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  • The White House excludes the name of the husband of Luxembourg’s gay Prime Minister

    The White House seemingly edited out the name of Luxembourg Prime Minister’s husband, Gauthier Destenay.

    The official White House picture, which included the spouses of Nato leaders, was published on the official White House Facebook page however at the time of publishing they omitted the name of Luxembourg Prime Minster’s husband, Gauthier Destenay.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The picture formed part of a album of 97 pictures taken during President Donald Trump’s first international visit since taking office in January.

    The picture included First Lady Emine Erdoğan of Turkey; Iceland’s Thora Margret Baldvinsdottir; the First Lady of France Brigitte Trogneux; First Lady Melania Trump; Slovenia’s Mojca Stropnik; Bulgaria’s Desislava Radeva; Luxembourg’s Gauthier Destenay; Belgium’s Amélie Derbaudrenghien, and Norway’s Ingrid Schulerud.

    Luxembourg’s Prime Minster Xavier Bettel is the world’s only openly gay head of state.

    The omission of Gauthier Destenay’s name caused an immediate backlash on social media. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, was swift to respond to the post asking, why Mr Destenay was left out of the credit.

    The White House then updated the picture, to include his name, nine hours after publishing.

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Week in review, manifestos and more

    After a few sombre days of mourning the victims of the Manchester attack, the Conservative and Labour are back on the campaign trail

    With less than two weeks until the country votes on the 8th of June, you can bet they’re ready to make up for lost time and make their final pitches to the public.

    The biggest political story of the past two weeks is undoubtedly the release of the party manifestos. Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Conservatives all released their manifestos last week. I blogged about what they pledged to the LGBT community for HuffPost UK, while THEGAYUK’s editor-in-chief, Jake Hook, put together a quick guide for your easy reference.

    Labour and the Lib Dems specifically made pledges to the LGBT community, but the Tories didn’t mention us once. This is, to put it bluntly, unacceptable. Regardless of political position, that one of the major parties—never mind the Prime Minister’s party—would neglect to mention the LGBT community or make any specific pledges to us seems almost unfathomable. It is yet another gaffe in an already controversial Tory manifesto, which has seen the Prime Minister U-turn on her plans for a so-called “dementia tax” (which would use the homes of deceased dementia sufferers to subsidise the care they received whilst alive).

    Why the Conservatives didn’t think to include us in their vision for the country is beyond me, but it’s nothing short of an astonishing. This is all the more galling when you consider that UKIP, of all parties, managed to remember us when they controversially released their manifesto yesterday, ahead of the resumption of campaigning by the other parties. Granted, they only mentioned the LGBT+ community in a pledge to “test the social attitudes of migration applicants” towards women and gay people.

    Whilst this sounds nice on the surface – nobody wants a bunch of raging homophobes coming into the country – many on social media have pointed out that a lot of UKIP’s own members wouldn’t pass this test. In the last week alone it was revealed that Iain Kealey, the UKIP candidate for Bristol South, once compared gay people marching against Islamophobia as “Jews for Hitler,” whilst their candidate in Witney has a penchant for referring to our community as the “gaystapo” and allegedly has ties to those who practice gay conversion therapy. Oh, and he’d like to repeal gay marriage.

    UKIP wasn’t the only party with a gay cure controversy though. The conservative candidate in Brighton and Hove, Kirsty Adams, is reported to have links to a church that believes LGBT people are possessed by demons, which they then try to cast out. Ms Adams, who is standing against openly gay incumbent Labour candidate Peter Kyle, refused to say she doesn’t believe in the practice of casting out demons, but did say she has “never been homophobic” and supported equal marriage. “I am committed to all forms of equality,” she said in a statement.

    Never mind casting out demons, though. Some trans people won’t even be able to cast a vote. The deadline to register to vote was Monday night, but as Pink News reported, several trans people were having issues registering after they legally changed their names or had protected National Insurance numbers (which some trans people opt for so their gender identity is less likely to be revealed).

