SCOTSGAY MAGAZINE ================= ScotsGay is a monthly magazine for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. Edited, printed and published in Scotland ScotsGay 80/- Heavy - Issue 49 - December 2002 ELECTRONIC EDITION ***Now available on the Web: http://www.scotsgay.co.uk/ How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe information is now at the END of the magazine. All Material Copyright (c) Pageprint Limited 2002. Permission is hereby given to distribute this material provided that this copyright notice is included and that distribution is specifically for non-profitmaking reasons. Distribution for profit must be done only with prior written consent of the magazine any deviation from this will be seen as an infringement of copyright. Hardcopies are limited to one per person for personal use only and such hard copies are subject to the same copyright restrictions as laid out above. The printed edition of ScotsGay is available by post at the following rates: 6 issue sub (UK & EC) 8ukp 6 issue sub (Overseas) 15ukp 12 issue sub (UK & EC) 15ukp 12 issue sub (Overseas) 28ukp Make Cheques and POs payable to 'Pageprint'or 'ScotsGay' and send them to: Subscriptions ScotsGay Magazine PO Box 666 Edinburgh Scotland EH7 5YW Inside this issue: Editorial News Nunsense JOY Dance Chart ScotsDyke Glasgow Edinburgh Dundee Aberdeen Scottish Media Monitor Freebies Film Reviews Books Arts International News from Rex Wockner Voice Personals Boxes - The ScotsGay Meet Market Helplines Listings Venues ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editorial Another year ends and a new one starts. As ScotsGay goes into its 9th year of publication, I look at the last space on the sturdy Swedish shelving that houses our boxes of backnumbers and realise that a trip will shortly be required to IKEA for a new bay of Sten. In the pages of these fading magazines lie the deeds and aspirations of so many people. Some of them very much still alive and kicking and, inevitably, many no longer with us. When we started ScotsGay, it was as much in protest at the commercialisation and privatisation of a community asset in the shape of Gay Scotland as anything else. To be honest, if we had thought that we were going to let ourselves in for eight years of producing ScotsGay, we might well have had second thoughts. The monthly schedule of the magazine has become a way of life for a number of us. It means that, if the magazine is to come out on schedule (loose though that monthly schedule may be), there will be no absences for longer than a couple of weeks - so the World Cruise my bf has so frequently hinted at is never likely to occur. We've seen off the money grabbing bunch who got their paws on Gay Scotland all these years ago. One of them unlamentedly slunk off to England and personal bankruptcy after draining the pot dry. The other, the great business man who promised so much for gay publishing in Scotland, claims never to have made any money at it. Nevertheless, he continues to squat on Gay Scotland's Internet Domain. But Gay Scotland is now back as a monthly newspaper. And we welcome it under its new management. This time, like ScotsGay, it's not being run for personal profit. Half of any profits that they make will go to fund the work of Outright Scotland, Scotland's oldest LGBT organisation. The rest will go to a new charitable fund that will support LGBT organisations throughout Scotland. A monopoly in publishing is good for nobody which is why we at ScotsGay won't be packing up our tent for the forseeable future. Two monthly Scottish LGBT publications means that, when we get our acts together, there can be a new one along (like the 69 bus) every two weeks. It also means that a greater number of voices from Scotland's diverse LGBT communities can be heard. Like ourselves, the good people behind the relaunched publication are probably certifiable. We wish them the best of luck in their new venture - a venture which will bring them nothing but trials, tribulations and a smug sense of satisfaction when their organ hits the streets. It is you, our mutual readers, who will really benefit. A Humbuggery-free Xmas and a Happy New Year to you all (when it comes)! John Hein E-mail: editorial@scotsgay.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS ==== MAN ON RUN A vicious murderer, who beat a Scout leader to death and left his body hanging upside down from park railings, has escaped from Saughton Prison and has been at large since Monday 25th Nov after making off whilst working on gardens in the car park at the Edinburgh gaol. Neil Grant Murray was 16 in 1988 when he was convicted (along with accomplice 15 year old Mark Hartley) of murdering 25 year old Haddington man Timothy Murray whose body was found half naked in Dobbies Park, near popular Edinburgh cruising area Regent Road. Hartley had been used as "bait" to attract gays for a gay-bashing spree. Murray, who resided in Leith at the time of the murder, reportedly stamped on his victim's body and beat him over the head with a branch, saying "Die, you bastard". He and Hartley then attempted to throw Mr Murray, who had once been recommended for a Scot of the Year award for his voluntary work, over railings near to the Palace of Holyrood. Trial Judge Lord Sutherland, ordering the teenagers to be detained without limit of time, said that the assault was carried out for "the pleasure of inflicting a savage beating on someone who was thought to be a homosexual". According to the Scottish Prison Service, Murray is classed as a low security prisoner. But the Edinburgh Evening News has reported a prison source as claiming that Murray has a long history of violent behaviour and is a "dangerous man". "He was working outside in the community on day release. However, intelligence was received that he was planning to do a runner and this was stopped". Nevertheless, it seems that prison bosses still