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  • 5 Reasons Gays Should Visit Madeira

    5 Reasons Gays Should Visit Madeira

    While the majority of passengers on our flight did look like the cast of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, there’s more to Madeira than comfortable walking shoes and early bird dinner specials.

    steinchen / Pixabay

    So here are 5 reasons the gays should put Madeira on their list of places to see:

    1. It’s gay-friendly

    Oldies aside, Portugal as a whole is very gay-friendly, and Madeira is no different. On a rainbow flag scale of gayness, I’d give Madeira a green. Gay-friendly but not especially gay-fun. So if you’re only interested in going to gay bars, staying in gay hotels, and “hanging out” with gay locals, then Madeira may not be for you.

    There are plenty of gays there, just not in overwhelming numbers or in any concentrated areas. There aren’t any gay bars or even gay nights, but you’ll find a sprinkling of gays in some of the popular gay-friendly venues such as: Venda Velha, 23 Vintage Bar, Mini Eco Bar, Cafe do Teatro, Trap Music Bar, Copacabana Disco, & Escondidinho!

    The word the locals I spoke to used a lot was “discreet”. The ageing population and traditionally Catholic background has meant gay life in Madeira isn’t overly loud. They do, however, have their own Pride which is celebrating its second year.

    2. Perpetual sunshine

    One reason the oldies love this place is its consistently constant weather. Though your guides will mention several times that there are multiple micro-climates on the island, you can be fairly confident to grab yourself some sunshine at any time of the year.

    Whether it’s June or January, you’ll still be able to wear short shorts and get a nice tan (unless you’re of the ginger persuasion like myself, in which case you can get a nice sunburn). You’re looking at a range of temperatures from 12 to 19 degrees. So it’s sunny and warm, but you won’t burst into flames (again, unless you’re ginger like moi).

    3. Food & wine

    Any location that boasts a Mediterranean climate will come accompanied by luscious Mediterranean food. If you like seafood then book your flights and pack your elasticated waistbands. Tuna steaks the size of your head and the horribly ugly yet incredibly tasty Black Scabbard are local delicacies.

    Image source: Wikipedia

    4. Mountain hikes

    If you’re not the beach resort type, or even if you are and you’ve had enough of lounging around the pool, Madeira’s volcanic nature means there are plenty of stunning mountain trails that you could follow for days.

    When you get up above the clouds, the island has a confusingly Swiss feel about it, with some incredibly cute fluffy cows likely to block your path at some point.

    5. Dolphins!

    Even the hardest heart would have a hard time remaining cool at the sight of these amazingly intelligent and friendly creatures swimming alongside your boat. You’ve probably been on dolphin/whale-watching tours before where they warm you there’s a chance you might not see any when you get out there. And while we didn’t get to see any whales, our trip out in June meant that we were met by both local and migrating pods of dolphins. We were surrounded by roughly 200 of these amazing creatures, all of whom were curious and wanted to find out what we were about.

    Guided by marine biologists who were incredibly respectful of the dolphins, limiting the time we spent with them to just 10 minutes at a time and always careful to keep our distance from mamas with their newborns. There are even excursions where you can hop in and swim with them in their natural environment.

    That right there is reason enough for me to visit again!

    Looking for accommodation deals for Madeira? Check out the latest deals with Hotels.com and Booking.com

    Visit www.visitportugal.com and www.visitmadeira.pt for more information.

  • THE KNEE JERK | The tale of Tom Dick and Harry – and finding love at work

    Tom (That’s me) got a job working nights in a staff canteen in the next town. Dick and Harry already worked there on the shop floor. I met each of them separately when taking their order for food.

    Dick lived with his sister at the outset, though desperate for independence as he wanted somewhere to take by a girl (much the same as any other red-blooded man in his 20s who is straight might). Harry lived alone and although he never said it, mostly because it was so obvious he was a ‘screaming queen’, not a bone in the wrist my dear!

    Nights turned into weeks that turned into months. I had established banter with Harry who was totally blind to my undisclosed closeted sexuality and a rapport with Dick much the same as I had with many of the other staff male and female alike.

    The living situation of Harry with his sister seemed to hit a crisis point and he, as a stop-gap moved in to live with Dick, who after all had a spare room. It seemed a good fit they had been friends for years and each work nights and sharing the same nocturnal lifestyle.

    On a Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago Dick came to me to cancel Harry’s order for chips at break time. It seems Dick had been on Grindr whilst working and had been offered cock, so was declining the vegetarian option in favour of ‘meat’. Don’t know what pic he had on Grindr but I wouldn’t let my dog near him even if I dipped his cock in TCP first. He has the appearance of a walrus who has been shaven whilst sleeping and then immersed in water until after death bloating has occurred.

