THEGAYUK

Tag: Homophobia

The latest news about homophobia across the UK and the globe.

  • 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.”

  • Sheffield man charged after train conductor allegedly subjected to homophobic abuse

    A 32-year-old man has been charged after a train worker was allegedly subjected to homophobic abuse.

    British Transport Police have said that a man was charged with a hate crime after a train conductor was allegedly subjected to homophobic abuse on Sunday 4th Feb 2018.

    The man appeared in court on the 5th Feb 2018.

    String of homophobic incidents

    There have been a number of homophobic reports in the last few months

    In early December a man allegedly abused two women, and two teenagers were arrested following an attack where a young man was forced into a headlock and told to apologise for being gay.

    In November, another man was “punched repeatedly” outside Charing Cross station, just a few hundred meters from one of London’s highest-profile gay clubs, heaven.

    In September a woman hurled homophobic abuse at two men on a train between Havant and Pulborough, with one of the victims suffering an injury after the women threw a glass jar at them.

    In September, three teenagers pleaded guilty to attacking two boyfriends on a train in Ealing. They were jailed for their attack.

     

  • Homophobic abuse on the UK’s train system continues with another incident

    Police are appealing for information after a passenger was homophobically abused by a fellow passenger.

    A passenger on a train travelling between London and Birmingham on the 23rd December was homophobically abused while waiting to use the onboard toilet, British Transport Police say.

    The passenger who is 23, was waiting to use the toilet when a fellow passenger allegedly started to make homophobic comments.

    Onboard CCTV shows the man later putting another passenger, a teenage boy in a headlock.

    The individual that police would like to speak to alighted the train in Wolverhampton. If you know the man picture BTP would like to hear from you.

    They told us, “Hate crime of any description will not be tolerated on the rail network”.

    Do you recognise the man in this image? Officers would like to speak to him as they believe he may have information which could help the investigation.

    String of homophobic incidents

    This incident is just the latest in a string of homophobic attacks that have taken place on the UK’s train system. In early December a man allegedly abused two women, and two teenagers were arrested following an attack where a young man was forced into a headlock and told to apologise for being gay.

    In November, another man was “punched repeatedly” outside Charing Cross station, just a few hundred meters from one of London’s highest-profile gay clubs, heaven.

    In September a woman hurled homophobic abuse at two men on a train between Havant and Pulborough, with one of the victims suffering an injury after the women threw a glass jar at them.

    In September, three teenagers pleaded guilty to attacking two boyfriends on a train in Ealing. They were jailed for their attack.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by calling 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016, with reference 495 of 23 December.

  • Two men wanted after a “vicious” homophobic assault outside London nightclub

    Detectives in London are on the hunt after a victim was left with a fractured cheekbone in an attack described as vicious by two men.

    Police are calling on witnesses after a man, who was attending a themed night in a Tower Hamlets’ nightclub, was allegedly attacked by two men. The victim, Gordon Maxwell says he believes he was targetted because of his sexuality and is now afraid to leave his home.

    At the time the victim was wearing a white dress, ‘Doctor Martin’ boots and a brown jacket. He is around 6ft tall, of a slim build, with a goatee beard.

    Homophobia

    A man (Suspect One) was standing at some nearby barriers outside the club and made a homophobic comment towards Mr Maxwell.

    He is described as a white man, of medium build. He was wearing a blue coat with the hood up and a white peak coming out of the hood.

    The second attacker is described as aged between 19 and 28 years old, of an Asian or black appearance. He was wearing a blue puffa-style jacket with the hood up and a silver/white emblem on the left upper arm, dark tracksuit trousers with white lettering on the left leg and dark trainers with thick white soles.

    Following the attack, Mr Maxwell went back to the club and sought medical assistance from door staff.

    He later attended hospital where it was confirmed that he had a fractured cheekbone that would require reconstructive surgery.

    Shattered Confidence

    Mr Maxwell, from Greenwich, said, “I fully believe I was targeted that evening because of my sexuality.

    “I did not see the man that punched me; he ran at me from out of the blue, hit me and ran off.

    “This incident has had a massive affect on all aspects of my life. I am afraid to leave the house and to be at home alone. It has totally shattered my confidence.

    “I cannot feel the right side of my face including my right side of my nose. The surgeons say I may have permanent nerve damage. My mouth and right eye does not open fully and I have lost my sense of smell through one nostril.

    “I would like to urge anyone who saw the attack or thinks they know the people involved to come forward as I fully believe they may strike again – they must be stopped and brought to justice.”

    Caught on CCTV

    Detectives from Tower Hamlet have today released CCTV footage of the incident and a still image of the man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

    Detective Constable Alice Tiritas, from Tower Hamlets CID, said, “This was a vicious attack that took place very quickly outside a nightclub and has had very severe effects on the victim, both physically and mentally.

    “We take hate crime like this extremely seriously, and will do out utmost to bring perpetrators of this type of unacceptable attack, to justice. If there is anyone out there who saw these two men or heard them abused Gordon, please contact us as a matter of urgency.”

    Anyone with any information is asked to contact the investigation team on 020 7275 4601 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

     

  • Gay Couple Kicked Out Of Uber Ride Over “Quick Kiss”

    A same-sex couple in Houston say an Uber driver kicked them out of the car for sharing a “quick kiss.” Randall Magill, 28, and his fiancé Jose Chavez, 26, told KTVU they believe they were singled out because they were gay. The incident happened last month after leaving a holiday event at a friend’s house, they… (more…)

  • 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.

  • ‘Homophobic’ man wanted by cops after a couple threatened on train

    A couple of women were threatened and physically assaulted according to cops, who launched an investigation to find a man they wish to speak to in connection with a homophobic and racist incident.