allowed him to work on gardens outside the prison. A prison spokeswoman refused to comment on claims that bosses knew of Murray's plans to abscond. A Lothian and Borders Police spokesperson said that police have been conducting door-to-door inquiries, as well as speaking to friends and associates in a bid to capture Murray. The spokesman added: "Any queries over his risk category is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service." Murray is described as white, 5ft 7in, of medium build, bald, with blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was wearing a black donkey jacket with yellow shoulder pads, green overalls, a black sweatshirt, blue jeans, black boots and a black Tammy hat when he absconded. MARRIAGE - BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT, JIM On December 6th, Barbara Roche, UK Government Minister for Social Exclusion and Equalities, announced that the UK Government is considering the introduction of registered civil partnership for same-sex couples, giving similar legal rights and obligations to marriage. Barbara Roche's department in London has had a small team of civil servants looking at this for over a year, and that team has been keeping in contact with the Scottish Executive. The majority of the law in this area is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, including the arrangements for starting and dissolving a civil partnership, and the financial arrangements such as an obligation on the partners to support one another financially, inheritance law, and the rules for division of property on dissolution of the partnership. Also devolved is the law in such areas as the right to sue for damages from a person causing the death or injury of one's partner, recognition as nearest relative, protection from domestic abuse, and adoption. Areas of the law reserved to Westminster include tax (including inheritance tax), social security, pension law and immigration law. Consultation The Equality Network has welcomed the announcement, and wants to see the Scottish Executive consult in Scotland on devolved aspects of civil partnership, in parallel with UK Government consultation on civil partnership for England and Wales, and reserved aspects for Scotland. The introduction of civil partnership could then be proceeded with in parallel in the Scottish and Westminster Parliaments, with one possible legislative vehicle in Scotland being the Family Law Bill due to be introduced in the Scottish Parliament around the start of 2004. The Equality Network has been consulting within the LGBT communities in Scotland over the past 18 months, on what people want to see from civil partnership. Based on the results, they plan to publish detailed proposals, for consultation more widely, including outwith the LGBT communities, in the new year. One difference between those proposals and the outline announced by the UK Government is that the Equality Network proposals are for registered civil partnership that is available to mixed-sex couples, as well as to same-sex couples. Political reaction in Scotland In practice, any government consultation on the issue, either south of the border or in Scotland, will not start until after the May Scottish Parliament elections, so it will be up to the new incoming Scottish Executive to lead this. The current Scottish Executive issued a statement on the day of the announcement: "We note the view of UK Government Ministers that there is a strong case for allowing same-sex couples to register their relationships. The Scottish Executive is committed to equality, and we will therefore consider the issue carefully over the coming months, in consultation with UK Ministers. Any final decisions will be for Scottish Ministers." The Herald reported the day after the announcement that Linda Fabiani MSP, the SNP equality and social justice spokesperson said she absolutely supported the proposal: "My view has been for a long time that no relationship is less valued than any other if a couple decide to build their lives together. They should have the full respect and backing of the law. I would like to see that coming forward in the Scottish Parliament." The Herald also reported Lyndsay McIntosh MSP, the Conservative equality spokesperson, saying "Where there's a loving, established relationship between couples who love and support each other, I wish them joy and continued success." The Green Party and SSP also support civil partnership. Robin Harper MSP, Green Party leader, put down a motion in the Scottish Parliament at the start of this year, calling for the introduction of civil partnership, while Tommy Sheridan MSP, SSP leader, has submitted a number of Parliamentary questions to push the issue forward, in addition to supporting Robin Harper's motion (as did a number of Labour, LibDem and SNP MSPs). Civil partnership is also party policy of the Liberal Democrats at UK level. Tim Hopkins E-mail: tms@dcs.ed.ac.uk BUNK The Living Memory Association at the Museum of Edinburgh is about to launch a landmark project to celebrate the LGBT communities' rich history and tell the stories of our lives the ways we want them to be told - using spoken and written words, pictures, music, and memorabilia of all kinds. To make this happen, the project would welcome your help and your ideas (not to mention those old badges and posters lurking in your bottom drawer). The project is interested in the histories of any LGBT people with a connection to Edinburgh, including people who do not live in the city but who perhaps once did, or for whom the city's LGBT life was important, etc. The project will be working towards an exhibition and perhaps a website or book, next summer. If you'd like to find out more, or to volunteer (training will be provided to use recording equipment etc), please contact: Ellen Galford, c/o the Living Memory Association, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate, Edinburgh. EH8 