Search results for: “ ”

CAR REVIEW | Volkswagen Caddy

Volkswagen Caddy | ★★★★☆

What Have We Got?

Here we have VW’s venerable Caddy van. Things in van land run at a slower pace and this Caddy, believe it or not, is the Mk3. The Caddy has been part of the VW catalogue since 1980, so what has it been doing with itself for the past 38 years?

Moving, that’s what. That was what it was made to do and that’s what it does. The current Caddy on sale today is 15 years old. Does age really matter or can the Caddy still cut it?

Driving

This is your bread and butter van. Power at the front, nothing in the rear except load space. With that in mind, it makes for the rear to become rather happy on uneven road surfaces. Working vans don’t really travel empty and for the demonstration, VW placed a pallet with around 12 bags of sand on it. Even so, it still managed to be compliant in the handling department and for what was effectively an open space with no sound deadening, there were no din or road noises bouncing around the load area.

Inside

Car drivers might not like it and if you play with a lot of Volkswagens, you’ll walk away a bit disheartened. Don’t be. The nice thing about the Caddy is its simplicity. It’s a van. Unless you want a van, you won’t be looking at one of these. There is a Caddy Life, a Caddy with rear windows and seat. That itself is like a Touran for the harder working lifestyles and less about luxury and it costs less too.

The Caddy insides are all about wipe clean surfaces and hard work. Carpets are an option! What is apparent and perhaps down to age, is the lack of storage compartments.

What does show its age is the position of the infotainment screen. It’s a far to low down the dashboard and using the satnav means taking your eyes off the road for what feels like an eternity.

Living With It

As small vans go, there is still life left in the now 15-year-old Caddy. The simple layout in the back with minor wheel arch intrusion but still able to take that all important pallet that seems to be the benchmark for small vans. The sliding door aids access too and it’s all pretty neat. It does, however, require a load area liner. That painted area won’t stay showroom glossy for long.

The Verdict

It’s a slower pace in the van world and when a new van comes out, the maker needs to get it right first time around. The fact that the Caddy 15 years old, in typical Volkswagen philosophy, has seen some changes to keep it up to date and is still a good seller says more about the van than I can put in words but I’ll try: It’s still competitive.

Love

Simplistic inside

Nice driving position

Equipment

Loathe

Needs more odds and ends storage places

Satnav position

Unprotected paint on the rear bumper

The Lowdown

Car – VW Caddy SWB Highline 2.0 TDi

Price – £ 24,287(as tested)

MPG – 60.1 mpg (combined)

Power – 102ps @2900 – 4000 rpm

0-62mph – 12 seconds

Top Speed – 107 mph

Co2 – 124 (g/km)

22nd January 2019
Here’s why it’s great having a small penis

Small is beautiful – that is the new motto

If you watch a lot of porn you’ll be forgiven for thinking that man is equipped with just two sizes of dick. Big and bigger. But actually the majority of penis owners aren’t that well endowed. The average size of most men in the UK, full mast, is 5.5 inches according to Mandatory.com. So take heart, even if yours doesn’t reach 5 inches there are reasons why, whatever you have, is pretty damn good.

1) Firstly having a smaller dick means that hiding an unwanted erection is much easier

CREDIT: wernerimages / bigstock

So if you happen to be in an awkward situation and you pop a boner you can quite happily enjoy the knowledge that your rager will be much easier to hide than a monster cock. Simply slide that peen up towards your belly and no one will ever know! Brilliant.

2) You won’t damage the person you’re having intercourse with…

You’re less likely to damage your bottom. Smaller dicks are less likely to create anal fissures and less likely to cause small tears and will probably need a lot less warming up, although don’t read that as a “just go for it” you’ll still need to do a bit of foreplay and you’ll always need lube.

3) Not just anal, but actually oral will be easier.

BIGSTOCK

Apparently. After hearing that this guy actually ruptured his throat while giving a blowie to a 10 incher and ended up in A&E maybe it’s time to realise less is more.