    British Transport Police are on the hunt for a man they’d like to talk to in connection with what police are describing as a “sustained” and “frightening ordeal” on two women who boarded a train from London’s Kings Cross to Peterborough.

    On the 9th December, two women boarded a train at 8.22 PM from Kings Cross in London heading towards Peterborough. According to a police report, a man started loudly saying racist and homophobic comments. The women interjected, and the man responded by assaulting one of them by pushing her on the shoulder and inappropriately touching the other.

    He then threatened them both.

    The man, who was wearing a bright blue top and described as bald and heavy set, alighted the train at Huntingdon.

    Investigating officer PC, Christopher Marshall said, “This was a sustained and frightening ordeal for the two women, who did nothing to incite such violence.

    “We will not stand for hate crime of any kind, and so if you have any information in relation to this offence, please contact us as soon as you can.”

    Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 with reference 590 of 9 December.

    There have been a number of attacks on the UK’s transport network in the latter quarter of 2017.

    homophobic attacks on London underground

    Earlier in December, two teenagers were arrested following an attack where a young man was forced into a headlock and told to apologise for being gay.

    In November, another man was “punched repeatedly” outside Charing Cross station, just a few hundred meters from one of London’s highest-profile gay clubs, heaven.

    In September a woman hurled homophobic abuse at two men on a train between Havant and Pulborough, with one of the victims suffering an injury after the women threw a glass jar at them.

    In September, three teenagers pleaded guilty to attacking two boyfriends on a train in Ealing. They were jailed for their attack.

  • Man jailed for ‘vicious’ homophobic attack in London

    Man told police, during his interview, the reason for his attack was that his victim was gay.

    A Polish man has been jailed after being found guilty of a vicious attack which left one man with a broken leg. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in the north London, Wood Green Crown Court.

    Kamil Wladyslaw Snios, 29 attacked two men in Tottenham in an unprovoked assault which left one of the men with serious injuries which required hospital treatment.

    “Trophy”

    The victim, a 36-year-old man was on his way to nearby shops in Stamford Road with a friend when he was approached by Snios.

    Snios shouted at them in polish and then slapped and kicked the victim hard enough for him to fall onto the floor. Once down, Snios continued to kick the man as he tried to crawl away and slapped his friend beside him whilst in shock. Sinos then took a packet of cigarettes out of the rear pocket of the man’s trousers and held it above him as a trophy to show his friends, who were nearby.

    The attack happened on Stamford Road in North London.

    Reason for attack

    Officers from Haringey arrested Sinos and upon interview he made a number of homophobic remarks, sighting this as a reason he attacked the men.

    Detective Constable Mark Nicholls from Haringey CID, said, “We are pleased to have secured this sentencing for a needless, unprovoked and sustained assault that left the victim seriously injured and frightened.

    “It is evident that the Met will not tolerate homophobic attacks and will work to bring offenders to justice.”

  • Man told he and his husband “not welcome” in homophobic attack in London

    A man and his husband were told they were “not welcome” as they walked together just weeks before another gay man was violently attacked in Walthamstow, east London.

    Police say a man and his husband were homophobically attacked and told they were “not welcome”, just weeks before another violent attack on a gay man in the Walthamstow area of London.

    The second attack in early November left a 31-year-old victim with a black eye, cuts and bruises.

    In the first incident, the married couple were approached by a man who asked them if he could take a picture of them, and then asked if they were gay. When the couple started to walk away, the suspect then grabbed hold of the victim and said “you are not welcome” and grappled with him.

    The first incident happened on Walthamstow High Street.

    The victim was then pulled away by his husband before they walked away and called the police. The victim was not injured in this incident.

    Second attack

    The second incident took place, on Hoe Street very close to the High Street

    In the second incident on Saturday, 4 November, the victim, a 31-year-old man, was walking along Hoe Street, E17 with two friends.

    They were approached by three men who were unknown to them. One of them punched the victim in the face and shouted homophobic abuse at him. The punch caused the victim to fall to the floor, and the attacker made off.

    The victim suffered a black eye and cuts and bruises – he did not require hospital treatment

    The victims, who were both left extremely shaken after the incidents, provided detailed descriptions of the attacker from which the two e-fits were produced.

    A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said, “Based on these descriptions and the locations where the assaults happened, officers have not ruled out the possibility that the attacks may well have been carried out by the same man.

    “Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call Waltham Forest police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC.

    “To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org”.

     

  • London Man punched repeatedly in a ‘homophobic attack’

    The Metropolitan Police has reported that a man in central London was the subject of a homophobic attack.

    Detectives in London are seeking the public’s help after a man in his 50s was allegedly subjected to an assault in central London in what police are calling a, “suspected homophobic attack”.

    The victim, a man in his 50s, was standing at a bus stop outside Charing Cross rail station on Saturday, 18 November at about 21:30hrs.

    The location of the reported attack is just a few hundred meters away from one of London’s most popular LGBT+ hotspots, the Heaven / G-A-Y nightclub.

    Two men approached the victim and began to shout homophobic abuse at him before punching him several times. He sustained head injuries, but he was not hospitalised.

    After the alleged attack the two men, described as white and in their 20s were seen running towards Trafalgar Square.

    The two men, who were both described as white, aged in their 20s and wearing dark jackets, ran away towards Trafalgar Square.

    Trafalgar Square is particularly important to the LGBT+ community in London as it is where Pride In London has been held for many years.

    There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

    Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident are asked to contact Westminster Community Safety Unit via 101 or Tweet @MetCC.

    Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.

  • Richard Hammond: I Am Not Anti-Gay

    The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond has clarified comments he made, saying he doesn’t understand why gay people “feel the need” to come out publicly. The 47-year-old’s remarks to the Sunday Times sparked backlash on social media and some Twitter users said his remarks were homophobic. (more…)