Adam Levine Strips for Male Cancer Awareness

If there’s one thing we like better than a hot, tattooed rock star it’s a hot tattooed rock star naked! And even better if it’s for a good cause. We’re extremely happy to report that Maroon 5 fitty, Adam Levine, has been snapped naked to raise awareness about male cancer.

The photos, taken in support of Everyman – The UK’s leading prostate and testicular cancer campaign – appear in the February edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. Cosmopolitan UK has long been a supporter of the Everyman campaign, regularly featuring hot male celebrities in the buff.

Past centrefolds have included Lenny Kravitz, Ewan McGregor, Eminem and, the gay chat team’s personal favourite, Welsh rugby hunk Gavin Henson. Amazing!

Most importantly, Everyman’s mission is to stamp out testicular and prostate cancer. Launched in 1997, the charity seeks to raise awareness about male cancer and raise funds to research treatments. It runs a variety of campaigns, initiatives and adverts to remind men that regular self-examinations, and the early treatment of cancer are essential.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men aged 15-44. With treatment, it has an overall cure rate of 97%. The success rate is even higher if caught early enough – hence why awareness is key.

Prostate cancer kills one man every hour in the UK and has overtaken lung cancer as the most common cancer in men. Despite advances in research, little is known about what causes it or how it develops. We do know that the incidence of male cancer is rising rapidly, yet we don’t know why.

So it’s hats off to Adam for being the latest bit of buff to get his baubles out for the boys.

We’ve had a hot spot for the gorgeous Mr. Levine ever since “This Love” – a smash hit for his band Maroon 5 – way back in 2002! Since then, the group have gone on to sell millions of albums all over the world.

A staunch supporter of gay rights (can this guy get any more adorable?), he was one of the first celebrities to post a video to the “It Gets Better Campaign”. And in 2008 when asked by LGBT news magazine The Advocate as to what kind of guys he’d like if he were gay, he quipped: “Oh, there are beautiful men out there… every male secretly wants to have sex with Brad Pitt, but that’s a given.” What-a-tease!

To find out more about prostate and testicular cancer we recommend visiting:  http://www.everyman-campaign.org/

Maroon 5’s latest album “Hands All Over” is available on iTunes. The February edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine is out now.

Gary Cosby

Gym and tonic, anyone?

If the Xmas food fest has left you feeling like an over stuffed turkey, you’re not alone! Come January most of us are thinking about detox diets and making a beeline for the nearest gym. If you’re currently feeling like a bloated Mr. Blobby here are some terrific tips to help get your gay chat stats back on track!

Turn fat to fuel

Actually, it isn’t so bad that you packed a little padding over the festive period – fat, in fact, provides the energy we need for exercise. It also provides a cushion and insulation for your inner organs and helps distribute vitamins A, D, E and K through the body. Fat builds up when we consume more calories than we use (scoffing and lying around on the sofa all Xmas!). So what are you waiting for? Get to the gym! You have all the fuel you need to turn your flab into fab!

Pump up the volume

Music is a great motivator. Studies show that working out to uptempo rhythms can boost performances in the gym considerably.  Duffy’s “Mercy” clocks in to the ideal tempo bracket in which to work out: 120 – 150 bpm (beats per minute). Got a smartphone, iPod or MP3 player? Then why not download some high-energy-work-out toons to help you zap the fat? Top tracks for the treadmill include Don’t Stop The Music by Rhiana (122 bpm), Just Dance by Lady GaGa (119 bpm), and our personal favourite, Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas (130 bpm).

Detox your diet

Ok. Enough’s enough…step away from the Xmas chocolate box, it’s time to detox! We all know that healthy eating and working out works wonders on the waistline. Cut down on alcohol, caffeine and processed foods in your diet. Add plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Yeah, you’ve heard all that before, but it works! It’ll help get you back to buff in no time!

