To become even more “welcoming” Starbucks is going to start blocking porn from its WIFI
(C) DEPOSITPHOTOS
Your ability to watch a creampie and eat a creampie at Starbucks is going to be halted in 2019 after the mega coffee chain claims to have to sourced a “solution” that will “prevent this content (porn) from being viewed” at its US locations from next year.
A spokesperson for the company said, “To ensure the Third Place [Starbucks’ coffee shops] remains safe and welcoming to all, we have identified a solution to prevent this content from being viewed within our stores and we will begin introducing it to our US locations in 2019”.
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While we think this is probably a good idea, Jake Hook, THEGAYUK‘s editor warned that Starbuck must make sure it doesn’t block safe content from LGBT sites, saying, “Starbuck must ensure that it doesn’t inadvertently block LGBT content from valid news sources such as ours”, Jake Hook editor of THEGAYUK.com said today.
However, speaking on CNN a Starbuck spokesperson said that it was working to ensure that the censoring tool doesn’t “block unintended content.”
Ben Whishaw was made a household name in the critically acclaimed spy drama, London Spy in 2015.
CREDIT: Denis-Makarenko bigstock
Ben Whishaw has also appeared in James Bond films playing Q as well lending his voice to the new Paddington films playing the inquisitive bear himself. Last year he starred in the acclaimed A Very English Scandal. In 2015 he starred in London Spy which earned him a Bafta nomination.
Is Ben Whishaw married?
Ben is married to his husband, Mark Bradshaw. They got married in a civil partnership in August 2012. Although he’s is notoriously secretive about his private life, telling Out Magazine in 2011 that actors have the right to privacy and mystery. He said, “I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities”.
The couple met around 2009 on the set of Bright Star where Whishaw played the role of English poet John Keats.
His husband Mark Bradshaw is an Australian composer who is best known for his music for television and film. He was working on the film Bright Star when he met his future husband.
It seems as though Ben Whishaw is gay and not bisexual. In 2014 he talked about his coming out experience saying it was “intense” but that ultimately everybody around him was supportive.
How much is Ben Whishaw worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth Ben is worth $2 million which is about £1.56m
How old is Ben Whishaw
Ben was born October 14 1980 which makes him 38. He was born Born in Clifford, Bedfordshire, England, UK.
She also said that artists need a really “great support system” around them as stress is a killer. She said,
“It’s really about a great support system and working with people who understand and try to create a good environment. Hopefully, those people will also understand stress is really a killer. When we have lost some of our greatest, it’s really taken a toll on me, as someone who grew up watching them and being inspired by them.
Keep the faith
The “Hero” singer went on to say how much of an inspiration George Michael was during her early years saying that the Faith album was her first ever album.
You mentioned George Michael. I remember before my first album, even in high school, the Faith album, I looked at that and said, ‘I want to make an album that crosses all these genres.’ We had a lot of things in common in terms of record company political stuff.
They discussed their problems over dinner
“I remember this one dinner that we had. We were both talking about really difficult stuff that we’d been through. And when he passed away on that Christmas, I couldn’t believe it because I thought he would be able to be OK.”
How did George Michael die?
George Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016. His death shook the world and left millions of fans worldwide reeling from the news. Investigators said that his death was ‘unexplained but not suspicious’. The star died at the age of 53. He was found in his Oxfordshire home by his partner, Fadi Fawaz on Christmas morning. He was found lying, “peacefully in bed”
The news of the star’s death wasn’t announced to the press until late Christmas evening.
The superstar’s autopsy was inconclusive and more tests were ordered to determine the cause of his death. There were many reports that drug usage was to blame for the untimely passing, including his cousin who erroneously claimed, on the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC, that an accidental drugs overdose caused George’s death.
In March, the cause of George’s death was revealed following more conclusive testing, the corner returned a death by natural causes verdict.
Ricky Martin has been accused of cultural appropriation after wearing a traditional Native American headdress.
