Issue 320: Alex Rodda, Jerry Harris, Michael Alig, Reynhard Sinaga, Derrick Gordon, Jedward, Chip Tanner, and more...


LEFT & FOUND

FRONT LINE DEFENDERS
Rampant violence reported by activists for sex workers, LGBT people.

COLD WAR
The Catholic church and LGBT believers. "This year, the Vatican continued its mixed messages about queer equality and dignity. Is our patience worn thin?"

COVID-19
From money to mental health, the pandemic has ravaged LGBT households.

The new UK coronavirus mutations, explained. "What scientists have learned about the Covid-19 variants in the UK, South Africa, and now, the US."

Social distancing is here to stay, even once most vulnerable get vaccinated.

The magnifying glass: how Covid revealed the truth about our world. "The pandemic has illuminated deprivation, inequalities and political unrest, while reminding us of the power and beauty of nature and humanity."

History tells how people act in pandemics – selfishly, but also with surprising altruism. "In his book A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Defoe describes 17th-century behavior that is unmistakably familiar today."

The Covid turning point: when did the pandemic become unstoppable? "Scientists describe the moment they realised this was ‘the big one’, and the chances that were missed."

Billionaires made $1tn since Covid-19. They can afford to protect their workers. "In a holiday shopping season with rampant rates of Covid-19 infection, we must protect frontline workers before it’s too late."

The scariest thing about global warming (and Covid-19). "'Shifting baselines syndrome' means we could quickly get used to climate chaos."

SENIORITY
Twelve LGBT seniors share the joy of being out.

LESBIAN EXTINCTION
Gay commentator Andrew Sullivan says he "needs" lesbians to nurse him when he’s sick in bizarre anti-trans diatribe.

RACISM
Our attitudes to race are complex. Our response to racism should be complex too. "Encouraging new research suggests effective ways of challenging prejudice."

White clicktivism: why are some Americans woke online but not in real life? "White clicktivism: why are some Americans woke online but not in real life?"

CULTS
Nine wild cult stories to get lost in. "Murder, delusions of grandeur, dark rituals, brainwashing — these cults did it all."

ALONE
How to be alone. "Solitude is a skill. You can get better at it with practice."



US NEWS

TRANS MASSACRE
The forty-three trans people lost to violence in 2020.

ALABAMA
19-year-old Bella Pugh, a gender non-conforming teen, killed at Christmas party. Their mother says it’s because they wore a rainbow jumpsuit.

BOSTON
This is Anthony Crumbley, a black gay man stabbed and left in a coma for four days. The 25-year-old says he is "hopeless" knowing attackers are still walking free.

BOBBY SOLETTO
Stonewall witness and LGBT activist Bobby Soletto dies after Covid-19 battle. He was 74.

MICHAEL ALIG
Killer "party monster" Michael Alig found dead in his New York apartment. Alig killed and dismembered Angel Melendez in 1996.

WEST HOLLYWOOD
City votes to add black, brown stripes, trans flag to crosswalks.

CALIFORNIA
Trump supporters tear down mystery monolith because it’s "gay" and they "hate illegal aliens from Mexico or outer space".

SAN DIEGO
Gay man Todd Gloria sworn in as Mayor.

ALI FORNEY
Homeless LGBT youth service expands reach to Kentucky, Arkansas, Poland.

GEORGIA
Atlanta Eagle gay bar to be designated historic landmark, saving it from demolition. More on the bar here.

Atlanta’s first director of LGBTQ affairs, Malik Brown, wants to show the south is changing.

TEXAS
Police officer suspended after calling protester "gay" because he was wearing shorts.

NEW JERSEY
Four high school teachers suspended after being caught in homophobic zoom chat about "gay gym teacher".

NEW YORK
Teen punched in the face by homophobe who shouted "I hate gay people" in "downright disturbing" attack.

Harlem’s black, gay bars: still thriving in the middle of a pandemic.

"Karen" attacks a 14-year-old black boy on video after she falsely accused him of stealing her phone

QUEER SPACES
An ode to queer spaces lost during Covid-19 — and those we’re fighting to keep alive.

VERILLAS
LGBT-owned fashion label donates $1000 to NAACP after "disgust" at seeing the rightwing Proud Boys wearing its kilts.

JAKE JAKOB
Gay former Mormon reflects on the "life-altering" moment he "liberated his body" and cut th final tie to his religion.

MARTIN SHKRELI
The journalist and the pharma bro. "Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world?"

MILO YIANNOPOULOS
Vile bigot takes to rightwing cesspool Parler for his latest attention seeking rant. “I lost everything helping to put Trump in office. My life and career were completely destroyed. Was it worth it? No. I feel utterly betrayed. I will have vengeance.”

MIKE PENCE
"Pence prance" mocked by Twitter, goes viral.

LUKE LETLOW
US congressman-elect dies of Covid-19 aged 41. "Louisiana Republican had no underlying conditions that put him at added risk, doctors say."

VICKI PALADINO
Chairman of NYC Republican club hospitalised with Covid-19 after conga line Christmas party.

KELLY LOEFFLER
Multi-millionaire senator vowed to donate her salary to charity. She gave thousands to anti-LGBT groups.

QANON
"Conspirituality" explains why the wellness world fell for QAnon. "The philosopher Jules Evans tells us who and what are prone to both conspiracy theories and alternative beliefs, while advocating for 'critical spirituality'."

TRUMP
Administration expands anti-LGBT "license to discriminate" rule. "The Department of Labor rule allows even for-profit companies to claim a religious exemption from nondiscrimination policies for federal contractors."

Trump’s relentless attacks on LGBT lives, people of colour and immigrants led to his eventual downfall, research finds.

The baffling continued support for Trump explained. "Even after a disastrous year and over 276,000 American deaths, many Trump supporters are still diehards and deny that he lost the election. What can explain the loyalty of his base?"

60 percent do not want Trump to run again in 2024.

Trump is executing three more people before he leaves office. Here are their stories.

Inside Trump and Barr’s last-minute killing spree. "Private executioners paid in cash. Middle-of-the-night killings. False or incomplete justifications. The outgoing administration is using its final days to execute the most federal prisoners since World War II."

Trump is desperate to avoid rape accuser E. Jean Carroll in court.

Trump holds packed Hanukkah party at the White House amid Covid-19 pandemic that has so far killed 289,000 in the US.

Palm Beach community sends demand letter to Trumps: don’t move here.

Apparently Trump is threatening to reboot The Apprentice.

Atlantic City mayor auctions off opportunity to demolish Trump’s casino.

How Trump turned his 2020 TV appearances into one big reality show. "Television cameras tend to bring out the performer in the president, no matter how inappropriate the context."

Trump pardons debase the presidency – and he can and will go lower. "The president drags the White House through the mud. Cronies and war criminals are rewarded. Is his family next?"

Gay ex-Trump official Richard Grenell controversially handed plum job by outgoing president. He’s already raging at critics.

Kathy Griffin drags the toxic gay son of NFL legend Herschel Walker after his rant claiming Trump won election.

Debra Messing defends, then apologises for, saying she hopes Trump is the "most popular boyfriend" in prison.

The Trump White House has entered its final stage: complete meltdown. "Trump has retreated to the proverbial bunker with an ‘elite strike force’ of wingnuts and lackeys. They’re all he’s got left."

Trump is still tweeting like he didn’t lose the 2020 election. "The morning after the Electoral College confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Trump went on a conspiracy theory-fueled Twitter tear."

Trump's influence will evaporate once he leaves office. Here's why. "Those who believe in the invincibility of Trump’s personality cult hold a view of American democracy that is at once too cynical and too naïve."

Trump will soon leave. But his Republican enablers haven't learned their lesson. "Trump’s attempt to steal an election didn’t come from nowhere – it was rooted in years of Republican contempt for democracy."

The full(est possible) story of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference. "The circus is gone. The presidency is ending. The mystery endures."

COVID-19
Death toll surpasses World War II combat fatalities. Meanwhile, the daily death toll is set to surpass 9/11 and Pearl Harbor every day, for the next 90 days.

Hospital ICUs are filling up. It’s even worse than it sounds.

What the chaos in hospitals is doing to doctors. "Politicians’ refusal to admit when hospitals are overwhelmed puts a terrible burden on health-care providers."

Los Angeles is America’s new coronavirus hot spot. Urban sprawl might’ve played a role. "Car culture can lead SoCal residents to feel more isolated, especially after months of strict and confusing guidelines."

The plague year. "The mistakes and the struggles behind America’s coronavirus tragedy."

How Covid-19 hollowed out a generation of young black men. "They were pillars of their communities and families, and they are not replaceable. To understand why COVID-19 killed so many young Black men, you need to know the legend of John Henry."

BIDEN
Joe Biden pledges to “usher in a new era of LGBTQ rights”.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris named TIME’s "Person of the Year" - with Trump branded "Loser of the Year".

JACOB CANDELARIA
Gay state senator introduces bill to end abhorrent gay panic defence once and for all.

ORION
The US has suffered a massive cyberbreach. It's hard to overstate how bad it is. "This is a security failure of enormous proportions – and a wake-up call. The US must rethink its cybersecurity protocols."

FAKE NEWS
America’s growing fake news problem, in one chart. "Americans consumed twice as much dubious news in 2020 as they did in 2019."

KARENS
Living with Karens. "A white woman calls the police on her Black neighbors. Six months later, they still share a property line."



UK NEWS

2O2O
The twelve most important UK LGBT stories of 2020.

MATTHEW MASON
19-year-old who "bludgeoned 15-year-old lover Alex Rodda to death" was being "blackmailed" and didn’t want anybody to "know he was gay".

REYNHARD SINAGA
Serial rapist who bragged about his crimes handed tougher sentence.

LANCASTER
Gang of fourteen teenagers arrested after violent transphobic hate crime that left victims bloodied, bruised and in hospital.

RIGHT TO OFFEND
People have the "right to offend" and to "abuse another" without fear of arrest, UK court rules.

BLOOD
Three month abstinence requirement for gay men donating blood to be relaxed, with individual risk assessments used instead.

TAVISTOCK
The high court rules on puberty-blocking drugs for children. "The court was correct to halt a disturbing trend among clinicians to assume those as young as 10 were fit to make life-altering decisions about gender identity."

KEN MAGINNIS
Peer who compared homosexuality to bestiality faces House of Lords suspension after bullying MPs with homophobic abuse.

LIZ TRUSS
Tory minister pits minorities against the "white working class" in concerning rant littered with dogwhistles.

ALAN PLANCEY
Tory mayor accused of homophobia after saying gays shouldn’t have sex if they want respect sues for defamation.

SCOTLAND
Western Isles council rejects official sex ed in favour of Catholic teaching. "Vote came after ministers on Lewis said parents and teachers unhappy about government-backed materials."

LONDON
Police fine men cruising for gay sex on Hampstead Heath for breaking coronavirus restrictions.

BBC manager caught watching children being abused on Zoom claims he was hoping to meet "like-minded gay men".

Court service apologises after black barrister assumed to be defendant. "Apology to Luke McLean comes after similar incident involving barrister Alexandra Wilson."

Young black males in London nineteen times more likely to be stopped and searched.

Soho's neon nights, in pictures. "Joshua K Jackson’s portraits of late-night London life feature vivid rain-soaked streets full of strange intimacy."

In the richest borough of one of the world’s richest cities, at least 1 in 30 people are homeless. "Damning figures from housing charity Shelter show there are a quarter of a million people living in temporary accommodation across England, including in some of London's wealthiest boroughs."

What it's like running a hotel without any guests.

DEVON
Wetherspoons accused of homophobia after demanding gay men prove they’re in a COVID bubble.

BOYZ
Magazine appoints new trans editor in aftermath of blistering backlash over LGB Alliance support.

JK ROWLING
BBC media editor applauds JK Rowling’s "bravery" and names error-strewn transgender essay one of the best reads of the year.

JOURNALIST
Suzanne Moore defends Boris Johnson’s "right" to say Muslim women "look like letter boxes".

ASYLUM
First non-binary person granted UK refugee status. "Initially refused asylum, a judge on appeal ruled that Arthur Britney Joestar would suffer persecution if sent back to El Salvador."

CHECHNYA
UK government orders strict sanctions on top officials linked to Chechnya’s horrific "gay purge".

TORY BRITAIN
Under Boris Johnson, corruption is taking hold in Britain. "Cronyism is rife, our system of checks and balances is being dismantled, and ordinary people will soon start to suffer."

BREXIT
A tragic national error. "Britain is now out of the EU. But this is a day of sadness, not of glory, for we shall always be part of Europe."

COVID-19

GRENFELL
The culture of incompetence that led to Grenfell still imperils us. "The disaster inquiry is revealing a mania for outsourcing, key too in our Covid response."

MARCUS RASHFORD
What Marcus Rashford’s campaign for hungry children tells us about the footballer – and Britain. "The 23-year-old sports star is a fully fledged national hero. It’s time to celebrate his commitment and grace – but remember he should not have to do any of this."

NATIONAL DISTRUST
The dark history of UK’s biggest estates. Spoiler: steeped in colonial and slave trade connections.



WORLD NEWS

AFGHANISTAN
Child kidnapping is posing a new challenge to the beleaguered police force.

AUSTRALIA
Abhorrent "gay panic" defence abolished as final state outlaws heinous practice.

After no club dancefloors for almost a year, last night was cathartic, joyous and sweaty. "Sydney and Melbourne nightclubs are finally open (with a few Covidsafe caveats) – and for LGBTQI people, an essential space has returned."

The Craig McLachlan case shows how far we still have to go in the fight for consent law reform. "I feel simultaneously grateful for the progress we have seen in recent decades and frustrated at the people who stand in the way of decent change."

COLOMBIA
Village offers hope for indigenous gay men.

EUROPEAN UNION
Revolutionary new HIV treatment that only needs to be taken monthly approved by Brussels.

GHANA
Paradise lost: the dark secrets of Ghana's Lake Volta, in pictures. "This enormous reservoir spans vast part of the country and submerges whole forests of trees. But it is also bound up with the heartbreaking use of child labour."

GREECE
The long fight for justice over death of Greek LGBT activist. "Zak Kostopoulos’s family say murder charges must be brought in a case that has exposed deep homophobia."

HONG KONG
Fake company tricked gay men into having sex on camera as part of bogus and sordid porn scheme.

The city's disfigured urban landscape. "The city will never be the same, and you can literally see why."

HUNGARY
The anti-LGBT equality politician caught in a gay orgy has resigned. "József Szájer, who represented Hungary's right-wing ruling party in the European Parliament, had crafted the nation's ban on same-sex marriage."

MP berates disgraced ex-MEP with a length of drainpipe. "József Szájer mocked over mode of escape from police raid on gay orgy in Brussels held in breach of Covid rules."

After that gay orgy, the right-wing Fidesz Party bans adoption by gay couples and cements its opposition to marriage equality.

Meanwhile, the organiser of the orgy, David Manzheley, claims politicians across Europe attend his sex parties - and has
 accused police who busted his orgy of hurling vile homophobia...

...But he may wish he'd stayed out of the limelight: turns out he's a wanted man in Poland.

MEP József Szájer being caught at an orgy is hilarious – but it doesn't mean the whole EU is sleazy. "After living in Brussels for 12 years, I know the Hungarian family values advocate’s misadventures are not typical of the people who make the European project work."

INDIA
Why are more people signing "suicide pacts"? An expert explains. "In 2020, India saw at least 15 reported cases of suspected mass suicides. Mental health practitioners say Indian authorities are ill-equipped to intervene on time."

Young snake charmers, in pictures. "No snake can harm us as they know we care for them".

INDONESIA
Nurse under investigation after having gay sex with COVID-19 patient in hospital toilet, leaving PPE scattered on the floor.

IRAQ
Against all odds, Baghdad now has a flourishing skate scene. "In a country deeply changed by war, young Iraqis skate on dilapidated roads amid traffic jams and military checkpoints."

ITALY
A homophobic father in Turin hired a hitman to break his gay son’s fingers and attack his boyfriend.

Ancient Roman "homophobic graffiti" found in unearthed Pompeii snack bar: Nicia cinaede cacator.

LITHUANIA
Lithuania set to legalise gay civil partnerships next year.

MEXICO
American promoter Jeffrey Sanker is going ahead with a weekend of gay circuit party events in Puerto Vallarta, despite COVID-19 surge. Hospitals in the city are at 100% capacity.

NIGERIA
Schoolboys freed after kidnap by ‘tiny, tiny boys with big guns’. "Hundreds of students returned home on Friday, a week after being abducted from their school by gunmen on motorbikes."

POLAND
Major supermarket chain pulls ads from state broadcaster over its appalling homophobia.

SOUTH KOREA
Country’s first openly gay K-pop star Holland pleads with fans: "Please admit that I’m gay".

TUNISIA
"He ruined us": 10 years on, Tunisians curse man who sparked Arab spring. "Thanks in part to Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation, Tunisians are freer than before, but many are miserable and disillusioned."

When a young street seller set himself on fire to protest lack of employment opportunities and government corruption, Tunisia became the cradle of the Arab spring revolutions that swept the middle east. Less than a month later, the dictator Ben Ali had to flee the country he had ruled for 23 years. Ten years on, what change has the revolution brought and was the sacrifice of so many worth the price?



GHETTO ROMANCE

BOTTOMING
A porn star’s complete, exhaustive guide to bottoming.




MEDICINE BALL

2O2O
The biggest health stories of 2020 you might have missed because of COVID-19.

BIGOREXIA
The body dysmorphia men can't talk about. "Even the most seemingly healthy personal goals can often hide unhealthy or unrealistic aesthetic aspirations."

OBESITY
Everything you know about obesity is wrong. "For decades, the medical community has ignored mountains of evidence to wage a cruel and futile war on fat people, poisoning public perception and ruining millions of lives."

HIV
If life with HIV is "not what it used to be," what is it? "Three Black, queer writers on how HIV has shaped their sex life, career, and sense of community."

Gaétan Dugas and the "AIDS Mary" myth.

PFAS
Cosmetics, cellphones, guitar strings: where we found forever chemicals. "PFAS, which can be hazardous to our health, are found everywhere. We need to regulate them as a class."

COVID-19
Ten reasons we got Covid-19 vaccines so quickly without "cutting corners". "The speedy rollout is thanks to a combination of foresight, hard work and lucky breaks."

I'm a consultant in infectious diseases. "Long Covid" is anything but a mild illness. "Nine months on from the virus, I am seriously debilitated. This is how the new NHS clinics need to help thousands of us."

The many strange long-term symptoms of Covid-19, explained.

To make a building healthier, stop sanitising everything. "Improve the ventilation, even spread some good germs. If you want people to be healthy and productive, tend the microbiome."

How science beat the virus. And what it lost in the process.

WATCH
Why it costs a fortune to take care of your teeth.

MIND
Why you should talk to yourself in the third person. "Evidence suggests that there are real benefits of talking to yourself in the third person—in your head, not out loud."

You don’t have to work on yourself forever. "A fixation on being the peak versions of ourselves—emotionally, physically, spiritually—is now an ingrained part of daily life. What would happen if you stopped?"

How to be bored. "Boredom doesn’t feel good, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Understanding it can help resist the urge to run from it."

Why can’t I pay attention to a whole conversation right now? "If your listening skills have gone down the drain, know you’re not alone—and learn how to hone your focus again."




PLANET EARTH

FIRE
Our global fire crisis is the sign of a dying biosphere. But we can take action. "The unprecedented fires aren’t just caused by the climate crisis. Land use –especially real estate and animal husbandry – have a lot to answer for."

AMAZON
Infrared images capture the mass destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

TREES
The social life of forests. "Trees appear to communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi. What are they sharing with one another?"

CITIES
2020 forced young people out of cities. Now many may never come back.

LITHIUM
Electric vehicles' dirty secret. "The race is on to find a steady source of lithium, a key component in rechargeable electric car batteries. But while the EU focuses on emissions, the lithium gold rush threatens environmental damage on an industrial scale."

PLASTICS
Hand in glove. "The false promise of plastics."



THE WHITE HEAT OF THIS REVOLUTION

GRINDR
App reveals which countries have the most tops and the most bottoms.

FACEBOOK
The US government wants to break up Facebook. Good – it's long overdue. "America broke up logging companies in the 1840s, Standard Oil in the 1910s, and AT&T in the 1980s. It’s time to take on big tech."

Facebook is a doomsday machine. "The architecture of the modern web poses grave threats to humanity. It’s not too late to save ourselves."

INSTAGRAM
Adorable husbands devastated after their popular Instagram account was shut down for "violating" rules.

AMAZON
Amazon urged to stop "giving platform" to dozens of deplorable anti-LGBT groups fundraising on its site.

CHECK OUT
We're all adding stuff to our online shopping carts and never buying it.

PORNHUB
How Pornhub – one of the world's biggest sites – caused untold damage and pain. "The site became an outlet for rape tapes, child sexual abuse images, revenge porn and spycam videos. It acted far too late to deal with the problem."

Online child abuse: this horror must be faced. "New revelations about Pornhub should prompt immediate action. For leaders to voice ‘concern’, while doing nothing, is shameful."

SPYING
The real cost of smart speakers. "Alexa’s recording you. What’s she doing with it?"

PRIVACY
The year we gave up on privacy. "Our lives moved online in 2020. Too bad privacy laws didn’t."

Inside India’s booming dark data economy. "Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale."

SOCIAL MEDIA
The year of bad posts. "Social media always sort of sucks. In 2020, it was insufferable."




I OWN 51% OF THIS COMPANY

ARCADIA
The inevitable collapse of Arcadia is a cautionary tale for British capitalism. "Philip Green favoured making a fast buck over investing in response to retail’s changing landscape – and he paid the price."

SOULCYCLE
How it lost its soul. "The boutique fitness phenomenon sold exclusivity with a smile, until a toxic atmosphere and a push for growth brought the whole thing down."

DEPARTMENT STORES
What happened to department stores? "The fates of the American middle class and American department stores have always been intertwined."

WATCH
How Kmart failed.



BETTA WORK

GALLERY
Meeting London's two-wheeled couriers, in pictures. "Since lockdown the Italian documentary photographer Andrea Capello, who has lived in London for more than 15 years, has been working as a bike messenger in the evenings. As COVID-19 expands the home delivery business, he has turned his camera to documenting his colleagues."

COVID-19
The pandemic gave men a new way to sexually harass female restaurant workers.



ARENA

KURT CAPEWELL
Rugby pro claims he was tricked into making a gay porn film when he was ‘young, naive and broke’.

DEVIN IBAÑEZ
Rugby pro Devin Ibañez comes out as gay.

RUGBY
Tackling homophobic attitudes: the straight men who play for gay rugby clubs. "Prevailing attitudes in the game are forcing some players to seek more inclusive environments."

Jacques O’Neill, in pictures.

FOOTBALL
Gay football player Etienne Aduya wants LGBT athletes to know how supported they are. "Aduya, who played football at Williams College, is working with his alma mater to ensure LGBT athletes feel less alone."

HOCKEY
Gay male hockey players are coming out in droves, and changing the sport’s culture.

BASKETBALL
Derrick Gordon says opponent called him the "F-word" during game. "Gordon says the incident happened during a game Thursday. He’s currently playing professional basketball in Cyprus."

VOLLEYBALL
Gay Stanford player 
Justin Lui came out to his team - and then his sport got cut. "Lui says he’s cherishing the final weeks he’ll spend with his teammates, and is enraged at Stanford’s decision to cut the program."

HIG ROBERTS
US National Ski Champion comes out as gay.

AAMIR GRIFFIN

"The pain never leaves": the promise and tragedy of Aamir Griffin. "One year after a 14-year-old basketball player was killed by a stray bullet on a playground court in Queens, his friends and family still don't have answers—only enduring anguish and a familiar feeling of grief."



ART SKOOL

ARTIFACTS
The colonised world wants its artifacts back. "The mass repatriation of indigenous art and objects around the world would mean an all-encompassing recalibration of the ways modern day museums are understood and have traditionally functioned."

AIDS
"The Aids epidemic is not yet over": inside a project with a vital message. "For World Aids Day, a new audio project will play important speeches and clips that catalogue the ongoing fight against HIV/Aids."

IT'S NOT OVER
ONE Archives Foundation held a temporary outdoor exhibit on Santa Monica Boulevard throughout December, acknowledging "the longstanding fight for resources and respect for people living with HIV/AIDS."

GERMANY
 Painting by famed Surrealist Yves Tanguy found in the trash container at Düsseldorf Airport.