8DD. Tel: 0131-529 4502. E-mail: comhist@lineone.net GENDER IDENTITY The Lord Chancellor's Department has announced the UK Government's intention to legislate to recognise the gender identity of transsexual people. This follows the recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Goodwin v UK and I v UK. The proposals include the drafting of a Westminster Bill. According to the announcement, it has not yet been decided whether that Bill will legislate fully on this issue for Scotland (with the Scottish Parliament asked to give its approval to Westminster legislating in the relevant devolved matters via a "Sewel motion"), or whether there will be a separate Bill in the Scottish Parliament. CAROLS Holy Trinity Metropolitan Community Church, Edinburgh invites you to the 5th Annual LGBT Community Carol Service on Sunday 22 Dec at 6pm in the Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh (see http://www.mccedinburgh.com/directions.html ). All are welcome to celebrate the Christmas season with us, irrespective of sexuality, gender identity or religious belief (or lack thereof). VIOLATE From January 2003 Violate in Glasgow will be on the first Saturday of the month at the Big Joint. The first of these will be Sat 4th Jan. Due to the fact that the club is growing, there will be extra personnel helping out in the play areas. There will also be new kit with more to follow in future clubs. ELLIPTICAL BALLS Caledonian Thebans, the Edinburgh based rugby team, is due to get their team kit in January, in advance of going to the rugby clinic held by the Spartans in March. SNUB The LGBT Community Safety Forum in Glasgow is none year old and despite some teething problems is being well attended on both sides with two exceptions. Namely the Education Department and Greater Glasgow Health Board. This does not really come as a surprise given their past record on heeding public opinion. In fact they are notorious for their officious and arrogant indifference to the needs of the people that purportedly they answer to, the people of Glasgow. It is high time that the Scottish Executive raised themselves off their well upholstered behinds and dealt with this totally unacceptable situation. However one would not be advised to hold one's breath on the outcome. TO BE SURE Doctors will no longer have to answer probing questions from insurance companies about the sexual health history of their patients, according to new guidance. The rules, drawn up jointly between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the British Medical Association (BMA), should mean that quizzing is restricted only to positive test results for HIV/AIDS or hepatitis. ROLL UP Stonewall Youth is organising a one day fair to be held by LGBT community groups from all over Scotland at Meadowbank in Edinburgh on Sat 18th Jan. FIRE At present all fire fighters have to pay around 11% of their salary to a pension scheme but can only leave it to a married spouse. The Gay and Lesbian section of the Fire Brigade Union is to press for changes. WAX JOB A Judicial Review is to be sought over Greater Glasgow Health Board's refusal to fund Electrolysis treatment for Male to Female Transsexuals. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NUN SENSE ========= Dear Gathered Faithful, I am sure we are all aware that World AIDS Day has been and gone and for many the issue of HIV/AIDS, and indeed STI's (sexually infectious infections), may just slip a little during the upcoming festivities. The general public's perception of LGBT society is one of endless parties, camp euphoria with lots of drink and drug taking as a precursor to orgiastic debauchery. The reality, as we all know, is totally different. For all too many, this time of the year brings chilling reminders of the stigma, discrimination and the resulting isolation when the world seems to be caught up in a frenzy of superficial affection. This nausea inducing superficiality will only be matched by a religious hypocrisy within the mainstream churches. Despite the changes in the secular laws since last year their regard for you, your lifestyle, choice of partner at midnight services will be more hazardous to your health than the ill wind that blew to their doors. No warm and welcoming communion wine for you and yours, methinks. Amidst this climate, many of our LGBT brethren become more acutely aware of the isolation of a gay life. Perhaps this is the time of the year when the emotions of family acrimony - still unresolved - heightens the need for the company of the like minded - on any terms - and herein lies the danger. In order that we can enjoy some more intimate moments, with minimum risk, it may help if we look at a few safer sex tips. Perhaps a glance now will make this festive season memorable for all the right reasons. Look out: these bugs are back in town! Here are a few pantomime dames you don't want to meet this festive season. Gonorrhoea - common among 16-25 year olds, in recent years becoming more resistant to antibiotics and showing fewer symptoms. Chlamydia - the 1 in 10 bug, most common in UK for under 25 year olds. Peak age 21 years. Estimated 10,000 cases in the Lothians alone. 