THEGAYUK

Tag: Explainer

All the latest Explainers.

  • Who is Luke Kempner and what is he famous for?

    Luke Kempner is a British actor who is most famous for his roles Fathers of Girls (2009), Fly Trap (2010) and Murder in Successville (2015), but he’s also an incredible impressionist who likes to impersonate famous Celebrity Big Brother house mates.

    Is Luke Kempner married or has he got a partner? 

    Actor Luke Kempner first came to fame in the film, Father Of Girls, since then he’s made a name for himself becoming one of the UK’s best impressionists and can be found on Celebrity Big Brother Bit On The Side as a semi regular guest.

    Is Luke Kempner married or has he got a partner?

    Luke is married to Scottish social star, DJ and Love Island commenter Alana Mac.

    Is Luke Kempner gay?

    It doesn’t look as though Luke identifies as gay. He is married to Alana Mac.

    How did he start out in showbiz?

    Luke started his career in musical theatre, playing Marius in the touring production of Les Misérables as well as taking roles in Avenue Q and South Pacific. A graduate from The Guildford School of Acting, he also plays the piano, is a puppeteer and classically trained singer.

  • Who is Rik Mayall and what is he famous for?

    Rik Mayall is probably most famous for his comedy programme, Bottom which still plays on UK screens to this day, but what else do we know about him?

    Was Rik Mayall gay?

    Rik Mayall starred in Bottom along with Adrian Edmondson, but he actually got his TV break long before the iconic show was first broadcast. In 1982 Rik co-wrote (along with Ben Elton and Lise Mayer) and starred in The Young Ones, a show that would cement him (and his co-stars) in the British comedy hall of fame, it would be nearly a decade later before Bottom would be commissioned for three series. Bottom still plays on repeat on British TV channels.

    When did Rik Mayall die?

    Rik Mayall died in the summer of 2014 at his home in Barnes, Richmond-Upon-Thames, London. His autopsy was inconclusive for the cause of death and full public confirmation of how he died has never been revealed. However, his wife said that he died of an “acute cardiac event” after a morning run. He was just 56 when he died.

    Was Rik Mayall married or gay?

    Rik Mayall did not identify as gay. He was, in fact, married a makeup artist called Barbara Robbin in 1985. The pair had three children, Rosie (born 1986), Sidney (born 1988) and Bonnie (born 1995).

    Before he married Barabara he was dating his co-star from The Young Ones, Lise Mayer.

     

     

  • Majority of LGBT+ questioned do not think the word Queer as an umbrella term is appropriate

    In a poll, by THEGAYUK sixty percent of LGBTs answered that they did not think that the word “queer” as an umbrella term was appropriate.

    The majority of LGBT+ people questioned in a recent poll by THEGAYUK revealed that people do not think the term “queer” is appropriate as an umbrella term for the community. The poll, which was made available on Twitter, was answered by over 500 people.

    The word queer has increasingly become prevalent as an umbrella term to describe LGBT+ people over the past three decades however many in the community find the word triggering and offensive.

    In a separate poll, the majority of people questioned (fifty-three percent) also found that non-LGBT organisations, such as the BBC, National Theatre, National Trust and the Tate Gallery that use the word “queer” to promote its programming of LGBT+ content was also inappropriate.

    “A label given to LGBT+ by Bigots”

    The word queer has a controversial history and is listed in the dictionary as an informal offensive noun to describe gay men. It was first used to mean homosexual in the late 19th century. It was used in a pejorative and offensive manner. Since the 1980s the term has developed to include people outside of homosexuality, but who fall outside of heterosexual norms.

    Many people still find the word offensive

    https://twitter.com/mstevnz/status/887328265358065664

    https://twitter.com/GRALambo/status/887408838734958599

     

     

    Others were happy for the term to be used by other people, but didn’t find that the word defined them.

    https://twitter.com/MrDanielBrowne/status/887292859262619648

     

    https://twitter.com/JossJaycoff/status/887512825119334400

     

     

  • Is David Walliams gay?

    Is David Walliams gay?

    David Walliams is a huge star and naturally, people are curious about David’s personal life.

