Startling findings reveal that 10 per cent of the UK’s population think that gay cures could work on LGBT+ people.
Despite many people understanding that LGBT+ are born that way, around 1 in 10 people in the UK, still think that homosexuality or being transgender can be cured according to findings recorded by Galop, the UK’s largest anti-violence charity for LGBT+ people.
This is coupled with the horrifying revelation that around 20 per cent of people (one in five) said that being LGBT+ was immoral or went against their beliefs.
The findings were analysed from a representative sample of just over 1,600 people.
Does conversion therapy actually work?
There are a number of therapists and organisations in the UK and in the USA that make the claim that conversion therapy can help LGB people to become heterosexual. However, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, there is no evidence that such change is possible.
Nick Antjoule, Galop’s Head of Hate Crime Services said, At Galop we’ve seen a stark increase in the severity and scale of anti-LGBT violence and abuse over the past few years. This appears to be a symptom of emergent anti-LGBT attitudes and social division across society. The fact that anti-LGBT hate crime figures are rising so much faster than race, faith and disability hate crime should be a wake-up call for policy makers. We urge action now to address this problem before it escalates further.
Our research shows the journey toward LGBT+ equality is far from over. Despite most people in this UK poll voicing support for LGBT+ people; a significant proportion still think we are dangerous, immoral or that we can be ‘cured’.
Younger people hold more negative views about LGBT+ people rather than the older generation.
Antijoule continued, “It offers a sobering reminder that progress achieved in recent decades can easily be reversed.
“Young people polled tended to hold more negative views toward LGBT+ people than other age groups. This alarming finding warns of a generational pivot ahead and a bumpy road for those of us committed to challenging anti-LGBT violence and abuse.
People are wondering if one of Drag Race UK‘s stars is a Conservative!
We’re three weeks and we’re starting to see in our analytics, here at TGUK central what people are wondering about the Drag Queens of Drag Race UK and one of the most highly asked questions is whether Baga Chipz – one of the competition’s favourites to win, is a Conservative. If you’re in the US, the Conservatives are like a Republican Lite. Think a centre-right party without the guns.
Recently Baga Chipz, was forced to defend a pro-Conservative op-ed she wrote for a magazine back in 2017, during the General Election.
In the piece, she wrote, that former Prime Minister Theresa May had “proved to be a capable politician, always on the ball and never at risk of having a ‘Diane Abbott’ moment”.
The piece was unearthed by fans of the show, some of whom were quick to condemn Chipz as a “Tory Queen”.
However, Baga Chipz was quick to confirm that she was actually a “life-long labour supporter” but wrote the piece because she wasn’t a fan of Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
She pointed out his “record on antisemitism, his support for the IRA and homophobic terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, his support for brutal dictatorships in Venezuela and Cuba”.
In the piece, titled “Why Vote Conservative” for scene magazine Boyz, she wrote,
“As a member of the LGBTQI community, I often get asked about Theresa May’s voting record on gay rights, and I understand the concerns,
“But just as Hillary Clinton changed her stance, so has Mrs May. Not only has she voted for every LGBT reform in parliament in the last decade but she was instrumental in pushing marriage equality.”
“I am not a Tory”
Defending her 2017 stance, Chipz took to Twitter to write, “I am not a Tory. I’m actually a lifelong labour supporter. I supported Theresa May in the last election as I’m not a fan of Jeremy Corbyn.. was 4 years ago hun.. one is allowed to change ones views.
How does Theresa May’s Voting Record on LGBT+ issues stand?
Although more recently Theresa May’s voting record has leaned to pro-LGBT+ rights here past actions saw her vote in favour of Section 28, in a GAYUK analysis May only achieved a 29.6% LGBT+ friendly rating. We noted, “Ms May is what we’d call an evolved Minister on LGBT+ and gay rights. Prior to 2004 she systematically voted against the rights of gay people in the UK. Then we see a 180-degree change in her voting pattern, although she did have a blip in 2007 when she failed to vote on the Discrimination on the grounds of sexuality law. Since the beginning of this decade, she has voted positively for the LGBT+ community.”
Tracing her rise from Cuban immigrant to global superstar, On Your Feet tells the story of Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine.