CREDIT: kobby dagan/ bigstock
International pop star Ricky Martin has been accused of causing offence to Native people and cultures after posing for a picture in which he is wearing a traditional Native American headdress.
One user on Instagram wrote, “Are you Native? If not, take that headdress off!” While another wrote, “There’s information all over the internet explaining why this is upsetting/offensive to Native people/cultures”
“Not a costume to wear at a club”
When a fan tried to suggest that the headdress was a Taino headdress, a user, BellieBunny1 corrected the assumption by saying, “Ricky Martin was raised in Puerto Rico he is not Puerto Rican. He is Spanish Basque and Canarian, and that is not a Taino headdress.
“Like I said, that is a War Bonnet only to be worn by certain members of the tribe, it is sacred, not a costume to wear at a club or because it’s a carnival. It is earned one feather at a time, so unless Mr. Martin suddenly turned into an important member of one of our Tribes, and earned each one of those feathers on the regalia, he hasn’t the right to wear it as he has not earned it and he is not a part of my culture or heritage.
“The fact is he is NOT Native American, he is of Spanish, Basque and Canarian heritage and not entitled to wear this War Bonnet, and I AM the daughter of a card carrying Native American / First Nations Elder.
Not Earned
BellieBunny1 continue to educate on the matter by saying that each feather in the headdress is actually earned.
“It is only to be worn by certain members of the tribe, and it was made over time, each feather earned. Ricky Martin is fabulous, but it is not about culture or his to wear, as he did not earn it, and he is not part of the tribe of the people’s who bestow that regalia. Ricky himself said that he is of Spanish, Basque and Canarian heritage, not Native American/ First Nations”
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What happens in Miami…… ends up on IG. . #miami #studiotime
Another user hit back saying, “I am Puerto Rican myself. We are from Taíno (indigenous), African, and Spanish descent. Native Americans are NOT the only ones with these headdresses. This is normal from our Taínos, and like I said, in the Caribbean, we dress up to pay homage”.
In recent years the wearing of headdresses for festivals and in particular Halloween has been heavily criticised for cultural appropriation. The wearing of sacred clothing for fun or for show can be seen as deeply offensive to some from the culture from which the costume or clothing comes from.
For the first time in the tree’s history, 2018’s tree was donated by a lesbian couple.
(C) ROCKEFELLER CENTER BLOG
The first ever tree to be lit at the Rockefeller Center in New York was in 1931. The lighting of the tree tradition became in 1933. This year’s tree was donated by Shirley Figueroa and Lissette Gutierrez.
New Yorkers for Parks noted on its official Twitter account that “This year, Rockefeller Center’s tree is from a woman who grew up on a block in the Bronx that had no trees! It’s also the first tree in Rockefeller Center’s history to be donated by a same-sex or Latina couple!”
This year, Rockefeller Center’s tree is from a woman who grew up on a block in the Bronx that had no trees! It’s also the first tree in Rockefeller Center’s history to be donated by a same-sex or Latina couple! The tree will be lit tonight at 7PM! https://t.co/gg3FzE3cY0
According to the Rockefeller Centre, “Growing up, Figueroa loved seeing people from all “different cultures and backgrounds” visiting Rockefeller Center at Christmastime, so she’s grateful to help continue that tradition, especially for the kids who come from all over the city to enjoy it”.
Millions of people are expected to turn up to see the 75-year-old tree during the festive period and it will be lit with over 50,000 LED lights and topped by a 9 foot wide Swarovski crystal star.
A trans woman has offered £2000 to the manufacturer who can design and market the perfect pair of tuckable knickers, specifically for transgender women.
A trans woman known only as “Bee” contacted a fashion manufacturer marketplace in a bid to find a designer and manufacturer that can create the ultimate ‘tucking’ underwear.
Tucking is the process by which a penis is “tucked” to the underside of someone’s groin usually with gaffer tape. It gives the appearance of a flat front, particularly when wearing dresses or skirts. The process can be quite painful and can also cause issues when it comes to toilet time.
