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WELCOME TO THE GAY BELFAST WEBSITE
Thanks for visiting the Gay Belfast website we hope you like our website. Do contact us with your comments. Should you have trouble finding your way around the website? Try the Gay Belfast Site Map or Search Page facility. Fancy a Gay Belfast T-Shirt for Belfast Pride or maybe a mug or mouse mat? Then we have a Gay Belfast Shop just for you. Check it out!
Coming to Belfast? Let Gay Belfast plan your day finds out what's happening each day in Belfast's gay scene or check out the Gay Belfast recommended hotels and guesthouses for places to stay. For example Jurys Inn Belfast and many other hotels within walking distance of the gay scene
. Both are located in the centre of the city and just two minutes' walk from the prime shopping areas
of Donegall Place and the Castlecourt Centre. And a walk to the centre of Gay Belfast. For some hot tourist tips click here. To find your way check out the Gay Belfast map. We also like the new discover belfast website.
Spotlight on the latest Gay Belfast News and Events
Every Saturday we just love the Union Street Bar, Belfast. With Tinas Karaoke from 5pm - 8pm, followed by Grannies Time Tunnel, campest tunes from the 70s. A great start to your night out and no cover charge!. The other big night on the scene not to be missed must be SWAGGER @ El Divino. more
Weekend: Andrew Haigh's unassumingly excellent lo-fi feature has just finished its run at the QFT. The boy-meets-boy love story extending over a single weekend is filmed with a kind of real-time realism. There is sadness here, as well as humour and romance, and a sense that sexual experience is not merely exciting for its own sake, but an adventure in defining one's sense of self: what one character calls finding both partner and your self as a blank slate. Weekend has something urgent to say to both gay and straight audiences about the windows of opportunity in our lives. Weekend stars our hunk of the month Tom Cullen. A must see if you miss it at the QFT you can buy Weekend [DVD] at Amazon
Every Sunday Forbidden Fruit presents Victor/Victoria's Belfast newest Gay Night at Victoria's. Victoria's Bar (Formerly Advocate) is located on Chichester Street beside House of Fraser. Victor Victoria'son Sunday Nights with Lady Portia Diamonte, Bunny will host a weekly variety and talent show from 9pm till 2am with some fantastic Special Guests.... Keeping the floor packed with only the very best in pop & dance is Dj Ryan... 1/2 Price Cocktails, £3 Vodbulls and £2.50 WKD's till Midnight.
Forbidden Fruit's Krave Belfast: the city's newest Gay Saturday returns this Sat 7th January to Victoria's Bar/Club Chichester Street! 9pm-3am Chart Pop, Camp Classics & Club Anthems are the order of the night! Happy Hour 9-11 with a Selection of Shots only £1.50 & Bottles of House Wine only £10! Admission £5 - See you there xx
Iris Robinson's favourite psychiatrist who offers “gay cure” therapy has had conditions imposed on his practice of medicine while a complaint against him by an undercover journalist is investigated. Read the full story in our News Section.
Young Men Talking is a new opportunity for 16-25 year old men who identify as gay or bisexual. The group aims to help the members to explore their understanding of sexual identity and masculinity. The group is based in Youth Action in Belfast city centre and is a safe environment for young men to meet and support other people who understand what it means to be gay or bisexual today. The group is currently at an exciting stage where it can grow into what the members want it to become. The possibilities are limitless for the members who want to take part. For any information or if you are interested in becoming part of the group, Please contact Martin or Holly at Youth Action. holly@youthaction.org martin@youthaction.org or search for Holly YouthAction on Facebook
Map of Gay Belfast venues for a full list of bars and clubs in gay belfast visit our scene page. Tell us your favourite gay bars and clubs in gay belfast.
Health Focus
Community Testing: The Rainbow Project, in partnership with the Royal GUM clinic have organised free, confidential sexual health testing and support clinics at the Outside sauna and The Rainbow Project’s offices at the LGTB Centre.
The clinics operate a drop-in service – no appointment is necessary. Rapid HIV Testing: The Rainbow Project’s Rapid HIV Testing will run on Monday and Wednesday mornings and will be by appointment only. This will take place at The Rainbow Project’s office at the LGBT Centre 9-13 Waring Street BT1 2DX. This testing service will give gay and bisexual men and other men-who-have-sex-with-men the opportunity to get tested in a safe and welcoming environment. The test itself takes 20 minutes, with results given on the day. The whole process takes 1 hour. For further information please contact The Rainbow Project’s Sexual Health Development Officer harry@rainbow-project.org. To book an appointment please call 028 90 31 90 30.