NOËL COWARD'S PRIVATE LIVES
The photographs that could have landed him in jail. "A newly discovered album contains intimate, joyful glimpses of the playwright drinking, partying and holidaying with his famous friends and lovers. The result is an astonishing insight into gay life in the interwar years."

GALLERY
The explosive New York scene that changed photography, in pictures. "Between 1935 and 1965, New York was the epicentre of a revolutionary new style of photography. A new exhibition captures its energy."

GALLERY
Spaces reclaimed by nature, in pictures.

IKEA
Flat pack, rising prices: Ikea furniture is now collectable. "Low-cost products from the 1960s to the 1990s can be worth thousands of pounds."

HOTELS FIT FOR A KGB OFFICER
Soviet cities in the twilight, in pictures. "Many modernist buildings from the Soviet period are being destroyed, but Russian photographer Arseniy Kotov hopes to preserve their memory with these shots of sloping cinemas and rooms under surveillance."



WORD!

REVIEWS
If I Had Two Wings
, by Randall Kenan. A "nuanced and observant collection... enriched immeasurably by the Black gay Southern voice of Randall Kenan."

These Violent Delights
, by Micah Nemerever. "Nemerever has done something extraordinary in his debut novel. He’s mixed eloquent and vivid writing with psychological depth and an addictive plot. The mixture of horror with believable pathos is gothic done exactly right."

READ
An excerpt from Christopher Zyda's heart-wrenching memoir, The Storm: One Voice from the AIDS Generation.

ON THE RAG
The month in gay mags. Week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4.



SHOUTING AT NIGHT

RICKY GERVAIS
Ricky Gervais claims he "looks down on everyone equally" after being called out over ‘lazy’ transphobic jokes by Frankie Boyle.

INTERVIEW
Talking to Jimmy Essex about his West End chemsex drama GHBoy.

TRAVIS ALABANZA
Travis Alabanza’s gripping new play Overflow teaches a powerful lesson about bathrooms, transphobia and female friendship.

BARBARA WINDSOR
A priceless and mischievous stage sensation. "The late actor took on Brecht, Falstaff and panto and will be remembered for her collaborations with Joan Littlewood."



FILM SKOOL

YEAR IN REVIEW
The best LGBT films of 2020...

...And the year's best films that you haven't seen. "From a gentrification drama to a convention-defying crime thriller, writers pick their favourite underappreciated films of the year."

CINEMAS
The movie theatre as we know it is dying. Can we make something better? "The pandemic has forced movie theaters to change or die."

The four reasons why Hollywood stopped making new stories.

THE PROM
Andrew Rannells speaks out about co-star James Corden's critically slammed "gayface" performance.

CHRIS PRATT
Actor breaks his silence on "worst Chris" title after being criticised for links to allegedly anti-LGBT church.

JANNIK SCHÜMANN
German actor Jannik Schümann "overwhelmed with love" after coming out and introducing his boyfriend to the world.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN
Chadwick Boseman is back in a final film. To his Black fans, he still means so much. "The actor, who passed away tragically earlier this year, brought depth and empathy to the characters he played."

LETITIA WRIGHT
Actress criticised for sharing anti-vaxx video.

SMALL AXE
Now let's have some films about black life outside London. "The ‘authentic’ black British experience doesn’t begin and end in the capital. It’s time the UK film industry woke up to that."

FORBIDDEN LOVE IN HEAVEN
Short film about a gay couple who adopted a homeless child becomes a rare LGBT success in China.

FUNNY BOY
Gay Sri Lankan coming-of-age film arrives on Netflix.

REVIEWS
Your Name Engraved Herein
. "This intimate love story reflects just how far Taiwan has come on LGBTQ rights."

Funny Boy
. Sri Lankan rites-of-passage tale clashes with political reality. "Arush Nand is very good as a gay Tamil boy in Deepa Mehta’s coming-of-age drama set in a period building to civil war."

No Hard Feelings
. Life lessons and love stories in a refugee shelter. "A young German-Iranian worker befriends two siblings facing deportation in an urgent, uncompromising tale of modern Europe."

Il Mio Corpo. A taste of common humanity under Sicily's burning sun. "Michele Panetta’s beautiful docu-fiction focuses on the parallel lives of a young Italian and a Nigerian migrant."

Muscle. Banter, biceps and brutally black comedy. "Craig Fairbrass stars in this laudably gruelling descent into a macho underworld of dumbbells and sexual debauchery."

County Lines. Dark tale of the burdens borne by drug mules. "A desperate teenager is drawn into a perilous criminal network in an affecting drama that reflects a real-life scandal."

WATCH
Mark Kermode reviews La Haine.

HOLIDAY HEART
The black gay holiday movie that never got its due.

WATCH
Visit Berlin's ballroom scene in the nine-minute documentary Safe.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Writer Annie Proulx says she wishes she’d never written it because so many people miss the point of it.

TRAFFIC AT 2O
Steven Soderbergh's bold and blistering drugs drama. "The Oscar-winner’s sprawling ensemble drama was rightfully awarded and praised for its difficult and dour look at an unwinnable war."

WARNER BROTHERS
Studio hits back at director Christopher Nolan after he denounces plans to stream all its major films: "What we learned through Tenet is that the US is not quite ready yet to fully reopen and have full engagement of fans back into theaters, hence this new strategy.”

SPORTS MOVIES

ONE-STAR WONDERS
How to make a film that’s so bad it’s good. "Anyone can make a bad movie. But, from The Room to Cats, it takes something special to make a turkey that stands the test of time."

NETFLIX NAIJA
Netflix is launching in Nigeria, but not everyone is happy.

BARBARA WINDSOR
Before Carry On typecast her, Barbara Windsor was a brilliant kitchen sink star. "Forever remembered as the dolly bird prone to wardrobe malfunctions, the actor was a survivor whose career was forged in groundbreaking 60s realism."

WATCH
Watch the trailers for Queer Japan; The Strong Ones; Goodbye Seventies; Kenneth Williams talks to Mavis Nicholson in 1976.



THE BOX

YEAR IN REVIEW
The fifteen best LGBT TV shows of 2020.

More LGBT characters - but fewer women and people of colour seen on TV.

The fifty best TV shows of 2020. "Michaela Coel’s smart, subversive and taboo-breaking drama gave us absolutely unbeatable television – plus more of the year’s best."

2O21'S MUST SEE TV
Superhero sitcoms, hardcore sci-fi and Belfast noir. "Succession and Line of Duty are back, there’s a sex worker musical, a new take on Lord of the Rings – and Kate Winslet returns to the small screen."

JERRY HARRIS
Cheer
star faces seven new child pornography, sexual misconduct charges; his accusers are 14-year-old twin brothers.

BRIDGERTON
Netflix’s Bridgerton accused of queerbaiting and "deceiving" fans after teasing gay sex scenes.

Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey was warned not to come out as gay by powerful queer TV figures...

...And he's given his opinion on straight actors playing queer.

Bridgerton is as shallow as the aristocrats it skewers. It "tries to put a fresh perspective on historical romance, but it forgets to be interesting."

INTERVIEW
Talking to
 
Pose's Ryan Jamaal Swain.

QUEER AS FOLK
Robert Gant on Queer as Folk, twenty years later.

THE SOPRANOS
From enduring TV hit to the hottest show of lockdown. "2020 has seen HBO’s mafia series win fresh fans, as a new generation relate to the emotional struggles of its antihero protagonist, and its stars preserve its legacy."

TRUE BLOOD
HBO is rebooting True Blood, just 6 years after the show concluded.

THE EXPANSE
Why it should become your next favourite sci-fi show. "Amazon’s gritty and ambitious space-set drama has slowly become one of TV’s most compelling genre offerings and one that deserves a bigger audience."

EASTENDERS
Viewers left disappointed after lesbian character Tina Carter is brutally killed off: "Why can’t we have happy endings?"

The empty sets of Walford, in pictures.

CORONATION STREET
Coronation Street
: more than just a soap. "The television institution has held on to a unique identity across six decades."

The inside story of Coronation Street. "In the 60 years since the first episode was aired, the soap has gone from kitchen-sink serial to cultural institution. Its stars, writers and producers tell us the secrets of Britain’s best loved street."

EMMERDALE
Actor Max Parker shares his coming out story and reveals how he made first move with co-star boyfriend Kris Mochrie...

...And the actors - who played brothers on the soap - have now moved in together.

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE
Season 13: meet the cast, including a trans first.

QUEER EYE
Karamo Brown angers some with Salvation Army Partnership.

WATCH
New Russell T. Davies AIDS drama It's A Sin; the new season of Red Skin; Netflix's latest true crime guilty pleasure, Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer; the Daleks get a PR makeover.

TOONS
Twenty-five cartoons to get obsessed with, now and forever. "A guide to animated TV series you’ll fall in love with, from the family-friendly classics to some adult-only picks."

MARCUS D’AMICO
Marcus D’Amico, the actor known for his work on Tales of the City and Angels in America, is dead. He was 55.

JEREMY BULLOCH
Jeremy Bulloch, the actor known for his roles in Doctor Who and Star Wars, is dead. He was 75.

BARBARA WINDSOR
Barbara Windsor, the EastEnders and Carry On star, is dead. She was 83.

Barbara Windsor: obituary.

Babs Windsor: the daring, giggling pearly queen of the screen. "Between the bubbly blonde of the Carry Ons and EastEnders’ matriarch, the actor built up a significant body of work in film, theatre and TV."

A life, in pictures.



BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE

LISTEN UP
Seven LGBT musicians who are making their mark. Above, Brad Gibson.

PAY TO PLAY
Unless we start paying, making music will become the preserve of the elite. "Coronavirus has left Britain’s musicians struggling to survive. An industry revolution is needed, but change can start with us."

LIL NAS X
Lil Nas X reflects on how Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator helped him come out.

DIONNE WARWICK
How the legendary singer is drawing the blueprint for what it means to be an LGBT ally.

JEDWARD
Irish pop duo urge influencers to stop "promoting" Dubai and other countries that criminalise queer love.

