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North Midlands LGBT Older Peoples Group
The North Midlands LGBT Older Peoples Group was founded on a cold winter’s afternoon at the Leopard Inn in Burslem with just 5 people. It has grown year by year and to become a recognised and trusted local community group.We meet every month at Hanley Community Fire Station and extend a warm welcome to anyone who would like to join us. -
Emerge: group for people aged 13-19 who are trans, gender variant or questioning
Are you trans, gender variant or questioning your gender identity and aged 13-19? Then why not come along to Emerge?
Emerge meets once a month usually the first Saturday in the month, from 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm, in a central Birmingham location.
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Embrace Group for gay and bi men over 50
Group for gay and bi men in Coventry aged over 50. Meet at Rainbows in Coventry
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THEATRE REVIEW | Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – This is what theatre is all about!
The West End is back, and it’s in Wembley!
Sleepless the first major stage productions to open up in London in 6 months (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre opened in Mid-August with Jesus Christ Superstar). Originally scheduled to open on April 1st, it was sidelined, like all other productions, until further notice. But now it is here, and it’s a fun and lively show that will keep you entertained and emotional, not just because of the romantic plot but also because it’s a real live show that you’ll be watching, and not a taped show on your laptop!
Playing at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, in, yes Wembley (not quite the West End), Sleepless is based on the 1993 hit film Sleepless in Seattle (which starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks). And while stars Jay McGuiness and Kimberly Walsh are no Hanks and Ryan, they make a fantastic pair as a man and woman who are destined to be together.
If you don’t know the plot, McGuiness is single father Sam. His wife passed away a year ago and he is left with young son Jonah. Jonah calls into a radio station to announce that his father is available to meet someone new, very much to Sam’s dismay. Enter Walsh’s Annie, a journalist about to be married to the dull but romantic Walter (Daniel Casey). When Annie hears about Jonah’s plea, she somehow feels that for her it’s a true calling, and she decides on a rendevous time and place in the hopes that Sam will be there and then. Of course, Sleepless ends on a happy note, and without giving too much away it’s happily ever after, with toe-tapping songs and a very good supporting cast to get us to the happy ending. While it’s not quite award-winning stuff, it gets my award for bringing a smile to people’s faces, and for ambitiously opening up.
The seating capacity at this very large and very new theatre has been reduced from 1,300 to 400. Masks are required to wear while inside the auditorium (including the bar area), temperature checks and track and trace are there as you walk into the compound, and the cast and crew are subject to daily testing. But it’s a magnificent theatre with a bar outside and inside and plenty of space to move around.
But here’s to producers Michael Rose and Damien Sanders for getting this show, a brand new one never been done before, up and running. Kudos to Michael Burdette for the book, Robert Scott and Brendan Cull (new British writers) for the music and lyrics, and the 12 piece orchestra. And kudos to the people you see on stage – they all make it look so seamless and easy, making us forget, temporarily, the events of the past 6 months.
This is what theatre is all about.
SLEEPLESS, plays at Wembley Park until 27th September 2020. Book tickets here.
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Nine men accused of holding a “gay party” in Indonesia are facing 15 years in jail
Things for LGBT+ people in Indonesia are going from bad to worse after nine men arrested in Jakarta are arrested for what the police are calling a “gay party”.
Nine men have been arrested in Indonesia after police say they were holding a “gay party”, this is despite that homosexuality is not illegal except in the Aceh region. There were apparently 12 men at the party, nine of them were detained as the “organisers”.
The nine were charged under article 296 of the Criminal Code Law that says “Any person who commits or facilitates obscene act with another person, shall be punished by a maximum one year and four months imprisonment and a maximum fine of IDR15.000″
The police also charged them with article 33 in conjunction with article 7 and or article 36 in conjunction with article 10 of the Pornography Law.
Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that there is no legal justification for criminalising these men and that raids like these were sending “a terrifying message to LGBTI people”.
In a statement, Hamind said, “There is no legal justification for criminalising the behaviour these men are accused of. Such a gathering would pose no threat to anyone. The authorities are being discriminatory and violating the human rights to privacy and family life, freedom of expression, and the freedom of assembly and association.