“CHECKUM” campaign hots up: Recently voted the best-looking housemate ever; BIG BROTHERS Dale Howard is the latest celebrity to join forces with over 40 other top celebrities for the Famousmales Testicular Cancer Awareness Campaign in Association with Macmillan Cancer Support. Dale looking even better after leaving the BB house is now a Personal Trainer and is working in Manchester. Dale said ” I’ve never gone completely nude for photographs before but this is such an important cause that I just had to drop my pants and “CHECKUM”. The campaign has attracted Top Celebrity support with names like Ronan Keating, Westlife and Shayne Ward to name but a few. The message is loud and clear - Check yourself and get to a Doctor if you have any worries at all!” more on this story...
Gay Belfast Hunk of the Month
Check out the latest Gay Belfast Hunk of the Month. Check out previous hunks such as Northern Ireland swimmers Andrew Bree, Mitch Hewer and Gregory Michael the US actor who plays Kevin Archer in the sexy US gay soap hit Dante's Cove. We also have a special on Matthew Mitcham who won a diving gold at the Olympics. You can also still droll over Shayne Ward who played in Belfast's Odyssey Arena last year.
To view this months hunk and check out previous hunky men including Hayden Christensen, Jesse Metcalf, Bryn Cunningham, Calum Best, Laurence Graham, Johan Kenkhuis and Kevin Bishop or suggest future hunks; visit the Gay Belfast Hunk of the Month Page.
Staying in?
For the Best Gay and Lesbian DVD's click here
Sean Penn gets in touch with his feminine side in Gus Van Sant's powerful, moving biopic about the activist and San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, but was murdered soon afterwards. Read our review of MILK.
Belfast Pride Festival
Belfast Pride is Ireland’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans festival appealing to audiences of over 17,000 people in the summer of each year. In 2011 Belfast Pride held its 21st Anniversary. Belfast Pride celebrated our diversity with a week long celebration which take place at the end of July and feature a programme of events which we are sure appeals to even the most diverse range of tastes. The pride parade on Saturday 30th July was the highlight of the Belfast Pride Festival, and was the culmination of a week-long celebration, which included lectures, exhibitions and performing arts events.
Travel: Scandinavia Pride Festivals
Scandinavia hosts several pride festivals each year, making it a great travel destination for the gay and lesbian community. The Pride festivals, held every year in June, July and August are the highlight of the year in the Scandinavian gay calendar. Here are the best pride events in Scandinavia - no matter what your sexual orientation may be.
Stockholm Pride Festival: Started in 1998, the Stockholm Pride week in late July is now the highlight of the year for many gays, lesbians and transgenders. It is the largest event for GLBT in Scandinavia. There are many international performers, activities, and other events to keep you busy.
Copenhagen Pride Festival: Each year in August, Copenhagen Pride attracts visitors from Scandinavia and many other countries, inviting them to the Copenhagen Pride Week, held in Denmark's capital since 1996. Copenhagen Pride offers visitors many GLBT activities (e.g. an open air film event), happening mainly in the centre of Copenhagen. The Pride Square Café is the social hot spot at this pride event.
Oslo Pride Festival: The so-called "Skeive Dager Oslo" is Oslo's annual GLBT event and the largest pride festival in Norway. The Oslo Pride week takes place in late June in Norway's capital and offers a film festival, concerts, workshops, exhibitions, and much more free entertainment!
Scandinavian Airlines fly 24 times a week direct from Dublin to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and onwards to Scandinavia and the Baltics from as little as €65 one way including taxes. Always with SAS: Free 20kg baggage, Free online check-in, Eurobonus points, 25% child discount. SAS Scandinavian Airlines were Europe's most punctual major airline during 2009 and 2010. Scandinavian Airlines who have been flying consistently from Dublin to Scandinavia for over 43 years were delighted to be the official airline of the World Outgames last Summer in Copenhagen.Book your flight to see what Scandinavia has to offer with SAS. Visit www.flysas.ie.
To find out more about Copenhagen and other Nordic cities visit the SAS website. See also our article on gay pride marches in Scandinavia. See also our Denmark holiday feature.