From humble beginnings, the group went on to sell over 100 million records, albeit not without struggling to bring their fusion of Latin beats and Pop to the charts. But the American dream turns sour when at the height of her fame, tragedy hits the family.
You might think that Gloria Estafan’s life was not really eventful enough to carry the narrative of a two-hour show, and, well, you may be right.
There is very little in this musical biopic that hasn’t been seen before. The show feels a little self-indulgent at times, only ever skimming the surface of Estafan’s life and there are no huge revelations. The story ambles along without really getting very far in act one; and despite the narrative thickening out a little during act two, it remains a rather superficial look at her life.
Narrative aside and despite a rather lacklustre set, this is a big production with a quality feel, an excellent lighting design taking us from the heat of the Cuban sun to packed out stadiums, some stunningly beautiful costumes, a stage full of actors and a superb live band on stage. Francesca Lara Gordon plays Gloria Estafan as a sassy, headstrong and determined woman, and had a voice enabling her to belt out the pop tunes and softly sing the slower numbers; and there was a tangible chemistry between her and George Ioannides as Emilio Estafan.
With a good mix of ballads, upbeat pop and Latin American music, the show bursts into life during the musical numbers which are filled with passion and energy. With infectious Latin rhythms and dance routines that positively sizzle, outstanding choreography and an ensemble cast as hot as the Miami sun, the show really does impress during these moments and proves to be utterly irresistible.
On Your Feet is a musical biopic with the emphasis firmly on the music rather than the biopic, and provides a couple of hours of foot-tapping, feel-good fun.
That “harsher” sentence actually equates to SIX months (note the capital letters). Which a tiny proportion of those who commit an actual offence will actually receive. And remember six months, will never, in reality, be six months – more like three.
The new sentencing policy is set against the news that hate crimes reports against trans people have risen by 37 per cent to 2333 reports while crimes reported against lesbian, gay and bisexual people has risen by 25 per cent to 14,500 reported crimes.
The Daily Mail decided to frame the news with a title that read,”Now trans and gay hate crime will mean SIX months in jail after judges are ordered to crack down with harsher sentence” and then used domestic burglaries as a benchmark to drive a point that the sentences are longer – for crimes against the person rather than property. Surely that’s what it should be?
Well within hours of the piece, written by Steve Doughty for The Daily Mail, there were numerous remarks in the infamous comment section of the website, most of which were decrying the news.
“mac.attack” hailing from New Zealand, seemed concerned that a misconstrued joke could end up with us all on a slippery slope. God knows where, but we praise the liberal use of lube.
Your profile picture is the first thing that other members will see of you, so take some time to get it right. We’ve put together some tips on what works and what doesn’t work for the perfect profile picture.
It goes without saying that your profile picture should be of you. We’re not fond of catfishing, fraud or just pictures of cartoon characters. You’re a real person, so a real picture of you is best.
Remember what they say first impressions can last a lifetime so make sure, when you’re choosing yours, that it reflects exactly how you want to portray yourself.
So here are our top tips:
Recent photos
Make sure your profile picture is recent. We’ve all heard the stories of people turning up to dates only to discover that the person they meet is a good ten years older than their profile photo. It’s a bit like trades description. People want to know who they are meeting – a trustworthy and honest person will have an up-to-date, recent picture of themselves. It’ll also help identify you if you guys actually meet in real life.
Just you and only you
Don’t crowd the picture with other people. We can assume that you have friends. You don’t need to show us – after all, we’re interested in meeting just you, to begin with… not your friends. If you want to add pictures with family, friends, pets etc add them to your private galleries.
Step into the sexy world of male strippers in the new titillating documentary All Male, All Nude: Johnsons
Johnsons is not the name of one of the strippers – it’s the name of a male strip club in Fort Lauderdale. Well not actually Fort Lauderdale but a community within called Wilton Manors – Americas second gayest city per capita.
In a follow up to the popular 2017 feature documentary ‘All Male, All Nude,’ director Gerald McCullouch introduces us to the all too hot, sexy, and young male strippers of all nationalities at Johnson’s.
