THEGAYUK

Tag: Twitter

All the latest breaking news on Twitter. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on Twitter and the LGBT+ community.

  • X Factor winner Louisa’s homophobic Tweets exposed

    The 2015 winner of X Factor, Louisa, has had dozens of homophobic tweets exposed.

    The singer, who says she was just 14 at the time of the tweets, repeatedly used the anti-gay slur “faggot” on her Twitter from 2013, just two years before she rose to fame on X Factor.

    The singer was exposed after Birmingham Pride announced that she would be headlining this year’s event.

    The singer, who has failed to release an album since X Factor victory, the only winner not to do so, issued an apology saying she was “young” and “foolish”.

    In a statement, she wrote: “When I was a school girl I made some inappropriate remarks on Twitter.

    “I was young and foolish, and hanging around with the wrong crowd & didn’t know any better.

    “That’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation.

    “I’m sorry for some of the comments I made at that time on social media.

    “I think it’s important for me to speak out about this and say that I don’t think it is right or appropriate for anyone to use derogatory language at any time or at any age no matter what the circumstances.”

    After Birmingham Pride announced Louisa’s headline, a Twitter user published screenshots of some of the slurs.

    Birmingham Pride has not responded to the news and it is unclear at this stage whether the pride will keep Louisa as its headliner.

     

  • COMMENT | I came off Twitter for a week and I was happier for it

    Last week I decided that I would delete some social apps.

    Ranty tweets do nothing for the health – so why not come off it for a while.

    I was done with social media. Twitter had become the second thing I opened in the morning, second only to my eyes and within seconds I could feel my blood angry up.

    Twitter’s “Moments” were the catalyst for my angst. The platform, which claims not to be a publisher, hires a team of people to select stories (never actually on newsworthiness) and create an incredibly biased narrative and shoves them into my timeline.

    Have you ever noticed that there’s so much anger on Twitter?

    It’s faux anger, fueled by hashtags that will be long forgotten when the next travesty is ‘momentised’.

    But where is the anger about the mountains of plastic we consume each day? Where is the angst about the bleach we pour down millions of loos, water which eventually ends up in our oceans? Where is the outrage for the millions of acres of forest we destroy for paper products or products which contain palm oil?

    Problems that actually matter, problems are extinction level events for humankind.

    No, instead let’s argue about whether Ben Affleck’s back tattoo is “too much”, whether Germaine Geer is a feminist or not or whether the 30-year-old lyrics of “Do They Know It’s Christmas” are “problematic”. It’s just all so tiresome and what does all this negativity really achieve?

    If you “can’t deal” Ben’s tattoo, don’t look at it. If you don’t think Germaine is woke, don’t listen to her, if the lyrics offend you, just search for how much money that song has raised for good causes. Stop shitting on everything because you have a problem with it. Today.

    Enough is Enough

    As I clicked the “X” above Twitter and the TWO Facebook apps, I had a pang of, actually what was that feeling? Was it desperation? Or was it relief?

    Twitter is part of my work, so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to rid myself fully of the little blue bird, but I’d have to log in via a browser, which I found to be a much better experience for my mental wealth.

    For the first three days, when I had a spare moment, I found myself, opening up my phone and looking for something. As I flipped through my apps, I had forgotten what I was looking for, but habit is so ingrained in our fibres, we still reach to do the thing that we always do. I guess this is withdrawal. The visual element of the Twitter / Facebook app logo had gone, but I was still looking for my connection fix.

    After the fourth day, I had rediscovered the Apple news app – and started reading actual news. News that is sourced, written, analysed and curated by real-life journalists. Yes, of course, there is bias in news, but if you choose a number of outlets, one from each side of the political divide and one in the middle (or indeed a specialist or niche site, like THEGAYUK.com – plug plug) you can get variety. Like your food diet, your news diet needs variety. Consuming only one type will ultimately leave your wanting, no, needing more.

    By the fifth day, I had totally forgotten about the apps and an added boon, my phone’s battery life went to last an entire day. Almost.

    By the seventh day, I actually felt calmer. I felt happier. I feel less stressed.

    I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep this up, but my mental wealth has boomed.

    As I travelled into London on the train, I looked around the carriage and was aware that everyone, regardless of their age was hunched over their phone. Tapping away. They were all obvious to the world around them. When did we become so disconnected from the real world?

    I looked out of the windows, the sun filtered through the glass. London looked beautiful. I felt happy to be alive. I felt happy to be disconnected in that moment.

