Monroe took to Twitter yesterday to say, “I can confirm today that following that landmark libel case, Katie Hopkins has entered into an IVA to avoid bankruptcy. I knew for a while but could not say anything for legal reasons. The arbitrary defender of free speech didn’t want anyone to know, ironically…”
Back in May, Hopkins was ordered to pay Monroe £24,000 in damages and legal costs after a court found that comments made about Monroe were libellous.
An Insolvency Agreement is an agreement which means that the applicant will repay their creditors but over a longer time frame.
According to government data, Hopkins entered into the IVA in May.
Monroe stated in another tweet, “I have been paid in full, but many of her creditors, including my lawyer, will not be paid what they are owed. For the want of an apology, a house, a job, a column, a radio show, and now financial solvency, were lost. It’s all very sad, actually”.
Katie Hopkins has not addressed the matter publicly.
Honda’s second-generation HR-V. A small SUV type car wrapped in a coupe body based on the small Jazz.
WHAT! I hear you cry, second generation you say? Yes, that’s right. Honda abandoned the HR-V in 2006 and then brought it back in 2016. So two years into its life, does it still sparkle in the showroom?
Driving
I always try and save the best until last. This isn’t the case with the HR-V. The driving is the best part. For a small SUV that’s a little jacked up and riding high, it is quite engaging to drive when you want to push on a bit. The 120 PS of diesel power at 4000rpm was nicely complemented by the high torque of 300 Nm at a low 200rpm. Mated to a rather nice 6-speed manual gearbox with a very tall 5th and 6th gear. This meant that most hurried driving could be carried out with slipping into 3rd and 4th gear.
Inside
Despite the pseudo coupe looks, it has stacks of people space inside and headroom isn’t a problem. You certainly couldn’t use ‘adequate’ as a word to describe the rear legroom because it is overly generous. What it does lack is door bin storage and general odds and ends places which aren’t fitting for this kind of car. And it’s all a bit dark inside despite the 50/50 split closed/open panoramic roof option that comes standard on the EX model.
Living With It
At £27,640, you might feel a little out of pocket. It’s not cheap. Then again no SUV is cheap at the moment. Still, for your money, you do get a host of driver aid gadgets and toys in this top of the range HR-V. There are many areas that it could be better in but there are areas that it is much better than expected and that’s driver enjoyment. The ride is soft and comfortable and never leaves you wincing as you take on the worst potholed roads or uneven surfaces.
The Verdict
Despite what I have said, I’m not a fan. Yes, the driving dynamics are rather good for this type of car. Quite a lot better than many if I am honest. It’s just that it lacks showroom appeal. And for the size of the car and the market it is in, it lacks the youth appeal that really is the kind of drivers you would expect to see buy into these smaller SUV’s. This is something VW and Seat do a little bit better. It also lacks innovation and this is something I am rather upset about. Honda is very innovative and yet it seems they have missed many opportunities with the HR-V. Driving and looks aside, you really have to want one to want one. It just didn’t sparkle enough for me.
Something popped up on Twitter recently. An advert for a 1980’s Peugeot 305 GTX diesel estate.
About 18 years ago I’d promised myself one of those. It won’t happen now though. I don’t need another diesel on the fleet and l certainly don’t need another old car with the ever-increasing difficulty in getting parts when l have three others.
You see, I am a bit of a motoring pervert. I’m realistic and as a child, my dream-car choices of car reflected this. Despite them being new at the time, they were cheap. I’m a realist you see and it’s probably why I never ended up with a coke habit because, let’s face it, coke is expensive! A Lamborghini is expensive. A Morris Ital estate isn’t.
So I thought about those other cars I’d promised myself and picked the top five that I won’t buy.
Morris Ital Estate
In 1980 I didn’t know the Ital was in actual fact a Morris Marina. To me, the Ital looked great. It wasn’t. It was a Marina and those were dreadful. The Ital was an end of life crisis revamp for the Marina to buy British Leyland sometime before the replacement was available. Judging by the number of model designation changes that the Ital went through, it didn’t work. They were just desperate to sell it like Ital design studio were to distance itself from the project.
I won’t buy one now. I know what it is but a little part of me shall always have a little soft spot for an estate. A little bit, like a fingernail clippings worth.
Austin Ambassador
WHAT THE F**K AM I DOING! The Ambassador. Another rehash from BL to buy some time. This time, around two years. The Ambassador wasn’t a bad car. It was the Austin Princess that we should have got in the first place. In that, I mean a hatchback. Why the Princess was a saloon is a question flat earthers really should be spending their time wondering about.
