Just how gay-friendly is the Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson?
We looked into Jo Swinson‘s voting record on gay issues to see how LGBT friendly she is.
Since entering the House of Commons as an MP for East Dunbartonshire in 2005, Jo Swinson has consistently voted pro-LGBT+ in laws relating to equality.
During her time as an MP, she has voted positively for marriage between same-sex couples.
However, in 2014 she was absent for three votes, specifically, “Same Sex Marriage — Enabling Courts to Deal with Divorce or Annulment Proceedings“, “Make Same Sex Marriage Available to Armed Forces Personnel Outside the United Kingdom” and “Amendments to Acts of Parliament in Light of the Introduction of Same Sex Marriage in Parts of the UK”.
Three teenage boys have pleaded guilty to Public Order Act and other offences following a police investigation into a homophobic incident on the N31 bus route.
The three suspects, aged between 15 and 16 years, appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday, 28 November) following a hate crime incident against two females on the N31 bus in the early hours of Thursday, 30 May.
They will be sentenced on Monday, 23 December.
[A] a 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods (namely a phone) and two offences contrary to section 5 of the public order act.
[B] a 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to a section 4a of the public order act offence (namely an aggravated hate crime). A Newton hearing will take place tomorrow (Friday, 29 November) for [B].
[D] a 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods (namely a bank card) and two offences contrary to section 4a of the public order act (namely an aggravated hate crime).
The investigating officer, Detective Constable Darren Barlow, from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command (RTPC), said:
“No one should ever be victimised because of their sexuality and I hope that this result brings some form of closure to both victims and they can put this ordeal behind them.
Detective Superintendent Andy Cox, from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command, said:
“Any Hate Crime on London’s transport network, or anywhere else in London, will absolutely not be tolerated. The Met’s RTPC officers will always fully investigate crimes that are committed on the bus network and we would urge anyone who has been a victim of crime to contact us.
“The transport network in London is, and remains, extremely safe and occurrences of this nature are few-and-far between.”
Mandy McGregor, Head of Transport Policing and Community Safety at TfL, said:
“This sickening incident was utterly unacceptable. Homophobic abuse is a hate crime and won’t be tolerated on our network. All of our customers have the right to travel without fear of verbal or physical abuse.
“We hope this case reminds all of our customers that they should accept everyone for who they are and they have absolutely no right to abuse them.”
At approximately 0230hrs on Thursday, 30 May, two women, both aged in their 20s, boarded the bus in West Hampstead.
As they sat on the top deck, they were approached by a group of males who began to make lewd and homophobic comments and gestures to them.
A fight ensued which left both victims with wounds to their faces after being punched several times by the suspects and a phone and bag were stolen.
Officers and London’s Ambulance Service (LAS) attended and both females were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries.
Officers from the Met’s Roads and Transport Command identified the suspects and arrested four men, aged between 15-17 on Friday, 7 June, on suspicion of robbery and aggravated GBH. They were taken to separate London police stations for questioning.
A fifth male, 16-years-old, was arrested on Saturday, 8 June on suspicion of robbery and aggravated GBH. All five were bailed to a date in early-July.
On Thursday, 25 July, four males [A, B, C and D] where charged. They appeared at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Wednesday, 21 August and were bailed until today.
At court today, charges were dropped against [C].
Detective Superintendent Waheed Khan, the Met’s lead for Hate Crime, concluded:
“London is such a diverse and tolerant city and I know that the public were rightly outraged that something of this nature could take place in our city.
“Hate crime affects people from all walks of life, and impacts on communities across London. The Met does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and is committed to working with partners, including MOPAC, to robustly tackle hate crime.
“We would urge hate crime victims who have not spoken to police to come forward and tell us about incidents so they can be fully investigated.”
A young man was assaulted in a homophobic attack on the streets of Salford, Manchester, police have said and now they are looking for a group of young people in connection with the incident.
A man, in his 20s, was walking along Lower Broughton Road near the junction with Clarence Street at around 5.15 pm on Saturday 23 November 2019 when he was subjected to homophobic abuse and hit by a plastic bottle.
He stopped to challenge a group of around six people and, as he walked away, was punched from behind causing him to fall to the ground.