    So if you find yourself getting angry over nothing, put down the phone, look out your window and take a deep breath.

     

     

  • Tom Daley and Dustin face horrendous homophobic abuse after baby announcement

    Moments after Olympic Diver Tom Daley and husband Dustin Lance Black announced that they are expectant fathers, the trolls come out in force.

    CREDIT: TOM DALEY / DUSTIN LANCE BLACK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

    Despite the news that Tom Daley and his husband are expecting a baby, some on social media couldn’t hide their contempt for the gay fathers to be.

     

     

    The loved-up pair are apparently due to become fathers. They both shared an ultrasound picture of an unborn baby on their social media profiles. Along with the picture Dustin, 43, captioned it, A very happy #ValentinesDay from ours to yours.” He included the two male and child emoji in the message.

    Tom released a photo to coincide with husband’s picture and wished his followers a Happy Valentine’s as well.

    The pair were married last year have talked about starting a family.

    Speaking on BBC Question Time, Dustin said, “I’m here from the United States of America. I didn’t get to vote on Brexit, because in this country because I fell in love.

    “Because I call it home and because I hope to raise a family here.”

  • Katie Hopkins asked why there is no white or straight community and Twitter did not hold back

    “Because the whole effing world is a straight community you silly cow”

    Katie Hopkins knows a thing or two about causing outrage and one of her recent Tweets caused, its fair to say, a fair amount of backlash from Twitter users.

    Katie, who seems to be going a bit of an anti-LGBT bent recently, asked her followers the following question, “Why is there no heterosexual community? Or white community? Do you need to feel like a victim to belong? #transcommunity #lgbtcommunity #blackcommunity”.

    Well, Twitter users had a few answers for the former MailOnline columnist, Sun columnist, former LBC Radio presenter, former chat show host, former Celebrity Big Brother participant and former Apprentice candidate.

    So there you have it. Katie we hope you find yourself slightly more educated.

  • 13 stars who should have checked their social accounts for homophobia and slurs in 2017

    The stars were out in force with the blatant, everyday and casual homophobia this year…

    It’s amazing how much homophobia there is on Twitter. Even some of the UK’s most loved celebs have been found to have messages that we’re sure they’d wished they checked for or never sent in the first place. Here are 13 celebs, who made the news this year, caught with having slurs against the LGBT+ community on the social timelines.

     

     

    Zoella

    One of Britain’s most popular YouTubers, Zoella, was caught with homophobic comments on her Twitter timeline. The 27-year-old who has over 12 million subscribers on the Google-owned platform, tweeted, “I find it funny when gay men spit… it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho but never works”. The tweet dated back to 2010, before Zoella became the household name.

    In 2011 she allegedly wrote a tweet with an anti-trans slur saying,  “Are they honestly letting a tranny in a policeman hat speak to them like that? How odd! Haha x”.

    In her apology she wrote, “I’ve seen a few of my old tweets from 7/8 years ago floating around (which I have now deleted) using words like “chav” “skank” and other words I wouldn’t use now as part of my language and lot of them were taken out of context referring to TV shows but I would never say those things now and I’m sorry if I have offended anyone, that was not my intention.

    “Obviously that is not who I am today and I’d like to think I’m a little older and wiser! I’m not perfect and I’ve never claimed to be, I’m only human!”

    Jack Maynard

    Jack Maynard’s departure from I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here caused a huge media stir – with millions of viewers at home in the UK wondering what he had done so wrong to warrant leaving the jungle after just two days. Well, dozens of anti-gay tweets were discovered on his Twitter timeline dating back at least five years. Numerous racist slurs were also found on his timeline. The YouTuber left the jungle and it took him nearly three days to apologise for his error. It was an apology that didn’t go down particularly well – after he used a well-worn cliché “I’ve got lots of gay friends” during his interview with The Sun.

    Stormzy

    Nearly 20 homophobic tweets were found on the BBC’s ‘Artist of The Year’ – Stormzy’s twitter account. The tweets, some of which dated back to 2011 used homophobic slurs, like “no homo” and “faggot” to blast critics on his social media account.

    Stormzy was swift to issue an apology. In a statement, he wrote that the messages sent from his account were “unacceptable and disgusting”. He also said sorry and that he regretted sending the messages.

