Gay men (homosexuals) in UK/Britain/England/London: information & advice

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Personal / Relationships / Gay

Information for gay men coming to the UK


Sections:	Introduction
	Vocabulary
	Information & advice
	Gay communities
	Entertainment
	Attitudes towards gay men
	Health issues
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This page gives some basic information to help gay men in the UK.

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VOCABULARY

Gay man - a man who is sexually attracted to other men
Straight man - a man who is sexually attracted to women
Homosexual - someone who is attracted to a person of the same sex (may be a man or a woman)
Bisexual (or bi or AC/DC) - a man (or woman) who is sexually attracted both to men and women
Transgender - a person who has changed his or her sex
LGB (or GLB) - lesbian, gay or bisexual
LGBT (or GLBT) - lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered
GWM - gay white male; GBM - gay black male
Homophobia - the strong dislike of gay or lesbian people
Transphobia - the strong dislike of transgender people
Homophobe - a person who dislikes gay or lesbian people (a type of bigot)
Gay friendly - openly welcoming to gay people
Coming out - telling friends or family for the first time that you are gay

INFORMATION & ADVICE

Where can I find information about gay subjects in the UK?

Information for gay visitors to the UK is available from the Visit Britain's website: http://www.visitbritain.com/gay

The Pink Paper is a free weekly magazine for gay and lesbian people in the UK: http://www.pinkpaper.com. It can be obtained from gay pubs or clubs or from some universities or libraries, or you can buy a subscription and have it sent to your home. Boyz is a similar free weekly magazine for gay men in London: http://www.boyz.co.uk. If you are in Scotland, see ScotsGay Magazine: http://www.scotsgay.co.uk.

Popular gay magazines which can be bought from newsagents (or delivered to you by post if you take out a subscription) are the Gay Times (http://www.gaytimes.co.uk), Attitude (http://www.attitude.co.uk), XY, Blue and Outcast.

There is an index of gay sites in the UK at http://www.gayindex.co.uk. A gay search engine is: http://www.gaytoz.com.

Who can I ask for advice?

A number of groups will offer free confidential advice to gay men.
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard is a 24 hour information line for lesbians, gays and bisexuals: http://www.llgs.org.uk

	Gay & Lesbian London: The Time Out Guide Editor: Paul Burston Publisher: Time Out Magazine Ltd Date: January 2005		The Gay and Lesbian Business and Services Directory (the Pink Pages) (Gay services in the UK) Publisher: Fusion Press Date: November 2003
	Together (Gay men's health) Author: Patriic Gayle Publisher: Millivres Prowler Group Date: June 2001		London (Out Around series) (Gay guide for visitors to London) Author: Paul Clements Publisher: Thomas Cook Publishing Date: January 2002
	Ultimate Gay Sex (Gay sex) Author: Michael Thomas Ford Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Date: May 2004		Coming Out (Telling people you are gay) Author: Orland Outland Publisher: Alyson Publications Date: June 2000

GAY COMMUNITIES

There are a large number of gay pubs, clubs and social groups. Most universities have a LGB society, and there are gay youth groups in many locations (usually for people under 25). Other possible ways of meeting gay people include through discussion groups or chatrooms on the internet.

There is a directory of gay organisations (sorted by location) produced by the Gay Times:
http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/gt/directory.asp

Gay events are listed in the gay press (see the information section above).

A centre for London's
gay community

Gay pubs often use rainbow signs

Pride In The Park
concert

London (in south England), Brighton (on the south coast of England), and Manchester (in north England) all have large gay communities and therefore have the most gay social events. Blackpool, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle also have significant gay communities.

The most famous place for gay people to meet is in Old Compton Street in London's Soho area. Every summer (late June or early July) in London there is a Pride London parade and rally: Ideas/Album/Pride.

Kairos in Soho is a voluntary organisation promoting the welfare of gay and lesbian people in London: http://www.kairosinsoho.org.uk.

ENTERTAINMENT

There is an annual film festival in London showing gay and lesbian films (see: http://www.llgff.org.uk).

Three popular British films which consider attitudes towards gay men are:
Maurice: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093512
Get Real: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162973
Billy Elliott (known in some countries as Little Dancer): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249462

To find out about gay sports groups in London or other parts of the UK, try: http://www.outforsport.org

Gaydar Radio is a UK radio station for gay people: http://www.gaydarradio.com

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ATTITUDES TOWARDS GAY MEN

What are the general social and religious attitudes towards gay men in the UK?

Many gay people in the UK still find it difficult to admit their sexuality, especially while at school or university. Many men try to hide their sexuality from other people, often leading to feelings of loneliness. The term coming out refers to the stage when someone lets those around him know that he is gay.

Over recent years, young British people have generally become more tolerant of homosexuality, and it is becoming more common for gay men to come out openly (including some politicians and pop stars, for example). However, there are still some young people who bully gay men or call them names (using terms such as "gay boy", "queer", "fag" or "homo" in an unpleasant way). It is not common to see gay men to show their sexuality openly in public (for example by holding hands or kissing). Many older British people still find it difficult to accept homosexuality, but do not usually show this openly. The official teachings of most churches in the UK remain hostile to homosexuality.

What are British laws about homosexuality?

- The age of consent is the youngest age at which sex is legal. Homosexuality was legalised in the UK in 1967, and the homosexual age of consent has been reduced since then from 21 to 18 and now to 16 (the same age as for sex between men and women).
- You are not allowed to have sex in public places.
- Since 2003 it is unlawful to discriminate in the workplace against someone on the grounds of his/her sexuality or perceived sexuality.
- Gay men (and women) have been allowed to serve in the military since February 2000 (before this time, each year up to 200 people were dismissed from the armed services for being gay).
- Gay weddings are not legal in the UK. However, the Civil Partnership Act (passed in 2004) creates a new legal relationship of "civil partnership", which two people of the same sex can form by signing a registration document. Civil partners will have a range of legal rights and responsibilities, although not all of those associated with marriage. The act came into force in December 2005.

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HEALTH ISSUES

HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) is a virus which weakens the immune system (which defends the body against disease). It can spread by men's semen or blood, or by women's vaginal fluids, breast milk or blood. It can cause AIDS (Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome), which may lead to death due to the body's inability to fight illnesses.

The risk of contracting HIV can be reduced by using a condom during sex (use proper lubrication and strong condoms), by having fewer sexual partners, and by not sharing a needle or syringe with another person.

If you are worried that you may have HIV, confidential HIV tests can be obtained from any sexual health clinic, sometimes called a STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinic or GUM (genito-urinary medicine) clinic or VD (veneral disease) clinic.

If you are HIV positive you should always tell your partner about this before having any sexual contact with him.

The National AIDS Helpline is a free telephone service for people worried about HIV or AIDS. The telephone number is 0800 567 123 (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). The Terrence Higgins Trust is a UK charity providing help and advice about HIV and AIDS at http://www.tht.org.uk

The Health Protection Agency provides information about HIV and AIDS in the UK: http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/general.htm

It is safer to avoid accepting drugs you may be offered, for example in clubs.
For a warning about the use of the drug crystal meth, see: http://www.lifeormeth.com.

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LINKS

Pride London parade and rally: Ideas/Album/Pride
Visiting Brighton: Travel/Tours/England/Brighton
Personal health: Personal/Health

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2007

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