It’s been a little while since the hunky Celebrity Big Brother star Austin Armacost has been on our screens, but today he shared the moment he’s proudest of.
Back in 2015, during the star’s first stint on CBB, Austin was overwhelmed by fellow contestant, Gail Porter’s story about her hair loss.
At the time Gail asked, if anyone would shave their hair off. Austin told her, “Gail, I would be honoured for you to shave my head. You are the most amazing person with or without hair.”
In a Twitter post, Austin said of all of his appearances this was his favourite, saying “5 years ago today… I’ve done a lot of things on TV: funny, dramatic, intense, argumentative… but this moment of compassion is one I’m most proud of!”
5 years ago today* I’ve done a lot of things on TV: funny, dramatic, intense, argumentative… but this moment of compassion is one I’m most proud of! @Gailporterpic.twitter.com/0Bk7XQ6mQk
Birmingham Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, said, “Officers worked through yesterday and into the early hours of this morning in a bid to trace the man we believe responsible for these terrible crimes.
“We issued CCTV footage of the suspect and had a strong response from the public. I’d like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and who provided information to the investigation.
“One line of enquiry ultimately led us to an address in the Selly Oak area this morning where a man was arrested.
“Clearly this is a crucial development but our investigation continues. We still need to speak to any witnesses who saw what happened who’ve not yet spoken to us, or anyone who may have video footage or photos of the incidents or the attacker.
“We have a hotline number and a dedicated web page where you can submit information, photos and videos.”
A Hotline has been set up for anyone with info. Please call 0800 056 0944
There have been no arrests and a manhunt and murder investigation is now underway.
Police were called to an incident at 12:30 AM in Birmingham’s gay village where sadly one man died from injuries sustained from a knife attack.
Despite the city’s wide spread use of CCTV the authorities have yet to release any description of the man they say they wish to question in connection to the incident.
The police have warned citizens to “remain vigilant” and that they would release more information in due course.
The police have said that they do not believe the motive for the attack to be a hate crime, gang-related or terrorism, instead suggesting that the attacks were random.
However, more than 16 hours since the incident the police have yet to issue any formal description.
Numerous people took to social media to question why are such a long time why the police had yet to release any further information on the suspect. One person wrote, “Surely 16 hours later you must know who you are looking for??? Wouldn’t it be in public interest to show who you are looking for???”
While another added, “For a city centre covered in CCTV, I find it highly suspicious that you’ve yet to release a description or images of the attacker. Any reasonable explanation why?”
I think I’ve been rather lucky in my 28 years on this planet, that I have surrounded myself by decent people and I’ve been lucky to know a lot of people that consider themselves to be “allies” of the gay LGBTQ+ community. It isn’t a bad thing by any means – I spend 90 per cent of my time around straight people. I work in a very straight environment and the lockdown has meant that I haven’t spent much time on the scene.
The term “Ally” gets banded about quite a lot in modern society. It’s a term that can be used to describe many different kinds of relationships. Whether these are business relationships. Countries are geopolitical allies. Even enemies can become allies in the face of a common goal. Today; it’s used to describe somebody who supports a group that they are not a part of.
The gay community has had several significant allies over the decades since the Stonewall Riots. From celebrities to politicians. From Karen next door to your third cousin who you’ve not seen since you were a child; but it’s become clear that passive acceptance of the LGBT+ community is very different to being an active ally who fights to support LGBT+ inclusion.
However, in 2020, it seems that our allies in government are becoming few and far between and that is a worrying thing. There are two things that I cannot abide in this world. Hypocrites and Members of the Conservative Party. Unfortunately, these things seem to go together. Allow me to get political for just a few minutes if you will.
Hancock argued at first that he didn’t think that Abbot was a homophobe or a misogynist by saying, “I don’t believe that is true, I haven’t seen any of his (comments)”. Burley, as sharp as ever, fired back “I just told you what he said, I’m sure you don’t support some of his comments, he’s a homophobe and a misogynist”. Hancock’s response was “He’s also an expert in trade”. I mean – come on. You claim to by an ally to the gay community. You wear an NHS Pride Pin on your lapel, and you are still defending someone because “he’s an expert on trade”. The two things don’t go together. It’s like saying that Harold Shipman was a serial killer, but he was an excellent doctor. By not condemning Abbot for his views, then he is endorsing them. He’s also saying that women and the LGBTQ+ community are less valued than trade negotiations.
Hancock isn’t the only hypocrite in government. Our supposed Prime Minister and I use the word supposed because it’s clear that Dominic Cummings is running the country, after all; why didn’t Cummings get fired for breaking lockdown rules to travel 240 miles to test his eyesight at Barnard Castle? I’m being pedantic, but it’s a fair point to make. We are sacrificed so much for 3 months. We put our lives on hold, but he was given a free pass because it was; “The right thing to do”.
