Call us now

Author: Graham Robson

Clay Aiken says he lost “50%” of his fans after he came out as gay in 2008

Posted on by Graham Robson

Clay Aiken, who got his big break in music in 2003 as runner-up on Season 2 on American Idol, says he lost “50%” of his fans after he came out as gay in 2008.

Aiken’s coming out was partly influenced by the birth of his son, Parker Foster Aiken, who was conceived via in vitro fertilisation with his friend Jaymes Foster.

“Back then it was a big deal,” he said in a new interview, referring to how times have changed in the last 16 years.

“We are in a very different time,” he added. “I lost maybe 50% of my fan base.”

In 2007, Aiken was cast in the role of Sir Robin in Spamalot, which closed a few months  after he came out.

“The first four months that I was in [Spamalot], the show was selling out, standing room only,” he said. “You can actually look at the ticket sales the week after that cover came out. It went from selling very well to the week after the cover came out, the ticket sales dropped. Spamalot ended up closing a few months after that.”

Despite affecting his career, Aiken has stood behind coming out, saying he doesn’t regret coming out when he did.

“A lot of people who come out now end up having boosts in popularity because of it. … That’s mind-blowing to me because it’s the opposite of what happened when I came out,” he said. “But it means that there’s progress and it means that as a country, we’re headed in the right direction.”

Since coming out, Aiken has strongly advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, often speaking out against anti-gay bullying and promoting equality.

Aiken recently made a return to recording, releasing a new Christmas album, Christmas Bells Are Ringing.

Trans youth activists stage protest outside of Wes Streeting’s office in Ilford North

Posted on by Graham Robson

Following the announcement from Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the Department of Health and Social Care that puberty blockers in the treatment of trans youth would be banned “indefinitely,” a group of trans youth activists staged a protest outside the MP’s office in Ilford North.

On December 11, Trans Kids Deserve Better and their supporters set up camp, staying there overnight until the following day, per an Instagram post from the group

The previous Conservative government had previously banned the prescription of puberty blockers, which can be used to delay the changes of puberty in trans and gender-diverse youth who have started puberty, from private doctors, a decision that was extended by new Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Puberty blockers were banned on the NHS in 2023 after the controversial Cass Review urged medics to use “extreme caution” when prescribing them, and are only available to young people in clinical trials, or those taking them for non-transitional reasons, such as early onset puberty.

“Children’s health care must always be evidence-led,” said Streeting said in a press release. “The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.

“We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people and follow the expert advice.”

In a piece for Huck Magazine, one of the group’s activists who goes by the name Grin, wrote that “We already know what happens when we get them. We get to live happier healthier lives because our bodies won’t be permanently altered in ways we don’t want,” Grin wrote.

Conservative group “One Million Moms” calls for a boycott of hit musical ‘Wicked’

Posted on by Graham Robson

One Million Moms, an American Conservative group, has called for a boycott of hit musical Wicked, which has broken many musical box office records, claiming it promotes an “LGBTQ agenda” to families and children.

Despite their… optimistic name, only around 13,000 people have signed the organisation’s petition urging parents to avoid the musical adaptation.

The group, created by the American Family Association – which has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre – takes issue with what they describe as the film’s “not-so-discrete crossdressing and men crushing on men.”

In their petition, One Million Moms expressed concerns about the film’s supernatural elements, stating: “Of course, the musical contains a tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery.

“And that content prompts most parents to avoid taking their children to see Wicked.”

The group claims that instead of being “an uplifting Broadway musical about friendship and family,” the film is “a dark movie that also pushes wokeness”.

They particularly object to what they term “a blatant attempt by Universal to normalise same-sex crushes”.

The petition suggests parents may be caught unaware by the film’s content, which they claim includes elements they “may not expect”.

The film features five main cast members who identify as LGBTQ+, including English actor Jonathan Bailey.

Jonathan Bailey, star of hit musical Wicked, opens up on his desire to become a father

Posted on by Graham Robson

Jonathan Bailey, star of hit musical Wicked, has opened up on his desire to become a father, revealing he would consider co-parenting with a woman despite being openly gay.

During an interview with British Vogue, the 36-year-old English actor shared his thoughts on starting a family.

“I might co-parent with a woman, but I’m thinking it will be with a man,” he said.

While Bailey expressed his hopes to be a parent one day, he emphasised that he’s in no rush, citing his demanding work schedule.

“It’s such a privilege for a man,” he admitted. “But I can’t bring children into my lifestyle now … I want to make sure I’m going to be present.”

In preparation for his future as a father, Bailey has already begun reading books on adoption.

The actor, who revealed in December 2023 that he is in a relationship with a “lovely” man, has chosen to keep his partner’s identity private.

“It’s not secret, but it’s private,” he told The Standard at the time.

