Tag Archives: Channel 4

Out Journalist Anna Richardson Leaks Naked Photos of Herself Online For Revenge Porn Experiment

Journalist and investigator Anna Richardson – who is currently dating Sue Perkins of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off –has leaked her own sexy selfie as part of a TV experiment.

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Revenge porn has arisen with the ease of people being able to send explicit consensual pictures to each other, which are then uploaded to the internet for public consumption as a form of payback after a break-up.

Talking to the Evening Standard, she explained she wanted to explore the issue of angry exes uploading pictures to the internet without consent, which is now a crime in the UK.

It was a move that she didn’t take lightly.

The women who have been ‘revenge porned’ have been revenge porned without their consent, and they have no control over those images, albeit that it’s their body.

In this situation, I’m taking the pictures, I’m deciding what to do, I’m uploading them, I have control over it. Even though those pictures will be there forever, I think now having met women who have been revenge porned, I feel much stronger about the fact that this is something I should be doing properly.”

The pictures received hundreds of thousands of hits and hateful comments – however, later in the experiment they promptly disappeared, suggesting that the website discovered her photos were not all they appeared to be, but were still allegedly being shared privately by users.

I’ve been absolutely taken aback at the level of depravity that’s involved, the betrayal that’s involved, and also the danger that’s involved. It’s really, really, taken my breath away. Revenge porn is undoubtedly utterly heinous and dangerous, and everybody should be aware of the risks.”

Emily Jones of Channel 4 added:

Five years ago hardly anyone had even heard of revenge porn. In the past year it has made international news, and changed UK law. It has also spiralled in popularity and has the potential to effect anyone who has ever taken an intimate photograph. This programme will serve as a warning, but will also take an intelligent look at how the Internet has changed the way we control our own image.”

Channel 4 Talks Upcoming Gay Drama ‘Cucumber’

It doesn’t take a television analyst to see that the state of LGBT characters in the media isn’t quite where we want it to be. Often, non-heterosexual (or non-cisgendered) characters are shoehorned in with side plots and undeveloped storylines even at the best of times, which is why it’s so refreshing to see those who have broken away from heteronormativity get the spotlight.

UK television channel Channel 4 is often very good with that, previously airing iconic, queer-friendly shows like Skins across its network. Now, the channel is coming back with several gay dramas based around one another, the flagship of these being ‘Cucumber’.

Set to star Vincent Franklin as a gay male in his 40s who is attracted to a younger man, Cucumber will also feature Julie Hesmondhalgh (of Coronation Street fame) and comedian Rufus Hound. A gay drama, it will be interesting to see a gay male at the centre of attention this time round and Russell T. Davies, the creator of Queer As Folk, another iconic piece of queer media, is on board to helm the show which is incredibly hopeful indeed.

Cucumber will also have a companion show named Banana which will air on Channel 4’s sister channel E4 and will be aimed towards the younger demographic. There will also be an online portion of the project named Tofu which will explore stories of gay sex and will also feature contributions from the public.

All having potentially conservative-bothering storylines, characters and topics, Piers Wenger, Channel 4’s Head of Drama explains…

“In a drama looking at the details of people’s sex lives, whether gay or straight people, of course you are required to bust taboos or ask probing questions. There’s no doubt people will find it challenging but it’s asking intelligent questions in an original way.”

Piers Wenger, Channel 4’s Head of Drama

Meanwhile, Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s Chief Creative Officer noted that the shows are all “channel-defining” and that they likely wouldn’t broadcast on US television networks. Cucumber, Banana and Tofu will, however, air in the UK sometime in 2015.

Source:PinkNews

 

UK Black Community Shines Spotlight on Justice for Jamaican LGBTQ Community

UK Black Pride was proud to join UK Lesbian Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG) to stand in solidarity with Jamaican LGBTQ people who are fighting for their right to dignity and justice by co.hosting an event on Friday 13 June.

Almost 50 participants attended a special screening of the Channel 4 documentary ‘Unreported World: Jamaica’s Underground Gays’ at the offices of Wilson Solicitors LLP in London. The documentary sees Team GB Paralympian, Ade Adepitan, interviews Sachaberry and Krissy who movingly expose, in sometimes disturbingly graphic detail, the systemic extent of violence and homophobia against LGBT people in Kingston, Jamaica, as they try to live their lives.