    Dick was completely nonplussed in delivering this message. I queried it with him and asked why he had come to tell me Harry was going off for a sexual encounter? He told me Harry was very open and they had no secrets and he did not think it would shock me.

    Around this time Dick was becoming increasingly tactile with me, appearing to take every opportunity to come into the kitchen, to be alone with me. I didn’t see the signs increased levels of touching for prolonged periods desensitising me and getting increasingly close to being intimate. I desperately need to have my Gaydar radar serviced. Then when he brushed up against I suddenly became aware he had something in his pocket the size of an electric screwdriver and it felt like it had been left on the pulse setting.

    Dick, it turns out is ‘straight’ into the nearest man’s bed! Worse in a world of gay men where Harry hadn’t spotted me he had. He’s younger than me single and whilst he is not handsome; sweetheart who am I to complain? I’m so damn ugly I scare children and old ladies in the daylight and set canines a howling.

    So Dick likes cock and I like Dick’s dick. It’s all very clandestine as he insists he is straight. We meet in the daytime and I drive him 20 miles back to mine and then back to near to his home. Neither of us are telling Harry who tells me he thinks Dick is seeing some ugly bird as he never brings her back!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Thriller Live! – Sheffield Theatres

    ★★★☆☆ | Thriller Live!

    Celebrating the music, dancing and performances of the entertainer, Thriller Live is a whistle-stop tour of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, rolled into a relentless package of iconic dance moves, legendary performances and classic songs.

    From his early days in Mowtown, through the Jackson 5 years and onto his solo success, the show features a quartet of singers who perform against a backdrop of spectacular choreography which is performed with unyielding vigour and energetic enthusiasm by the vivacious cast of dancers who fill the stage; accompanied by a talented bunch of musicians in the live band.

    Cleverly taking the routines, or snippets of them, highlights included music video recreations of ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Thriller’, great renditions of ‘Man in the Mirror’ and ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ and some tracks you wouldn’t immediately associate with Michael Jackson, including ‘Dangerous’ and ‘This Place Hotel’.

    Despite the vocals not being of the highest order, some forced audience participation and a couple of songs descending into an overblown mess, there is still plenty of enjoyment to be found here. Regardless of the controversy surrounding his life, Michael Jackson’s enduring appeal undoubtedly remains, especially if the shouts, whoops and cheers from the audience were anything to go by.

    Whilst musical revues can often come across as sycophantic, Thriller Live manages to sidestep being the gushing praise-fest that it could be, and instead allows the party atmosphere, music, songs and dance routines to speak for themselves in an undemanding evening of foot tapping, high end cabaret.

    Thriller Live is rounding off its national tour at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until 21st July 2018, but you can still catch the show in the West End.

  • Would you date a robot?

    Would you date a robot?

    A quarter of people would happily become a robosexual!

    CREDIT: ArtOfPhoto / bigstock
    CREDIT: ArtOfPhoto / bigstock

    We’re not so sure we’re ready to stick our pink bits in a robot’s exhaust pipe!

    A survey has found that a quarter of people (aged 18-34) would be happy to date a robot. A ComRes research published by FutureFest asked the public to imagine the world in 20 years in time – and apparently dating and sexing with robots was on the cards.

    Recent films depicting human-machine romances may soon become a reality; a quarter (26 per cent) of people in the UK said that they would happily date a robot – provided their android beau looked just like a real-life human being.

    Happy to be microchipped!

    Meanwhile, half (50 per cent) of Brits who already use contactless bank cards say that they would be happy to have microchips implanted under their skin to open doors or log on at work, and a third (32 per cent) of all British adults believe that in fifty years’ time the sale of fizzy drinks to under-16s will be as tightly controlled as tobacco is today.

    So who’s the hottest robot?

    Who’s the sexiest robot?

     
    pollcode.com free polls
  • 4 totally legitimate reasons why you don’t have to swallow

    4 totally legitimate reasons why you don’t have to swallow

    To swallow or not to swallow that is the question.

    Some guys are totally into the guzzling (we see you) but some guys just aren’t into it, and if you’re not that’s cool too. After all, it’s your body, and you’re in charge of what is going in and out of it.

    So what exactly is in cum? Well apart from your little swimmers, semen is made up of fructose, which makes up about 70 per cent of the liquid. Then there’s the prostatic secretion, which is the whitish/clear liquid. That contains, enzymes, citric acid, acid phosphatase and lipids. Per 100 MLS – it has about 28 mg of calcium, 5 mg of protein and 300 mg of sodium!