“Having a private life is, for me, completely critical. I don’t know if I would be able to be as confident to speak out on other things if I felt that my whole life was up for grabs.”

“I’ve done everything but suck a c**k.” Robbie Williams confronts speculation about his sexuality

Posted on by Graham Robson

Robbie Williams has confronted speculation about his sexuality in an interview with The Guardian promoting his biopic Better Man, which sees the singer portrayed as a CGI chimp.

“I’ve done everything but suck a c**k. Honestly, you’ve never met somebody that wants to be gay as much as me,” said Williams about his 2005 libel case against a tabloid that claimed he had engaged in “homosexual encounters.” He added, “You want to be an ally while at the same time protecting your own authenticity and your own life.”

Reflecting on his early career performing at gay clubs with Take That, Williams recalled, “When I went into the gay world there was total acceptance and humour and gay abandon. And safety.”

Out on Boxing Day, Better Man is based on the true story of Robbie’s meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and resurgence. Following his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to going solo– all the while confronting the challenges that fame and success can bring.

There have been questions about Williams’s sexuality, with some speculating that he may be bisexual. In an interview with the Daily Star, he stated: “I love musical theatre and a lot of the other things that are often associated with gays. I am 49% homosexual and sometimes as far as 50%. However, that would imply that I enjoy having a particular sort of fun, which I don’t.”

Nick Dumont, star of Oppenheimer, opens up after coming out as trans masc and non-binary

Posted on by Graham Robson

Nick Dumont, star of Oppenheimer, has opened up about their coming-out journey after announcing that they are trans masculine and non-binary.

The actor, who clarified that they now use they/them pronouns, said: ‘Coming out to myself as trans has been one of the longest challenges I’ve faced in life. It has also been the most rewarding by a mile.’

Dumont went on to describe how they came to understand their gender gradually over the years.

‘I lived in an authoritarian household for many decades where it wasn’t safe to be myself at home. I knew at 13/14 I wasn’t ‘like other girls,’ I knew I liked girls and I knew I didn’t feel right in my body,’ they continued.

The screen star described a moment of gender euphoria they experienced around a decade earlier when they played a trans character.

‘Around 19, I was cast as an [assigned female at birth] trans teenager in a TV pilot,’ they explained. ‘I looked at myself in my trailer in basketball shorts, bandage wrapped around my chest and I thought, “Damn I look good!”

‘I’m trans. I love being trans. We’re here. We’ve always been here.’

‘A decade later, I found a safe community, figured out I was nonbinary,’ they continued. ‘Now I’m out, have a life I could have only dreamed of as a kid, and I still get to play women at work.’

Dumont proudly declared: ‘I’m trans. I love being trans. We’re here. We’ve always been here.’

They added that they were ‘grateful’ to live in the present and to have access to ‘safe spaces and support’ and to be able to ‘go to the LA LGBT Centre and get medical care without fear.’

‘That hasn’t been the experience many have had,’ Dumont noted, before sharing their ‘gratitude’ for the ‘courageous queer people’ who came before them.

They concluded by revealing that they had originally planned to take more time before sharing their gender identity with the world.

‘I didn’t think I’d be out to everyone so soon but I made a promise to myself that if someone asked, I would share,’ they said. ‘Someone did ask and I shared…because I’m proud.’

Dumont shared that they would continue using their birth name, Emma Dumont, for work projects, but they plan to go by Nick Dumont in their personal life.

Three-time Paralympic gold medallist and Just Like Us patron Lauren Rowles speaks about the power of visibility during Disability History Month

Posted on by Graham Robson

Three-time Paralympic gold medallist and Just Like Us patron Lauren Rowles has spoken about the power of visibility during Disability History Month.

Rowles, who joined the LGBTQ+ youth charity as a patron in March 2024, highlighted the disproportionate barriers faced by LGBTQ+ disabled young people.

“I’m really proud to be a patron for the charity Just Like Us, which works with LGBTQ+ young people,” she said.

“This Disability History Month they’re really putting a spotlight on disabled LGBTQ+ young people. 61% of disabled LGBTQ+ kids at school say they feel lonely on a daily basis, compared to the 50% of non-disabled LGBTQ+ kids. That’s staggering – 11% more kids, just because they’re disabled, feel lonely,” she explained, citing the charity’s Growing up LGBT+ report.

“I was one of those kids when I went back to school. I was 13 when I acquired my disability and ended up in a wheelchair.

“I grew up able bodied, and I went back to the same school after having my disability as I did before, and just because I had a disability, I felt so segregated. I felt really isolated, and it was almost as though the disability allowed for other kids to bully me.

“We’ve had this view in society for so many years about disabled people, and how they are allowed to be treated, and I think that it’s a real shame, even in this day and age, in 2024, that still those 61% of kids still say they feel lonely.

