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  • RIP | Simon “Nicksy” Nicks, former presenter of Gaydio radio has died, 44

    One of the founding presenters of Gaydio, the world’s largest LGBT+ radio station has died at the age of 44.

    https://twitter.com/Nicksy/status/869218770056863745

    Simon “Nicksy” Nicks has died at the age of 44. Tributes have been pouring in since his death on the 29th May. His widower, Liam Nathan Nicks has described his late husband as “brave” in a tribute. Mr Nicks died fighting cancer, his husband wrote in a Facebook post that “it has just taken a hold”.

    He had been in a hospital since he was diagnosed in February. In an emotional post, Mr Nicks’ partner said,

    “He was surrounded by me , my mum and dad, His Florence cushion and his Grandma Kitty picture that went everywhere with him.
    And of course listening to Radio!”

    In another statement, he wrote that he was thankful “from the bottom of his broken heart” for the love, support and tribute that had been sent.

    Simon Nicks help launch Gaydio when it was just a fledging operation broadcasting just a few hours a day. He started by hosting a drive-time show. At the time Simon was an establish radio host and his attachment helped put Gaydio on the map.

    He was working as the Head of Content at the British Forces Broadcasting Corporation at the time of his death.

  • You won’t believe what age Colton Haynes lost his virginity to a guy

    Colton Haynes has revealed at what age he lost his virginity – and it was young!

    So Colton Haynes has revealed something about his sex life in an extraordinarily candid interview with SiriusXM radio host Andy Cohen. During the interview Colton opened up about the first time he had sex and apparently, he lost his virginity to a male and female at the same time.

    The Arrow actor revealed that he was just barely a teenager when he had sex with both a guy and a girl.

    The 28-year-old revealed,

    “I lost my virginity at 13 to a girl and a guy,

    “I’ve never said that before. The girl was two years older than me, and the guy was, I would say, around 16.”

    And it happened at the same time… although he did say it wasn’t a threesome, however, “everyone participated” and “it was exciting”.

    The TV star came out as gay in 2016 and got engaged to his boyfriend, Jeff Leatham, not once but twice.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Miss Meena And The Masala Queens – West Yorkshire Playhouse

    ★★★| Miss Meena And The Masala Queens – West Yorkshire Playhouse

    Miss Meena’s drag club is on the brink of closing; and like Miss Meena herself, it is tired, run down and needing a boost. But two strangers are about to enter Miss Meena’s life, both of whom have very different consequences for her. With people that she can trust, and people she can’t, close by, Miss Meena must decide whether or not the show will go on.

    CREDIT: David Fisher

    Tackling the difficult subject of sexuality and drag in the British Asian community, Miss Meena is a socially relevant piece of theatre and one which serves both the purposes of being entertaining, but also telling the seldom heard stories of the British Asian drag community. The story is in many ways very familiar, and there are a number of elements which make the narrative and the characters feel a little like a British Asian combination of the Priscilla and Burlesque movies.

    From the small cast, Raj Ghatak stands out, with a heartfelt performance as the titular character; and there is some decent support from Jamie Zubairi as Munni; whist Nicholas Prasad fills out the sling backs nicely as Shaan.

    But it is the writing that really shines through, and whilst the story is a narrative which is familiar, it is the detail within the characters and the universal themes of conflict for the gay community which shine through. Most of the characters struggle with their sexuality or their identity in some way, and each of them tackle their internal struggle differently. There is a real theme of family running through the show, from the perspective of both family in the traditional sense, but also the family made up of those we chose to surround ourselves with. There is also a relevant and valid social comment about the LGBT community having a safe space to go to; and the purpose of that space; whether it is to express themselves, away from a repressive family environment, or whether it is somewhere to be supported by those who understand the impact of such repression.

    That said, and despite the themes, the show remains uplifting, comedic and fun, with some great Bollywood lip-synch numbers which serve the purpose of being musical interludes rather than narrative progression, some physical comedy, a few snappy one-liners and a genuine warmth that resonates from the stage. By the time the show concludes in a cascade of glam, sparkle, saris and a bhangra version of a gay anthem, the characters really do feel like old friends.

    Miss Meena and the Masala Queens is a relevant, entertaining and socially progressive piece of theatre.

    Miss Meena and the Masala Queens is currently playing at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds until Saturday 17th June 2017. Visit www.wyp.org for details. You can read our interview with Pravesh Kumar, the director, here

     

  • Check out the strip tease in Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black

    If you’re an OITNB fan then you may have already seen the strip tease, but if you haven’t started yet, this may be the excuse you need: Netflix And Thrill.