He was then subjected to further abuse and at least two people are believed to have continued attacking him while he was on the ground.
Motorist Hero
The offenders ran away when a passing motorist stopped to help.
The victim required hospital treatment for face and arm injuries and has since been discharged.
Two of the men are described as being white, around 19-years-old and dressed in black sportswear. One is described as having ginger hair and the other blonde curly hair. There were two girls in the group, one is described as wearing a red winter coat.
Officers are appealing for eyewitnesses and the public’s help to identify those responsible.
Detective Constable Derek Nellany of GMP’s Salford Division said:
“This was a hate crime and serious assault.
“We know there was at least one motorist who stopped and we are appealing for any others who saw what happened to contact us.
“We are determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice as we strongly condemn this behaviour.”
Anyone with any information about the assault should contact police on 0161 856 5251 quoting incident number 2496 of Saturday 23 November 2019.
Parents are no longer permitted to protest outside of primary schools over the teaching of subjects such as LGBT+ equality.
A judge has ruled that parents, mainly from an Islamic background, but included members from other religious backgrounds, will not be able to protest outside a school in Birmingham.
Parents were angered by the No Outsider lessons which said went against their religious beliefs. This led to reports that hundreds of pupils had been removed from the school by their parents. Parents have also claimed that the No Outsider lessons are not “age-appropriate”.
Anderton Park School and Parkfield Primary School in Birmingham became the focal points for protesters earlier this year after the schools started to deliver lessons to students, which covered LGBT+ families and gender expressions.
An injunction against the protesters was created back in June – and Birmingham City Council “sought a court order to further protect the school and extend the ban, which has now been granted by High Court judge Mr Justice Warby” according to Sky News.
Birmingham City Council claimed that the noisy protesters were disrupting lessons and causing stress to students and staff at the school alike. According to sources, 21 staff members were treated for stress relating to the protests.
The judge ruled that the injunction did not “amount to unlawful discrimination against the protesters” adding, that the protesters had misunderstood and misrepresented that is being taught at the school”
Founder of the Birmingham South Asians LGBT group, Khakan Qureshi told THEGAYUK,
“I’m absolutely elated though we do need clarity on several points raised. This includes how to identify people who take part in protests and how to bring them to justice and having tighter regulations in having the power to arrest.
“Bear in mind, it wasn’t the content of the lessons which were contested but the nature of the protests. They were anti-social, caused a nuisance, disrupted the teachings of young children and caused potentially psychological harm.
“On a practical level, the protestors obstructed the highway and disturbed residents in the neighbourhood.
“It’s a really good day for teachers, pupils, the education system, councils and the LGBT+ community when common sense prevails”
Circolo Popolare is one of the hottest newest restaurants in town, with people without a reservation queuing outside in the hopes of getting a table. If they ever get inside, they’ll be enveloped in a room full of warmth and colours so alive they’ll feel like they’ve stepped into a restaurant in the Mediterranean.
Walking into Circolo Popolare is a wow moment. Hundreds of liquor bottles line both sides of the walls in the main room – which is very vivid and bright. Tea lights and greenery hang from the ceiling, while past the kitchen towards the back there is another beautiful room to explore – with an olive tree in the centre. Circolo Popolare has to be one of the most beautiful restaurants in London. But how’s the food?
Me and my dining companion had a very hard time choosing what to eat, and while it’s not a huge menu, we just didn’t know what we fancied. The cocktails were an easy choice – we could’ve ordered several but stuck to just one each. The Lemoncello Spritz was absolutely divine. With just the right amount of Absolut vodka, a couple dashes of Limoncello Amalfi, Prosecco Cinzano, maracuja, and peach, with lemons aligned on the sides of a large wine glass – it was stunning and delicious, and I highly recommend it (£7). My friend had Look Me in The Eyes – a drink served in a cheeky novelty mug and held a blend of three rums, almond hibiscus syrup, Triple Sec, lime, and maracuja. It had a kick thanks to the rum but it also had a sweet fruity flavour (£9).
