In the olden days (I’m talking about G-A-Y at the Astoria), when I used to go out as an excitable newbie gay and was able to wear stomach revealing tees, Pop music was my haven.
Pop music of the late 90s and early 2000s seemed to know my man loving ways and was only to happy to deliver thumping after thumping hit for me to perform my little camp heart out on the sticky floors of that old, fondly missed haunt.
1) Geri Halliwell, the official gift to gay men delivered ‘Lift Me Up’ / ‘Look At Me’ / ‘Bag It Up’. No list of coming out songs is complete without one Ginger song and she’s given us at least 3. Geri’s debut solo album Schizo-Phonic offered up a plethora of camptastic tunes. I still put on ‘Bag It Up’ from time to time and it still makes me jig. Yes, I said ‘jig’ and I’m owning it.
2) ‘Get This Party Started’, When Pink slammed onto the scene with this song it almost became a homo chant. “I’m coming out, so you better get this party started’. Its place in the annals of gay culture was cemented when the Dame of Bassey made her almost definitive version of the classic for that M&S advert.
3) ‘One Day In Your Life’, at the height of Anastacia’s greatness the ab’d goddess with the huge voice was churning out stompers like nobody’s business. ‘One Day In Your Life’ has such a seriously strong chorus that it has become one of my all-time club classics.
4) ‘I Am What I Am’, The Dame of Bassey (Shirley Bassey). Ok, this isn’t one that featured much in the clubs – but sexuality affirmed men (and some who are yet to discover their true selves) with feather boas across the nation kick out their legs in unison whenever this track is played. It is against the law not to do some kind of jazz hand whilst this is playing – fact.
5) ‘Can’t Take That Away’, just before the true madness of Mariah Carey was unleashed upon the world, the stratospheric octaved diva delivered probably her most camp, dramatic and butterfly filled song ever – with a ‘love and respect’ yourself theme, what self-respecting gay can’t listen to this with a tear in his eye and a knowing in his heart?
6) Britney was on fire (and had a full head of hair) at the beginning of the noughties and ‘Stronger’ was a killer track. Pre ‘Madonna kiss’ post ‘I’m a naughty school girl’ – Brit knew the way forward was her gays.
7) ‘It’s Raining Men’ is a track, which just needs to feature on this list. It’s a floor filler. Geri’s is okay, but you can’t beat the original Weather Girls’ version, it only counts if you clap in the right place – those who miss the double clap HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME.
8) Remember Holly Valance, that Neighbours’ star turned pop princess? Vaguely? Well, she burst onto the scene with a seriously sexy number ‘Kiss Kiss’, which I remember making an impact – in my bedroom, but that’s not for here!
9) ‘Beautiful’, by XTina featured a rather hot gay couple in the video – which gets my vote and the song, has a gooey, lovey vibe, which makes me feel my most beautiful.
10) ‘I’m Coming Out’, Diana Ross sang this song either with full knowledge of the gay anthem she was about to create or in complete naivety. It features one of the longest introductions in the world, but lyrically this song has to come in at number 1. It says what it does on the tin (if it had a tin).
I grew up in suburban Brisbane, I didn’t really realise I was gay until I was 18 and in Sydney. I guess I remember having posters of the Spice Girls and having a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio, but I didn’t really attribute it to being gay because schoolyard slagging, like poofta and faggot seemed like something negative with those things, and I didn’t feel negative about who I was. So I never really attributed being gay to who I was, until Sydney.
My friends took me to Stonewall, which is a bar in Sydney, and I just remember like being, “hang on, all of these people are gay, this newspaper, this is a gay newspaper!” I just remember that very first night, it all just made sense, and I was like: Oh I get it! That night I had my first kiss and went home with my first boy all on one night – and they were two separate people!
My Mum and Dad came to Sydney and we were having dinner and I was talking about friends who were drag queens and boys with strange names like ‘Girl Craig’ and I remember my Mum asking, whether if one of them was my “special friend…” there was that awkward moment at the table, and Dad was like, “I’m going to get a drink…” and we all sort of stood up and left the table.
