Only 8 months in and 2017 has beaten 2016 for the number of LGBT+ people killed, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reports.
A worrying report from The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) reveals that 2017 has been one of the deadliest years for single-event killings of LGBT+ people in the US.
The number equates to one death every fortnight and includes the killings of 15 transgender women and 12 gay men.
The report was initially carried by Buzzfeed News, which noted the Anti-Violence Project (AVP) Executive Director, Beverly Tiller said the stark figures should be viewed as a “wake-up call”.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, AVP’s Executive Director, Beverly Tillery said, “It should be a wake-up call for us across our communities that hate violence is not going away.”
The NCAVP says there is no obvious explanation for the increase but suggests that it could be down to better reporting by the media, better identification methods by investigators and police and perhaps – more violence towards the LGBT+ community. It is also noted that not all homicides of LGBT+ people are counted as hate crimes – due to different categorizations in each State – meaning that there could be many more killings which are not being counted.
YouTuber and internet celebrity Trisha Paytas has left Celebrity Big Brother after just 11 days
A spokesperson for the show said,
After 11 days in the Celebrity Big Brother Summer 2017 house, Trisha has decided to leave of her own accord and will not be returning. To see all of the action following tonight’s eviction and the events leading up to Trisha’s exit, tune into tomorrow night’s show at 9 PM on 5Star and 10:30 PM on Channel 5.
The blonde bombshell decided to quit just hours after being saved from eviction. She has been miserable over the last few days and even decided to spend much of her time in bed – so the public would think she was boring.
She went head to head with Apprentice Star Karthik Nagesan in Friday night’s (August 11) live eviction special on Channel 5 and won out. Karthik was the second housemate to be evicted.
A man who deliberately set fire to a busy Clapham bar has been jailed.
Jason Fossett, 45 (28.10.71) of Portland Road, SE25, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, 4 August to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of three years and 244 days.
He pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life at the same court on Wednesday, 3 May.
On Monday, 20 March, at about 02:45hrs, the duty manager of the Two Brewers on Clapham High Street, SW4, was locking up the pub. When he went to lock the side exit door, which leads out into Prescott Place, he noticed a man in the alleyway standing near the wall as if he was urinating.
The manager told the man to move away from the building and he went back inside the pub. A few minutes later the manager could smell smoke and he went outside to investigate. He then noticed a fire by the side exit door where the man he told to move away had been standing.
A routine police patrol was passing by the pub at that time and came across the fire, but the suspect had already fled the scene.
Enquiries were carried out by PC Paul Waterman, the dedicated ward officer for Clapham Town, alongside officers from Lambeth CID.
PC Waterman reviewed the bar’s CCTV which showed the suspect, as identified by the bar manager, ordering drinks at about 02:00hrs on Monday, 20 March. It then showed the suspect leaving the bar at about 02:15hrs and entering Prescott Place.
The suspect is seen stacking numerous rubbish bags against the fire exit over an 18 minute period before setting fire to the bags and leaving. Within 80 seconds, the rubbish is alight.
The CCTV showed that the suspect paid for the drinks with a bank card. Enquiries were carried out on the card which showed the holder to be Fossett.
Officers arrested Fossett on Monday, 3 April. At the time of his arrest, he was wearing similar clothes to that of the person in the CCTV. Officers also searched his home and found a red leather satchel that matched the one on the CCTV, as well as receipts from the Two Brewers for that night.
Fossett admitted to being at the Two Brewers but claimed he could not remember anything of the evening after having a couple of drinks. He was charged on Tuesday, 4 April.
The court heard that Fossett has previous convictions for arson with intent to endanger life where he has piled rubbish up outside a building and set-fire to it. In 2004, Fossett was jailed for eight years for arson with intent to endanger life after targeting the same venue as in this case – the Two Brewers.
Fossett’s motivation for targeting the Two Brewers is not known, however, there is no suggestion that it was a hate crime.
