Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 504 i GAY TIMES

First of all, thank you for purchasing Gay Times Magazine. You’ve shown your support of not only queer publishing and media, but the experiences of the wider LGBTQ community. If you’d like to continue reading Gay Times Magazine, the best value can be found in our varying subscription options. As a subscriber you’ll enjoy unparalleled access to the latest in queer culture, delivered to your door (before the shops) each and every month. You’ll also make great savings - up 42% per issue in fact! Best of all - if you purchase an annual subscription today, we’ll refund the cost of your last issue for you straight away! All you need to do is use the discount code: FEBRUARY2020 at the checkout and you will only pay £30 for 12…

LOOKING CLEAN SHAVEN. On these cold and dark winter mornings, the pleasure of a hot towel shave experience is just the type of incentive to get us out of the cosiness of our bed. The GilletteLabs Heated Razor offers just that. This high-tech device provides a sustained heat sensation via its warming bar, making every stroke of the razor more comfortable on your skin. With adjustable temperature levels, automatic overheating protection and a stylish magnetic wireless charging base, it’s a solid and sophisticated piece of tech to add to your everyday grooming routine. It’s also 100% waterproof meaning you can use it in the shower. Those early morning winter starts have just become way more bearable. Available from gillette.co.uk, priced £199 LOOKING FLAWLESS. You are supposed to clean your makeup…

If somehow you haven’t heard of Victoria Monét, you have almost certainly sang along to one of her songs. The American star has been cutting her teeth as one of the music industry’s most successful songwriters in recent years, with writing credits on huge hits for Ariana Grande (thank u, next, 7 rings) as well as tracks for Fifth Harmony, Janelle Monae, Nas and more. But the last 12 months have seen Victoria begin to step out again as an artist in her own right. There was the infectious R&B jam Monopoly in April last year, before her new single, the sultry and soulful Ass Like That. The latter sets up Victoria’s forthcoming new project; one that promises to place her centre stage. “It’s your motherfucking moment,” she declares on…

“My whole career path is essentially about representing us in the correct way, in the way that we see ourselves, whether it’s any form of media, TV, magazines, editorial, movies, I’m in,” Jillian Mercardo tells us minutes before her photoshoot, and just a couple of hours after it was announced that the sequel series to groundbreaking queer drama The L Word, Generation Q, has just been renewed for a second season. The actress and model, who was one of the first with a physical disability in the fashion industry, recently joined the cast as Maribel, an immigration attorney and the little sister of Sophie (Rosanny Zayas). “I personally haven’t seen anyone with such a strong personality who is queer, Latina and just so happens to have a physical disability,” she…

For anyone with an interest in theatre, Dear Evan Hansen has been impossible to ignore. Featuring songs composed by celebrity writing duo Pasek & Paul – responsible for the La La Land and The Greatest Showman soundtracks – the Broadway run swept the Tony Awards. It transferred to London’s Noël Coward Theatre last year to adulation and nightly standing ovations. For Nicole, who plays Alana in the show, it’s been a huge moment. “It’s been the most life-changing experience, I’ve never been part of something so important before. I’ve done shows but they’re not as important or as needed as this one. Anyone seeing it can relate to every single person on the stage, whether it’s dealing with anxiety, or depression, or their happiness or their need to fit in.…

Taylor Ross, the designer behind rising label Ricky King, has succeeded in crafting work that transcends the disposable nature of modern fashion, seamlessly blending the old and the new to create something altogether timeless. Perhaps the ultimate in DIY labels (albeit a very sophisticated one), all Ricky King work is hand-crafted and utilises a variety of repurposed materials, imbuing Ross’ designs with the authenticity of the all-American fashion he draws upon. From bustiers made of cowboy boots to dresses made of belts, his work is never one-dimensional even when it is minimalistic, hiding layers of conceptualism in its stitches. Ross is best known for his pieces that can only be described as a modern Western fetishist’s wet dream, marrying the yeehaw energy of the classic cowboy with confronting futuristic styles.…