    Jared O’Mara

    An MP who sat on the Women’s and Equality Committee had past homophobic and sexist forum comments unearthed by the political website, Guido Fawkes. The MP, who unseated Nick Clegg in the last General Election, was said to have used numerous anti-gay slurs on the Morrissey Solo website forum and Drowned In Sound. Terms such as “fudge packers” and driving “up the marmite motorway” to describe gay people were used and a message was written that said gay people were “bitter and resentful about being homosexual”.

    The Labour party took action to suspend the newly elected MP for Sheffield Hallam. He also resigned from the Women’s and Equality committee.

     

    Katie Hopkins

    This year Katie had problems with Rainbow police cars, police marching in pride parades, non-binary people, transgender people, the LGBT+ community in general. To be honest, her twitter timeline is full of moans and angry tweets – but fear not, apparently she deletes her entire catalogue once a week, so the offensiveness doesn’t last long. Screengrabs, however, are forever.

     

    Piers Morgan

    Where to begin. Piers Morgan’s timeline has been filled with rage against people whose gender doesn’t conform to the binary of man and woman. Piers has fought with campaigners on his ITV show and on his own Twitter timeline and even written about it in his column with the MailOnline.

    Earlier in 2017, the presenter condemned LGBT charity Stonewall, calling them “Piers-phobic” after a spokesperson blasted him for “bullying” a couple who identified as non-binary on Good Morning Britain.

    Josh Rivers

    Josh Rivers, the new editor of Gay Times was suspended and then fired after just 20 days in the job, following the discovery by Buzzfeed, of antisemitic, lesbian hating, body shaming and anti-Asian tweets in his Twitter timeline. The majority of tweets were published between 2010 and 2015.

    Rivers was working on a mandate of promoting inclusivity and diversity at the magazine when a number of incendiary comments on his Twitter account between 2010 and 2015. Some of the tweets which have been deleted described Jews as “gross” and some directed hatred towards lesbians, overweight women and men, and Asian and Chinese people. Apologising for his tweets, Rivers wrote: “To every single person who is hurt, offended and disappointed: I’m sorry”.

    He has now deleted his profile.

    Twitter

    Twitter itself came under fire this year for bi-erasure and for suspending a number of popular gay/ LGBT+ websites. Twitter effectively deleted the #bisexual hashtag from showing photos, videos and news items which used that tag. When users tried to use that hashtag in the search bar, they were met with a “no results” page. It took the platform several days to fix the issue.

    Lily Allen

    British singer, Lily Allen used the word “fags” on Twitter and got a response, trouble was it probably wasn’t the one that she was probably hoping for. Her Tweet, “Fags Hate Trump” did not go down well it’s fair to say. The singer was swiftly admonished by many in the community. Some called the singer ‘homophobic’.

    Amir Khan

    Another Celeb from this year’s I’m A Celeb, Amir Khan, was allegedly found to have Tweets on his timeline which were found to be homophobic. In a tweet said to have been sent in 2011, Khan allegedly wrote, “Nothing against them. Sort it out lad. No wonder pple think u like boys haha”.

    In another post from 2010, a tweet which read, “Abuse @saj23x for keeping pictures on his phone, he is defiantly gay after today’s tweet. Asll the guys beware, @saj23x is GAY” was sent from his official account.

    Amir has not apologised or commented on the tweets.

    Rebekah Vardy

    Yet another 2017 I’m A Celeb alumni was allegedly found to have casual homophobia found on her Twitter timeline. Vardy never commented on the Twitter and has not apologised for the offensive tweet.

    Hazel E

    Not Twitter this time, but on Instagram. Hazel E star of the Love & Hip-Hop Hollywood TV show asked her gay fans to forgive her for saying, “burn in hell just like God said in the bible”

    She made the comment in a comment on her boyfriend’s already homophobic Instagram post, which proclaimed that he said he hoped all gays would die and go to hell.

    Tom Barber

    Homophobic tweets sent by Big Brother housemate, Tom Barber came back to haunt him after it was revealed that he allegedly used the homophobic slur “faggot” and used “gay” and “lesbian” as pejorative descriptions in tweets sent to friends.

    Channel 5, the broadcast of Big Brother refused to remove him from the show, despite previous housemates from other series being removed for racist language on their Twitter accounts.

  • THEGAYUK’s Influential Tweeters of the year 2017

    Welcome to THEGAYUK’s first annual Influential Tweeter of the year.