...And they've also hit out at James Corden for his "offensive" portrayal of a gay man in The Prom.

GEORGE MICHAEL
George Michael’s former lover Fadi Fawa caught breaking into star’s home only days before the anniversary of his tragic death.

MELANIE THORNTON
The tragic story of La Bouche singer Melanie Thornton and  Crossair Flight 3597.

CHARLEY PRIDE
Charley Pride, the pioneering black country singer, is dead. He was 86. Pride succumbed to complications from COVID-19.

NEW
Karma
, new music from Mike Taveira.



MEAT MARKET

DEVIANT PORN
Is incest porn is normalising child abuse? Some experts think so.

PORNHUB
Pornhub's content purge has left fetish creators wondering what's next. "Furries, fandoms, and other adult content creators outside the mainstream are asking where they fit in among Pornhub’s new policies."

CHIP TANNER
Chip Tanner, the former Randy Blue model, is dead. He was 32.

GOFFNEY TWINS
Ta'Leon Goffney diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer. His twin, Kyle, has launched a fundraiser.

DOMINIC FORD
Austin Wilde calls out JustForFans owner Dominic Ford for continuing to label his alleged rape victims "online haters".

BILLY SANTORO
After being evicted for filming meth-slamming porn videos, racist ghoul Billy Santoro admits his suicide attempt was a lie: “it was an ingrown hair”.

FABRICIO DA SILVA CLAUDINO
Disgraced OnlyFans model deported after posting revenge porn of ex-boyfriend.

MICHAEL CRAFT
Michael Craft's thirst traps, in pictures.

GALLERY
The New Asian Men 2021 Calendars, in pictures.

MEAT MARKET
Meat Market: the KAOS round up of December's adult entertainment releases. So, who's doing who?



RAG TRADE

AIDS
The new oral history telling the story of HIV and the fashion industry. "The Vogue article recalls a lost generation of talented designers whose impact still reverberates in today's clothes."

ADONIS BOSSO
Model Adonis Bosso comes out as "sexually fluid".



HELL'S KITCHEN

LUNCH
Delivery bike riders show us their lunch. "They helped countless people stay home during lockdowns. But what they deliver and what they eat are pretty different in price."

UBER EATS
App lets anyone identify as the owner of a "black-owned" restaurant.

KFC
On KFC's ongoing sexualisation of Colonel Sanders.



ZOO

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK
Komodo dragon attacks worker at "Jurassic Park" resort.

BEARS
Grizzlies at the table. "When the wild salmon runs around Wuikinuxv, BC, were depleted, the local grizzly bears grew hungry — and dangerous. Now, as the salmon are returning, the community is asking a challenging new question: can we include the bears in the management of the fishery?"

Lessons from a bear attack.

MOTHS
Exterminators are tricking moths into having gay sex as a form of pest control.

WATCH
Watch the wild, never-before-seen orgies of the humble shipworm.

GALLERY
The month in wildlife, in pictures: week 1, week 2, week 3.

NEW
In 2020, scientists documented hundreds of new species. Here are a few.


PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES

PUBLIC TRANSIT
Public transit in the US is already underfunded. The pandemic has made it worse. "Transit officials in Boston, New York, and DC are reducing service, eliminating routes, and laying off employees to shrink budgets."

NYC’s subway used to be for everyone. What’s going to happen now? "The subway is different from every other transit system in the country. If people think that's no longer true, it might not get the funding it needs."

Malaysia invested a lot on its trains. Why aren’t more people using them?

AVIATION
How toxic fumes seep into the air you breathe on planes.

SHIPPING
The cruise ship suicides. "Confined mostly to tiny cabins as the pandemic unfolded, crew members struggled to cope."



HOUSE PARTY

GREEN THUMB
How to keep your houseplants (and yourself) less miserable this winter. "A very basic guide to indoor winter gardening, according to experts."



AND THIS...

2O2O
The absolute worst people of 2020. "Priti Patel, Laurence Fox and giant Rita Ora from the darksided EE ad all made the list."

The people who review things like phone boxes and entire oceans explain: why?



VLOGLIFE

JEFFREE STAR
Jeffree Star reportedly paid accuser $45,000 to recant assault claims. "Newly leaked documents allege that 30-year-old Gage Arthur was bribed into retracting his statements about the controversial makeup mogul."

INFLUENCERS
The "fake wealth" industry making influencers look rich.

WATCH
Walter beefs with an OnlyFans model; the Aunties answer your dilemmas; Michael and Anthony talk trust issues; and Rogue "Marbie" Scott has a man about the house...



LIFE'S A GODDAM LAUGH RIOT

WATCH
The latest episode of Jimmy Fowlie's Sex and the City; Randy Rainbow sings about Rudolph The Leaky Lawyer; Michael and the boys discuss New Year's wishes; and Joe Manganiello reads thirst Tweets.

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Issue 320: 01-31 December 2020
On the cover: Alex Rodda.

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Postcript
"You know, we might just as well not have
bothered to come. The whole thing's been ridiculous."

© 2020

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