PC Paul Waterman, said,
“Fossett is clearly a dangerous character who deliberately went out of his way to set fire to the bar in a carefully calculated attack.
“It was sheer luck that the fire was spotted in its early stages to prevent any further damage or anyone sustaining any injuries.
“By working with my colleagues in Lambeth CID and with the cooperation and assistance of staff from the Two Brewers, we ensured that Fossett was brought to justice and has been put behind bars.
“I hope Fossett uses his time behind bars to reflect on his actions.”
Will Honey G be joining a cosmos of stars for this year’s romp in the Celebrity Jungle?
The newly out X Factor star, Honey G, could be joining fellow celebs in this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and the bookies are giving good odds that she will – currently, Betway is giving odds of 9/4 that the Honey-to-the-G will be swinging in.
Last year, despite a very public hate of the X Factor star, Piers Morgan called for the rapper to enter the jungle saying on his morning show, Good Morning Britain,
“Can we put Honey G in the jungle and have her attacked by rats?
“Wouldn’t that be perfect television?”
The outspoken journalist called Honey G “grotesque” and “diabolical”!
Earlier this month Honey G, real name Anna Gilford has told The Sun‘s Dan Wooton that she has decided to come out and reveal that she wants to be with women. In a candid interview, she said,
“I was in the process of kind of deciding if I was going to stay with the boyfriend that I had at the time.
“I was DJing in Ayia Napa and I met someone out there and that was the turning point.
“I didn’t have real girlfriends until I finished university.”
The star also revealed that she hopes to find a woman to settle down with and start a family saying that she has wanted kids since she was 19-year-old.
President Trump has responded to criticism over banning transgender people from working in the military by suggesting that he got a “lot of votes” from LGBT people.
“I have great respect for the community… I think I’ve had great support, or I’ve had great support from that community. I got a lot of votes.
“But the transgender, the military’s working on it now… It’s been a very difficult situation and I think I’m doing a lot of people a favour by coming out and just saying it.”
He added,
“As you know, it’s been a very complicated issue for the military, and I think I’m doing the military a great favour.”
Last month, after consulting with his generals and “military experts”, Trump announced that transgender people will be banned from service. This is in stark contrast to the Obama administration which allowed transgender people to serve their country openly last year.
The announcement was also in contrast to Trump’s pledge to protect LGBT people during his election campaign. Taking to Twitter in June 2016 he said that he would “fight” for the community.
The cost of transgender staff?
Initially, the cost of looking after trans personnel was cited as a reason for the decision. In his original statement, he said,
In a series of tweets, Mr Trump wrote,
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.
“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
Thousands of trans people are already serving – many of them openly – in the US armed forces and the Department of Defense has found no evidence that they undermine unit cohesion. Additionally, a 2016 study commissioned by the Department of Defense to study this very issue found that an “exceedingly small portion of active-component health care expenditures” was spent on trans people, with trans healthcare representing only a .0005 to .017 per cent total increase on defence spending.
Reader Jack asks our experts whether he and his partner should open up their relationship.
Dear TGUK.
I’ve been with my boyfriend for about 3 years. Over the past few weeks we have been rowing constantly. He hadn’t been with any guys before me and felt that he’d missed out on a lot. He says he loves me but needs more. He’s suggested that we have an open relation and that we’re both free to go with other men. I’m not interested in sleeping with anyone else. I’m not sure if it’s what I want from a relationship but I’m afraid if I don’t agree to it, he’ll just cheat on me and leave anyway? If I do agree to it, he might meet someone else.
Jack
Hi Jack,
It sounds like there is a lot happening for your relationship right now. All relationships, family sexual or romantic, go through changes and have to adapt along with the people in them. As part of this we need to renegotiate the terms and what we want from them. Although this may sound very cold and logical, of course isn’t when it comes relationships.
From what you say. It sounds like your boyfriend is still exploring his own sexual identity, you were the first person he slept with and has been faithful to for the past three years. He is keen to experience sex with other guys but he still wants the security and intimacy that he obviously gets from being with you.
