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THIS IS HORSE SH*T, LGBT activists disrupt plush housing awards

The Sexual Avengers strike again. This time a plush, £3000 per table, Property awards ceremony in central London.

LGBT+ activists dumped manure and cockroaches in front of a swanky London hotel yesterday. It was hosting the Annual Property Awards, an event which costs up to £3030 per table and hosts the who’s who of the property and housing industry. The campaigners say that the awards celebrate, “an industry which leaves queer youth homeless on the streets of London”.

The pressure group, the Sexual Avengers, were campaigning for more “genuinely affordable homes”, the scrapping of ‘right to buy’ which they say breaks up the social housing system, and the provision of LGBT+ homeless support service.

Guests arriving at the Grosvenor House hotel, for the £330 per ticket event, were met with manure and cockroaches, dumped by the activists on the doorstep of the building, forcing hotel staff to clean up the mess. The guests were ushered into the event via the backdoor.

Sexual Avenger Stacey Jones said,

“My partner died of cancer last April, and they wanted to kick me out in May. They couldn’t understand how I could be in a relationship with a woman when I had a child. I’d just lost my partner and had to sit there and justify my sexuality. Why did I deserve the house where we lived, where I cared for her and where she died?

“Property developers need to build for need not greed. I’ve been homeless twice, and I’d be on the streets now if it wasn’t for Stonewall. The number of empty properties and the number of people on the streets –it’s madness.”

According to the latest stats, one in four people currently living on the streets identifies as LGBT+. Speaking in 2016, Tim Sigsworth MBE, Chief Executive of the Albert Kennedy Trust, which said,

“Homeless LGBT young people are one of the most disenfranchised and marginalised groups within the UK. 4,800 young LGBT people in the UK are currently homeless or living in hostile environments – that’s 24% of the youth homeless population in this country.”

Sexual Avenger Dina Fox said,

“I am a mentally ill, disabled transgender woman in my early 20s. I am nominally a student but I’m currently taking a break from my studies due to my ongoing mental health problems.

I normally only rent in London during the academic year and return home to the countryside for the summer. However, I have been depending on social and mental support from LGBT charities and services based in central London and could not expect any such support back home. In addition, the community where I grew up is far more socially conservative than London and it would be very unlikely that I’d be able to transition or live openly there.

I am trying to secure new housing as I will not be able to afford my current rent for long, since my student finance money has been stopped with the interruption of my studies. I am receiving help from Stonewall Housing to apply for supported housing for vulnerable people and I have been told I will be able to pay for this with housing benefit. While I am currently optimistic, I am keenly aware of how fragile my present situation is, and also of how a person in my position who might have additional barriers in accessing these organisations would really struggle.

If I fail to get housing in the next couple of months I face a choice of being homeless in an environment where I receive appropriate support and healthcare, or moving back home where I would likely face a serious further deterioration of my condition. Until I experienced it for myself I had never understood how easily a person can slip through what I imagined to be our social safety net.”

5th April 2017
6 things you probably didn’t know about Joe Gill

He’s become a household name thanks to his role on ITV’s Emmerdale, but what do we really know about Joe Gill, who plays the openly gay character, Finn Barton in the soap.

Is Joe Gill gay?

Joe Gill identifies as straight, but he knew that the character of Finn Barton was gay before he auditioned for the part. Speaking in an interview he revealed that he enjoyed playing a gay character because it helps him understand, learn and see things from other points of view. He said, “I think it’s been really good for me to play a character that’s far removed from myself. It means that I get to see things from someone else’s point of view, and learn and understand things that maybe I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t played Finn”.

How old is Joe Gill?

Joe was born in 1994. His birthday is the 12th February, which makes him an Aquarius. He was born, Joseph Peter Gill.

Where was Joe Gill born?

Joe was born in Manchester, UK in 1994.

What is Joe Gill’s net worth?

There is no current information on how much Joe Gill is worth.

