Milo Yiannopoulos is a controversial conservative figurehead often associated with the alt-right movement in the US. He has however said he does not identify as a member of the alt-right. He is British-born and openly gay. In 2016 he was unverified and then removed from Twitter after a series of tweets aimed at Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones.
Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has told fans that he’ll be back and that in a few months the controversy surrounding child-sex comments he made, will be a “distant memory”.
Promising details of a new book deal, a “new media venture” and a new tour, Milo Yiannopoulos has told his fans that his comments on paedophilia will be a “distant memory” in the months to come.
There was outrage online after Milo talked about sex between “younger boys” and older men, which he made during an online live stream interview. The interview was edited and distributed on Twitter and YouTube.
Milo responded that he used a “poor choice of words” and that he did not support child abuse, before pointing out that he was himself a victim of abuse.
Yesterday, Milo told his fans that he has a new publisher in line to publish the book, which was dropped by a Simon and Schuster imprint, although did not go into details about who the new publisher was.
Taking to Instagram Milo wrote,
“This week, for political gain, the media and the Republican establishment accused a child abuse victim of enabling child abuse. It’s sick. But they have not killed me. They have only made me stronger.
“Thank you for the support. You guys have kept me sane. In a few months, this will be a distant memory. I’ll be back with details of my new publisher, my new media venture and my new tour”.
“I would be wrong to allow my poor choice of words to detract from my colleagues’ important reporting, so today I am resigning from Breitbart, effective immediately. This decision is mine alone.
“To repeat: I do not support child abuse,
“I am sorry to other abuse victims who may have interpreted my statements as flippant.”
There was outrage online after Milo talked about sex between “younger boys” and older men, which he made during an online live stream interview. The interview was edited and distributed on Twitter and YouTube.
According to The GuardianMilo said the age of consent was “not this black and white thing” and that relationships “between younger boys and older men … can be hugely positive experiences”.
In another video, which is available to see on YouTube, Milo said that at the age of 14 he was the predator and “aggressively seeking out sexual company of adults” to have “power” over them.
Milo took to his Facebook to say he was disgusted by the video and that he was a “child abuse victim” and that he is “horrified by paedophilia”. He made the claim that videos of him were edited “deceptively”.
In a statement Breitbart said that Milo had provided much needed debate on topics surrounding the LGBT+ community. They said,
“Milo Yiannopoulos’s bold voice has sparked much-needed debate on important cultural topics confronting universities, the LGBTQ community, the press, and the tech industry.
“Milo notified us this morning of his decision to resign as editor of Breitbart Tech and we accepted his resignation.”
The decision was made after comments over child abuse caused outrage online.
A statement from the publisher said, “After careful consideration, Simon & Schuster and its Threshold Editions imprint have cancelled publication of Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos.”
The book was due to be released in June after been pushed back from a March drop date and had topped the Amazon book chart after its release was announced.
There was outrage online after Milo seemingly endorsed sex between “younger boys” and older men, which he made during an online live stream interview. The interview was edited and distributed on Twitter and YouTube.
According to The GuardianMilo said the age of consent was “not this black and white thing” and that relationships “between younger boys and older men … can be hugely positive experiences”.
In another video, which is available to see on YouTube, Milo said that at the age of 14 he was the predator and “aggressively seeking out sexual company of adults” to have “power” over them.
Milo took to his Facebook to say he was disgusted by the video and that he was a “child abuse victim” and that he is “horrified by paedophilia”. He made the claim that videos of him were edited “deceptively”.
He wrote,
“I’m partly to blame.
“My own experiences as a victim led me to believe I could say anything I wanted to on this subject, no matter how outrageous.
“But I understand that my usual blend of British sarcasm, provocation and gallows humor might have come across as flippancy, a lack of care for other victims or, worse, “advocacy.” I deeply regret that. People deal with things from their past in different ways.”
He told his fans that he was “implacably opposed” to the normalisation of paedophilia and would continue to speak out against it.