The good news is you are both talking clearly about what you want. The channels of communication are very much open. You’ve discussed opening the relationship and the ramifications but has he said specifically what he’s missed out? It may be worth seeing if there is a specific aspect of sex that he wants to experiment. It may be something that you may want to try.
It sounds like from your letter that you are not keen on the concept of an open relationship and that you would have insecurities about where it would lead. However you have also not dismissed the concept outright. This needs to be given equal weight in your discussion. As much as he has the desire to change the relationship, it’s ok if you don’t want to.
It feels like it would be a good decision for you to talk clearly about the practicalities of it. Would he tell the men that he is in an open relationship? Will you discuss who, where and when? Would you do this before or after? In terms of the guys he will be meeting, would they just be one off encounters? Safe sex is also a vital part of this discussion. From doing this it will help you to make a decision based on fact and not from fear.
As I said earlier, all relationships will change and adapt. The discussion about opening the relationship is fluid. It may be the case that you try being open. If it doesn’t work for you, then you can always bring this back to the table, you can always discuss closing the relationship again. Open relationships aren’t for everyone; they require a high degree of trust and understanding. Hopefully it gives both partners what they need to feel fulfilled.
We all know who Tom of Finland was, but not many people know the real life story of the man behind the sexy images – Touko Laaksonen. The new movie ‘Tom of Finland,’ tells us about his fascinating, and interesting life.
But it’s a bit of a shame because the film is not very exciting. It should have been given that this man is most famous for his drawings of muscular and very well-endowed men in various incriminating sexual positions, but this aspect of the film takes a bit of a backseat to the more biographical nature of his life. Laaksonen, (ably played by Finish actor Pekka Strang), was a decorated officer in WWII and fought in battles against the Nazis where he was face to face with the enemy, and which makes an indelible impression on him for life. After the war, he returns home to live with his homophobic sister Kaijia (Jessica Grabowsky) and leads a very unexciting life working at an advertising agency. It’s only when he starts drawing men is when he starts feeling alive, more so because he starts to explore his sexuality in a place where it was illegal. Laaksonen then falls in love with the young lodger Veli (Lauri Tilkanen) he and his sister take in. This relationship instils confidence in Laaksonen and this is when his artistic talent starts to blossom.
Instead of getting sexier and more erotic, Tom of Finland the film maintains its understated and muted tone. As Laaksonen’s work (who by now goes by the name Tom of Finland given to him by his publisher) becomes more well known around the world, he goes to Berlin and then is whisked away to Los Angeles at the behest of a rich gay patron (played by Seumas Sargent) where we get glances of men frolicking in a swimming pool but it’s not enough to warrant any sort of excitement in a film that should be releasing hormones right and left. Some of the supporting characters start getting sick but there’s no real mention of the words HIV or AIDS in the film and it’s this disease that hits his community hard, at a time when no one really knew how the virus was contracted. And with no timeline mentioned in the film, it’s a bit difficult to know when these events took place to put the story into some sort of context.
Directed by Finnish Director Dome Karukoski and written by Aleksi Bardy, Tom of Finland has, of course, a very Finnish feel to it (definitely foreign and a bit dull and grey), which may or may not have impacted the film’s lack of excitement and dramatic possibilities. But the cast are all very believable and Strang does a very good job of playing Laaksonen’s life over a span of 50 years (!!). But Laaksonen deserves a more fitting tribute. He was a seminal figure in gay culture, one of the most influential and celebrated figures of twentieth-century gay culture, and ‘Tom of Finland’ the movie is not quite what I’d hoped it would be.
If you want real excitement, there is the Tom of Finland Organic Vodka to try – launched in the UK last month. Made in Finland from a blend of the finest organic wheat and rye with no added sugar, the vodka pays tribute to Tom of Finland through its smooth, spicy taste and flavour and it’s sexy packaging. The vodka was launched to coincide with the release of Tom of Finland.