The next day we didn’t talk about it again. I remember calling my friend and like crying in the bathroom not knowing what to do and going to my friend’s house. I remember a time, struggling coming out to my parents and my own gender identity, I didn’t know whether I wanted to be the archetype ‘gay underwear model’ or be a woman because I was doing drag and I had a lot of people telling me that because I was so pretty I should take hormones and live as a woman and I know I felt very confused about everything. The next day, at the only job I’ve ever had in my life, like a ‘real’ job, I was working at an internet café and I went home for lunch, I guess I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I sat there eating lunch at home drinking a bottle of wine, watching Touched By An Angel on television, I just remember like crying, I guess it was inspired by Touched By An Angel, but the cry went much deeper than that. I remember it was just like howling. I sent Mum a text, this is the year 2000, so the advent of text was a new thing, and I texted I AM GAY. She wrote back, ‘That’s nice dear see you at dinner!’
So that night at dinner my Dad said that he had lived with 6 drag queens back in the 70s, I asked him to stop there; I felt that one revelation was enough for the night.
Jamie came out via a tabloid newspaper after appearing in Britain’s Got Talent
I was already out as a person. I wasn’t a sort of person who was in the closet. I’ve been out for years. I never really came out. I was just me. The reason I felt like I had to do it was because I thought Dan (Wootton) would handle this perfectly.
I think The Sun was brilliant about it. I knew they would do a good story, so I thought they were the ones to go with. Let me tell you the issues I have. I think it’s very brave for people to come out via YouTube, but I do dream of a world where that isn’t necessary anymore.
The reason I did choose The Sun, I made them have the headline: My Parents Always Knew rather than Jamie From Collabro Comes Out, because I wasn’t coming out. I’m perfectly happy with myself and I always have been. I think the stars that do it on YouTube are very brave and I give all credit to them, but I do dream of a world where we don’t have to do that anymore.
Danyl Johnson was seemingly outted on national TV by a judge on the X Factor
I went down to Dannii’s (Minogue) dressing room the next day, no one was there. She was a bit upset, and I said, “What’s the matter? Are you okay?” She apologised to me. She was reading stuff on Twitter and someone tweeted, “Every time you out a fairy, another fairy dies.”
That stays in my mind and why Dannii was upset. It was like my life was the weirdest thing.
A couple of months beforehand, I’m in a classroom teaching kids, then one moment I’m standing in Dannii’s dressing room watching her reading messages on Twitter. It was the most surreal moment ever. It was never intentional. It was taken completely the wrong way.
I didn’t really take it to heart. I don’t think it’s the same story in her book, but oh well…
Was first married to a woman and so was his husband… They fell in love
It really is, and you know, what’s so wonderful about the entire experience is that we both grew up around the same time frames in, you know, the seventies and eighties, where in the US, it was very much so, you lived a closeted life. There were no gay people, and if you were, you were just kind of like in the closet. It just wasn’t very accepted, especially in the small towns that we grew up in. Both of us really essentially married our high-school sweethearts, and then tortured, we were tortured. Ended up realising in time that this obviously wasn’t fair to ourselves, but certainly not to our wives.
So really we were both sitting and dreaming of this life that we wanted to have, like we had with our ex-wives, with a home and the kids, but with a man. It was time to be honest with ourselves. I prayed for this Prince Charming, and there he was silently praying for the same thing, and there we were. Now it’s ironic how many similar situations we’ve had growing up, but it’s nice to have some similarities there that we really were both dreaming of the same thing.
Coming from a very religious background has helped Jamal create powerful art which challenges homophobia.
Religion told me I was a sinner, an abomination. I was told by people in my school that I was going to go to hell. I used to pray to God to pray the gay away. But as I grew older, I was able to balance myself and my religion. I believe in the concept of a god, but I am of the view that I can believe in God; but because my race is so important to me I find it hard to believe in the bible, primarily because of the history of colonialism and the use of the bible in that process. When I look at the link between colonialism and the Bible, it is not something that I want to embrace or accept.