    Orange Is The New Black has rolled out some male hotness this season in the form of Evan Hall, who plays a hotter than hell prison officer, CO Stratman.

    Well, Stratman is persuaded to do a striptease for the inmates of Litchfield… and we wholeheartedly approve this message.

    So click here to see the NSFW images.

  • 10 signs of depression you should look out for

    Depression and mental health have been hot topic subjects of late and sometimes spotting the signs can be difficult.

    We spoke to psychotherapist Andrew Smith clinical director of TherAppUK Ltd who gave us 10 pointers to look out for.

    1. Social Withdrawal.

    This is when someone may become more withdrawn from social activities, and not be as interested in going out and socialising. However, more importantly, they may not be doing anything else as an alternative. Give them an invite to something and mean it. As a therapist, we often use the boundary of a session to gently challenge clients who would wish to withdraw.

    2. Being Less communicative.

    Has the talking stopped? Keep the conversation going. It can really help if the person opposite really feels like you care about what they are saying.

    Most people who are struggling with difficult feelings and experiences often lose an ability to engage in dialogue with their loved ones. This happens over time and is a gradual response to depressive feelings. Keep talking, even if it feels like drivel, and really listen to what people are saying. It is very difficult to push away someone who is genuinely interested in you.

    3. Isolation.

    This is the effect, not always the cause. Pop around to see them, offer to help out, and persevere. Often, the message that someone is not going away, no matter how hard they are going to be pushed, is so important. Therapy is a further way of helping this, in a far less pressured way.

    4. Health.

    As we descend into the spiral of depression and anxiety, we often lose sight of how taking care of ourselves (better things to worry about), and gradually this can lead to poorer choices in food, sexual health, financial matters, and exercise. Ironically, good choices in all of these can help immensely in our recovery. So ‘encourage’ someone to take up a new activity with you (yoga can be amazing), try a meditation class, and cook some healthy food together.

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  • 10 Things You Know If You’re An LGBTQ+ From The ’10s

    Aah, the ’10s.

    Ofsted Adds Homophobic Bullying into Inspections

    This seemingly small act in 2012 ensured that schools took a stand against homophobia. A 2014 Stonewall teachers’ report found that “the proportion of teachers who say their school has a policy that explicitly addresses homophobic bullying has increased significantly: in primary schools from 19 percent in 2009 to 31 percent in 2014, in secondary schools from 30 percent in 2009 to 55 percent in 2014.” However, the report also states that most teachers believe there’s a lack of leadership standing to tackle homophobic bully and fewer than 1/5 teachers say their schools’ library has LGBTQ+ information books. Only 8% of primary school teachers and 16% of secondary school teachers say they’ve had specific training to deal with homophobic bullying, so while the 2012 act added homophobic bullying to Ofsted reports there’s a long way to go from there. But it’s a clear sign that times are changing to include LGBTQ+ students in governing reports and not just acknowledge the potential danger they may face but actually do something to change it.

    The Marriage Act (For Same-Sex Couples)

    Just one year later, this act was passed in England & Wales in 2013 and two years later in June in 2015 in the USA. Civil Partnerships were granted in 2004 giving essentially the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples – but why go above and beyond to instil and enforce the difference of same-sex relationships in a whole new act? Well, now gay couples can have the same legal standing of marriage as straight couples thanks to Maria Miller, the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee who introduced the act. The first same-sex marriages in the UK took place on the 29th of March in 2014. Love wins!

    Ellen Page Coming Out

    Her speech in 2014 for the Human Rights Campaign was groundbreaking. It made global headlines and many praised Page for her bravery and honesty. Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Adam Lambert and Ricky Martin paved the way for celebrities like Page to come out but Page’s speech covered the crushing standards of beauty the industry puts on everyone – not just young people – and how the ideology of being a certain way forces you to act a certain way. She discussed the bullying, the secrecy, the boxed-in claustrophobic feeling of being in the closet out of the toxic fear of being outed. She chastised the narrow views of femininity and masculinity and how they serve no purpose in contemporary society. She made you think and feel and cheer and cry and it was (and continues to be) one of the most empowering speeches for LGBTQ+ youth who feel oppressed by the norms and values of society. I will never forget how she talked so openly and honestly without painting everything black and white. But if you take just one thing away from her speech, let it be that you can make a difference by loving yourself. Because that’s where you start loving other people and that’s how you save lives. Not by being horrible to other people but by loving each other.