    So here are four totally legitimate reasons for not wanting to swallow.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    I Just Don’t Want To

    Not wanting to is probably the most important one. It’s your body, your choice and if you’re not feeling the man mayo, then that’s your call. So don’t be afraid to say to your partner, “no cumming in my mouth”. Make it clear that when he’s ready to blow his load to tell you.

    You Just Brushed Your Teeth

    When you brush your teeth, you can cause little ruptures in the skin or cause gum bleeding, especially true if you also floss. Getting semen into open wounds could potentially, although the risk is lower than anal sex, mean that you open yourself up to infection if the guy you’re with has an STI. GMFA suggests, that it is possible to get HIV from sucking dick, “but the likelihood of this occurring is low. No one knows exactly how risky sucking cock is, partly because most men who suck cock will also fuck or get fucked as well and it is impossible to know which sexual act is responsible for the transmission of HIV. Very few men whose only reported risk is from oral sex have caught HIV, which leads us to believe that the risk is relatively low”.

    You’re Actually Semen Intolerant

    Yep, there are people in this world who have an intolerance of the boy juice. It is a rare condition, but it does exist. Symptoms can include swelling, trouble breathing or anaphylaxis.

    It can take up to 30 minutes for symptoms to start to take effect.

    You Don’t Like The Taste

    Nobody is saying that you have to eat cum if you don’t like the taste. No one would force you to eat something that actually makes you want to heave – well except Brussell Sprouts at the dinner table when you were a kid. So, if you don’t like the taste don’t feel you have to. You’re not going to offend – after all you’re giving him a damn BJ!.

    Do you like to swallow?

    [totalpoll id=”117610″]

  • Proof that money can find you love and it’s damn expensive

    Proof that money can find you love and it’s damn expensive

    How much does it cost to find that someone special? Your gonna need a bigger cheque book.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    We literally have no hope.

    According to a 2017 poll, it takes people over five years of dating before they decided to tie-the-knot. Over the course of those years, the average person spends $20,276 (£16,320) on dating.

    The new survey of 1,000 married people across the country conducted by art event planners Paint Nite also found that people spent, on average, nearly five and a half years out on the dating scene before getting hitched – shelling out an average of $43.50 per date.

    The most common dating activity is going to dinner (88 percent), followed by going to the movies (63 percent), lunch (39 percent), taking a walk (38 percent) and making a meal and spending time at home (38 percent).

    As for the ideal date, dinner and movies topped the list once again, followed by taking a walk, travelling and sightseeing. Three out of four people would rather enjoy a sedentary date such as dinner and movies over active/interactive or outdoor dates – with only 10 percent saying they like to play sports while out with their other half or a new love prospect.

    When it comes to landing dates, a quarter have picked up a prospect in a bar or a nightclub, one in five have used online dating sites, and 35 percent have been set up by friends and colleagues.

    Sixty-five percent of respondents think the best way to greet a date is with a simple hi or hello, while almost two in five advocates a hug and 30 percent recommend a handshake.

    “Making a great impression on a first date, whether that means covering the bill, a warm greeting or simply picking an interesting activity, can make all the difference in the early days of a relationship,’ explains Courtney Osgood of Paint Nite, a company that arranges art-themed nights at pubs and wine bars. ‘Mixing it up, and trying something new can also keep the spark alive between a seasoned couple.”

    As for who should shell out on the first date, more than half think that the man should cover the bill, while just one percent of respondents thought the woman should pay the tab. Twenty-three percent of respondents said it should actually be the person who asked for the date who should pay.

    More than 40 percent of respondents say that they decide who will pay before the date even happens, while 24 percent say they figure things out when the bill comes.

    One in five men admits to pulling the pretending-to-stretch trick on a date, while 22 percent of both men and women admit to touching an arm or a knee of their date to make a move.

    Top keys to the best first impression on a date
    1.    Good manners
    2.    An attractive appearance
    3.    A smile
    4.    Great personality
    5.    A sense of humour

    Top date turn-offs
    1.    Bad manners/Offensive/Rude
    2.    Bad breath
    3.    Too negative
    4.    Burping out loud/other bodily noises
    5.    Unattractive physical appearance
    6.    Inappropriate/tight clothing
    7.    Talks too much
    8.    Indecisiveness
    9.    Too much make-up
    10.   Lack of confidence

  • COMMENT | Is Pride still necessary?

    COMMENT | Is Pride still necessary?

    Amsterdam is warming-up for Pride 2018! But is Pride really still necessary?

