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  • Sheffield Uni To Run A Series Of X Rated Lectures

    BED BUGS AND CYBER-HUGS: X-RATED LECTURE SERIES LAUNCHES IN SHEFFIELD.

    Bizzare mating rituals, human/robot intimacy, female promiscuity in animals and sperm discussed at X Lectures

    Sex and reproduction explored as part of the University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind
    A unique series of four “X Lectures” will take place between the 18th and the 24th September, focusing on the theme of sex and reproduction both in the animal kingdom and in humans. The X Lectures form part of the University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind. The 11-day long Festival of the Mind (18th- 28th September 2014) will see the University of Sheffield team its leading academics with the UK’s most famous artists and musicians in order to bring academia to the streets.

    Over the course of four lectures, experts in different areas will share their knowledge with members of the public on subjects including female promiscuity in the animal kingdom, the use of technology in communicating emotion and intimacy, evolutionary explanations for harmful mating rituals, and the secret life of sperm.

    The four lectures will be given by Professor Tim Birkhead, Professor Mike Siva Jothy, and Dr Allan Pacey all from the University of Sheffield and Adrian Cheok from City University, London.

    In the first lecture on Thursday September 18, Professor Mike Siva Jothy from the University of Sheffield, will explain why many animals engage in painful and sometimes fatal behaviour during mating, and how this extreme behaviour which appears to go against the animals’ self-interest can actually be explained by neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory.

    Adrian Cheok, chair Professor of Pervasive Computing at City University London, will use the second lecture of the series on Sunday September 21 to describe how we will soon experience taste, touch and smell through the internet and how “telepresence” technologies will allow us to physically interact with people anywhere in the world.

    The third lecture on Monday September 22, from Professor Tim Birkhead from the University of Sheffield, will explain that promiscuous behavior among female animals is just as common as among males, meaning that sexual competition among females is equally as fierce as it is among their male counterparts, resulting in elaborate genital structures in both sexes in some species.

    In the final lecture on Wednesday September 24, Dr Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield will explore the world of sperm, telling the story of Dutchman Anton van Leeuwenhoek’s 1677 discovery of spermatozoa; the elegant processes through which fertilization occurs; the ethics of creating sperm from other cells in the body; and the economics of the international trade in supplies of sperm.

    The 11-day long Festival of the Mind (18th- 28th September 2014) will see the University of Sheffield team its leading academics with the UK’s most famous artists and musicians in order to bring academia to the streets.

    The X Lectures will all take place at the Festival of the Mind’s Spiegeltent in Barker’s Pool, Sheffield.

    Festival of the Mind will showcase ground-breaking collaborations between leading academics from the University of Sheffield and local people in the creative and cultural industries, at venues across the city.

    Events take place between 18–28 September 2014. For further information and the full programme, visit: http://festivalofthemind.group.shef.ac.uk

    Follow Festival of the Mind on Twitter @FestivalMind #FestivalMind or visit our Facebook page.

  • Shortlist For Polari First Book Prize Announced

    The shortlist for the Polari First Book Prize was announced last night at the Polari Literary Salon at the Southbank Centre.

    This year, for the first time, the five shortlisted books will be displayed at selected WH Smiths travel outlets across the country.
    The Polari First Book Prize is for a first book which explores the LGBT experience and is open to any work of poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction published in the UK in English within the twelve months of the deadline for submissions (this year Feb 1, 2014). Self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible for submission. The winner will be presented with a cheque for £1,000, courtesy of the Société General UK LGBT Network.
    The winner will be announced on 8 October 2014 in the Purcell Room at the London Literature Festival.

    The Polari First Book Prize Shortlist:
    I Am Nobody’s Nigger by Dean Atta (Westbourne Press)
    Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent’s Tail)
    Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman (Team Angelica)
    God’s Other Children – A London Memoir by Vernal W. Scott (self-published)
    The Rubbish Lesbian by Sarah Westwood (Mimwood Press)

    The judges this year are:
    Paul Burston (Chair of Judges) – author, journalist and host of Polari
    Bidisha – critic and broadcaster
    Matt Cain – author and former Culture Editor for Channel 4 News
    Suzi Feay – literary critic and broadcaster
    Rachel Holmes – author and former Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank
    VG Lee – author and comedian
    Paul Burston, Chair of judges, said, ‘The judges were impressed with the quality and diversity of books submitted this year. These five books represent a wide range of voices from a variety of backgrounds, making for a very exciting shortlist.’

  • WATCH | Gay web series: My Gay Roommate

    One of the hottest things online these days is the hit web series My Gay Roommate that follows the life of Nick a young gay man as he navigates his move into adulthood.

    Now in its third season, the series has already followed him during his first year in college with his straight roommate James, and started with Nick losing his virginity and finding the joys of Grindr. In the second season the story line followed Nick and his hilarious exploits spending a summer vacation at home with his family.

