Due to licensing this article must be read on our website
President Donald Trump fired the remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) Wednesday, reportedly informing them without explanation with a letter delivered by FedEx … (more…)
Because he just gifted us an amazing sight for sore eyes. The 29-year-old left, who has over 850,000 followers, made some of his fans thirsty AF after releasing a photo on his account. He wasn’t wearing much at all (read nothing) and it gives us some rather serious butt goals.
He captioned the picture “#koalas in the mist. On to Sydney, if I ever find my pants. ? @andrescamilo___ (also #2 from yesterday was an absolute lie, but you already knew that)”
This, of course, isn’t the first time he’s shown us his best ass…ets… Earlier in the year, he gave us this rather wonderous image of him in the shower.
I started talking about it because I have suffered from body confidence issues and these have started to affect my personality. We all get our confidence (large or small amounts) from somewhere and mine have definitely been harder to muster since I started comparing my own body shape to that of the ‘picture perfect’ man. Some of the engagement I have had with people has been quite useful and has led me to some conclusions.
Firstly, there is a lot of confusion out there as to what exactly ‘body shaming’ is and what harm it can bring. And secondly a surprisingly high number people I’ve seen will state one moment they are against it, but the next moment share content they have just said they were against. Both seem to stem from that lack of understanding as to what exactly body shaming is and how it can fuel negative thoughts in people, like those associated with body dysmorphia. I, therefore, wanted to share some of my own personal thoughts and experiences on this and encourage you to find out exactly what body shaming is and how it could be negatively influencing you without you even realising it.
I’ll start by saying that if you are perfectly happy in your body shape, regardless of what this might be, then most of this will pass you by. And this is by no means saying what you are doing and how you live your life is wrong, far from it. If you have found body confidence regardless of your body shape then treasure it. I for one will never try to take that from you as I know how precious that can be.
However, put simply, body shaming is the promotion (usually in the media but not always) of one particular body shape over another by saying that you can only really be happy, content and ‘a good gay’ if you are toned, slim, hairless and what is otherwise referred to as ‘body perfect’. If you speak to most experienced health professionals they will tell you there is no ‘perfect’ body shape but there are ideals based on your health, exact body makeup and metabolism. Everyone is different, with different capabilities, biologies, restrictions and environments to say a six pack is the best thing for every living soul is ludicrous.
Therefore, if you are someone (a young teenager for example) that often gets their ‘injection’ of gay life from the media and all you are told is how wonderful the body beautiful people are you are going to naturally compare yourself to them and automatically feel bad that you are not one of them. That is basic human psychology that we all do in one form or another. If someone has something that I believe I want, I will compare it to what I have and judge the gap.
Many of us spot this and have taught ourselves to either not accept that this is what we want or we have come to believe that a six pack is not the ideal body shape. Therefore, when we see these articles we just dismiss them. But if you are someone with strong body confidence issues to the point of body dysmorphia, these messages just add fuel to the fire.
One gay magazine which I can’t really name, did a survey this year on body confidence and of those who responded 84% said that they felt under intense pressure to have a ‘perfect body’. There was a really good article by Nick Arnold from BBC3 on “How being a gay man can make your body issues worse”. I recommend reading!
But is the ‘gay media’ solely to blame for it, or are we as a community also responsible? We’ve all done it, I will be one of the first people to go and buy a magazine if it has a half-naked Harry Judd on it. But that is just me adding fuel to the flame as that purchase adds to the value of what is traditionally called “sex sells”. Fact is we, currently, just don’t rush out to buy magazines that have articles on things that remind us of ourselves. Instead, we buy and promote these ‘dream boys’ and dribble over them.
I’m not saying we need fewer images of Harry Judd (good heavens no) but what I am saying is that in order for people to find their body confidence we do need to expose ourselves to a wider range of body shapes and change our language from ‘happiness = six pack’ to ‘happiness = comfortable in your own skin’. I recently put a picture of my own body out on my twitter (against the wishes of my body confidence inner voice) in order to educate myself and others about this issue. I am not an ‘ideal body shape’ as mentioned above, I carry extra weight, things wobble that probably shouldn’t and the chest hair is currently in need of local council attention. But I did it, and I received some amazing feedback both positive, and indeed some negative.
My advice to you if you are suffering from any form of body dysmorphia or lack of body confidence is to speak to someone about it and remember that the voice in your head is not the leading authority on everything. You can be wrong, so maybe the voice is wrong about this too.
Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
It’s amazing how much homophobia there is on Twitter. Even some of the UK’s most loved celebs have been found to have messages that we’re sure they’d wished they checked for or never sent in the first place. Here are 13 celebs, who made the news this year, caught with having slurs against the LGBT+ community on the social timelines.