How To Be Heard was due to be published by TED Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster in March 2018. Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Roxane said that she asked her agent, Maria Massie to “pull the project” last week saying that she couldn’t in “good conscience” let them publish the book, whilst they also had the rights to Milo’s book.
She said she was putting her “money where her mouth is”.
“I kept thinking about how egregious it is to give someone like Milo a platform for his blunt, inelegant hate and provocation. I just couldn’t bring myself to turn the book in. My editor emailed me last week and I kept staring at that email in my inbox and finally over the weekend I asked my agent to pull the book.”
Simon & Schuster’s CEO claimed that Milo’s book would not contain hate speech.
What makes a gay icon I hear you ask? Well, there’s not actually a specific set of rules, if someone is an icon, it rarely needs to be said, it’s just known. But there are some celebrities who try desperately hard to obtain the status, and they are laughed at for the most part. I’ll start with these cases first. The ones who so desperately crave a “YAAAASSSS QUEEN” off the gay community, but mostly fall short. A gay icon is created without the need for effort. For the list, I’ll be concentrating on the icons who are currently alive, with an honour roll of icons past at the end.
1. Any member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan.
There I said it, I can hear the wails of anger already. To some, they are the epitome of an icon, but to most, they are shallow, money-hungry, low rent TV reality stars who only got famous after one of them slept with Brandy’s brother and had the tape “leaked”. No one can actually point out specifically what they do. They are famous, merely for being famous. The only good thing they have going for them is they know exactly how to exploit that. Not even Caitlyn Jenner can rescue them. Her “struggles” with coming out as transgender are so far removed from the actual hell that transgender people go through that she is almost universally hated by the LGBT community. These are not people to look up to.
2. Tori Spelling
When someone feels the need to boast about their gay icon status, they are not a gay icon. While a vocal supporter of the gay community, she is far removed from icon status. Having her friends tell her she’s a gay icon doesn’t count. She’s not exactly well known, and it’s unlikely she could command much of a crowd at any event. Yeah, she used to be in Beverly Hills 90210, but who really gives a shit?
3. Katie Hopkins
Oh, Ms Hopkins, you may want to be a gay icon, but this you never shall be. While some gays may like your no nonsense mouth, to most you’re just a loud mouthed harridan who revels in spewing vitriol and trying to be as controversial as possible. It takes class to be an icon, and Katie Hopkins is severely lacking in that. You need a certain gravitas to be able to pull off being a bitch and still be beloved.
4. Perez Hilton
His disgraceful Celebrity Big Brother stint pretty much destroyed any small hope he had of achieving icon status. Gossip monger by trade, he has always tried much too hard to be a gay icon, and it comes across as crass and disingenuous. He has a knack for really pissing people off, and like Ms Hopkins, he doesn’t have the proper qualifications for being bitchy and getting away with it
5. Milo Yiannopoulos
An avid Trump supporter and self-proclaimed “dangerous faggot” Yiannopoulos tries to shock and offend as much as possible and has said incredibly offensive things about transgender people. He is the ultimate in petulant, self-obsessed, narcissistic, nasty, vindictive and hateful gays. And while some people may agree with some of the things he says, he comes across as smarmy and greasy.
6. Nick Jonas
Yes, he’s got a hot body, and a bulge for days, but being a gay tease does not an icon make. People are starting to see through the blatant attempt to appeal to the gay community by posing in very little clothing and playing TV roles that involve man on man action, I’m half expecting his nudes to “leak” at some point when he needs a boost of gay male interest in an upcoming project.
7. Miley Cyrus
Her post-Hannah Montana days shenanigans were mildly entertaining at first, but then it all became rather desperate looking and uncomfortable. She fell out of favour fairly quickly with gay fans, and she never really achieved the status of icon in the first place, despite being an advocate for LGBT rights. She seemed to be desperate for the gays to love her and it riled a lot of people.