Owned by Matt Colunga, an award-winning bodybuilder who has been in the male entertainment industry for 23 years, we see that Johnson’s is the perfect place to work if you want to be a male stripper. The strippers can make as much as $500 on a good night – and perhaps even more if they go to the ‘private’ rooms with a customer. But everything here is on the up-and-up, no risqué business takes place here, where Matt really cares for his strippers, even to a point to make them take a breath test before they leave the club after their shifts.
We meet the adorable hot and sexy Alexander, 26, who spends his days dressed as Spider-Man creating fun for children at kids parties and then spends his nights stripping down to his G-String for gay men, and others including one young man who decided to become a cosmetologist when he decided he did not want to strip anymore.
Also, there are single fathers and young men putting themselves through college with their stripping income, to entertainers in the adult film world – all sorts of men who are working hard for the money. While the focus in the documentary is not on the customers, it’s them who keep this place going, and packed most nights.
‘All Male, All Nude: Johnsons’ is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s sexy, nude and all-male!:)
With the ticket price of live music events becoming ever more expensive and the options of places to see the more prominent names performing, requiring more travel, you have to redefine your attitude when it comes to going to a gig. Rather than make it the sole purpose of your trip away, if you combine it with comfortable travel (Eurostar), and a convenient place to stay, the whole adventure feels much more like a short holiday rather than a quick dash to get a music fix.
And that’s how I found myself checking in to The Crowne Plaza in Antwerp, a plush four-star hotel only a direct and convenient 25
-minute tram ride away from my musical destination and an appointment to see none other than Cher! The Crowne Plaza hotel was modern and functional, perfect for my overnight stay and catering for short-haul travellers, such as myself, high-flying business executives, and everyone in between.
I was never a massive fan of Cher, but she has had such a long and varied, not to mention successful highly career, so much so that the word icon feels justified in her case, that I thought I should experience her show at least once. So I snapped up a 9th-row ticket, booked the hotel, hopped on a tram, and here I was.
Someone like Cher doesn’t just play a gig, she brings a show to town, and then some, and for someone coming to her show afresh and open-minded, as it were, she made a convert out of me with ease. Keeping an audience in the palm of your hand for two hours is not an easy thing to do but this is Cher’s world, she is the mistress of all that she surveys and the wonderful between-song anecdotes (old people love to talk,) the constant costume changes, her larger than life personality and a set of fantastic songs meant that the time flew by.
It was a very theatrical show, hints of Vegas abounded, and she still knows how to belt out a tune, no lip-synching or technological cheats here, but all the time I found myself thinking, “I wonder if I will still look this great in heels when I’m 73!” And if the songs took us back through her career, the nostalgic costume changes underlined just how long a career she has had. We travelled back to her formative years, the Sonny and Cher era, right through to the here and now, Cher displaying an incredible ability to turn back time, pun intended, whilst putting on a very contemporary show.
One surprise came with her rendition of ABBA hits challenging the already dancing queens of Antwerp to up their game. By this point, the show had gone beyond merely an average gig and had turned into the hottest gay party in Western Europe that night!
We partied, and then we parted, me back to the comfort of my hotel, her to set the next town alight with her show as her tour continued across Europe and on to the UK. You should try new things; it’s what living is all about. And although I may have wandered into the arena with an open mind about Cher, I certainly left as a bit of a fan.
Milo Yiannopoulos doesn’t seem to have a online home anymore after his previous website appears to have been sold off.
The controversial journalist and speaker, Milo Yiannopoulos has seemingly sold off his website Dangerous.com, amid rumours of him running out of money, following on from being de-platformed from every major social network.
Milo’s former website dangerous.com now bears the message “Dangerous.com has been sold and is no longer associated with its previous owner”
Milo’s personal website milo.net is also seemingly offline.
Since he was booted off Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Milo has been forced to use lesser-known networks such as Gab on which he has around 71,000 followers and apparently has just under 20,000 followers on Telegram. These are a far cry from the huge number of followers he had previously.
He still has a channel on Google’s YouTube, although it has not been updated in around a month ago.
Piers Morgan has lashed out against PinkNews after it published an article about a petition calling on ITV execs to remove him from his presenting position on Good Morning Britain for “dehumanising” people from the transgender and non-binary community.