“The work of Just Like Us, and the programmes that they have working in schools, is allowing us to reach those kids and make them feel more included.”

Just Like Us provides free, LGBTQ+ inclusive disability awareness resources for school. During Disability History Month 2024, the charity has released a brand new spotlight resource on British Sign Language (BSL) and the LGBTQ+ community, designed for use in secondary schools.

A series of resources for secondary schools who are part of the free Pride Groups programme is also available, including LGBT+ disabled sportspeople, Being LGBT+ and disabled and a LGBT+ disability Pride session.

Lauren discussed the importance of representation and visibility, during Disability History Month and beyond.

She explained: “I see so many young people that sit there like I did in assemblies, in classes and feel like they don’t really belong anywhere. I want to make those kids feel cool again. I think that that’s been my mission, really, in the last few years through the power of the Paralympics, is making disability cool again.

“But also showing that intersectionality – I am queer as well, and that is something I’m so proud of. To be able to reach out to young people and make them feel seen and visible is something that I know that when I was at school I would have just loved. To have had somebody that was sat in front of me saying: ‘You can be different, and that is amazing’.”

Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard launches crowdfunding project to raise £10,000 to secure its future

Posted on by Graham Robson

Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard has launched a crowdfunding project to raise £10,000 to secure its future.

For the past 50 years, Switchboard has offered vital support, connection, and advocacy to the LGBTQ+ community. The funds raised will help ensure the charity can continue making an impact for decades to come.

Switchboard said: “Every donation, large or small, is deeply appreciated and will directly contribute to building a stronger, more inclusive future for our communities. Be part of local LGBTQ+ history – your support matters now more than ever!

“Thank you for standing with us and supporting our vital services.”

To donate, CLICK HERE

Will Ferrell says that working on Will and Harper with trans best friend was “one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of”

Posted on by Graham Robson

Actor and trans ally Will Ferrell has said that working on Will and Harper with trans best friend Harper Steele was “one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of.”

In this intimate, honest, and heartfelt documentary, Will and Harper hit the open road together to process this new stage of their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country that she loves – this time, as herself. Over 16 days, the two drive from New York to LA, visiting stops that are meaningful to them, to their friendship, and to America.

Through laughter, tears, and many cans of Pringles, they push past their comfort zones as they re-examine their relationships to these spaces, and to each other, in this new light.

“Yes, we have serious conversations. But the goal is to make each other laugh. And that’s just the way we converse. Like our love language is comedy. And so when we decided to do this, we knew that we would be doing a lot of doing a lot of beats, doing a lot of things that made ourselves laugh. But we were so surprised that an audience thinks it’s funny, too. So that was a pleasant surprise,” said Ferrell.

Fans of the documentary say it has opened the door for people to have difficult conversations and to do so with love, empathy, and curiosity.

“I’m not exaggerating there isn’t a day that goes by that someone doesn’t come up to me and say, I saw Will and Harper and this is what it meant to me. And whether you’re, you know, someone in the trans community or whether you don’t, it’s just an advocacy for friendship and for civility and so it crosses over to a lot of people,” said Ferrell.

Will was recently awarded the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

Keir Starmer’s Labour government issues indefinite ban on puberty blockers in the treatment of trans youth

Posted on by Graham Robson

Keir Starmer’s Labour government has issued an indefinite ban on puberty blockers in the treatment of trans youth, a decision which has left trans youth charity Mermaids “deeply disappointed”.

The previous Conservative government had previously banned the prescription of puberty blockers, which can be used to delay the changes of puberty in transgender and gender-diverse youth who have started puberty, from private doctors, a decision that was extended by new Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Puberty blockers were banned on the NHS in 2023 after the controversial Cass Review urged medics to use “extreme caution” when prescribing them, and are only available to young people in clinical trials, or those taking them for non-transitional reasons, such as early onset puberty.

“Children’s health care must always be evidence-led,” said Streeting said in a press release. “The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.

“We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people and follow the expert advice.”

In a post on Facebook, Mermaids said: “We are deeply disappointed that the UK Government has decided to continue criminalising the prescription of puberty suppressing medicines for trans children and young people outside of a proposed NHS research study.

“We are currently seeking to fully understand the Government’s response to the consultation on making the ban permanent alongside our LGBTQ+ sector partners and we will publish a full statement in the coming days.

“We know this news may be upsetting, particularly for trans youth and their loved ones.”

Those who are already on puberty blockers will be permitted to stay on them. The legislation will be reviewed again in 2027.

Latest News

Community News The Sussex Beacon announces new direction
LGBTQ+ News Campbell Johnstone, the first openly gay All Black, ties the knot with partner Ben Thomson
Film History maker! Karla Sofía Gascón becomes first openly trans woman to be nominated in Leading Actress category at the BAFTAs
Transgender News Republicans, and two Democrats, vote to ban trans women and girls from school sports
X