Most famously, Courtney Act revealed her tuck during her time on Celebrity Big Brother. The problem is that the traditional tuck is quite unsightly and usually requires transwomen or drag queens to wear multiple layers of tight underwear to conceal their penises.
The request was sent to online manufacturing marketplace Sewport last week, asking if the site knew of any manufacturers or designers willing and able to help create feminine ‘tucking’ lingerie for transgender women. Unfortunately, Sewport has been unable to find an existing manufacturer and designer on the site, so with Bee’s permission has released her request to the public.
Tucking Troubles
Bee’s email details her struggle with current ‘tucking’ methods and how she’s concerned about the medical implications of them. She also says she’s tried the ‘gaff’ method, which is makeshift underwear, but finds it doesn’t provide enough security. Neither method makes her feel like a woman either, and that’s her main motivation for creating something ‘functional and feminine’.
Initially Bee was only interested in creating something for personal use, however now she is hopeful that if her prototype is a success, she can launch a range of feminine and bespoke lingerie for all transgender women.
There isn’t any medical research that indicates ‘tucking’ is harmful, however transgender women often say it can be uncomfortable and medical experts have said that regular tucking can lead to urinary tract infections, skin infections and in severe cases infertility when the testes are pushed up into the inguinal canals.
Sewport connects small to medium sized fashion brands with manufacturers, enabling them to create designs and garments from clothes to handbags, in an easy and cost-effective way. Boris started the company after realising there was a gap in the market for a ‘one-stop-shop’ manufacturing marketplace for new and established brands.
Boris Hodakel, Sewport founder, said, “I am really proud that Sewport is fast becoming the place to go if you have a fashion solution to a very real problem, and although Bee doesn’t have the solution yet, she is trying to work with people who might, and willing to put her savings into making it happen. It’s very admirable and I hope we can help her find a suitable designer and manufacturer, because I can see the value a garment like this would add to transgender women’s lives.
“I implore any designer or manufacturer who has experience in the lingerie market to get in touch. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how the garment would look or functionally work, Bee is open to any sort of discussion, and I’m sure from her personal and your professional experience, something great will happen.”
If there’s a top list of Britney tracks to be compiled… leave it to the gays
It came as a shock. Especially for those of us who pretend to still be in our twenties (even if it’s only late twenties) when we were clearly old enough to go clubbing when Britney Spears‘ first hit soared up the charts.
So here are our top 10 Britney hits – to make it on to this list we only used songs that reached at least top three in the UK charts.
10) Born To Make You Happy 1999 / …Baby One More Time
Weirdly this doesn’t even come close to the strongest ballad on her debut album, but it still made number 1 in the UK charts – this song? Huh? and not “Sometimes” which was arguably the summer song of 99.
“Born to Make You Happy” is a typically 90s produced song with not a real instrument in sight and drum loops galore and a reminder that wah wah guitar doesn’t just belong in the 70s. The accompanying video is a proper piece of 90’s music video nostalgia. No real storyline, but the singer looking pretty is key – in at least three costume changes. They could be scenes from three separate songs really.
9) Piece Of Me 2007 / Black Out
We love the self-confessional vibe of the lyrics in this song, detailing all the things that had happened to her during her runaway years. Remember the marriages, the hair shaving, the babies, not controlling her own finances? She may seem to have shiz altogether now, but there was a time during the 00s when Brit Brit went Kray Kray. Afterall she was, as she says in the song, “been on the scene since I was 17”.
8) Opps!… I Did It Again 2000 / Opps!… I Did It Again
More of the same really after her epic hit, “…Baby One More Time”, but we in the UK lapped it up nonetheless, as it became her third number 1. The American’s didn’t like it as much and the song peaked at 9. “Opps!… I Did It Again” was more meaty than”…Baby One More Time” in terms of production but had an epically camp midsection in which she has a conversation with one of the song’s writer Max Martin about a piece of jewellery. The song is so similar to…Baby One More Time you can pretty much sing the lyrics in the chorus of “Opps!… I Did It Again”
7) Me Against The Music 2004 / In The Zone
Britney’s fourth album In the Zone brought an entirely new sound for Spears. “Me Against The Music” was her call to fans, press and the industry to take her seriously as a pop artist rather than just a bubblegum princess. The song saw her team up with Pop Queen Madonna and had a mad bridge to the chorus with so so many words.
