THEGAYUK

Tag: Lesbian

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

  • Iconic Lesbian Night To Close Again

    Iconic lesbian night in London, Lounge is to close its doors once again.

    Organisers of the Lounge event at Voltaire have issued a statement saying that the evening will no longer run after the 4th July 2014.

    They said, ‘We had hoped to come back in the autumn after a break but unfortunately, it’s not viable to run a monthly night. We’ve had a ball getting to see Loungers old and new come through the doors of our fabulous venue, Voltaire. Thank you to those who supported us.

    ‘We may well look into running something on a less frequent basis, but in the meantime let’s focus on making Friday 4th July the best Lounge ever.’

    The rebirth of Lounge was announced in December 2013,

  • TODAY IN GAY: Mäedchen In Uniform

    TODAY IN GAY: Mäedchen In Uniform

    The first feature film with an openly pro-lesbian storyline debuts at The Capitol Cinema in Berlin.

    According to Wikipedia:
    The film had some impact in the Berlin lesbian clubs, but was largely eclipsed by the ongoing cult success of Der blaue Engel (1930). The film did however generate large amounts of fan-mail to the stars from all over Germany and was considered a success throughout much of Europe. The goodnight kiss Thiele received from Wieck was especially popular: one distributor even asked for more footage of other kisses like it to splice into prints of the film.

    From its premiere at the Capitol cinema in Berlin until 1934 the film is said to have grossed some RM6,000,000. Despite the collective nature of the filming for which cast and crew received only a quarter of the normal wage, none saw a share of the 6,000,000 marks and Thiele later hinted that the profits had been mostly retained by the producers.

  • NHS Boob Job Wannabe Brands Celebrity Mum ‘Secret Lesbian’

    It seems some people will do anything for attention and Josie Cunningham is no stranger to attention seeking.

    The wannabe celebrity is no stranger to controversy after making a name for herself by getting a £4800 boob job on the NHS and then more recently suggesting that she would abort her unborn child in order to get a placement on Channel 5’s Big Brother.

    However shiz got nasty when Cunningham Tweeted that Nicola McLean was a ‘lesbian’ who had become ‘obsessed with her’.

    The tit-for-tat all kicked off when Nicola McLean posted a Tweet to slam Josie’s plans to abort her unborn child in order to appear on Big Brother saying:

    “Totally outraged reading about that stupid sl*g that wants an abortion so she can go on big brother !!! She doesn’t deserve children.”

    Cunningham waded in with the retaliation:

    “Starting to think @NicolaMcLean is a secret lesbian. She’s become obsessed with me. I’m flattered. Xxxx,”

    NicoleMcLean is currently married to Tom Williams, a footballer and the couple have two sons Rocky Striker..

    Amazingly Josie then tweeted to her 9,000+ followers:

    ‘For the record, that’s the last time I’ll tweet about her – regardless of what she throws at me. She’s an ATTENTION SEEKER!’

    TRENDING TOPIC
    The Twitter community could not get enough of the story yesterday and #JosieCunningham trended for most of the day as users took to the service to lambaste the wannabe celeb and her controversial plans.

    Prior to her announcing her Big Brother plans Cunningham uploaded a picture of a scan of her unborn child, which has now been deleted from her account.

    ABORTION NOT ON THE NHS
    If Josie goes ahead with her abortion plans, she won’t be able to get it done on the NHS as it falls outside the guidelines and the 1967 Abortion Act.

    According to the Mirror Josie said:

    ‘I was excited at first but as soon as I noticed I was getting bigger, that was it,” she said. “I realised it would be at least a year before I could do any glamour modelling if I went through with it and, in my opinion, nobody wants to see a naked pregnant lady.

    ‘People will disagree with my actions. They always do, but I don’t care.

    ‘It’s not ideal situation and I wish I had never fallen pregnant. I’m not on the Pill and in December the condom split when I was sleeping with a client.

    ‘Then I had sex with a footballer and didn’t use contraception at all. I’d known him for years and we’d had sex before. I didn’t even think about the morning after pill.’

    Both the footballer and the client, allegedly a surgeon have both offered to support Cunningham if she chooses to have the baby.

  • KYM MARSH: Puts Gay Rumours To Rest

    Kym Marsh, the former Hear’Say popstress turned Coronation Street Star has hit out at a Newspaper after suggesting she was ‘gay’.

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  • Perez says “Pretend Lesbianism Will Get You Very Far”

    Oppps, Perez has been upsetting housemates again after suggesting that Cami Li should go lesbian for ratings.

    During a conversation with Cami Li (we’re still not sure who she is…) openly gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton suggested that Cami could go lesbian to improve her durability in the house saying, “Pretend lesbianism will get you very far with the British public.”

