So it’s well known that Instagram will kick you off the platform for showing too much skin – or just blur out your picture if there’s too much bum – but Garrett Clayton has gone one step further and blurred out his own bulge in a move that has a few fans puzzled… us too!
Why Garrett why?
Stymied by his situation; a selfish and homophobic sister, a loveless relationship with his girlfriend and a father who is next to useless. With Art College and a new life calling him, Zach finds himself suffocated by his life with a hopeless acceptance. However, things begin to change when Shaun (Brad Rowe), Zach’s best friend’s brother returns to town. Life begins to click into place when a drunken night together shows Zach a new existence. One that offers a life unlimited.
As the relationship develops between the two would-be lovers, the reality of his new secret life mounts pressure on his daily existence. Zach is torn between the release of who he wants to be and the pressures of his real life. Zach has become a surrogate father to his sister’s five-year-old son, the adorable Cody (Jackson Wurth) in-between his shifts flipping burgers. His small town, wrong side of the tracks existence and expectations battle directly with the possibilities that lay ahead with Shaun, Art College and escaping from his humble beginnings.
What makes Shelter a wholly charming film to watch is its warmth and honesty. Its tentative steps and its revealing of Zach’s new potential is stunning. You know where you are with Shelter and you know where you’re going and clichés aside, it’s a magnificent film for many reasons. It’s a hazy, sweet, Gaussian, Californian coming out story. Filmed with a sensitivity that’s not often found in gay cinema. The sex scenes aren’t graphic, but leave enough to the imagination. It’s everything you wish your vanilla first time with a man might be. Its lack of reference to the gay scene or to gay culture makes it a film that can be enjoyed by most audiences, who appreciate a good romance. Filled with instamatic – esque shots of the Californian shoreline, crashing waves mix well with a thoughtful and provocative soundtrack.
The camera does linger on Trevor Wright and he deserves the attention. Acting with an introspective knowing, Wright leads the story through and along with Brad Rowe gives great screen. Their chemistry is undeniable, their potential promising. It is an entirely shameful that Wright hasn’t garnered more film success because he is a riveting actor to behold.
Shelter never fails to deliver what you’d expect from a coming out story, perhaps a little less complicated than real life situations, but definitely a film I’d revisit.
Perfect if you like: Rainbows, Hollister and Hollywood endings.
Dreadful if you like: Slings, fisting and earthy dramas.
Buy on Amazon
1980 was the year that Swede Bjorn Borg competed against American John McEnroe for the Wimbledon men’s championship, and what a game it was. The new film “Borg vs McEnroe” totally captures this exciting match.
Not only does the film capture, in very good detail, the match to end all matches, it also goes deep into the lives of both men, their upbringing, their careers as the world’s top tennis players, as well as their relationships with others. However, this being a Swedish production, the film mostly focuses on Borg (played by a practical look-a-like in Sverrir Gudnason). McEnroe, played by Shia LaBeouf, is also very good as the bad boy of tennis which almost mirrors LaBeouf’s offscreen behaviour.
We see Bjorg as young man (played by his own son Leo) in the city where he grew up and started playing tennis against a wall near his home; we see him as a successful tennis player, living the life of luxury, high atop a luxurious apartment building in Monaco which he shares with his partner Marianna (Tuva Novotny). She stands by his side and allows him to stay focused on his games, even if that means him being very obsessed with the preparation of each match, and the torment by his parents who have taught him never to be second best. Borg’s relationship with his coach Lennart (an excellent Stellan Skarsgard) is a volatile one, but it’s also like father and son. Meanwhile, McEnroe has demons of his own – his reputation precedes him, and it’s going to be a duel to the finish at the Wimbledon championships as to who’s going to come out the winner.
Borg vs McEnroe, a multilingual film, ends with the play by play of the 1980 men’s championship final. And if you don’t remember who won, it’s a nail-biting 20 minutes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And it’s this finale that makes Borg vs McEnroe one of the best sports films since 2013’s racing car film “Rush.” Danish Director Janus Metz keeps the suspense and drama very much alive while writer Ronnie Sandahl expertly crafts the 110-minute movie to include aspects of both champions lives as well as their tennis successes.
