One of the UK’s busiest gay bathhouses has announced its plans to open for the first time since non-essential businesses were ordered to close by the UK’s government.
As the UK’s businesses start, slowly to come back to life, after 100 days of lockdown due to the Coronavirus, many customers are eager for some businesses to re-open, particularly in the LGBT+ sector. One of the last business types to reopen is the sauna.
Now, Pleasuredrome in London has given fans of the gay sauna hope, by announcing it is planning to reopen and welcome back patrons by the middle of summer.
In a statement sent via its mailing list, Pleasuredrome, one of the UK’s busiest gay bathhouses announced its plans to reopen in August – although no specific date was given. We will, of course, update if a specific date is published. The sauna closed back on March 17th.
The pledge to reopen was made after the UK’s government said it was further relaxing restrictions on yet more businesses including swimming pools and gyms. These lifted restrictions only apply in England as the devolved administration in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are setting their own timetable for reopenings.
From the 13th July close contact services such as spas and massage parlours will be allowed open in England.
From the 25th July sport facilities and venues will be allowed to open, “subject to evidence closer to the time”
Many businesses in England have returned, albeit will COVID-secure restrictions including physical distancing measures and limiting the number of people permitted in the building. Bars and pubs were allowed to reopen last weekend, however, nightclubs are still not permitted to open.
Forbury Gardens in Reading, where three men were killed when they were stabbed has reopened for “quiet reflection” and for people to pay their respects, the local council has revealed.
Last month, three friends, sitting together in the heart of Reading, became the victims of a stabbing attack. They died at the scene. A fourth man who was sitting with them was also stabbed but did not die and is recovering from his injuries.
Terror suspect, Khairi Saadallah is accused of murdering James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, on the evening of 20th June in Forbury Gardens. Saadallah is also charged with the attempted murder of three other people.
Saadallah is due to go on trial in late November.
The gardens have been closed to the public since the incident. Today, Reading Council announced that the park had reopened to the public. They are encouraging people to visit “in their own time for a period of quiet reflection”.
— Reading Borough Council (@ReadingCouncil) July 10, 2020
Jason Brock, leader of Reading Borough Council, said, “It is now nearly three weeks since the horrific events at Forbury Gardens, which nobody in Reading will ever forget.
“As always, our thoughts remain firmly with the families of James, Joe and David. Now that the Gardens have reopened, we fully appreciate that people will want to visit in their own time and for a period of quiet reflection.
“Everybody is, of course, more than welcome to do that and see flowers that have been laid to pay tribute to the victims, or to lay a tribute themselves.”
It seems as though people were out enjoying the gay scene over the weekend as one owner of a string of LGBT+ venues in Birmingham city centre spoke about the road to recovery for the sector.
The majority of the UK’s pubs and bars have been on lockdown due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic for over 100 days and many are desperate to open in order to stay financially viable. As lockdown restrictions eased in England last weekend, the streets were filled with eager punters looking to enjoy a bit of normality.
Lawrence Barton who owns three Birmingham venues (The Loft, The Village Inn and The Nightingale Club) and who is also the Festival Director for Birmingham Pride, spoke about how encouraged he feels after one of his venue’s takings were “in line with those of an average Saturday pre-lockdown”.
Speaking about trading conditions, Barton told THEGAYUK
“In spite of restrictions on customer numbers, volume of music, social distancing and a strict no bar service, one of our venues had takings that were in line with those of an average Saturday pre-lockdown. Meanwhile, despite takings at The Village Inn being fifty-five per cent down on pre-lockdown levels, these were in line with our forecasts.
“Reports in the media and elsewhere of widespread flouting of public health rules and requirements were not reflected here in Birmingham. I was enormously encouraged by the responsible behaviour demonstrated on the part of patrons in adhering to social distancing requirements and the pragmatic approach police adopted in ensuring adherence.
“I am confident that yesterday marks the start of a long road to recovery for both the sector and our economy as a whole.”
Also commenting, Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said,
“Last night was very encouraging for the region’s hospitality sector, and I want to thank the vast majority of people who followed social distancing guidelines and behaved very responsibly.
“There is no question that it is a long way back, but last night will help to give people confidence that they can safely enjoy a trip to a restaurant or pub.