    Cami Li is outraged by this suggestions and shouts, “I have self-respect and my family are watching!”

    Cami then goes to tell Michelle and Patsy what Perez has suggested and says, “I’m not about to degrade myself, I’m a college graduate.”

    Later, Calum talks to Perez in the garden about what he has said to Cami Li and tells him that is might not have been in the best of taste, considering what happened with Jeremy.

    As Nadia wasn’t in the room, she asks Perez exactly what he said. He tells her and she says: “That’s disgusting, go and apologise!”

    Perez starts to cry and goes to find Cami Li.

    Cami Li accepts his apology.

  • The original ladies’ night at Lounge returns in 2014

    Lounge, the famous scene-changing night for women, is set to return following countless requests by the crowd that made it the fabulous night it once was.

    A new venue – arguably the best yet – with a discerning and classic music policy sees Lounge return to form, which is sure to attract Loungers new and Loungers of yesteryear wishing to make an event of a night out with friends and lovers.

    Voltaire is where we’ve chosen to make home for the foreseeable future – a gorgeous playden for the classic London Lounge lady.

    From a palace to a prison, the Grade II listed Voltaire is steeped in history and has undergone many guises before finally finding its feet as one of London’s finest drinking haunts. Named in honour of the French writer and philosopher, who famously spent six years exiled in London, it’s the perfect subterranean spot with its vaults, alfresco cigar terrace and Pommery library to hide from the hustle and bustle of the City.

    A cigar lovers dream, Voltaire’s very own humidor houses an array of smokes led by Padrón from Nicaragua, alongside limited edition cigars from the Dominican Republic and Cuba’s renowned Don Candido, regarded as the best cigar of the 20th century. Pull up a stool on the al fresco terrace and savour the latest vintages with a glass of bubbly.

    More details will be announced nearer the time, but think Studio 54 for a new generation with a hint of sophisticated edge that will leave people wanting more.

    For those who really want to feel the new vibe, we’ve created a collaborative Spotify playlist
    for everyone to see at welovelounge.co.uk

    Where: Voltaire, 19 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6DB [Find Lounge]
    When: Friday 7th February, 2014 from 8pm
    Who: Sophisticated, discerning and gorgeous ladies and their devilishly handsome boys
    Door: Very limited £5 early bird tickets, then £10.
    Music: Classic disco, soulful house, retro grooves and ironic anthems

  • OPINION | Lesbian Movies are NOT All Porn

    If you search for the word ‘lesbian’ on Google, you will most definitely be bombarded with numerous porn sites.

    What is more, these porn sites will not be for lesbians! (I know that you’re all doing it now). Sadly for me and many others, as lesbians, we are not searching the word in order to find porn.
    NO, we are searching the word to find information about lesbian culture, events, news stories, dating and lots more.
    Just this week I was on the BBC discussing why people are still scared to talk about being ‘gay’. I believe that this is partly because people still correlate ‘gay’ to ‘sex’. Why is it that my relationship is often purely regarded in a sexual context, whereas heterosexual relationships are granted multi-dimensional explorations?
    I love watching lesbian movies, as I feel that I can relate to the characters and get engrossed and empathic towards the journeys that they follow. That is when I can find a lesbian movie that is A. not porn, B. not made by men for men, C. made with truth and understanding.
    There is a significant lack of lesbian movies on the shelves due to the fact that the genre is still marginalised and therefore not granted funding or support. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule.
    Nicole Conn is a lesbian director whose movies are made with depth, compassion and realism. Still, her movies along with most other lesbian movies are not seen as mainstream, due to the fact that the female protagonists enter into relationships with each other. This is even, may I add, when the main characters do not identify themselves as ‘lesbian’. Regardless of the fact that the stories are moving, poignant and well told, it appears that movies like Conn’s cannot be placed into ‘romantic’ movie categories, yet instead are in the lesbian/gay movie categories. Are movies about women who fall in love not about romance as well?
    I have never once seen a lesbian movie at the cinema. I have never once had anyone who is not a lesbian recommend a lesbian movie to me. And I have never once just stumbled upon a lesbian movie. Why is this? This is because these movies are not seen as ‘regular’ movies to be staged in cinemas or viewed by ‘normal’ people. It is true to say that I cannot imagine a group of straight friends watching a romantic lesbian comedy together for a ‘girlie’ night in. At the same time, my lesbian friends and I can happily watch ‘straight’ romantic comedies.
    This needs to change. Lesbians are not all porn stars without deep multi-faceted relationships. In fact, in my experience, ‘straight’ couples could learn a great deal from lesbian relationships!This is why I firmly support Nicole Conn’s new project to help find the next lead in her movie. This project is unique in a number of ways. It allows all women of all sexualities the opportunity to star in her movie.
    Plus by offering both professionals and non-professionals a chance to audition, it spreads the word further still. In this way, I hope that it will raise awareness of lesbian movies within all sectors of the community.I am delighted to be working with Nicole Conn and her production company to help find her next star. Anyone can apply and what is more they can video audition right on my site too.

