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  • Is there a difference between Civil Partnerships and marriage?

    Is there a difference between being a civil partner and a married person? Andrew Smith, Associate Solicitor for Blacks Solicitors’ Family Law team, specialises in LGBT legal work and is a huge supporter of the community answers the questions.

    Is there difference between Civil Partnerships and marriage?

    What are the legal differences between a civil partnership and a marriage?

    “There are very few ‘legal’ differences between a civil partnership and a same sex marriage. Civil partners cannot refer to themselves as ‘married’ and it is a different ceremony. On a certificate of civil partnership, both parents are named rather than just the father on a marriage certificate; but there is legally little difference between the two.”

    “The main differences are similar to those between a religious marriage and a civil ceremony undertaken by heterosexual couples; in regard to the formation, the ceremony, the administrative process and the certificates.

    “Somewhat controversially, one of the main differences is that civil partners are unable to cite the specific act of Adultery as the main reason for why the civil partnership has broken down. This is because the definition of adultery is sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex outside marriage. Instead, civil partners have to use ‘unfaithfulness’ as one of a number of examples of Unreasonable Behaviour.”

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    “A married couple will have a ‘divorce’ whilst civil partners will have a ‘dissolution’ if they choose to separate. Therefore the answer is technically yes as although the terminology is different, it does mean the same thing in principle.”

    What about pension rights, are they the same between marriage and civil partnerships?

    “Up until very recently this had been a grey area for those who retired prior to when the act was introduced.

    “The Walker v Innospec [2017] case which recently made the headlines challenged this and saw the Supreme Court unanimously allow Mr Walker’s appeal for his employer to pay his pension to his spouse in the event of his death, despite his service predating December 2005.

    “This fantastic result will pave the way for all same sex couples in a similar situation, who are either married or in a civil partnership, to be able to leave their pension to their spouse.”

    If you have a LGBT legal query you would like to discuss with Andrew, please email him on AJSmith@LawBlacks.com or visit the website for more information: www.lawblacks.com

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Liverpool Empire

    ★★★| The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, UK Tour

    REVIEW | The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Liverpool Empire

    Christopher Boone, a 15 year old boy, discovers that his neighbour’s dog, Wellington, has been killed by someone (the poor dog having been stabbed with a garden fork), and sets off to find out who the culprit is. But Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome, which makes his perception and functioning very different to other boys his age and as the truth behind Wellington’s death starts to be revealed, it leads Christopher to embark on a remarkable adventure.

    The show is based on the hugely successful book by Mark Haddon and has been a West End and Broadway hit. Utilising a virtually empty stage, the presentation of the show was intriguing, using screens on the back and sides of the stage, almost framing the show in a cube, reflective of Christopher’s constraints in his functioning. Lights flicker like the firing of neurons in his brain, and black and white projections are used to show both his thought process and to set the scene. The show, like the book, is written from Christopher’s point of view and the presentation effectively places the audience members squarely into the centre of his mind and thoughts. The simplicity of the set is reflective of the way in which Christopher perceives the world and worked very well. There were pieces of carefully choreographed movement throughout, and the scene where Christopher arrives in London and is overwhelmed by the overstimulation of his environment is very well done. In this show, less certainly is more, and the monochrome set nicely mirrored Christopher’s rather binary thinking.

    But placing the style and presentation to one side, the most impressive aspect of the show was the central performance of Scott Reid. Reid’s portrayal of Christopher Boone was highly accomplished – mixing the complexities of the characters personality, his physical traits and a childlike innocence which combined to provide a rounded and believable performance

    The show, and in particular, the first act, is very well written, with a script which imports large chunks of text from the book to provide a faithful adaptation of the source material. Despite being bleak at times, the show was filled with gentle humour; and created a world with a myriad of characters that come in and out of Christopher’s life which nestle alongside the well-crafted moments of dramatic tension and emotionally powerful scenes.

    The show has won a slew of awards, including 7 Olivier Awards and 5 Tony Awards, and it is easy to see why. There is a lot of depth to the play, exploring the adult world of interpersonal relationships through a simplistic and innocent perspective.

