WELCOME TO 'LATELY GAY'

This is a community website dedicated to older gay men, and in particular, those who have come out in their middle or later years. "LG" is a forum for members to meet, share their experiences, offer advice to each other and gain support in the complicated world of the UK's gay scene - and beyond.

The gay community is a completely diverse mixture of ages, social backgrounds and family make-ups, but too often the focus of media coverage is concentrated on the 18-30 set. What about the guys who are only coming to terms with their true sexuality in their 40s, 50s or 60s upwards? Too often they can arrive feeling like they're late for the party and with hardly any formal or even informal support aimed at them. And all this, no doubt, in the turbulent wake of a marital break-up.

If this description strikes a chord with you and sums up where you find yourself at moment then, please, do come in and make yourself at home. This is a fledgling venture and may well be a little shaky as it takes shape but stick around and most importantly tell your friends about us. Within these pages you'll find the opportunity to tell your story, get a few things off your chest and discover that your are not alone.

Start your journey now with some of the attractions highlighted below ...

FEATURE INTERVIEW:
STEPHEN McKENNA
The LG Founder expands on his own experiences and how they've inspired him to create the LG space.





TALK TALK - THE GAY MEDIA: 40+ BLIND?
Is the gay media in danger of airbrushing older gay men off its' pages? Also ... 'How Gay Is Our World' & 'Gays The Word'

SHOUT SHOUT - KICKING OFF!Thinking the unthinkable - saying the unsayable. This is LG's free expression zone where kicking off and letting it all out are the order of the day: Enola Gays - an offensive label? Can you be an ungay gay? Is it porn or art?

HERE'S HOW TO ...
Handy tips for gay living you won't find in the Yellow Pages:

HERE'S HOW TO BE A HAPPY HOMO

HERE'S HOW TO GET A GRIP ON GAYDAR

MY GAY GODFATHER
Remembering the first gay people we knew and the ways in which they touched and shaped our lives.

ASK ARTHUR!!
LG's own Agony Uncle ARTHUR MARTHA licks his nib to pen wise words of wisdom in response to your questions and queries.

LG MOVIE HOUSE: "VICTIM"
Thanks to the unbounded wonder that is YOUTUBE we bring you an exclusive screening of VICTIM starring Dirk Bogarde & Sylvia Sym. Running at just 90 minutes it's a vivid depiction of illegal gay life in 1960s London and the very real threat of blackmail and intimidation faced by homosexuals at that time.

CARDINAL NEWMAN - AN UNHOLY TALE

Controversial plans to move the remains of Cardinal John Henry Newman have been abandoned after the attempted exhumation revealed that not much more than a brass plaque and tassels from his cardinal's hat are what survives in his grave. Newman's body was interred in 1890 in a wooden coffin, without the protection of a lead lining and, it's reported, in very damp ground.

The Vatican had obtained permission from the Justice Ministry to move the cardinal's remains to a church tomb in Birmingham Oratory in anticipation of his elevation to Sainthood. However, the plan has caused controversy because, according to his express wish, he's buried with his devoted partner of thirty years, Fr. Ambrose St.John.

Gay rights activist, Peter Tatchell, had petitioned the Minister for Justice, Jack Straw MP, to rescind the special license allowing the exhumation.

Speculation as to the precise nature of Newman's relationship with Father Ambrose has long been a source of embarrassment to the Vatican, but, as Tatchell argues, "Although we cannot know for certain, it is not unreasonable to believe that Cardinal Newman could have had a loving, long-term same-sex relationship with the man whose grave he shares. The passion of his letters and writings about Father Ambrose suggest this possibility."

Following the death of the priest with whom he shared the same house, Newman wrote: "I have ever thought no bereavement was equal to that of a husband's or a wife's, but I feel it difficult to believe that any can be greater, or anyone's sorrow greater, than mine."

Before his own passing in 1890, Newman stated: "I wish, with all my heart, to be buried in Fr Ambrose St John's grave - and I give this as my last, my imperative will. This I confirm and insist on."

"There is little doubt that Newman and St John were mentally and spiritually in love; sharing a deep bond and intense relationship. They were inseparable; living together for over 30 years, like a married husband and wife," Tatchell writes on his website.

The Vatican had also intended to remove portions of the remains for distribution as holy relics. LG

EDITOR'S COMMENT: There is something more than a little medieval about the Vatican's pursuit of new saints and idols, especially when it comes down to questions of exhumation and reliquary. Or indeed for that matter, homosexuality. While Cardinal Newman was a self-declared celibate his relationship with Father Ambrose can hardly be regarded now as anything less than homosexual. The absence of any sexual dynamic between the two men doesn't change that perception either.

These circumstances have always been a source of unease for the Vatican and they have gone to considerable lengths of enquiry to establish the opposite. Whatever the truths may be, it seems cavalier and imperious that the church here has been prepared to contradict the final and earnest wishes of Cardinal Newman and desecrate his, and Fr.Ambrose's grave, in the process.

That there's nothing remaining of the remains strikes a note of poetic justice and we must trust the Church now rededicates the grave they have so rudely disturbed.

'STEVIE PICS' EXHIBTION PLANS ANNOUNCED

Lately Gay founder and editor Stephen McKenna has announced plans to stage the first exhibition of his photographic work. Shooting as Stevie Pics Photography,

Stephen first picked up a camera just three years ago but in the time he has become a confident and mature artistic presence specialising in gay orientated studio photography.

Exhibition plans so far are at an early stage but the intention is to display in January depending on sponsorship and venue availability.

"I think the time is about right", Stephen told LG. "My photography has been a real expression of my gay personality and instinct which is something that has had to lay dormant in me for so many years due to my closeted existence. It was inevitable that I would pursue this direction and for the simplest of reasons - because now I can."

'Stevie Pics', however has not been without its critics, even in the gay community. Stephen explains: "There's an assumption often about gay photography that's it not much better than porn or erotica. Well, certainly those are traits I will trade on but I like to think that I am taking things a good deal further in producing work which strives to be expressive and sensuous and reveals an artistry in the use of lighting and composition."

Watch this space for further exhibition details. In the meantime, a slide preview of Stevie Pics Photography features below: