THEGAYUK

Tag: Relationships

All the latest breaking news on gay and LGBT relationships. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on relationships.

  • 607 million people now live with gay marriage equality

    An analysis undertaken by Melbourne Ports Residents for Marriage Equality (MPRME) has revealed that globally there are now 607 million people living in jurisdictions with full marriage equality.

    The resumption of same-sex weddings in California last week pushed the number of people living in regions with marriage equality above 600 million for the first time ever.

    With England and Wales set to introduce marriage equality soon and with more and more US states coming on board, this figure is set to climb even higher over the coming months.

    “What this shows it that marriage equality is not just a temporary fad,” said MPRME spokesperson, Tony Pitman. “It’s a wave of equality that’s sweeping the globe. It’s a fundamental human rights reform that’s an inevitable part of social progress.”

    “It’s clearly inevitable here in Australia as well. Any Australian politician who says that this is an issue that will just go away is either seriously deluded or lying.”

  • GAY HEALTH: Pace Launches Low-Cost Couple Counselling

    GAY HEALTH: Pace Launches Low-Cost Couple Counselling

    PACE is delighted to offer a new low-cost couple counselling and relationship support service for people who identify as LGBT and their partners. PACE knows that experiencing healthy relationships can be key to achieving wellbeing in life.

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  • Launch of new domestic abuse counselling

    PACE is pleased to offer a new counselling service for LGBT people who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse.

    Domestic abuse can and does occur in same sex and trans relationships. Counselling can help those who have experienced domestic abuse overcome trauma, recover and rebuild their lives. It can provide a safe, non-judgemental environment to work through the impact of both past and continuing abuse.

    Kath Blake Counselling Service Manager at PACE says,

    “it can be difficult to recognise when a relationship becomes abusive and many people hide their experiences. Discussing situations with a trained professional can enable people to make changes and deal with the multiple challenges that people in abusive intimate partner relationships face”.

     

    This service is free, and part of DAP, a new domestic abuse partnership offering practical help with, for example, housing and legal issues, as well as providing emotional support and counselling.

    The DAP is made up of 5 LGBT agencies who each provide different services for LGBT victims/survivors of domestic abuse. With one phone call, you will be linked in with Stonewall Housing, Galop, Pace, London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, and Broken Rainbow.

     

    If you’re currently experiencing abuse in your relationship, have recently come out of an abusive relationship or have experienced abuse from a family member, do get in touch with PACE.

    We offer up to 12 sessions of individual counselling to those living in all London boroughs.

    Info and enquiries: 020 7700 1323 or email dacounselling@pacehealth.org.uk

  • OPINION | When Pride Was About Pulling

    Gay Pride events, what wonderful things they are. These days I like to get fully involved in the true meaning of pride and have an active role in community aspects of it.

    I am even organising my county’s first ever Pride (www.warwickshirepride.co.uk). But there was a time in the not too distant past when going to Pride was all about pulling.

    One year when I was particularly ‘mad fer it’, I went to Birmingham Pride with the intention of getting extremely drunk and copping off with as many guys as I could. How disappointed I was when it didn’t work out quite like that. What was even more disappointing was seeing each person I was at Pride with getting off with someone or at least having somebody show an interest. Even my heterosexual step-mother got hit on by a lesbian, but I had absolutely no interest in me at all. I know, how can that be possible?

    I spent the afternoon at the famous Nightingale Club in Birmingham with my friends and step-mother. It was a typically rain drenched Pride day so we had decided to take shelter and get drunk. I went to the toilet with my step-mother to get dried off. At this point a guy armed with a bag full of hairdressing equipment said he would style my step-mothers hair (as you do in a unisex toilet at Gay Pride – anything goes, I guess). Upon leaving the toilet my step-mother had been transformed from a drowned rat into a glamourpuss courtesy of the dude carrying a hairdressing kit around Pride all day. As she strutted towards the bar, heads were turning and one particular woman walked up to her and said “alright darling”. My step-mother thought it was hilarious. I was horrified. Why was she getting hit on and I wasn’t?

    I eventually saw the funny side of it and continued with my plan to pull. Once my step-mother had gone home and I was more able to misbehave, I began picking out the guys that I wanted to get jiggy with. Alas, more disappointment awaited. Nobody reciprocated the not so innocent feelings I had. Worse still, a girl I was with pulled a woman and my male mate pulled a man dressed as Queen Elizabeth 1st, which was quite bizarre actually.

    Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact I wasn’t even going to get a Pride snog. So I got very drunk and shook what my mama gave me in the club that night. But the next morning something unexpected happened.

    I was sharing a hotel room with my friend who had previously decided he was into guys that dress as Queen Elizabeth 1st, and somehow found myself in a tryst with him. It was nice. It was familiar. It wasn’t what I had intended, but sometimes these things just happen.