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is playing at the Liverpool Empire until 29th July

    • Review taken from Sheffield Theatre production.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Wedding Singer, Llandudno Venue Cymru

    ★★ | The Wedding Singer, Llandudno Venue Cymru 

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Wedding Singer, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

    Robbie Hart is a popular wedding singer who has his belief in love shattered when he is jilted at the alter by his fiancé. But as he has promised to sing at the wedding of affable waitress Julia to her sleazy, materialistic boyfriend, Glenn, he spends his time helping her prepare for her big day. But amongst the gift registry and dress shopping, the two of them slowly fall for each other, and as Julia’s big day approaches, will they both find the courage to tell each other how they feel?

    This 80’s set musical is based on the film of the same name and is packed with a full list of original songs, a smattering of ensemble pieces and a rapping granny. In terms of the cast, Ray Quinn (X-Factor) stood head and shoulders amongst the performers, with a good performance as Glenn, whilst Cassie Compton (X-Factor) and UK Eurovision singer Lucie Jones provided competent support and, to their credit, some superb singing.

    But aside from a handful of good performances, sadly, the whole thing just simply didn’t hang together. The onslaught of songs became intrusive to the progression of the narrative, the clunky and cumbersome set changes interrupted the flow and the show overall fell somewhere between lacklustre and dull. Add into that an incredibly cringe worthy seduction scene between Robbie and his ex-fiancé, a significant lack of chemistry between the two leads and some borderline offensive stereotypes of gay men which felt more like ridicule than parody and you have a rather disappointing production.

    But where the show really lets itself down is in its lack of an 80’s feel, especially given that the decade is ripe for the picking in terms of its cultural identity.  Part of the charm of the film that the show is based on is its nods to the decade, from the fashions to the music; something that is noticeably missing from this show. It takes more than a randomly placed Rubiks Cube, a Sony Walkman and a reference to the size of a mobile phone to set the 80’s scene. But the biggest omission is that the original songs didn’t have even a tinge of 80’s synth pop to them and were so generic that, on the whole, they could have come from any musical set in any decade; whilst the costumes missed the opportunity to fully exploit the decade that fashion forgot.

    The show did finally come alive during the last scene and the curtain call, but it was far too little far too late, and couldn’t avoid the show receiving a rather muted reception from the generally unimpressed audience.

    The Wedding Singer is currently playing at Llandudno Venue Cymru until 29th July 2017

    • Review taken from the Sheffield Production.

     

  • FILM REVIEW | War For The Planet Of The Apes

    WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES – The third and final part of the revamped ape apocalypse trilogy and this time the humans are definitely the bad guys in an all out battle royale for dominance of the position at the top of the food chain and planetary dominance.

    FILM REVIEW | War For The Planet Of The Apes

    Nutshell – The story of Caeser who we have followed from domesticated scientific experiment to the leader of the ape population in the forests above San Francisco and beyond. After a skirmish where the apes bear insufferable losses they decide on a massive exodus to safer climes. Unfortunately, the humans want the ape threat destroyed for good and a huge new baddie in the burly shape of Woody Harrelson’s The Colonel is in their way leading to the ultimate showdown as the two species go for World War Three.

    Running Time – A bum numbing 140 minutes; Certificate – 12A.

    Tagline – ‘For Freedom, For Family, For The Planet’

    The Gay UK Factor – Unless you are into bestiality or have a thing for bears over at XXL or BRUT hairy men’s clubs then it is down to the humans and luckily there is loads of them and everyone is in uniform. There is a lot of muscle here and it is all sweating and grunting a lot, our top three military men were Chad Rook, Dean Redman and Steve Baran – drop and give us twenty as we will be lying underneath.

    Cast – Woody Harrelson is the main human draw and all the other main actors are green screen/motion capture monkey performers all covered in lycra golf ball suits and digitised out. Lead by Andy Serkis, Tony Kebbell and animal character specialist Steve Zahn.

    Key Player – These are Andy Serkis’s movies and he is almost in every scene here. You start to forget he is a human on a sound stage and get drawn into the incredible emotional arc he goes through here from extreme grief, through anger, leadership, cunning, despair and a trilogy climax that will leave you emotionally wrought.