“Raids like these send a terrifying message to LGBTI people. We call on the authorities to release all people arrested in the party and drop all charges against them. They must also stop these arbitrary and humiliating raids and stop misusing laws against loitering or public nuisance to harass and arrest people accused of same-sex activity.
“No one should be targeted and arrested because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The police should be keeping everyone safe, not stoking more discrimination.”
Homosexuality is not illegal, but authorities are finding other ways to criminalise gay people
Consensual same-sex relations are not crimes under the Indonesian Criminal Code. However, the Pornography Law has been widely applied and doesn’t relate to any of the actions or behaviours actually carried out by the people arrested or harassed under this law.
In Indonesia, LGBTI people are frequently harassed, intimidated, criminalized, and even killed, simply because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, according to Amnesty International.
Increase intimidation and attacks
In the last few years, intimidation, attacks and discrimination against LGBT+ people in Indonesia has increased after several public officials made inaccurate or misleading statements on the grounds of “defending the country’s public morality and public security.”
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Matt Hancock won’t condemn homophobia because Tony Abbott is a trade expert
In an awkward exchange with Sky‘s Kay Burley, Health Secretary Matt Hancock seemingly excused homophobic and misogynistic comments by the former Australian PM, Tony Abbott, because he is an “expert on trade”.
The former PM is reportedly being eyed up to be the joint president of the UK’s Board of Trade as the UK prepares its trade deals upon leaving the EU.
Previously Abbott opposed gay marriage before it became legal in Australia and said that he feels a “bit threatened by homosexuality”.
“I don’t believe that’s true”
Hancock firstly argued that he didn’t believe Tony Abbott to be a homophobe or a misogynist, saying, “I don’t believe that’s true, I haven’t seen any of his (comments)”
When Burley replied, “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 on trade”.
Pressing the point, Burley went on to ask, “So one plays off each other? Really? Is that what you’re really saying, Health Secretary? Come on!”
Hancock responded, “No, what I’m saying is that we need experts in different areas and the former Prime Minister of Australia is obviously an enormous expert in the area of trade. it doesn’t change my views.
So forgive because he’s good at trade?
Embed from Getty ImagesBurley continued, “So we can forgive his comments about women and about letting the elderly die of Covid-19 and his views on the gay community, even though his sister is gay. We can forgive all of that because he’s good at trade?”
Hancock didn’t answer the question and went back to form, by saying, “I’m doing everything in my power to prevent a second wave and protect people from coronavirus
At which Burley butted in and remonstrated the Health Secretary, by pointing out “That was not my question”, she asked, “Is he a fit and proper person to represent us?”
“Mr Abbott is very good and very experienced in trade”, responded Hancock, “It is clearly a very important decision that the Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) and the Trade Secretary are across, because we do want experts… and have huge experience”
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Can exercise help with erection problems?
Seems like a valid question right? We posted an article recently about the exercises that can help you to last longer in bed (aka Sexercises), but probably the most important thing to an all-nighter is the ability of your penis to maintain its erection for several hours.
Now without giggling, let’s look at some of the research and theories that suggest that a stallion-strength boner could be yours with just a little bit of exercise worked into your weekly routine.
Hopping on the treadmill isn’t likely to have the same effect on your johnson as popping a viagra. However, it’s often helpful in preventing many types of erectile dysfunction (ED) from developing. And more than that, the strength of a man’s erection-his hardness-is the true barometer of his overall health.
1. Improve circulation = improve erections
So according to the science, when a man becomes aroused, the brain sends signals to your junk that leads to the relaxation of smooth muscles with blood vessel walls in the penis. This allows for increased blood inflow inside the erectile tissues of the penis. Blood then fills two “inflatable” chambers inside the shaft known as corpora cavernosa. And there you have it, instant boner.
So it stands to reason that better circulation leads to a stronger and even larger erect penis (in terms of length and girth). This is why when men have heart problems and poor circulation they tend to suffer from ED as well.
Cardio, and exercise in general, causes the blood vessels to dilate and capillaries to open so that blood can flow more effectively, moving to where it needs to be, including your genitals.
They’ll even have improved circulation even when your body is at rest. Fun side-note: the increased blood flow to the skin brings with it the extra benefit of greater sensitivity.