Make it personal

Personal trainers are no longer exclusive to celebs and super models. If you need a nudge, just one session with a certified fitness coach could put you back on track and improve your gym technique. Being results focused, personal trainers will encourage you to work out efficiently, achieving maximum results in minimum time. They’ll also kick your ass (if need be) around a circuit. Helpful.

Book a break

If there’s one thing that’ll get you back to the gym and keep you there, it’s a summer holiday. There are some great New Year deals out there. So what better incentive to bring the sexy back? Try on last year’s Aussie Bums, stand in front of the mirror and take a long look at yourself. It maybe all the motivation you need to jump on the treadmill and get that tush back to toned, taut and tasty!

Oh, and don’t forget the Maleforce gay app works everywhere….why not check in to your local gym?…you just mind find yourself a hot new work out buddy!

Gary Cosby

The Gay Social Network – from Chat to App

The world’s first and most successful Internet dating service, Match.com was launched in 1995. Since its trailblazing inception (predated only by a handful of dial up date services) it has achieved over 20 million sign-ups and Internet dating has exploded all over the World Wide Web.

But as far as virtual dating goes, the gay community had it sussed out years before.

Gay men and women had to get savvy early on in regards to social networking. Homosexuality was illegal up until the 1960s.  But thanks to the Sexual Offences Act 1967 gay men could declare their sexuality and finally canoodle – if only in private.

Prior to that date however, the gay community had no choice but to get very creative in regards to where and how they met publicly. A gay language, a take on the slang form Polari, was adapted as a subculture code in order for gays to communicate in public without arousing suspicion.

Gay men, lacking places to mix socially, resorted to meeting in bathhouses or public parks they dubbed ‘cruising grounds’. Acknowledged by the gay community as safe havens for men to hook up, ‘gay cruising’  usually took place in remote spaces like commons and lay-bys, out of the general public’s view.

Of course gay social interaction wasn’t confined to cruising areas only. Private gay clubs and parties were in full swing long before it became legal. Gay club culture sprung up commercially everywhere during the 1980s with gay publications becoming readily available, paving the way for gay social interaction.

The subtle and inventive methods gay men used to meet one another during the ‘dark ages’ of gay social connectivity was in reality a primitive precursor to what we call social networking today.

It was the advent of gay chat lines in the 90s however that enabled gay interconnectivity to really take off. Gay men started using gay chat dating services to network with one another, worldwide.

Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and the plethora of online dating sites available to us today weren’t even invented when gay men were connecting globally via gay chat lines.

It was inevitable that gay dating on the Internet would prove to be an instant hit. Throughout the 90s gay online social networking flourished to such an extent that it is now rare to meet a gay man without at least one gay social network profile.

Fast forward to 2010 and it’s gay men who have harnessed GPS technology to create geo-social networking via mobile phones. Gay mobile dating apps are big business and are transforming the online dating industry.

At the tap of a button gay men can instantly pin point other gay men in their vicinity and be hooking up within minutes.

Long gone are the days where gay social connections were carried out in veiled ‘secrecy’. However it could be argued that the seeds of social networking as we know it today sprouted from the ingenuity of gays faced with the challenge of connecting their community.

With the click of a mouse being replaced by the tap of a gay app icon gay men are revolutionizing the dating world – connecting instantly, publicly and however they please.

Gary Cosby

Malawi Gay couple sentenced to 14 years for ‘wedding’

A Malawi magistrate has made an ‘example’ of a gay couple sentencing them to a 14-year jail term with hard labour.

The case of Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, has made headlines around the world since their incarceration last December.

Monejeza and Chimbalanga were held in a prison without bail for four and a half months after holding a ‘marriage’ ceremony in Blantyre. Gay sex and gay marriage is outlawed in Malawi.

Human rights organizations around the world called for pair to be released, with Human Rights Watch urging the Malawian president to intervene.

However, after pleading not guilty the couple were yesterday convicted of ‘unnatural acts and gross indecency’ and given a maximum prison sentence.

Associated Press has reported that the magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa said: “I sentence you to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour each. That’s the maximum under the penal code.