The vodka is available now from select retailers including Gerry’s Wines and Spirits in Soho, London for an RRP of £32.50/50cl. I’ve tried it and it is superb.
Fancy getting yourself some fitness time with Alex Reid, well now you can – as he’s decided to go back to his fitness roots and become a fitness instructor again.
The former professional UFC fighter turned celebrity partnered with an online local services marketplace to restart his career as a fitness professional. The celebrity trainer will be hosting personal training sessions, which members of the public can book through the
After many turbulent years being up and down in the media due his sensational, and sometimes salacious, marriage to former glamour model Katie Price, Alex’s work as a fitness expert and trainer was overlooked. However, Alex is now focused on his passion for training again.
To do this, Alex has partnered with online local services marketplace, Bidvine.com, and members of the public can see his listing here: https://www.bidvine.com/pro/alex-reid
Alex Reid, former MMA said,
“In previous years I’ve moved away from the world of fitness, and I’ve achieved a lot – including winning CBB 2010 with the highest vote ever in the history of the show after being 40/1 odds to win. This had a domino effect on a whole host of other experiences, but looking back in hindsight my happiest times were when I really had to struggle and toil to achieve a goal, totally devoid of any celebrity or fame. It’s something I had to do to earn my red beret as a Paratrooper, and when I worked my arse off in a world title
“Recently, I remembered the pleasure I got from seeing students pick up a new skill or theory from my classes and I’ve realised that’s where my passion lies. I’m very excited to get started with Bidvine.com and to start getting clients the results they’re looking for!”
As Big Brother ends and a new Celebrity bunch start their journey in the famous house, we take a look back at those gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans contestants to see where they all are now.
We all remember the ex-Nun lesbian from series one. She went on to become a TV presenter, including The Great Irish Bake Off, and is now Head of Development for COCO Television as well as an opinion columnist for The Herald.
After winning the second series Brian Dowling returned to be crowned the Ultimate Big Brother contestant in 2010. Since, he has been the face of various UK shows- most recently holding the mic on Big Brother himself. Now presenter of Sitting On A Fortune in Ireland.
Joshua Rafter – Series 2
Since his five minutes of fame on Big Brother 2 he has been found in next to nothing for various modelling shoots, does his bit for a number of LGBT charities and worked with the NHS on a campaign promoting safe sex. Now he is the managing director of a property company.
Adele has continued with the DJ work she was doing when entering the house in series 3. She DJs at festivals, nightclubs and celebrity parties and has just been announced the new host of BBC Radio 1’s early morning show.
She cashed in on her success from winning series 5 with various reality shows such as Come Dine With Me and even had a single out A Little Bit Of Action which amazingly reached number 27 in the UK charts. Her popularity altered after appearing in 2010’s Ultimate Big Brother where she came across as a bully. She has stated that the show made her consider suicide.
Dived back out of the spotlight (which is probably why I personally couldn’t remember him!) to continue his career as a hair stylist.
Kathryn Pinder (Kitten) – Series 5
Famous for portraying the ‘rule breaker’ by getting kicked out of series 5 within the opening week. After leaving the house this persona continued when she attended court for parking fines. She is now living in Australia and active in her local politics. So far she hasn’t been kicked out of Perth too, so that’s something.
Famous in the house for being an annoying whimpering character he hasn’t done much in the spotlight since leaving. He had a part in Little By Little a Broadway production back in 2004 and has been part of Big Brother Panto.
Known as the ‘bunny boiler’ of series 6 towards the winner Anthony Hutton, he allegedly made a, shall we shall personal, web cam show – maybe he was still thinking of Anthony…
After leaving series 6 he famously had a 6 month relationship with fellow housemate Kinga Karolczak before having gender reassignment surgery to emerge as Zulekya. With her new female confidence she has released a single Through With Love.
After having a great friendship in the house with Lea Walker, he has worked with her closely after leaving the show – including The Dick & Dolly Show a segment they developed through his own radio spot on Gaydar Radio. He is now a freelance writer for various gay interest magazines.