Then there’s Boris. Oh Boris. Boris Johnson has a long record of controversial comments about women, gay people and ethnic minorities. He is the man who has refused to apologise for calling gay men “tank-topped bum boys”, compared Muslim women to “letterboxes” and labelling black Africans “Picanninnines” with “watermelon smiles”. All quotes from Boris himself. He’s said that they were satirical or taken out of context – but should this be an excuse? – no, because he has chosen to use that language.
We’ve got Liz Truss, Minister for Women and Equalities, trying to roll back rights for Trans people by making things harder to transition, and protecting safe spaces for women. Cabinet members like Pritti Patel, who actively voted against gay marriage. These people may say that they are our “Allies”, but they are far from it – and it is a scary place to be for the LGBTQ+ community. Remember, that we are not even 20 years out of Section 28, and there is every chance that something like that could be brought back. Oh, and that ban on conversion therapy – we’re still waiting. If you are curious as to how your MP voted on social issues, there is a great website which shows you exactly who vote for what. It’s there in black and white. Either they vote against, or even worse – “we’re not present”. It’s a kick in the teeth.
Those of us that call out hypocrisy or call out social injustice are often demonised as “woke”. The work “woke” actually means that you are aware of social issues and calling them out; but the right wing has demonised the word and, like the term “Politically Correct”, it now means the complete opposite. Criticising woke culture is actually just another way of the right playing the victim card, rather than actually acknowledging the bigger picture and attempting to make a change. The funny thing is though, when those that complain and attack us, when they are challenged on why they feel that way, they don’t actually have a cohesive argument. They rely on a feeling or something that isn’t tangible. To me, it’s not about left or right, being woke or whatever. It’s about common decency to each other.
Somebody I follow on Twitter posted the following statement and it sums up our government perfectly; “The test of being an #LGBTQI ally isn’t whether you’ll add rainbow colours to your logo in June. The test is, will you stand up for us when we are attacked? Will you distance yourself from those who demean us? Will, you still be our ally when it’s no longer convenient” – and that says it all. The Government clearly do not care about the LGBT community, and we are at a greater risk of having our rights revoked, this means we have to fight and shout louder that we are here, and we deserve to have the same rights as straight people.
The test of being an #LGBTQI ally isn’t whether you’ll add rainbow colours to your logo in June. The test is, will you stand up for us when we are attacked? Will you distance yourself from those who demean us? Will you still be our ally when it’s no longer convenient? pic.twitter.com/Vv4rpfC4kd
The test of being an #LGBTQI ally isn’t whether you’ll add rainbow colours to your logo in June. The test is, will you stand up for us when we are attacked? Will you distance yourself from those who demean us? Will, you still be our ally when it’s no longer convenient”
MATTHEW HODSON
Views like Abbott’s, and those who wish to demean and defame the LGBTQ+ community should be challenged, because we do not deserve to be second class citizens to others. It’s easy to say that you support the LGBTQ+ community because you like to go to gay bars, or you love watching RuPauls Drag Race. But when the chips are down, will you there to support us in our time of need?
When our government consider bringing back Section 28. When same-sex marriages are no longer allowed because they are not traditional. Or when Trans women are forced to use men’s bathrooms, because they are not seen as women. It’s then you will prove yourself as an ally.
We may need you soon as you think. When the UK finally transitions out of the EU on New Year’s Eve, the UK will no longer be bound to EU laws such as the European Charter that bans discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Our true allies are those who are challenging them and continue to challenge because, in the end, that’s how we educate future generations. It’s not that we’re some left-wing, woke-community. We just want what we deserve; acceptance and equality.
Police in Birmingham have confirmed that they have opened a murder investigation after a man died died and two further victims suffered serious injuries.
Police also note that a further five people have been injured although their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
A manhunt is now underway and no arrests have been made. The police have not released a description of the suspect.
#BREAKING | We can now confirm that we have launched a murder investigation following last night's events.
A man has died and another man and a woman have suffered serious injuries. Five others have also been injured. Full story ⬇️https://t.co/zM79l7hJWV
“Detectives are following a number of lines of enquiry and we’ve increased our uniformed and armed response in the city.
“We continue to hold a number of scenes across the city, including Livery Street, Irving Street and Hurst Street.
“We’re urging anyone who witnessed anything or anyone who has any CCTV or mobile phone footage to get in contact as soon as possible, as the information you have may be crucial to our investigation.
“tragic, shocking and understandably frightening”
Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, responsible for policing in Birmingham, said: “The events during the early hours of this morning are tragic, shocking and understandably frightening.
“Please be assured that we are doing absolutely everything we can to find whoever was responsible and try to understand what exactly happened.
“We have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. Your safety is always our priority and that’s why you’ll see an increase in officers on the streets.
“In the meantime, we’d ask anyone who’s in the city to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to us.”
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, said: “Last night’s events are truly terrible and have shocked the people of Birmingham, the West Midlands and the country.
“My first thoughts are with the victims and their families at this time.
“I have every faith in West Midlands Police who are working extremely quickly on this investigation.
“My thanks also go to the ambulance and hospital staff who are working around the clock to help those who have been injured.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact us via Live Chat on our website or call 101. If you are in danger please call 999.