In a series of fiery tweets, Piers blasted the news site as “disingenuous” and clickbaity after it published a piece about a petition which called for the GMB anchor to be fired from his presenting position on the ITV morning show.
He also blasted the site for “spreading dangerous bullsh*t” and reiterated that they were shameless little clickbaiters“
At the time of PinkNews’s first article, calling for his dismissal, around 6000 people had signed the petition calling on ITV to end its contract with Piers Morgan.
The petition has since swelled to around 13,000 signatures.
“Dehumansing”
Piers is accused by the petitioners of “dehumanising” some transgender and non-binary people with his line of questioning of non-binary guests and his dismissal of the notion that there are over 100 different gender identities, Piers is currently identifying as a “2 spirit penguin”.
However, Piers claims that he supports those people who transition and that he is a loud supporter of gay rights.
The presenter added, “I don’t support the ridiculous notion of 100 genders, and most sensible people agree with me.”
People actually like Piers
In response to the initial petition calling on Piers to be fired, is another, calling on ITV to back the presenter which has now surpassed the original with over 26,000 signatures.
THEGAYUK.com reached out to Pink News for comment.
After a long-term, online, long-distance relationship with a guy that turned out to be transgender, THE UNDATEABLE GAY goes to meet the man of his dreams…
CREDIT: bigstock-kalim
I’ve deleted all my dating apps. There’s not one to be found on my iPhone. I was fed up with all the curious straight men chatting to me on Plenty of Fish. And annoyed at everybody on Grindr being shallow and only wanting one thing. And don’t even get me started on Tinder. I may only be in my 30s but I’m rather Granny like when it comes to technology.
After an unfortunate incident involving a 70-year-old lady and swiping right, and then being slightly stalked and receiving numerous invites for coffee and cake, I decided that Tinder was no good for me either.
I’ve taken to more intellectual apps these days. My favourite is Words with Friends. For those of you not in the know, this is Scrabble. But on your phone. And you can play with anyone, anywhere in the world.
One day, I started playing with this very handsome man called Joshua. Yes, you get to see a photo of who you’re playing with. I kept perving on his picture whilst waiting for him to play his move, praying he would start a conversation.
And then the Lord answered my prayers and a chat popped up. Although it was a little ambiguous. Remember, this is not a gay app, so there’s no way of knowing whether the person you’re playing with fancies you. Or even if they’re a raving homo.
After putting my journalistic training into practice, it was soon confirmed that Joshua was flirting with me and did indeed fancy me.
He was only 25. Ten years younger than me but I decided that I could be a cougar if I wanted. And he lived in Southampton. I was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t in London but hey-ho, it’s only an hour’s drive or a train ride! And besides, I’ve become so institutionalized with being single, I thought it’d be perfect to have a man who didn’t live in my pocket.
We spent months talking on the phone, exchanging WhatsApp messages and sending each other photos. I don’t think I’ve ever fancied a man as much as I had Joshua.
He was just my type; Tattoos, quite butch and BLOODY handsome.
We had so much in common. We drank like fishes. We had potty mouths and both adored the C U Next Tuesday word. And we both had quite common, rough around the edges accents. Surely it was a match made in heaven.
We even discussed growing older together. And I’d never met another man who shared the same views as me about how we should behave in a care home as an old couple together. We both agreed that it would be wheelchair races through the corridors. And slipping under the table for a sly blowjob during bingo.
A few months of a long-distance telephone relationship, I decided it was finally time to bite the bullet. Being the older gentleman, I took the lead and arranged to get the train from London to Southampton. I was finally going to meet the man of my dreams, my perfect match.
Two days before the big first date, he sent me a message declaring, “We’re perfect for each other, I swear.” I swooned at the words and I was of the same opinion. We were so similar, the way we spoke, the thoughts we had. It was scary.
The night before I was due to catch my train to Southampton, we had a very interesting text conversation.
JOSHUA: Probably something I should tell you before you come in case it puts you off.
ME: What??
JOSHUA: I’m transgender. I was born a female. I know you’ll probably freak and it’s fine.