And now for some of the true gay icons. In no particular order. This is a difficult list to narrow down because many people are considered gay icons. But there are some who stand out above the rest as the ultimate in enduring gay icons. You can’t hear their name without thinking “gay icon”
CREDIT: kathclick /BigStock
1. Dolly Parton
The queen of cheap and tacky, but amazing with it. Her look, her quirky southern charm, her infamous ahem assets and her attitude are forever endearing to the community. There will always be a Dolly tune you can rock out to, or find solace in. She is a true icon without having to be boastful. She is grateful and loving and supportive. That makes us love Ms Parton.
2. Sir Ian McKellan
Come on people, he’s Gandalf and Magneto, and a massive advocate for the gay community. He’s the true stately homo, with dignity and class, and his bromance with Captain Picard makes the nerd in us scream with excitement. He also loves attending Pride events, and has been known to be found at 3am outside a club, smoking and hobnobbing with fans. A proper British institution.
3. Cher
The big kahuna herself, and when the apocalypse happens, there will be only three things left, Cockroaches, Twinkies and Cher. Not much needs to be said as to why she is a gay icon. She’s bitchy, fabulous and a drag queen’s dream. Her costumes, stage performances and films and TV appearances bring out the queen in all of us. Plus she’s so famous she doesn’t need to know how to order pizza (according to Kathy Griffin) and no one cares. She is one of the ultimate gay icons. She’s Cher bitch!!
4. Betty White
If there’s anything better than sliced bread (she was born before it was even invented) it’s the only remaining Golden Girl herself, Betty White. She’s the matriarch of gay icons, and at 95, she is still rocking and beloved by all. There really isn’t anything bad you can say about this woman, and long may she continue to entertain us. And as the younger generation find out about The Golden Girls, they too will fall in love with Rose Nylund.
5. RuPaul
The drag mother himself, RuPaul has entertained fans for many years. Never one to mince words, RuPaul found fame in 1993 after the song “Supermodel” came out, but it was 2009 that saw his star truly rise when a little show called RuPaul’s Drag Race came thundering onto our screens, and nearly 9 seasons later the show goes from strength to strength, and also reintroduced us to RuPaul’s cohort, Michelle Visage, who is somewhat of a gay icon herself, due to her unwavering vocal support of a community who took her to their hearts.
6. Ellen DeGeneres
Her reminder of “be kind to one another” strikes a chord in the community and her warmth and generosity towards others can only make people smile. She rose from a little-known stand-up comedian to one of the most watched women on TV. People love Ellen, and her gay icon status is very much deserved. She doesn’t take herself seriously and proves that it’s OK to be gay and live a normal life without shame or guilt. A truly inspirational woman.
7. Stephen Fry
I would be hard pushed not to put bitingly witty, intelligent, charming and all round fabulous person Stephen Fry on this list. From the days of Blackadder to the presenter of QI, Fry has been an icon for a long time. He has been voted numerous times as an ultimate gay icon and it’s not hard to see why. His eloquent way of speaking and conducting himself appeals to many fans alike.
8. Madonna
Anyone who can bring voguing into the mainstream deserves a place among the icons. The Queen of Pop and reinvention herself has been popular for 30 years, and to this day still commands massive crowds. Gay fans flocked to Madonna and her ridiculously catchy dance tunes will still get many a gay on the dance floor, and while she may not be as popular as she once, there’s still only one Madonna.
9. Diana Ross
With a gay anthem like “I’m coming out” Diana Ross with all her glittery outfits, and diva-like behaviour screams gay icon. Having a career that’s lasted since God’s dog was a puppy also helps. She’s also probably the only woman to shut down West Hollywood so she could film a music video with RuPaul and 200 drag queens. Gay Icon certified.
10. Bette Midler
Miss Midler was performing in gay venues in the 70s after seeing the positive reaction from the LGBT crowd, and then in 1993, she achieved gay cult status as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus. Her glittery stage presence and music is always a hit amongst the gay crowd, and while occasionally she has put foot in mouth, her iconic status cannot be refuted.