    If they do manage to vote and live north of the border, Kezia Dugdale – the out leader of Scottish Labour – has a novel suggestion for how they should vote, and it isn’t for her party. Ms Dugdale came under fire from many on the left when she seemingly encouraged some constituencies to vote Conservative in an effort to defeat the Scottish National Party. “The reality is the vast majority of seats across Scotland, it’s only the Labour party that can beat the SNP,” she told Sky News, before adding “there are a few differences in the Borders and the Highlands where the Tories might be better placed…” Suggesting people vote for your opponents is a novel way to win seats, but takes all sorts, I suppose.

    Meanwhile, another out lesbian north of the border – the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson – has made the exact same pitch. That is, she’s asking Labour voters to support the Tories to oust the SNP. Of course, the SNP holds all but one of the constituencies in Scotland, so they’re unlikely to be completely wiped out. But Davidson’s Scottish Tories are doing remarkably well, currently polling in second place – their best showing in decades. They look poised to pick up at least one or two Scottish constituencies.

    Meanwhile, back in England, the Liberal Democrats faced a backlash from their own members for an allegedly transphobic poster. “Vote her, get him,” says an image depicting Nigel Farage’s face imposed upon Theresa May’s body. According to the Telegraph, the chair of LGBT Lib Dems, Jennie Rigg, tweeted that the sign is “bordering on transphobia” and that the press team was “making her life difficult.” This is on top of the brouhaha that erupted earlier in the campaign when Lib Dem leader Tim Farron took weeks to publicly say that no, gay sex is not a sin. Judge for yourselves whether the image is transphobic:

    In yet another bit of bad news for the Lib Dems, former Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes – who is openly bisexual – was reported to the police by his Labour opponent, the incumbent MP Neil Coyle who defeated Mr Hughes in their Bermondsey constituency in 2015. In leaflets which allegedly looked like newspapers, Mr Hughes claimed Mr Coyle was being investigated for abusing members of his party’s staff, which Mr Coyle categorically denies.

    Despite his sexual orientation, Mr Hughes has a spotty history when it comes to LGBT+ rights. He led a notoriously homophobic campaign against gay rights activist Peter Tatchell to win his constituency in 1983. More recently, he refused to vote for same-sex marriage, instead abstaining from the vote whilst outlining his opposition to same-sex marriage in a 2013 blog for the Liberal Democrat Voice. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

    On that note, I’m off to make some enemies of my own by knocking back a few pints and challenging my local bartender to an ABBA sing-off. Blame the demon homosexuals in me, I guess. Until then, stay strong and stay fabulous.

     

    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.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Nirvana Kitchen, London

    ★★★★★ | Nirvana Kitchen, London

    Nirvana restaurant review, London
    PR Supplied

    The definition of Nirvana is to be in a transcendental state – and that’s pretty much what happens to you in a visit to a restaurant called Nirvana Kitchen.

    Located just minutes away from Marble Arch and nestled in a very quiet residential street, and attached to the very posh Montcalm Hotel, Nirvana Kitchen, is, as it’s website suggests, a Pan-Asian Odyssey. It’s also very delicious and will introduce you to flavours and tastes that you’ve never had before.

    Let’s start with their small dishes (starters) menu. The Vegetarian Tempura is a steal at £9. There are eleven crunchy and crispy vegetables which included asparagus, mushrooms and broccoli plus two sauces – mango and miso. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, soft and excellently battered and extremely fresh – a perfect dish. But even better was the Duck Watermelon Salad. And why is it another steal at £14? Because it was absolutely superb, stunning and out of this world! Shredded Duck with mandarins, cooked watermelon, cashews, coriander, pomegranates, and basil enriched with a very tasty and mouth-watering mandarin and mint (ponzu) sauce – simply divine! The portion was big enough to be eaten as a main course if you accompanied it with rice. When you go to Nirvana Kitchen, this dish is simply a must! Other small dishes I’m dying to try next time include the Wild Mushroom Salad and Crispy Salted Squid (both at £11), and an intriguingly-sounding Rainbow Noodles (£10), among others.