90% of sexually active people do not know they have it. Herpes Simplex - all ages , lifelong but not life threatening. Treated with painkillers during outbreaks. Syphilis - all ages, has seen a 150% increase in UK in the last year. Treatable with short course of antibiotics, fatal in third stage. Hepatitis - all ages, 8 strains around of which only two have vaccines, lifelong effect on the liver function. Not common in sexual activities but not unknown in the area of rimming. Viral Warts - the genital variety (1of 8) easily spread during sex and easily treated by freezing. HIV- all ages, 47% of new infections this year in the Lothian were gay men, 9 out of 10 are unaware of their HIV status. Lifelong use of drug therapies to suppress immune system destruction. Develops into AIDS in time. Even though I may mention an age in the above text, it should not be taken that infection is limited to that age merely that it is most commonly found within that grouping. For further more detailed information check out the National AIDS Helpline, 0800 567123. Give your most precious parts (and his) a short health check. Watch yer Mouth! Kissing, beyond the peck between friends, has the potential of tenderness, intimacy and promise. That is if you've done some good preparation, but not over preparation. Puzzled? Then read on, oh horny one. Heavy teeth brushing and use of some proprietary brand mouthwash can leave the mouth a vulnerable zone rather than the object of desire. Over zealous brushing to eradicate those nicotine stains will tear the gums and create a transmission route for STI's including HIV (estimated 8% of cases of infection was by this sole route). Many mouthwashes contain salicyates (i.e. aspirin) which encourages gum bleeding to eradicate bacteria which can lead to long-term infections. A light brushing, or even just a 'warm' water rinse and gargle with just a pinch of salt will clean and freshen the mouth ready for action. Oral sex, blow jobs to you and me, often leads to something heavier. It's worth checking out for broken skin around the mouth that could bleed during heavier action. Blisters - possible presence of Herpes Simplex, see above, can spread from the mouth, cock and arse. Cum in the mouth increases the risk of transmitting many STI's. Watch yer Cock! Prior to your night 'on the pull' you will naturally be scrubbing those areas of delight and desire in hot and steamy anticipation. But it's best not to be too vigorous in the washing of your mantool. The damper, moister head of the cock (whether circumcised or not) is exquisitely sensitive and should be treated with great tenderness and respect. The foreskin is an internal organ and washing too zealously, or harshly, with soap is not a good pre-shag idea. By doing so you risk damaging the foreskin and causing tenderness resulting in inflammation (balanitis) and could facilitate the transfer of many STI's including HIV. So easy up there big boy. Look for any unusual discharge when wanking your new-found friend's cock--it could be syphilis, gonorrhoea etc. Tiny hard lumps on cock and balls are genital warts--easily spread when they are broken by vigorous handwork. And of course any cuts, bruises or discoloured areas should be avoided at all costs. Wanking has no risk of HIV as long as there is no broken skin on the hands. Some protection against damaging and potentially risky inflammation by liberal use of a water based lube (as found in your "Festive Fucker" Pack, and all our other safer sex packs) will make this a lasting pleasure with no regrets, on the health front at least. Watch yer Arse! Yes, your butt. You knew I would get round there eventually. Time to check out your own equipment, perhaps in the bath or shower. Check for any lumps (same as with your balls) around the edge of your gloryhole. Soft lumps could be haemorrhoids (piles) and means fucking with a finger or someone's cock is not a good idea. Painful breaking of piles usually means bleeding, often quite heavily, and a route for STI's. Hard lumps could be warts, see above for risks. The same examination is appropriate with your new found friend in or out of the shower. I must mention 'barebacking'. The psychology behind the practice is complex, with no space here to explore. Suffice to say at time of going to press, the opinions of those better qualified than I to comment remain the same--barebacking is an unsafe practice. Even 'dipping', fucking without a condom but not cumming in his arse, brings high risk of infection. Watch yer Drink! Recent figures for England and Wales show an alarming rise in 'date rape'. It isn't just a cowardly and unforgivable crime against women--the latest figures show that 11% of reported cases had male victims. The real figure is thought to be much higher, with prejudice, especially against gay men, leading to under-reporting. You need to be aware of these risks, and the possible aftermath regarding transmission of HIV and other STI's. Be aware of where you leave your drink, keep an eye on it at all times. That means taking it to the loo. At least 40 drugs can be used in date rape, and not always in alcoholic drinks. A moment's vigilance could save the festive season having the wrong kind of memories for many years to come. Amidst the revelry, the temptation to slip from your usual cautious self in the need for some warmth in a cold climate will be great. Don't let any of this scare you into celibacy--the last thing any Sister of Perpetual Indulgence wants to be is a killjoy! Instead, please have a safe, happy and fulfilling holiday season. Look out for the Convent of Dunn Eideann's 'Festive Fucker' packs designed to keep your sex a little safer. I'm sorry, we couldn't provide any chocolate (cocoa butter isn't condom-safe, you know) and we kept the supply of young men for ourselves. Sister Athletica de la Bain ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DANCE CHART =========== 1. DJ T - GOLD DREAMER (Voltswagen Mix / Phunk Investigations Club Mix) (Y2K House) 2. FORCE MASS MOTION V DYLAN RHYMES - VANQUISH (Tek Mix) (Acetate) 3. JUNKIE XL featuring SAFFRON - BEAUTY NEVER FADES (Roadrunner) 4. DJ KRUZE - LET ME IN (Kut Mix) (Bush) 5. MARCEL WOODS - DRAMA (Original) (ID&T) 6. PAUL MADDOX - TENSION (Freak Remix) (Tidy Trax) 7. JOHN SILVER - COME ON OVER (Flatline's Going Home With The Argies Vocal Mix) (Cream) 8. OLIVER KLEIN featuring TOM HINGLEY - SHAKEDOWN-SHAKEDUB (Mutekki) 9. MARTIN H - AFTERSPHERE (Original Mix) (Q) 10. MARK NORMAN - FAITH (Silver Premium) 11. MADONNA - DIE ANOTHER DAY (Dirty Vegas Main Mix / Dirty Vegas Dub) (Warners) 12. PETE GAWTRY - RE-MORSE (Mara Mix / Original