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  • Terrence Higgins Trust slams the Daily Mail for misinformation, myths and stigma around PrEP

    “we’d love to have a cuppa to explain”

    PrEP pills
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    Ooo the sass coming from the Terrence Higgins Trust’s Twitter feed, the UK’s leading HIV charity, was palpable and we love it. In the tweet, they slam the Mail Online for fuelling misinformation, myths and stigma surrounding the use of PrEP.

    So far the journalist who worked on a story nor the publication itself has replied to have a cuppa with THT.

    In the article, Mail Online columnist Ross Clark, reveals that after a recent visit to his GP for a suspected hernia, she 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, 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.”

    “Cost-effective”

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com Liam Beattie, PrEP policy lead at Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “There’s no place in the media for articles filled with misinformation, myths and stigma-fuelling. Ross Clark’s piece on PrEP is highly inaccurate and we would love him to come in to Terrence Higgins Trust to find out more about the realities of PrEP. Because there’s nothing controversial about PrEP – it’s highly effective at preventing HIV, cost effective and will ultimately stop many, many people from becoming HIV positive.

    “Currently PrEP is available in England via a 10,000 place trial but we want to see a national PrEP programme in England to ensure it’s made available to all who need it”’

    There’s been no evidence to suggest that users on PrEP are being any more “risky” than those who currently aren’t on PrEP.

    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.

     

  • Are Chris and Kem from ITV 2 a couple?

    Chris and Kem have their own show on ITV – but their bromance have got people asking are they actually boyfriends?

    Are Chris and Kem boyfriends?
    Chris and Kem were the breakout characters from 2017’s Love Island. Their friendly banter and cheeky bromance captured the UK’s hearts. Their full names are Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay. That relationship has led to them filming their very own show, which is called You Vs. Chris and Kem.

    So are Chris and Kem actually a gay couple? The answer is no. They both identify as straight but clearly have no issue with being very close and personal with each other, which lets face in 2018 is a lovely thing to see.

    Are chris and kem gay
    Chris and Kem are ready to take on the British public in their brand new ITV 2 show, You Vs. Chris and Kem.

    So who are they going out with? Well, Kem is reportedly dating a woman called Ruby Blake – whom he met while competing on Dancing On Ice. Chris is apparently single but has been linked to female reality TV stars.

    Chris Hughes particularly caught the public attention when producers of Love Island had to allegedly ship out “extra large condoms” for the villa mate. He wasn’t shy about his size – and was quite often seen walking around the Love Island villa completely starkers.

    Their new show starts on ITV 2 on 16th July at 10 PM.

     

     

  • Five best musicals to see in London this summer

    London town is home to great theatre, famous across the globe for its treasured West End – second only to (maybe) Broadway in New York. So what is worth watching in this city, this summer?

    Chicago

    If you’ve never seen Chicago on stage and only know it from the Hollywood film then you’re missing out. It has to be seen in the flesh (and there’s a lot of flesh on show). The men are beefy and scantily clad and the women are Vaudevillian and slinky. The set and costumes are pared back with an on-stage orchestra belting out all those classic Kander and Ebb hits. The choreography is note perfect with all the shoulder shrugs, finger clicks and pelvic thrusts that you expect from Bob Fosse. Yes, it’s the same old show that we got in the 90s but who cares? It’s a veritable classic. With murderesses this stylish and camp who needs anything new.  Tickets reduced to £30 (some with no booking fee)

    Bat Out Of Hell

    Raven is a lonely girl – she’s not allowed outside at all – but she really wants to experience the outside world, to ride the subway, to meet a boy. In the outside world Strat (Andrew Polec) leads a gang of nomads and hangers-on, and he’s always dreamt of catching the girl – particularly Raven, but she’s not available. So all sorts of musical mayhem takes place including Strat trying to kidnap Raven so that he and her can be together. Meanwhile, one of the gang members (a fabulous Danielle Steers – returning) is slowly falling in love with another gang member, while she’s actually a maid in the Falco household. She knows their secrets, and lies.