Thousands at Belfast Gay Pride parade
Around 17,000 people took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday afternoon for the annual Pride parade. The event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, began at Custom House Square at noon before winding its way through the city. Organisers said they went to great lengths to make this year's parade family friendly. There were a number of small religious protests along the route but some clergy also participated in the parade. Presbyterian minister, Reverend Chris Hudson said that he wanted to show solidarity with the gay and lesbian community. He added: "I want to say to them, particularly those of a Christian faith, that it is ok to be gay and a Christian and do not let anyone tell you otherwise." Those protesting believe that homosexuality is incompatible with biblical scripture. The organisers say that the Belfast event is now the biggest Pride event in Ireland. It is the culmination of Pride week which has been running since last Saturday. Send your Belfast Pride photographs and videos to GayBelfast.Net
Many other prides are take place we have a special focus on Scandinavia which hosts several pride festivals each year, making it a popular gay travel destination. Read our report on the Copenhagen and Stockholm pride festivals here.
Out & About is a programme of YouthAction Northern Ireland for young women who identify as other than heterosexual aged 16 to 25 years. The group has been running in Belfast for over 7 years and has also completed projects in Derry and Newry. Out & About get involved in a range of programmes from designing sexual health packs for young gay women, creative writing projects, through to responding to government about issues facing young women. The group is about to open up for new members and we would love to have you along if you fit the bill (aged 16-25 years, female and identify as other than hetero). Please feel free to invite a friend along contact Gail for more information about the group. Contact Info: Tel: 028 9024 0551 Email:gail@youthaction.org or Web: www.youthaction.org.
Gay Basketball Team Members Wanted Message from Joanna Ryde: Hey guys! We've set up a basketball team being run from my new home town of Waterford and we've 10 teams but none north of the border! Would love Belfast, Derry and Newry involved! We've got teams in 8 towns and cities so far and all are mixed so they're not gender specific! Everyone plays on the same team! Would be nice to have the North involved! let us know if you can help out! www.Rainbow-League.com or mail me at JoannaRyde@gmail.com
Gay Belfast Online Dating & Friendfinder
Fancy a date or a chat tonight? Check out our new dating and friendfinder service. Talk to belfast guys and beyond online now! Gay Belfast Dating is an online dating and friendfinder service. With Gay Belfast Dating you can meet new friends, find romance or simply meet up online with people sharing similar interests and hobbies. You can register for free and search the site completely anonymously right away - and it's completely safe, secure and confidential.
Enjoy safety and security with Gay Belfast Dating - a safe place to meet online. We have put together the golden rules that everyone should follow to make Gay Belfast Dating as safe a place as possible. Follow these few simple check points and you'll have nothing to worry about! Passwords: Choose a password that you can easily remember but that would be difficult for anyone else to guess. Childrens' names are easy, but just as easy for someone who knows you to guess too! Personal information: Gay Belfast Dating has a wonderful messaging system which means you don't need to give out any contact information at all until you're happy to, so don't be afraid to tell someone that you'd rather stick to talking online for a bit longer. If they're genuine then they won't have a problem. Scammers: If someone you barely know asks to borrow money or asks for any sort of financial details whatsoever, then alarm bells should start to ring. You wouldn't expect someone you met in the pub last week to ask you for money, and you shouldn't expect it online either. Personal safety: The bottom line, is that you should always stay in control. Meet in a public place, tell someone when and where you're going, and arrange to call them at a given time to confirm all's going well. If your date is worth their salt, they will completely understand. Don't panic! The vast majority of people you meet online will be genuine people just like you who are simply looking for a date or some friendship. Unfortunately, it's best to plan for the worst and then allow people to prove themselves otherwise, but don't let the occasional dodgy character spoil your enjoyment. Remember, Gay Belfast Dating will never send you any e-mails asking for any personal details, so if you get anything like this, please forward it on to us. Take care and have fun.
FILM
If you're after old classic gay titles like My Beautiful Laundrette, Better Than Chocolate, or great TV like The L Word, Queer As Folk, or the brand new steamy series Dante's Cove, or even theatrical hits like Brokeback Mountain and Mulholland Drive, you've come to the right place. Browse the store for all the hits you know and love, and discover other great titles. Keep an eye on the latest offers and bestsellers. The Gay Belfast Gay and Lesbian DVD Shop is the best place to hunt out hard to come by gay and lesbian titles, and to grab a bargain at the same time.