    So although I did pull, I don’t really count it as it wasn’t with somebody I didn’t know. I went home feeling incredibly disappointed that I had failed in my task. My strike rate had been very high, but perhaps I just tried too hard that weekend.

    Looking back, I am not too impressed with the way I conducted myself and now realise there is so much more to life than getting off with guys, and indeed more to Pride than pulling. However, on the other hand, I am glad I was like that because it has provided me with plenty of entertaining stories to tell my mates down the pub, and also some that I can share here.

    However you view Pride and whatever you get up to while you are there, the only thing I must insist on is that you have pride in yourself and enjoy it. If you see it as an opportunity to pull, then go for it and be safe. If you see it as a time to protest and focus on the issues that LGBT people face, then I salute you and again say go for it. Pride can be whatever you want it to be.

     

    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.

  • Tavistock Centre for LGBT Couple Relationships awarded silver chartermark

    The Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships (TCCR) is delighted to announce that it has recently been awarded an eQuality chartermark by PACE (a leading Charity promoting LGBT mental health and wellbeing). TCCR received this award for demonstrating its commitment to inclusive practice in its work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) couples.

    The eQuality Award is a quality mark for mainstream relationship services that show they have high standards of service for LGBT clients.

     

    On 25th April, TCCR was presented with a special Silver Award at a celebration event held at the House of Commons.

    TCCR’s CEO, Susanna Abse speaking at the event said, “We are delighted to have received this award and have been working closely with PACE to ensure that we offer quality therapy services tailored to the needs of all people, including LGBT people. PACE has provided us with a great deal of support and we are grateful for their suggestions and the thoughtful way in which they have worked with us. ”

    Through the process of consultation offered by PACE, TCCR was able to develop robust policies that reflect its commitment to the eQuality agenda at all levels of the organisation. This is reflected in the dramatic increase in referrals from same-sex couples to the organisation over the past year.

    To find out more about the eQuality chartermark visit: www.e-qualitymark.net

    To find out more about TCCR services visit: www.tccr.org.uk or www.tccr.ac.uk

  • OP ED | Can a gay guy ever be turned straight?

    After the recent remarks by Colin Murray and Bob Mills about ‘turning’ Clare Balding during a live radio broadcast on BBC Radio 5, writer Barry Heap discusses whether ‘I’ll Have A Go At Turning You’ is an offensive thing to suggest.

    At a recent friend’s wedding, an older glamorous cougar type whispered into my ear

    “I’d have a go at turning you”

    As she slid my tie in a suggestive manner I laughed at Mrs Robinson.

    The statement was meant in a flirty good humoured form of banter. We spent the rest of the night drinking whisky and dancing to northern soul. I took the statement as a huge compliment, I’m not offended.

    But I’m informed that I should be, apparently I was degraded as a man. My sexuality was disrespected and it was implied that I was free and easy to choose my sexuality as easily as I had chosen the trio of lamb for the wedding breakfast.

    The truth is if we are to say that this statement is offensive to gay people, we need to cast an eye closer to home or become hypocrites. After all that is where many of us began back is high school, following the unattainable straight boy at high school. But things progress from there it only takes a quick search on the internet to find thousands of pages of slash fiction written about straight characters on TV series having gay sexual encounters. There’s also the endless speculation on the sexuality of celebrity’s such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta

    Taking a further look into the internet, there are many gay porn sites that feature performers who identify as “gay for pay”. This means that off camera they are straight but on camera, they are quite happy to perform with other guys. Yes, it’s exploitive but there is clearly a market for it as many pay sites offer the illicit thrill of seeing a straight jock “turned”.

    On the flip side of the coin, many straight friends are happy to discuss celebrities that they would like to “experiment” with. Russell brand, Robert Downey Jr and Eric Bana are all mentioned. I have no doubt that if any of these unlikely scenarios were to present themselves that nothing would happen; it is fantasy because they are straight. I respect their sexuality as much as they have respected and supported mine. What they may be uncomfortable in saying is that they find these men very attractive and appreciate their beauty I can see their point of view, I find Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman absolutely stunning but I would never fantasise about them sexually, the ways I look at them, are Very different to how I think about Hugh Jackman (which are not fit for publication)

    So where does this leave us? I think that we can find other people attractive of either gender, sexuality is fluid but maybe sexual orientation is less so. For people identifying as gay or straight, we can be sure who we would sleep with and the line between fantasy and reality.

    When it comes to the attraction we are not interested in the others person’s orientation.

    Maybe we should just all relax, it’s easy to judge and be oversensitive over what is meant as a bit of banter. Perhaps Thatcher would not appreciate the irony of the phrase “the lady’s not for turning” being used in this manner,

     

    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.