    This is the story, in a nutshell, but the way it’s told is spectacular. Motorcycles, explosions, video projection, skimpy costumes, a convertible on stage that was formerly a dining room table, and said convertible plunging off the stage into the orchestra pit – it’s all musical mayhem – from a rock classic album, and it is just as good on stage as it is on the album and when it played at the Coliseum. The cast dance and prance on stage, and with most of the songs dealing with love, Bat Out of Hell is a love story set to rock music. It’s loud, it’s crazy, it’s superb! No booking fee on tickets available. Tickets are available from £15.00

    Wicked

    55 million people can’t be wrong, which is why Wicked is one of the world’s most successful musicals. Wicked is going into its 12th year in London and it’s still fresh, timely and defying expectations. Wicked takes you behind The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz story to find out about the two witches featured in the original story, “Wicked Witch”, Elphaba (you know the one – green and gets the bucket of water) – played by Alice Fearn and the “Good Witch”, Glinda (you know, the one that arrives by bubble) played by Sophie Evans. Tickets from £25.30

     

    Tina

    Playing at the Aldwych Theatre, Tina charts the ups, and many downs, of Tina’s life. Born as Ann-Mae Bullock, in 1939, we are shown, first hand, how, as a little girl, she was brought up in a violent household where her father hit her mother, causing her mother to move away with her sister (leaving Ann-Mae behind). Tickets available from £23.21

     

    42nd Street

    Mark Bramble, who originally wrote the book (along with Michael Stewart) directs this new production, and it’s a non-stop bacchanalia of fun! And with an amazing and flawless cast of over 50, 42nd Street has gotten better with time, even though it tells the same old time-trodden story of a young girl from a small town – Peggy Sawyer – who goes to the big city and dreams of making it big. She gets a job as a backup dancer in a new show called Pretty Lady, and the Pretty Lady in the title is Dorothy Brock (fabulously played by singer Sheena Easton). Brock is in love with Pat (Norman Bowman), who disappears off to Philadelphia. So Brock wants to follow him there, forcing the show to move to there. But Brock breaks her ankle, so after getting fired for causing Brock to break her leg, Sawyer is roped back into the show, this time as it’s lead, and she’s only got 48 hours to learn the part, to learn the dance moves, and is wooed and coddled by director Julian Marsh (Tom Lister). But it’s Billy (Stuart Neal) who really takes a liking to her. Will she be ready and rehearsed in time to open the show? Will the nerves get the best of her? I’m sure we can all figure out how it plays out – and plays out it does, much to our delight!  No booking fee and tickets are available from £15.78

     

  • Pride Foundation

    Welcome to THEGAYUK’s Pride Foundation

    Funding pride into the future.

  • Disgustingly, paedophiles have created their own Pride flag

    Disgustingly, paedophiles have created their own Pride flag

    This is an update to this story, click here to read.

    Gross.

    A group called MAPS which stands for Minor Attracted Person, a term which aims to destigmatising paedophiles has apparently created their own pride flag in a bid to legitimise their sexual preference.

    Some news outlets are claiming that the group insists that paedophiles are misunderstood and that they do not act on their attraction to children.

    The flag opts for pastel blues, yellows and pinks.

    A Twitter user put out a warning in June telling all minors if they saw the flag being flown to be warned.

    It is not known who designed the flag or whether you can actually buy the flag anywhere.

    It goes without saying that any sexual relationships with a minor is illegal in most countries across the globe. In the UK the age of consent is equalised between same and opposite-sex couples at 16-year-old.

    The rise of identity flags.

    In recent years there has been an explosion of gender and sexual identities and along with that diversity within the LGBT+ community has been the proliferation of pride flags. Almost every identity has its own flag.

    One of the first subsets to create their own flag away from the traditional rainbow flag was the bear community, who created the brown/orange and paw print flag in 1995. The flag was designed by Craig Brynes.

    The rainbow flag was designed by renowned artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. The world’s largest version of the rainbow flag was unveiled in Key West in 2004.

  • FILM REVIEW | Mario

    ★★★★ | Mario

    Two young footballers fall in love in the tender love story Mario.

    Cute, sexy and very lean Leon (Aaron Altaras) is drafted into the football club where he meets player Mario (Max Hubacher). Leon, with striking dark curly hair and eyes, is quite a contrast to Mario – blond and a bit baby-faced who has been brought up by a football-mad father. But when Leon and Mario are assigned to live together in the same apartment while they train, a natural attraction between them kicks in, literally. They end up sharing a bed, even though the apartment has two bedrooms. But Mario is very uncomfortable to have their relationship be known to anyone, especially to their fellow team members, some of whom are quite homophobic. But one day Leon and Mario are seen together in public by a fellow team member who blabs it to the rest of the team. This puts not only Mario and Leon’s relationship to the test, it also puts their football careers at risk as well. But they really are in love with each other, but will they stay together, and if so at what cost?

    Director Marcel Gisler does a very good job getting his actors to display their affection for each other while at the same time creating excitement and tension, both in the locker room and on the playing field. Altaras is a natural, and he and Hubacher excellently portray young men who are conflicted between their love for each other and their love for the game. Mario is a beautiful love story that will fill you with love and sadness, and the timing is just right for this film to come out – right before the World Cup Championships, meanwhile there is not one out player currently in the game.