“I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example”

All calls for the case to be overturned have been rejected by the Malawian government.

Following the ruling Malawian minister of information, Leckford Mwanza Thotho said: “What we are saying is that the ruling or the court proceeding as of today, reflects our tradition in Malawi. It just shows that the gay issue is against our culture in Malawi,”

Amnesty International’s deputy Africa director, Michelle Kagari responded: “Their human rights, the rights to freedom from discrimination, of conscience, expression and privacy have been flagrantly violated.”

Uganda is also ignoring international pressure to withdraw a bill that calls for the introduction of the death penalty for some homosexual acts – a move that has been condemned by the U.S. and various European countries.

The controversial bill is likely to be amended, Deputy Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem told the BBC earlier this year following President Barack Obama denouncing it as “odious”.

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and dating hook up at www.maleforce.com

 

New Minister for Equality’s anti-Gay voting record

Theresa May, the former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has been appointed to the position of Home Secretary and Minster for Women and Equality.

In a move that will undoubtedly ruffle gay rights campaigners, Prime Minister David Cameron announced her appointment along with the rest of the new cabinet on Tuesday.

May’s voting record on gay rights could be construed as somewhat negative. In 1998 she voted against equalizing the age of consent and in 2008 she cast a no vote against the repeal of Section 28 – legislation that banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools.

In 2001 and again the following year May voted against gay couples being allowed to adopt.

May did however vote in favour of Civil Partnerships, granting same-sex couples identical rights and responsibilities to that of civil marriage in 2004.

In 2008 as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons she voted in favour of a bill which proposed that IVF rights should require a male role model – discriminating against lesbian fertility rights.

May replaces Chris Grayling in the post of Home Secretary. Grayling, who hasn’t been allocated a new position, caused a media storm recently when he said that bed and breakfast owners should have the right to ban gay couples.

In an interview with PinkNews David Henry of gay rights group Outrage said May was “the wrong person for the job

“She’s always been against gay rights since I can remember. I’m pretty sure she’s opposed almost every gay rights measure.”

Gay lobbying group Stonewall have so far declined to officially comment on the Home Secretary’s appointment however a spokesperson told Pink News: “Both coalition parties made a number of promises to lesbian and gay voters during the campaign. We look forward to working with Teresa May to see them fulfilled.”

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit www.maleforce.com

Related link: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/05/12/analysis-how-pro-gay-is-the-new-home-secretary-and-minister-for-equality-theresa-may/#

Rugby star Gareth Thomas suffers anti-Gay abuse from ‘fans’

Out gay rugby legend Gareth Thomas has spoken of his ‘hurt’ over homophobic taunts from fans at a recent match.

Thomas, 35, is the first ever professional rugby player to come out as gay. His announcement last December garnered immense media coverage and shocked the rugby world.

Since then Thomas has appeared on the covers of gay publications and has been vocal about his wish to become a role model for young gay players and an advocate for gay visibility in sports. 

In an interview with The Sunday Express the former Welsh Lions Star, who now plays for league side Crusaders, revealed how he was subjected to anti-Gay chants at a match last month.

Thomas, 35, said: “When I was on the field at Castleford I could hear some chants from a small section of the crowd.

“It wasn’t very nice and I was pretty hurt by what I could hear. I’m only human and I can’t deny I was hurt. I think the RFL have taken action against Castleford over their fans and I’ve been told there were people in the crowd telling those chanting to shut up.

“Perhaps we need to go through this so that those few people realize no on else will stand for it and then it hopefully won’t happen to the next person who comes out.”

Castleford received a fine from the RLC for its fans’ behaviour which will undoubtedly send a message to all rugby fans that homophobia will not be tolerated.

Thomas said in an exclusive with The Guardian this week: “Afterwards the Rugby League Commission fined Castleford. We went to Bradford the week after and I was told the stewards had been briefed that if there was any abuse aimed at me then they had to eject those fans because they didn’t want to be fined.