Mix) (Tune Inn) 13. MANDARA - GROOVE ON (La Civita & Sauchelli Mix) (Shakes) 14. SOULDRIVER - SO GOOD (2002) (Hope) 15. GEORGE JUNG - GET TOGETHER (21st Century Fux Mix) (EQ Grey) 16. ALISON LIMERICK - WHERE LOVE LIVES (West London Deep Mix) (Arista) 17. DJ TIESTO - OBSESSION (Frank Biazzi Remix / Original Full Length Mix) (Nebula) 18. FLUKE - PULSE (Trisco Remix) (One Little Indian) 19. T.A.T.U - ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID (Dave Aude Dub) (Universal) 20. OAKENFOLD - PROPHET 1 : The Harder They Come (Perfecto) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SCOTSDYKE ========= A BRIGHT STAR COMES TO GLASGAY! - HAZEL O'CONNOR LIVE - 15.11.02 Somewhat fed up with factory pop on every channel, I took a friend down to the Revolver Bar in Glasgow to see the charismatic Hazel O'Connor, one of the original ladies of pop. (Breaking Glass fame) The one true primal punk who penned songs of passion and doom, using her emotive voice to warn of political dangers, which sadly are now coming to pass. How refreshing it was to see a singer of this calibre huskily belting out a mix of traditional Irish songs with the good old favourites, accompanied only by a harp and tom toms, delivering a bluesy, folky raunch which O'Connor can do so very well. Hazel graced this charming tiny underground Gay Bar in Glasgow, and performed a beautiful set that had an intimate "jam-session" quality far removed from her mega venue performances. The whole ambience was magical, and one was left with the feeling that it was no sad hark-back to yesterday - like many 80's come back bands that I will not even grace by mentioning - but a polished musical move to new pastures. Photos and words: Laura Marsh HAVE A DAM GOOD TIME This year, we are giving out mysterious green bags, marked only with a red ribbon. Inside you will find a dam and a generous sachet of lube. Why? The dams we have are specially designed for use as a barrier during cunnilingus and annulingus and, if used properly, can help reduce the risk of catching or spreading a number of sexually trasmitted infections. As well as HIV, these infections include gonorrhoea, chlamidya, syphilis and genital herpes. What do I do with it? There are instructions printed on the packaging of the dams in our packs, but I've certainly had some that came without any indication of what to do with them. First, if necessary (I'll leave you to be the judge of that), take a small amount of water-based lube, such as Liquid Silk, and apply it around your partner's fanny. Remove the dam from its packaging and carefully lay it flat so it covers both the vaginal opening and the clitoris. Hold the edges of the dam, but don't stretch it. Lick away to your heart's content--you can get dams in all sorts of flavours thought I haven't found chocolate ones yet. When you've finished, put the used dam back in its bag and chuck it in the bin. Don't try to flush it down the loo. If you want to use it on your partner's arse, it's pretty much the same, but lube will definitely be needed. Don't move a dam from area to area--use a fresh one each time--and never share them. Dams should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place--light and heat can degrade the latex. Unfortunately, dams are quite expensive, but if you're feeling flush, the British online store http://www.1st-condoms. com/ sells them. An overview of safer sex for women who have sex with women can be found at http://www.safersex.org/women/lesbianss.html Brother Bimbo del Doppio Senso VACANCY After struggling personfully with ScotsDyke for a number of years, Heather has decided to move on. So, ScotsGay is looking for a new ScotsDyke Editor. Think you could do the unpaid job? Write: ScotsGay, PO Box 666, Edinburgh. EH7 5YW. E-mail: editorial@scotsgay.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Glaschu/Glasgow =============== Salutations and felicitations gentle folk. Well the festive season is upon us. Time for the kids to drive you nuts and the in-laws to drive you crackers! Your credit cards have the cherry red glow of the space shuttle re-entering Earth's atmosphere and the watercress soup diet, necessary to fit into that slinky Christmas party dress is fraying your nerves and your temper. The supermarket has been stocking Christmas pudding since September and your chain smoking has given you a voice like Marianne Faithful. Merry Christmas, one and all! On with the motley: the Crosslynx Christmas party was held on Wednesday 11th Dec at the LGBT Centre. A wide (in some cases very wide) and diverse selection of the female form was on show. No catfights or handbags at dawn. A good time was had by all. The Violate Christmas bash at The Big Joint in Scotstoun was also well attended. The only downside being that the equipment was set up in the biggest room, which also has a proper sprung wooden dance floor. The upstairs room used by the DJ had a concrete floor, not fun in 4-inch heels. Good atmosphere as usual lots of great outfits and some great bodies on show. Chips and curry sauce replaced by Christmas dinner included in the ticket price. Best wishes to Sharon, Matt, Bunny and Fiona, keep up the good work. Onto up and coming attractions. BURLY are holding a charity night in aid of SLGS on 20th Dec at the 'Big Joint' in Scotstoun. The event starts at 10pm and goes on until 4am. GBP8 on the door, contact Tel: 07930 357401. Free bus leaves Cochrane Street (next to the Italian Centre) at 10.30pm sharp. Go along and sit on Santa's knee and tell him what you want for Christmas! Happy Hour and complimentary punch and mince pies. Cabaret will be a close up hand magician! Also a raffle with some great prizes. Some additional dates for your diary in the New Year: Fri 3rd and 31st Jan 2003 The Mercury Lounge has a whole host of events happening in the run up to Christmas. For full details, E-mail: mercurylounge@hotmail.com or Tel: 0141-248 1777. Highlights