I won’t buy one now. I like them though. I think they still look rather good but not in Vanden Plas guise. That chrome trim on the bonnet looked stupid. A bit like the name really. This Ambassador wasn’t really spoiling us at all.
Austin Montego Saloon
Now, this is the dirty secret I have held until recently. Andrew Ryan on Twitter ( @andrewryan100 ) recently posted a huge factoid on the Montego. Kept me enthralled and the fire for the Montego was re-lit. The styling of the car was always a joy to look at so don’t get me looking at that three-piece rear window. It was like a bay window for a car and no other car out there had one. I like bay windows. It’s a suburban thing I suppose. A place for nic-nacs like a nodding dog or box of tissues!
I won’t buy one now. The trouble with the Montego was that it wasn’t that well built, every one I looked at as a child always had mis-match alignment between the headlights and bonnet and a dashboard was rather bland.
Renault 17
These always looked like they were fun. The 17 was the elegant sex pest to the frumpy 15. The rear side windows, covered with louvres, popped inwards. The quad headlights were surrounded by an extension of the bumper. They looked amazing. To top it off, you could get them with an electric folding roof. This was 70’s Europe and such things were frivolous craziness that your grandmother, who’d still wave her ration-book at you, would not approve. Matchbox toys got involved and made a small model of one.
I won’t buy one now. This really is a sad moment that I admit that I won’t but I did get to drive one from a guy I started dating. The car wasn’t quite what I expected and as for the date, that wasn’t either.
Visa GTi
I started my driving career with a Visa. And I progressed steadily through the many engine changes including the 2-cylinder and the diesel. I even had a convertible one too. Trouble was, insurance for a young man back then on a GTi was impossible or expensive. And then you had the fuel economy. I was used to the high 40s and beyond with the diesel. The GTi couldn’t do that.
I won’t buy one now. Most have rusted away sadly or their thin bodywork has gone all crinkly and out of shape. And to be honest, I have had five of them and you can have too much of a good thing.
So there you go, 5 cars I’ve hankered after for all these years that are not going to happen. That said it does mean I am not ruling out a VW 411 or Lancia Beta coupe. Watch this space.
Touching performances make this film about the troubled life of a young gay man In the new film ‘Reinventing Marvin’ a must see.
Newcomer Finnegan Oldfield plays Marvin as a young man (while Jules Porier plays Marvin in his younger years). As a child, he lived a very dysfunctional, and depressing life. Marvin was bullied and beat up at school, constantly taunted for his soft mannerisms (and also for appearing to be gay), and even worse at home where he had a volatile stepfather, slept in a closet, and had a mother who was supportive yet unable to provide him with what he needed most.
Reinventing Marvin cleverly uses flashbacks that takes the story from his childhood to him discovering a new life in Paris where he truly discovers who he is. He meets people just like himself there, befriends an older gay couple who provide him support that he never got. And finally, he is introduced to Isabelle Huppert (playing herself), who helps him to tell his life story on stage, which changes Marvin’s life, and perhaps will bring some sort of reconciliation with his family, and hopefully, finally, acceptance.
Marvin reinvents himself, and it’s nice to see the transformation, and Director and writer Anne Fountaine (The Innocents), has crafted a beautifully told and acted story with great performances.
Now playing at the cinemas and available to order.
This week we have a plug-in hybrid from Volvo. The Volvo XC60 T8 twin engine, which means it has a 2.0L petrol engine which is supercharged and turbocharged, producing 320bhp, powering the front wheels, with an 87 bhp electric motor powering the rear wheels. Together they provide a combined power figure of 407 bhp, enough to get you to 62mph in 5.3 seconds and on to 140mph.
Our XC60 T8 is an R-Design Pro meaning it has all the toys and I mean all of them. It’s a beautiful car and extremely well built.
Driving
This is probably the most technically advanced car we’ve driven but is also one the most complete, accomplished packages we’ve seen.
There are several driving modes to choose from: Eco (the most frugal settings) Dynamic (a balance between performance and economy, consider this ‘normal’ mode), Off Road (at low speed, makes the XC60 a serious off-road tool)Individual (allows you to personalise settings such as suspension, steering, gearbox etc) In Dynamic, the car is simply beautiful to drive. It’s very fast, very smooth and very easy to drive.