“We have seen how dangerous this virus can be and, as we slowly ease lockdown measures, everyone must continue to follow the Government guidelines and keep up the basics of hand washing and social distancing.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has slashed the budget earmarked for the HIV Prevention Pill, PrEP even before the roll out across England begins.
The rollout has been set back, largely by Coronavirus, and the budget has now been slashed by £5 million to £11 million.
Terrence Higgins Trust, National AIDS Trust and PrEPster released a joint statement outlining that sexual health services are already overstretched calling the budget cut “hugely concerning” and accused the Government of “rolling back” on what was promised
“We welcome the Department of Health’s work to begin the roll-out of uncapped access to PrEP in England but this significant cut to the PrEP budget for local authorities is hugely concerning.
“Sexual health services are already on their knees and slashing the budget by almost a third will undoubtedly limit local authorities’ ability to deliver PrEP to those who need it. The Health Secretary promised proper PrEP access as part of the commitment to end HIV transmissions within the next decade but is now rolling back on what was promised.
“England’s sexual health services are already over stretched and under funded, which is why proper resourcing for the delivery of PrEP is crucial to its success. While those currently accessing PrEP are unlikely to be affected the roll out is supposed to ensure significantly more people can benefit from it for HIV prevention over the coming months. This cut to the first year’s budget before that’s even started means PrEP will not be fully utilised.
“PrEP is highly effective at stopping HIV and extremely cost-effective when compared with a lifetime of HIV treatment. It’s disappointing that we are once again fighting for its potential to be maximised in England.’
“Funding has been adjusted”
(C) THEGAYUK
A spokesperson for the DHSC told THEGAYUK
“Now we are past the peak of the pandemic, the NHS and local government are re-opening services and we are pleased to be rolling out PrEP across the country as part of our work to tackle HIV and the stigma around it.
“This will benefit tens of thousands of people and take us closer to our ambition of zero HIV transmissions by 2030.
“In light of covid-19 pressures during the first quarter of the year, PrEP was not immediately available for individuals via routine commissioning.
“The modest change in allocated funding accounts for the fact that the rollout of the routine commissioning of PrEP was paused during the pandemic.”
This story was updated to reflect a quote from the DHSC.
We’ve just had Pride month and along with that thousands of corporate entities adopted the iconic rainbow symbol, hundreds sent their well-wishes to the LGBT+ community but even fewer actively call out bigotry unlike the Post Office, which managed to deal with homophobic bigotry levelled at its staff in the most perfect way.
In a Twitter post published by the Post Office official account on the 19th June, the Post Office’s Chief Marketing Officer Emma Springham, shared her “journey to pride”, to which one user, @jamesmc13123269 responded with “Degenerate”.
This attack on Emma didn’t go unnoticed by Courtney from the office who called out the bigotry saying,
“Do you honestly think it’s okay to speak about my colleague like that? Your comment is absolutely disgusting. You don’t know Emma personally to even comment on the type of woman she is, so please don’t respond unless you have something positive to say”
Do you honestly think it's okay to speak about my colleague like that? Your comment is absolutely disgusting. You don't know Emma personally to even comment on the type of woman she is, so please don't respond unless you have something positive to say 👍 – Courtney
While another user complained about the use of the rainbow flag saying, “It is not right to quit-claim something that belongs to all mankind.”
However this complaint was expertly handled by Stephen, who replied,
“The rainbow flag represents the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community which we’re proud to celebrate as it gives us the chance to reaffirm the equality, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and beyond.”
The rainbow flag represents the diversity and vibrancy of the LQBTQ+ community which we’re proud to celebrate as it gives us the chance to reaffirm the equality, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and beyond. – Stephen
One user who used the word faggots against was also taken to task, when the comm team tweet a poll which asked, “Should we continue listening to language like this? and included “Absolutely Not” and “No” as the only two options.
Should we continue listening to language like this?
The House of Common’s official Twitter account has been blasted by users after asking if conversion therapy or “gay cures” as it is more commonly known should be made illegal in the UK, despite the government already admitting that the practice was “wrong”.
As it stands gay cure therapy or conversion therapy is still legal in the UK, it has been debated and defeated in the Commons numerous times, in 2015 and then again in 2017.
