THEGAYUK

Tag: Homophobia

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

  • Louis Walsh attracts VILE homophobic comments after putting through gay act

    X Factor Judge Louis Walsh has attracted vile homophobic criticisms after putting through Bradley and Ottavio on yesterday’s show.

    ©Thames / Syco

     

    Many viewers of the X Factor were not happy with Louis Walsh when he put camp act Bradley and Ottavio through to the live shows in last night’s episode. Some of those viewers went on to write about their distaste of Louis and the act using vile homophobic language.

    Some of those viewers wrote about their distaste of Louis and Bradley and Ottavio, on Twitter and used homophobic language calling the stalwart judge a number of homophobic slurs including, “faggot” and “batty”.

    Some users questioned his sexuality for putting the two men into the competition.

     

    https://twitter.com/raggaboy/status/782305365698502656

    https://twitter.com/HeidiMcPiedy/status/782321939981430786

    https://twitter.com/GiveIt2Giroud/status/782306656906534912

    ALSO READ: Is Louis Walsh gay? Ten things you probably didn’t know about Louis Walsh

    ALSO READ: Ottavio shows what a PEJAZZLE looks like – once you see it you can’t unsee it

     

    Louis Walsh was aided by last year’s runner-up Fleur East and Pride in London’s headliner Alesha Dixon who jointly decided to put in the controversial novelty act, Bradley and Ottavio, who have divided viewers on whether they deserve a place in the live shows.

     

    Bradley and Ottavio
    ©Thames / Syco

     

    Bradley (right) and Ottavio (left) have become a huge talking point on Twitter since it was revealed that they were through to the live shows, with many believing that acts like The Brooks or 4 of Diamonds should have gone through instead of them.

     

    Bradley and Ottavio
    ©Thames / Syco

     

    Homophobic comments continued to pour in as it was revealed that the colourful duo were through to the next round.

    https://twitter.com/goonerlloyd/status/782307077800751104

    https://twitter.com/allisonolivia__/status/782306470197157888

     

  • Homophobia: Gay Men “the worst” in Hollywood – Ira Sachs

    Film director Ira Sachs has told THEGAYUK that homophobia is alive and kicking in Hollywood.

    CREDIT: Jeong Park

     

    Speaking before the general release of his new film Little Men (out today) award winning director and writer Ira Sachs told THEGAYUK.com that homophobia, and perhaps more worryingly internalised homophobia is alive and well in the film industry and that gay men were “the worst in Hollywood”.

    When asked about the film industry’s record on diversity and whether the industry suffered from internalised homophobia, he answered,

    “It certainly is”.

    He continued,

    “Gay men are some of the worst in Hollywood.

    “Well, for understandable reasons, people live by fear and they make choices based on fear.

    Ira Sach’s latest film, Little Men is a coming-of-age film following the story of two teenage boys whose relationship is put under pressure after their parents fall out over business terms.

    He went on to explain why he thought that internalised homophobia existed in the film industry, suggesting that economic fears and job stability could be to be blame.

     When the choice is about your job and your fear of what happens if you don’t succeed, if you take a risk that’s actually personal, so there’s a lot of reasons people choose to be safe.

    Read the full interview with Ira Sachs here

  • Gay couple threatened with the “gas chamber” after viral boyfriend video

    A gay couple has received a number of death threats after their boyfriend video went viral in their home country of Poland.

    The video of Jacob and David singing along to Some Other Summer by Roxette went viral after it was first shared by THEGAYUK. However it wasn’t until the story was picked up in their native Poland that the negative comments started to flood in.

    The pair has been told that their throats should be slit and that they should be sent to the gas chamber. The comments have left the boyfriends “devastated” especially after the reception from the UK and US had been so positive.

    Writing to THEGAYUK David and Jacob said,

    “Everything changed when (the) Polish media found the story. It appeared on several Polish sites and people reaction was totally different.

    “We knew that Polish society is very Catholic and conservative but we still expected that they would be proud of us and our job.

    “We were wrong”.