What was Joe Gills first acting job?

Joe’s first ever TV job was on the BBC’s Casualty. He moved over to ITV shortly after to become the character, Finn Barton, on the soap Emmerdale in 2013. He’s been in the soap ever since. He’s appeared in over 390 episodes at the time of publish.

Has Joe Gill many hobbies?

Judging by his Twitter feed, Joe Gill is an avid fan of football and he supports Manchester United.

4th April 2017
Welsh Government announces a new HPV vaccination for gay and bisexual men

The Welsh Government has announced that an HPV vaccination will be made available for all gay and bisexual men.

An HPV vaccination which could offer protection against certain types of cancers will be offered to gay and bisexual men in Wales. The campaign was rolled out from April 1st.

It is currently being offered to men, up to the age of 45, who attend sexual health clinics. The decision follows a recommendation by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Commenting on the move, Welsh Lib Dem Equalities Spokesperson, Cadan ap Tomos, said,

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats welcome this announcement as a step towards protecting men who have sex with men against certain cancers. The HPV vaccine is proven to be effective in reducing these risks and should be welcomed.

“However, while this is a step in the right direction, we want to see the programme go further. All boys aged 14 in Wales should be vaccinated on the same basis as their female peers to ensure the maximum protection, and make sure that gay and bisexual men aren’t at a discriminatory risk of developing these cancers later on in life.”

What Is HPV?

HPV is the name for a group of viruses that affect the skin and moist membranes lining the body such as the cervix, anus, mouth and throat. HPV infections are highly contagious when transmitted sexually.

Some strains of the HPV virus can cause genital warts, and cancers of the anus, penis, mouth and throat. In some cases, it can also cause head and neck cancer.

4th April 2017
Luxembourg’s Prime Minster was told to pretend partner was “assistant” in anti-gay country

Luxembourg’s Prime Minster, Xavier Bettel has spoken about how it was suggested that he should describe his boyfriend at the time as an “assistant” on an official trip to an unnamed country.

Speaking at this year’s Economist Pride Event, Pride and Prejudice, the world’s only and first openly gay world leader, Xavier Bettel, explained how it was suggested, by another country’s government officials, that his boyfriend, now husband, should be described as an assistant rather than his partner. Mr Bettel was on an official political visit to the unnamed country, although he wasn’t Prime Minister at the time.

Mr Bettel was on an official political visit to the unnamed country, although he wasn’t Prime Minister at the time.

Speaking about the incident, he said,

“I was an MP and had a meeting in the country and my partner, he is my husband now, but was my partner at the time, was joining me, I wrote on the paper, a form, that I would be joined by my partner.

“They asked me, ‘Are you sure?’, and I said ‘Yes, I’m sure!’.

“They said, ‘can’t you write that he’s your assistant and not your partner, so he’s your political assistant’, I said, ‘I prefer the reputation to be gay than have sexual relaitons with all my staff!’”

The Luxembourg Prime Minister also said that he was sometimes invited for official visits to other countries, only to be told that it would be too dangerous to come because of his sexuality. One such country’s officials asked that he not to mention the fact that he was gay, to which Xavier said he would purposely bring up and speak out about homosexuality. The invitation was swiftly removed.

4th April 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | The Full Monty – National Tour

★★★ | The Full Monty – National Tour

In this tale set in Sheffield, a group of ex-steelworkers with seemingly very little in common, other than their unemployment, band together in a get rich quick scheme, whereby they plan to rival The Chippendales by becoming strippers and giving the audience a little something extra – by going all the way. Gary, needs money as he is on the cusp of losing contact with his son, overweight Dave has a big body image problem, Horse has a rather (ahem) “small” problem and Lomper has his own secret hidden in his closet. But despite their unlikely sex symbol status, the whole community waits to see whether they really will go ahead with their scheme and whether they will go “the full monty”.

