activities, and of course some good old fashioned nude sunbathing.
5. People watching
Again, no necessarily a gay thing but man do we love to watch people and silently (or not so silently) judge them. Head down to the Malecón, the mile-long esplanade downtown that runs along the beach. You’ll find stretches of bars, restaurants, cafes and galleries to wander around in, or simply park yourself outside and watch the world go by.
To get a more in-depth experience of the city, take a guided walking tour with Vallarta food tours. You’ll never experience tacos the same way again.
6. Go to Pride
Puerto Vallarta Pride is a sight to behold, starting from the Hotel Rosita, followed by a party in the park at the Lazaro Cardenas Park Gardens. The whole of the gay district is closed off for a massive street party, with 20+ gay bars and clubs all getting involved.
It’s an 8-day event and a Pride not to be missed.
ABOUT PUERTO VALLARTA
Puerto Vallarta, located in the state of Jalisco, is well-known for the preservation of its authentic Mexican traditions. The Pacific Coast port features 40 miles of coastline and a diverse topography, including tropical jungles, river beds, steep mountain sides and arid flatlands.
Gemma Watts has been jailed for eight years after being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court.
A deceitful woman who pretended to be a young boy online so she could groom young teenage girls from around the country has been jailed.
Gemma Watts, 21 (18.09.98) from Pembroke Avenue, Enfield has been sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to eight years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty at the same court on 28 November 2019 to:
– Assault by penetration (Section 2 of the Sexual Offence Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 1;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 2;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 2;
– Meeting a child following sexual grooming (Section 15 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 3;
– Sexual Assault, (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) – victim 4.
Watts was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made subject to a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Phillipa Kenwright, who was the Met’s Safeguarding Lead for the case, said , “In this particular case, Watts targeted her young victims on social media platforms and duped them into believing they were entering into a relationship with someone whom they could trust.
“She then went on to form physical relationships in which she spun a web of lies and deceit, giving her the opportunity to commit sexual offences.
“Her arrest, and now lengthy prison sentence, has prevented her from targeting further victims, but I hope that it also gives reassurance to other victims of sexual exploitation that offenders will be brought to justice. I encourage them to come forward and speak to us.
“I am delighted with the sentence that the Judge has passed today and hope it acts as a warning to others intent on exploiting and manipulating children online, that they will be dealt with robustly.”
Watts created an “elaborate web of deception”
Following a joint operation by the Met and Hampshire Constabulary, it was established that Watts had spun a bizarre and elaborate web of deception by inventing a fictional alias ‘Jake Watton’. She used this profile to groom teenage girls she met through social media sites and then sexually assault them.
Watts contacted her victims through social messaging apps, Facebook, Snapchat, Yubo and Instagram, under the alias of 16-year-old Jake Waton or Jake Watton.
Watts exchanged messages with her victims, obtaining their trust before meeting them and committing a number of serious sexual offences.
Hampshire Police contacted officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime unit informing them an investigation had been launched after receiving reports from a medical professional that a 14-year-old girl (victim 1) had reported being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend ’Jake Waton’ in April 2018.
She used various aliases, including “Jake Waton”
The investigation showed that ‘Jake Waton’ was actually an adult female called Gemma Watts. Further research by officers identified another two victims, both under 18, (victim 2 and victim 3) who also reported being groomed and sexually assaulted by Watts under her alias.
Officers executed a search warrant at Watts’ home address in July 2018 and arrested her for a number of serious sexual offences.
During interview, she admitted to grooming the victims whilst pretending to be ‘Jake Waton’ and partially admitted a number of the assaults. Watts was bailed to allow further enquiries to be completed.
It was later established that she continued to groom young females whilst on police bail and was re-arrested in October 2018 in West Midlands when she was found with a 15-year-old missing girl (victim 4). The victim reported to officers that she had been sexually assaulted by Watts.
