Tag: London

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With Park Sex On The Rise, Council Cracks Down On Cruising

(photo by Gauthier Pierre via Pexels)
The Council of Southwark, located in a southern borough of London, has secured an injunction to help combat shenanigans in Burgess Park after neighbors have complained of rising public sex acts and more during the coronavirus health threat. The Southwark News recently reported that gay and bisexual men have increasingly been seen in secluded areas of the park cruising for – and having – sex. The newspaper included one episode where a mother and her children came across three men caught in mid-sex act at 8am. Burgess Park is apparently known as a popular area for men to cruise, but it seems the current COVID-19 crisis is what brought the issue to light as there have also been unlicensed raves with loud live music lasting until 3am. With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down many clubs and nighttime venues, illegal raves have begun to spring up in the middle of the night. Neighbors have not only complained about the noise but an enormous amount of trash including condoms and tissues found in the park. As a result, Southwark Council’s new injunction will ban amplified music, lighting equipment, marquees, gatherings of more than 20 people after 9pm, sexual activity, carrying weapons and violent behavior. In an announcement, Southwark Council wrote, “If people refuse to do as they ask, inline with the seven terms of the injunction, they will be found in breach of a court order and in contempt of court.  This could result in a fine, and up to two years in prison.” The injunction went into effect on August 28 and will last for one year. Gay Star News reports some cruisers grousing about the new efforts to hamper getting handsy. “Why don’t people just be decent and clean up after f**king and none of this would of happened,” wrote one commenter. “This has been brought on by a few affecting as all.” And another: “If people don’t start showing more consideration when cruising, there’ll be no cruising grounds left.” Get a room, guys… (source: Southwark News, Gay Star News)

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Teens Plead Guilty To Attack But One Says It Wasn’t A Hate Crime

Melania Ramirez and Christine Hannigan shared this photo on social media after being attacked on a bus in May 2019

Melania Ramirez and Christine Hannigan shared this photo on social media after being attacked on a bus in May 2019
Christine Hannigan & Melania Ramirez (image via Facebook)
Three UK teens have pleaded guilty to harassing and threatening a lesbian couple on a late-night bus ride in London in the early hours of May 30 this year, but one denies it was a hate crime. As I reported this summer, Christine Hannigan and Melania Ramirez (surname formerly Gaymonat) were approached by four teenage boys who began taunting them and demanding they kiss. When they refused, the teens surrounded the couple taunting them, making sexual gestures, throwing coins at them and eventually punching the women. As a result, Hannigan’s jaw was injured and Ramirez’s nose was broken requiring medical treatment for both women. “They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions,” Ramirez wrote in a Facebook post accompanied by a photo showing the couple left bloody by the incident. “I don’t remember the whole episode, but the word ‘scissors’ stuck in my mind.” After the assault, which lasted about nine minutes, the teens departed taking Hannigan’s handbag with them. After the four teens were arrested this summer, they appeared in court on Thursday for an anticipated two-day trial. But before the proceedings could begin, three of the teens (aged 15, 16 and 17) pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behavior to cause harassment while charges against the fourth were dropped, according to Sky News. CCTV footage of the incident was viewed in court showing the boys approaching the women soon after the couple boarded the bus which Prosecutor Saira Khan characterized as “the tide washing in.” Hannigan testified in court on Friday saying the boys made comments about ‘scissoring’ and asked them to show how lesbians have sex. She called the teens’ demeanor “aggressive” and “scary” The 16-year-old boy also pleaded guilty to handling a stolen mobile phone and the 15-year-old admitted to handling a stolen bank card. The 17-year-old admitted to throwing coins at the women but denied being hostile towards the couple based on their sexual orientation. During the Thursday hearing, Judge Susan Williams said the abuse “was quite clearly directed towards this couple because of who they are.” Solicitor David Wood, representing the 17-year-old, admitted the coin-throwing was “pathetic” and constituted a criminal offense, but added, “It has nothing whatsoever to do with an attack based on hostility with regards to sexual orientation.” Judge Williams addressed the 17-year-old directly saying, “You say you were not being hostile to these ladies on the basis of their sexual orientation. That is an issue that has to be resolved because it does make the case more serious if the court comes to the decision that this was what was going on at the time and it does mark it as more serious.” “I think it will be a hair-splitting exercise but it’s perfectly obvious that this was a same-sex couple that has provoked their interest and the interaction between them,” added Judge Williams. “The offense cannot be explained in any other way. I do regard this as an aggravating feature and it would be reflected in the sentence.” (source: Sky News, The Guardian)

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Four Evan Hansens Sing “For Forever”

Four ‘Evan Hansens’ sing “For Forever” from Dear Evan Hansen
Today, the London production of Dear Evan Hansen begins performances officially launching the fourth company of the Tony Award-winning musical to date. To commemorate the occasion, the producers released this never-before-heard arrangement of “For Forever,” performed by a quartet of Evans: Sam Tutty (London), Andrew Barth Feldman (Broadway), Stephen Christopher Anthony (North American Tour), and Robert Markus (Toronto).