include appearances by Jo Lively, DJ Michelle, Barbra La Bush, Charlie Ross and Keara Murphy. It would seem that they have also seen the error of their ways with regard to door prices. It always seemed unlikely that GBP8 or GBP10 was realistic given the prices charged by the competition. Most nights are now GBP4 or GBP5, which is on a par with the other city centre clubs. The Cube, 34-44 Queen Street, are holding the usual Monday and Tuesday night events in the run up to Christmas. Good hot sweaty fun. The Revolver Bar will be open until 1am every night from Friday 20th Dec until Thursday 2nd Jan. As usual, there is lots going on in this very popular subterranean watering hole. Friday 20th Dec: Classic funk and disco with DJ Mrs Magoo. Saturday 21st Dec: The Christmas Quiz - with Brendan & Jon, GBP100 up for grabs 4pm-6pm, followed from 9pm with Deep Down and Dirty with DJ Badpuppy and Johnbear. Tuesday 24th Dec: Revolver's Top 100 favourite tunes of the last few years, from 8pm. Wednesday 25th Dec: open from 3pm. Thursday 26th Dec: open as usual from Noon. Saturday 28th Dec: The End-of Year Quiz with Brendan and Jon, GBP100 prize, followed by Deep Down and Dirty with DJs Badpuppy and Johnbear. Sunday 29th Dec: Cool Yule tunes from special guest DJ Hushpuppy, 5-8pm, cocktails and nibbles! Tuesday 31st Dec: Hogmanay - get there early to avoid disappointment. Wednesday 1st Jan: Happy New Year - the party continues from 3pm! The Waterloo will also be hosting a number of events in the run up to and during Christmas. Opening hours will vary so check with the bar staff next time you are in for a swift half or ten. The LGBT Centre, 11 Dixon Street will be open over the festive season apart from Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The usual duff karaoke and general tomfoolery will abound especially at the party (free entry) on Xmas eve. For those of you who prefer a quieter night out, don't forget to check out The Court Bar, 69 Hutcheson Street. Small and discreet this pub is a great place to sit and chat while enjoying the odd pint or three. Those of you with a sharp eye and keen mind will notice some obvious venues missing from this article. It has been 6 months since I took over this column and in that time they have not improved in the slightest. In fact, feedback I receive tends to indicate that, if anything, they are still deteriorating. As such I have no intention of giving them much needed and totally undeserved publicity. So that's it for the year, we are all a little older and a few may be wiser. We still have AIDS and HIV and Hepatitis claiming our friends, workmates and relations. Christmas is a time for parties; presents and fun have a good one. But please remember whatever you find to do: be safe. Angharad E-mail: Angharad@drink.demon.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Dun Eideann/Edinburgh ===================== December is really upon us. The temperature has dropped and the trolling areas have emptied as frost and snow send Calton Hill regulars elsewhere! If chilling out is on the cards for your Xmas hols then Edinburgh's steam scene has it made! Townhouse Sauna is situated in East Claremont St and has recently undergone refurbishment. The sauna and gym is open 7 days a week until 11pm and midnight at weekends. Surroundings are luxurious and spacious as well as relaxing whilst staff are friendly and informative. Male-2-male massage is now on offer as well as a licensed bar, 2 saunas, steam room, jacuzziÉ the list is endless, so go and check it out! No 18 Sauna is situated in Leith Walk at Albert Place and this more compact bijou sauna is just as busy with competitive facilities and rates on offer, so we are really spoilt for choice! Did anyone else wonder what was happening to the new sauna meant to be opening called Steamworks--just along from the Blue Moon? It seems that the Sheriff has still to deliver his ruling on whether the place can open as a sauna following objections from the neighbours. We as the LGBT community can't ignore Xmas because let's face it half of us are as camp as! Wondering what to do? What pubs and clubs to check out? Well look no further, as I have all the gossip and goings on here! The Stag and Turret has changed hands at last and the familiar faces of Tracey and Kim have taken over. Looks like the place will be getting a major paint job in the nerar future with the promise of pool tables upstairs. The pub certainly seemed full and bouncing when I was there on the new team's opening Saturday! Festivewise, they'll be open on Xmas Day from 3pm and there will be karaoke on Xmas Eve. Everyone's favourite--Habana--will enjoy its late licenses from 18th Dec until after the New Year. Sat 21st Dec is Miss Cilla Slack's Pre Xmas Capers with lots of games, quizes and give-aways. Cilla is Edinburgh's People's Princess and charity patron and will be collecting presents for Edinburgh's Sick Children. It will be similar to the Easter Capers with everyone bringing in something like a selection box or just something wrapped up to put under the Habana tree to be taken up to the hospital--go on have a heart at Xmas! Xmas Day itself is usually quiet on the gay scene, however Habana will be open 7pm-3am with Pete Owen's camp classics on offer if you're interested. Boxing Day (usually quizeoke on Thu) will probably be a Xmas-oke with a different format including a Yes/No contest and other surprises along the way. We all know how successful Cilla's Queerest link was--partly due to the fact I was in it! The second instalment is on its way on Dec 27th. Habana will be looking for contestants to take part: it's good fun and there's an excellent atmosphere so go along and check it out and enter--the bigger the bitch you are the better! As far as Hogmanay is concerned, DJ Johnboy will be your host along with a special guest maybe the hugely popular Lady Samantha? Drink promos will run throughout