My black heritage and my identity as a black man is something that is more important to me than my sexuality is; and the way in which the bible was used during that period of time was wholly unacceptable. For me, it remains a symbol of repression in many ways. It was used to repress the black community many years ago and, in my experiences as a younger person, it was used to repress my sexuality – but despite that, it doesn’t prevent me from embracing the idea of a higher power.
Well I enlisted under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, so I was open in my personal life, but when I joined the military I was advised to go back into the closet and I did. This was going to be a career that I was embarking on and I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my hard work and my commitment. With Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, if the wrong person found out that you were gay, or suspected you of being homosexual, they could present that to the chain of command and there would be an investigation that would take place. You could be discharged from the military simply for being homosexual.
So imagine that not everyone is comfortable with homosexuality. I was completely in the closet for the first two years and it was very challenging because I would be in class or in the hall and I would hear conversations that would take place. All these people were from all over the United States, from all walks of life, brought together with a common goal, but they still have their opinions.
It was a thing in my head, I knew always really. So I didn’t think twice, that was just the way it was. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, what’s the biggie?
Not all small-town America coming out stories are tragic
My parents are like my best friends. They have been so supportive and are so amazing. That was the great thing about it, is people assume. They say, “Well, growing up in this small Oklahoma town, with this masculine football coach as your dad, he must have pressured you to play football.” Then, “Honey, he took me out on a football field once and threw the ball at me and I’m playing with my hair and just completely missed the ball.
I was kind of half out at school, you know, a few of my friends knew. I spoke to them at quite a young age, probably about 14 or so. It got leaked. One of my friends wasn’t too tactful, I’m afraid. I decided to deal with it head on and not just deny it and admit it because I knew one day that I would just have to admit it again anyway. That certainly put me off speaking to my parents about it or anything like that because teenagers and kids, you know, they can be nasty, whatever it is. Had a bit of trouble at school and suffered quite a bit of bullying for a long period of time. I guess for about a year, it was just non-stop. It meant I spent a lot of time on my own and kind of hiding from people but I stand by it now. I don’t hold anything against anybody. Everybody’s looking for a weakness in somebody else at that age because they’ve got their own concerns about themselves. It certainly made me stronger and it made me a better person I think.
I only just come out to my mum a couple years ago and it’s still like a weird topic for us, so when I came out and went home straight away I was really scared but yeah she’s been really supportive. The last thing she said to me before I left was, “Aaron you’ll always be a winner in my eyes”. She’s been really supportive and I’m really blessed with that.
Well, I was out to my family and friends, but I’ve not done anything in the public eye worth to even talk about it. It was old news to me, but this show is about your story. It was important. I just wanted to lay my cards on the table.
Adam is very good at the group email thing, coming from his MP’s background – everyone CC’d in. We were day 4 into rehearsals and it was just getting more awkward and awkward. ‘Are you seeing anyone Kav? – Are you married’? I just couldn’t get the words out as ridiculous as that sounds.
Kenzie still doesn’t believe I’m gay for whatever reason. I could turn up singing The Wizard Of Oz in ruby slippers and he’d be like: ‘You’re not gay’. Adam was like ‘I knew it, I knew it…’ and I was like ‘you can’t talk – you’re the campest one of the group!’ So there was a lot of banter, but it was fine… Every group needs a gay don’t they?
It changed my life and enabled me to become who I am today – the real me. It enabled me to be more confident and achieve more than I ever would have done if I’d have stayed in the closet.
Today’s black LGBT+ icon is Billy Porter. Everything about Billy Porter is fabulous and we adore him for being his authentic self. He’s a multiple award winner and was the first openly gay black man to be nominated for and win a Primetime Emmy Award. #BHM#BlackHistoryMonthpic.twitter.com/XxLELw1Q5o
Today’s black LGBT+ icon is Billy Porter. Everything about Billy Porter is fabulous and we adore him for being his authentic self. He’s a multiple award winner and was the first openly gay black man to be nominated for and win a Primetime Emmy Award.