    So let’s get lesbian movies on the main screen away from the dark alleys of marginalisation towards the light of mainstream Hollywood.

     

    by Juliette Prais  (Creator of Pink Lobster Dating: Lipstick Lesbian Catch)

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • OPINION: Are Lesbians More Accepted Than Gay Men

    This is a question that I think I already know the answer to; of course lesbians are more accepted. But why? What is it about lesbian women that make them more accepted by society than gay men?

    I believe there to be a number of reasons why lesbians appear to be more accepted than gay men. Some reasons are more ridiculous than others. I’ll begin at the bottom of the barrel.

    1. Lesbians are hot. Is that so, Mr Straight Man? Of course it is ridiculous that so many straight men don’t mind lesbianism because they think the women are hot. If they stopped for a moment and removed their brain from their pants they would realise that not all lesbians are like the women one sees lezzing off in a porno. Once on a night out the ten women I was with began to kiss each other. People applauded and cheered them on. Yet when I kissed another man that excitement turned to outrage and somebody threatened to beat me up. People should not be objectified and that includes lesbian women. They’re not some super hot breed of human, you know. They are normal just like the rest of us.

    2. Lesbianism is seen as being fun and playful in pop culture. Remember when Britney and Madonna snogged? A few eyebrows were raised but most people thought it was fun. Then there’s Katy Perry singing about kissing a girl and liking it. See it’s cool to be a lesbian. And now masses of school and college girls come out as lesbian so they can be cool too. It’s so en vogue. Can you think of an instance where a famous male has done the same kind of thing? I can’t recall a single moment of man on man action akin to the Britney & Madonna smooch or a song like Katy Perry’s that is sung by a man and is about kissing another guy. This is another example of double standards in humanity.

    3. Society is used to seeing women being affectionate towards each other. This is quite an important point because it is true that women can hold hands, hug, kiss or dance with each other and people don’t necessarily think they are lesbians. Yet when two men do the same things they are labelled as gay and there is instantly a stigma attached to that. Recently I was at a pub and decided to dance with a male friend while someone was wailing Adele on the karaoke. People thought that because I was slow dancing with another man that he must have been my boyfriend. Nobody thought that my two female friends were lesbians though, even though they actually are.

    4. Women can wear men’s clothing but when a man wears women’s clothes they are viewed negatively. When a woman wears a top meant for men it’s ok because they are just a bit of a tomboy. Even if they are out as lesbian it still doesn’t matter because society is so used to seeing females wearing clothing meant for the opposite gender. But if I was to put on a dress and walk along my local high street I would be ridiculed and stared at. This is yet more double standards and one that really bothers me. I don’t know why clothes have to be gender specific in the first place. So from this perspective it is easier to be a lesbian than a gay man too.

    5. People think about the sexual acts. For this point I refer to the great Queer as Folk, in which I remember one of the characters saying that young Nathan being found out to be homosexual wasn’t about being gay; it was about cock and the fact he likes it. Expanding on this I think that attitude would also include the act of anal sex. A lot of people find it disgusting or against nature (although many heterosexual people secretly indulge in it). Although the thought of lesbian sex or men fornicating with women makes me feel a bit queer, I don’t think it’s disgusting at all. Sex is a natural act in most of its forms and it is frustrating that because someone may take it up the bum they are not as accepted as two women who do other, more socially acceptable things in the bedroom. With so many men not actually engaging in anal sex, it is quite an ignorant attitude to have.

    There we have it; five reasons why I believe lesbian women are more accepted than gay men. Maybe some lesbians would feel differently about this and think that it is easier for men to come out as gay than it is for them to come out, but from my perspective it is more difficult for gay men. I am aware that some parts of the points I made above could be seen as making light of a topic, but I do think that each point has a serious contribution to how lesbian women and gay men are perceived in this society.

    Ultimately the coming out experience can be difficult for anyone, regardless of whether they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Perhaps to say coming out and being accepted is easier for one group compared to another is a bit of a generalisation, but it’s a generalisation that I believe exists. The most important thing in life is self-acceptance though. If you can master that then the rest is a breeze.

    Do you think gay men have it easier?

     

     

     

  • BOOK REVIEW | Speed Demons by Gun Brooke

    Speed Demons by Gun Brooke is quite essentially a lesbian love story that was kindly sent to me by Publishers Group UK.