Not to be confused with the musical version of The Full Monty, which was produced in 2000, this version is a relatively straight play, which does away with thin plot and thinner characterisations to simply link musical numbers; and instead provides a play with heart, rounded characters, a genuinely funny script and, of course, the ending that the audience were waiting for.

Even overlooking the rather dubious Sheffield accents (you can’t fool the home crowd, you know), the production felt a little shouty at times; and the cast were broadly functional as an ensemble but never really excelled. That said, what Gary Lucy (“Eastenders”) lacked in performance, he made up for in the eye candy stakes; and Anthony Lewis gave a suitably downbeat performance as the depressed Lomper, especially during his coming out scene. But standing out from the crowd was Chris Fountain (“Hollyoaks”, “Dancing on Ice”) who really lit up the stage and outshone the rest of the cast, with a performance bursting with enthusiasm, confidence and a level of sexiness which was hotter than a steelworks smelting pot.

The show is written by Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the original story and received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for the film. The story of the play very closely mirrors that of the film itself, with all of the key plot points, pivotal scenes and music being extrapolated, and despite the running time of the play being approximately 40 minutes longer than the film; it generally doesn’t feel too padded out. What does come across much more in this production is the political and social commentary hidden beneath the comedy and narrative; and there is a real balance between the humour, sadness and optimism portrayed. Despite the characters initial differences, there is a genuine feeling of friendship which permeates the play, accompanied by a strong sense of family, loyalty and acceptance.

Overall, the show remains a feel good, funny and enjoyable show, and the whoops of delight by the time the curtain (and the undergarments) fell proved it was a real crowd pleaser.

The Full Monty is rounding off its current tour in the theatre where it had its world premiere, so don’t miss your last chance to catch up with the boys for a while. The Full Monty is playing at Sheffield Theatres until the 15^th April 2017. For information and to purchase tickets visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk .

4th April 2017
6 things you probably didn’t know about Ryan Hawley

Ryan Hawley is the actor behind the Emmerdale character Robert Sugden, but what do we really know about the actor?

(C) ITV

Is Ryan Hawley gay?

Ryan Hawley doesn’t identify as gay, despite the fact that his character in the soap is gay. According to sources, Ryan is known as a “private” person and doesn’t have social media accounts, like Twitter. However, he is apparently married to Daisy, who works with Ryan and his entertainment company R A H Entertainment.

Where was Ryan Hawley born?

Ryan was born in Dubai in 1985, which makes him 31 in 2017. He moved to Sheffield to finish his schooling and went to Central School of Speech and Drama in London to study acting. He left CSSD when he was 21. He was born September, 21st making him a Virgo.

What was Ryan’s first acting job?

Before Ryan was in Emmerdale he starred in a number of films and television shows including a series called Titanic. His first job was a part in the TV show Life is Wild which was released in 2007. When he got the part in Emmerdale he kept the news secret from his family for six weeks because he didn’t want to jinx it. He is the fourth actor to play the role of Robert Sugden in the soap.

How tall is Ryan Hawley?

Ryan is six foot tall.

What is Ryan Hawley’s net worth?

There are no known stats for how much Ryan Hawley is worth. However a company in his name, R A H Entertainment Limited has total assets worth £50,000.

Is Ryan Hawley married?

Ryan Hawley is married to a woman called Daisy who works with him.

3rd April 2017
Gay men “round up” in Chechnya, three reportedly killed

More than 100 men, suspected of being gay, have been allegedly rounded up and subjected to torture in Chechnya.

According to a Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, dozens of men, suspected of being gay, have disappeared in the Muslim-majority Russian Republic of Chechnya. Three have reportedly been murdered.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, said, that the report was “lies and disinformation” and claimed that gay people did not “exist in the republic”. The report was even dismissed as a sick April Fool’s joke, by the region’s interior ministry.