Inside
Inside the Volvo is an exquisite place, elegant and graceful. The materials are the best we’ve seen and the fit and finish are beyond compare. R Design features such luxuries as a perforated leather multifunction steering wheel with gearshift paddles, and nubuck leather upholstery. The sports seats are very supportive and infinitely adjustable and there is plenty of room inside for 5 adults in comfort.
Our test car had the Bowers & Wilkins sound system which was incredible. 15 speakers and 1100 watts of power worked for us.
Living with it
Air suspension on the T8 R Design ensures a beautiful ride, soaking up the bumps and potholes of our roads with ease. The T8 is also fitted with adaptable, electronic dampers which means the suspension can be easily adjusted for ride and comfort, but more impressive than that, it constantly adjusts to the driving conditions.
As a plug-in hybrid, you can drive it on just electric power for up to 20 miles, then it seamlessly switches to the engine’s power. If you have power in the battery at low speeds, on part throttle, you are essentially driving a big electric vehicle. It’s whisper quiet and silky smooth. When you need more power it ditches to the engine’s power, not so you notice though. The Verdict
Our Volvo XC60 was genuinely breathtaking. It is the most advanced and the closest to an autonomous vehicle we have ever driven. The XC60 can steer, brake, and see better than us and uses these attributes to keep us safe.
Volvo see this car as; ‘a clear step in our work towards fully autonomous cars’.
It was a real pleasure driving the new Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Pro. Now we see what all the fuss was about.
Loves
Performance
Interior
Superb build quality
Loathes
Price
Electric range only up to 20 miles
I can’t afford one
Lowdown
Car – Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Pro. Price – £53,870 – £59,770 MPG – 134.5mpg (manufacturer claimed. We only got around 40 mpg) 0-62 – 5.3s Power – 407 bhp (87 bhp electric and 320 bhp petrol) Top Speed – 140 mph
Joseph Mellors chats with Chris, the Brand Manager at London’s Pleasuredrome sauna, about the future of gay saunas.
Ah, good ol’ gay saunas. Whether you love them or loathe them, there’s something undeniably curious about them. I know that it sounds odd, but I describe myself as somewhat of a gay sauna geek. (I repeat, I know it sounds odd.) But the fact that they attract such an array of commentaries, makes them, well, intriguing.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Allow me to explain a little. At one end of the spectrum, it is said that gay saunas provide much-needed safe spaces to explore both social and physical sexuality. At the other end of the spectrum, it is said that gay saunas must be closed down for the community to be “taken seriously”. And, of course, there are many commentaries in-between.
This said, it is only natural that I have become interested in the widespread closure of gay saunas in recent years. Why so many saunas have closed, or are closing, is not an easy question to answer. It is argued that a whole host of economic and sociocultural reasons are at play. But generally speaking, increasing business rates and rents, and the proliferation of gay apps and websites, are cited as the main reasons.
This being the case, I am led to question whether or not there is future for gay saunas. To investigate, I interviewed Chris, the Brand Manager at London’s Pleasuredrome sauna.
“The one common reason [why people come] I would say, is that they want a real-world connection, which in this day and age … is increasingly harder to have, despite the apps and ease of hooking up.”
When questioned about the future of gay saunas, Chris said, “There will always be a need to escape the realities of the world to unwind and relax. In London, several saunas haveclosed down, but I suspect that this is more to do with rising rates and rent than popularity. At Pleasuredrome, we have never been busier! Hence why we are currently undergoing an expansion to increase the size by 50% at the end of this year.”
I then asked Chris about the tendency for saunas to be shunned as ‘sleazy’. He responded, “We find more and more of our customers come to Pleasuredrome to socialise and be in a safe gay space.
“Some want a massage. Some are not out yet and want to discover what it is like to be intimate with other gay men. Tourists, locals, young and older gay men all come.
“The one common reason [why people come] I would say, is that they want a real-world connection, which in this day and age … is increasingly harder to have, despite the apps and ease of hooking up.”
After this, we discussed some of the more negative critiques about gay saunas. “I am not sure how the closure of gay saunas is a positive sign. The closing down of any LGBT businesses due to gentrification, increased rents and rates, is harmful for the next generation, who may wish to explore their sexuality in a like-minded community.
“The less venues for them to access, the less chance they will have to do this. It is the same in publishing. If gay magazines like Attitude were to close down, the next generation would only have the mainstream press.
“It would be a sad day if LGBT venues, including gay saunas, were to disappear.”
“Whether or not the gay and bisexual community need to rally to sustain saunas is … hard to say because, ultimately, businesses will stay open when they have customers.”