    This list represents THEGAYUK.com’s most influential tweeters in the UK. Just a selection of people who got conversations flowing in 2017. Some of our Tweeters of the year courted controversy and through their actions, they actually galvanised the community, which is why they were chosen. Others on the list used their platform to seek justice for their cause. Some are just too funny not to give a special mention. It’s fair to say that without them, Twitter wouldn’t be as entertaining, insightful, infuriating or indeed, influential.

    In no particular order:

    Marcus Collins – Singer

    One of the funniest tweeters and Instagrammers in the UK. There is not a gif or meme that Marcus doesn’t know about. If you’re ever feeling low and need a lift, visit Marcus’s accounts for an instant mood lift. Follow here

    Monroe Bergdorf – Trans and race activist and former L’Oreal model

    Starting out relatively unknown at the beginning of 2017, Monroe became a household name and one of the most talked about people in the UK thanks to being outspoken on the issue of race in 2017. Earlier this year, her comments on racism found her ousted as a model by L’Oreal, which led to a backlash against the cosmetic giant. Her dismissal didn’t stop Monroe from making a bigger platform for herself and the causes she believes in. Since then she has gone on to pen various articles on being trans and non-white in the UK. Follow here.

    Dylan Jones – Editor of QX Magazine

    Brilliantly insightful. Dylan is the editor of the weekly gay listings magazine, QX. Charged with ensuring that QX hits the streets of Soho every week, on time, Dylan has overseen some incredible, diverse covers for a magazine, which has 52 of them to create each year. For insight into the nightlife of London or generally being an out there kind-of-guy give Dylan a follow. Follow here

    Piers Morgan – Good Morning Britain presenter

    Whether you agree with his comments or not, Piers has certainly raised awareness about gender fluidity and non-binary people this year. He has devoted countless segments on Good Morning Britain to invite people who identify as non-binary, transgender or genderfluid to question their lives and how they identify. His response though has always been met with condemnation from many in the LGBT+ community. Follow here

     

    Ryan Butcher – Former Gay Times Deputy Editor

    He has ‘An infuriated gay man” written in his profile and for many, he is just that, but it cannot be denied that Ryan cares deeply about social issues facing the LGBT+ community. After leaving Gay Times in 2017 in a huge shake-up at the magazine, Ryan simply tweeted, this:

    Which makes him a class act. Follow Here

    Owen Jones – Guardian journalist

    When Owen Jones tweets, people listen, even turning out in their droves. Although it has to be said that he receives a lot of hate for his efforts and took a leave of absence from Twitter after he was sent torture and death threats. Look out for rebel rousing from Owen when President Trump comes to the UK in 2018. Follow here

    Dean Eastmond – LGBT+ Advocate for those living with cancer

    Before his death, Dean launched Hiskind Magazine and was an incredible voice for LGBT+ people living with, getting treatment for and survivors of cancer. Tragically he passed away in September 2017. However, his magazine went on to release another issue and his hope lives on in his Twitter feed. Follow here

    Jack Monroe, Writer and activist

    Jack sued Katie Hopkins this year and won. The food writer has had a rollercoaster of a year, successfully winning a libel case against Hopkins and then running in the General Election as a candidate for the National Health Action party. Jack ran on a pledge to stand up for “Healthcare. Services for people with disabilities. Living standards. Jobs. Decent homes.” Jack quit the campaign trail after death threats were sent to the writer’s home. Follow here

    Martyn Hett, the world’s biggest Coronation Street fan

    Our second posthumous recognition is for Martyn Hett, whose death in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack made us all take a closer look at how we choose to live our lives. His name trended on Twitter days after the bombings as he was recognised as an incredible engine for change and an inspiration on how to live life to the fullest. He was recently remembered again on the platform for what would have been his 30th birthday. Follow here

    Christine Burns MBE, activist 

    Christine is a political activist who was awarded an MBE in 2005 for her work representing the transgender community. Christine is also known being the former vice president for the Press For Change campaign, which focusses on the rights and treatment of trans people in the UK. Follow here

    It is important to note that our decision to make someone an Influential Tweeter doesn’t and should suggest that they are necessarily an ally to the LGBT+ community in the UK. It is our belief that those who create space for conversations surrounding LGBT+ issues, who have huge audiences are influencers. 

  • Twitter fixes “bisexual” erasure

    Finally, Twitter fixes that erasure issue.

    Twitter stood accused earlier this week bi erasure, by the bisexual community when its platform effectively deleted the #bisexual hashtag from showing photos, videos and news items which used that tag.