The Republic is known for being very conservative and has a Sunni Muslim majority population. LGBT people who come out are often shunned by their families. Chechnya is formally part of Russia, but functions ostensibly, as an independent state, taking many of Russia’s laws as its own, including Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law, which it passed in 2013.

Amongst the missing are two television reporters and at least one religious leader.

The men had been detained in “connection with their nontraditional sexual orientation, or suspicion of such,” Novaya Gazeta reported.

According to The Independent Tatyana Lokshina of the Human Rights Watch in Moscow said,

“It’s a vicious attack against LGBT people. It’s happened for several weeks under order of leadership,”

She revealed that many of the men had been tortured and humiliated. She said that there had been reports that three had been killed.

3rd April 2017
What’s it like to go to a gay sauna for the first time?

What’s it like to go to a sauna for the first time?

Well, it’s quite liberating if l am honest. Admittedly this wasn’t a sauna in the UK. It was one we found on a trip to Milan, Italy and Il have only every tried it the once.

If what had gone on was an indication of what Brexit would be to the UK then I can tell you we would have got f*cked by the Italians, fingered by the French and the British would have stood around talking.

However, at the time of the event, there was no such talk of Brexit.

During the evening I had done wonders for Britain in the EU. Let me explain. It’s quite daunting at first. I am/was at the time still quite naive.

It was the year 2000. I had only been out for about 4 years and was on a little paid for jolly by a well known UK pizza company with an ex-boyfriend and good friend, his partner and a friend who you could quite easily smother with a pillow because he made all sorts of random noises at night time.

Having spent the day at Alfa Romeo (I write about cars, give me a break) and lusting madly after the Alfasud, we headed to a sauna in the evening. You would think that the language barrier would have been difficult for a Brit who could order a Big Mac and fries in French and nothing in Italian. Well, think again.

The language of sex is simple. Point, pull and force. You point to the person within the area you are in. You pull them to a private room and you force them onto your cock. In this case, the young Italian man had the upper hand. He was cute, we spoke not one word of understandable language and we had sex.

He waved his erect penis at me in the private room that was no more than a toilet cubicle with a medical type examination couch in and we did the deed, hooded for safety. Later that evening I caught up with the Brits. In this case, the ex in the hot tub. He had suggested we start something off to get it rolling. I then stopped him to say I had already been involved in something. So off to the steam room we head.

A French man is standing nearby. His English isn’t too bad. In fact, it’s quite good, better English that any I have heard on the Jeremy Kyle show.

“I like to finger” in any accent is pretty much the same. Outside the steam room, he fingers and all of a sudden a strapping Italian man lifts up his towel and pushes my mouth over his hard cock.

I reciprocate and perform oral sex on the man of no name. The event comes to an end and we all go our separate ways home.

England, France and Italy. It was an event as you can see I still have fond memories 17 years later. I am yet to step into one again. I think it would be quite hard to match this. I did try a men-only club in London recently, however, it just wasn’t the same. I am (we hope) taking the Fiat X1/9 to Italy in October and passing through Turin.

Who knows but I’d quite like to revisit a foreign sauna again.

2nd April 2017
FILM REVIEW | My Straight Son

★★★★ | My Straight Son

Diego a successful fashion photographer in Caracas has commitment phobia but the very night he is about to tell Fabrizio his Doctor boyfriend that he will move in with him after all, is the same night that Fabrizio is the victim of a vicious fatal gay bashing. It is also the same night that Armando, his estranged teenage son, turns up from Spain to stay with him for a few months whilst his mother goes to London to study for a Masters degree.

This very melodramatic first 24 hours sets the tone for a hectic story packed full of characters that deliberately sets out to tug at your heartstrings for the next two hours. Father and son are like strangers and must learn how to adapt to each other. Armando to the unknown homosexual world of a father grieving for his partner that he had never met, and Diego to the closed attitude of his adolescent son.