Towards the end of the interview, I asked Chris whether or not the community should try to save gay saunas. He said, “Whether or not the gay and bisexual community need to rally to sustain saunas is … hard to say because, ultimately, businesses will stay open when they have customers. The same goes for gay bars, clubs, shops, and magazines.”
He added, “Lots of gay men are disenfranchised with dating apps and social media, and are going out, specifically to gay venues, more often.”
(C) BIGSTOCK
My interview with Chris has left me feeling positive about the role of gay saunas in our community. To hear first hand about how gay saunas provide safe spaces for men to explore their sexuality, especially for those who may not be able to, or may not feel able to, explore it in the outside world, evoked admiration. It has also led me to believe that we really need to move beyond the ‘sleazy’ stigmatisation of these venues.
More pertinently, the planned expansion of Pleasuredrome has left me feeling slightly more optimistic about the future of gay saunas. Many gay saunas may have closed, or be closing, but Pleasuredrome, at least, seems to be a firm fixture on the scene.
The idea of Melmoth Travel came out of a number of conversations with our great friend David Melmoth, a lively and thoughtful older gay man and an experienced traveller.
We asked David to summarise his views about gay holidays for this article and we have invited him to join us on our Krakow tour in December to access how well we’ve acted on his advice.
So here are his top tips…
1 Places that are about people
I like people. They are what most interests me when I travel. Even when I am looking at ancient ruins, it is the people who lived in them that stir my imagination. I also love stories – especially new ones. So when I got on holiday it’s a plus for me if I don’t know the historical background to the place I’m visiting.
Destinations in Eastern Europe have a strong appeal. Now that we have Estonians and Slovaks living in the UK you frequently hear their countries mentioned but what are these places like? I only have vague, fairytale impressions: forests, castles, handsome heroes and beautiful flaxen-haired maidens. All wrong, I’m sure, but tantalising …
One place I would love to visit is Transylvania. I find the Dracula legend so compelling but, to be honest, I am not sure the famous castle even exists. How amazing it would be to find out!
Sun and sand holidays, on the other hand, are not really my style. I’ve done the Costa del Sol and the Greek islands in August. Now it’s the Mediterranean in winter that speaks to me. I’d like to climb Mount Etna when the temperature isn’t in the nineties, find out whether the Greeks eat hot puddings in winter, look at some serious archaeological sights and museums. These are the sort of holidays I would go for now, holidays with magic where new stories are always beginning.
I’m single at present and a gay group holiday would be far preferable to holidaying on my own. There’s less of a gay scene in my area these days so I don’t socialise too much. I tend either to go on dates or I trek to London for an evening in a pub where I’m mostly mixing with strangers. A holiday in the company of other gay people would be just up my street.
The dynamics of a group on holiday allow you to get to know people better than a string of one-to-ones. You see them in different situations interacting with each other. That’s certainly what I found when I used to go abroad with friends from Uni. And everyone is different. Some people are good to talk over experiences with while others will buck you up if you need encouragement. When I’m in countries where English isn’t spoken, I sometimes have to swallow hard before going into a bar or cafe on my own. Those sort of nerves don’t even happen when you’re in a group.
I think some people might prefer a holiday where the destination is a backdrop for the group: that would apply to stag weekends for example. But it’s not quite me. I would prefer to be in a place that’s fascinating in its own right with the group making it a shared experience. That would strike a better balance.
3 Guide
A guide on a group holiday is a necessity. Particularly on a short break. Particularly in unfamiliar places. The main reasons are practical. We’ve all been on tours where the guides have been charming and obliging. However, that is not the essential thing about guides. It’s the time and stress they save you. Of course, you know that you could actually do most of their work for yourself but who wants to spend a holiday navigating a strange city, working everything out by trial and error? I once spent a whole weekend in São Paulo without realising it had a Metro. That’s the sort of thing that can’t happen when you have a guide.
By the way, when I say a guide I’m not just talking about a knowledgeable person who shows you around ancient monuments. I mean someone who is part of the group and can resolve any difficulties almost before they happen. That’s especially important when the group members are gay men. There may be information they need and are shy about asking for: where to buy things, where to cruise, local sensitivities or whatever. The guide needs to be well-informed, discreet and ready to help with any of these issues.