    Caitlyn Jenner’s Public Transition

    Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that the media’s attention was laser-focused on Cait after she came out as a transgender woman in April 2015. She’s not the best advocate for the LGBTQ+ community but the truth is she helped bring the limelight to transgender rights and the discrimination the marginalised group suffer daily. Many people didn’t even know what being transgender meant before Cait. Bruce Jenner, the Olympic gold medallist, showed the world anybody can feel like they don’t belong. Of course, let’s also not forget the important work of Laverne Cox, the Wachowskis and Aydian Dowling.

    The Explosion of Dating Apps

    A plethora of never-ending headless torsos at your beck and scroll. With such an endless selection of gay apps – from Grindr, BoyAhoy, SCRUFF, Adam4Adam, GuySpy, Hornet, Jack’d to GROWLr – there’s a noticeable lack of lesbian-centric dating apps. HER is essentially the only one tailored specifically for queer women. You could always just select a women-only feature on Tinder, Bumble, OKCupid, etc. but why is there such a large dating market for queer men and not for queer women?

    Ginger Minj Losing RuPaul’s Drag Race to Violet Chachki

    Violet is a great queen (don’t come for me Violet stans) but Ginger, regardless of how many times she was in the bottom two compared to Violet’s safe streak, was undeniably the standout star of the season. To this day it irks me that the skinny queen with the snatched waist won over the most multi-talented comedy queen in RuPaul history. It seemed like Violet’s “redemption” arc was shoehorned in the last 3 episodes as a set-up to make her likeable. Ginger was consistently funny, heart-warming and bled her larger than life personality into every performance. I just think America’s Next Drag Superstar should be more than just a pretty face with a good aesthetic. Sue me.

    Stonewall Film

    Controversy controversy controversy. Definitely a lower point in the LGBTQ+ community. The white-washing and white saviour narrative depicted in the film, although tiresome and ignorant of real-life history, actually highlighted one of the biggest problems in our community: the glorification of white gay males. Now, Stonewall could have significantly played upon this trope in a satirical social commentary and made a point of casting mainly white, attractive males – even if it is a stretch to suppose the potential of a film that ignores a large portion of its real life history. Instead of addressing these issues, whatsoever, producer and director Roland Emmerich responded to the commentary saying, “I didn’t make this movie only for gay people, I made it also for straight people… As a director, you have to put yourself in your movies, and I’m white and gay.” There’s no logical response to the oblivious ignorance of this comment, but he didn’t stop there. He went on to claim the gargantuan failure of the box office on “one voice on the internet who saw a trailer and said, this is whitewashing Stonewall. Stonewall was a white event, let’s be honest. But nobody wanted to hear that any more.” Despite whatever twisted ethnocentric version of history Emmerich believes happened, people of colour, drag queens and lesbians (surprise, surprise, the film features one poorly portrayed openly lesbian character) all participated and played a huge role in the pivotal Stonewall Riots, don’t let this flop of a film tell you otherwise.

    The Pulse Massacre

    49 people were killed and 53 were injured in the Orlando nightclub shooting, one of the biggest mass shootings in American history. I guess it shouldn’t be this surprising that horrible, horrible occurrences like this still happen. We often take for granted how far the LGBTQ+ movement has come and all the sacrifices made to give us the (somewhat limited) freedom we have today. But it’s events like these that bring us closer together, in grief and in loss we remember and we reflect and we never let our voices go unheard. For the 49 people killed, for the 53 people injured, we must continue being unapologetically ourselves and demand the treatment every human being deserves – labels and categories and boxes be damned. In Trump’s America we can’t let anything divide us and we can never, ever forget.

    David Bowie, George Michael, Prince, Pete Burns, Alexis Arquette and Carrie Fisher

    All great LGBTQ+ icons. All taken too soon in the same year. There’s not much else to say but to remember their lives and their accomplishments with nothing but love in our hearts for each time they stood up for us.

    Moonlight first LGBT film to win Best Picture at the Oscars

    2015 may have flopped with Stonewall, but 2016 made up for it with Moonlight. Not only was it the first LGBT film to feature an all-black cast, it explored sexual identity and masculinity within the African-American community with a poignancy deserving of all its won awards. Critics and fans alike love it, which hopefully tells big execs what representation and what untold stories the worldwide audience is hungry for. Let’s continue to move forward, not backwards, and fill cinemas and awards lists with sensationally progressive films like Moonlight.

     

     

    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.

  • FILM REVIEW | Norman

    ★★★★ | Norman

    Richard Gere is excellent as always as a man who is desperate to do a deal but can’t seem to get a break in the new film Norman.