along with all the camp tunes! The Hogmanay theme is "come along as your favourite star idol and maybe belt out a tune or two". Habana also hosts pre Luvely parties. Speaking of which, Luvely's Boxing Day Masquerade is due to take place at the newly opened Mercury Lounge in Glasgow's Bath Lane. Tickets are available in Edinburgh from Luvely. The night will feature resident DJs George Paterson, Tommy Kay, and Newton and Stone, just to name a few! Down at the New Town they've also got a late licence until 3rd Jan--3am (5am on Fri and Sat). They'll be open on Xmas Day from 7pm and on New Year's Day from 2pm. The downstairs club, Kaleidoscope with DJ Malky is open Fri, Sat and Hogmanay until 4am with "the cheesiest of tunes". Frenchies tell me that they'll be pushing out the boat on Sun 22nd Dec with a stripper, buffet, prize draws and the "usual cuddly toy crap donated by RS McQueen's". I think my personal choice for pre-Xmas frolics will be Vibe on Tue 24th Dec at Ego. James Longworth is your host and apparently, if you take along an imaginative giftwrapped present, you get in free. Unfortunately guys, the shop in Blue Moon is shut but Leather and Lace is still very much open! Otherwise GBP3 entry. Relations are welcome. Guest appearances from singers, dancers, and Santa himself and of course ME! Usual drink promos are on offer: yup, yawn, paintstripper and mixer and caffeine fuelled VK's GBP1. CC's is proving to be a real rival for Vibe--Tease Tuesday is really taking off. Nothing better than some friendly healthy rivalry in the LGBT community don't you agree? In terms of Xmas, CC's will be closed on Xmas Day. Christine will be the DJ on Xmas Eve and a 2-week late license will be on offer so clubbing until 5am. A special guest will appear at New Year and hopefully a piper. George Boy will have fun and frolics on Hogmanay with Blondie the DJ downstairs. Check out the notice board in CC's for any more info and events coming up! OK, Xmas aside for a second! Any Drag Queens out there? Well Planet Out (in association with Jace Productions) will be hosting a Drag Idol contest. Thu 9th Jan is the date for your diaries and Drag Kings are wanted as well, so don't feel left out. The contest is a laugh, so get your mum or dads kegs on, pick a song to sing/mime, even a funny speech to get the crowd going will do! See if you get the judges and punters voting for you to win (and if the prizes for Pop Idol were anything to go by I'd go for it!) Check out Pout for details! I think a gig at The Stand Comedy Club is one of the prizes, not bad eh! Pink Pound is as popular as ever at Planet--on a Mon night about 99% of the drinks are GBP1 excluding like one or two. I had the unfortunate experience, the other night, of witnessing some old fuck moaning about a pint of Grolsch being GBP2.40 so just double check at the bar when ordering! Trendy Wendy provides the music so it's always a stomper of a night. Brand new promo at Planet is Shooters for GBP1.50 or four for GBP5 and many more are on the way! The newly revamped quiz takes places on Tue at 7pm--prizes are on offer for best singers and dancers and free drinks also. My personal friend DJ Fi is still as popular as ever on a Fri night. Guest DJs and surprises are in store for Xmas and New Year so check out Planet for details and opening times. Tickets for Hogmanay celebrations including Takno and Big Splash are available at Planet. Tartan Tackno (a pre Hogmanay bash) is the theme at Massa (formerly Mercado). The extravaganza will take place on Sun 29th Dec 10.30pm-4am. Join Trendy Wendy and the gang to see in the New Year in style! The Big Splash is probably going to be the headliner! For Hogmanay DJs include Boy George, Trendy Wendy, Jon Pleased (soon to be at Planet Out), Betty Ford just to name a few! The venue is Ocean Terminal, Leith. Tickets are on sale now at the ridiculous price of GBP25! No late license either as 3am is the when the venue closes--CC's and JOY open till 5am! Tickets are available from the Hub (beside the Castle) and Planet Out. Pre Club dinner doesn't even deserve a mention because it's so fucking expensive at GBP60! Yeah, right then, fuck off! (So it'll be a Big Mac as per usual for you then, Wee Alan? Ed.) The JOY Hogmanay party opens its doors at 11pm and closes at 5am. Maggie and Alan Joy will be DJs as well as Brett King, Sally F and Simmone Black. Entry on the night is GBP22, advanced tickets--GBP18 for members and GBP20 for non-members. JOY is always a fantastic night and New Year is like ten thousand times better! Tickets are available from--JOY, Mingin' and Habana. Cash sales only: sorry guys! Check out the web site http://www.clubjoy.co.uk/ Oh yeah ,and tickets are available from Maggie and Alan Joy's other hugely successful night Wiggle. Speaking of which, the next Wiggle is on Sat 4th Jan at Ego. If you haven't been already, don't worry as it's not another JOY night. It's something completely different for the community: fun, fresh and friendly! Drink promos run throughout the night and the music is fab! Discount entry is also available on this occasion, as Alan and Maggie understand everyone will be skint after Xmas and New Year. (Check out this month's CORE magazine where I got the chance to interview Alan Joy!) Well all you folk: that's it for this year, be good and if you can't be good be careful! I was also told (by a Tarot Reader) that I was going to meet the love of my life soon and he was going to be a Pisces! Any offers just let me know! Also if any one has any pix they would like me to include in the next issue, E-mail me them. Also a big thanks to everyone who helped raise or donated money for World AIDS Day. Particularly Ima Whoore, Fanny Fondle, Judy Garter, and Noreen Nympho Nurse who represented Planet Out and Cilla Slack and Lady Samantha who represented Habana in Drag City!! Loads of money was raised by all for such a worthy cause. Wee Alan E-mail: weealan@drink.demon.