Of the 8 antipasti starters on the menu, we ordered two. We thoroughly enjoyed the Crudo Crocante – 3 small lettuce cups with Cornish sea bass, confit tomatoes, dehydrated olives, lemon, baby herbs. The menu states they are a must – and they are. Nice and chilled – with a delicious vinaigrette dressing sprinkled over – it was a nice combination of food in a dish that’s not too filling and a bargain at £7. We also tried the Pizza Fritta Montanara – a smallish dough bread stuffed with tomato sauce with Parmigiano sprinkled on top. Delicious and moist, and it complemented the Crudo. The Frittatina (Mac and cheese bites) looked interesting – but seemed too cheesy, The Sam Daniele Ham and the Magic Mushroom Bruschetta looked like other very good choices.
And choice is the keyword for the main course options. Pizza, pasta and hot skewers of meat or fish (Dalla Griglia) are there. The pizza selection is not super sexy – I opted for the Animal Lover pizza which happened to be cheeseless. It was moist and had a healthy topping of aubergines, mushrooms, red peppers, vegan pesto, and taggiasche olives, but there was nothing really special about it. My friend had the Straccetti di Vitello Dalla Griglia – one very large skewer loaded with veal, sweet potato and mushrooms served over nicely browned potatoes and grilled courgettes – at £17 it’s definitely worth its weight and was very good though the veal could’ve been cooked a bit more. My friend did not finish it which I took as a bad sign. Pasta choices on the menu include lots (perhaps too much) creamy and cheesy dishes, but I hear the Crab me by the Paccheri is the best one (Thick-cut home-made paccheri pasta with crab, red gurnard, mussels and tarragon – £20).
For dessert almost everyone seemed to be having the Circolo Sundae – a huge sundae with XXL gelato, cookie chunks, churros, brownies and home-made whipped cream – and it is large and comes adorned with a sparkler on top – it better with a £16 price tag!
I opted for something a bit more simple – the You Make Me Crumble – basically apple crumble – but it was served cold which I wasn’t expecting. Was is pre-made and had been scooped right out of the refrigerator? It was not worth £7. My friend had the Banoffee Pie which was a much better choice. The mascarpone whipped cream on top was luscious – a divine dessert at £8.
The dishes are served in beautifully coloured plates full of different patterns, while the staff are as nice as they can be, managing the crowds who are constant on the weekends, and some people come in just specifically to take pictures – though not many are able to sneak past the two (!!) check-in counters.
The menu is quite colourful as well, and special attention must be paid to the Big Boy French Toast on the breakfast menu. It sounds absolutely wonderful (fluffy brioche, raspberries and raspberry coulis with mascarpone whipped cream) and a steal at £9 – which I am very much looking forward to eating later in the year. The French Toast is also served on their brunch menu, along with their other breakfast items Eggs Alla Fiorentina and Ricotta Pancakes.
Circolo Popolare, which can be rightly described as a sunny Sicilian trattoria, is a lovely place to while away the time pretending you’re in sunny climes (not many windows in the restaurant help with this fantasy), but main dishes could be a bit more tasty and fulfilling.
Circolo is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch with friends, and dinners under the starry ceiling.
“Dot Cotton Club has been a huge part of the LGBTQ+ scene in Cambridge, first opening its doors almost 30 years ago”
An LGBT+ club night was facing an uncertain future this week and may have been forced to close its doors had a new venue not saved the day.
The Dot Cotton Club, based in Cambridgeshire, which has been in existence for nearly 30 years, has had an emotional week after the venue it uses to host its iconic night, Atomic, are reportedly “struggling with negotiations with their college landlords”.
The club night had been held at Atomic for the last four years.
In a statement, organisers of the Dot Cotton Club said, that there were hopes of working with a new venue, Fez Club, in order to keep the night alive.
“We are sure Dot Cotton Club will continue to evolve”
Speaking about the abrupt ending with Atomic, organisers wrote on the official Facebook page, “Dot Cotton Club has been a huge part of the LGBTQ+ scene in Cambridge, first opening its doors almost 30 years ago, and is the final regular club event here for our community that takes place on a weekend.
“This is hugely important as it provides a safe and welcoming space for both students AND Cambridge locals, along with visitors to the city, to celebrate everything that makes them fabulous. We are also sad for our current home Atomic (formerly Q-Club), as it is one of the only alternative venues in the city with nights catering for the less mainstream communities, including the rock, metal and goth crowds – we know everyone who has visited will miss it greatly.