Added to the mix are both Diego’s own parents and Fabrizio’s too who are completely homophobic and are obsessed with watching Venezuela’s most popular TV Chat Show with its buxom bigoted host who loves to stir up fear of the unknown with her inflammatory remarks. Plus Diego’s female assistant/friend that keeps going back to her abusive boyfriend who beats her up most days, and the penniless transsexual choreographer who has to subsidise her modern dance troupe by still doing her lip-syncing drag act at a gay club at night to pay the rent. Between them all director/writer Miguel Ferrari insures that he covers the whole gamut of social issues from gay parenting and partners rights to gender identity.

Despite its (too) many layers and all its plot complications there is something very compelling about the unraveling of the relationship between the father and son that ensures our investment in watching to the end to see how its all going to turn out. Maybe it’s the sonorous tones of the orchestra’s lush string section that pervades the dramatic soundtrack, or just seeing a cute nervous Armando mastering the art of the Tango so that he can win the heart of his new Internet girlfriend?

It’s sweet and funny and immensely moving with some very fine performances from this handsome and talented cast, plus there is more than a hint of Almodovar about the whole thing. The movie has been wowing audiences already and in Spain it won the Best Foreign Picture Goya (their Oscars) when it still had the original and much better title of ‘Azul y No Tan Rosa’ which literally translates into ‘Blue, and Not So Pink’, and it should do just as well as here even with its newer clumsier title.

Highly recommended.

2nd April 2017
THEATRE | Adam & Eve and Steve

What is Adam & Eve and Steve about?

Adam & Eve… and Steve is a brand new five-star musical farce set in a newly created paradise, the Garden of Eden. The basis of every love story, every romantic ballad, and every sentimental poem ever written is man meets woman, they disagree, they resolve their differences, they fall in love. But…..

Adam & Eve… and Steve is the story of the first couple up to a point…everything in the Garden is going according to God’s plan until the pesky Beelzebub adds the hunky Steve into the mix. Fun, mischief and mayhem ensues as Adam & Eve compete for Steve’s affections and God tries to impose some order on the chaotic love tangle that ensues.

Adam & Eve…and Steve won Best New Musical at the Hollywood Fringe 2015 and comes to London after a highly acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Dale Adams (Steve) trained at the Arts Ed, London. His stage appearances include Prince Charming in Cinderella and Frankie Valli in Oh What a Night! He has also appeared at Glyndebourne and was in the ensemble for the Olivier Awards.

Michael Christopher (God) played Sir Thomas Moore in Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons and Monk Tetzel in John Osborne’s Luther.

Hayley Hampson (Eve) trained at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and her credits include: Blue Girl in Shout! The Mod Musical; Faryl in Golden Oldies; Daisy in Pharaoh Cross the Mersey; and Sophie in Departure Lounge.

Stephen McGlynn (Beelzebub) has appeared in the West End in Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia (original cast), Les Miserables, Witches of Eastwick, and State Fair. He has also appeared in Romeo and Juliet, It’s A Wonderful Life, Hairspray, Macbeth, Beauty and the Beast and Evita.

Joseph Robinson (Adam) trained at The Guildford School of Acting and this is his professional debut.

Adam and Eve… and Steve is directed and choreographed by Francesca Goodridge. Francesca Trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. She has worked as an actor, singer and director. Her directing credits include Shout! The Mod Musical at LIPA, Edinburgh Festival and Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.

The book and lyrics are by Chandler Warren, a noted US entertainment lawyer, producer and writer. Warren has written extensively for television and theatre, as well as penning numerous books and articles. He has also produced movies, for television and theatre productions, both on and off Broadway.

The original music is composed by Wayne Moore, whose previous original works include; There’s No Place Like Hollywood (Stella Adler Theatre), Freeway Dreams (The Gardenia), I Know I Came In Here For Something and The Real Desperate Housewives (Taconic Playhouse, New York).

