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If the high cost of a hotel rooms has kept you from booking a holiday or business trip, then gayhomestays.com  might be your answer. It's a recession-born web-based business that matches travellers in need of affordable accommodation with homeowners who have spare rooms to rent.   In addition their site also lists gay guesthouses, B&B's and tourists apartments.

"Gay Homestays offers people a way to save money when they travel, and also gives people a chance to earn money at a time when many are worried about how to pay their mortgage and how to pay for holidays," says it’s owner, Dave Chambers. “We have properties in over 20 european cities and by next summer plan to expand into America, Australia and Canada.”

As a ‘Host’ you quote a price, which you determine and wait for someone to book your room. To become a host you must register your details with Gay Homestays to be set up with a profile page where you will be able to manage your bookings and room availability.

Read more: New Option for Gay Holiday Makers

As pupils prepare to collect their AS and A-level results, Stonewall is asking all lesbian, gay and bisexual A-level pupils going through the clearing process, and all AS level pupils beginning to fill out UCAS forms to use Gay By Degree – Stonewall’s online guide to how gay-friendly every UK university is.  

Luke Tryl, Stonewall’s Education Officer, said, "We launched this online guide last month and we’ve already had very positive feedback. Because it’s the first of its kind, many lesbian, gay and bisexual people have contacted us saying they wish it was around when they were applying to uni. Now we want to make sure it’s used by those pupils who are deciding where to take their talent and tuition fees."

Read more: UK University Rated on Gay Friendliness

Big Up at GMFA presents ‘Black & Gay in the UK: Rising against the challenges of homophobia, racism and HIV/AIDS’; a free event that will feature a screening of the documentary film ‘Beyond Labels’.

Directed by Jaime Sylla, the film explores the Black gay male experience in London across the generations – from Gay Lib pioneer Ted Walker to the ‘Oh WoW Boys’, two young Black gay men and modern day YouTube stars. The event will take place from 6:30pm on Tuesday, 3 August at The Rich Mix, Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA.

To book your free tickets, please email bigup@gmfa.org.uk with your name and the number of tickets you would like. A maximum of four tickets can be issued per person. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can reserve your tickets by calling 020 7738 3712.

Read more: ‘Black & Gay in the UK’ Free Event

Stonewall marks Father’s Day by calling on gay dads to come forward to help inform  a major guide focusing on gay dads – how to become one, the legal situation and further support and advice on parenting. This follows Pregnant Pause – Stonewall’s guide for lesbians on how to get pregnant. The new guide will be released later this year.

Stonewall Senior Public Affairs Officer Sam Dick said: ‘At Stonewall, we know many gay men are dads. But we also know that many more think becoming a dad is beyond their reach. With this groundbreaking new guide, Stonewall aims to show that there are many ways of being a gay dad and encourage those who might have written off the prospect to re-consider.’ 

Read more: Father’s Day: Gay men are dads too!

Stonewall today publishes groundbreaking research examining the experiences of children with gay parents.

‘Different Families’ is based on interviews conducted by the University of Cambridge with over 80 children and young people from the age of four, all of whom have lesbian and gay parents. The research also provides shocking insights into the prevalence of homophobia in Britain’s schools, including primary schools. The children who experience this, although not gay themselves, identify that many schools still don’t address it.

 ‘We still do things together, and we’re still a big family and we’re still happy ... and we still care for each other and we’re still there when someone needs someone.’ Jasmin, 8

 ‘I just feel there’s some difference between the other families and us. The way we all work together ... We all link up like a puzzle.’ Eleanor, 8

Read more: Children with Gay Parents - New Research