“Looking to the future, while we hope some agreement can be made to allow us to continue where we are, we are sure Dot Cotton Club will continue to evolve and find some way to keep supporting the community in any way we can.”
Light At The End Of The Tunnel
In a separate post, Dot Cotton Club told its fans, “After seeing our posts online and the story in (the) local press, Fez Club Cambridge have stepped in and kindly offered to help us with a venue to keep our fabulous LGBTQ+ Dot Cotton Club community alive!
“Because they (Fez) already have some other commitments pre-planned in their diary, we still won’t be able to celebrate our festive White Party on December 7th as originally planned, but instead we are moving it to Saturday, December 28th, 10 pm-3 am! The Fez Club has two bars, cocktail menu, large seating area and dance floor, the bathrooms will be gender neutral for the night and there is a lift up to the first floor”.
★★★★ | La Clique, Leicester Square Spiegeltent, London
It’s getting cold outside but La Clique is back in town to steam things up!
Back in London after a ten-year absence and now performing in the Christmassy Leicester Square Spiegeltent – La Clique brings with it a potpourri of sexy performances compered by naughty woman Bernie Dieter (Little Death Club). In cosy environs we are treated to performances that are both fun and hot! The sexy Steven Williams shows us what he can do in a bathtub, while not so innocent David Pereira shaves his body on stage – au natural. Charlie Wheeler then twirls his sexy body on a large hoola hoop.
Then there’s Ursula Martinez who seems to find a red handkerchief in almost every part of her body. Plus we’re treated to the gorgeous singing of Kelly Wolfgramm who, along with the La Clique Palace Orchestra, bring the house down with her beautiful voice and their smashing music.
Don’t go once or twice, go to La Clique a few times as the performers are not the same at every performance. We missed the fire breathing Heather Holliday but we’ll definitely catch her at another performance.
La Clique is a must must must for you and your friends. It’s on until January 4th, 2020.
After borrowing $800 from his family, Berry Gordy bought a small house in suburban Detroit, built a recording studio and laid the foundation for one of the most successful record labels of all time. Boasting Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, amongst others, Motown records grew to be a phenomenon. Featuring songs including ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, My Girl, Dancing In The Street and Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Motown The Musical delves into the story of the label including its meteoric rise and its troubles as the hits dried up.
The show is punchy and well-paced, moving along at breakneck speed through the label’s back catalogue set against a backdrop of both the rags to riches story of Berry Gordy and the recent social and political history of America. At a time when race riots, the assassination of JFK and Vietnam were at the forefront of the American consciousness, Gordy simply wanted to unify people with his music. The show presents a rather sanitised version of the record label’s history, and touches on Gordy’s relationship with Diana Ross and on his management of some of the biggest names in music. But it is the music which is the major draw here, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Edward Baruwa steps into the shoes of Gordy remarkably well, and has a soulful voice and a natural charisma, holding the show together with his almost constant on stage presence. Olivia Hibbert does a fine impression of Diana Ross, and Daniel Haswell stands out amongst the large ensemble with his performance as Stevie Wonder. The production is incredibly slick, with vivid colours, stunning costumes and an incredibly effective use of projected backdrops which is superb as it transports the audience from scene to scene.
It is difficult to deny the legacy of what Gordy created; the songs remain absolute classics, the artists are legends and the music lives on. Cramming such a sprawling tale into a two and half hour show is a challenge, but by keeping it relatively light and focussing on the music, Motown The Musical is ultimately a feel-good celebration of some of the biggest songs ever recorded.
The Vaults underneath Waterloo train station have been turned into a palace – Red Palace.
And it’s the Prince who reigns over this kingdom. Follow him and his court as they help guide you through various rooms and alleys that will surprise and hypnotize you – they are scenes right out of Alice in Wonderland.
The Vaults have been turned into a labyrinth where you get snippets of his story and are guests at his masquerade party. Enjoy the show in the redecorated Vaults where you are led to various rooms including a room where a Mermaid will tell you her deepest darkest secrets – and she’ll ask for yours! Baba Yaga predicts the future and tells fortunes in her harem, while in the swamp you will more than likely get lost!