Annie Marie Waters is a contender for the next leader of UKIP. She’s been campaigning on an anti-Sharia law stance and was involved in Bristol’s recent, Gays Against Sharia demonstration. She’s currently bookies favourite to win the leadership contest. Her personal website lacks any manifesto or vision should she win the leadership.
Anne Marie is the director of Sharia Watch UK a watchdog which says its “particularly concerned with the elements of sharia law which are discriminatory and violent towards women and girls, and which endanger and threaten the democratic principle of freedom of speech”. She also called Islam “evil”
She also, along with former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, launched an organisation called Pegida UK which “protests against mass immigration and the Islamisation of the west”.
Annie Marie was born in Dublin in Ireland but describes herself as “passionately, loyally, resolutely and proudly British.” She studied journalism at Nottingham Trent University and graduated in 2003. She also gained a Law degree whilst she was working for the NHS as a secretary.
She describes herself as an LGBT activist and also served as a director of the National Secular Society.
Anne Marie started her political life supporting Labour, however, she left the party in 2013 saying that it was “betraying” the UK with its refusal to oppose Islam. She twice unsuccessfully attempted to become a Labour Party MP candidate.
Annie Marie is in a civil partnership with her wife.
Annie Marie recently engaged with defamation solicitors to seek a legal position on news outlets which referred to people as “far-right”, “fascist” or “racist” because they were engaged in conversation or negatively spoke out against Islam. She suggested that those who do speak out were frequently the subject of smears.
A British lesbian on Monday won the right to live and work in Hong Kong with her partner in a landmark legal decision that could reduce more hurdles for same-sex couples in the city. QT, as she is referred to in court, entered into a civil partnership in Britain in 2011 and moved to Hong Kong… (more…)
Despite the rumours you might read in the forums of several websites, Aston Merrygold does not identify as gay or bisexual. Or publicly spoken about his sexuality. In fact, he and his fellow former bandmates from JSL went as far as to say that the gay rumours don’t bother them at all. Ashton said, “Anyone in a boyband from Take That to Boyzone to Westlife, they’ll tell you… it happens to them all. Back in the day you’d read stuff and it was like, ‘This one’s gay, this one’s this ‘n’ that’… It’s a bit, like, change the record. It’s all a bit boring.
In fact, he and his fellow former bandmates from JSL went as far as to say that the gay rumours don’t bother them at all. Ashton said, “Anyone in a boyband from Take That to Boyzone to Westlife, they’ll tell you… it happens to them all. Back in the day you’d read stuff and it was like, ‘This one’s gay, this one’s this ‘n’ that’… It’s a bit, like, change the record. It’s all a bit boring.
“If it was one of us, one of our friends who was gay, it just wouldn’t matter.”
According to sources, Aston Merrygold is worth a staggering £6 million, mainly from his career with JLS – making him one of the most successful X Factor acts to come through the show – although he and JLS were nowhere near as successful as the One Direction lads whose combined net worth is said to be in excess of $150 million.
Aston and his JSL bandmates actually came 2nd in the 2008 X Factor, losing out to Alexandra Burke. However, the band’s failure to win didn’t stop their success in the charts selling millions of records after the show ended. The four albums that they released all made it into the top 5, with four of them reaching at least platinum sales (300,000 units) in the UK. They also had five number one singles in the UK charts.
Nope, in fact in 2002 Ashton appeared on Stars In Their Eyes doing an impersonation of Michael Jackson – and then in 2004, he starred in the ITV children’s show Fun Song Factory. He played the character of Cookie.
Aston was born in 1988 in Cambridgeshire, England, making him 29 in 2017. He attended Jack Hunt School in Peterborough.
No, as of 2017 Aston is not married.
Ashton is 5 foot 5 inches
I live in a complex where everyone is over 50. Older people I have met here seem to talk about homosexuality as it is defined by the physical act as a preemptive to being disgusted. It is not about being gay which as a term encompasses a lifestyle and personality.
As a single man, moving to a new place, I did not feel the need to define myself. The people where I live are generally not looking for a partner or to hook up and so my sexuality was assumed by them, and I did nothing to contradict what they thought of me.