    The boyfriends were subjected to a slew of negative and homophobic comments. In the video, the couple is seen dancing with each other and playing around the sea’s surf.

    There were some positive comments, but most of them were very homophobic and aggressive.

    “We read comments like: “‘You should be ashamed of you(rself)’, ‘I’ll cut your throats if I ever meet you’  and ‘You should be send to a gas chamber’, we were really devastated.”

    The video has now surpassed over 200,000 videos on YouTube.

    The Jakub and David revealed that they had considered taking the video down but decided to face down their bullies saying,

    “In UK  I learned to be proud of being gay and didn’t want to change it so we finally came to the conclusion that if we did it we would have let them win so we decided not to give up and spread our story all around.”

    The band behind the song, Roxette have also lent their support to the video telling their fans that “Love is Love”.

     

     

  • Gay man’s ear BITTEN off in horrific homophobic attack

    A gay man had his ear BITTEN off after his neighbour attacked him in a violence homophobic assault, which left him fearing for his life.

    Ryan Kilgariff jailed for brutal homophobic attack | Kent Police

     

    Kent man, Ryan Kilgariff, 21, has been handed a 12 year jail sentence for a violence homophobic attack which left his neighbour Colin Duncan brutalised and needing serious medical care in Folkestone.

    Ex-prisoner Kilgariff pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent after Mr. Duncan tried to befriend him after Kilgariff’s release from prison.

    Mr. Duncan had invited Mr. Kilgariff for a drink – where the pair consumed copious amounts of alcohol. When Mr. Duncan said he was going to bed, Mr. Kilgariff launched a violent attack on Mr. Duncan using his fists, feet and a bottle. He bit off the victim’s ear. The attack was so brutal Mr. Duncan feared for his life.

    Mr Duncan required 20 stitches and doctors were able to reattach a part of Mr. Duncan’s ear.

    During the “sustained” attack Mr. Duncan was called “queer” and “gay”.

    Mr Duncan told the police,

    “All I was trying to do was be kind and neighbourly to a man who had just been released from prison. I thought I was going to be murdered.”

     

    ALSO READ: Anti-gay leaflets distributed to households in margate days before Kent Pride

     

    When Judge Adele Williams handed down the punishment she told Kilgariff,

    “I have seen the photographs of the injuries – they are quite shocking. This was a grave offence.”

    He was sentenced to 9 years in jail  and another three to be served on license.

    Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Cara Ferguson said,

    “This was a particularly violent attack that has had a significant effect on the victim.

    “It was treated as a hate crime and the significant sentence received by Kilgariff reflects the seriousness with which the court regarded his conduct.

    “Kent Police remains committed to stamping out all crime motivated by hate and prejudice.

    “Our message is simple; have the trust and confidence to report hate crimes and incidents to the police.”

    HT KentOnline

  • Footballer apologises for 4-year-old homophobic “burn” and “die” tweet

    Footballer Andre Gray has apologised for a tweet he sent four years ago, telling his fans that he’s a changed man.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncandy/ [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

    Burnley footballer Andre Gray, 25,  has apologised for a homophobic tweet sent four years ago. In the tweet he said gay people should “burn” and “die”.

    However he now says he’s a “completely different” person.

    In the tweet appeared to condone the burning and killing of gay people saying,

    “Is it me or are there gays everywhere? #Burn #Die #MakesMeSick.”

    The Tweet has since been deleted.

    The Premier League striker has now said sorry for the tweet, saying that he no longer holds those views and asked for forgiveness.

     

    ALSO READ: Anti-gay tweets by Celebrities

     

    Andre Gray’s apology in full

    “I would like to respond to media reports with regards to previous tweets posted from my Twitter account.

    “Firstly, I want to offer a sincere and unreserved apology to anybody I may have offended in relation to these tweets. The tweets were posted four years ago when I was a completely different person to the man I am now. I was at a very different point in my life back then – one that I’ve worked hard to move on from.

    “Thankfully a lot has changed in my life since then. I have experienced a lot over the past four years and have had to take responsibility for a number of things in my life which has enabled me to mature and grow as a person since that time.