Some of you may ask why I haven’t included people like Britney, Beyonce or Lady Gaga, Well I’ll explain. The icons I chose have been talking points for a very long time, and I can see them still being talked about long after they are no longer with us. Gaga et al, still have a way to go before true icon status is achieved, and while they have an icon-like following, in my eyes they aren’t legendary…yet!
Honour roll of past gay icons
Carrie Fisher
Joan Rivers
Bette Davies
Joan Crawford
David Bowie
Bea Arthur
Quentin Crisp
Divine
Judy Garland
Donna Summer
Harvey Milk
Marsha P Johnson
James Dean
Marlon Brando
Marlene Dietrich
Lucille Ball
Freddie Mercury
George Michael
Whitney Houston
Alan Turing
Marilyn Monroe
Mae West
Jackie Onassis
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.
Milo Yiannopoulos has been named by LGBTQ Nation as “Person of The Year”, a vote which was decided by the publication’s readers.
CREDIT: Milo Yiannopoulos / Instagram
The controversial right-wing figurehead for America’s youth, Milo Yiannopoulos, has been named a “Person of The Year” by the popular online publication LGBTQ nation.
It said,
“After a concerted effort to drum up votes via social media, conservative media gadfly Milo Yiannopoulos has won the title” causing uproar amongst some of its readers.
He topped the poll which saw the Pulse Victims, Mike Pence and Ellen Degeneres also named as nominees for the honour.
An article explaining the win said,
“The LGBTQ Nation Person of the Year contest is a reader driven poll to select the year’s top newsmaker. While the poll was intended for our regular audience, there were no stipulations on who could or couldn’t vote. Therefore, Milo Yiannopoulos won fair and square.”
The news did not go down well with the magazine’s readers, who blasted the publication for Milo’s inclusion.
One wrote,
“So you put this monster in your poll, ignore your regular readers saying that the poll has been hacked by breitbart and 4chan trolls and must be taken down and now give it more attention by interviewing it.”
Whilst another said he’d be unfollowing,
“I said I would unfollow you if this hateful transphobic racist got awarded for his ignorance, hope anyone else who has a problem with this does the same”
LGBTQ Nation is owned by Q Digital who also own Queerty and GayCities.
Milo took to Facebook to thank his fans for their support, simply saying “nick work, gang”.
The Chicago Review of Books has said it will not review any products published by publisher Simon & Schuster in 2017.
The publisher Simon & Schuster is facing a huge backlash after it was revealed that it was publishing a book by the controversial conservative figurehead, Milo Yiannopoulos. Taking to Twitter,The Chicago Review of Books, an “independent literary review dedicated to cultivating awareness”, said that it’s decision to boycott the publisher was in response to the “disgusting validation of hate”. They said they would not cover a single book of the publisher in 2017.
The book, Dangerous, is being released by an imprint, Threshold Editions, owned by one of the world’s biggest publishers. The book deal offered to Milo is reported to be worth $250,000 and has told critics,”withhold judgment until they have had a chance to read” the book.
Within a day Milo had cracked the top 100 Amazon best seller list ahead of The Princess Diaries by Carrie Fisher.
The book reviewer reviewed 15 books by the publisher last year and that it would in 2017 review 15 books from independent and small publishers.
Milo Yiannopoulos is releasing a book and it’s already a “best seller”.
CREDIT: LeWeb14 / Flickr
The conservative figure Milo Yiannopoulos is about to release a book and it’s already a best-seller on Amazon’s website. The book is being released by an imprint owned by one of the world’s biggest publishers, Simon & Schuster. The book deal offered to Milo is reported to be worth $250,000 and has told critics,”withhold judgment until they have had a chance to read” the book.
It is called Dangerous and it’s due to be released on the 14th March.