Whilst homosexuality is not illegal, Jamaica’s anti-sodomy laws prohibit acts of gross indecency(interpreted as any physical intimacy between men in public or private). Such acts can be punished by 10 years of hard labour in prison and violence against the LGBTQ community is rife.

The UK Black Pride and UKLGIG screening was followed by a panel discussion and fundraising reception with lesbian and gay rights activists and legal professionals

PJ Samuels spoke about the negative role of some popular culture, including dancehall music, artists who promote “murder music” that advocates homophobic prejudice. Samuels also noted the omission of any reference to lesbians in the documentary but made clear that this invisibility did not mean Jamaican lesbian and bisexual women do not suffer.

Vernal Scott, a gay Christian, described his efforts to coordinate a meeting with the Jamaican High Commission in London and gave personal testimony about his experience of growing up with his conservative Christian mother, who was shown in the Unreported World documentary as a church attendee with a megaphone. Scott underlined the key role that conservative interpretation of religions has played to propagate homophobia.

James Stuart of Wilson Solicitors LLP described Britain’s asylum system and stressed the need to raise awareness and funds to help LGBTQ asylum seekers while audience members called on UK Black Pride to raise the issue of Jamaican LGBTQ rights with the Jamaica High Commission and to maintain engagement with Stonewall to lobby the British government for fairer asylum rights for LGBTQ people.

Closing the meeting, UK Black Pride’s Phyll Opoku-Gyimah confirmed that it would make a donation to Dwayne’s House, which gives care and support for homeless LGBT youth in Jamaica and committed to its lobbying by asking people to sign a petition calling on Portia Simpson-Miller, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, to provide safe accommodation for LGBTQ youth fleeing persecution in Jamaica.

Sign the petition here: http://chn.ge/1j5O46U

UK Black Pride Demands Justice for Jamaican LGBTs

Yesterday, UK Black Pride (Europe’s largest not-for-profit organisation for African, Asian and Caribbean-heritage lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people), proudly announced a collaborative project with UK Lesbian Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG), to show solidarity with Jamaican LGBTs fighting for their dignity and justice in their country.

UK Black Pride and UKLGIG will host a screening of Channel 4’s documentary ‘Unreported World: Jamaica’s Underground Gays’ on Friday 13 June in London. The documentary sees Team GB Paralympian, Ade Adepitan, interviews Sachaberry and Krissy who movingly expose, in sometimes disturbingly graphic detail, the systemic extent of violence and homophobia against LGB and T people in Kingston, Jamaica, as they try to live their lives.

“UK Black Pride’s message of love without borders resonates with our community of Black LGBT people whose families hail from all corners of the world. We must put every social and political pressure that we can muster to demand dignity and respect for our Jamaican sisters and brothers so come out and join us!”

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, UK Black Pride’s founder and Executive Director

Whilst homosexuality is not illegal on the Caribbean island, Jamaica’s anti-sodomy laws prohibit acts of gross indecency (interpreted as any physical intimacy between men in public or private). Such acts are punishable by 10 years of hard labour in prison. This law and hardened social and cultural attitudes mean that violence against the LGBT community is rife.

UK Black Pride is inviting those who have been affected by the issues raised in the documentary, and those who want to learn more about the situation in Jamaica, and those who want to show solidarity with Jamaica’s LGBT community, to join them us at this film screening, which will be followed by a panel discussion and fundraising reception with lesbian and gay rights activists and legal professionals, including: Wayne Simmonds; PJ Samuels; Vernal Scott, Ana Gonzalez and Phyll Opoku-Gyimah.

You can register for your FREE ticket here. You can also show support by signing a petition that calls on Portia Simpson Miller, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, to provide safe and clean accommodation for LGBT youth who are escaping persecution in Jamaica. Sign here: http://chn.ge/1j5O46U


Watch the trailer for ‘Jamaica’s Underground Gays | Unreported World Shorts’