    In the latest season that started recently, Nick decides to take some time off from studying and hot-footing it to New York, and searching for a new straight roommate too. What’s refreshing about this whole series is that co-creators Austin Bening and Noam Ash who based it on their own experiences, they made sure that this wasn’t just another clichéd situation about a gay man developing a crush on the straight man, or the hetro deciding that he is really a homo. Its simply about a very genuine friendship between these two boys who have very different tastes when it comes to falling in love.

    Last week’s final episode in the present season was probably the hottest to date. Titled “Coital Logistics,” it deals with some issues in the bedroom between Nick and his cowboy lover… and who better to help remedy these ‘problems’ than gay porn star Levi Michaels who provides a cameo as well as some expert advice on being a power bottom. Things naturally don’t go as planned but it makes for great viewing and more than a few laughs.

    Here it is, and we guarantee after viewing it you want to check out YouTube for all the previous episodes

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Kes, Doncaster Cast Theatre

    ★★★ | Kes, Doncaster Cast Theatre

    In a small, northern working class community in the 1960s, Billy Casper’s life is not the easiest. He struggles with reading and writing, is picked on at school, bullied by his older brother and neglected by his uncaring mother. With nothing in his future but the prospect of leaving school and working in the coal mine, his future is bleak. When Billy finds and trains a wild kestrel, his life begins to find a purpose and meaning. But the cruelty of life strikes him a devastating blow.

    Produced by Cast Theatre and combining a mix of professional actors and amateur performers from the area, this new production of Barry Hines’ classic novel was adapted and performed to mark Cast Theatre’s first birthday.

    Jacob James Beswick stood out as young Billy Casper, looking every bit the part of the downtrodden youngster and filling the character with a balance of dread, pessimism towards the future and occasional glimmers of optimism. Beswick garnered a genuine empathy from the audience, especially during the shows closing scenes. Sally Carman, best known as Kelly McGuire in Shameless, was in familiar territory with her performance as Mrs Casper, and the incredibly handsome Ben Burman rounded off the family as vindictive half-brother, Jud. The majority of the cast were made up of amateur performers, making this local theatre in more ways than one and providing a cast who, as a whole, were pleasingly slick and polished and who had clearly honed their skills with the assistance of their professional contemporaries.

    The set was detailed, using a combination of projected backdrops and sliding panels to create different parts of the town, keeping the presentation simple but effective. The transitions between scenes were smoothly done and the original music, composed by Dom Coyote, added just the right amount of atmosphere. The lighting was kept low key, complementing the play’s gritty and dark subject matter and the story nicely gathered pace as it progressed. However, even in the intimate theatre space, the lack of microphones led to a few moments where it was difficult to hear what was being said, but this is a minor criticism of the production overall. The show has occasional moments of light humour, which were a welcome relief but which never detracted from the story or mood of the piece and the handful of local references added a nice touch. The show was engaging, enjoyable and a worthy choice and adaptation to celebrate the success of the theatre over the last 12 months.

    Kes is currently playing at Doncaster Cast until the 13th September 2014. Tickets can be booked online at http://castindoncaster.com , in person at the box office or on the telephone on 01302 303959.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dracula, Northern Ballet, West Yorkshire Playhouse

    ★★★★ | Dracula, Northern Ballet, West Yorkshire Playhouse

    Jonathan Harker is a young lawyer in the employ of Dracula, who shows the Count his beautiful fiancé, Mina, and upon becoming obsessed by her, Dracula heads to the shores of England to seek her out. But following the murder of her best friend, Lucy, by the Count, Mina falls under his spell. But in an attempt to avenge the death of Lucy, Lucy’s suitors and Harker are assisted by vampire hunter, Van Helsing, to track down Dracula in a desperate attempt to save Mina from an undead eternity.

    In this deliciously dark version of Dracula, from the opening moments of a naked Dracula stepping out of a coffin swirling in mist; through to the exhilarating and dramatic ending, Bram Stoker’s tale of obsessive love is brought to life by Northern Ballet who treat audiences to a lavish and spectacular gothic production.
    The atmosphere created in the theatre was superb with the lavishly detailed, Tim Burton-esqe sets providing a beautiful and visually stimulating backdrop to the dancers, which included performers being lowered from the ceiling and raised up from the ground. The cleverly designed low level lighting added to the gothic gloom of the piece and the music further complimented the ambience with a mixture of sharp strings and angular sounds akin to the soundtrack to “Psycho”; set against a host of choral orchestrations, reminiscent of “The Omen”. As always the costumes were beautifully put together, with the female dancers flowing gowns adding to the almost dreamlike quality of the show.