MARK: I don’t give a shit. I know you as Joshua and I fancy you.
The morning of the date arrived and the sun was shining so brightly. The sun shines on the righteous, my dear Nan always said.
I arrived at Southampton Docks in plenty of time for our meeting. We’d agreed on 1 pm. It got to ten past and no sign of him. I tried to call. No answer. It got to twenty past. I sent two messages. No reply.
As the clock hit 2 pm, I thought, What a C U Next Tuesday. I’ve come all the way from London and you don’t even have the common human decency to show up or even respond to my attempts at contact.
Being ever the positive boy that I am, I decided that I would not waste my day. The sun was beating down and it was the most beautiful day so I spent my unexpected free time wondering around Southampton. I had a few glasses of wine, ate a spot of lunch and watched the world go by.
A few glasses of savvy b later, I decided it was time to get the train back to London. But not before I sent one final message to Joshua. I simply had to have the final word:
“I had a lovely day in the sun at Southampton Docks. I thought it best not to waste the train tickets so I spent the day in Southampton anyway. I wouldn’t worry what people think of you because you’re transgender. I’d be more concerned with what people think of you because you’re a bit of a cunt.”
Volvo continue to go full steam ahead with their SUV range and the smallest of their cars, the 40 series received the SUV treatment giving us the XC40 in 2017. It went on to win the coveted European Car of The Year award in 2018.
A compact in visual presence SUV packed with well-fitting appointments and a premium feel. But with its £38k price tag, does the XC40 T4 petrol in Momentum Pro spec justify the premium price tag?
Driving
Here is where the XC40 Momentum T4 excels. With this 190hp petrol engine, it has the ability to travel forward very quickly. Fitted to a softer sprung suspension set up, it can carry you and 4 passengers in floating comfort.
The 2-litre turbo engine is fitted to full 8-speed automatic gearbox driving the front wheels travels with smooth elastic fluidity. There are no paddle shifts for this spec and it’s no hardship. There are very few occasions when you could choose a better gear ratio to be in.
What can ruin the ambience of the Momentum Pro is the drive modes. Quite hit and miss in this model. Dynamic mode didn’t add anything to the already accomplished manners of the car. In some cases, it hindered a splendid driving experience.
Handling veers onto the enthusiastic side quite readily with plenty of grip available. The ride tends to roll a bit but this is only to be expected from a high sided vehicle with a compliant ride. Adhesion to the tarmac immense and the steering alerts you to trouble ahead before it lose all grip.
Inside
One thing that is worthy of note is the use of recycled bottles, turned into fluffy material and used on the door cards and transmission tunnel. In shorts, it has a warm feeling to it like a faithful dog pressing against your left leg. It’s actually rather pleasant.
The dashboard is laid out in typical Volvo logic and the 12.3” is easy to use, if somewhat clunky at times. However, all was not good with the driving experience. And that would be the plastic used on the centre console. It was somewhat rather cheap in feel. And considering the premium quality Volvo have gone, this felt so very wrong in an otherwise well thought out interior.
The rear doors have a kick up in them and while being a design feature, they do hinder some visibility over the shoulders and for those travelling in the rear.
Living With It
The XC40 Momentum Pro is very easy to live with. Rear seat room, in particular, is generous and more so in shoulder width. The list of standard equipment is generous though there was no adaptive cruise fitted even though the radar button was fitted to the steering wheel.
The Verdict
The XC40 Momentum is a looker. It’s not as popular on the road and that might be because people aren’t looking to Volvo for this size of car. And that is a shame. It really does do a lot very well and very little to annoy.
If there is one thing that I can complain about, it is the T4’s fuel economy. It isn’t great. That said, it does power this little slice of Swedish luxury quite rapidly. I’ll complain about that even though I know you can get it with other petrol or diesel engines and there is also a hybrid of sorts model coming early next year.
So is this premium and worth that asking price? Forget flat-packed furniture with a cheap veneer added, this is a slice of rapid Swedish luxury, and I say it is worth it.
Love
Fit and finish
8 speed automatic
Throttle response
Loathe
Disappointing fuel economy (according to the computer)
-minute tram ride away from my musical destination and an appointment to see none other than Cher! 