Win-win!
2. Psychological health
Free-Photos / Pixabay Exercise is well documented at elevating your mood. The release of endorphins during exercise is often connected with an improvement in a sense of wellbeing, often increasing your libido as well as a result.
Tackling some of the underlying issues such as low self-esteem and body image can help prevent forms of sexual dysfunction developing.
3. NEVER skip leg day
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com You’ll have heard that you should never skip leg day. As some of the biggest muscles in your body, training your legs burns calories, releases hormones to help your other muscles grow, and can help relax and expand blood vessels in the penis contributing to fuller and harder erections… yup.
4. Boost your Testosterone
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Testosterone has an important role in both central and peripheral contributors to an erection. Testosterone and Growth Hormone (GH) release is proportional to the amount of muscle tissue working; therefore boost your testosterone by making sure you don’t neglect those large leg and back muscles.
Cortisol (the ‘stress’ hormone) also has a suppressive effect on testosterone and the effect is more pronounced at night. Cortisol increases if we overtrain (spend more than 90 minutes training hard in the gym) and when we perform steady state cardio (like 10k running and long distance cycling). Therefore, keep your workouts on the shorter, more intense side of the scale (even two 30 minute sessions a day will boost GH and testosterone more than a single 60-90 minute session) and opt for HIIT and interval training instead of the traditional steady state cardio.
Minimising stress via meditation, relaxation and improving sleep quality and length, will also have a significant impact on your testosterone and therefore boner levels.
Get help with your exercise
If you need help with you exercise we can help; getting erections, however, is still your responsibility.
Speak to one of our gay personal trainers about devising a personalised fitness and nutrition program to help you “firm up”.
This article was brought you by our partner, GayFitnessUK.com and first published in Feb 2014.
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Best Drag Queen content on Netflix
Here at THEGAYUK.com it has to be said we love drag. It’s an art form that when done well is beyond sublime – some of the best drag roles, however, have been witnessed on film.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2020
Here are all the latest drag shows and films that Netflix has to offer for streaming in the UK.
AJ And The Queen
AJ AND THE QUEEN Netflix decided to put RuPaul in front of the camera, not as a judge of her famous show, but as an actor in AJ And The Queen, it was met with mix reactions – while it garnered a fan base, it ultimately only got one series from Netflix.
Dancing Queen
Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards rules the dance school and the night clubs in this warts and all, fly on the wall reality series. Reality TV at its cattiest.
The Death and Life Of Marsha P Johnson, Documentary
Marsha was known as one of the fearless faces of the gay-rights movement. The cops ruled her death a suicide, but her friends aren’t so sure and demand answers.
Hurricane Bianca, From Russia With Hate, Comedy
Bianca Del Rio returns for another filmic outing when she is lured to Russia under false pretences. She soon turns the country up-side-down.
Paris Is Burning, Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVueHRtpBbgThis Sundance prize-winning documentary is an intimate portrait of 1980’s Harlem drag balls: a world of fierce competition, sustenance, and survival.
Pose
Set in 1987, this drama series follows Blanca as she starts her own house. Starring Billy Porter and Evan Peters. Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck and Steven Canals.
RuPaul’s Drag Race
This has pretty much become a staple for Netflix and has helped cement RuPaul as the world’s most bankable Drag Queen. It currently has 12 seasons of the show available to stream. Catch up with all your favourite DQs from Bianca Del Rio to Trixie Mattel.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked
Next from the RuPaul treasure trove of content is Untucked. Although there’s only one season of this, but the reality show gives you the chance to go “backstage” and get all the juicy gossip.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars
A chance to catch up with your favourite queens from past seasons. Netflix only carries season 4 of the show, but if you need more RuPaul – then you can always watch RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular
What’s camper than Christmas? RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular is. Watch as Latrice Royale, Shangela and Kim Chi battle it out to become the number 1 Christmas queen.
Super Drags
Campy, adult animated series with drag queens saving the gay community for an evil nemesis.
Trixie Mattel Moving Parts
Drag Queen superstar Trixie Mattel allows the cameras into her life to document the highs and lows, post-RPDR in this intimate film.