6) Everytime 2004 / In The Zone
Britney does pop music. She does it very well – not so much the ballads which can come off a bit cheesy – just listen to “Dear Diary” on her first album if you need any proof, but “Everytime” is beautiful. It is also one of the rare songs that Brit herself has written. Apparently, the song is an answer to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River”. The two had been pop’s biggest power couple, but split in 2002. The breakup was used by their respective labels to push album sales.
5) Womanizer 2008 / Circus
By 2008 Britney was back on track throwing out albums again after a short break. She released Blackout in 2007, Circus in 2008 and single’s collection in 2009. Womanizer is a catchy girl anthem against cheating womanizing men. The song was deemed by many critics as her definitive comeback single.
4) Gimme More 2007 / Blackout
When Britney had her meltdown in the middle of the 00s, fans weren’t sure whether she’d actually pull through. Everyday brought more news about her antics and the break down of her mental health. So when it was announced that she was working on new material fans were gifted with “Gimme More” with the now legendary saying “It’s Britney Bitch” cemented into pop consciousness forever. However, her first outting of the song on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was panned by critics.
The video looked incredibly cheap, almost as though her label had given up hope on Britney’s staying power at the top, how wrong were they were. The song reached number three in the UK and the US. The album went on to sell over 3,000,000 copies worldwide.
3) My Prerogative 2004 / Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
It was Britney second single that wasn’t originally hers (the first was “I Love Rock and Roll” in 2002)- it was a Bobby Brown hit before Britney had it. I’m going to say something controversial here. Hers was better. Soz not soz. It reached number 3 in the UK, but failed to chart in the US. The song starts with Britney breathing the lyrics “People can take everything away from you / But they can never take away your truth / But the question is, can you handle mine?” Little did we know that Britney’s truth was going to become tabloid fodder for years after this track.
2) Toxic 2004 / In The Zone
Did you know this iconic pop song was originally offered to Kylie Minogue? But she rejected it… For Brit it went on to become one her biggest selling singles of all time. It even won her a Grammy, her only Grammy. Accompanying the song was video, which is a calling for every gay boy to pretend to be a flight attendant… okay maybe that’s just me.
1) …Baby One More Time 1998 / …Baby One More Time
Well, it’s the song that launched her career and there’s no other song in the world that can fill a dance floor in just three notes. The album it came from, released in January 1999 went to sell over 25,000,000 copies worldwide, making Britney a somewhat overnight success.
American politics was filled with a sea of heterosexual faces, sometimes fiercely homophobic, but mostly irreverent towards the gay community, that was until Harvey Milk entered the political arena.
Daniel Nicoletta – Provided by author, Daniel Nicoletta
Harvey Bernard Milk was born in the cold and wet winter of 1930, his birthplace was Woodmere, a small, hard-working, middle class, close-knit hamlet in Nassau County in the state of New York. After graduating in 1951, Milk joined the United States’ Navy, during the Korean War, he served aboard a rescue submarine, the USS Kittiwake – and later transferred to San Diego to serve as a diving instructor. He was discharged from the Navy in 1955.
Harvey Milk could be described as one of life’s wanderers until he moved to San Francisco he was a teacher, an actuarial statistician, a researcher, and a presidential campaigner, he worked in investments and for a theatre company.
He was a drifter, moving from California to Texas to New York and back again, without a steady job; eventually, Milk with his then-partner Scott Smith opened a camera shop on Castro Street in San Francisco with their last $1,000.
He moved from New York City to San Francisco in 1972, amid a mass migration of gay men to the Castro District. The gay’s growing political and economic power ensured that people like Milk could take advance to promote their interests.