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February. An issue talking about love. Where’s the Devil Wears Prada ‘groundbreaking’ gif when you need it? Thing is, these pages are full of extraordinary people doing their bit to make the lives of queer people that little bit better. It’s fitting that Valentine’s Day – as soppy and consumerist as it is – falls within the same month that it’s LGBT History Month in the UK. It’s an opportunity for us queer Brits to reflect on the trailblazers and history-makers who fought for our right to love openly, live as our authentic selves and yes, be able to buy those same-sex Valentine’s Day cards so that we too can get swooped up into the capitalist-fuelled lovefest. Okay, I’ll stop being cynical now. What I’ve learned, however, is that while…

On a dark February evening in 1954, a 17-year-old schoolboy met a man on the Exeter to Taunton express. Within weeks, that schoolboy was on trial. According to his prosecutor, Mr Kenneth Bain: ‘He got into conversation with a man in his compartment and made improper approaches. The man was a railway policeman and at Taunton took him into an office for questioning.’ The boy, Geoffrey Patrick Williamson, told them, ‘You may consider things morally wrong. I don’t.’ But Geoffrey had fallen into a trap laid by a ‘pretty policeman’ and his youthful defiance didn’t last long. Under official pressure, Geoffrey named 16 other men, mostly from Taunton, as sexual contacts. On 26th May 1954, they all stood trial with him on indecency charges at the Town Hall in Wells,…

i'll have what she's having! With shade names like Endless Orgasm, it’s clear NARS is promoting that selfpleasure lifestyle… and we’re here for it. Dabble in the pinks to make yourself wink, and swipe your lips with buttery, hydrating balms so soft you’ll want to kiss yourself. It’s time to indulge and make both your body and your mug glow this Spring.…

Music and romance have always been intertwined, from candlelit dinners to the most memorable love stories on the big screen – these moments just wouldn’t be the same without a heartfelt soundtrack. Historically, this kind of music has been targeted towards straight couples, but in recent years we’ve seen an influx of openly LGBTQ artists who are unafraid to open their hearts and sing about queer love in all its forms. Whether it’s Glaswegian singer-writer Joesef recalling his first same-sex romance on the slow-burning Kerosene, Rina Sawayama embracing her pansexuality on the soaring pop anthem Cherry, or Kim Petras encapsulating the spiralling feelings of uncertain love on If U Think About Me, love songs have never been so queer. We’ve rounded up 12 of our favourites for you to add…

Since we first spoke to Taliwhoah at the beginning of 2019, she’s released both an EP and her brilliant debut album Another Dimension, a record full of soulful pop and late-night R&B sounds. She’s also fully embraced her sexuality, singing of same-sex love on the luscious track Love Cycle and living openly as a bisexual woman – a decision she says has helped her evolve as an artist. “I’ve always had my little community of people who I’ve always just been myself around, but now having other people be able to identify me and hold whatever opinion it is that they have, I just feel more free because I’m absolutely doing my thing now,” she tells us. “I think my identity is something that’s such a huge part of my…

This March, Sasha Velour will be returning to the UK with their one-queen show, Smoke & Mirrors, a 90-minute extravaganza that combines drag, live theatre, visual art, magic, personal storytelling and a reenactment of the iconic So Emotional lip-sync. The tour, which they created and directed themselves, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and praise from stars such as Troye Sivan, Allie X, Willam, Courtney Act, Alyssa Edwards, Peppermint, Shea Coulee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Later this year, Sasha is also bringing their high-concept show Nightgowns to the upcoming short-form digital service Quibi. The eight-episode docuseries, which is directed by Sophie Muller, will follow Sasha and the members of their team as they craft a legendary lip-sync performance, all while we go behind-the-scenes of their creative process. “I’ve wanted to purposefully capture…

Kalesma, Mykonos. This summer, how about we wrestle Mykonos back from the likes of Lindsay Lohan and give it its homojo back? Deal? And how about we start with the brand new and deliciously lovely Kalesma in Ornos Bay, about as close as you can get to town while being at a beautiful beach. With 25 suites and two villas, all of which (yes, ALL of which) have their own private pools for your skinny-dipping pleasure, this resort done out to look like a local village has both sunrises and sunsets, which is more than ready money can buy. Add to that food from the people behind some of Mykonos’s most famous restaurants and Private Experience Concierges (to get your cabs to and from the drag shows at Elysium and…