    You’re also in for a treat with their selection of main (Charcoal and Pots) courses. We had one from each and were glad we did. The Beef Bulgogi sounded interesting so that is what I ordered. Served on a leaf, this beautifully looking dish tasted just as good as it looked. There were many individual beef slices with a dollop of purple potatoes chokha and achari carrots – very tasty. Bulgogi is Korean style grilled meat and was nestled in it’s own sauce and was delicious. Priced at £24, it’s taste and flavour earned that price. My dining companion really enjoyed his Lamb Massaman Curry. It included cashew nuts, turnips, and was actually not very spicy. It comes in a huge charcoal bowl that keeps the soup oven hot until the very last sip! The lamb was very tender, and it’s beautiful colour added to its exoticness. And at £18 – it’s a great bargain. Other mains include Spiced Lamb Cutlets (£24), Chilean Seabass (£25), and Nirvana Baby Chicken (£17).

    Nirvana Kitchen serves the usual beer and wines and cocktails, but I can highly recommend the Summer Rum Punch. It’s light and dark rums, pineapple, amaretto, Cointreau, and lemonade is a very refreshing drink on either a hot or cold day. The Maraschino Mojito and the Smoky Mexican are other possibilities. All cocktails are £14 each. The manager Daniel recommended the Italian Pinot Grigio red RIFF to accompany our main courses, and the wine didn’t take away from the delicious flavours of the food. All is all it was an absolute delight.

    The restaurant is now in the space that used to be the61 Restaurant Steakhouse. It is a very clean, shiny and very opulent restaurant that can seat 110 people when it’s at it’s busiest. David recommends booking at least two weeks in advance if you want to eat here on the weekend – yes, it’s that popular! And he recommends the concept of sharing dishes, which is exactly what we did. You would be a fool not to because of the out of this world flavours of each dish you really want to taste and try as much as possible. And with very attentive service and friendly staff, you will have a delightful meal (don’t forget to have dessert!). Nirvana Kitchen is a little slice of Nirvana right in the heart of Central London.

    http://www.nirvanakitchenlondon.co.uk

    Email: reservation@nirvanakitchenlondon.co.uk
    Address: 61 Upper Berkeley Street, London W1H 7PP, United Kingdom
    Tube: Marble Arch
    Phone: +44 (0) 20 7958 3222

    Price Rating: ££££

    Opening Hours – Nirvana Kitchen:
    Mon-Sat
    Lunch 12:00 – 14:45
    Dinner 18:00 – 22:45 (last order)

    Opening Hours – Nirvana Bar
    Mon-Thur 12:00 – 23:00
    Fri- Sat 12:00 – 2:00 am
    Sun 12:00 – 23:00

  • Grindr is now owned by a Chinese gaming company

    Grindr has now been bought by a Chinese gaming company, meaning it is not under the LGBT ownership anymore.

    In 2016 Grindr’s founder Joel Simkhai announced that he had sold 60 percent of the dating app to the Chinese gaming firm Kunlun Tech Co. The remaining 40 percent has now been snapped up by the same firm in a deal thought to be worth $152 million.

    The initial purchase of just over 60 percent was thought to be worth $93 million.

    The app has over 3 million daily users.

     

     

  • Ariana Grande vows to return to Manchester to perform benefit concert

    Ariana Grande has told fans she will return and told her fans she will do what for them – whatever they need.

    Ariana Grande has broken her silence since her initial tweet after Monday night’s bombing of her concert in Manchester. Taking to Twitter she wrote to her 46 million fans that she was going to return to Manchester to perform a special fundraising concert for the victims of the suicide bombing.

    She said that although there was nothing she could do to take away the pain her fans were feeling, she would “extend her hand and heart” and give whatever she could possibly give should they need her help.

     

    In the letter to her fans she praised their diversity and beauty. She vowed not to be cowed by the attack and said that her fans should not let the action of the bomber divide them.

    Twenty-two people were killed after a blast ripped through Manchester Arena during the end of her concert on Monday night. Up to 21,000 fans were in attendance of the concert.