I had known pride in being gay. I am proud of being around during a time of change for gay rights. I am proud to have equal rights. There comes a time though to move on, to integrate and to consolidate.
I feel every time the “runaway bus” of the acronym LGBT+ adds a letter, it is a “nail in the coffin” of acceptance. It seems that for every step forward a new cause is added and another divide created.
For me, it is about being gay. I am not the eternal campaigner. I feel every time the “runaway bus” of the acronym LGBT+ adds a letter, it is a “nail in the coffin” of acceptance. It seems that for every step forward a new cause is added and another divide created.
By inclusion, I am excluded. In the past, I could explain to people I was gay and get their acceptance. Now because of the marketing of LGBT+ and the media, it feels difficult to be a standalone gay as it comes with the baggage of so many deviances as to be abhorrent to an average person.
After so many years is it not the time to give it a rest? To stop ramming sexuality down the throat of the heterosexual masses. (The pun was intended for effect)
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.
An HIV-positive former college wrestler from was sentenced in Missouri to 10 years in prison for knowingly transmitting HIV to one man and exposing four others to the virus. Michael Johnson, 25, also known as “Tiger Mandingo,” pleaded no contest to the charges Thursday, reports said. A no contest plea is used in criminal proceedings as… (more…)
Nutshell – From the original 80’s blockbuster book through the very popular two-part TV series in 1990, our favourite grinning red helium balloon fan is once again crawling out of the gutter to terrorise a new raft of dysfunctional kids. Set in classic small-town Stephen King’s Ville, this hugely anticipated thrill-fest sees the youngsters slowly work out why their town is the world’s hotspot for missing kids and decide that Pennywise needs to have that fu*king smile wiped off his smug face once and for all.
Running Time – 135 minutes; That is the longest butt-numbing horror film we can ever remember.
Certificate – 15
Tagline – ‘You’ll Float Too” & “It Comes In Many Forms” is the best they could come up with really?
THEGAYUK Factor – All the heroes are kids and the villain is a murdering bugger so unless you jerk off to clowns playing with balloons then save the man gravy for the muscle studs in the upcoming Kingsman, Thor, Jumanji and Bladerunner.
Cast – Bill Skarsgard plays Pennywise and his most famous appearance to date is in the unsuccessful Atomic Blonde. Everyone else are newbies – this is not a star vehicle as the book and concept take that role, that will change with the adult sequels.
Key Player – Stephen King probably the world’s most famous writer, whose books have been turned into classics like The Shining, The Green Mile and Stand By Me but just as many right wank rags such as The Mangler and The Dark Tower which make us shudder for all the wrong reasons.
Budget – $35 Million and so far it has made back a whopping $189 Million and climbing, parts 2 and 3 are already in the works expect that budget to start going way up and returns to fall as severe disappointment kicks in.
Best Bit – 0.07 mins; The keynote scene of a young lad losing a toy boat down a large water drain and coming face to face with the never-blinking clown of everyone’s nightmares and then it gets really nasty.
Worst Bit – 1.45 mins; Basically anything in the last third is not brilliant and sometimes laughable. Nothing is quite as scary as that opening scene and as the CGI takes over and the baddie turns up everywhere and in every shape, this becomes as realistic as a steroided muscle mary’s stuffed jockstrap – this could have been so much better.
Little Secret – Bill Skarsgard was on set for the whole 32 week schedule but did not go in front of the cameras until the 18th week. Yes the clown is in it that little! This is the original story where the kids’ “The Losers Club” face Pennywise for the first time, they then have to face him again as adults hence the first sequel due 2019. Jessica Chastain is up for one of the parts and they also want sex gods Chris Pratt and Jake Gyllenhaal too.
Further Viewing – The Shining, Thinner, The Green Mile, Pet Semetaries 1 & 2, The Stand, Carrie, Christine, Children Of The Corn, The Mist, The Running Man; basically any of the 43 King adaptations you can find but maybe not that last Arnie one.