Milk ‘s initial reception by the already installed gay political establishment could be described as cold, Jim Foster who had been active in gay politics for ten years resented Milk asking him for endorsement to becoming a City Supervisor, Foster told Milk,
“There’s an old saying in the Democratic Party. You don’t get to dance unless you put up the chairs. I’ve never seen you put up the chairs.”
Undeterred Milk won the support and endorsement of local gay bars and business owners, who had become disillusioned by the slow-moving pace of the already visible gay political movement.
Milk had an inimitable political style; his exuberant speeches and his astute media skills earned him significant press during the 1973 election, however, he failed to win.
Although Milk was a newcomer he had shown flair for leadership, he was starting to be taken seriously as a candidate and decided to run again as a City Supervisor and started using his camera store as a centre of activity in the Castro neighbour. The community rallied around Milk and voluntarily helped run his campaigns for him.
This time round Milk came 7th in the election, just one place away from earning a Supervisor seat.
Milk became the first openly gay commissioner in the United States after the newly elected Mayor George Moscone appointed him to the Board of Permit Appeals in 1976 where he worked just 5 weeks in the job before running for the California State Assembly.
Milk was described as a man of mixed temperament and of disorganisation. His campaign volunteer database comprised of just scraps of paper and his campaign manager’s assistant was an 11-year-old girl.
His accounting was erratic, reportedly grabbing fistfuls of cash from his store’s cash register. He was prone to amazing outburst of momentary temper before shouting excitedly about something else. Described as manic, one could not fault the man for his dedication and general good humour.
In 1977 his last campaign to become a City Supervisor, Milk’s showboating, handshaking and manic campaigning tactics won him a position, but with his victory came the distinct threat of assassination. He began to record his thoughts for preservation in case he was killed, stating, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door”.
As the first openly gay, non-incumbent man in US history his swearing in as City Supervisor made national headlines, giving the gay community a positive visibility that it hadn’t enjoyed before. He started in office sponsoring a civil rights bill that outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation, it was met with no opposition apart from Dan White, who Milk had increasingly bad relations with after Milk switched his vote in supporting a health facility for troubled adolescents be placed in White’s District.
His personal life at the time was one filled with sadness; he had long split with Smith and had begun a relationship with a man 18 years his senior; Jack Lira who hanged himself after being consumed with sadness with the anti-gay campaigns of Anita Bryant and John Brigg.
The John Briggs Initiative known as Proposition 6 would have made the firing of any gay teacher or public school employee who supported gay rights mandatory. Brigg’s stated that gay teachers wanted to recruit and molest children; Milk refuted this with statistics compiled by law enforcement that most paedophiles were identified as heterosexuals.
Brigg’s campaign came off the back of singer Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign in Florida which repealed a law which ended discrimination based on sexual orientation.
During the summer of 1978, gay pride marches found their attendance level rise, with over 250,000 people attending San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade. This is where Milk gave an impassioned ‘Hope Speech’
“On this anniversary of Stonewall, I ask my gay sisters and brothers to make the commitment to fight. For themselves, for their freedom, for their country … We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets … We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions. We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I’m going to talk about it. And I want you to talk about it. You must come out. Come out to your parents, your relatives.”
Even though Anita Bryant’s campaign had been successful in Florida, Brigg’s initiative failed by more than a million votes. In San Francisco alone 75% voted against the proposition.
Who was Dan White?
On 10th November 1978, Dan White resigned stating that the yearly salary of $9600 was not sufficient to support his family, days later he asked Mayor Moscone for his resignation to be withdrawn, although the Mayor initially agreed, after further consideration and consultation with the other city supervisors, Moscone was persuaded to install someone who represented White’s district which was growing in ethnic diversity.
On 27th November 1978, Harvey Milk would wake for the last time, in his beloved adopted town of Castro.
Half an hour before the press conference in which Mayor Moscone was to announce White’s replacement, White entered City Hall with a gun undetected and made his way to the Mayor’s office. Witnesses recall hearing shouting, between the two men followed by four gunshots.