    At around 10:3o/33 PM as the singer, who was on a world tour had finished her concert and thousands of people were streaming out of the concert venue when a bomb was detonated.

    Witnesses say that the bomb went off outside the auditorium.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Northern Ballet’s The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – CAST Theatre and National Tour

    ★★★| Northern Ballet’s The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

    Based on the best-selling book, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of two boys; Bruno, the son of a concentration camp Commandant and Shmuel, a young Jewish prisoner; as they befriend each other from opposing sides of the barbed wire fence.

    Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas review

    Whilst a ballet based on the Holocaust may not seem an obvious choice, Northern Ballet’s production is well conceived. Utilising a muted colour palette alongside an original score which is laden in strings and piano to create a real sense of foreboding; the ballet is surprisingly well paced and despite its setting, manages to find some gentle and rather tender moments amongst the difficult subject matter, nowhere more evident than in the burgeoning friendship between the two boys.

    Never straying very far from the original source material of the children’s book, Daniel de Andrade’s choreography is straightforward and uncomplicated; conveying the narrative without fuss and providing a clearly defined demarcation between different characters and scenes, which ultimately leads to the production of a ballet which is readily accessible to the whole family.

    Matthew Koon impresses with his portrayal of Bruno, conveying the character’s innocence and bringing to his performance a child-like vivaciousness, which contrasts nicely with Filippo Di Vilo’s suitably understated portrayal of the hopelessness of Shmuel. However, it is Mlindi Kulashe’s performance as The Fury, which stands out; bringing a menacing presence and an incredible suppleness which comes across in his technically impressive performance.

    Given the setting of the story, the ballet has the potential to be divisive in terms of its appropriateness; but Northern Ballet have produced a rather simplistically presented piece which handles matters with sensitivity and respect, and brings with it a genuine emotional punch which is derived from its narrative and characterisations.

    The show had its world premiere at CAST in Doncaster (www.castindoncaster.com)  before commencing its national tour calling at Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond, Aylesbury, Stoke, Bromley. Leeds and Hull. Visit www.northernballet.com for further details.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Carluccio’s, Solihull

    Carluccio’s has debuted its first ‘new generation’ restaurant in the heart of Solihull, bringing its original and unrivalled modern Italian dining, deli and shop to the Mell Square development.

    Review of Carluccio's in Solihull
    © Mark Blackburn

    Last night, I took my friend to Carluccio’s, and together we had a wonderful evening. The environment was cosy, the staff were very friendly and caring, especially Nicole who served us. Nicole was very smiley, and was very genuine when catering for our needs – throwing in some cheeky recommendations for us to try. We were particularly glad of the Homebaked Focaccia suggestion with traditional Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£2.95) and the accompaniment of Rustica Marinated Olives (£2.95).

    We ordered a nice dry bottle of white Babylon Bianco (£21.95), which agreed with every dish we ordered. For starters, my guest ordered Crispy Calamari (£6.50) and the generosity of the dish was very appealing, enough for me to steal some bites. This dish I highly recommend, and will be ordering myself next time. I ordered Crab Macaroni (£6.95) for my first course, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. Though I appreciated the presentation of it, it was sort of ‘crab-less’. Having grown up in Portugal, I was spoiled for seafood. I wasn’t expecting a whole crab, of course, but I definitely wanted some fresh crab meat to go with the pasta. It was more like dry shavings tossed on top of the dish. It tasted fine, but for £6.95 I wanted some ocean essences. This is a new dish, so perhaps Carluccio’s should look at how the crab dimension is served in the next culinary draft.