What do a Catholic church in Vienna, the seat of a snowmobile and an army dorm with 12 sleeping men in it? Well apparently, they are just some of the places gay men we asked have done the deed…
So we asked our readers where the most outrageous place they had ever had sex – and well, they didn’t hold back!
Spooky sex
What if the spooks are what you need to get your rocks off?
An old vacant terrace house in New House in Newtown Sydney. It was half falling down and had no stairs so we had to climb the building to get to the second floor and it was night time and super dangerous. Very haunted looking and dusty as all hell! – Davey
An Audience?
Some people just need an audience when they perform…
The former Commercial Union building in the city of London little realising until after the event, that about 30 in the next office block were looking. So I did a bow to the onlookers. Seeing as I was a dispatch rider at the time and it wouldn’t be me, having to face the everyday office workers the next day – Adam
Overlooking Myers Park in Auckland from the 8th floor balcony of the Amora hotel…. Was great.. – Steve
On an airport commuter bus in South Korea, the bus was nearly full. I went to the airport to meet my ex who had been away for about three weeks. I couldn’t wait until we got home. We sat at the back of the bus. Never been so discreet in my life – Steve
Army barracks … in a room of 12 sleeping men, all were asleep … well maybe lol who knows – Ian
Beach Bums
The beach is a popular place to get some sex done.
Weymouth beach all night just got back onboard at 0730 in the morning . What a night – Tony
On rock face of The Roaches over looking the road – Chris
Beach in Tenerife.. ? – Kelly
In the sea believe it or not, just when the waters got hip deep. Word of advice is lube up before submersion ? – Sanad
A religious experience
Oh lord…
Bell tower of a Catholic church in Vienna – John
On the altar after midnight mass – Andy
In a Catholic Church – Rene
In a Bishop’s house, Well he was paying ? (this was when I was much younger of course) – Lee
Star-studded
Bonus points for Madge mention.
Backstage at a Madonna Concert – Charlie
Public places
The rush of the unexpected…
In an exhibit at the transport museum in Covent Garden – Andrew
In a flower bed in front of a police station in Staines, Middlesex – Doug
In a photo booth, he sat on the stool, I sat on him – Simon
Just plain weird
But bravo!
On the back of a snowmobile in the Arctic! The ignition was off but the machine was swayin’ – Matthew
Up a tree, Me and bf decided to climb a tree in local park, climbed up to wide branch, wide enough to get down and dirty. (The) only splinter was his excuse for his manhood – Stevan
A study which identified LGBT+ friendly flat listings has shown that there is one particular borough in London, which stood above all others as the most progressive if you’re looking to move into an accepting household.
A new study by CIA Landlord has identified the most desired roommate traits in London by analysing the most popular adverts by age, gender, job title and even preferences including LGBT friendly, smoker friendly and pet friendly, and it turns out that some of London’s most ethnically diverse boroughs are also, seemingly, the most accepting of LGBT+ people.
With remote working taking over the capital, finding the perfect flatmate has never been more crucial – after all, you’re likely to be spending 24/7 with them whilst working from home.
For LGBT+ people, finding flatmates who totally and completely support your sexuality and/or gender identity is especially important. Analysing SpareRoom data, CIA Landlord has revealed the most LGBT+ friendly boroughs to live in.
Take a look at the top 10 boroughs with the most LGBT friendly flatmates below:
Rank
London Borough
LGBT+ Friendly House Listings
1
Waltham Forest
59
2
Lambeth
49
3
Hackney
48
4
Southwark
30
5
Islington
25
6
Newham
24
7
Tower Hamlets
16
8
Camden
10
9
Westminster
9
10
Greenwich
8
At just a short 30 minute journey into central London, Waltham Forest has been dubbed the most LGBT+ friendly borough for roommates, with over 17.56% of all LGBT+ room wanted listings in London based in the area. Lambeth follows in second, which unveiled the UK’s very first permanent Rainbow crossing in 2019 and the borough’s various involvements in supporting the community stays true to its citizens – with over 14.58% of all of London’s LGBT+ house listings featured in the area.