    Participants at the famous Canal Parade of the Amsterdam Gay Pride 2014.

    At a very early age, I realised that, unlike my colleagues in school, I felt more attracted to boys than to girls. As a young boy growing up in a small village in Portugal 30 years ago, I had no clue about what to do with those feelings. Homosexuality was not mentioned at home or in school. It wasn’t discussed on TV either. The only few times that I heard about it, it was in a negative, mocking way, which made me feel like something was wrong with me, and that being gay was something that I had to hide.

    30 years later, a lot has admittedly changed. In Portugal, for instance, same-sex marriage has been legal since 2010. And The Netherlands, where I live now, was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. But is this the case of every single country in the world?

    According to an annual report by ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), 72 countries and territories worldwide continue to criminalize same-sex relationships, including 45 in which sexual relationships between women are outlawed. There are 8 countries in which homosexuality can result in a death penalty and dozens more in which homosexual acts can result in a prison sentence.

    Despite these facts, many straight people insist on asking me: Does it really make sense to still celebrate Pride? Their main argument is that there is no such thing as a Straight Pride. Please let me ask you:

    Have straight people ever been attacked or fired for merely being straight? Do straight people have to worry about holding their partner’s hand in public? Do straight people’s vacation plans have to be made by taking into account which country not to travel to for fear of being imprisoned because of their sexuality? Have straight people ever had the unpleasant experience of having to come out to their family and friends?

    Are you still wondering why there is no Straight Pride? Or are you just happy that you don’t need one?

    This year, Amsterdam Gay Pride (the largest gay pride event in the Netherlands, and one of the largest in the world) will take place from July 28 to August 5, and it will pay particular attention to human rights. The annual boat parade, which sees the canals lined by over half a million spectators, will take place on Saturday, August 4. Boats of, among others, Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the College of Human Rights were proclaimed this year by the organization as “Pearls of the Parade.”

    I will be there! May I invite you to join me?

  • THEATRE REVIEW | It Happened in Key West, Charing Cross Theatre, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | It Happened in Key West, Charing Cross Theatre, London

    ★★★ | It Happened in Key West

    A true story of a man who dug up the love of his life is a musical called It Happened in Key West.

    Yes, it did happen in Key West. In the 1940s, Count Carl Von Cosel fell in love with a woman, Elena, he was treating for tuberculosis . She died, but von Cosel was so infatuated and in love with her that he dug up her body and, for over 7 years, lived with her, well not really with her but with her body, in his house, in Key West.

    Now playing at the Charing Cross Theatre, with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello, book and additional lyrics by Jason Huza, and book and original content by Jeremiah Janes who all collaborated together to create this musical, while a bit on the funny side, is too morbid and too silly to be taken seriously, and not funny enough to be camp and over the top.

    Having said that, Wade Mccollum is great as the Count. He’s got a great singing voice, especially in a song where he pines for Elena (‘Undying Love’ and ‘I’ve Never Felt This way’) are two standouts. He commands the stage and surely belongs in the West End but in a better show. Alyssa Martyn is just fine as Elena, who surprisingly dies before the first half is finished – it might’ve made more sense to have her die after the first half, but she does sing ‘I Feel Love,’ while dead, in the second half, and comes ‘back to life’ at the very end to sing, beautifully, in the finale. Director and Choreographer Marc Robin doesn’t have a whole lot to work with, it seems like the same 12 boxes remained as the set the whole way through the show. ‘It Happened in Key West,’ billed as a New Romantic Musical Comedy, is not much of a musical nor a romance.

    http://www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk

  • Daily Mail columnist schooled over PrEP inaccuracies

    The National AIDS Trust just had to school one Mail Online columnist over a story published in which he peddled “misinformation, myths and stigma” over PrEP usage.

    PrEP pills
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    In the article, Mail Online columnist Ross Clark, reveals that after a recent visit to his GP for a suspected hernia, the doctor was unable to refer him to have an operation or to a specialist due the fact that he wasn’t in pain and didn’t have any heavy lifting in his job, the GP told him he “wasn’t bad enough to qualify for funding under new NHS guidelines”.

    However, later on in the article, which the Terrence Higgins Trust has blasted as fuelling misinformation, myths and stigma, he draws comparisons between what the NHS could pay for and what they couldn’t. PrEP and transgender surgery was, it seems, central to his argument.

    He wrote, “There is the £22 million a year being spent on transgender surgery, at a cost of £20,000 per patient. There is £730 million a year being spent pumping drug addicts full of Methadone — a heroin substitute which is supposed to help wean people off that drug, but which is itself addictive.