4) Hit the spot

(C) BIGSTOCK

You’ll actually be able to rub all the right bits with your hammer action! The male G-spot will be tickled pink with a smaller than average appendage. The G-spot is only a couple inches inside a man, so any more than that I really a waste – or for show offs!

5) Anal sex will be less painful

Again we refer to point three. If you want tips on how to find bottoming easier check out our top tips. Plus you won’t be going all the way up to the internal sphincter, which can be an unpleasant feeling for some bottoms.

6) You won’t be used because of your penis size

CREDIT: Depositphotos

Yep, there’s such thing as people who who fetishize big dicks and don’t neccessarily respect the person attached to the big penis. There’s an actual forum called Big Dick Problems – yes guys who have penises that are too large they have their own forum. It has over 50 million members (no pun intended).

7) Less Germs

jarmoluk / Pixabay

Yes, if you ever sit down to pee, or even when you’re pooping if you have a smaller penis, or a grower not a shower, your penis won’t touch the inside of the dirty toilet bowl. Yup!

Whatever your size is, don’t worry about it. We all come in all different shapes and sizes. It’s about who the dick’s attached to not the nob itself.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

22nd January 2019
Lady Gaga on Mike Pence: Worst representation of what it means to be a Christian

She’s one hell of an ally.

CREDIT: ©-s_bukley-Depositphotos

Lady Gaga threw some epic shade at Mike Pence at one of her shows at her Las Vegas residency Enigma, calling him the worst representation of a Christian.

The current Vice President of the USA, Mike Pence has been critcised by activists and LGBT+ advocates for defending his wife’s job at the Immanuel Christian School in Virginia, a school which does not allow LGBT+ people to work for it on the basis of religion.

On Sunday’s performance, he found himself at the end of Lady Gaga’s wrath, with the “Born This Way” singer calling him the “worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.”

To a cheering crowd, Lady Gaga took a moment to get political saying “to Mike Pence, who thinks it’s acceptable that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ — you’re wrong … You say we should not discriminate against Christianity. You are the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.”

“I am a Christian woman,” Gaga added, “and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome. So you can take all that disgrace, Mr. Pence, and you can look yourself in the mirror and you’ll find it right there.”

22nd January 2019
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Citroën Berlingo

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

An irreverent look at a certain car.

The Citroen Berlingo Multispace

The 1998 – 2013 model was a step in the right direction when the Berlingo came out as a van. It raised the game in the CDV (car derived van) market. Instead of taking a humble hatchback, this was a purpose-built van on a hatchback chassis. In this case, the Citroën ZX.

This meant it had van like space in the cabin and storage appropriate for its van moniker. And then Citroën added windows and seats to it and sold it as a cheap lifestyle vehicle and judging by their sales literature, it was aimed at the young get-up-and-goers. Truth is, it’s easy access and comfortable seats sold it to the silver surfers who bought it in their droves.

They even fitted it was an optional electric folding sunroof that went almost the entire length of the vehicle. A sunroof, in a van! an ELECTRIC folding roof IN A VAN!! That’s the French for you.

And it sold in big numbers. Nothing could match it for small road space and huge interior dimensions.

It’s not that bad to drive either and when it was launched, even Jeremy Clarkson had a soft spot for it. In fact, it was almost universally liked by every road tester.

The Berlingo has one thing that it lacks and that is street cred. Despite being seen as a young active lifestyle persons transport for five, it was a box on wheels. It was easy for old people with arthritic hips to get in and out of and its floor pan was easily adaptable for wheelchair ramps. If ever there was a truly multipurpose vehicle, the Berlingo was it.

Buying one is easy. Oil leaks are the main culprit and some will have seen the welding torch, though rust isn’t really the killer for the Berlingo. Lack of maintenance and collapsing rear trailing arm bearings are.

About £600 to have that fixed. Also, driver seat foams collapse. It’s about £130 to replace that and this I know because I bought one for mine. I own one. And remember the old people that bought them? Safe to say they wouldn’t have thrashed them. To be fair, there is little to be gained from thrashing the 1.4 petrol or 1.9 diesel. The 1.8 petrol was far more spirited, it’s harder to find one.