Any Good – This is so similar to the original film and book that the first question is why bother and no Tim Curry this time. Its problem is that it is just not scary and so very very long. It was truly anticipated and the box office should lead to a wealth of new big-budget horrors next year and beyond and not just the cheapie Saw, Purge, Paranormal & killer dolls we have had to suffer lately. Just expect huge diminishing returns and disappointment to this franchise.
Rating – 48% out of 100.
I chose this subject forgetting what my age was. I snuggled down this evening under my crocheted blanket a friend made while l sipped on a camomile tea and thought about going over the hill.
The truth is l am. I’m heading towards 43. Bear with me and I might be able to explain it within this rambling.
You young ones can bugger off. Thirty isn’t over the hill. Thirty is the becoming of age. Your teen years through to the 20s are the ones where you are young, dumb and full of cum and self-exploring with what you actually like, dislike and what you won’t do. Home economics lessons never taught you all you needed to know about life in the kitchen. Who knew a strawberry soufflé could be so erotic while chomping down on an artic roll was not. We experimented. For me, a cucumber was best left as an extra to a Pimms and only good for the eyes you see through and not the one you sit on.
Heading towards my 43rd year I am plagued by creaking joints, a nerve in my arm that when it flares up I am in pain like I have never known for about 5 weeks and a decade of drinking sports drinks by the litre a day and sniffing poppers, while it hasn’t damaged my kidneys, I certainly wouldn’t be able to sell them on the black market. Occasionally I do wake with a mid-lower backache. My hair thankfully is my own with a flick grey here or there and I am able to cut my own toenails. Just.
But then there is the other thing that you get when you become 40 and over the hill. That’s contentment. If you have made the right choices, had a shit load of fun on the way but always kept an eye on the long-term outcome, you will find happiness within yourself. That there in itself is an ultimate goal. An undervalued goal too when I have spoken to youngsters about their hopes, dreams and aspirations. If you have to aim low, then do so. You’ll achieve more that way.
If you are lucky to have someone else, hopefully, it will be with them too. However as l have witnessed, if the significant other doesn’t have their eyes looking forward they can succumb to the all too familiar feelings of failure and ultimately bugger off looking for something that actually might not be there because had they turned around, they would have found it. Moral of the story is, become content as fast as possible.
So this leaves you in your 3rd decade of life. I wouldn’t go back there again. I’m not bloody stupid. But I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything that I did. I feel I achieved more than enough through that 3rd decade.
Drinking copious amounts of vodka was quite normal back then. A litre bottle in one sitting was quite the norm. The hangovers were never as savage as they are now. You didn’t do quite as many stupid things as you did in your 20s while fuelled up but you will do more than you will in your 40s. You’ll also be able to afford the better quality vodka and not the cheap tasting battery acid for the all-night offy. Being asked for ID is a thing of the past in your 30’s.
Being asked for ID is a thing of the past in your 30s.
You’ve got nightclubbing staying power babes, don’t you forget it. You’ve hit the clubs so many times, you know how to get high on the dance floor without using substances bought and sold in the toilets. You can choose your songs carefully, dance your socks off and then head to the bar when the key changes to something from One Direction. You may find you have a liking for OD later in life. I did with Tatjana “Santa Maria” I can’t stop dancing to it now. Back then l ruddy hated it.
Beige is a colour you’ll only associate with a Greggs’ pasty and not comfy trousers or a fluffy warm pull-over with roll top neckline. Colours are to be played with. The 30s is about statements and having the experience and balls to go out there and show the world.
You’ve also had love in the fast lane. If you do find lasting love in your 20s you’ll enjoy it more. 30s love comes with a level of maturity that you don’t have in your 20s. Going for coffee, art galleries and sigh seeing are things to enjoy. You wouldn’t dream of doing them in your 20s and I am not saying that you should. The mature human doesn’t want pissed up teens and 20 somethings ruining a stroll around Hyde Park and the V&A in London.
So cock off with your hiding of age, admit what you are.
Been there, done that and l tell you, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
You will, however, disguise your age. Being a mature student I disguised my early 30s by being late 20s. The girls at uni were obsessed with age. Come 40 and you’ll start shouting it from the rooftops that you made it that far. So cock off with your hiding of age, admit what you are. Been there, done that and l tell you, there is nothing to be ashamed of. In truth, the girls I went to uni with are now all in their 30s and settling down having babies. None of them are out drinking like I was so two finger salute to you 20 something youngsters, those in the 30s can handle it more than you realise.