    Mario is in UK cinemas on Friday.

  • COMMENT | As LGBTs many of us were bullied as kids, so why do we continue to bully as adults on dating apps?

    COMMENT | As LGBTs many of us were bullied as kids, so why do we continue to bully as adults on dating apps?

    While growing up, I remember feeling like I did not belong.

    CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK

    Somehow, I never seemed to meet the expectations that society had planned for me. And because I was different, I was constantly bullied. This happened from first grade to the end of High School (from 6 to 18 years old). The bullying I experienced was so traumatic at times, I’m still feeling the effects today. But I chose not to be a victim! I learned patience, perseverance, and dedication. Now I really know myself, and I know my voice. It is a voice of pain, but each pain has made me stronger, each betrayal more intelligent, and each experience wiser. I finally realised that being different makes me unique and that is my power!

    “I finally realised that being different makes me unique and that is my power!”

    It is true that a lot has changed since I was bullied, but I am afraid that it is still not enough. In recent years, a series of bullying-related suicides across the globe have drawn attention to the connection between bullying and suicide. Though many adults still see bullying as part of being a child, it is a serious problem that leads to many negative consequences, including suicide. And this needs to change! My hope is that by raising awareness to this issue one more kid will get help, so he won’t get discriminated or bullied.

    But more than addressing the discrimination from the outside world, I deem it necessary to also raise awareness to the increasing discrimination within the LGBT community. “No Asians, no black people, no femmes, no fatties, no oldies…”: This kind of language can easily be spotted on gay dating apps. Our community has been oppressed by the outside world for so many generations. Why do we insist on doing it to ourselves now?

    Are apps doing enough to respond to user discrimination?

    I cannot answer that, but I am hoping that by talking about these issues we can raise awareness and hopefully encourage people to be kind to each other. We already have the outside world against us.

    Miguel Martins (www.facebook.com/MyOwnFado)

    – Mister Senior Netherlands 2018 3rd Runner-Up

  • Two gay men appear in BBC top paid talent, no other LGBT representation

    BBC has released its top earners and two gay men are featured in the top 10. The top-earning lesbian doesn’t feature.

    The BBC’s gender pay gap has been released and shows that the top 12 earners are all still men, with Graham Norton (up to £609,000) and Nick Grimshaw (up to £409,000) featuring in the top 10. Further down the list of the top 22 earners include two other openly gay men, Scott Mills (up to £289,000) and Evan Davis (up to £259,000)

    There are no out women or trans people in the top 20. The highest paid LGB woman is Clare Balding who is now reported to be earing up to £189,000. Last year the BBC reported that she was earning up between £150,000 and £199,000.

    The list released by the BBC features talent and staff who are paid directly by the BBC and earn over £150,000.

    Norton’s wage was reduced from up to £899,000 in this new list, while Nick Grimshaw’s wage has actually increased from up to £399,000.

    Last year the BBC used multiples of £50,000 to denote its staff’s salary rather than give accurate figures, this year that has been deceased to multiples of £10,000.

  • Olly Alexander is in a JOCKSTRAP – hold everything

    Olly Alexander is in a JOCKSTRAP – hold everything

    “I’m shy” he says, but we’re not so sure.

    CREDIT: Olly Alexander / Instagram

    Sun’s out, butt’s out as Olly Alexander dons a jockstrap for Paper Magazine. Yes, that’s the magazine that’s famous for bringing us Kim Kardashian’s butt and a completely naked Christopher Milan. Now they’ve photographed out popstar Olly nearly nude.

    In the cheeky pictures Olly says, “I’m sky” but we can’t see any evidence is that. He also thanked the magazine for making him a “pride cover girl”.

    Click to see the pictures here

     

  • 5 guys give their best advice about taking the D

    5 guys give their best advice about taking the D

    When this guy asked “aren’t I supposed to be used to it by now?” these guys shared their advice about bottoming.

    FILE PHOTO (BIGSTOCK)

    One guy took to Reddit to ask why he was having trouble bottoming. Despite trying “lots of times” he still didn’t feel like he was getting used to it.

    So he asked the Internet and well, the Internet responded.