Where isn’t so LGBT+ Friendly?
The least friendly boroughs, according to the study included, Richmond Upon Thames, Havering, Bexley, Hillingdon and Barnet – which offered no explicitly LGBT+ friendly listings.
Rank
London Borough
LGBT+ Friendly House Listings
1
Richmond Upon Thames
0
2
Havering
0
3
Bexley
0
4
Hillingdon
0
5
Barnet
0
6
Enfield
1
7
Hounslow
1
8
Kingston Upon Thames
1
9
Brent
2
10
Sutton
2
Enfield, Hounslow and Kingston Upon Thames each offered one listing, while, Brent and Sutton had two listings available.
How did the researchers come to their findings?
To find the most desired and least desired roommate traits, CIA Landlord analysed SpareRoom data to reveal the most commonly advertised professions, ages and preferences throughout London.
Job titles have been searched as keywords exactly as listed into SpareRoom. This may result in the exclusion of keyword listings where the title was similar but not the same due to the functionality of the source’s search.
Each option point has been treated individually. Where data has been combined to show the “worst” combination of traits, this has been done on an index basis rather than using each as an individual search.
e.g. No searches have been performed for homes that are “LGBT friendly with pets and smokers allowed”. Instead, individual searches have been performed for LGBT, pets, and smokers, and these combined into a single index to show the least desirable combination.
Today’s black LGBT+ icon is Lena Waithe. In 2017 she became the first black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. #BHM#BlackHistoryMonthpic.twitter.com/bbbBDg5CFz
Today’s black LGBT+ icon is Lena Waithe. In 2017 she became the first black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
An Australian singer, with a young daughter in tow, arrives in 1996 New York to make it as a singer. The woman’s name was Helen Reddy.
Yes, Helen Reddy the legend who sang such hits as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him”, “Delta Dawn” and “Angie Baby” and the iconic “I am Woman” started her career in NYC as a singer in a bar lounge. Thus begins the story of one of music’s greatest superstars in the new film I Am Woman.
Yes, she was sure a woman. And Reddy, who just recently passed away in September in Los Angeles, had it rough when she moved to NYC after winning a singing competition in Australia where the prize was a ticket to NYC and a recording contract. But with a suitcase and only $230 in her pocket, and with no recording contract, she was determined, and desperate, to make it on her own.
Besides hanging out with rock journalist Lillian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald), she also meets Jeff Wald (a fantastic Evan Peters who steals the movie), a young aspiring talent manager who becomes her agent and eventually husband, and he helps her get to the top. After their move to Los Angeles, Reddy’s singing career began, and continued to hit new peaks, where she became the first Australian singer to top the US charts, and even winning a Grammy award in 1973. But Wald had a cocaine habit, which eventually got worse and worse, and with Reddy not home a lot due to a Las Vegas singing residency, and with a new son to take care of, their relationship started to crumble, and eventually ended when Reddy found out Wald had made bad investments with her money.
However, I am Woman is the story of a woman, against all adversity, who was determined to make her dream come true. Reddy not only became the most successful female recording artist of her time, but she also broke stereotypes and led the way during the most crucial period of the women’s liberation movement. And she became a role model for what all women could achieve.
It’s an incredible story, made all the more real by director Unjoo Moon, who has very little experience in the directing world, and by Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who effectively plays Reddy, but unfortunately, it’s not an award-winning performance. It’s Peters’ performance who steals the film as her husband. But it’s also Reddy’s life and legacy that will most stick with you. What she had to do and what she accomplished, in a time when women’s rights were just a passing hope, and how perhaps her message through song and her voice really did help propel the feminist movement in helping to pass the equal rights bills across America.
IN CINEMAS AND ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS FRIDAY 9TH OCTOBER
Carry on reading below, to hear about Tom’s experience having Five Element Acupuncture. Missed any of the other instalments in this series? Click here to find out about Tom’s previous adventures, where he decodes the enigma of male grooming.