One of Britain’s most popular YouTubers, Zoella, was caught with homophobic comments on her Twitter timeline. The 27-year-old who has over 12 million subscribers on the Google-owned platform, tweeted, “I find it funny when gay men spit… it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho but never works”. The tweet dated back to 2010, before Zoella became the household name.
In 2011 she allegedly wrote a tweet with an anti-trans slur saying, “Are they honestly letting a tranny in a policeman hat speak to them like that? How odd! Haha x”.
In her apology she wrote, “I’ve seen a few of my old tweets from 7/8 years ago floating around (which I have now deleted) using words like “chav” “skank” and other words I wouldn’t use now as part of my language and lot of them were taken out of context referring to TV shows but I would never say those things now and I’m sorry if I have offended anyone, that was not my intention.
“Obviously that is not who I am today and I’d like to think I’m a little older and wiser! I’m not perfect and I’ve never claimed to be, I’m only human!”
Jack Maynard’s departure from I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here caused a huge media stir – with millions of viewers at home in the UK wondering what he had done so wrong to warrant leaving the jungle after just two days. Well, dozens of anti-gay tweets were discovered on his Twitter timeline dating back at least five years. Numerous racist slurs were also found on his timeline. The YouTuber left the jungle and it took him nearly three days to apologise for his error. It was an apology that didn’t go down particularly well – after he used a well-worn cliché “I’ve got lots of gay friends” during his interview with The Sun.
Nearly 20 homophobic tweets were found on the BBC’s ‘Artist of The Year’ – Stormzy’s twitter account. The tweets, some of which dated back to 2011 used homophobic slurs, like “no homo” and “faggot” to blast critics on his social media account.
Stormzy was swift to issue an apology. In a statement, he wrote that the messages sent from his account were “unacceptable and disgusting”. He also said sorry and that he regretted sending the messages.
An MP who sat on the Women’s and Equality Committee had past homophobic and sexist forum comments unearthed by the political website, Guido Fawkes. The MP, who unseated Nick Clegg in the last General Election, was said to have used numerous anti-gay slurs on the Morrissey Solo website forum and Drowned In Sound. Terms such as “fudge packers” and driving “up the marmite motorway” to describe gay people were used and a message was written that said gay people were “bitter and resentful about being homosexual”.
The Labour party took action to suspend the newly elected MP for Sheffield Hallam. He also resigned from the Women’s and Equality committee.
This year Katie had problems with Rainbow police cars, police marching in pride parades, non-binary people, transgender people, the LGBT+ community in general. To be honest, her twitter timeline is full of moans and angry tweets – but fear not, apparently she deletes her entire catalogue once a week, so the offensiveness doesn’t last long. Screengrabs, however, are forever.
As long as it’s not near me, sunshine. pic.twitter.com/W9VNHw7yXq
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) December 29, 2017
Where to begin. Piers Morgan’s timeline has been filled with rage against people whose gender doesn’t conform to the binary of man and woman. Piers has fought with campaigners on his ITV show and on his own Twitter timeline and even written about it in his column with the MailOnline.
Earlier in 2017, the presenter condemned LGBT charity Stonewall, calling them “Piers-phobic” after a spokesperson blasted him for “bullying” a couple who identified as non-binary on Good Morning Britain.
Josh Rivers, the new editor of Gay Times was suspended and then fired after just 20 days in the job, following the discovery by Buzzfeed, of antisemitic, lesbian hating, body shaming and anti-Asian tweets in his Twitter timeline. The majority of tweets were published between 2010 and 2015.
Rivers was working on a mandate of promoting inclusivity and diversity at the magazine when a number of incendiary comments on his Twitter account between 2010 and 2015. Some of the tweets which have been deleted described Jews as “gross” and some directed hatred towards lesbians, overweight women and men, and Asian and Chinese people. Apologising for his tweets, Rivers wrote: “To every single person who is hurt, offended and disappointed: I’m sorry”.
He has now deleted his profile.
Twitter itself came under fire this year for bi-erasure and for suspending a number of popular gay/ LGBT+ websites. Twitter effectively deleted the #bisexual hashtag from showing photos, videos and news items which used that tag. When users tried to use that hashtag in the search bar, they were met with a “no results” page. It took the platform several days to fix the issue.
British singer, Lily Allen used the word “fags” on Twitter and got a response, trouble was it probably wasn’t the one that she was probably hoping for. Her Tweet, “Fags Hate Trump” did not go down well it’s fair to say. The singer was swiftly admonished by many in the community. Some called the singer ‘homophobic’.
Another Celeb from this year’s I’m A Celeb, Amir Khan, was allegedly found to have Tweets on his timeline which were found to be homophobic. In a tweet said to have been sent in 2011, Khan allegedly wrote, “Nothing against them. Sort it out lad. No wonder pple think u like boys haha”.
In another post from 2010, a tweet which read, “Abuse @saj23x for keeping pictures on his phone, he is defiantly gay after today’s tweet. Asll the guys beware, @saj23x is GAY” was sent from his official account.