The whole adventure is eerie and scary but really cool! Be really immersive and go for the dinner before the show, while a bit rushed, immerses you immediately in the evening where you get to meet the Prince and his guests to the party.
I highly recommend the dinner as you get to meet, over a meal of three courses, your fellow attendees. The delicious meal consists of homemade soda bread with dips, delicious lentil and roasted beetrood salad and baked camembert, wth the main course being a delicious slow cooked lamb, with squash, potatoes, cabbage – and to top it off you are treated to a candy apple for dessert. It throws you immediately into the show! Or if you prefer to arrive a bit later for the ball- it’s a masquerade ball so masks and elaborate costumes, while not mandatory, are recommended – it’s ok!
There is also a bar open all night during the show to get you lubricated with drinks that are unlike any you’d ever had before.
The evening as a whole is a bit complicated as there are no clear cut instructions. My friend and I must’ve missed a couple of the interactive rooms because we just didn’t know who to follow or where to go. And going into the evening not knowing what it was all about left us more confused as the characters finished off the evening in a joust/fight and the main room opened up and became a dance floor.
I’m thinking I might have to go back just to re-live, and to understand, what I was supposed to be a part of, and what this show was all about.
The University of Liverpool has seemingly done away with the labels gay, lesbian and bisexual and replaced it with “sexual minorities” while still referring to straight people as heterosexuals.
In a press release, which was trying to convey that young people born between 1995 and 2015 who identify as a “sexual minority” i.e gay, lesbian, bisexual and pansexual are more likely to experience mental health problems.
“sexual” minorities makes us look as though we are just sexual beings”
Throughout the press release, the University, which worked alongside University College London, repeatedly called LGB people “sexual minorities” however when it came to writing about their heterosexual counterparts, it used the word heterosexuality.
THEGAYUK conducted a flash poll to see what it’s readers thought of the term “sexual minority”
The clear indication from our flash poll was that the majority of those who identify as LGB did not think that the term was right. Over 80 per cent of those who took part said they disagreed with the term and were happy to keep identities labelled as Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual.
One commenter wrote, “‘sexual’ minorities makes us look as though we are just sexual beings, a different sexuality to heterosexuality is a part of who we are not just the sex we may or may not have”
Another added, “totally agree! Sex is one aspect of a human being! I am married to a man, that is not a sexual thing! I am lucky that also part of the luck I have had”
“Attraction not Identity”
According to researchers, it’s about attraction, not identity, a spokesperson for the research said,
“We use sexual minority as an umbrella term to incorporate those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual. We use this term as we only had data about sexual attraction (from the secondary data source used i.e. the millennium cohort study) and not identity which would be more closely reflected by ‘LGB’.
“Our sample were not asked about their identity but only their attraction i.e. have you been attracted to a boy/girl. Furthermore, due to the fact they are likely still navigating their identity at this age i.e. 14 years old (savin-williams, 2011) we did not want to ascribe labels that may change in future and as such sexual minority was a more age appropriate term.”
★★★★ | Desiree’s Coming Early, Soho Theatre, London
90 minutes of non-stop comedy is what you’ll get when you see Desiree Burch.
American comedian Burch, now at the Soho Theatre until Saturday November 23rd in a show called Desiree’s Coming Early – rapid fires her tale of her experience at the Burning Man Festival – a festival held every year in the Nevada desert where people are free to be naked – she was! The show is also about her quest for dick there (and not a man named Dick) after the breakup of a long relationship.
Desiree recounts the moment of her being the only woman of colour in a sauna in the desert there, where it’s mostly white people. She also doesn’t hold back on jokes about Bill Crosby, Harvey Weinstein, and more specifically Michael Jackson.
Burch is rude, crude and honest! And her American-style comedy will leave you gasping for air, because she doesn’t! But she’s forthright and honest about a law in California where it was illegal to administer IQ tests to black students. Discrimination?
You decide. It’s the background theme of the show, and a clever one at that.
Desiree Burch, who is about to take this show to New York – is fast, funny, and brutally honest.