“The next [gay] person that follows me will be glad I’ve opened the door because they’re not going to get the same abuse.”

Thomas created sporting history in 2007 by becoming the first Welshman to win 100 international caps in rugby union. That same year he retired from international rugby and is currently winger for Celtic Crusaders.

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit www.maleforce.com

Related Links:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/may/04/gareth-thomas-gay-interview-crusaders

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/172718

Election: Torys tackle latest Gay gaffe

David Cameron’s quest for the pink vote looks to be in serious jeopardy this week as yet another key Conservative party member expressed their anti-gay feelings.

It is the third time during the current campaign that a party member has publicly gaffed and embarrassed Cameron who has worked hard to convince gay voters that anti-gay attitudes within the Tory party have changed.
 
Philip Lardner, Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran, wrote on his campaign website that he could not accept gays as being normal – adding that “most” people would agree.

Mr Lardner told voters: “With experience as a teacher and a believer in parental rights and responsibilities, as your MP I will support the rights of parents and teachers to refuse to have their children taught that homosexuality is ‘normal’ behaviour or an equal lifestyle choice to traditional marriage.

“I will always support the rights of homosexuals to be treated within concepts of [common sense] equality and respect, and defend their rights to choose to live the way they want in private, but I will not accept that their behaviour is ‘normal’ or encourage children to indulge in it.”

The posting, headed “what I believe in” also included the view that the majority of the public believe homosexuality to be “somewhere between ‘unfortunate’ and ‘simply wrong'”.

David Cameron has said he took the decision to suspend and withdraw Landers candidacy “within minutes”.

As a consolation he added “I think people in the gay community know it is easier for people who are Conservative and gay to vote Conservative than at any time before.

“The Conservative Party has been on a journey. Has it been far enough and fast enough? Perhaps not, but it’s gone further than many other parties around the world.”

Within the last month two other key Conservative party members have made anti-gay statements embarrassing the Tory leader.

The shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling was forced to apologise after saying he supported the view that bed and breakfast owners should have the right to refuse gay guests.

Julian Lewis, the shadow Defence Minister commented that the gay age of consent should not have been lowered to 16 because it puts teenage males at “a seriously increased risk of HIV infection”.

Despite Cameron’s efforts gay support for The Conservatives seems to have nose-dived. A poll carried out last week by gay media site PinkNews.co.uk revealed that 58% of the 1,000 respondents intend to vote for the Liberal democrats in the forthcoming election. The Labour party achieved 21% and the Conservatives 9%.

The general election takes place on May 6th.

For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit maleforce.com

by Gary Cosby

Nick Clegg secures the Gay vote

A poll carried out by gay media site pinkpaper.com indicates that Liberals leader Nick Clegg has secured the gay vote for the forthcoming general election.

Currently enjoying an upsurge in popularity following the first UK televised political debate, Clegg is the most trusted candidate for Prime Minister according to the gay poll.

Seventy seven percent of respondents indicated that Clegg is the party leader they most trust to protect gay rights.

Labour leader Gordon Brown managed only a meager 18% with David Cameron limping in with just 5% in the poll.

Earlier this year Clegg appeared on the cover of gay glossy Attitude impressing the publication with The Liberals’ promise to support gay equality issues.

Each of the main party heads were grilled by the magazine on their commitment to furthering gay rights with the Liberals’ chief stealing the show.

The youngest of the party leaders Clegg has lead the Liberal Democrats since 2008 following a career in journalism, aid work and as a member of the European parliament.

The party itself has been a staunch supporter of gay rights for many years – a tradition Clegg is keen to uphold.

On the issue of gay marriage verses Civil Partnership (gays are currently unable to marry) he said: “I don’t understand the objections to this.

“There’s one specific issue of substance here – I think it’s about pension rights which you don’t enjoy in a partnership, but you do under marriage. That needs to be dealt with whatever you call it. In terms of the language, I don’t like the idea that you’re reserving different language for a partnership of love and lifelong unity between gay people.”