Amir has not apologised or commented on the tweets.
Not Twitter this time, but on Instagram. Hazel E star of the Love & Hip-Hop Hollywood TV show asked her gay fans to forgive her for saying, “burn in hell just like God said in the bible”
She made the comment in a comment on her boyfriend’s already homophobic Instagram post, which proclaimed that he said he hoped all gays would die and go to hell.
Homophobic tweets sent by Big Brother housemate, Tom Barber came back to haunt him after it was revealed that he allegedly used the homophobic slur “faggot” and used “gay” and “lesbian” as pejorative descriptions in tweets sent to friends.
Channel 5, the broadcast of Big Brother refused to remove him from the show, despite previous housemates from other series being removed for racist language on their Twitter accounts.
We’ve become a bit obsessed with noise cancelling headphones recently – and there are so many choices out there. All of the big brands in audio have released their own versions, with their own sound cancelling technology – some with amazing results, but for the best, you’ll have to fork out a huge wad of cash.
Recently a pair of headphones from the relatively unknown manufacturer August landed on the Tech desk at TGUK HQ. They just might be, for their price, be best we’ve tested in 2017.
Out of the box, the first thing you’ll notice about the August EP750 headphones is that they are big. If you like your ears covered (perfect when it’s cold outside) then these will please. Each ear cup is covered with soft padding, making extended listening a pleasure. Access to the buttons that control volume, calls making and answering, and the noise cancellation feature are all easy to find and navigate. They feel solid and they don’t feel like they’ll slip off your head. The padding is thick and comfortable and should fit over the average ear and provide a good basic level of sound isolation, even before you turn on the noise cancelling.
The other thing you’ll notice is that they are incredibly easy to use. The headphones include a rechargeable battery, which charges by USB. Pairing them with your device is no problem, but if you’re a bit over the Bluetooth faff, generally, they’ve included a gold plated jack cable, which you can plug in directly.
You can also use these headphones to place and answer calls and amazingly, you can connect these headphones to two devices simultaneously.
In the box, you’ll find a selection of adapters, easy to read instructions and a robust storage case for your new headphones.
Sound wise, the August EP750 is near perfect. Rounded base, clear vocals and the EQ is nicely balanced – a little coloured to add good bass tones and a crisp, but not painful, high ends. When I went back to my standard pair (the headphones I always use, which happen to be a pair of Bose) I found that the August EP750 actually outperformed them.
There is a little issue with wind noise when you’re walking – especially if it also happens to be windy out – although this is an issue with most over-the-ear headphones. You might notice the sound of the wind as you walk from location to location.
Is the noise cancelling affective on these headphones? Well, it’s not as good as others we have tested, like the Libratone, but you pay for what you get. It does a could job of eliminating traffic noise and general hum noises – so these would be perfect on a flight for instance. For more general noise cancellation, say an open plan office, they might need to fork out a bit more cash.
Great sounding headphones, with good general hum killing technology. They also won’t break the bank.
LOVE
Price – Sub £70 for Noise Cancellation is great
Fantastic sound, better than some bigger brands
Lots of extras in the box
LOATHES
Wind sound when walking
Noise Cancellation not as good as others
You can buy them from Amazon.co.uk
British Transport Police are on the hunt for a man they’d like to talk to in connection with what police are describing as a “sustained” and “frightening ordeal” on two women who boarded a train from London’s Kings Cross to Peterborough.
On the 9th December, two women boarded a train at 8.22 PM from Kings Cross in London heading towards Peterborough. According to a police report, a man started loudly saying racist and homophobic comments. The women interjected, and the man responded by assaulting one of them by pushing her on the shoulder and inappropriately touching the other.
He then threatened them both.
The man, who was wearing a bright blue top and described as bald and heavy set, alighted the train at Huntingdon.
Investigating officer PC, Christopher Marshall said, “This was a sustained and frightening ordeal for the two women, who did nothing to incite such violence.
“We will not stand for hate crime of any kind, and so if you have any information in relation to this offence, please contact us as soon as you can.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 with reference 590 of 9 December.
There have been a number of attacks on the UK’s transport network in the latter quarter of 2017.
Earlier in December, two teenagers were arrested following an attack where a young man was forced into a headlock and told to apologise for being gay.
In November, another man was “punched repeatedly” outside Charing Cross station, just a few hundred meters from one of London’s highest-profile gay clubs, heaven.
In September a woman hurled homophobic abuse at two men on a train between Havant and Pulborough, with one of the victims suffering an injury after the women threw a glass jar at them.
In September, three teenagers pleaded guilty to attacking two boyfriends on a train in Ealing. They were jailed for their attack.
Actor Ryan Phillippe knows how to get his fans hot under the collar after sharing a rather revealing, topless picture of his incredibly chiselled torso – wearing nothing but a grey beanie and a pair of black boardshorts in the freezing conditions.