    Budget – $150 Million the priciest ape film of all time and clearly it has been money well spent judging by its strong Box Office. This title will probably continue somehow in a new direction to keep reaping the cash in.

    Best Bit – 0.15 mins; A great nighttime waterfall fight scene which sets up the events of the whole movie and establishes exactly how much of a total bastard and probably hard shagging top the Colonel is.

    Worst Bit – 0.57mins; The introduction of the biggest new monkey character ‘Bad Ape’ largely for comedy purposes than any plot development is annoying in a poor man’s Gollum sort of way.

    Little Secret – The entire film seems to form a bridge between its obvious predecessors and the original Charlton Heston series of movies from 50 years ago. Names of characters, references to the atomic bomb, production values, the introduction or a de-evolving disease in humans etc all have a purpose in this and pay special attention to the Orang Utang who seems to be the biggest link of all. The attacking soldiers in the big battle here are fully covered from head to toe and the director has indicated that this may be because they are apes which will blow everyone’s concepts apart.

    Further Viewing – There are 8 other ape movies (And a great cartoon TV series) to enjoy or endure depending on which you pick ranging from the superb original in 1968 or alternatively beneath, conquest, dawn, battle, rise or escape basically any verb you choose to put in front of the ‘Planet Of The Apes’ monicker but avoid the Mark Wahlberg one at all costs.

    Any Good – The modern trilogy has been consistently good and this is probably the best yet and the perfect closer to this set of films. We know there will be more probably spin off’s or further tales of other groups but this story is done and Serkis has left the franchise… but as he was a digital character all bets might be off on that.

    Rating – 72% out of 100

     

  • DILEMMA | I’m bisexual, 18 and haven’t had sex yet, I’m worried about not losing my virginity

    DILEMMA | I’m bisexual, 18 and haven’t had sex yet, I’m worried about not losing my virginity

    This week a reader is concerned that he hasn’t yet lost his virgin. Doctor Dannii Cohen gives advice.

    Free-Photos / Pixabay

    Dear TGUK

    I have never had sex in my life and I think it is important to have sex all the time. What should I do? I’m 18 and worried that I’m not going to lose my virginity.

    Ian*, 18

     

    Dear Ian

    My message to you is short: it is NOT important to have sex all the time. If you don’t want it or don’t feel ready you don’t have to. Even if you do want it you should wait until you find the right person. Don’t think you should just throw yourself at someone because you feel you HAVE to have sex or because you think it’s “normal”.

    At your age not having had sex is certainly nothing weird or abnormal.

    You will never have a first time again and you should hold out until it feels right for you. Don’t force yourself for anyone, this is about you and your body.

     

    *name changed

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  • Are there Lesbian Bars in London?

    London has the highest number of LGBT+ bars, clubs and venues in the UK. So does it have any lesbian bars and clubs where are they?

    Are there Lesbian Bars in London?

    London’s LGBT+ scene is the largest in the UK and it does include at least one lesbian venue. The most famous and central is the She Soho in Soho on Old Compton Street (number 23a to be precise).  She Soho is mainly focussed at the LBQ women community and says it is the only “women-priority venue” in London, although men are welcome to enter with female guests. The venue has the hottest DJs on the scene, alongside regular drag king cabaret, burlesque and social events.

    Probably the most famous bar before She Soho was Candy based in Carlisle Street in Soho, which closed permanently in 2014 due to rent increase demands. It was subject of a 4 part documentary on Channel 5 called Candy Bar Girls. There was also an event called Lounge which also closed despite attempts to bring back the evening in 2014.

    Of course, London has many LGBT+ spaces you can find our full listings of LGBT+ and gay-friendly bars and pubs here

     

     

  • Opening Doors London is celebrating it’s 1st anniversary

    Opening Doors London is celebrating it’s 1st anniversary

    Opening Doors is London’s support network for older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. And it has just celebrated it’s 1st birthday.