The Tony Award®-winning Best Musical also continues on Broadway, in Toronto and cities all across North America. In case you aren’t familiar, from the synopsis:

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in.

Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new American musical about life and the way we live it.

The producers have released a series of videos featuring actors from the multiple companies of the hit musical. One of my favorites showcases four actresses who have played the role of Evan’s mother on Broadway and in the national touring company – Lisa Brescia, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jessica Phillips, and Christiane Noll – singing, “Anybody Have A Map?” Like the above video, the musical team turns these powerful solos from the show into expanded quartets with new arrangements. I love seeing the actors relate to each other as only those who’ve played the roles can; there’s a knowingness present in their connections.

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London: Four Teens Arrested & Charged In Late Night Hate Crime

Four teenagers have been arrested in connection to a brutal homophobic attack on a London bus that left two women bloodied and severely injured.
Melania Geymonat (R) with her girlfriend, Chris after being attacked on a London bus

Police have arrested four teenagers in connection to a brutal homophobic attack on a London bus that left two women bloodied and severely injured.

London’s Metropolitan Police report the four teens, ranging in age from 15 to 17, have been charged for committing an aggravated hate crime.

One suspect was also charged with possession of cannabis, and another with theft and handling stolen goods.

I previously reported on the attack which occurred in the late-night hours of May 29.

Melania Geymonat and her girlfriend Chris say they were approached by the four suspects who began taunting them and demanding they kiss. When they refused, the teens reportedly assaulted them.

“We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us,” Geymonat said in a Facebook post. “They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions.”

The incident soon escalated as Geymonat shared, “The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them.”

“On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up,” she continued. “The next thing I know is, I’m being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness.”

Geymonat’s nose was broken and had to be reset, and Chris was taken to a hospital where she received treatment for a fractured jaw.

After the attackers fled, the couple asked a witness to photograph them. Posted on Geymonat’s Facebook page a few days later, the bloody photo went viral.

Geymonat later told BBC Radio 4’s World At One that, while she had experienced verbal attacks in regard to her sexuality prior to the incident, this was the first time she had been physically harmed.

Police Detective Superintendent Andy Cox publicly denounced the “disgusting attack.” And London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that “hate crimes against LGBT+ people will not be tolerated in London.”

The four suspects are scheduled to appear in Youth Court on August 21.

In the aftermath of the attack and ensuing press coverage, Chris penned an op-ed for The Guardian in which she noted the disproportionate media coverage versus that of violence on people of color, transgender people and more.

The essay read, in part:

A refrain I’ve heard ad nauseum is “I can’t believe this happened – it’s 2019”. I disagree. This attack and the ensuing media circus are par for the course in 2019. In both my native United States and here in the United Kingdom, it always has been and still is open season on the bodies of (in no specific order) people of colour, indigenous people, transgender people, disabled people, queer people, poor people, women and migrants.

I have evaded much of the violence and oppression imposed on so many others by our capitalist, white supremacist, patriarchal system because of the privileges I enjoy by dint of my race, health, education, and conventional gender presentation. That has nothing to do with the merit of my character.

The press coverage, and timely law enforcement response, was not coincidental to our complexions. Neither was the disproportionate online reaction over the victimisation of a pretty brunette and blonde. The commodification and exploitation of my face came at the expense of other victims whose constant persecution apparently does not warrant similar moral outrage.

Make the extraordinary reaction to our attack the norm. I beg you to amplify and channel this energy to hold accountable the intersecting web of elected politicians, government agencies and corporations who have reinforced a status quo of clearly delineated inequality long before this single attack in 2019.

(source: NBC News, TIME)

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Lesbian Couple Violently Beaten For Not Kissing

A lesbian couple traveling on a London bus were mocked by a group of four men with calls demanding they kiss. When they didn't kiss, the men became violent.
Melanie Geymonat and her girlfriend Chris

Hideous.

A lesbian couple traveling on a London bus were mocked by a group of four men with calls demanding they kiss. When they didn’t kiss, the men became violent.

From the Facebook post of one of the victims, Melania Geymonat:

Last Wednesday, I had a date with Chris. We got on the Night Bus, heading for her place in Camden Town, climbed upstairs and took the front seats.

We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us. I don’t remember if they were already there or if they got on after us. There were at least four of them. They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions. I don’t remember the whole episode, but the word “scissors” stuck in my mind. It was only them and us there.

In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away. Chris even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it.

The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them. On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up. The next thing I know is I’m being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back.

I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness. Suddenly the bus had stopped, the police were there and I was bleeding all over. Our stuff was stolen as well.

I don’t know yet if my nose is broken, and I haven’t been able to go back to work, but what upsets me the most is that VIOLENCE HAS BECOME A COMMON THING, that sometimes it’s necessary to see a woman bleeding after having been punched to feel some kind of impact.

I’m tired of being taken as a SEXUAL OBJECT, of finding out that these situations are usual, of gay friends who were beaten up JUST BECAUSE. We have to endure verbal harassment AND CHAUVINIST, MISOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE because when you stand up for yourself shit like this happens.

By the way, I am thankful to all the women and men in my life that understand that HAVING BALLS MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I just hope that in June, Pride Month, stuff like this can be spoken out loudly so they STOP HAPPENING!

According to reports, four teenagers have been arrested for the attack.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, tweeted his disgust over the attack.

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Trump Pretends UK Protesters Showed Up To Support Him

You can barely see any protesters, huh?

Donald Trump, once again living in his own private reality, told his followers he “kept hearing” about “massive” rallies protesting his visit to London, but claims everyone was there to support him.

#liar

Check out his tweet followed by video footage of the protests:

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London Protests Donald Trump Bigly

(screen capture)

Londoners took to the streets of their city to protest the visit of Donald Trump to their country.

Trump says the English love him.

This is all taking place as Trump meets with Prime Minister Theresa May and plans to have tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle.

Earlier today, Trump created a firestorm as he criticized the Prime Minister’s approach to handling Brexit to the UK newspaper, The Sun.

I could go into detail, but let’s let the video and photos tell the story.

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Transphobic Lesbians Disrupt London Pride Parade

(image via Twitter)

This is just terrible. Not how our community should be acting.

According to Gay Star News, a group of transphobic lesbians commandeered the lead spot for the Pride Parade in London today, and handed out flyers protesting transgender folks.

A group of lesbian activists blocked the start of the Pride in London march today (7 July) in protest against transgender women. A group of eight women stormed the parade route without accreditation. Then five of them laid down on the road in front of the parade and draped a banner over them.

The banner read: ‘Transactivism erases lesbians’. They then blocked the parade route for about 10 minutes. One of the activists shouted out: ‘A man who says he’s a lesbian is a rapist.’

The group also had a banner that said ‘Lesbian = female homosexual’, as well as flyers with the organization ‘Get the L out’ as the headline.

PinkNews reports that at the end of the parade route, a confrontation erupted between the women and other LGBT attendees, angry that Pride had been led by a group seeking to exclude trans people.

One of the people involved in the confrontation told PinkNews, “They hate trans people, they hate sex workers … they are just as bad as bigots saying gay people go to hell. It’s disgusting, this is a problem with what Pride has become.”

The organizer of the parade, Pride In London, issued this statement:

“Every year, Pride is attended by hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrate that Pride still matters. Given the hot weather and in the interest of the safety for everyone attending today’s event, the parade group was allowed to move ahead.

“We do not condone their approach and message and hope the actions of a very small number people does not overshadow the messages of the 30,000 people marching today.”

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Two Teens Get Slap On The Wrist After Choking A Student Into “Apologizing” For Being Gay

Will Mayrick (image via Facebook)

Two teens in the UK, who choked a student during a Tube ride in London until he “apologized” for being gay, have basically walked out of court with a slap on the wrist.

Will Mayrick, 20, says he feared for his life after two attackers grabbed him in a headlock, squeezing the breathe out of him, during an evening out with four of his friends.

The photography student today said the hideous ordeal might never have happened if the teenage perpetrators had undergone LGBT education classes at school.

Mayrick told the press that the Government needs to make LGBT studies a requirement. “It’s clear that there needs to be a better support network in schools,” he told the Evening Standard.

In the end, both attackers (aged 16 and 17) were given 12-month referral orders and each ordered to pay fines of about $27 for “victim surcharge” and $200 for “compensation.”

After the sentencing, Mayrick withheld judgement of his assailants saying, “They were so young, and I can’t help but think that if they had had some sort LGBT education then the attack might never have happened.”

According to a recent study by Stonewall, 55% of secondary school teachers and 42% of primary school teachers say they don’t stand up to homophobic language every time they hear it.

Additionally, 86% of secondary school teachers and 45% of primary school teachers polled said students in their schools had experienced homophobic bullying.