It does what it does very well. It will carry you over great distances comfortably and swallow huge amounts of cargo. It’s just that it’s not very attractive and that’s why it’s an “ugly car”

22nd January 2019
Spotlight Back On: Corvyx

In 2017, I interviewed New York-based singer Corvyx, and since then his profile has increased significantly, adding over 35,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.

For the first time ever on his channel, he’s doing something he’s not done before, and he shared with me some exclusive images and titbits about the music video and song which is released on January 21^st.

As an LGBTQ+ singer, he wanted to celebrate a fellow LGBTQ+ icon… Lady Gaga. This time, however, he’s doing a mashup of some of her most significant songs. I spoke to him exclusively for TheGayUK.

Lady Gaga is a huge LGBTQ+ icon, what inspires you about her?

Gaga is THE artists’ champion. She is the epitome of what most artists aspire to not only accomplish, but eventually become. An untethered vocalist, a fashion icon, an accomplished actress, a revered singer/songwriter, a provocative visual artist, and above all else, a humanitarian. She inspires me because I see a lot of myself in her trajectory. She represents the absolute extreme of how you can express yourself without limitation and continue to evolve and reach success by trusting your artistic instincts. She took pop and the mainstream world and moulded it and not the other way around.

Most artists were being packaged like everyone else and she intentionally gave the world the opposite

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvUCGLF3oB/

What made you pick the songs in the Mashup? Which era of Gaga do you most relate to?

I based my song selections off of the nostalgia of eras I felt most connected to. In addition, I wanted to create a mashup people can dance to. Something dripping with energy which I relate to her earlier releases such as The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born This Way, and Artpop. As an LGBTQ+ late bloomer, I felt empowered by the anthems I chose to include because they reminded me of my earlier college years when I struggled with my sexuality. My favourite Gaga era was Born This Way. I think she threw caution to the wind and created such a sonic/visual paradox. It was a product so specific to its time period but simultaneously, transcendent and revolutionary. Gaga was/remains a huge pioneer and guiding force for the gay community. In a world which is so often dictating how people should look, feel, and define themselves, Gaga is a titan that knocked down every roadblock in pop culture and quite simply said, “you’re beautiful because you were born this way.”

What inspired your look in the video?

Gaga’s alienesque facial protrusions and provocative fashion of the Born This Way era was something that nobody in the pop world dared to approach. Most artists were being packaged like everyone else and she intentionally gave the world the opposite. She was the pop world’s, Marilyn Manson. I wanted to provide that same shock factor while paying homage to her legacy. Makeup By: Vanessa Scarola (Instagram)

What do you think of Lady Gaga’s ever-changing styles?

Gaga’s style evolution is indicative of her ability to adapt, change, and grow. And more importantly stating that it’s okay to do so. She had so boldly presented an image to the world with the wigs, the glam, the fashion, and the visuals. To be able to strip that away and say “ I’m still Lady f*cking Gaga” is admirable

How many people worked on this music video with you?

This production took the time, talent, and sorcery of myself (Director), Josh Argueta (Videographer), the beautiful NYC Arts Cypher (venue), Ashley DeLane Burger (Choreographer/Dancer), and our two Vyxen dancers, Maddie Kendall and Michelle Morris. With some help from my biggest supporter and fan, my sister

What’s the story of the video?

Unlike most Corvyx covers, there isn’t necessarily a narrative or a through-line for this video in particular. I wanted this to be a tribute honouring the music and visuals Gaga gave to us by paying homage without necessarily “copying”. I think this is a video/production people will easily be able to reference Gaga’s most iconic moments from while also experiencing something completely new/fresh.

Gaga’s style evolution is indicative of her ability to adapt, change, and grow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpCyBDrlKR_/

Most people wouldn’t expect you to cover a “pop” artist. Are there any artists you’re planning to cover or want to cover that people would be surprised to see?

REALLY? As much as I don’t believe I resemble the general populations’ idea of “pop”, I feel as if my body of work has shown I love the pop world. I have covered a ton of pop artists on my YouTube channel but I love to throw people for a loop and show them that music is a kaleidoscope. It’s fragmented and some pieces can be broken down, dissected, and looked upon completely differently from another angle while still being that same image. Gaga has done the same thing. We’ll have to wait and see what 2019 has in store…

How would you feel if Lady Gaga sees and reacts to the song/video?

I’d be honoured. But I’d be more curious to see how she would feel watching it. She is one of the greats and I hope she’d feel the unadulterated respect and admiration I put into making this one.

What does the future hold for Corvyx?

I want to keep you around so you’ll just have to wait and see…

Corvyx’s other music videos can be found on his YouTube channel here, and you can follow his Twitter here, and Instagram here. You can also check out his Patreon here.

Music video images courtesy of Josh Argueta… Instagram

22nd January 2019
What does cisnormative mean?

There are many terms that come up when discussing gender and you may hear words that begin with “cis”.

geralt / Pixabay

Cisnormative is one such word and its meaning is simply the typical or expected behaviour from a particular gender role: at its simplest the binary of Man and Woman.

So as an example, if you’re born male, grow up and are treated as a male, it might be considered cisnormative for him to play with toy soldiers, like football or have his bedroom colour blue.

In the same way, it would be considered cisnormative for a girl to grow up liking and dressing in pink and playing with dolls.

A person living a cisnormative life is a cisgender person who dresses and acts in a way which might be described as typical for their gender and biological sex.

Many of these choices are actually impacts from parental decisions rather than a child’s actual wishes. This was proven in a recent BBC two documentary called Gender Free.

You can add your comments below if you’d like us to update the meaning we’ve used here.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

21st January 2019
What is intersectionality?

geralt / Pixabay

Probably one of the best descriptions of Intersectionality is from trans activist Ashlee Marie Preston, who said in an interview with Blunt Post columnist Vic Gerami, “Basically, intersectionality describes multiple threats of description when an individual’s identity overlaps with multiple marginalized groups. Those experiences aren’t independent of one another but each informs the others”

21st January 2019
What does Misogynoir mean?

Misogynoir is a word that was coined by queer, androgyne black feminist Moya Bailey, which describes a type of discrimination that is experienced by black women.

Bailey created the word to describe misogyny directed at black women, where their race and gender both play a role in bias.

According to Wikipedia, the term was first used by Bailey in the Crunk Feminist Collective blog to raise awareness of the misogyny toward black women in hip hop music.

The term “transmisogynoir” was coined by Trudy of Gradient Lair and created to refer to the intersection between transmisogyny and misogynoir, meaning the oppression of trans women of colour. Transmisogynoir is the intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and antiblackness.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

21st January 2019
8 Things You Didn’t Know About Max Bowden Who Plays Ben Mitchell

Max Bowden is the new actor who plays EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell, son of hard man alcoholic Phil Mitchell, but what do we know about the actor?

Here’s 8 things you probably didn’t know about Max Bowden.

Max Bowden, Is He Gay, Bisexual or Straight

No it doesn’t look as though Max identifies as gay or bisexual. In fact, it doesn’t seem as though he’s ever mentioned his love life in public.

Does Max Bowden have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?

We don’t know this just yet but will look into it and update this page when that information becomes available.

What colour eyes does Max have?

He has blue eyes

How Tall is Max?

Max stands at 5 foot 9, just one inch shorter than the previous Ben Mitchell

Does Max have any special talents?

Well according to sources, Max is brilliant at accents and has mastered several including, American-New York, American-Standard, Cockney, Dublin, Essex, Estuary English, Geordie, Heightened RP, Irish-Southern, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and general Northern.

He’s also a great dancer and singer to boot – and is apparently highly skilled at Tap Dancing.

What other shows has Max Bowden been in?

Max is no stranger to TV or stage. He’s appeared in numerous TV shows, Casualty, Doctors and Waterloo Road, for which he was in 20 episodes. As for stage work in 2016 he starred in the London version of the LGBT+ musical, Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens. He also played Billy in Billy Elliot in 2009

Deleted tweets?