    One of Opening Doors aims is to ensure that older LGBT people live healthy and independent lives that are free from loneliness, isolation, prejudice and discrimination.

    As we are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, which decriminalised homosexual acts, we have to remember the brave people who were around when it was actually illegal to have same sex intercourse. People like Allan, who was 24 in 1967. He says he was mentally and physically abused, and was called queer, so he left education at a young age. Then there is Maureen, who was involved with the Gay Liberation Front since the beginning, and was told by someone that “she hasn’t met the right man yet.” And Margaret, who happened to be Maurice in 1967, and who came out in 1991, says that in the 1950’s and 1960’s, everything in Britain was rigid. Margaret finished her transition as a woman in 2002. But there are people like Tony, who has had to come out twice, as being gay and having HIV.

    Many of Opening Doors service users have first-hand experience of living through the an oppressive era in British history, which makes the work Opening Doors do all the more relevant and important. It is committed to fostering and developing social interactions and networks for members of this often marginalised segment of our community. They also provide services and support to older LGBT people such as a Befriending Service, 40 or so monthly social events, and training to outside organisations who provide care for older people who are LGBT.

    See the Opening Doors London website for more information: http://openingdoorslondon.org.uk/

  • People really want a gay version of Love Island – with one condition

    It seems that a gay version of ITV 2’s runaway hit, Love Island would go down a storm – but people are asking for it on one condition…

    People really want a gay version of Love Island - with one condition

    People have asked for “ordinary guys”

    Apparently, TV execs are eyeing up a gay version of ITV 2’s runaway hit series Love Island after the creator, Richard Cowes said he’d love to see a man on man version of the show but said that trying to mix the two versions would be difficult. The show although praised for its entertainment value has failed in representing LGBT+ relationships.

    However, on the back of that news, THEGAYUK’s readers seem well up for a gay version as long as the guy they chose reflect the real bodies of people.

    The men on this season of Love Island have certainly got pulses racing, but how representative are they to the average population? Numerous commentators on our original story praised the idea of a gay version of the show but begged for “less sculpted”  and a “cross section of guys” to be represented. People loved the idea that “someone like me” should be represented by the contestants.

    People loved the idea that “someone like me” should be represented by the contestants.

    So would you tune into an “ordinary” gay version of Love Island?

  • Ever wanted to be a flight attendent? easyJet announces 1200 job vacancies

    One of the UK’s biggest airlines easyJet has announced there are 1200 new jobs to be filled!


    easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has today announced that it is to recruit more than 1200 new permanent and fixed term cabin crew positions as the airline continues its growth.

    easyJet, which flies more than 270 aircraft on over 880 routes in 31 countries, will offer its new cabin crew positions across almost all of its 28 European bases. New recruits will fly on a modern fleet of Airbus aircraft, including the newest A320NEO, and will join the airline at an exciting time, as well as have access to a number of rewards, high-quality training and opportunities for career development.

    The news comes after easyJet’s announcement earlier this year that it was opening recruitment for more than 450 pilots and providing career opportunities for its current First Officers to be promoted into Captain positions.

    easyJet currently employs over 6,900 cabin crew who are at the forefront of the airline’s operations, ensuring the highest safety standards are met and providing friendly service for easyJet’s 70million passengers every year.

    Tina Milton, easyJet’s Head of Cabin Service, said,

    “We’re delighted to be opening recruitment for more than 1200 cabin crew positions today.

    “easyJet is a fantastic company to work for with everyone across the airline working together as one team to ensure we provide the highest standard of service for our customers.

    “Being cabin crew is a very rewarding role – our teams are extremely professional and energetic with a real sense of fun. We’re looking forward to welcoming more people into our growing team.”

    Candidates can apply now at careers.easyjet.com.

     

  • When will BBC 2 broadcast Man In the Orange Shirt?

    In his first screen drama, best-selling British novelist Patrick Gale tells two gay love stories, 60 years apart – stories linked by family, and by a painting that holds a secret that echoes down the generations.

    As part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, it will be showing the mini series Man In The Orange Shirt on BBC 2. The show features a cast which includes Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, David Gyasi, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and James McArdle.