    Mains wise, I chose Festoni with Smoked Salmon & Vodka (£12.50). This dish was the highlight for me. It had plenty of smoked salmon, which I love, and the Festoni pasta really worked for this dish, absorbing the wonderful cream & vodka sauce. Nicole grated some cheese for me which complemented it very well. My friend was not too impressed with his main. For just under £15, the Chicken Saltimbocca (£14.95) promises a palate adventure with 14-day aged prosciutto Gran Sasso with sage and a white wine sauce; served with roasted potatoes tossed in pesto and rocket. In part, the flavours from the potatoes and bird delivered, but the chicken was left with a tiny, speedo-sized prosciutto piece in the middle, leaving the rest of the chicken escalope bare. It was like the chicken was wearing a prosciutto loincloth. In fairness, when this was mentioned, the manageress offered to add more pieces or to choose some sides. That was a very professional and friendly way to deal with our disappointment.

    The desserts were Mandarin and Lemon sorbet, which were very refreshing and packed with fragrance and flavour, and I had the Cioccolato Fondente (£6.95), which Nicole raved enthusiastically about. For that price, you are expecting an amazing dessert, but it was just like any other you get from a tin. It wasn’t special enough in my eyes.

    The evening was finalised by a shot of Limoncello and Nicole doggy-bagged my wine, which was perfect! Overall, great atmosphere and flavours, but some concepts need rethinking and rebranding.

    ADDRESS: 159-161 High St, Solihull B91 3SS

    WEBSITE: www.carluccios.com/restaurants/solihull

    Price Rating: £££ (explained)

    Star Rating: ★★★ (explained)

     

     

     

  • Owen Jones “absolutely gloating” over Katie Hopkins LBC departure

    Owen Jones has confirmed that he is celebrating that LBC and Katie Hopkins have parted company.

    What does Owen Jones think about Katie Hopkins
    Owen Jones celebrates the departure of Katie Hopkins from radio station LBC

    Following the news that Katie Hopkins will no longer be on the presenting roster of radio station LBC, Owen Jones that has made it clear that he’s “absolutely gloating over Katie Hopkins’ sacking”.

    Katie Hopkins has not yet spoken about her removal from service and it has not been confirmed that Ms Hopkins has been fired or sacked.

    The move to remove Hopkins from the LBC schedule follows on from a boycott call from Guardian writer, Owen Jones, who suggested that guests who contribute to the station should withdraw their services until the station removed Hopkins from its roster of presenters.

    Following the suicide bombing in Manchester on Monday, Katie Hopkins sent a series of tweets from her Twitter account, after a number of terror-related incidents were reported after the fatal attack on Manchester Arena. In one tweet she questioned whether it was “Ramadan” and called upon “Western men” to “stand up, demand action” and not to carry on as normal.

    Taking to Twitter Mr Jones said, “we stood against hatred, and, this time, we won”.

    He added that no one should try and say that the departure of Ms Hopkins should be seen as an “attack on free speech” as Ms Hopkins could “keep freely spouting her hatred, and tragically will”,

     

     

     

     

  • Katie Hopkins leaves LBC with immediate effect

    Katie Hopkins and the radio station LBC have parted company.

    LBC and Katie Hopkins part ways
    LBC and Katie Hopkins part ways. The departure was announced by LBC via Twitter

    “Effective Immediately” reads a Tweet from LBC’s official account as the station announces that controversial host, Katie Hopkins will no longer work for the station.

    The move follows on from a boycott call from Guardian writer, Owen Jones, who suggested that guests who contribute to the station should withdraw their services until the station removed Hopkins from its roster of presenters.

    Following the suicide bombing in Manchester on Monday, Katie Hopkins sent a series of tweets from her Twitter account, after a number of terror-related incidents were reported after the fatal attack on Manchester Arena. In one tweet she questioned whether it was “Ramadan” yet and called upon “Western men” to “stand up, demand action” and not to carry on as normal.

    She went on to say that she accepted the criticism levelled against her and called her critics “eunuchs”. She tweeted,

    “This is your response to slaughter 1) attack hopkins 2) say you stand united 3) celebrate diversity”

    Taking to Twitter Mr Jones said, “we stood against hatred, and, this time, we won”.

    He added that no one should try and say that the departure of Ms Hopkins should be seen as an “attack on free speech” as Ms Hopkins could “can keep freely spouting her hatred, and tragically will”,

     

    Ms Hopkins has not responded and THEGAYUK reached out to her for comment.