And why can we handle it at 30? Because we are not over the hill. Our bodies heal just as fast. We have more cash in our pockets, WE have the nicer things. For my generation at least, we lived in different times. With each passing decade, it doesn’t always look like it becomes any easier for you lot.
By 38 the peak of the hill is getting close and you can see the clouds at the top but you can still cram in a bucket load of life in those remaining 104 weeks of 30. You’re not over the hill yet so what are you waiting for? Go on, bugger off… enjoy yourselves.
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.
This year, Austria’s Pink Lake Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary, decking out the small town of ‘Velden am Wörthersee’ with pink flags and offering up fun in the sun and general gay merriment.
For those of you who haven’t been, the Pink Lake Festival stretches out over 3 days, with themed parties on each night and the day left open to wander the riviera-style town of Velden, or simply sprawl out in the sunshine.
Olly, one of the many gorgeous gays that I met who had flown over from the UK, was more than happy to gush about why this was his third trip to the festival.
“For me there’s an infectious sense of fun about the whole festival. There’s more than a dash of holiday camp about it – with the games at the beach club and the splashing about in the Wörthersee on inflatable flamingos and unicorns. The chance to meet lots of gays from elsewhere in Europe is also really exciting – I’ve met Austrians, Hungarians, Germans, Czechs.
It’s enjoyable being in a minority as a Brit, and being able to find out about gay life across the continent, not just in the established metropoles. Austria is generally beautiful, and Carinthia has some of the best weather. Any event that can bring stunning scenery, reliably pleasant weather and lots of interesting and attractive gay men is bound to be a winner in my book.”
No gay trip to a German-speaking country would be complete without dressing up in Lederhosen… no straight trip either I imagine. The Lederhosen party kicks off the first night of festivities, located in a sectioned off area of the town square, the little city is awash with gay tourists from the world over, strutting around in the least kinky of get ups you could imagine. And it’s fabulous!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYNU8EDgH95
(As a single gay attending this trip solo and being surrounded by gorgeous Euro-gays, the irony of this night was not lost on me.)
Where the first night was a more casual mingling of gays at sunset, the Pink & Blue Ball got back to our stereotypical roots; piling hundreds of gays into an out-of-use hipster grunge club in an old factory layout. It was exactly how you would picture it, yet still somehow surprisingly civil. With multiple rooms and levels, it’s kind of impossible to find anyone once you lose them, but all the basic staples of a great gay night out were there. Extended dance mixes of your favourite forgotten songs, a dedicated pop room that I did not spend enough time in, and a couple of appearances by Mr. Gay Austria himself.
A complimentary coach will pick you up from town and take you to this weird and wonderful location on the other side of the lake. However, don’t feel that you need to get the first coach there, as I did. I was basically standing around trying to look interested/interesting for 2 hours before the quality crowd rolled in at around 11pm. The coach will also take you back to town. Oooooorrrr, you could catch a disco taxi! What’s a disco taxi I hear you say?
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You can’t have a gay festival on a lake without the obligatory boat party to wrap up the festivities. At 9pm, the first of three loud, pink riverboats comes crawling into town. The ever-subtle presence of blazing pink lights and blaring Euro-Pop music is accompanied by, what I assume are hilarious, German comments from the local drag queen host.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BYZFStxjHWw/
Not that kind of water-sports … I mean there may have been, but they weren’t on my itinerary.
While you recover from the night before, it’s important to remember that this is called the Pink Lake Festival for the very obvious reason that it is held by a lake. Add in the gorgeous 30 degree weather and bright blue skies, it would be worth the trip to just sit and soak up the sunshine while surrounded by gorgeous gays in tiny trunks. Seriously, you couldn’t make this setting up if you were writing Danielle Steele novels for homos.
It’s not too early to start planning your visit for next year. Visit http://www.pinklake.at/en/ to find out more details and to book tickets now!
For further information on Holidays in Austria, please visit: www.austria.info
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