To get things started, I just wanted to thank the entire team at the Kite Clinic and my amazing acupuncturist Johnny Childs for making this feature possible. If Five Element Acupuncture is something that interests you after reading this article, I couldn’t recommend Johnny more. Apart from the fact that the knowledge held by the Kite Clinic team is unparalleled in their field. Johnny’s empathetic and caring approach to each of his clients helps deliver an effective and tailored treatment plan, that really does make a difference in his client’s lives.
(C) PR SUPPLIED
So what is Five Element Acupuncture?
Five Element Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of acupuncture, that originated from China. However, due to its perceived elitist nature by Chinese officials, it is now banned within the country. A few practitioners of this ancient art thankfully escaped communist China into Taiwan and other eastern countries to continue the tradition. Gerad Kite (the founder of the Kite Clinic) learnt the art from his Master teacher, JR Worsley – a practitioner from the UK that travelled to the East in the early ’50s and learnt this ancient tradition from two Chinese Masters. Gerad established his own clinic in London in the ’90s. Johnny Childs is one of Gerad’s mentees and is now his right-hand man within the clinic. Safe to say we were in safe hands for this feature.
What makes Five Element Acupuncture different from other forms of acupuncture is that it is not based on the alleviation of symptoms. Practitioners of Five Element Acupuncture do not adopt a symptomatic approach to treating their patients. Instead, these practitioners focus on restoring the balance of the five elements that produce and maintain every part of us. This includes our internal organs and all our physical and mental activities. This approach is rooted in the belief that all things are made of energies derived from the five elements: fire, water, earth, wood and metal. By understanding ourselves as human beings are no different and we are part of nature. We can then look into which of these energies is the cause of imbalances within our bodies and begin the process of restoring this balance. As this balance is restored, there is a knock-on effect for all other elements within this body and a general rebalancing and improvement in health is the outcome.
How can they tell which element is imbalanced?
When determining which element is imbalanced within our bodies, Johnny explained to me that although clients may be experiencing symptoms of ill health. These symptoms are simply an alarm bell from the body, telling us something has gone wrong. Instead, Johnny focuses on the distress presented by our bodies. They do not tell us the cause! Instead, Johnny focuses on the distress call coming from the causal element which presents as a distinct colour in the face, a particular sound in the voice, an odour emitted from the body and an inappropriate emotion.
Initial Treatment:
On the day of my initial treatment, Johnny sat me down and discussed with me the physical, emotional and mental characteristics that I was wanting to change about myself. He explained to me that this initial discussion and getting to know his client’s wants and needs was essential in establishing an effective treatment plan. Apart from helping him get to know his client’s better, it gave him the chance to see the distress signals our bodies display subconsciously.
Following this initial discussion, he then went on to check my pulse before asking me to sit in a slouched position on his treatment table. Whilst in this position, he went to mark out points on my back that corresponded to organs with an aspect of fulfilment (for example our lungs and the taking in of air/oxygen). Once these marks were outlined on my back, Johnny told me he was going to insert needles to just break my skin at these points. All of which was painless I assure you. He explained to me, that by doing this step he could see which of my organs were housing ‘stagnant’ energies. These negative energies embody themselves in a reaction around the impact site of the needle. At this stage, Johnny also placed needles at random points within my back to test for a skin reaction and in doing so, ruled out the chance of false positives. He then left the needles in for 5 minutes, which passed like a dream with Johnny’s charming company. Following this 5 minute window, he went to check if any reactions had taken place. If no reaction would have occurred, he would have simply removed the needles and we would have gone on to the next stage of treatment. However in cases where a reaction does occur, which for me was at the site of the point corresponding to my right lung. Johnny explained to me that we needed to leave the needles in for longer, in order to drain off the ‘stagnant’ energy attached to that organ. Although this took quite a while, Johnny kept showing me the progress through pictures he’d taken on his phone. It was really astonishing to see this reaction happen and then dissipate as the needles drained out the energy.