    “I have a lot of regrets regarding a number of things I’ve done in the past and realise I have made some big mistakes, none more so than these tweets, but I would like to stress that I’ve worked incredibly hard to completely transform my life since that time.

    “To clarify, I do not hold the beliefs written in those tweets whatsoever. I can assure everybody that I am absolutely not homophobic and as said previously I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness to anyone I offended.

    “Thankfully I am not the guy I was back then and will continue to work hard both on and off the pitch to become a better person.”

     

     

     

  • Gay couple beaten beyond recognition on holiday on Greek Island

    Gay couple beaten beyond recognition on holiday on Greek Island

    A gay couple from London were beaten unconscious in a vicious homophobic attack.

    Updated: 10th August

    A married gay couple, Tristan and Vestal, from Lewisham in London found themselves beaten beyond recognition and unconscious in a homophobic attack on the Greek Island of Mykonos.

    The attack took place on the 19th July as the couple returned from a popular gay bar on the island, which is known for its usually friendly gay scene.

    The couple were beaten so badly that Tristan will need reconstructive treatment on his teeth.

    Speaking to The Evening Standard Tristan said,

    “I can remember walking up a hill and turning round because Vestal wasn’t with me.

    “I could see he was talking to someone we didn’t know and was being pinned up against some railings.

    “I said to him ‘Vestal, we need to go’ and he said he would deal with it. It was the last thing I could remember.

    “When I woke up my head was feeling battered and my two front teeth were missing. I cradled Vestal who was also unconscious. He only came to when he was in the hospital.”

     

    The Greek police are now investigating the attack, although the assault happened in an area without CCTV.

    A gofundme page has been created to help the couple pay for dental treatment for Tristan, who will need extensive treatment to restore his teeth, a number of which were broken and knocked out during the attack.

    The fund has already attracted over £6000 in donations.

    *Surname removed by request for sensitivities and legal implications. Comments are closed for this article.

  • Man set on fire in apparent “homophobic” attack near Middlesbrough

    Man set on fire in apparent “homophobic” attack near Middlesbrough

    A 20-year-old man was left with serious injuries after being set alight in an apparent homophobic attack on Teeside.

     

    CREDIT: ©-Chalabala-Depositphotos

    CREDIT: ©-Chalabala-Depositphotos

     

    A young man on Teeside has been left with serious burns after being set alight in a suspected anti-gay attack early Wednesday morning.

    The 20-year-old required skin grafts and was treated at the North Tees University hospital.

    His legs were sprayed with aerosol and set alight.

    CREDIT: Google Maps 2016

     

    According to ITV.com he was set set upon by four men who questioned the victim about his sexuality as he walked through the Holy Trinity Church grounds in Stockton-on-Tees, near to Middlesbrough in the North east of England, at 3AM in the morning.

    One of the men, described as white, in his early 20s, short blonde hair and of medium build is alleged to have sprayed aerosol onto the victim’s legs before lighting the highly flammable liquid. He was wearing jogging bottoms and was topless.

    After setting his legs on fire the group ran away.

    The Cleveland police are looking for information from anyone in the area and should call 101.

     

  • More hate crimes prosecuted than ever before

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that more hate crimes, including homophobic and transphobic crimes, have been prosecuted than before.

    CREDIT: ©-ronfromyork-Depositphotos
    CREDIT: ©-ronfromyork-Depositphotos

    The CPS is reporting that it is prosecuting more hate crimes than ever before, including homophobic and transphobic crimes.

    Year on year the CPS’s success in bringing more prosecutions has risen 4.8 per cent (15,442) from 2014/15 which was a rise against 4.7 per cent the year before 2013/14.

    Overall the conviction rate was high for homophobic crimes was 83 per cent of prosecutions resulting in a conviction for the perpetrator of the crimes. This was a rise from 81.3 per cent in the previous year.

    Solicitor General Robert Buckland said,

    “Tackling hate crime has always been a priority for the Government. We have worked extensively to improve our collective response to this issue and in particular to improve recording of hate crime, so that we now have a fuller picture of the scale of the problem.”