However, two years on, not much progress has been made on any of the points made in the plan. Now a recent Tweet by the official House of Commons Twitter account has been slammed for asking a question that many have said is not open to debate.
The tweet was heavily ratio’d after asking users “How does #conversiontherapy affect the #LGBTQ community? Should it be made illegal? What would that mean to you? @HoCpetitions is investigating a petition calling for the practice to be made illegal”
The response was swift with condemnation of the way in which the question had been posed with many people taking issue that was necessary of debate.
Conversion therapy is seen by many doctors has deeply ineffective and LGBT+ advocates say that therapy of this nature is entirely problematic.
Alison Camps, the co-chair of Pride in London replied to the Tweet,
“Is this some kind of joke? The Government pledged to do this two years ago. It’s inhuman that you continue to make us BEG for something that is so obviously barbaric.”
MP Alicia Kearns MP for Rutland and Melton also replied to the Tweet adding,
“Of course it should be made illegal, it’s abusive and fraudulent. The Government has committed to ban it already, and legislative options will be put up for consultation to determine the best legislation to protect the LGBTQ+ community.”
Of course it should be made illegal, it’s abusive and fraudulent.
The Government has committed to ban it already, and legislative options will be put up for consultation to determine the best legislation to protect the LGBTQ+ community.
“Our intention was to provide a platform for people to share their opinions”
A House of Commons’ spokesperson said,
“A Petition calling on the Government to make LGBT conversion therapy illegal in the UK has reached almost 200,000 signatures. In its response to the Petition, the Government did not make a specific commitment to making conversion therapy illegal. Given the strength of interest in this issue, the Petitions Committee decided to further the conversation by gathering evidence from the public on the subject.
“The questions posed on the House of Commons social media feeds were intended to encourage people to submit their experiences. This information will then be presented to the Government. A petition with over 100,000 signatures would usually be considered for a Westminster Hall debate, however, given restrictions placed on Parliament as a result of COVID 19, Westminster Hall debates are currently suspended.
“We apologise. Our intention was to provide a platform for people to share their opinions on this subject with the Petitions Committee, and inform its case to the Government. Clearly we misjudged this and have now deleted the tweet.”
Why is homosexual still seen as something that can be cured?
Homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness in 1973, however, it is still possible to obtain treatment via the NHS, by referral, to “cure” you of your homosexuality. As it stands the psychotherapy industry in the UK is not regulated by the state – and therefore some therapists still offer “gay cures”.
This is coupled with the horrifying revelation that around 20 per cent of people (one in five) said that being LGBT+ was immoral or went against their beliefs.
Does conversion therapy actually work?
There are a number of therapists and organisations in the UK and in the USA that make the claim that conversion therapy can help LGB people to become heterosexual. However, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, there is no evidence that such change is possible.
As 2021 looks to be a more successful year for Pride across the UK, this is when it’s officially Pride Month in the UK.
After Pride season was all but wiped out in 2020 due to Coronavirus, here’s hoping 2021 will be a little more successful for local prides around the UK.
Many prides decided to postpone their events until 2021, so many will have the same theme or indeed entertainment acts and speakers that were planned for their 2020 festivals.
Officially Pride Month is in June in 2021 to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Where did Pride Month originate?
Pride Month stemmed from the US, which has been adopted more widely across the world, but in reality, there are many Pride months across the globe. For instance, Sydney Mardi Gras, Australia’s biggest pride takes place in February (although they do have a Pride festival in June) and here in the UK, there isn’t such thing as one month for Pride.
In the US most prides happen in the month of June to coincide with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, in the UK however things are a little more spread out with more and more county, city and town prides becoming available.
In 2019 the town of Llanelli in South Wales celebrated it’s first pride.
Want to know more about prides, see our entire collection of Pride articles here. Want to shop for Pride Merchandise, visit our partner retailer, THE PRIDE SHOP.
The Scottish Time For Inclusive Education (TIE) Charity has outlined some of the attacks its volunteers and founders have had to deal with.
In a horrifying thread on Twitter, the TIE campaign has revealed the extent of abuse it has received from bigots on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The charity said it had also been a victim of a campaign of lies about its work “to damage its reputation”.
The charity, which is based in Scotland, says it has been receiving attacks via social media platforms for months because they are an LGBT charity working with schools, teachers and educations.