In November 2018, officers from the Met obtained an interim Sexual Risk Order from Stratford Magistrates’ Court which allowed Watts to be closely monitored by officers to prevent her from re-offending until charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Hampshire. A final Sexual Risk Order was obtained on 2 May 2019 and Watts was charged on 12 September 2019.
PC Nicola Benson, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Missing and Exploited Team, said , “The level of manipulation and deceit used by Watts to snare her victims, in this case, was truly shocking. Children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation online with increased use of social media apps, and there is a real risk that any contact with a stranger online can lead to a child meeting an offender in person.
“This case demonstrates the stark reality of that, and it is astonishing the lengths that Watts went to, to ensure she could abuse these girls.
“I am pleased that Watts has now received a custodial sentence, and I would like to commend the bravery of the girls and their families who found the courage to come forward and make this happen. I want them to know that they are not in any way to blame for this, and hope they can now move on from this ordeal.
“I would also like to thank officers from West Midlands Police, Devon & Cornwall Police, Kent Police and the Metropolitan Police for their involvement in this complex and lengthy investigation.”
Anyone who has any information that could help lead to an arrest, or protect a child from online abuse, is asked to call 999. Alternatively, they should contact the NSPCC or Internet Watch Foundation (https://www.iwf.org.uk/).
Detective Inspector Mark Rogers, from the Met, added, “Thankfully, these type of crimes are rare. However, it is important that parents, guardians and everyone who works with young people takes an interest in what children are doing on the internet and educates them about the risks associated with using social media.
“The internet is a fantastic resource enabling young people to socialise and learn. Unfortunately, it can also be used by predatory offenders to target children. We will robustly investigate any child sex offences committed online, and I would urge any young person who has experienced unsolicited contact to report it to police.”
PC Maria Carrick, Hampshire Constabulary’s Education and Youth Engagement Coordinator, said ,“Young people are vulnerable to exploitation online, and in serious and worrying cases, adults pose as young people to groom and exploit them into engaging in sexual activity online, or trick them into meeting with the intention of physically causing sexual harm.
“This is what makes prevention so important and why we continue to actively work with young people, schools, parents and youth partners in a joined up approach to educate whole communities about the risks children face online, and the impact this can have on them and their families.
“We encourage parents and teachers not to be afraid to talk to children about their activities on social media and explain the importance of privacy, and thinking before uploading content online to help prevent them from becoming victims or perpetrators. This is key to developing young people’s trust and confidence to talk to you, someone else they trust or to report if they’re concerned about inappropriate contact they’ve had online.”
As a Drag Race and RuPaul fan, the thought of a comedy-drama starring Ru and so many of her girls sounded like a dream.
Sadly Episode 1 isn’t giving me entirely what I was looking for.
Yes, Ru is fabulous, as always, and the first half of the episode was brilliant: Ru as Ruby Red performing at the club, her reading of the owner in front of so many incredible Drag Race alumni including Bianca Del Rio. The scenes with Michael Leon Wooley who plays her fierce best friend. These were all great, with just that mixture of camp, drama and comedy you’d expect from a show like this.
The story moves along nicely: Ruby Red has been in the drag business for decades and has finally saved up enough money to start a club of her own. She dreams of making life better for her drag sisters.
This by itself would be an amazing show. The characters introduced so far work and Ruby thinking up ways to earn money to get her club after all with help from her drag friends would be a great series.
Sadly it’s when AJ arrives that the story goes off the rails. So far it is unclear why her character is needed as it takes the flow out of the story. AJ’s background story is written as very tragic, but the way Izzy G performs it does not evoke any sympathy. In fact, so far all she does is shout and annoy.
She also steals from Ruby and utters homophobic slurs. Not really clear to see why Ruby would be so caring towards her in return. Perhaps the idea is that we will see AJ grow and change as the series moves along. I hope that some of this change will be sooner rather than later as right now her scenes are difficult to watch.
Sadly, the man she thought loved her and would help her build her dream turns out to be a con who steals all her money and her dreams. This leads into a hilarious scene in the police office and a lovely scene of her best friend encouraging her to try again.