See also the most popular items in Gay and Lesbian DVD Bestsellers via Amazon
David's Birthday
Boys on Film 5 - James
The Boys on Film series continues with the release of series five which contains a 17 minutes shot 'James' by Connor Clements. Focusing on James, a 15 year-old boy in Northern Ireland isolated by his sexuality and alienated from his family due to his parent s marital troubles. James reaches out in desperation to his teacher for support and guidance only to be curtly rejected. Instead James heads for his local "cottage" – the only local place he knows where he can find gay men. Features an outstanding performance from Niall Wright as James. Boys on Film 5 can be purchased at Amazon
From the makers of the fabulous Pineapple Dance Studios and Louie Spence's Showbusiness comes a fresh, quirky and hilarious show which turns the documentary genre on its head. A Different Breed is set in the canine world of grooming salons, dog crèches and vets, following the eccentric people who work there and the bizarre dog owners who treat their pets better than their children. The dog-obsessed owners are fascinating on their own, but the real stars of the show are the pets themselves. Using comedy scripted voice-overs the show occasionally skips out of reality to imagine, if these dogs could talk, what would they say? From the gay security dog to the mentally deficient Pit-Bull, each dog has their own special personality that reflects their breed and their owner. A Different Breed is available from Amazon
A Touch of Pink (Our Rating: GGGG)
Playing it straight is about to get complicated in the fabulous screwball comedy A Touch of Pink starring heartthrobs Jimi Mistry (from East is East) and Kyle MacLachlan (Sex and the City). Alim (Jimi Mistry) is a young Canadian, now living in London, who is so caught up in the romance, style and dreams of the old movies that he has adopted the spirit of Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan) as his lifestyle advisor. Whilst Cary freely gossips about his defunct co-stars and offers sartorial tips, Alim is enjoying a hot romance with his new sexy boyfriend Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried from The Tudors). But his life of leisure and pleasure begins to unravel when his mother Nuru (Suleka Mathew from Men in Trees) shows up. She has come to London to find Alim a proper Ismaili-Muslim girlfriend and to convince him to return to Canada and join the family for his cousin's spectacular wedding. Once in Toronto, Alim's different worlds begin to collide and he has to choose between his fantasy life with Cary, his family and the earthier pleasures of real life with his man. Paying homage to the Cary Grant and Doris Day movies of the late '50s and early '60s, A Touch of Pink is a clever and big hearted screwball comedy. TOUCH OF PINK is available to buy on DVD or rent from LoveFilm.com.
View the Touch of Pink Trailer
Loving Annabelle (Our Rating: GGGG)
Loving Annabelle a beautiful story of love between a teacher and a student that is told so beautifully that the viewer is instantly drawn in as the relationship develops. The leading actresses, Erin Kelly as Annabelle (the student) and Diane Gaidry as Simone (the catholic boarding school teacher) are excellent and believable, the ensemble cast likewise and the locations and the cinematography are beautiful. Katherine Brooks has done a wonderful job in writing and directing a thoroughly enjoyable but thought provoking movie. There is such depth to the story that you indeed forget that the subject matter is taboo and forbidden, it is simply a love story. Buy Loving Annabelle from Amazon and support our website or rent from LoveFilm.com.
NOT ANOTHER GAY MOVIE
Andy is your typical All-American seventeen-year-old gay virgin. Like everyone
else, he's dying to lose his virginity. Totally out of the closet and crazy
for it, this naive high school senior is caught in that awkward vortex
between child and adult. Much to the dismay of his MOM (who wonders why
all her carrots and cucumbers keep disappearing), Andy spends much of
his private time practicing for the big moment when he'll finally take the
plunge.
Andy is not alone. He attends high school with his three best friends, all of
them totally out-loud-and-proud. JAROD is a buff, blonde varsity-jock
stud. GRIFF is the valedictorian, sinewy sexy, and a closet romantic.
NICO is the pierced alternative-kid gay-cinema expert. The guys all have
one thing in common - they're all booty-virgins.
MUFFLER, 18, the boys' bulldyke Casanova stud bud, delights in pointing this
out. Muffler is a cheerleader-magnet with loads of sexual experience
under her mullet. The final straw for the guys comes at Muffler's graduation
party, where everyone is having sex but them. That night they make a
pact to do "the
big A" by the end of summer.
What follows is a raunchy ride on the bumpy road to butt love. Along the way,
the film spoofs not only American Pie and gay movies from Trick to The
Broken Hearts Club, but also the entire gay lifestyle.
After the end-of-summer blow-out bash at Muffler's, the boys' lives (and asses)
will never be the same...