Taking to Instagram the controversial journalist, who writes for Breibart News, explained,
“ON NO ACCOUNT SHOULD YOU BUY COPIES OF THIS BOOK FOR THE FEMINIST IN YOUR LIFE THEREBY PROPELLING IT TO #1 BESTSELLER STATUS ENSURING A LIFETIME OF TRIGGERING FOR EVERY FEMINIST AND PROGRESSIVE LUNATIC ON THE INTERNET PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS IT WOULD BE WRONG PS HERE IS THE LINK”
Within a day Milo had cracked the top 100 Amazon best seller list ahead of The Princess Diaries by Carrie Fisher.
Earlier this year the self-proclaimed, super villain of the internet had a scheduled talk at a school cancelled after the school was contacted by the Department for Education’s (DfE) “counter-extremism unit” after concerns about safety were called into question. Around 220 students had signed up to hear Milo speak. A spokesperson for the school noted that, “the staff and students of the school were overwhelmingly in favour”, of Milo’s visit.
2016 has been a year that will go down in history as one of the most seismic of all time. From the election of Donald Trump to the UK voting to leave the EU, from the Pulse nightclub massacre to the continued persecution of gay men by ISIS.
There have been many stories that have and will continue to impact the gay community for decades to come. Here’s are just some of the top stories from the past 12 months.
January
David Bowie dies. The year starts with the unexpected death of David Bowie. 2016 would go down as one of the most shocking years for celebrity deaths.
Milo Yiannopoulos is unverified by Twitter. The controversial right-wing commentator is unverified by Twitter. He would later be kicked off the platform altogether in a move many praised but other criticised Twitter for kerbing freedom of speech.
ISIS executes 15-year-old boy. He was murdered for an alleged affair with an ISIS officer. The officer was spared the death sentence.
British LGBT Awards gets a bashing on Twitter. The motives behind the awards were questioned by some after a number of “strange” choices for nominees were revealed including YouTuber Zoella, and Zayn for being allies.
So if you’re planning to book Milo Yiannopoulos for conservative chat you’d better be ready to go on a shopping expedition in order to get him in the mood to perform.
CREDIT: Milo Yiannopoulos / Instagram
The Tab revealed what’s on the journalist and the Internet’s super villain’s rider.
So it starts off pretty legit. Bottles of champagne, trainer approved snacks and fruit, a full-length mirror, cough drops and humidifier, WiFi and then it gets weird. Really weird.
He wants his peaches defuzzed, an 8×10 framed signed photo of himself, non-fair trade coffee, a bowl and a half of green M&Ms (approx 1400) and a fruit platter prepared to form an M shape. Oh and he also wants a snow cone machine.
But then things get a little outrageous…
He doesn’t want gingers – but he does want four topless Abercrombie models and his preference is black models. Anyone who identifies as lesbian must remain 100 feet away from him. They are not permitted to wear khakis, flannel, Birkenstocks, or plaid. All female staff are required to wear brassieres or other supportive undergarments.
And if you get things wrong expect huge fines.
He doesn’t want phone calls in his dressing room – any disturbance will find a venue being fined $5000 and he hears Adele playing the venue will be fined $7,500.
And for on stage? He requests a fog machine and bear spray.
Milo confirmed to The Tab that the rider was authentic.
Last week Milo had a scheduled talk at his old school, The Langton Grammar School for Boys, cancelled amid security concerns. Activists were planning a protest outside the school, which caused the Department for Education’s counter extremism unit to reach out to the school.
Read the full rider below:
1. DRESSING ROOM
6 x Bottles San Pellegrino, chilled
2 x Laurent-Perrier Brut NV Methuselah
3 dozen poppy bagels, seeds removed
5 x good quality Sancerre
6 packs Newport shorts
Trainer-approved snack, fruits
Fresh fruit platter, prepared in shape of capital ‘M’
4 x Japanese square watermelon
Snow cone machine
2 buckets KFC Extra Crispy thighs should be ready upon arrival; skin removed & set aside in third bucket
Bacon
Hot and cold meal options – Gordon Ramsay recipes.