    Gere is Norman Oppenheimer, a New York hustler who appears to be living a life of lies – he doesn’t appear to have a place to live, he spends most of his time at a church that could possibly be a homeless shelter and talks about a daughter who may or may not exist. But he sees his fortunes possibly change upon a chance encounter with an up and coming politician. Then One day, after attending a conference, he sees Israeli politician Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi), Norman ingratiates himself with him by buying him an expensive pair of shoes, shoes that Norman probably can’t afford to pay for, but he does (though luckily for him Eshel refuses to get a suit as well). Three years later, as Norman still struggles to get one of his deals done, Eshel becomes the Israeli Prime Minister, so Norman realises that this could be his big chance to get into the big leagues. But what turns out to be a friendly relationship between Norman and the Prime Minister turns into nothing as Eshel sees Norman’s desperate attempts to be close to him a liability, which leaves Norman basically back to where he began – a fixer with nothing to fix.

    Gere does a nice turn as the ageing New York Norman who never quite seemed to have been much of a success in life. He plays Norman with such believability, desperateness, and a bit of wit that it’s hard not to fall for him a bit. The film’s subtitle – The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer – pretty sums up this film – but it’s Gere, who was excellent as a homeless man in 2014’s Time Out of Mind – who shines and makes this film worth a watch. And he’s as handsome as ever.

    Norman is now out in UK cinemas.

  • Hillary Clinton pays tribute to the 49 victims of the Pulse Massacre

    Hillary Clinton has paid tribute to the 49 victims killed in last year’s terrorist attack in Orlando.

    Hillary Clinton and the Pulse shooting

    Taking to Twitter, Hillary Clinton sent a heartfelt tweet saying that her heart was with “the loved ones” of the 49 victims who were killed when a lone gunman entered the Pulse nightclub on the 12th June 2016. Along with her message she tagged it with the hashtag #WeWillNotLetHateWin.

    The tweet was almost immediately retweeted 6000 times and liked over 20,000 times.

    During the US Presidental campaign Ms Clinton visited the Pulse nightclub laying a bouquet of white roses at the site.

    President Donald Trump also paid tribute to the victims Tweeting a picture of the victims and saying,

    “We will NEVER FORGET the victims who lost their lives one year ago today in the horrific shooting. “

    This article has been updated since it was published. Previously we observed that President Trump hadn’t Tweeted about the Pulse victims, but had mentioned that Ivanka Trump was on the news.

     

  • Hey guys… Geri H is BACK!

    Geri (formerly Halliwell, now Horner) is back with a new single, her first in 12 years.

    Geri Horner (née Halliwell) is back with a brand new single, ‘Angels in Chains’, which she wrote in loving memory of her late friend George Michael who sadly passed away in December last year.  Having signed an exclusive agreement with East West Records UK (Warner), the single will be released worldwide on Friday 23 June, two days before George’s 54th birthday. Geri is donating her profits from the sale of this single to one of George Michael’s favourite charities: Child Line.

    ‘Angels in Chains’ is produced by Chris Porter, who has worked with George Michael for over 30 years (from Wham through to ‘Jesus to a Child’), and also with Elton John and David Bowie. The single also features the wonderful contribution of George’s ‘music family’ who has performed alongside the music legend for many years: Chris Cameron (George Michael’s music director), guitarist Phil Palmer (who has played with George for 30 years), Shirley Lewis (backing singer, who has worked with George throughout his solo career), Lucy Jules and Jay Henry (who have performed with George since 25 Live).

    The heartfelt ballad, written by Geri, is coloured with lyrical references to George’s most cherished songs, which will not go unnoticed by his biggest fans. Sonically, ‘Angels in Chains’ shows a more vulnerable and soulful side to Geri’s pop songwriting repertoire, carrying a beautiful, healing message for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one.

    Geri said,

    “When I first heard the sad news of his passing, I was nine-months pregnant with my son Monty and I was full of emotions. I didn’t know quite what to do with my feelings so I put it in a song, which became ‘Angels in Chains’. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work on this record with Chris Porter and the same team George had hand picked for his own projects.

    “I am first and foremost a George Michael fan, so to be in the same studio with these amazingly gifted artists who have put their stamp of so many of my favourite records was a real privilege for me.

    “In the process, I found how healing making this record had been not only for me but also for everyone involved. This is our way of saying goodbye to our friend and music idol, and I hope George’s fans enjoy this as much as we have making it.”

    Dan Chalmers, President, Rhino, East West, ADA UK said,

    “Geri has written a brilliant and poignant track in memory of her friend George. It’s great to be working with her on new music and I look forward to fans’ reaction to ‘Angels in Chains’.”