Max is on Twitter and according to his account he’s had an account since 2009, however only has 44 tweets as of 21st January, but over 23,000 fans – and there are signs that he’s been in conversations which other users which no longer appear… so where are the rest of them?

What’s Max Bowden’s Net Worth?

As a relative newcomer to TV actor Max Bowden’s net worth won’t be that large. It is likely that he’ll less than £150,000 per year for his role on EastEnders. There are only a few actors who have managed to reach that pay scale – and they are much more established stars.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

21st January 2019
Ben Mitchell is coming back to Albert Square

But will be played by a completely different actor

Ben Mitchell will be coming back to EastEnders in a dramatic story, but viewers will notice that the character is no longer played by Harry Reid. The new actor is in fact, Max Bowden. He will be, in fact, the sixth actor to play the role.

According to the BBC, Max Bowden will be taking on the role of Ben Mitchell, a character that just like his father never seems to be far from trouble. During his previous time in the Square, Ben was at the heart of many storylines including killing Heather Trott, his turbulent relationship with his father, Phil, and faking his relationship with Abi Branning to hide his sexuality.

On top of this, Ben had to cope with losing his one true love, Paul Coker, after they were both involved in an unprovoked homophobic attack.

This isn’t the first time a gay character has left and then come back with a different actor in the role. Johnny Carter was originally played by Sam Strike but was replaced in 2016 when Ted Reily took over the role.

Who is Max Bowden?

Max Bowden is best known for playing Justin Fitzgerald in Waterloo Road and has also appeared in other television and theatre roles including the UK tour of Birdsong. Speaking about joining EastEnders, Max said: “I’m so excited to be joining the cast of EastEnders and taking on the role of Ben Mitchell. I’ve always been a fan of the show so to be joining one of the most iconic families in soap is beyond exciting. I can’t wait to get started and see what’s in store for Ben.”

Kate Oates (Senior Executive Producer, EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty) added: “A character like Ben, with his rich history, ‘complicated’ family and complex psychology, is pure gold. With Max in the role, we will be exploring the aspects of Ben’s character that have been allowed to develop during his time away from the Square: unfettered by old loyalties, and out of the long shadow of his father, Phil.”

Kate recently said that she was looking to introduce a gay bar to Albert Square, saying “We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out, and loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

21st January 2019
Egyptian TV host imprisoned for talking about homosexuality on air

A TV host has been handed a year-long prison sentence in Egypt after interviewing a gay man live on air.

rihaij / Pixabay

TV presenter Mohamed al-Gheiti has landed a year-long prison sentence after interviewing a gay man live on TV in Egypt. The presenter who is known for his anti-gay stance invited a gay man on to his show in August 2018 to discuss homosexuality on air.

The man’s face was blurred during the show but talked about how he was a sex worker and detailed relationships he had with other men, according to sources.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Egypt’s media regulator suspended the private channel LTC TV for two weeks after the interview because it said the channel had broken a ban on the “appearance of homosexuals or promotion of their slogans”.

The Rainbow Flag is a forbidden symbol in the deeply Islamic country. Although homosexuality is technically legal in Egypt it has been treated de facto illegal since 2000.

Mohamed al-Gheiti was given a year’s prison sentence and fined 3000 Egyptian pounds. After his prison sentence is completed the court order that he put under surveillance for a further year.

In 2017 concert goers in Egypt were arrested for raising the rainbow flag at a concert and in 2017 six men were facing anal examinations to determine whether they had engaged in same-sex sexual relations, according to Amnesty International.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING

Help us deliver unique, usable and reliable journalism that supports the gay, bisexual and curious community of the United Kingdom. Can you help protect LGBT+ media? Publishers like us have come under severe threat by the likes of Google and Facebook. The problem is that advertisers are choosing to put their money with them, rather than with niche publishers like us. Our goal is to eliminate banner ads altogether on site and we can do that if you could pledge us a tiny amount each month.

We’re asking our readers to pledge just £1 per month, more if you’re feeling swanky. You can stop payment at any time.

It’s quick and easy to sign up and you’ll only have to do it once.

Click to start the journey and support THEGAYUK!

21st January 2019