  • Lords vote in Favour of Gay Marriage

    In an unprecedented and historic move, Peers in the House of Lords have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the same-sex marriage bill.

    After two days of heated debate in the House of Lords, Peers voted in favour of same-sex marriage, after Lord Dear, former Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police Force tabled a ‘wrecking’ and ‘fatal’ amendment potentially denying the same-sex marriage bill its second reading.

    Peers voted 390 votes to 148, a majority of 242 votes meaning that the Lords allowed the passage of the bill to the committee stage.

    Taking to Twitter human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell wrote,

    “Lords vote a landslide victory for love, marriage & equality: 390 in favour, 148 against. YOUR lobbying efforts helped us win. HUGE thanks

    “With this huge Lords victory, we are on schedule for the first same-sex weddings late this summer. Hurrah”

    The debate initially commenced on Monday at 3:00pm and continued until 10:45pm, it resumed on Tuesday afternoon and concluded with Peers voting.

    Stonewall Chief Executive Ben Summerskill said,

    “‘We’re absolutely delighted. We always expected a tough challenge in the House of Lords, and Lord Dear’s “fatal motion” – very rarely used – demonstrates the lengths to which a minority of peers are, sadly, still prepared to go to deny full equality to lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

    “In the last 24 hours alone, opponents of equality in the House of Lords have compared loving, committed relationships to incest and polygamy. Britain’s 3.7 million gay people don’t deserve to be second class citizens in their own country. A tough fight lies ahead and we’ll continue to work tirelessly every single day to get equal marriage through the Lords. At Stonewall, we fight to win.”

  • UK Government delay gay marriage vote

    A vote due to take place on Monday 3rd June to legalise same-sex marriage in the UK has been delayed by a day.

    The bill, which is to be voted upon in the Lords will now take place on Tuesday 4th June 2013 in the daytime after ‘supporters warned voting in the early hours could put the bill at risk’ reports Pinknews.co.uk

    Around 80 peers are due to debate the bill which raised concerns that the vote could have been delayed until 2.00AM.

    Speaking to Huffington Post, shadow equalities minister Baroness Thornton said, ‘significant number of peers who wanted to support the bill would not be “strong enough to stay until 3am in the morning”.

    The bill was debated and voted upon in the House of Commons and must be voted on in the House of Lords in order to become law.

  • 150,000 take to the streets in Paris against gay rights

    The number of people who attended an anti-gay marriage rally has been revised from the organiser’s estimation of 1 million down to 150,000

    Seen as a last-ditch attempt to derail the new bill that legalises same-sex marriage in France, thousands of protesters demonstrated.

    PinkNews.co.uk has reported the number of those taking part at around 150,000 whilst the rally’s organisers, La Manif Pour Tous (Demo For All) have reported extreme figures of one million demonstrators.

    The new bill, which was signed into law by President Francois Holland, has caused much controversy in France, after it made France the 14th nation to recognise same-sex marriage earlier in May 2013

    Thousands of riot police were mobilised after an increasing number of the crowd became violent, when illegal teargas canisters and fireworks were reportedly used as weapons.

    Around 50 people were arrested – and a vehicle was seized after masks, banners and smoke bombs were discovered inside.

    The Independent reports:

    About 200 young people, many of them masked, pelted police lines with bottles, stones, fireworks and flares. The crowd – led bizarrely at one stage by a lone bagpiper – chased and beat up TV crews and press photographers. Police and gendarmes responded with tear gas and baton charges.

    There were surreal battle scenes on the Esplanade des Invalides beside the foreign ministry as 200 gendarmes in riot gear formed into defensive squares to beat off attacks from running bands of protesters. Although a hard core of about 200 hard-right youths started the fighting, many hundreds of other, soberly dressed, middle-class protesters cheered them on.

  • 10 Fantastic Places for A Great Gay Date in London

    There are all the typical things to do in London; the bridge, the tower, the eye, and so on, but what if you want to network with other gays and meet people to take. Perhaps you want to take your friend to a new or different place. Here are 10 places you may not have thought of before.

     

    The Underground Club

    Located under Central Station you will find the Underground Club where the speciality of the day is the dark and mysterious. There is always a hopping party crowd and live DJ. One the weekends there is a light show to go with whatever the theme is. The Underground offers a fun place to go after you visit Central Station. So make a night out of this visit.

     

    Hampstead Heath Ponds

    Located in North London is the Hampstead Heath Ponds, three large freshwater swimming points that are popular for same sex and mixed couples alike. For centuries people have been coming to the ponds for a relaxing dip in the waters. Take your partner to the ponds and have some wet fun. Let your playful side come out while enjoying an athletic dip.

     

    Central Station, Kings Cross

    Known as one of the best pubs around, Central Station is known for Sweet Wednesday and diverse clientele that include transvestites and transsexuals. This is a wonderful place to take your partner for a little fun, exploration and ale. Events include cabaret and theme nights and can be found on Wharfdale Road in London.