The story ends with Ruby leaving for a road trip to earn back some of her money while the police are working on her case that may turn out bigger and more dangerous than she had imagined.
Despite the minor niggle, the story has a big heart and a clear message: RuPaul’s message – it is okay to be you, it is okay to love yourself, you matter.
There is warmth and a strange comfort that is rare in TV shows these days and with promises of big performances, more Drag Race stars and adventure I am looking forward to what happens next.
It was the writer Mark Twain, who said, “Mauritius was made first and then heaven was copied after Mauritius.” Boy, was he right! The tropical paradise is one of Africa’s wealthiest tourist destinations and is one of the world’s top luxury places to visit.
It’s clear why over 100,000 British visitors go every year. Yet for some LGBTQIA+ people, it holds an unknown law that threatens the freedom of the community. An island where gay men still live with the consequences of British colonisation. Various countries across Africa and southern Asia still have harmful anti-homosexuality laws in place that were first introduced under British rule. The republic of Mauritius gained independence from British rule in 1968.
Homosexuality is prohibited in Mauritius and LGBTQIA+ life in Mauritius still remains fairly discreet, it is important to know that ‘sodomy’ is still illegal and punishable with a maximum sentence of up to 5 years.
In 2018, The Republic of Mauritius was forced to cancel its gay pride event due to concerns of safety from anti-gay rights campaigners, to which some were quoting section 250 of the Mauritian Criminal Code Act of 1838, which outlaws sodomy.
The Law in Mauritius violates individual constitutional rights and freedoms which breaches the island’s equal opportunities act, which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek originally brought a legal case last year challenging the constitutionality of Section 250 – a colonial-era law from when Mauritius was ruled by Britain. According to an unofficial translation of this section “Any person who is guilty of the crime sodomy… shall be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding 5 years.”
The case had its first hearing by the Supreme Court in October 2019 and another hearing to appear this February 2020.
Mr Ah Seek’s legal case is being supported by the Collectif Arc-En-Ciel (CAEC), a human rights organisation in Mauritius working to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+ people.
Mauritian activist Najeeb Fokeerbux, Founder of the LGBTQIA+ group, Young Queer Alliance has addressed that he too will be campaigning to overturn the law and will work alongside Mr Ah Seek’s on this case. The Young Queer Alliance is s a non-governmental, youth-led and a political organisation dedicated to advance equal human rights of LGBTQIA+ people in the Republic of Mauritius. Supported by various local and regional partners and philanthropies.
Mauritian activists claim that the law is rarely enforced with sentencing, although it is still illegal and still active and has other impacts on the community.
Mauritians citizens are an eclectic mix of French, Indian, Creole and Chinese people, renowned for their hospitality and their acceptance of cultural differences. So why they live with such strict laws is frankly disappointing, outdated and violates human rights to the local people and their overall tolerance to people.
I myself am of Mauritian descent and an active member of the LGBTQIA+ community, born and living in Brighton, UK.
I have taken personal offence to the law and will be working alongside the activists to help decriminalise homosexuality in Mauritius by helping overturn this law. This outdated law threatens our very own freedom of being who we are and where we travel to and how we live our lives.
Over the next few weeks, I aim to meet fellow activist Fokeerbux and his colleagues at La MariPosa Hotel, Grand Rivière Noir situated south-west of the island.
This venue prides itself as one of the few hotels that promotes themselves confidently as LGBTQIA+ friendly on the island.
La MariPosa Hotel will be the meeting venue where myself and fellow activists will hold discussions and where people from the LGBTQIA+ community can talk openly about stigmas and prejudice to which they have experienced.
We will discuss what amendments have been made so far, the challenging of article 250, the human rights violations which LGBTQIA+ people are exposed to and more.
The Republic of Mauritius is such a beautiful island – but when we look at the beauty around this, it is shadowed by the old colonial laws, which has no place in our time now.