Now, this energy was drained and a viable canvas created for treatment with no stagnant energies left to block it, we then went on to the next step. Johnny asked me to lay down on the table, where he checked my pulse once again and then marked out 4 acupuncture points on my body. Two on my hand, one on my arm and even one of my face, he then mirrored these points on the other side of my body. The sensation of the needles activating these points is hard to explain. There’s no pain whatsoever when the needle makes contact with the acupuncture point there is what I can only describe as a release of energy. You’ll definitely know when he hits it and at this point, he rotates the needle 180 degrees and pulls it out. Repeating if necessary to relieve all pressure at each point outlined. He explained to me following this, that he had made an initial assessment of the element he believed was imbalanced within my body and that was the start of treatment for said element. Johnny assured me that he would reveal all soon but for now, he wanted to see how my body reacted to the treatment. As our initial treatment day ended, he asked me to do a bit of homework and write a diary each day for the next week. Just noting down how I was feeling and any changes ‘good or bad’ I noticed in myself.
Acupuncture diary: Week 1:
So my first week following treatment was a bit of a rollercoaster both emotionally and physically. A rash appeared on my hands and arms and then to top it off, I ended up having sinusitis from out of the blue. This ended up having to go to my GP for antibiotics. Mentally I was just unfocused and felt generally quite tired and down. By the end of the week though, I was pretty much back to full health physically and I was feeling a lot more focused and driven. There was also a greater sense of perspective I had on the true importance of things in my day to day life. Which at the time was a great relief, I definitely had a habit of overthinking things. The only symptom still persevering was the rash on my hands and arms.
Treatment 2:
One week later and I was back with the handsome Mr Childs for the second round of treatment. We started by checking my pulse once again and Johnny enlightened me to the knowledge, that the different pulse also represented different organs within our bodies. So by checking it on a regular basis, he could see if the treatment we were doing was having a positive impact. He then went on to check the point on my back corresponding to my right lung once again. After it had displayed such a large amount of stagnant energy last week, he wanted to make sure it had cleared and sure enough, this time there was no reaction.
We then went on to discuss my acupuncture diary for the week and he didn’t seem surprised by my experiences. He went on to explain to me, that he had diagnosed me with an imbalance in my metal element. This element is linked to the lungs, our skin (the third lung) and our colon and is associated with the emotion of grief. All tying in to taking things in and letting them go. Johnny explained further that in contrast to the imbalance in my metal element, my strongest element was my earth element and the course of treatment today, was intended to give energy from the earth element to support my metal element.
To do this Johnny marked 5 acupuncture points on the left side of my body, four in my arm and one in my collar bone. He explained energy starts in the left side of our bodies and ends at the right and so by focusing on the left side, he was hoping to promote the flow of energy in my body to my lungs and colon.
After he had activated all 5 points, Johnny asked me to again keep a diary for the following week and focus on the rash on my hands and arms. He assured me this should dissipate by the end of the week and outlined how the rash only appeared along the metal energy line of my arm.
Acupuncture diary: Week 2:
The week following my second treatment was a complete contrast to the first week. There was no downside to this week. Physically I felt great and even ended up smashing a few personal bests in the gym. Also, my rash did as Johnny said and dissipated as the week went on. Mentally I felt focused and I just stopped overthinking. The usual work stresses didn’t bother me anymore and I just felt happier in myself. I did actually feel like a different person compared to the previous week.
Final treatment:
Again one week later and I was back in Johnny’s treatment room for my final treatment. We started as usual by checking my pulse, that he confirmed had gotten stronger for my lungs and colon. Due to this and my general sense of wellbeing in comparison to our initial consultation, Johnny explained that he believed his diagnosis was correct and we were now on the right path to ensuring balance within my body.
Johnny then went on to explain that following these initial steps of treatment, it was all about maintaining what we had achieved and keeping strength in my metal element. For this, he advised that we activate 5 more points today, in order to promote the flow of energy once more and then to meet around 3 times a year, in order to maintain this balance.
Final thoughts:
It’s been about half a year now since myself and Johnny last had a session together and I’m still feeling the benefits of the time I spent with him. I have held onto a generally more positive attitude throughout the past months and have felt more focused and determined in my day to day life. Physically I have felt more energetic and thankfully the skin issues I experienced at the time of treatment haven’t come back.