    Kevin Poeung provided the performance of the evening as asylum dweller, Renfield, who seems to have a strange connection with the Count. Poeung’s physical performance was energetic and contorted and contributed to one of the highlights of the show, namely the initial scene in Dr Jack Seward’s asylum. The engagement party was also a highlight, with the company dancing beautifully together. But the crescendo of the second act was the outstanding moment of the production with an ending which proved to be a breath-taking conclusion to the piece. Ashely Dixon also impressed throughout with his performance as Jonathan Hawker.

    The ballet was a lot darker and slightly heavier going than Northern Ballet’s usual fare, but the slow burn of the first act and the drama of the second act make this a rewarding watch. For an exhilarating piece of theatre told with an accessible narrative, Dracula is a visually rich and beautifully gothic piece of ballet.

    Dracula is currently being performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds until 13th September 2014. Tickets for Dracula can be booked at http://northernballet.com where you can also find out information about their upcoming productions for the Autumn/Winter season, many of which will be performed at different venues around the country.

  • First gay priest to marry, is to sue Church of England

    A Priest who married his partner is planning to sue the Church of England after being blocked from new position.

    In April 2014, Canon Jeremy Pemberton defied the Church of England’s ban on same-sex marriage to become the first priest to marry his long-term, same-sex partner Laurence Cunnington. It has been revealed that he plans to take the Church to an employment tribunal, after he was blocked from taking a new job as a Chaplain and bereavement manager with the NHS.

    Pemberton was blocked from the new job by acting Bishop for Southwell and Nottingham, the Right Reverend Richard Inwood, who wrote to the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to explain that he would not be giving Pemberton a new licence, BBC News reported.

    Speaking to the BBC, Pemberton said, “I feel I have been left with little choice, having found myself being punished and discriminated against simply for exercising my right to marry,” he said.

    A spokesperson for the Archbishops’ Council said it would not comment on individual decisions made by diocese.

  • Sam Smith Set Re-Release Hit Single With A$AP Rocky

    The Top 5 single ‘I’m Not The Only One’ is one of the defining tracks from Sam’s No.1, multi-platinum selling album ‘In The Lonely Hour’. Now Sam has teamed up with one of the hottest names in hip hop in recent years, A$AP Rocky, to feature on a new version of this latest single.

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  • OPINION | Cost The Reason HPV Vaccinations Aren’t Offered To Boys?

    Extending the HPV vaccine to gay men could help the fight against cancer.

    Dr Gillian Prue, lecturer of chronic illness at Queen’s University of Belfast, recently published in the British Medical Journal, that the current girl-only vaccination programme leaves men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk of infection from the human papilloma viruses (HPV).

    HPV is a common virus that has more than a 100 different strains. Some of them being common and relatively harmless with most people having some form of the virus during their lifetime. For most people, it will cause no symptoms and goes away on its own.

    But there are some strains of HPV that can cause changes in the cells of the lining of the mouth and throat as well as the penis and anus, known as high-risk HPVs. These changed cells have an increased risk of becoming cancerous.

    There are also strains of HPV that cause warts and verrucas, most commonly found on the hands, feet, genital area and anus. But can also be found elsewhere on the body.

    The danger with HPV is that it can be easily spread through skin contact, open mouth kissing and certain sexual acts. Infection is common in men and reports of infection have increased in the past two decades with HPV causing 5% of all human cancers.

    In September 2008, a free vaccination has been readily available for young girls aged between 12-13 in the UK with a catch-up programme for girls up to 18. Heterosexual men gain protection from the virus via vaccinated women but gay and bisexual men have no such protection and are therefore at a higher risk of infection.

    But by introducing the vaccination to men, vaccinated men would be protected against non-vaccinated girls and other men.

    Many countries have already introduced the HPV vaccination to boys such as Canada, Australia and the US. Studies have shown that vaccinating boys will produce both health and economic benefits, reducing the incidences of HPV-related genital warts and cancerous cells developing.

    And although gay and bisexual men are at a higher risk of infections, a programme targeted solely at the gay and bisexual men in the UK would be limited because many gay and bisexual men acquire HPV as teenagers and many have already been exposed to HPV already according to Prue. It has also been criticised that such a programme would appear to discriminate against young heterosexual men who are also susceptible to the risk of HPV.

    Last November the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation agreed to begin work on the possibility of offering the HPV vaccination to adolescent boys and MSM. No doubt the main deterrent for introducing the vaccination will be the cost of the vaccination, estimated to around £24,000,000.

    The most beneficial response to this would be a gender neutral vaccination strategy in schools. Anything else would simply be discriminatory. With the cost of the vaccination paling in comparison to the cost of cancer treatment caused by HPV, it seems like the next logical step in the fight against cancer.

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Is sugar the modern addiction?

    Sugar. It’s the latest in a continuing circle of foodstuffs to be condemned.