    The social media platform was slammed for effectively erasing all bisexual content that was identified with that tag. When users tried to use that hashtag in the search bar, they were met with a “no results” page.

    The platform said at the time,

    “Online behavior [sic] continues to evolve and change, and at Twitter, we have to ensure those changes are reflected in our rules in a way that’s easy to adhere to and understand. Today, we’re publishing a new version of the Twitter Rules to clarify our policies and how we enforce them. While the fundamentals of our policies and our approach have not changed, this updated version presents our rules with more details and examples,’ the company wrote.

    “In the weeks ahead, we’ll launch separate pages for each of our policies to provide even more context about what each policy covers and our rationale for enforcement.’

     

    View image on TwitterView image on Twitter

    HumanRightsCampaign 

    ✔@HRC

    .@TwitterSupport we’re surprised to see some searches for #bisexual and #gay blocked. We urge you to fix – #LGBTQvisibility matters.

     · Washington, DC
    Twitter Ads info and privacy

    Twitter responded to the huge outcry, saying “We’ve identified an error with search results for certain terms. We apologize for this. We’re working quickly to resolve & will update soon.”

    The fix has now been installed and content which uses the tag is now viewable.

  • Twitter is under fire for blocking bisexual search terms

    The bisexual community has seen massive erasure after Twitter amended its search policy.

    Twitter has come under fire after it amended its search algorithm to effectively erase photos and videos that use the hashtag #Bisexual. Anyone who tries to use the hashtag to search for Photos, Videos or News will be shown a no result page.

    Other terms such as #gay and #lesbian were reportedly blocked too, but are now visible.

    In a blog post by Twitter, it clarified its new rules on which types of behaviour would get users banned from the platform. It wrote,

    “Online behavior [sic] continues to evolve and change, and at Twitter, we have to ensure those changes are reflected in our rules in a way that’s easy to adhere to and understand. Today, we’re publishing a new version of the Twitter Rules to clarify our policies and how we enforce them. While the fundamentals of our policies and our approach have not changed, this updated version presents our rules with more details and examples,’ the company wrote.

    “In the weeks ahead, we’ll launch separate pages for each of our policies to provide even more context about what each policy covers and our rationale for enforcement.’

    Other terms that have been removed include #Transexual.

    Twitter has now responded to the huge outcry, saying “We’ve identified an error with search results for certain terms. We apologize for this. We’re working quickly to resolve & will update soon.”

     

  • Roger Stone Suspended From Twitter After Reporter Rants

    The Stone Zone has been taken off Twitter. Incendiary Republican adviser Roger Stone has been suspended from the social network — and might be gone for good — after unleashing foul-mouthed insults … (more…)

  • Twitter has suspended popular gay accounts and people are not happy

    A number of popular Twitter accounts have been suspended, without warning from the site and people are not happy.

    Both the Common Gay Boy account and DCHomos account have been removed, without warning on Twitter, leaving people questioning the decision.

    CommonGayBoy, which was a satirical, comedy, pop culture account had nearly 240,000 followers before it was suspended last month. The account had been running from 2013.

    DCHomos is an award-winning account which has also been suspended. However the owners of the account, Instagrammed Twitter’s apparent reason for suspending the account at the end of August. The owners said, “Gawd damn it Despacito lol. Apparently, you can’t post a video where Despacito is playing in the background or @twitter will suspend you. Be back soon! ”

    The suspensions have left some fans frustrated, with some users questioning the motives behind the deletions.

    When users visit the respective accounts, they are advised that the pages have been suspended for breaking Twitter’s rules, which includes, spamming, an account which has been hacked, or one that has sent abusive tweets or behaviour.

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to Twitter and GayCommonBoy for comment.

  • Obama’s anti-racist tweet is the most liked ever

    President Obama’s anti-racism tweet is now the most liked ever. Surpassing the tweet that Ariana Grande sent after the attack at her concert.

    A tweet by President Obama has become the world’s most liked tweet, surpassing the one sent by American pop star Ariana Grande directly after the terrorist attack that rocked her Manchester concert, killing 22 people.

    Obama’s tweet which is a quote from the late South African leader, Nelson Mandela,  was sent just after the violent far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

    The tweet read, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…

    “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love…”

    “…For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela

    So far, the initial tweet has been liked more than 4.2 million times and Retweeted over 1.5 million times. Twitter confirmed that Obama’s moving message is also the fifth most retweeted post of all time.

    He followed the tweet with two more heartfelt messages