Every year we mark Pride Month in June, commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in 1969. Trans women and sissies and drag queens and butch dykes and sex workers and young queers led that revolt. We honour those warriors by standing together as an inclusive LGBTQ+ community now.

“I think people are aware of this shock of ‘Iranian, Egyptian and queerness’ - but that’s where I have lived all my life.” - Bookda Gheisar, Iranian-American activist on the Seattle #Pride Match, which happens to be between Iran and Egypt, two countries that do not tolerate homosexuality.

I’ve just booked my 4th short film this year. That’s 4 jobs from my last 4 auditions - or 6 bookings from my last 7 auditions. Can I get a ‘whoop-whoop!’ in here?

When people ask me which way I want to go…

Who are your favourite LGBTQ+ characters in the movies? Mine include Daniel Day Lewis as Johnny in My Beautiful Laundrette and Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Happy midsummer’s night. Sweet dreams.

Me with my father, Tom, in 1992. Although he had his own demons, he never blinked when he found out I was gay or, many years later, that I had HIV. I know how lucky I was in that. Every child deserves unconditional love from their parents. #FathersDay

Follow me on Insta for more HIV and LGBTQ news and views plus nudes.

The UK was missold Brexit. #RejoinEU

See you from 12noon 😊 🇬🇧❤️🇪🇺

Me aged 21. At that time 21 was the age of consent for gay men (it was 16 for heterosexuals). The age of consent was not equalised in Britain until 2001.

The Makerfield result interrupts the narrative that a Reform Government is inevitable.

How lucky am I to be a great big queer! Me and Dr Helen Webberley talk trans rights and queer joy. Happy Pride Month!

In his 1st term, Trump vowed to end HIV transmission in the US by 2030. It was achievable then. In his 2nd term he has slashed prevention and research grants, not least because HIV disproportionately affects gay/bi men, trans people and Black and Hispanic people. We could have ended this. 😡

New UK study finds women who received an HPV vaccine in early adolescence have virtually no risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30. Unfortunately vaccination rates are falling due to misinformation and fears.

Trust in news has fallen to an all-time low globally. 🏳️‍🌈 As LGBTQIA+ lives become increasingly politicised, our community needs journalism it can trust. We're just a few members away from our Pride Month goal. Help us build something better 👇 www.wearequeeraf.com/membership/?...

Pink to make your dad wink. Happy #PrideMonth.

People with HIV have higher rates of lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. A new study suggests following standard lymphoma treatment in people with HIV is appropriate.

Flying Pride flags or putting up posters costs councils virtually nothing but sends out a powerful message that LGBTQ+ communities are welcome and valued. Newly elected Reform Councils across England are now withdrawing even this small support. Our rights would not be safe with a Reform Government.

David Hockney was an out gay artist, depicting same-sex desire in his work, at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the UK. His work was revolutionary not just in the art world but in society.

There’s no need to criticise the appearance of the world’s first trillionaire when he has so many other qualities worthy of condemnation.

At Pride in 1991. My t-shirt is from Derek Jarman’s Edward II and my hair is awesome.

Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective is volunteer-run, pushing back on discrimination and media bias. Every pound helps us keep going and hold transphobia to account. If you can, support us or share 🏳️‍⚧️✊ www.zeffy.com/en-GB/donati...

Came out gay in 1986. Came out HIV+ in 2012. No regrets. #PrideMonth

There were 522 victims of homicide recorded in the year ending March 2025, 8% lower than the previous year and the lowest number recorded in a decade. Each of these cases is its own tragedy but the narrative that murder rates are out of control in the UK is false.

What commonly held views now will be considered reprehensible by future generations? I have thoughts but I’d love to know yours.

“The persecution of homosexuals belongs to the same sad chapter of history as the persecution of witches and heretics… May justice soon prevail over injustice in this regard, science conquer superstition and love achieve victory over hatred.” - Magnus Hirschfeld in 1919.

Viktor Orban tried to ban Budapest Pride. Instead people marched in greater numbers than ever before. And, at the first opportunity since, they kicked him out of power. Now his replacement, Peter Magyar, a conservative, defends same-sex parents. This is exciting progress for Hungary.

We’ve lived through decades of chemsex harming our queer communities. Psychosis, homelessness and unemployment are all linked to chems use. Many die of overdose - personally I’ve lost four close friends and fear losing more. And still, there is no medical classification for chemsex.

Excited to have you! 🥳

Yourself, but as a cartoon.

Long-acting injectable PrEP (drugs taken before sex to prevent HIV acquisition) works and is suitable for those unable to take pills but is currently 20x more expensive. New data on how it is being prescribed in Leeds and London.

Someone asked so here’s my top 5 #Prince songs in honour of his birthday: Let’s Go Crazy Sometimes it Snows in April Kiss Sign o’the Times The Beautiful Ones Hit me with yours.

45 years ago the CDC reported a cluster of cases of PCP pneumonia among five previously healthy gay men. This was the first medical report of what would come to be known as AIDS. AIDS has killed more than 44 million people globally. In 2024, 630,000 lives were lost to the disease. It is not over.

I never met Anthony Head. I saw him perform once, in the Rocky Horror Show, he was wonderful. But I’ve spent countless delightful hours in his virtual company, delighting in his wisdom, care and quirks. Something broke with his death. Last night I watched Passion and Band Candy. Fans understand why.

It’s 25 years since the first episode of Six Feet Under was broadcast. I think it’s my favourite TV show of all time, adult, nuanced, often hilarious, frequently devastating. And its final episode has to be the best TV finale ever.

Is Quentin Tarantino turning into the movie Morrissey?

I don’t mean to brag but (commences bragging) I’ve just booked a role in another short film, making it 3 for 3 from my last 3 auditions. #actorslife

1 in 5 people with chronic hepatitis B are cured in new drug trial.

Our trans siblings are under savage and sustained attack right now. This #PrideMonth it’s even more important that cis LGB and Q people stand firmly, and proudly, with our trans siblings. Not just because it will be LGB rights they go after next… but for that reason that too.

With the wonderful and talented Ben Everett Riley after the opening night of his play Thou Shalt Sit the F*** Down. Go grab a ticket if you can. @breadrosestheatre.bsky.social

And now to the day. Coffee with @matthewhodson.bsky.social, lunch with @malrog.bsky.social and an afternoon in the Churchill Room. The world is in a shitty place at the moment, so I seek out joy in people and places I like. Oh, and I take Will for a walk.

"Gay pride was not born of a need to celebrate being gay but of our right to exist without persecution." ~ Paulette Goodman #PrideMonth

June is designated #PrideMonth in countries around the world, marking the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in June 1969. Pride celebrates the progress we have made over the last 57 years but it also reminds us that the struggle is not over. Far from it.

Large Danish study finds people with HIV more than 4x more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than the general population.

Durham County Council, run by Reform, pulled £2,500 from Durham Pride. But the Durham Miners Association, mindful of the support from LGBT communities during the miners strike, stepped in and, along with other Unions made contributions to make this year’s Durham Pride bigger than ever before. 🏳️‍🌈💪❤️

Ghana strengthens its colonial era homophobic laws. Anyone who is LGBTQ can now be imprisoned for up to 3 years. Even allies face prison sentences. Shameful!

Last year Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban, tried to ban Pride. Tens of thousands of Hungarians donned rainbows and flooded the streets and bridges of Budapest. And this year, after Orban was ousted, the police have confirmed Budapest Pride will go ahead!

Post a photo from 2019

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