White had shot Moscone once in the shoulder, once in the chest and twice in the head.
After reloading his gun, White intercepted Milk – an argument ensued, followed by more gunshots as he emptied 5 hollow-point bullets into Harvey Milk’s head and body.
The President of the Board of Supervisors, Dianne Feinstein found Harvey Milk and identified both bodies.
It was Feinstein, who announced to the press,
‘Today San Francisco has experienced a double tragedy of immense proportions. As President of the Board of Supervisors, it is my duty to inform you that both Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed.”
Milk was 48 and Moscone was 49.
Milk’s legacy is still felt to this day, in the last year of his life, he empowered gay people to be more visible; to help themselves to end the discrimination and violence against them. In his final statement during the taped prediction of his assassination he said,
‘I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they’ll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects … I hope that every professional gay will say ‘enough’, come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help.
Although his time in politics was relatively short, Milk’s untimely death at the hand of Dan White, ensured that Harvey Milk would forever be held up as one of the most powerful and iconic men of politics the world has ever seen.
There is a school in the south-east of England, where over 70 children aged between 11 and 16 feel comfortable enough to question their gender identity and identify more closely to how they feel.
According to The Sunday Times, the Dorothy Stringer secondary school in Brighton has at least 40 transgender children who don’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth and a further 36 students who say that they are genderfluid – people who define their gender as fluid, flexible or changeable.
The number of transgender students who were open to their families was much lower, however. Students were much more comfortable to share their gender expression with their classmates and faculty.
The headteacher, Richard Bradford told the newspaper, “The number of ”openly trans children” who had approached us with their families to say that they are transgender [was] much lower”.
The now iconic blue, pink and white flag that the transgender community uses for identity.
The disclosure from the Dorothy Stringer school came through the school’s “equality information report”. It is believed that the school has the highest number of trans identifying children in the country.
What does genderfluid mean?
Genderfluid is an identity which describes someone who doesn’t have a fixed gender expression, like “man” or “woman”. They are likely to feel that their gender expression is flexible and changeable from day to day, or even several times a day, due to its fluidity. Genderfluidity has close links to the non-binary identity where a person doesn’t see their gender as either masculine or feminine.
Why is Brighton so LGBT+ friendly?
Brighton has long been the home of a large LGBT+ community outside of London and is often referred to as the ‘gay capital of the UK’. The city holds the UK’s biggest pride event and has a large number of LGBT+ venues.
The number of people who identify as lesbian, gay and bisexual in England is a hotly debated subject, with no clear answer, but here will look at all the available stats.
(C) BIGSTOCK
There has long been a widely-held belief that around 10 per cent of the population is gay, lesbian or bisexual or who identify as non-heterosexual. This is probably the most accurate of all the figures – as more and more people feel comfortable to come out about their sexuality.
The most up-to-date statistics from healthcare company Euroclinix show that six per cent of people identify as homosexual while seven per cent of people identify as bisexual. This equates to 13 per cent of the population identifying as either gay, lesbian or bisexual. EuroClinix surveyed 2,000 people around the UK to find out more about the sex lives of Brits.
The current population in England is estimated to be 54.79 million people, which means that there are over 7,122,700 gay, lesbian or bisexual people in England if you take that 13 per cent statistic.
Other sources:
The ONS (Office of National Statistics) says that in a survey of people in the United Kingdom it found that 1.5 per cent of people identified as LGB. This result was arrived at by extrapolation of data collected. However, these statistics were disputed for not being accurate or showing the full picture. By their estimations, this would mean that there are only 821,850 LGB people in England.
However, in 2005 the HM Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry of the UK estimated that nearly 6 per cent of people were LGB after studying the economic impact of civil partnerships and same-sex marriages. By their estimations, this would mean that there are 3,28,400 LGB people in England.
In 2008 the Guardian newspaper reported that 8 per cent of the population were LGB in 2014 the same newspaper group conducted another survey and found that the figures were still consistent. By their estimations, this would mean that there are 4,383,200 LGB people in England.