4 Financial security
Boring I know, but if I’m splashing out on an all-inclusive package then I want the confidence that I’m getting what I’ve paid for. That means an ATOL certificate and the necessary bonding arrangements to ensure that if the operator goes bust I’ll get a similar holiday or my money back. This isn’t negotiable for me. I haven’t heard of cowboys in the gay tourism sector but it’s a rapidly developing market so you can be sure there are a few out there. I like adventures and I like the unexpected but some risks I don’t take. For me, financial security is a red line.
5 Freedom
After everything I’ve said about groups and guides and financial security, it may sound a bit rich saying I want to be free on holiday. But I do. Although I’m pretty gregarious but I also like to get away from time to time. I can see myself spending a few hours with just one or two other members of the group or maybe just going off to explore on my own. I’m quite typical of many gay men in that I know how to enjoy my own company. I’ll be frank too. If I’m going to visit a sauna or somewhere like that I don’t necessarily want to be surrounded by people I know.
From the tour operator’s point of view, giving people freedom means making some excursions optional but it’s also a question of approach. Right from the start, in the marketing, it should be clear that the tours are for people who don’t want to socialise a lot as well as those who do. The attitude of the guide should reinforce this. It’s imperative to avoid people being pressured into more involvement than they want.
6 Gay means gay
If a holiday is sold as “gay” then that’s what it should be. “Gay-friendly” doesn’t pass muster. I realise that most of the barriers between gay and straight have come down in recent times, but that makes me more, not less, interested in services that are specifically designed for gay people. Virtually all hotels, restaurants and bars welcome gay customers now but that doesn’t make them particularly gay. It just sends out the reassuring message that they’re homophobia-free which is great but doesn’t make for a gay experience in any positive sense.
What I would really like to do on holiday is meet other gay people socially. That is not going to happen in a gay-friendly hotel if there don’t happen to be any gay people in it! I’m not saying I want to time-travel back to a 1970s ghetto where everyone’s a friend of Dorothy and speaks Polari. But I would like to experience things with other gay people so that we can talk about them over dinner in the evening. That sort of relaxed approach increases the possibility of making friends, perhaps even long-term friends. Of course, no tour operator can guarantee that but it ought to be possible to make it a bit more likely. It’s certainly worth a try.
A new way of getting new music to the masses or just music to chill to?
RealityDudes have released their latest scene, (starring muscular hunk Dustin Steele and buff babe Julian Knowles) except, slightly unusual we think, as the website, WeLoveGayPorn.com (NSFW) has pointed out they’ve used an actual song as the sound bed for the scene.
Now, there was a time when most porns had a cheesy euro dance track behind the action, but lately, most studios just go with the sweet sweet sounds of the plunge and an occasion “ah yeahhh… f**k yeahhh etc etc”.
So naturally, we were inquisitive as to the song and the singer, if you’re wondering it’s an Andy Powell track called, “Pretty Little Lies” featuring Linda Roan. It was released in 2017. Stream it here
What do you think? A good addition to the action or a slightly creepy distraction?
Wanna check out the porn promo? Click here (NSFW obviously)
Fans of vibrant ITV Saturday Night shows may recognise race driver Charlie Martin from the muscle-fest that is Ninja Warrior. Managing to get up The Wall first time, she showed the world what an athlete she is in front of millions of viewers.
(C) ITV
The Wall, however, was far from the first huge obstacle Charlie’s had to overcome. Being gendered male at birth, Charlie had previously taken on greater challenges than anything Ben what’s-his-face and the giggly moustachioed one from football (Klammy, or something, I think he’s called) could throw at her.
After decades rising through the motorsport ranks, during which time she made the transition to female, Charlie found a race seat in the popular Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge with a race-winning team, Richardson Racing.
The aim? To fight her way up the Ginetta motorsport ladder, all the way to Le Mans and the famous 24-hour race. No transgender driver has ever taken part in this icon of world motorsport – and so a chance to add her name into the annals of history beckons.
When I first spoke to Charlie, she was adjusting to life back in the UK after years of racing in France on the hill climb circuit. She raced everything from Peugeot 205s and Westfield sportscars, to single seater ‘Formula’ cars (principally a Formula Renault she engineered herself) and Le Mans style prototypes like her Norma M20. During her time she made a habit of winning (and breaking course records by huge chunks – over two seconds at one track), until she felt she could progress no further within French hillclimbing, and decided to move to more traditional circuit racing.
So now you can race my NGK Spark Plugs car on @thegranturismo ! You can even wear my suit and helmet, so awesome – just search #gocharlie 👍😁
Back in the UK she’s been racing wheel to wheel with highly-successful drivers in the GT5 category. And Charlie has continued to shine. Straight away Charlie found her way onto the podium over and over again, and now, towards the end of this first season back racing in the UK, she is causing quite a stir in the championship.