     

  • Boy George calls for bomb making instructions to be removed from internet

    Boy George has called for the removal of bomb-making instructions to be razed from the internet following Monday night’s catastrophic suicide attack in Manchester.

    Singer Boy George has called for “zero tolerance” at entry level and the removal of bomb making info from the internet. His calls come after 22 people were killed and over 100 injured at an Ariana Grande concert on Monday night in Manchester.

    He said,

    ‘Time to remove bomb making info from the internet and time for zero tolerance at every level’

    His fans were quick to reply – leaving the star besieged with responses. He answered with a simple,

    ‘I love you and that’s all you need to know!’

    Meanwhile, Ariana Grande has returned to the US and has suspended the rest of her European dates with her promoters saying,

    “We ask at this time that we all continue to support the city of Manchester and all those families affected by this cowardice and senseless violence. Our way of life has once again been threatened but we will overcome this together. Thank you.”

    She had been scheduled to perform two dates at the London o2, but these were cancelled. Many fans pleaded with the venue to cancel the shows so that Ariana would have time to “heal” and not feel obliqued to sing for them.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Gay Sporting Icon and Olympic Gold Medallist Honoured With Blue Plaque

    Gay Sporting Icon and Olympic Gold Medallist Honoured With Blue Plaque

    One man’s determination to revive the reputation of a gay sporting icon and Olympic gold medallist has paid off with the news that the forgotten hero is to be honoured by a prestigious Blue Plaque.

    In 1976, Birmingham-born John Curry made figure skating history at the Winter Olympics taking home two gold medals for team GB and becoming a sporting hero, winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But in the years that followed, Curry slowly slipped out of the public consciousness after he was famously ‘outed’ in the German tabloid press, and his untimely death in 1994 left a generation completely unaware of his achievements.

    Actor and writer Tony Timberlake embarked on a personal journey to change this, first through his one-man show, Looking for John, which premiered at Birmingham Repertory Theatre last November and secondly by nominating John Curry, with the support of The REP Theatre to be honoured with a Blue Plaque in his home city.

    The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Carl Rice and John Curry’s brother, Andrew, unveiled the Blue Plaque, awarded by Birmingham Civic Society, in honour of John’s achievements on Monday, May 15th. John grew up in Acocks Green, Birmingham and the plaque will feature on the house where he was born at 946 Warwick Road, now Arden Lodge Residential Home.

    Tony Timberlake said.

    “Getting recognition for John Curry has been a labour of love. Watching him win Olympic gold forty years ago had a huge impact on me as a youngster and it’s never left me. My play Looking for John made me think about John’s legacy – how he changed the world of figure skating and how he never denied who he was in his personal life. I felt he deserved to be remembered and celebrated again in the city where he was born and then died. I’m thrilled that John Curry will be celebrated once more and remembered forever in this way.”

    John Curry OBE (1949 – 1994) was a world champion ice skater and gold medal winner at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. He was born in Acocks Green and first learnt to skate at Solihull Ice Rink.

    Gavin Orton, Chairman of Birmingham Civic Society said,

    “Towards the end of last year the Society received a nomination from Tony Timberlake and the Birmingham Rep for a Blue Plaque to John Curry.  The REP were about to premiere a play, Looking for John, directed by Tessa Walker, an Associate Director at The REP, and written and performed by the actor, Tony Timberlake. This nomination was supported by the Lord Mayor and we are delighted to be honouring John’s achievements today.”

    The Birmingham Civic Society has been responsible for erecting Blue Plaques in the city since 1953 and there are currently over 80 around the city.  The society receives several nominations every year and there’s currently a waiting list of over 20 years. To be honoured with a Blue Plaque, a person must have been born, lived or worked in the city and have achieved greatness, by, for example, making a significant contribution to their community or by excelling in their career.

    Tony Timberlake’s play – Looking for John will be at The Assembly, Edinburgh as part of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe from 3 – 20 August 2017.

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