Preferred meats: Veal, suckling pig
Use only French fleur-du-sel, Northwest coast preferred source
8 dozen double-stuff Oreos, halved & spliced together to make 4 dozen double-double stuff Oreos
Cave-aged Gruyere
A bowl and a half of green M&M’s (approx 1400)
2 x tin petrossian royal ossetra caviar
30 x peaches, defuzzed
Advil/Tylenol
Hot water (filtered), fresh honey and lemon
Coffee: Hawaiian, grown in volcanic foothills; or any non-fair-trade source/country
Cough drops
Humidifier
WiFi (2 dedicated networks, high-speed)
Central air-conditioning
Full-length mirror
Working outlets/ power strips, extension cords
2 dozen white roses, de-thorned, cut to 8-9 inches
3 pack x Scented markers
Framed,signed 8×10 photo of artist, next to roses;
NB: attendant rotate frame hourly to maintain sun aspect
Room with east & west views
Framed 8×10 portrait of Daddy; frame must be gilded/gold-leaf; placed adjacent to artist’s
Hand lotion; any South Korean brand containing horse oil banned in the USA & EU
On-call registered nurse for B-12 injections
3 Siberian Husky puppies
4 topless Abercrombie models, BLACK PREFERRED — NO gingers
Tahitian Vanilla candles, minimum 12 hour burning time
10 ‘torchiere-style’ floor lamps
Assorted ceramic tableware
Hot & cold towels (Ralph Lauren)
Framed 8×10 black-and-white photo of Princess Di, placed on windowsill
Tiara
Johnson’s baby oil (slightly heated)
Star Wars Top Trumps
Assistant to read my speech on repeat to artist
Selection of minimum 12 world capital major newspapers, ironed
20 x international phone lines
75 x $1 bills
Registered on-call acupuncturist
Strictly Non-Smoking Rooms
Carpet & upholstery deodorized
Framed 8×10 of Mariah Carey, always placed facing the doorway, set next to the white roses
Framed 5×7 photo of J.Lo (ideally Jenny From the Block era)
Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was supposed to host a lecture at his former school, The Langton Grammar School for Boys, however, it has been cancelled due to “safety concerns” after the school was contacted by the Department for Education’s (DfE) “counter-extremism unit”.
CREDIT: LeWeb14 / Flickr
Milo Yiannopoulos, the self-proclaimed, super villain of the internet has had a scheduled talk cancelled after the school was contacted by the Department for Education’s (DfE) “counter-extremism unit” after concerns about safety were called into question.
Around 220 students had signed up to hear Milo speak. A spokesperson for the school noted that, “the staff and students of the school were overwhelmingly in favour”, of Milo’s visit.
Concerns for the security of the school site and the school’s community were raised after activists planned to demonstrate during the event.
The school’s spokesperson said,
“This decision was taken following contact from the DfE counter-extremism unit, the threat of demonstrations at the school by organised groups and members of the public and our overall concerns for the security of the school site and the safety of our community.
“We note that, within 24 hours of advertising the event, 220 Langton sixth formers had, with parental consent, signed up for the event and that objection to our hosting Yiannopoulos came almost entirely from people with no direct connection to The Langton. The staff and students of the school were overwhelmingly in favour.
“Whilst disappointed that both the pastoral care and intellectual preparation we offer to our students has been called into question, we at The Langton remain committed to the principle of free speech and open debate and will resist, where possible, all forms of censorship.”
Writing on his Facebook page on Monday, Milo said,
“My old high school has been bullied into canceling my talk on Tuesday by the “counter-extremism” unit at the U.K. Department of Education.
Who even knew the DoE had a counter-extremism unit? And that it wasn’t set up to combat terrorism but rather to punish gays with the wrong opinions? Perhaps if I’d called the speech “MUSLIMS ARE AWESOME!” they’d have left us alone. Disgusted.