     

    Gay Supper Club – The Hope, London

    At The Hope, a pop up restaurant, you and your date can attend the Gay Supper Club where you will enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by a world renowned Michelin star chef. This is an intimate setting designed for gay men to get to know each other, network, socialize and make new friends. The event is organised and supported by the Grub Club & Urban Connections group. The aim of this event which will be held on June 19th, 2013 is to bring individuals together to hopefully find their soul mate. This is not speed-dating, each course is taken at a slow comfortable pace but you will rotate thought the restaurant to meet multiple people and intermingle. There is no age limit of dress code, so put this night on your calendar and plan for an impromptu chance to meet your one.

     

    Vauxhall

    Within London is an inner city known as Vauxhall. This is where you come if you are gay and you want to party all night or through the weekend. This area is filled with bars, taverns, nightclubs, raves and parties. Get out into the night air, and dress up in your sexiest gear, you are bound to meet new likeminded friends at places like The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Hoist, Fire, and Barcode Vauxhall. Don’t stop there, there is so much to do in this area, you and your partner could party round the clock all weekend long.

     

    Soho London

    If you’re looking for the fun, hip, diverse center of activity and fun, look no further than Soho London for your date. The atmosphere in Soho is contagious, pleasurable, and a must-see for your date. With live entertainment, unique cuisine, a pulsing nightlife, and celebrations like Pride London, this is where you want to spend your time to meet and network with fellow gay Londoner’s and tourist

     

    London Gay Men’s Chorus

    Do you have a song in your heart? Then you should join up with the guys at the London Gay Men’s Chorus to express yourself inner Sir Elton John and meet new friends. The choir is one of the largest most active groups for gay men in Europe. The mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire others through music while challenging the preconceptions of homosexuality. If you cannot sing, then sign up for their newsletter and attend their events, you might meet your next date who has the voice of an angel.

     

    Hackney City Farm

    Not every date is required to take place at a club or bar. For a bit of variety during the sunlight hours stop by the Hackney City Farm with your special one. Take a minute to feed the goats and donkeys and watch your partner melt as he cuddles a little bunny in his strong arms. There are weekend courses, classes in pottery and mosaics, or you could become volunteers. This is a great place to honor your need for animals and outdoors and show your variety to your partner.

     

    Broadway Market

    Get out and go to the market. In almost every city around the world, there is an outdoor fresh market. In the London, this is the Broadway Market. Start your Saturday with a date at the market with all tastes and cultures that will satisfy any palate or shopping need. You will find the Market between Regent’s Canal and London Fields. There is everything from food, handcrafted items, and clothing. Bring your partner, take in the fresh air, and pick up fresh ingredients for a late picnic at London Fields and a candlelight dinner at home.

     

    A London Fields Picnic

    In East London, you will find the idyllic London Fields Park situated at the end of the Broadway Market. Historically a pasture, the park is not the hub of activity in East London. You will find a cricket pitch, BMX track, swimming pool, tennis courts, and more. Bring your date here, pack a picnic and plan an activity that you will both enjoy. You are bound to be able to plan a fun, relaxing day with your love interest.

     

    There you have it a fine selection of civil and naughty places to take your hot date in the capital city perhaps you seduced your partner on the web or indulging in gay chat with hot men by phone on a line heaven forbid just in the real world in the local bar. Well after your great effort on securing your sexy dates time make sure it goes with a real bang and hit up London.

  • Overwhelming support for same-sex marriage

    Landslide support for Same Sex Marriage Bill in House of Commons, with the Bill passing its third reading by 366 votes to 161.

    MPs have again voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. Moments ago the Bill passed its Third Reading vote in the House of Commons by 366 votes to 161 – a majority of 205. The Bill will extend the legal form of marriage to lesbian, gay and bisexual people and permit religious denominations to celebrate such marriages should they wish. It now heads to the House of Lords for debate in June.

    In a statement Stonewall Chief Executive Ben Summerskill said,

    ‘This evening’s vote shows MPs are on the public’s side, as poll after poll shows a clear majority of people in Britain support equal marriage. Now that the Bill has cleared the Commons without any of the wrecking amendments tabled by opponents, we hope peers will show the same respect to public attitudes.

    ‘Sadly in recent weeks several peers have expressed deeply unpleasant views about gay people. Stonewall expects one of our toughest fights yet ahead of us. We’ll continue to work tirelessly every day to help secure this final modest measure of legislative equality.’

    The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill passed its Second Reading with a majority of 225 votes on 5 February. MPs rejected a wrecking amendment – by 375 votes to 70 – during the Bill’s Report Stage in the House of Commons on 20 May.