The 43-year-old, dad of three, stripped off in the snow revealing that his body is as ripped as ever – as he showed off his defined pecs, rippling abs and bulging biceps.
He captioned the picture, ‘movin snowflakes by the O-Z.’ in the background of the picture, snowflakes are seen falling from the sky.
Within hours the picture received nearly 100,000 likes on his Instagram account.
A friend encountered him at a local cruising ground, Haldon Forest. I was informed by the friend who was as agile as a wood nymph that as he skipped gaily along; from behind a tree a man stepped out and introduced himself. He had a longer job title than I have given him but in essence, he gave advice on safer sex and handed out free condoms and lube at local cruising grounds. Now that is what I call a community service.
Since that time of more than 20 years ago I have always prayed to the safer sex fairy when I want something. This year, I wrote him a letter and not Santa with my Christmas wish list. All I wanted was sleaze, please! My wish has been granted.
On Christmas day for reasons of loneliness and nostalgia, I logged onto what was once the busiest of chat sites Gaydar, and it is back! Whether you are of a mind to call it sleaze or kink, interspersed among the plethora of rooms for various locations are those for Bondage, CP/Spanking, Domination, Master & slave and others. Oh, happy days.
The rooms are currently quiet, though bondage always was, so hard to type when you are hogtied and voice command software is of no use once the ball-gag has been fitted.
What is needed is for people to tell each other. I would phone a friend, but it is the middle of the night as I write this, so I am telling you.
Must break off and go to see if the spirit of the safer sex fairy is in the forest tonight, for me to thank.
In 2017 Barry Manilow revealed to the world that he was in a relationship and married to his manager, Garry. The pair first met 40 years ago and struck up a relationship in the years that followed.
Barry came out as gay at the age of 73. It was reported that he married his husband two years earlier than that, however, at the time, the “Mandy” singer’s publicist refused to answer speculation on the reports.
It seems as though he’s actually been with his partner for nearly 40 years after they met in 1978, whom he describes as “the smartest person” he’s ever met and “a great guy”. Garry is also Barry’s manager.
The singer, who made his name along with Bette Midler in the gay bathhouses of New York City, has never spoken about his sexuality before, but he did tell The Daily Telegraph in 2012, that he wasn’t dating anyone and that he was happily single, despite the fact he was actually with his boyfriend manager.
He said that he kept his sexuality secret for so many years for fear of disappointing his fans, although as the People Magazine article notes, it was an “open secret to some in his long-devoted, mostly female fan base”.
“I’ve been working constantly for five years,” says the tired presenter. Rylan who found fame on Signed By Katie Price is set to take some time off from ITV after he spoke out about the rumours that he had been fired from This Morning.
Despite revealing that he needed a break, he will be fulfilling his presenting duties on Celebrity Big Brother which starts on the 2nd January on Channel 5.
Taking to Twitter to battle the axe rumours Rylan wrote, “Rumours in press why I’m ‘leaving’ or been ‘axed’ from @thismorning, Truth is I need a break. I’ve been working constantly for 5 years and I need some time to myself.
“I will still be at Big Bro. I just need to take some time to myself. That’s all. I’ll be back soon xxx”
Needless to say, the revelation that the presenter had been working “constantly” on the five programme a week The Morning, some fans were not impressed. With some comparing their work life to the pampered star – writing, “Try working 20 years for the NHS we could all do with a break!”
The reaction didn’t go down well with Rylan who replied with a gif of himself.
WHEN YOU PIT A NICE LITTLE TWEET UP AND PEOPLE PIPE UP….. I’ll just keep it simple……. I’ve not been sacked from @thismorning just having some time off that’s all. Night pic.twitter.com/EDrrQPEWNV
— Rylan Clark-Neal (@Rylan) December 27, 2017
In January our focus will be on the nation’s sexual health – particularly for gay and bisexual men. We’re doing a little research up front to see what our audience thinks and feels about their sexual health – you can view all the answers now – as you proceed – and compare how you fit in with the rest of the gay UK!
Please answer all the questions that you’re comfortable doing…
[poll id=”2″]
[poll id=”3″]
[poll id=”4″]
[poll id=”5″]
[poll id=”19″]
[poll id=”20″]
[poll id=”6″]
[poll id=”7″]
[poll id=”8″]
[poll id=”9″]
[poll id=”10″]
[poll id=”11″]
[poll id=”12″]
[poll id=”13″]
[poll id=”14″]
[poll id=”15″]
[poll id=”16″]
[poll id=”17″]
[poll id=”18″]
[poll id=”21″]
[poll id=”22″]
[poll id=”23″]
[poll id=”24″]
[poll id=”25″]
[poll id=”26″]
[poll id=”27″]
[poll id=”28″]
[poll id=”29″]