Not much can be said for Shahbaz – he has left the spotlight with a shah-bang. He allegedly suffered nightmares after his appearance on series 7 and tried to sue the shows creators at Endemol.
Tracey Anne Barnard – Series 8
The “Ave It,” contestant of series 8 has stepped out of the spotlight since her time on the show. She didn’t want to enter the celebrity circuit.
Seán O’Kane – Series 8
After having a child with a lesbian couple he has appeared on various parenting and discussion TV shows to talk about his role as a father. He was awarded the Outstanding Passionate Heart award at the People’s Heart Awards 2013.
Charlie Drummond – Series 10
Famous for being part of BB’s first gay couple with fellow housemate Rodrigo Lopes he has recently been sentenced to 21 months in prison after attacking a man. Perhaps his time within the solitary Big Brother walls will help him out.
Lisa Wallace – Series 10
She did a Britney in the house and shaved her head, and has since resided back to her life without a trace. Not even a hair on her head has been seen.
Rodrigo Lopes now Rebekah Shelton – Series 10
After finding the strength to be herself as Rebekah it all went downhill for her. She allegedly couldn’t find any work as her new self. In 2014 she slipped into a coma after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. She is out of hospital now and on the mend.
Mario Mugan – Series 11
He was naked in the house, a lot. Since he has managed to keep his clothes on but that’s about all he’s managed to do. He created a show called Almost: Six Lives, Six Stories and Six Destinies but it never made its debut on screen.
Thomas O’Connell – Series 12
Since leaving series 12 he has gone back to his work in PR.
Luke Anderson – Series 13
He returned to work in the restaurant he used to work in. In 2012 he told Closer magazine that he was expecting a baby with his wife.
Scott Mason – Series 13
He had a troubling time in series 13 after leaving briefly due to the death of his sister. Since he has kept to himself mainly with the odd appearance in Gay Times Magazine and New Magazine.
Dan Neal – Series 14
Dan Neal met his husband to be Rylan Clark during his time on Big Brother in 2013. They got married in 2015
Christopher Hall – Series 15
Mark and Christopher.
Emerging from BB 2014 as one of the most likeable housemates he has kept to himself so far apart from the odd interview in Attitude. It is early days though so I’m sure we’ll see more of him in the future.
Mark Byron – Series 15
Since being a contestant on last year’s run he has won the award of Most Stylish Scouser from Juice FM Style Awards.
Chris R Wright – Series 15
Actor Chris, opens up about the idea of sexuality in conversations with fellow housemates. He said, ‘I don’t like the term straight, we‘re all kind of melding now.’ He observes that people between 18-25 aren’t as bothered by sexual labels.
Simon Gross – Series 16
Channel 5
Simon Gross looks to be a controversial character in this year’s Big Brother. A few people have taken to Twitter with the hashtag #AbusedBySimonGross to discuss their upset at him appearing in the new series.
He also wants to be the first male Margaret Thatcher.
Adjoa didn’t last long in the house but her cool and calm personality won her a legion of fans – she quietly but confidently came out as gay showing that you don’t always need to explode out of the closet, although the news did shock some of the housemates.
Aaron Frew – Series 16
Aaron Frew
Aaron Frew twerked himself into stardom – especially amongst the gay community. He wasn’t afraid to talk sex and twerk, or twerk and talk about sex. It was a good combo. He now works as a model and getting naked on social media.
Andy West – Series 17
In 2015, Andy gained public attention when he made a YouTube video and tweeted about being “ashamed to work for the BBC” for nominating “homophobic and misogynistic” Tyson Fury for Sports Personality of the Year award.
Hughie Maughan – Series 17
Irishman Hughies bisexual and recently came out to some of his immediate family
Ryan Ruckledge – Series 17
Ryan admits that he loves to get tanning injections. He has them three times a week and uses sunbeds six times a week
Sam Giffen – Series 17
Sam states that he had always been single until January 2015, when he met his first boyfriend. They split after a year due to the long-distance involved.