*This is a live article and changes are being made as new and updated information is being released*
Police in Birmingham said there have been multiple stabbings in the area near to the gay village.
A murder investigation has now been opened after a man sadly died. A further two people were seriously injured and another five were left with less serious injuries.
A manhunt is now underway and no arrests have been made. The police have not released a description of the suspect.
Police say that at around 12:30 AM this morning there were reports of a stabbing in the city centre. A further number of stabbings happened after.
Police have now cordoned off an area on Hurst Road, which has a number of LGBT+ venues and bars on it.
The police have confirmed that a number of people have been injured. They said in a statement,
“We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are not in a position to say how many or how serious. However, all emergency services are working together at the scene, and making sure that those who are injured receive medical care.”
#UPDATE | We can confirm that at approximately 12:30am today we were called to reports of a stabbing in #Birmingham city centre.
We immediately attended, along with colleagues from the ambulance service. A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after.
According to Midlands Zone, one bystander, Graham Littlewood from DevilsKitchen commented, “it appears around five people were stabbed, one possibly fatal. The police came to my burger van and told us to close immediately and for everyone to move out of the area.”
Has anyone been arrested?
There are reports on social media that a man has been caught, however, this is currently unconfirmed.
The force said “Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Gunshots?
According to some reports, a number of people had heard what sounded like gunshots, however, police say they have found no evidence at this time, that a firearm had been fired.
Midland’s Police said, “We’re aware of some comments that gunshots were fired, this has not been reported to us at this stage.”
This is a breaking story. Please refresh to see new information.
If you ever see the acronym “MMF” on a guy’s profile, it means that the guy you’re talking to is into three ways with two males and a female, hence M+M+F!
Simply put the two Ms stand for Male while the F stands for female. This means that he’s into the idea of having a bisexual threesome.
It’d be up to you to chat about specifics and how that might play out. It’s not very common to find MMF on a hookup app like Grindr or Scuff whose main audience is made up of gay men and same-sex attracted people, but you may find a bisexual man or indeed his girlfriend who is entirely up for being in a three-way with another guy.
A young man tries to find his way in life after the sudden death of his mother in the new film Socrates.
Socrates, now in cinemas and streaming online, is an emotional and sad story of 15-year old Socrates (Christian Malheiros), who with his mom, a cleaner, live on the margins of society in a favela in São Paulo. His sick mom suddenly dies in their small apartment, and leaves Socrates alone, and crushed. Determined to make it on his own, he does everything he can to find a job to pay the rent, which is way overdue. He even tries to take over his mom’s job but, being underage, the boss says it is not possible. With nowhere to turn, he ends up getting a construction job, where he hauls equipment back and forth.
His co-worker, Maicon (Tales Ordakhi) picks a fight with him, but this is a distraction because Maicon likes Socrates, and suddenly (perhaps a bit too sudden), Socrates finds himself at Maicon’s apartment where they fall into each other’s arms and get it on. In light of this unbelievable plot point, Socrates still has to struggle to pay the rent and survive, and when his long lost father shows up to take him (as he is a minor), Socrates runs away. Things go from bad to worse when he is kicked out of the apartment and has nowhere to live. With no help from social services, and not wanting help from his father, and with Maicon busy with other responsibilities, Socrates fights to survive in a world that seems to be putting roadblocks in his way.
Executive produced by Academy-Award nominated Brazilian director Fermando Meirelles (‘City of God’), ‘Socrates’ brutally shows us what it’s like to grow up poor (and gay) in one of the worlds largest cities. Malheiros is superb as the downtrodden Socrates (he has won two film festival awards for his performance and won the ’Someone to Watch’ award at the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards), while other cast members hold their own. Directed by Alexandre Moratto working with a script written by himself and Thayna Mantesso, Socrates is a film you won’t easily forget.
And while the gay aspect of this film is unbelievable and a bit irrelevant, the story as a whole is about resilience, perseverance, and hope against all odds.
The group’s main objective is to offer peer support, by sharing interests, skills and experiences in a safe space. It provides opportunities for individuals to escape from isolation and feelings of loneliness frequently experienced by older LGBT people, particularly those living on their own.
The group gives people a chance to meet others and make new friends; listen to guest speakers; try new activities; exchange stories in a warm, supportive and friendly environment, as well as encouraging participation in a programme of physical, social and cultural activities.
We usually meets at 6:30pm on the fourth Monday of the month at the Community Fire Station in Hanley, with regular emails, newsletters and organised trips to places and events of interest to members.
Silver Sippers is a social group of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who meet in a friendly environment. Come in for a cup of coffee, tea and a chat!
The group is free to attend and you do not need to book in advance.
Leicester LGBT Centre, 15 Wellington Street Leicester LE1 6HH.
A mature lesbian & bisexual women’s group. Ruby’s is targeted towards the more mature lesbian, bisexual and trans women, feel free to come along, everyone welcome. Meet at The Greyhound.