Policies have been changed and laws similar to this one have been overturned in other countries such as Angola, Seychelles, Botswana and India. This has been inspirational and motivational for the LGBTQIA+ community in Mauritius.
Let’s endeavour that 2020 brings Mauritius into a place that promotes equality, diversity, inclusion but more importantly equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Mathew Parr will be in Mauritius from mid -January 2020 for 1 month, and he will be writing and filming his full experience including discussions with fellow activists.
The FBI investigation of actress Jean Seberg is told in the new film Seberg.
Kristen Stewart, who plays Seberg, is fine in this film of Seberg’s life which was filled with glamour and controversy. Director
Benedict Andrews, who directs with little enthusiasm, and the writers focus on the years in Seberg’s life when she was being investigated for her ties to the Black Panther party in the 1960’s. This is told through the fictional eyes of FBI investigator Jack Solomon (a very good Jack O’connell). Seberg, an American born in 1938, was most famous for her performance in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 film Breathless which immortalized her as an icon of French New Wave cinema, donated lots of money and time to the Black Panther Party. She also had an extramarital affair with Black activist Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), which led to a baby being born prematurely, due, according to Seberg, the stress of the FBI investigation, and her rocky marriage to her husband Romain Gary (Yvan Attal).
Solomon, ever increasingly, gets more involved in the case, taking him away from his frustrated wife Linette (Margaret Qualley). Vincent Vaughan plays his partner, who knows not to get too close to the case. But we really don’t get to understand why Seberg wanted to support the Black Panthers. She was sympathetic and wanted them to have opportunities? And if so why?
Seberg died at the age of 40 in Paris, with police ruling her death a probable suicide, after having disappeared for ten days. Her life was anything but boring, yet Seberg doesn’t quite get to the heart of who she was and why she was involved.
Her life was fascinating and glamorous, but her story needs to be told again.
Police are looking to speak to this man after a 13-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted at an ice rink in Manchester.
According to cops in Manchester, at around 6 pm on Tuesday 23 April 2019, a 13-year-old boy reported that he been sexually assaulted in the public toilets of Planet Ice (formerly called Altrincham Ice Rink) on Oakfield Road, Altrincham.
The victim left the toilet cubicle to go wash his hands and was confronted by a man who sexually assaulted him by the washbasins.
Police Constable Neil Murphy, of GMP’s Trafford division, said: “An assault of this nature is completely unacceptable and has left a young boy feeling violated in what should have been a safe environment.
“I appreciate that this incident took place a while ago, but I would like to stress that we have been following every line of enquiry available to us and trawling through several CCTV opportunities. As a result, we have been able to release these images in the hope of talking to the man pictured.
“If anyone has any information that could help us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at the very earliest opportunity.”
Anyone with any information can contact police on 101 referring to incident number 2080 of 23/04/2019 or alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
An ASOS customer has been left outraged after receiving a discount code from the online clothing giant.
When Eric Omikunle opened a birthday email sent by ASOS containing a discount code he thought “how sweet and kind” – that was until he noticed the gay slur in the code itself.
The clothing company, which also made Pride In London’s clothing range in 2019, had indeed sent him a 10 per cent off discount code, however, to Eric’s disgust the code contained a three-letter anti-gay slur, “FAG”
@TheGayUK I want to share a situation that occurred. I was looking through my email and saw that ASOS had wished me a happy bday-how sweet and kind… so I thought! Till I then looked at the discount code they offered me and it included an outrageous gay slur. #LGBTQpic.twitter.com/varUMilX30
The code that Eric was sent, in full, was “FAG162NV7S23”
ASOS prides itself on being diverse and inclusive, but this blunder has left one customer feeling outraged and disappointed. (SOURCE: ASOS Frontpage).
Eric says that he had reached out to ASOS but was left with a “resolution” that he was happy with.
ASOS Here To Help, ASOS’s online Twitter handle, replied, that it was “just a generated code” and invited Eric to DM them if he had a complaint to make.