    Ease into it with plenty of foreplay. It helps if your top can eat you out for a while, which coaxes the sphincter to relax. Start with a (lubed) finger, then two, before finally taking the guy’s cock. Concentrate on relaxing, as the instinct is going to be to tighten up (especially if you’re relatively new to bottoming). VIA

    This old whore has been all the way around the gay block. Things that make it easier. Poppers, beers, weed, coke, crystal, music, mood and mental gymnastics. The real first hurdle to get over is the mental block of something going up through the sphincter and the fear of the abnormal stretch. A relaxed position and a meditative attitude towards releasing control of the muscles is key. Use deep breathing and try to disconnect your focus on your asshole and release control. VIA

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    If you’re not into it, just don’t do it. VIA

    I’ve had many c**ks in my time and I still find the experience uncomfortable, as a lot of men prefer to do it doggy style or in the missionary position (which I find extremely painful). But if the guy doesn’t mind about the position, then straddling him, together with poppers and lube, helps me to actually enjoy the experience. VIA

    Not every gay man likes to do anal, no biggie. VIA

    Importantly, if you don’t enjoy the act of bottoming then don’t feel pressured to do it. Gay porn has given most of us wild, unrealistic expectations for ourselves and what we should be able to achieve, but life isn’t porn and sex on film isn’t the same as sex in real life.

    Also if you’re thinking about numbing lube, you might want to check out what this doctor said about it.

  • THE UNDATEABLE GAY | Goes Speed Dating

    THE UNDATEABLE GAY | Goes Speed Dating

    “After his first question, ‘Which is your favourite train model?’ (I kid you not), we sat in silence. I don’t think he was impressed with my answer. I told him my favourite train was Thomas. Before the bell rang to signal the end of the three minutes, he had already got up and left the date”

    I don’t know why I didn’t think of it years ago. I’ve tried Grindr, Plenty of Fish and various other dating apps. I’ve attempted blind dates, set up by well-meaning friends. I’ve even turned my hand, or should that be legs, to bike rides in the country. All to no avail.

    So I saw an advert for speed dating in Leicester Square and decided I had nothing to lose. Other than a clock load of three minutes.

    I came to the conclusion that even I couldn’t go wrong with speed dating. Only three minutes with each man. Surely even I couldn’t show myself up in that time frame.

    This will come as no surprise to my friends, family or avid followers of this column, but I had a Savvy B to calm my nerves and give me a drop of Dutch courage. A rather large drop of Dutch courage. I say a glass, it was actually a bottle.

    The bell rang and it was time for my first three-minute date. I was at a table with a rather handsome man, who at a guess, I would place in his early forties. He had such beautiful eyes, I felt myself start to swoon. I believed I was about to meet my perfect man.

    Well, let me tell you this, whoever coined the phrase, looks can be deceiving deserves a medal. He opened his mouth to tell me his name was Derek. He had a voice which only the word monotone could be used to describe. Trainspotter springs to mind.

    After his first question, “Which is your favourite train model?” (I kid you not), we sat in silence. I don’t think he was impressed with my answer. I told him my favourite train was Thomas. I mean, I was only joking but he had obviously had a sense of humour bypass. Before the bell rang to signal the end of the three minutes, he had already got up and left the date. RUDE. Things can only get better. I hoped.

    I’d never been so grateful to hear a bell in my life. Well, apart from dinner time back in primary school. I was a fat kid, what can I say? I got up and moved to my next victim. Whoops, I mean man.

    I found myself sat opposite another handsome man. But I told myself not to judge a book by its cover after my first failure. Wait until you hear him speak, I heard a voice in my head tell me. And when he did, I fell in love. He was very posh, well-spoken and far from monotone.

    He asked me a question about my occupation and as my gob opened, I saw an eyebrow raise on his boat race. Our voices and accents couldn’t be any more opposite. He clearly came from Barnes and me from Staines.

    “It’s like being on a date with a character from EastEnders!” I kid you not, those were the exact words that left his mouth. I would have raised my eyebrows too, but after botox, I struggle to perform this action.

    He was clearly put off by the way I spoke so instead of raising my eyebrows, I raised my arse from the seat and finished the date prematurely. Third time lucky I hoped as the bell rang again.

    I clutched onto my glass of Savvy B and decided it WOULD be third time lucky. I may be the unluckiest gay in the dating world but I would never lose my optimism. PMA. Positive mental attitude. I’m going to have it etched on my gravestone.

    I sat down at the next table, well I say sat. I’d had a few glasses of New Zealand plonk by this point, so the word stumble is a more appropriate description of how I travelled to my seat. I soon sobered up as I clapped eyes on my next potential beau. DING FUCKING DONG.

    It was a refreshing joy to finally meet a VERY handsome man who seemed reasonably normal. And we seemed to hit it off like a house on fire. We laughed together and he even asked me out for a drink after the speed dating had finished. Maybe the undateable gay’s curse is finally lifting. WATCH THIS SPACE…

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