Entertainment

A fascinating book on gay history has been published. Entitled Out of the Shadows and edited by Tony Walton, it tells the story of the many diverse gay groups and organisations which sprang up in Greater London between 1967 (when the law was changed) and 2000.

• Buy online: Out of the Shadows £12.50

From the discreet beginning of the SK group in 1968 in a Christian foundation, the reader is taken on a roller-coaster ride around the capital. Croydon, Harrow, Kingston and other towns reveal the secrets of their gay groups, as well as the special interest national groups holding regular meetings and other events in London such as the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association and the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group.

Read more: New Gay History Book: Out of the Shadows

Lesbian and gay people appear realistically & positively in just 0.6% of most watched shows, finds new research.

Groundbreaking research published today by Stonewall has found that ordinary gay people are almost invisible on the 20 TV programmes most watched by Britain’s young people. Just 46 minutes out of 126 hours of output showed gay people positively and realistically. Three quarters of portrayal was confined to just four C4 and ITV1 programmes: I’m a Celebrity… , Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and How to Look Good Naked. BBC1 transmitted 44 seconds of positive and realistic portrayal of gay people in more than 39 hours of output.

Read more: Gay People are Stereotypes or Jokes on youth TV

Singer Will Young was one of the many people sporting Stonewall’s ‘Some people are gay. Get over it!’ message at Lovebox Festival’s special gay-friendly Sunday on 18 July.

As the official charity partner for the day, Stonewall distributed stickers, posters and banners displaying the hard-hitting message and helping Lovebox create an atmosphere of safety and fun for its first ever gay-themed day.

Will Young said: ‘I’m chuffed Lovebox has a gay day this year – there’s such a great vibe and Stonewall is a fab cause.’

Read more: Will Young supports Stonewall at Lovebox Festival

If England’s World Cup failure wasn’t bad enough, football suffered another knock today as it was voted the least gay-friendly sport in Britain. Tennis took the top spot, with 65 per cent saying it was the most gay-friendly (nothing to do with Rafael Nadal right!).

Rugby scored 29 per cent and just 6 per cent of respondents said football was our most gay-friendly sport.

The online poll, the latest Stonewall social media poll, backed up recent YouGov research for Stonewall which found that more than one in four fans think football is ‘anti-gay’ and three in five fans say anti-gay abuse dissuades players from coming out.    

James Munro from the Lawn Tennis Association said: ‘As the national governing body for tennis in Britain, the Lawn Tennis Association is delighted that tennis has been recognised as a welcoming sport for all, regardless of age, ability, background or sexual orientation.’

Read more: Is Tennis the Most Gay Friendly Sport?

GaydarRadio was inundated with complaints about Jeremy Clarkson’s “I demand the right not to be bummed” joke, as reported on this morning’s breakfast show.

Both listeners and presenters were outraged by Clarkson’s ridiculous and offensive comment. Programme Controller, Robin Crowley, added: “Those are the words often spoken by closeted men”.

Listeners responded to the gay slur as being “incredibly ill-informed” and “something out of the dark ages”. Neil and Debbie from the Breakfast Show added: “His attitude, haircut and hideous jeans are all stuck in the 70’s. There’s absolutely no danger of any gay man getting within 50 feet of him, not only because we’re banned from the Top Gear studios anyway, but also gay men have incredible taste. I mean seriously! That man’s mouth is as big as his perm.”

Read more: TOP QUEER? Clarkson Strikes Again!