    You’ve probably heard about Dr Robert Lustig’s diatribe against it, at least in passing. It seems like common sense. We all know too many sweets or fizzy drinks are bad for you, but is it really as bad as he says? Isn’t it just about moderation?

    In his book, Fat Chance: ‘The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity and Disease’, Dr Lustig claims that we have underestimated the dangers of sugar. It is not just an unhealthy additive, but an addictive substance on a par with tobacco, alcohol and cocaine. The symptoms of withdrawal can be just as strong, which is why that diet can be so hard to keep up. It’s a relatively recent problem, he says, ironically caused by our own discoveries about health.

    As we realised the dangers of excessive fat consumption, food producers started to create foods with less fat. But in doing so, they had to add sugar to keep it tasting good. The more sugar they added, the more we bought their foods, and so added sugar became profitable, not just a necessary replacement for the fat. And that’s why those same producers will fight so hard to tell you that a little is ok, and that you don’t need to cut it out completely – because they will lose profits if we avoid their sugary foods.

    While you can’t argue with his basic premise, this is all starting to sound a bit conspiracy heavy though, isn’t it? Well, so did the tobacco story, but now the truth is out that the conspiracy really did exist. I’m not paranoid – they really are out to get me!

    Certainly, there are plenty of stories out there that give anecdotal weight to his argument. There’s Michelle Allen, 47, who weighed over 26 stone at her heaviest and was a size 32. She was addicted to cake and claims to have spent £87,360 over 30 years before changing her ways. She’s now lost an impressive 17 stone and has dropped to a size 12. And Denise, who shared her story on this blog about weight loss, saying ‘The most interesting thing I’ve discovered is that in giving up sugar and starch, the “emotional eating” went with it. Speaking strictly for myself, I have concluded that it was not emotional eating, it was addiction, a very physical addiction to sugar and starch. Because it went away when I quit eating them.’

    But David Katz, Director of Yale Prevention Research Centre, calls for a little calm on the matter, and says it’s unhelpful to demonise sugar like this. Of course too much is bad for you, he says in a rebuttal to Dr Lustig’s book, that’s what excess means. Anything to excess is harmful. But he says there’s a reason we crave sugar, and just because we see withdrawal symptoms doesn’t mean something is bad for you. The reason drugs are addictive is because they fool the body’s natural reward system, but that reward system operates the same way for things that we need. That’s why we’ve developed it. You’d expect to see withdrawal symptoms from giving up water, but you wouldn’t conclude that we should do that. Equally, drinking water to excess can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and even death.

    Perhaps they’re both right – sometimes it takes a shocking exaggeration to bump us out of bad habits, so Dr Lustig’s attitude may be what we need right now. Long term, though David Katz advocates normal common sense. He still warns against processed foods with added sugars, but thinks naturally occurring sugars shouldn’t be avoided. Eat fresh, mostly plants and moderate your quantities. And that seems to be the answer to most of these ‘health scares’. Learn to recognise your unhealthy habits, and adapt to that simple rule of thumb and you can’t go far wrong.

    If you think sugar is the ultimate evil, or you just need to cut down on your intake, we can help. All our food is super fresh. We use no refined or added sugar whatsoever. So if you’re trying to wean yourself off gradually, or want to go cold turkey, we can tailor your diet plan specifically to your needs and personal taste.

    Contact us 7 days per week on 020 86269360 between 9.00am and 21.00pm or via www.totaldietfood.com
    Get our daily menus plus other food and diet based insights on our website here or via Twitter and Facebook

  • Dan Osborne Excites With Bare Bum Show

    One of the sexiest men on the Planet, Dan Osborne wowed a London audience tonight with his new job as one of the famous Dream Boys.

    TOWIE Superstar Dan Osborne delighted girls and gays alike in his starring role with the Dreamboys in central London tonight on their Fit And Famous tour.

    A smiling Dan, although seemingly a little nervous to start with, soon got into the swing of things, dressed as a naval officer – a la – An Officer And A Gentleman.

    Dancing seductively to Jessica Simpson’s, I Wanna Love You Forever, Dan and his Dreamboys, got completely naked for the crowd. He also managed to pull off a bit of Michael Jackson move, who Dan is a fan of.

    Dan was soon Butt naked – to shrieks of delight from the audience.

    Amen to that!

  • INTERVIEW: Mr Gay World 2014, Stuart Hatton

    INTERVIEW: Mr Gay World 2014, Stuart Hatton

    If you think beauty pageants are just for girls staring vacantly into the middle distance, where every answer is “world peace”, over-the-top tiaras and feeding starving pandas, you’ve not clapped your eyes on this year’s Mr Gay UK. Step up Hunky Stuart Alexander Hatton, the smouldering, 28-year- old, Star-Trek loving dance teacher who is the UK’s Mr Gay – and now The Mr Gay World 2014…

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