Raphael “Raph” Korine – Series 18
The 22-year-old is a student at the University of Exeter. He is half American and half Japanese.
Following the announcement, MARISSA said her goodbyes and left the house, greeted by Emma and cheers from the crowd.
Emma asked Marissa if she is surprised to be first out: “I don’t think I have enough support out here. I felt like I was underdog since the second I came in. The other members in the house were definitely more known than I was.”
Asked if she wanted to win, Marissa told Emma: “I would have loved to. I got cheap-shotted. The person who put me up, I know he regretted it.”
On her killer nomination, Marissa said: “There was allies in the house. Even if people weren’t friends, there were people who knew of other people. It was easier to target someone you didn’t know.”
Emma quizzed Marissa about Jordan: “He was fun. I wasn’t really taking his actions seriously. I didn’t really know how he felt up until yesterday.”
On whether she will see Jordan outside of the house, Marissa told Emma: “I’m definitely going to see him on the outside. He’s amazing. He’s a good soul. He’s very animated, he’s full of life. But I love that about him. He’s well-rounded.”
On Chad and Amelia, Marissa said: “I think we created something out of nothing to be honest.”
The classic musical ‘Evita’ has returned to the West End to mark the 65th anniversary of the death of Eva Perón, the woman who was revered in Argentina not only as the wife of that country’s President Juan Perón but also as a woman who was perhaps more powerful than her husband.
‘Evita’ takes us through the highs and many lows of Eva Perón. Played by Emma Hatton (‘Wicked’), ‘Evita’ begins somberly at her funeral, attendees dressed in black – and this sets the tone for the first 30 minutes of this show – dark, deep and depressing. With lyrics by Tim Rice and Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, ‘Evita’ finally finds it feet with the rise of Eva, which was her real name. She becomes as actress in Buenos Aires, but she had bigger ambitions, ambitions that would lead her to meet Juan Perón at a party she’s helped to organize to raise money for San Juan, Argentina, which was devastated by an earthquake. Juan, played by Kevin Stephen Jones, falls head over heals with Eva – he’s met his match – she’s just as strong and confident as he is. But it’s the public that takes to her – they love her and see her as a queen and perhaps more – perhaps as a leader for their country. But as history tells us, Eva Perón never got to see her 34th birthday, she died at the age of 33 in 1952, and ‘Evita’ the musical takes us through this journey, with the help of narrator Che (excellently played and sung by Gian Marc Schiaretti).
‘Evita’ is pure musical joy. There’s not one word in the show that is spoken – the plot is all told in song, and what great songs they are, 39 years after they were first written. This includes the lovely melodies of ‘I’d be Surprisingly good for you’ – when Evita initially meets Juan; to the rousing ‘A New Argentina;’ and the show-stopping ’On the Balcony of Casa Rosado’ where we see, in a breathtaking scene, Evita speaking (singing) to the crowd from the balcony of the palace; also the classic ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ where Eva sings in the hospital after her fatal diagnosis; and the fantastic and very memorable ‘And the Money Keeps Rolling In’ where Schiaretti really shines, and proves, that he is the true star of this show. As Che, he literally steals the spotlight from Hatton. Schiaretti is a regular concert performer and has performed throughout Europe and has played Tarzan on stage – ‘Evita’ will definitely raise his profile. The rest of the production is just fine, with an excellent supporting cast (especially Sarah O’Connor as the mistress of the President who Eva replaces, and holds her own in the solo number ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall.’) ‘Evita’ is only on for three months, so if you’ve never seen it before (this is third version I’ve seen, though I’m a bit too young to have seen the original version which made Elaine Paige a star in London and Patti Lupone a star in New York), I urge you to see it. While Hatton is very good, Schiaretti is amazing. And in this touring revival, directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright, is staged perfectly in the cozy Phoenix Theatre.