Musical direction is by Dean Austin, whose extensive credits include Allegro at Southwark Playhouse, Zorro at the Garrick, as well as TV appearances on Jonathan Ross, Royal Variety Show and Paul O’Grady. Set and Costume designer is Roberta McKeown, whose credits include Shout! The Mod Musical. Roberta was Wardrobe Assistant for the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and the UK tour of Jeeves and Wooster and for Disney’s The Lion King.

Lighting is by Richard Williamson, production manager for C Venues at the Edinburgh Festival; his many credits include Easter Rising at the Jermyn, Richard lll at Stratford, and Play Size at Young Vic. Sound Design is by Django Holder who graduated from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Sound Technology. This is his professional debut.

The King’s Head Theatre is London’s first and foremost pub theatre and is led by Artistic Director, Adam Spreadbury-Maher. New writing, revivals, musicals, opera, cabaret and queer work sit side by side in an unashamedly eclectic programme of work. Thanks to an in-house agreement with Equity, we’re leading the way when it comes to ethical employment on the fringe whilst our resident trainee director’s scheme continues to provide comprehensive, vocational training to the rising stars of tomorrow. With high profile co-productions, national touring and transfers to and from the biggest arts festivals in the world, we’re certainly not slowing down!

What theatre is Adam & Eve and Steve on?

Venue: King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, London, N1 1QN

What dates does Adam & Eve and Steve run?

Tuesday 21^st March – Saturday 29^th April 2017

Times: Tuesday – Friday @ 8.40pm: Saturday @ 3pm & 8.40pm: Sunday @ 5pm

2nd April 2017
FILM REVIEW | The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz

★★★★★ | The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz

This is the story of a charming and selfless information prodigy that strived to use his talent to make this a freer and better world for which he ended up paying for with his life.

Aaron Swartz was born in Chicago, the middle son, of successful middle-class Jewish parents. Inquisitive from birth, he taught himself to read by the age of three and by the time he reached High School he despaired of his teachers who he complained taught him less than he could read up in an hour. At 13 he won a competition for young people who created non-commercial websites for which the prize included a trip to M.I.T. From then on, there was no looking back for him.

From there the young genius played a major part in the development of the basic Internet protocol RSS and also co-founded Reddit which became the most popular social news website in the world. His work brought fame in the online communities and also wealth (when Reddit was sold) but this affable young man couldn’t have been less interested in either. What did excite him was social justice and political organising that focused on working to free up inaccessible information online that he believed belonged in the public domain and should be available to all without charge. It was what would prove to be his undoing in time.

Without Swartz’s involvement it is most unlikely that the Stop Online Piracy Act would have been defeated in Congress, but when he set about copying almost 5 million academic articles from JSTOR (Journal Storage) Database at M.I.T. events did not go his way. Swartz maintained that as these articles had been financed from public funds they should be freely available. When he was caught, JSTOR chose not press any charges but the Federal Government did and very aggressively pursued Swartz and indicted him with a total of 13 felonies. To its shame, M.I.T. just stood on sidelines and did nothing.

The beauty of Brian Knappenberger’s rather wonderful documentary of this extraordinary young man is that he makes a concerted effort to show not only why the online community was in awe of his seemingly unlimited talent, but by including his very supportive and proud family and friends, he showed what an exceptionally nice person Swartz was too. This very unassuming man was magnanimous and both reserved and quiet but he seemed to blossom as more people called on him to help. He was a passionate thinker who used the same logical approach he employed when programming also in how tackled any social injustice he came across.

Why he took his own life is never really explained in the movie, but what is very clear from listening to all the evidence is that was a wasted life cut short. However his memory just doesn’t live on with his loved ones, and with the online community who are in awe of all his inventions and achievements. In 2013, a Bill was introduced to finally reform the ambiguous and outdated Anti-Hacking Law that the Government used so mercilessly against him. The Bill is called Aaron’s Law, as well it should be.

Unmissable.

Available on Netflix

1st April 2017