    What is Man In An Orange About?

    Man in an Orange Shirt charts the challenges and huge changes to gay lives from the Second World War to the present: In 1944, British Army Captain Michael Berryman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) meets war artist Thomas March (James McArdle) in Southern Italy while chaos reigns all around them. Despite having a young fiancé, Flora (Joanna Vanderham), waiting at home for him, straight-laced Michael finds himself falling for Thomas’ bohemian charms. In 2017, an ageing Flora (Redgrave) looks on as her grandson, Adam (Julian Morris), tentatively forms a relationship with his client Steve (David Gyasi) in a more accepting world. But while the external obstacles have fallen away, a minefield of internalised issues and dangerous temptations still line the road to happiness.

    When will Man In An Orange show on BBC 2?

    The first of two episodes of Man In An Orange Shirt will be broadcast on BBC 2 on July 31 at 9 pm. It will be available shortly after on BBC’s iPlayer.

    The show was commissioned by the BBC to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

     

  • Study finds partners on HIV treatment don’t pass the virus on to their partners

    A new study of gay couples has found that the HIV positive partner did not pass on the virus to their partner if they were on HIV treatment

    Study finds partners on HIV treatment don't pass the virus on to their partners

    A study of 343 gay couples, where one partner had HIV and the other did not, has not found a single case of HIV transmission despite 16,889 acts of condomless anal sex.

    The Opposites Attract study looked at whether HIV is transmitted between gay male couples of different HIV status when the HIV-positive partner is on treatment that fully suppresses their HIV. The HIV-positive partners in Opposites Attract had a so-called ‘undetectable viral load’ 98% of the time.

    The study recruited and followed-up gay couples at clinics in Australia, Thailand and Brazil.

    The study was presented at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in Paris today. A detailed analysis of the research findings is available on NAM’s website, www.aidsmap.com

    The evidence from Opposites Attract adds to the evidence from the PARTNER study that HIV-positive people on effective HIV treatment that fully suppresses their virus cannot transmit their infection through sex. Taken together, the two studies have not found a single case of HIV transmission in nearly 40,000 acts of condomless anal sex between gay men.

    This new data adds further strength to the “U=U” (Undetectable equals Untransmittable) tagline of the Prevention Access Campaign, whose consensus statement has been signed by both NAM and the International AIDS Society.

    Professor Andrew Grulich of the Kirby Institute and chief investigator on the study summed up the findings,

    “Our data add to previous studies which show that there has never been a recorded case of HIV transmission from an HIV-positive person to their HIV-negative sexual partner when the HIV-positive partner had undetectable viral load.”

    NAM’s Executive Director, Matthew Hodson, commented,

    “In terms of HIV prevention, if condom use is safer sex, then sex with someone who has maintained an undetectable viral load is even safer sex.”

    The studies also found that if the positive partner is on successful treatment, even having another sexually transmitted infection does not increase the risk of HIV being transmitted. Significant numbers of participants in both studies had a sexually transmitted infection at some point.

    Topping or bottoming made no difference to the findings when HIV-positive partner is on treatment

    Sexual position also made no difference even though when viral load is not suppressed and condoms are not used, transmission is 10-20 times more likely if the HIV-positive partner is the ‘top’ rather than the ‘bottom’.

    Matthew Hodson welcomed the new data,

    “We’ve known for many years that HIV treatment, as well as saving lives, also plays a role in reducing transmission risk. Our confidence that those of us with HIV are not a risk to our sexual partners is crucial to the transformation we have seen in HIV since the introduction of effective treatment.”

    Matthew Hodson continued,

    “For many years, those of us with diagnosed HIV have had to live with the idea that our bodies are dangerous. This has had a profound emotional impact on many people. It is wonderful to consider what this news can mean to people with HIV who are too scared to have sex in case they pass their virus on, or to those in relationships with HIV-positive people whose sexual pleasure has been hampered by fear.

    “The preventative impact of effective HIV treatment underlines the importance of expanding access to treatment and of improving treatment uptake and adherence for all people living with HIV worldwide.”

    Reporting from NAM aidsmap

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