Will Andy decide he's not ready for sex after all? Will Griff act on his raging
crush for best friend Jarod? What is Nico doing with MUFFLER'S GRANDPA?
Will Andy get that gerbil out of his ass?
Beneath the film's sex-romp exterior beats the true heart of the story - one
of friendship and loss of innocence. Each character experiences his own
rite of passage on a journey that spans from boys to men.
Not since John Waters' early Pink Flamingos days has a legitimate theatrical
release been so totally filthy and yet lovably innocent. Five G Stars. Buy
Another Gay Movie from Amazon and support our website or rent from LoveFilm.com. See our video section for clips.
For
the Best Gay & Lesbian DVD's click here
Visit our video section for the latest movie clips.
HellBent - the world's very first "gay slasher flick". (Our Rating: GGGG)
HellBent, the directorial debut of Texas-born art director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts, makes the rather unique claim of being the world's very first "gay slasher flick". It's also a pretty well-crafted and surprisingly intelligent little psycho-thriller, and one that manages to surpass its own gimmicky description while giving the adventurous genre fans something interesting to chew on - the hot guys also help! The plot is certainly nothing revolutionary: A group of fun-loving friends plans to spend one wild Halloween together -- despite that fact that a local lunatic has been slashing gay guys to ribbons while they make out in parked cars. That's pretty much it, plot-wise, but hey; it's not like Friday the 13th is a masterpiece of brilliant narrative structure, so off we go to the Halloween slash-fest. Those expecting some sort of pedestal standing tract on the equality of homosexuals will be pleased to note that HellBent does not preach or make speeches. It's just a nasty little hack-'em-up in which the victims simply happen to be young gay guys instead of football jocks or busty cheerleader chicks. The actors are not only very hunky but they can also act, the kills are enjoyably and gruesomely nasty, and the subtext is clear and obvious enough as to avoid a feeling or button-pushing or outright pretence. It's not deep and it's not unique, but HellBent approaches an oft abused sub-genre with just enough originality and creativity to warrant praise. Buy Hellbent from Amazon and support our website or rent from LoveFilm.com.
Nina's Heavenly Delights (Our Rating: GGGG)
Nina,
a young lesbian woman, leaves home under a cloud. When her father dies
she returns to the family owned Indian restaurant. Her return brings many
surprises - discovering her father's gambling debts, a confrontation with
a jilted ex-fiancée, and meeting, Lisa, a charismatic young woman
who now owns half the restaurant. Amid an identity crisis and after having
a row with her father, Indo-Scotswoman Nina leaves home. Peace and tranquillity
is short-lived when she receives news that her father has died and that
she must return home to run the family curry house. With the Best Of The
West curry competition heating up and a romance with her father's former
business partner brewing, Nina must pull out all the stops if she is to
win both of the prizes she covets. A heart-warming comedy with a spicy
flavour. Great performances from Shelly Conn (Nina) and Laura Fraser (Lisa).
Would recommend it highly. Buy
Nina's Heavenly Delights from Amazon and support our website or rent from LoveFilm.com. Remember to also visit our film page.
BOOKS
The most popular items in the Gay and Lesbian Bestsellers in Books
We have a Gay and Lesbian Books Section with reviews of the latest books: visit our book review webpage.
Household Idols by Mark Henderson
What happens when
you take a 17th century Art Historian, hand him a camera along with a
couple of the most gorgeous models around, and allow him total free reign
in a beautiful home setting? Well, the answer of course is laid out right
before you . Introducing the stunning culmination of photographer Mark
Henderson's work, Household Idols.
How do men become idols? And how can we get close to them? Mark Henderson places beautiful, unreachable men in a domestic ambience. Bedrooms, kitchens and gardens become backdrops of sexual attraction, and all of a sudden these men seem touchable. This is why Henderson shot most of them in his private home; color manipulation makes the ambient new every time. Mark Henderson prefers luscious colors and harsh contrasts to enhance the immediateness of his photographs. He colors individual items on monochrome works to set them apart. read more
Buy Household Idols from Amazon
Gay Belfast: the award winning website for scene news and events for the Belfast gay and lesbian community and those visiting the city. Coming to Belfast? Let Gay Belfast plan your day finds out what's happening each day in Belfast's gay scene. We tell you the best gay bars and clubs in Belfast so you do not waste any time. Check out the Gay Belfast recommended hotels and guesthouses for places to stay.
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