The charity’s primary goal is to tackle “prejudice-based bullying” and to provide schools and educators with sessions on gender stereotypes/equalities and resources which help educators include LGBT+ people in the curriculum.
However, for months, volunteers say they have been targetted with “hurtful and dangerous posts and messages from “individuals who appear to be opposed to LGBT themes being included within education” an attack the charity describes as unprecedented.
“Paedophiles, child abusers, groomers”
The posts include defamatory and homophobic rhetoric, which has made volunteers concerned for their safety.
Speaking about the threats, a statement from the charity said,
“For decades, the LGBT community has been subject to homophobic propaganda which paints us as a threat to children by claiming that we are paedophiles, child abusers, groomers. Until recently, we believed we had moved on from those dark days. Sadly this is not the case online.”
“They are trying to cause faux outrage & jeopardising our safety”
The co-founder’s own child was used in this smear campaign and pictures of the child were used across social media with the slogan “Say no to the indoctrination and sexualisation of our children”.
The charity says, “All of this is, obviously, untrue. We know a thing or two about LGBT history, so we understand that this is tactical homophobia: to throw as much mud as you can, & hope it tarnishes the org. They are trying to cause faux outrage & jeopardising our safety in the process….
“The truth is that some of these individuals are anti-LGBT. Others, however, have simply chosen to target us because we are trans-inclusive in our work. All of this started when proposals to reform the GRA (Gender Recognition Act) became a prominent topic of discussion on Twitter.”
Twitter is a particular problem
TIE also pointed out that Twitter was a particularly problematic platform for them stating,
“This platform, in particular, is a problem. LGBT people and charities are regularly called groomers, paedophiles, abusers. This is unacceptable and horrific. @TwitterSupport needs to do more about this.
Suspect, Khairi Saadallah appeared in court via a video link at Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday. He stands accused of three murders and three attempted murders.
Saadallah who is accused of murdering three men in Reading during Pride month in the UK, did not enter a plea during his hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court at which he appeared via a video link.
Saadallah who sought asylum in the UK in 2012, was “heard to shout words to the effect of ‘Allahu akbar (God is great)’ Prosecutor Jan Newbold told the court.
She also stated that Saadallah began his savage attack “without warning or provocation” according to Sky News
The accused spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and that he lived in Reading.
He was remanded in custody by chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot until a hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday 1st July 2020.
Saadallah is also standing trial for the attempted murder of three other men who were sitting nearby David, Joe and James. Stephen Young was sitting with the three men who died, while Patrick Edwards ad Nishit Nisudan were sitting nearby.
Young, Edwards and Nisudan were all treated for stab wounds, taken to hospital and later released.
It’s the moment many LGBT+ people have been waiting for – the easement of lockdown and the reopening of LGBT+ spaces, but things could be looking quite different as one bar in Birmingham has been explaining.
In order to keep in with COVID Secure government guidelines, bars, cafes and restaurants will have to adhere to strict restrictions and guidelines in order to keep new infections of COVID-19 to zero.
Contact details, hand sanitizer and table bookings
People who go to a bar will also have to give staff their contact details in order to help the government with their track and trace scheme.
We recently polled THEGAYUK readers on whether people were happy about handing over their personal details to businesses in order to aid with track and trace. The vast majority of people (68.7%) were not happy about having to give up their personal details and there have been many fears surrounding the security of data handled by businesses.
“On entry to the venue one person from each household will be asked to supply contact details, this is to support the government’s Test and Trace initiative, this is compulsory to enter the bar.”
The bar also explained in its Facebook post that all patrons will have the house rules and government guidelines given to them on entry to the bar.
The bar has also initiated a table booking system otherwise tables will be on a first-come-first-served basis.
The bar also asked that all payments be made, where possible, with contactless technology and they even have a new app where drinkers can buy their drinks via their phones.
PPE (personal protection equipment) will, Missing Bar has said, be offered to customers and staff.
There will also be a dedicated staff member to clean the venue regular and hand sanitizer will be available throughout the bar.
Our priority is and always will be keeping you safe
Finally the bar owners, said,
“…we are trying to keep you safe and this is all very new to us, please be patient with us during this time. Our priority is and always will be keeping you safe.