    Is David Walliams gay, does David Walliams have a girlfriend?
    © Fremantle Media.All images are Copyright of Fremantle Media

    Not only is David a talented comedian and actor in his own right, with millions of fans, but he’s also one of the UK’s most beloved talent judges thanks to his involvement in the juggernaut ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, and it might just be because of this show that many people search the internet for clues about David’s sexuality.

    He has in the past, stood accused of camping up and “acting gay” during his time as a judge on the show, with many suggesting that he’s doing it just for the laughs. In fact, earlier this year, he sent the Internet into overdrive over his sexuality after seemingly falling in love with an act. Fans of the show took to social media to question David’s sexuality. Many viewers suggested that David’s behaviour was offensive and insulting because he seemed to be using overtly camp gestures or using homosexual innuendos for laughs.

    ALSO READ: David Walliams just went a bit gay for THIS man!

    Up until 2015, David Walliams was married to the supermodel, Lara Stone, after their split, fans of David’s started to question whether the Little Britain star was, in fact, gay or potentially bisexual.

    In an interview with the Radio Times, he may have answered their question by saying that the gender of a partner isn’t important, but that their “heart and soul” were key factors. He hinted that he could potentially fall for either a man or a woman and suggested that “things can change for people over the years“.

    In an interview, he said that as a child that he had “gay experiences” and remembering being “very confused” about it. He also admitted that has always been effeminate and that people often confuse effeminacy with being gay. He finished by remarking,

    “I guess I’m just very honest about my sexuality.

    “But there are plenty of effeminate people who are straight, and plenty of butch people who are gay.

    Anyways, as it’s 2016 it doesn’t matter which way David swings…

    David Walliam’s  new comedy the BBC, Walliams And Friend begins tonight on BBC1 9.30PM

  • Why Have So Many LGBT Icons And Gay Icons Died In 2016

    2016 has been a dark year for celebrity deaths especially gay icons and LGBT allies.

    Credit; Anthony-Correia-big stock

    This article was written in APRIL 2016

    This year there have been a number of celebrity deaths, many of whom have been considered LGBT allies or gay icons.

    By this point in 2015, THEGAYUK had reported on five deaths of people who were of special importance to the gay community, including It’s My Party singer Leslie Gore and Simpsons‘ co-creator Sam Simon.

    However in 2014, at this point in the year, we had reported on 11 deaths of people, who would be considered notable for the LGBT community.

    In 2016 we have reported on 10 deaths, including David Bowie and Prince.

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    By MAG (Mines Advisory Group) – http://www.flickr.com/photos/mag-photos/4776452299/, CC BY 2.0,

     

    There are a number of reasons for which this could be:

    NEWS REPORTING

    Social media and news tracking has made it easier to report and keep track of the deaths of people who aren’t as famous as say Prince, whose death was tweeted about over 2 million times within an hour, but people who have been important to the development of the LGBT community – such as Prady Balan who co-founded the Balans chain of restaurants in London and Miami and Haydn Pope who owned the AXM brand in Manchester and Glasgow.

     

    BABY BOOMERS

    Sadly age is also a factor in the number of deaths we have reported on. David Bowie, Victoria Wood, Prince, Alan Rickman were all between 57 and 69.

    These people started to become famous in 1970s and 80s and are now part of a generation of people called the Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are those people born between 1946 and 1964.

    Many of the celebrities who have died in recent years became famous during the 70s and 80s a time where LGBT+ issues became more prominent in society and self expression and sexuality, although still a taboo, became a cause that many celebrities fought for; this was particularly clear during the AIDs crisis during the late 80s and early 90s.

    It was also a time where the LGBT+ community itself was looking for visible icons and allies. Artists such as David Bowie and Prince were pioneers of changing or going against societal conventions – a trait that many in the gay community consider vital.

     

    ICON BENCHMARK

    Of course the last point to consider is what makes a celebrity a gay icon or LGBT ally. For this we take a look a number of factors

    a) A person’s actual contribution to the LGBT+ community – were they active in fund raising, political advancement or pushing through non-conforming views on the wider society.

    b) Did their lives impact on the cultural enrichment of the gay community. Icons such as Jackie Collins and Joan Rivers, who both died in 2014,  although not gay themselves left an indelible mark on and helped enrich the cultural fabric of the LGBT community.

    c) Our readers – we look at our Twitter and Facebook timelines to see what impact a person’s death is having on our readership.