    “The NHS has started, too, to prescribe PrEP — a drug which cuts the risk of HIV transmission in gay men who have sex without a condom.

    “It is prescribing the drug —which costs £400 a month for a single patient — in spite of warnings that it will be encouraging risky behaviour, and it could increase other infections such as syphilis and gonorrhea [sic], against which PrEP offers no protection.”

    “Not One Thing accurate”

    Well, the Twitter team at National AIDS Trust had to put him right – and point out exactly why his article is so wrong.

    “Trying to create a Twitter storm”

    The columnist Ross Clark then accused the National AIDS Trust of trying to start a “Twitter Storm” saying, “You are trying to create a Twitter storm based on something I haven’t written, knowing that most who retweet won’t actually bother to read the piece”.

    Losing Advertisers

    Recently the MailOnline lost a number of high-profile advertisers when companies started to pull out of contracts with the publication after a successful awareness campaign by pressure group, Stop Funding Hate. Eventually, the newspaper removed advertising from many of its columnists including Richard Littlejohn.

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dusty: The Dusty Springfield Musical, Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★★☆ | Dusty: The Dusty Springfield Musical

    It wasn’t just her voice that made Dusty Springfield so distinctive. In 1964, she was deported from South Africa for refusing to play to segregated audiences. She stood up against male musicians who wouldn’t be told how to play their instruments by a woman. She was the first singer to be open about their bisexuality and had a long-term relationship with a black woman at a time when both sexuality and race were incredibly sensitive social issues, and she championed black artists breaking into the UK mainstream. But behind the beehive and eyeshadow was a tragic individual brimming with self-loathing and doubt, and one who struggled with her mental health, sexuality and substance misuse.

    During one key scene, when asked whether she had any regrets, Dusty says “I wish I’d been more open”, and with her troubled private life, her own issues and guilt around her sexuality, and her willingness to stand up for what she believed in, it is easy to see why Dusty became, and remains, a gay icon. Written by Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing; Gimme, Gimme, Gimme), the play nestles somewhere in between musical biopic and jukebox musical, and looks at Springfield’s life from her first solo hit to her death in 1999, without shying away from her darker years and the troubles which blighted her in private.

    Katherine Kingsley not only carries the show, but is quite simply outstanding, with a performance that captures the look, sound and emotions of the iconic performer to perfection, particularly in the show’s denouement, with a powerhouse performance of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”; whilst Joanna Francis stands out as Lois, Springfield’s long-term partner, with a voice which drips with pure soul. Harvey’s script handles Dusty’s bisexuality and lesbianism with sensitivity, and the show provides many touching scenes between Dusty and Lois. It is refreshingly pleasing to see such a positive and tender portrayal of a lesbian relationship in mainstream theatre.

    Harvey’s script is warm and instantly accessible, although a little clumsy at times in its integration of high drama and sitcom humour; and whilst the songs are undeniable classics and span the length of her career, they are perhaps not abundant enough. Whilst the set is over-reliant on projected images and the production values overall require a lot of spit and polish, the enthusiasm of the cast and some outstanding performances elevate Dusty to a suitably heartfelt and, ultimately, very enjoyable tribute to a classic artist.

    Dusty: The Dusty Springfield Musical is at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until the 14th July 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

  • Disgraced MP Jared O’Mara quits Labour following on from exposed homophobic comments

    Apparently, Jared O’Mara was made to feel like a criminal during the probe into his historic online comments.

    Labour MP Jared O’Mara has quit the party after being reinstated following a suspension while historic homophobic and misogynistic online comments were investigated.

    The MP was suspended but was to be reinstated. He has now quit the party, saying “I am of the opinion that the Labour Party no longer shares my commitment to the true definition of equality and compassion,” he said.

    “There is no doubt that I made mistakes as a young man using distasteful language as a clumsy attempt at satire and sarcasm online. But that does not mean that is who I am today.”

    However, he seemed to suggest that he won’t be stepping down as an MP.

    He said, “I might be leaving Labour but I am still at your side”,

    Identifying himself as “the first autistic MP in our history”, he wrote: “I didn’t commit any crimes, yet I have been made unfairly to feel like a criminal.

    “Nobody should be made to feel ashamed for mistakes they make when they are young.”

    He added: “I would be lying to those of you whom I represent, and those close to me like my parents and sister respectively, if I continued under the pretence that I feel there is a place of acceptance and empathy for me as a working-class, underprivileged disabled man within the Labour Party.

    “I have experienced little to make me feel welcome, understood and accepted during this last year.”

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