Currently backed by Bloc Eyewear, NGK Spark Plugs and more, she’s attracting big-name sponsors, too.
Her highlight? Well, during the year she was invited back over to France to test a V8-powered Ligier JSP3 LMP3 car, as close to a true Le Mans competitor as it’s possible to get, so maybe her circuit racing is not necessarily the highlight of 2018 after all. The Ligier packed over 480bhp into a tiny weight, and with oodles of downforce to force the car into the tarmac the cornering speeds were much more like what Charlie was used to from her single-seater days. Again, Charlie shone.
Go Charlie Go!
Could Charlie do it? Could she get her name into the history books for breaking new ground at Le Mans? Time will tell – and even if it does not happen for a couple of years, she is certainly in a fantastic position. Not only is she quick, but her prowess on Ninja Warrior leaves no doubt as to whether she is physically fit enough to cope with the unique demands of endurance racing, too.
She is also a big advocate for equality, and speaks frequently at events such as Rainbow Laces Summit by Stonewall. She’s also encouraged her fellow competitors to wear rainbow stickers on the race cars; to show their support too.
In motorsport, the stopwatch could not care less about your gender, sexuality, age, disability or anything – it can only record time – and if Charlie continues to smash lap records and win silverware, there’s no reason to think she could not go all the way.
Will you lend her your support? I know I’ll be cheering her on.
See more of Charlie’s progress and learn about her experiences at her own website http://www.gocharlie.co.uk/ and follow her on social media at https://twitter.com/GoCharlieM https://www.facebook.com/charliemartinofficial/ and https://www.instagram.com/gocharliem/?hl=en
This week is Suicide prevention week, a chance to be informed of how to prevent a friend or loved one from taking their life. Advice that, sadly, is much needed in the LGBTQ community.
One in four! With most recent tragic victim 9-year-old Colorado boy Jamel Myles fresh on our minds these figures now have a face, and we need to think of ways to stop adding to this count.
Over the last few months more terrifying statistics have been released: According to the Metropolitan Police, the number of homophobic hate crimes being committed in London has doubled over the last five years. But not just there, searching through online reports homophobia is on the rise around the world (in every walk of life) and so is the bullying of queer youth – apparently even by teachers in several cases.
The first thing that needs to be done is more attention to bullying prevention, as this is where it starts. These are dangerous times to be young and “different”. With bullying seemingly legitimised by the internet, media and politics adults feel they have the right to point, judge and hurt; whether through social media or verbally. This behaviour rubs off on young children and teens, leading them to judge others the same way.
“It is horrifying to know that bullying has become even more vicious and unrelenting since the 1990s, especially since the “invention” of online bullying. It is a horrific idea that these days the harassment just continues at home, in what should be the safety of your bedroom”
Bullying has always been around amongst children, of course. I too was a victim; different, mixed raced and shy I was an easy target. It too drove me to try and take my life, my mother saved me, and for that, I’ll always be grateful. This was in the 1990s, and it is horrifying to know that bullying has become even more vicious and unrelenting since then, especially since the “invention” of online bullying. It is a horrific idea that these days the harassment just continues at home, in what should be the safety of your bedroom.
What is needed is more help and support for young LGBTQ teens: an appointed counsellor (preferably LGBTQ themselves) in every school would be a step in the right direction. Children and teenagers talk easier if they feel the person is “like” them or “gets” them. Educating teachers about bullying and other problems LGBTQ teens face is important too.
More bullying prevention and a zero tolerance against bullying and discrimination are also very important. Far too often the bully gets validated in his or her behaviour with alarming future consequences.
Bullying leaves lifelong scars that can be damaging. It can cause a crippling lack of confidence, PTSD, internalised homophobia and lots of other mental health issues. Protecting LGBTQ and other bullied children now is protecting their future. Protecting LGBTQ and other bullied children GIVES them a future!
Dolly Parton is coming back to the UK – with her musical 9 to 5 – and it stars, Louise Redknapp, Brian Conley, Amber Davis and Natalie McQueen.
To celebrate, the Queen of Country Music uploaded a camp AF promo starring the cast mates. Check it out
So excited to announce that @9to5MusicalUK is hitting London’s West End! It’s inspired by the film and features all original music written by me. Y’all don’t want to miss this!