I really couldn’t make a single bad point from my experience trying Five Element Acupuncture with Johnny and I genuinely believe more people should explore this form of treatment. The benefits can be truly extraordinary and with minimal maintenance, I think the initial cost of treatment is more than worth it.
If you would like to find out more about Five Element Acupuncture or arrange a consultation with Johnny, please find his Instagram linked below. He’s not too bad to look at either!
Who’s going to be today’s black LGBT+ icon? It’s Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple. If you’ve read the book or seen the film you’ll know how powerful it is. #BHM#BlackHistoryMonthpic.twitter.com/G0cwSgDXHR
Who’s going to be today’s black LGBT+ icon? It’s Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple. If you’ve read the book or seen the film you’ll know how powerful it is.
If he has a profile photo and you are meeting through an app, right-click the image and do a google image search it to make sure it is him. It will be very clear, quickly if the picture is a stock photo.
Name check
If you have a forename and surname back to the search engine and check out social media accounts, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Web trawl
Your research could mean you will be able to cross-reference the image to make sure it is current. Find out about his hobbies. Read his posts and find out about likes and dislikes. Check out his family and friends.
There may be professional profiles enabling you to look at the work play contrast.
Chat with him before a date
CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK
Is the guy a big drinker? If so go for a meal unless you are thinking of loosening him up and getting into the sac.
For a meal, you may already know where he likes to eat or perhaps a favourite food. Coffee or Cognac? All this insider information could make you look intuitive and compatible. Just remember if he knows all there is about you too, it is time to smile at each other and reveal you are both members of Stalkers Anonymous!
“STOP THE BUS!” You will have a foot in the door and established a rapport with these cheats, but now it is time to interact.
First Date Advice
Best advice for a first date is listen and learn. You already know about yourself, so give the guy some time to tell you about him. Wait and see if he wants to learn about and ask about you.
If he loves puppies and brought you flowers (did I mention a small gift as an icebreaker) is attentive and smiles a lot, brushing aside questions about himself, he could be a keeper.
Get Out Clause
Have an out option in case he is not for you and the thought of spending another minute with him is hell on earth. I usually have a text ready to send and a friend primed to call me if I am bored, frightened or falling into the whirly pits of despair with a guy on a first date.
Don’t get caught out with the dreaded 5% battery warning. Make sure your phone is fully juiced and that you have a charging cable and an extra battery pack. Having an UBER account (if they operate in your area) on your phone with an up-to-date credit card is also essential.
Let someone know
Letting your flat/housemates, or friends or family know you’re out for the night is a good policy to have. Write down the address of the place you are going. Also, let your date know that you’ve let other people know that you’re out with them.
A man, who has been dubbed a “cannibal killer” is fit to stand trial for the murder of a man he met on the gay dating app, Grindr.
According to police reports, Mark Latunski, 51, used Grindr to find and lure his victim to his home on Christmas Eve. His victim was a man called Kevin Bacon, a 25-year-old hairdresser and psychology student. Latunski’s legal team and his ex-wife have testified to a long history of mental illness.
Using the popular hookup app, Latunski allegedly lured Bacon to his home where he apparently took him to a “secret room”, outfitted as a BDSM dungeon according to the Daily Star, before apparently committing the gruesome slaying of the 25-year-old.
Latunski apparently told police that he stabbed Bacon in the back of the neck, twice. He then “strung” Bacon up by his ankles before slitting his throat, according to Michigan Live.
According to a report by Michigan State Police Special 1st Lieutenant, David Kaiser, Latunski then removed his victim’s testicles, with a knife and ate them.
Committed numerous times
According to divorce papers filed by Emily, his former wife, Latunski has a long history of mental illness. Latunski’s defender, Douglas Corwin has stated that his client has been committed to hospitals numerous times over mental health concerns.
Shiawassee County District Judge Ward Clarkson has, however, ruled that the accused, is “mentally competent for trial”.