    Evie is a NASCAR Racing Driver that has had a crash and is planning a come back. Blythe is a Professional Photographer and was snapping the day of the crash. Blythe has heard about Evie’s comeback and wants to document her journey back to the racetrack in the form of a photography book.

    Blythe convinces Evie to agree to the photography book idea and a relationship starts to develop – far to quickly to be believable to the reader. Along with the waves of closeness between Evie & Blythe they both help one another to overcome the current challenges in their lives.

    For Evie the challenge is apparent: her recovery and return to the racetrack. In order for Evie to achieve her goal she must undertake her physical training and find a way of dealing with her post-traumatic stress disorder. Blythe’s challenge is to deal with her lost family connection and her feelings about it. Blythe feels that her family indirectly blame her for the attack on her brother many years ago.
    Evie & Blythe’s characters are well developed with good backstories. Brooke‘s use of character perspectives and of Evie & Blythe psychoanalysing one another makes the reader care about them.
    Brooke‘s description was sparse at times and the reader would have benefited from more detail. The are a few sex scenes; it was strange that Brooke used the word ‘sex’ to describe lady-parts in one part of the book and yet later on used the word ‘clit’ quite blatantly.

    The storyline was fair but somewhat predictable. Blythe’s family challenge felt like an after thought, being thrown in towards the end of the book. The ending felt rushed and not thought out. It had a few loose ends – such as Evie’s family approval and a resolution of Blythe’s family issues. The most unsatisfying part of the ending was Blythe’s seemingly sacrificing her life for Evie’s.

    Yet despite the criticisms it was a reasonable piece of lesbian literature. Speed Demons by Gun Brooke is available to buy on Amazon.

  • Glee Star Jane Lynch To Make Broadway Debut

    ‘Glee’ star Jane Lynch to make Broadway debut in Annie.

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  • INTERVIEW | Madeleine Olnek

    When the DVD for CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME dropped on to our desk at TGUK Tower, we thought we have to speak to the brains behind the outfit. Madeleine Olnek is a film director hailing from NYC. We caught up with her to ask about Lesbian aliens.

    1) Where on earth (or outer-space for that matter) did the idea for the film come from?

    Well, first came the idea for the title. Once I had the title, I had to write a movie to match it!

    2) Who or What were the comedy influences for the film?

    The main comedy influences were New York romantic comedies. And it’s an obvious homage to sci-fi B-movies, the ones from the 1950’s, which are often funny without meaning to be. I also wanted to parody earnest lesbian movies, the kind that we both love and hate.

    3) Do you believe there are lesbian (or otherwise) aliens in the world?

    In the universe, which is so wide– statistically I think there’s a chance of it. I have a hard time believing they’d bother to come here, though.

    4) What do you think aliens would think if they came down to earth today?

    I don’t even know how to answer that question– but watch my movie for some ideas!

    5) Are you happy that Obama won the US election? What do you think would have happened if Mitt had won?

    I was very happy when Obama won. We made a lot of fun over here of one of Mitt Romney’s debate answers, when he talked about getting “binders full of women” to try to fill some staff position in his job as governor. He explained that the key to working with women is that you have to be more flexible, and let them go home early to make dinner for their family.

    6) We recently interviewed Elvira queen of the B movie – Who are your B movie heroes?

    Pam Grier and the cast of “Black Mama White Mama,” especially the extras from the Philippine village. There’s a shower scene to die for that contains a mix of actresses and locals. I found it hilarious.

    7) Your top 5 spoof movies are?

    Well, I have three Christopher Guest movies on that list: “A Mighty Wind,” about formerly famous folk music singers who have a reunion concert, “Best in Show” about Dog show enthusiasts, and “Waiting For Guffman” about a small town musical theatre production. Christopher Guest is the king of capturing (and spoofing) the particularities of rarefied worlds. The performances are out of this world– he has assembled quite a group of comedians. Another broadly comic film I really love is the film “SoapDish”– that spoofs the world of Soap Operas. Sally Field plays a soap opera star trying to hold on to her stardom– it’s hilarious. And I think one of the most amazing spoof movies is the disaster movie spoof “AIRPLANE.”

     

    8) What was the funniest moment in the movie to film?

    We had a movie theatre scene where one of the aliens is laughing too loud and gets hit in the head with a popcorn bucket. I kept missing and/or the bucket wouldn’t bounce off her head at the right angle (so it was like 17 takes!). There was also a moment between the two government agents who are trailing the aliens, where one of them talks about their phobia of crème donuts– that we kept cracking up during (but thanks to the magic of the editing room, we could remove all the laughing!)

    Madeleine Olnek9) Which Earthling in real life would make a super Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien?

    Martha Stewart.