    ‘Angels in Chains’ is Geri’s first global music release in 12 years. Geri has to date sold over 85 million records worldwide with the Spice Girls and notched up 11 UK #1 hits (four of which were her own solo singles: ‘Mi Chico Latino’, ‘Lift Me Up’, ‘Bag It Up’ and ‘It’s Raining Men’). Geri has released three solo albums to date – Schizophonic (1999), Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (2001), and Passion (2005) – that have collectively sold over four million copies worldwide.

     

  • ONE YEAR ON | Remembering the Pulse Massacre victims

    A year ago today, a lone gunman entered the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida and opened fire. He killed 49 people and wounded dozens more.

    On the 11th June, the popular Latin night at Pulse was in full swing. Pulse was a well-known LGBT club standing around a mile from downtown Orlando. That club has now become world-famous for the terrible atrocity and the events that would unfold well into the early hours of the 12th June. The attack would become the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in the United States.

    That night, around 320 people were packed into the club, they were dancing, drinking and watching the entertainment. The night was just about to come to an end as last orders was announced at around 2:00 AM (the early morning on the 12th). At 2.02 AM the gunman entered the building and began shooting indiscriminately and holding terrified patrons hostage for hours before the siege was ended at 5:05 AM when police enforcement and a SWAT team stormed the building.

    Dozens were killed and many received life changing injuries.

    Who are the victims?

    • Stanley Almodovar III, age 23
    • Amanda Alvear, 25
    • Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26
    • Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
    • Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
    • Martin Benitez Torres, 33
    • Antonio D. Brown, 30
    • Darryl R. Burt II, 29
    • Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24
    • Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28
    • Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31
    • Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
    • Luis D. Conde, 39
    • Cory J. Connell, 21
    • Tevin E. Crosby, 25
    • Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50
    • Deonka D. Drayton, 32
    • Mercedez M. Flores, 26
    • Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
    • Juan R. Guerrero, 22
    • Paul T. Henry, 41
    • Frank Hernandez, 27
    • Miguel A. Honorato, 30
    • Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
    • Jason B. Josaphat, 19
    • Eddie J. Justice, 30
    • Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25
    • Christopher A. Leinonen, 32
    • Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49
    • Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35
    • Akyra Monet Murray, 18
    • Kimberly Morris, 37
    • Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27
    • Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20
    • Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25
    • Eric I. Ortiz-Rivera, 36
    • Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
    • Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25
    • Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
    • Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24
    • Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24
    • Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, 35
    • Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25
    • Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
    • Shane E. Tomlinson, 33
    • Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
    • Luis S. Vielma, 22
    • Luis D. Wilson-Leon, 37
    • Jerald A. Wright, 31

    Here are the reports that we have from the night and the year beyond, that changed the LGBT community in the US.

    12TH JUNE | Initial report of gunfire at Pulse

    13TH JUNE | Cities around the UK stand still for Pulse Massacre Victims

    15TH JUNE | Scottish Parliament holds one-minute silence for Orlando victims

    16TH JUNE | Flash poll reveals that 25% percent of LGBTs fear for their safety after the massacre

    17TH JUNE | COMMENT | Post Orlando, is this the end of an era or a rebirth for the gay scene?

    19TH JUNE | COMMENT | Legal Guns? Ban Them

    19TH JUNE | COMMENT | Seven days on, The legacy of the Pulse Massacre

    20TH JUNE | The gunman’s 911 transcripts are released to the public

    21ST  JUNE | The US Senate blocks gun controls to known terrorists

    23RD JUNE | COMMENT | A journey to Orlando

    27th JUNE | BBC releases a Panorama programme to explore the tragedy

    28TH JULY | Mother of Pulse massacre victim gives heartbreaking plea for US gun controls

    5TH AUG |  EDITOR’S EDITOR: Orlando gunman took our last safe space

    8TH AUG | The gunman’s autopsy is released

    24TH AUG | Orlando hospitals announce they will not bill massacre survivors

    1ST NOV | The chilling 911 recordings from the shooter released

    17TH JAN | Wife of Pulse Massacre killer arrested

    28TH MAR | Pulse Massacre victims’ families to sue Google

     

  • Farewell so schlong… BBUK’s Arthur leaves the Big Brother house

    There’s been a shock departure at the Big Brother house…

    Big Brother producers have revealed that Arthur has left the house and will not be returning. According to sources, he left the house after he said he felt bullied by fellow housemate Kayleigh.

    See the housemates react on Big Brother tomorrow night at 10 pm, Channel 5.

     

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