Clegg also pledges to tackle homophobia within the education system by making it a legal requirement for all schools, regardless of religious persuasion, to reference homosexuality as something normal and harmless.

An end to the ban on gay men giving blood is also included in the Liberals manifesto.

The general election takes place on May 6^th.

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit www.maleforce.com

Senior Tory: Hotels can discriminate against Gays

Gay couples cautious about jumping into bed with the Conservatives at the forthcoming general election could only raise a wry knowing smile at the latest Tory gay gaffe.

Shadow home secretary Chris Graying has said he understands and supports Christian hotel owners who refuse to accommodate gay and lesbian couples.

The senior conservative was secretly recorded last week disagreeing with an equality law that protects gays from such discrimination – a law he had voted for.

In regards to the case of Christian couple Mike and Susanne Wilkinson, who recently turned a male gay couple away from their Berkshire B&B, Graying said he felt they should have the right to do so.

“I think we need to allow people to have their own consciences. I personally always took the view that, if you look at the case of should a Christian hotel owner have the right to exclude a gay couple from a hotel, I took the view that if it’s a question of somebody who’s doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn’t come into their own home.”, he said at a Centre for Policy Studies think-tank.

“If they are running a hotel on the High Street, I really don’t think that it is right in this day and age that a gay couple should walk into a hotel and be turned away because they are a gay couple, and I think that is where the dividing line comes.”

His comments have caused anger among gay rights groups and embarrassed Tory leader David Cameron – currently wooing the gay vote.

Gay equality campaigners believe Graying’s opinion defies the equality Act 2006, which outlaws discrimination on goods and services on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Former Prime Minister and Conservative member of parliament William Hague defended Graying during an interview on BBC Radio 4 saying: “He supported the law then and he supports the law now and he will support it in future. He’s made clear that he’s not looking for a change to the law.” Adding: “I know him as a very valued colleague.”

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit www.maleforce.com

EastEnders Gay-Bashing storyline set to offend

The secret gay romance between EastEnder’s characters Christian Clarke and Syed Masood takes a dramatic turn next month.

Soon after the love affair becomes public Christian, played by John Partridge, will suffer an anti-gay attack by a Muslim character.

The storyline is expected to spark a barrage of complaints from Muslim groups reports The Daily Star.

An EastEnders insider revealed to the newspaper: “Amira [Syed’s wife] finally learns the truth about Syed and, as you can imagine, she’s devastated

“She can’t believe that he would betray her like that with a man. And not just any man but Christian

“Everyone knows Amira’s leaving but it’s not yet known if Syed will go with her or stay in Walford with Christian. But it seems that Christian is going to take the brunt of Syed’s problems.

“Syed and Amira’s wedding achieved one of the highest ratings of the year, so we’re expecting viewers to again be gripped when this storyline reaches its dramatic climax. There will be lots of twists and turns along the way. And sadly for poor Christian, he’ll be the one who ends up taking a battering. There will also be lots of complaints.”

The Christian and Syed gay saga has already been criticized by senior Muslims.

A spokesman from the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, told The Star: “EastEnders is famous for its gritty and realistic storylines but we cannot condone such violence from a Muslim character.”

Last year Asghar Bokhari, founding member of the MPAC, told the BBC that EastEnders “really lost an opportunity to present a normal friendly Muslim character to the British public” when commenting on the Syed character.

Diedrick Santer, executive producer for EastEnders disgreed: “Sometimes there’s a danger of being too careful with black or Asian characters that we might go into territories that might offend.

“But it seems to me if we steer away from any controversy, they don’t stand a chance of being a great EastEnders family [the Masood family] – they’ll just be in their kitchen unit making curries for years and years and that’s not going to be very interesting.”

By Gary Cosby

For weekly gay news, chat and dating hook up at www.maleforce.com

Related link: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/128234/Eastenders-Gay-attack-to-spark-fury/