     

    ALSO READ: Homophobic crime soars by 20 per cent in London

    ALSO READ: Homophobic and racist chants heard in London day after BREXIT vote.

     

    There were 1439 homophobic and transphobic cases prosecuted by the CPS in the UK 2015/16.

    Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions said,

    “My message is that a hate crime is exactly that – a crime – and will not be ignored. Hate crime creates fear and has a devastating impact on individuals and communities. Nobody should have to go about their day to day life in fear of being attacked.

    “This report shows that more of these incidents are being recognised as hate crimes, so they are reported, investigated and prosecuted as such. It is important that this trend continues and no one should simply think that this abuse – on or offline – will be dismissed or ignored.

    “More than four in five prosecuted hate crimes result in a conviction, which is good news for victims. Over 73 per cent are guilty pleas – this means that more defendants are pleading guilty due to the strength of the evidence and prosecution case, so victims do not have to go through the process of a trial.

    “The CPS has undertaken considerable steps to improve our prosecution of hate crime and we will continue this improvement.”

  • Liam Gallagher accused of homophobia after “batty boy” tweet

    Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has been accused of homophobia after “batty boy” tweet.

    Solly_Darling from Paris, France (Beady Eye at the Olympia - Dublin) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

    Liam Gallagher is facing tough criticism after a homophobic tweet was sent from his Twitter account, in which he used a gay slur to describe the behaviour of Russian football supporters.

    Gallagher, 43, criticised Russian hooligans for wearing bum bags and having “batty boy” muscles.

    He went on to say that he’d be more worried about having his “arse pinched”.

    The tweet was in reference to the hooliganism which has marred the Euro 2016 football championship.

    The homophobic slur has been criticised after it was posted just days after the Orlando gay night club massacre, which left 49 people dead.

    In the  tweet the former Oasis singer said,

    “Russian hooligans skintight shorts bumbags batty boy muscles ha ha I’d be more worried bout getting me arse pinched LG X”

    The tweet has been retweeted nearly 9,000 times and has been liked by 9,200 Twitter users.

    He later seemingly apologised for his tweet saying,

    “If I’ve upset anybody with my tweets I apologise that includes you RKID as you were LG x”

    Former Queer As Folk and Corrie star Antony Cotton blasted the singer saying that in light of the Pulse Massacre the tweet was insensitive and “ugly”.

    Gaydio DJ Phil Marriot called the singer a “disgrace”.

  • 50 People Killed at Gay Nightclub in Florida

    50 People Killed at Gay Nightclub in Florida

    50 people are now reported to have been killed at a mass shooting in a Florida gay club in the early hours of Sunday morning which has left many casualties according to Orlando Police.

    Embed from Getty Images

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  • Is This Homophobic? Butcher Advertises “No Drama Queens” Job

    Is This Homophobic? Butcher Advertises “No Drama Queens” Job

    A shop owner in London has been criticised for the language used in a description advert for a job in his shop.

    CREDIT: William Rose

    A butcher in London has been criticised after an advertisement for a job appeared in his window, where he asked that ‘no drama queens’ or ‘Mummy’s boys’ apply.

    William Rose, 60, said that he had advertised the job for Saturday staff  in his East Dulwich butchers for one month – but had received little interest in the position, but when he put the hand written poster in the window, he received 18 applications in one day.

    Along with no ‘Mummy’s boys’ or ‘Drama queens’ Mr Rose also doesn’t want ’emotional wrecks’ or ‘scruffs’ to apply for the shop position.

    Speaking on BBC London Mr Rose defended the advert by saying that previous potential employees had smelt of drink and had struggled to talk to customers, but that he had managed to find a suitable applicant – “a very smart young lad with a little family to keep”.

    According to Mr Rose, the advert was “just for fun” but an employment lawyer had told him that, “‘You can’t put mummy’s boys you have to put mummy’s persons’.

    The term drama queen is considered by some in the gay community as a pejorative term and highly homophobic.

    So do you think it’s homophobic or sexiest?