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dun-deagh/Dundee ================ Great joy in Dundee as one of our Community Organisations is awarded a whopping fifty thousand quid from the National Lottery. We will all be enjoying 2003 as the group use their well earned funds to discover what the LGBT Community actually want. A simple questionnaire would have been cheaper. Whilst it may have been hoped that the money could foster better relations with the larger Straight Community--they must be extremely disappointed. Every day, the local newspaper has carried, in its readers' letters, the homophobic outbursts of the local "Free" Church Minister who jealously announces that his flock is larger and more deserving of the money. Fortunately, when he judges that homosexuals are sinners, he also confesses to being a sinner but not, of course, of the queer kind. The vitriolic ramblings would have ceased by now but for another correspondent from Carnoustie who has added fuel to the fire by trying to defend us. A previous writer of this column was decried for daring to suggest that homophobia still festered in Dundee. Clearly ScotsGay got it right again. James from Switchboard should spend some of the GBP50,000 on a stamp to apologise to the Editor for slamming Liquid Silk's inaccuracy. Dundee is not alone in the experience--so don't be put off visiting! The City offers two bars and a nightclub. Charlie's on Seagate is open until 1am most nights of the festive season and offers a small, free, but quiet disco at weekends and Xmas and the New Year. A delicious buffet may also be on offer. Brooklyn is the other bar in nearby St Andrew's Lane with a warm welcome from Kerry, Mike and John and a mixture of popular karaoke nights and DJ Ross playing to the pre-club crowd. The bar is also open until 1am every night including Xmas Day and New Year's Day, but I doubt if Madame Grumpy will run to a buffet. At the nightclub, OUT, the Saturday DJ is now Ross and BP is there on Fridays and Xmas Eve. I am told that the maximum entry charge is seven pounds on Xmas Eve and Hogmanay. On Sat 21st Dec, N Trance singer Kelly Llorenna makes a first trip to the Dundee gay scene with loads of her dance and chart hits and - surprise - her new single. Sassy Stryker makes a welcome return with a drag show at Brooklyn on Sat 28th Dec when the club also hosts a drag ball for all queens! The first Friday of the year (3rd Jan) is a "Rear of the Year" competition. We don't know if it's in Brooklyn's or OUT, but my editor has been asked to judge as he is an expert on young men's bums. (Actually, I had been intending to enter. The competition, that is. Ed) Who will judge the wimmin (If we must, we will nobly volunteer for such an onorous task--Brother Bimbo del Doppio Senso and Novice Rosemary Beads, OPI) and who will win the GBP100 of drinks vouchers? Check out next month's column or, better still, go along to observe or take part. I do hope that Santa is as good to you as the National Lottery has been! Shafted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Obar Dheadhain/Aberdeen ======================= Hiya Bendy Boyz 'n' Girlz, welcome once again to Grampian the jewel in the North, a glittering bauble on a usually drab tree (glittering cause it's still wet!). Like most of us rushing about at this time of year stocking the fridge and cupboards with booze, buying Crimbo prezzies nobody wants... rant... rant... rant... bloody shoppers... grrrr... Bah Humbug! The season to be jolly is upon us, so what's happening out there in Christmas Fairy Land... The Scene Stuff: Everyone at our larger venue, 'Out Clubbing' will be donning their flashing antlers and silly hats as the festive season grips all you disco divas and bunnies out there. The club is going through some alterations at the moment but that should not affect your enjoyment. Things like the new high tech plasma screen have been installed showing videos and those bloody awful brass hand rails are being removed. Brian asked me to remind you that the changes will take some time to come together - so just be patient! On Fri 20th Dec Kelly Llorenna will be performing live, singing some of her chart hits including "Tell it to My Heart". There are also prizes galore on Sat 28th Dec with the Christmas Drag Ball: GBP100 of drinks vouchers for the best drag, (so get out yer slap and best frock!), also on Thu 2nd Jan 2003 (bloody hell! another year passes, more grey hair cometh!) the Rear of the Year Competition kicks off, so wax that unsightly pubic hair, polish up those buns and tighten that tush! Fidel's on Fri 6th Dec held a night called The Uunderground a gay/straight mixed night. The music ranging from funked up 80's classics to the freshest in New Wave - Tribal House. The night was a fantastic success with the management having to turn away punters from the door towards the end of the night. The venue will hold a second Underground Night on Fri 27th Dec using the newly constructed attic dance floor to host the evening. So it looks like the sauna idea has gone up in a puff of steam, but with the new dance floor this could be the competition that OUT has been looking for. At Lava on Belmont Street on Fri 20th Dec from 11pm-4am your hosts, Lashed will, treat you to a night of unbridled and stunning perverted music and dance in the shape of The Xmacist. May the power of dance compell you as Christmas meets the devil head on! Remember to go along with an open and most likely degenerated mind! Still no sign of any hunky builders on the former Castro's site, but rumour, (now let me stress that, rumour!) has it that Colin has taken over the old Owlies Bar on Littlejohn Street, whether this is true or not is hard to tell. If it is going to be gay, straight or otherwise, who knows! Community News: More than a hundred punters attended the Red Ribbon Ceilidh on Sat 30th Nov, dancing along to the strains of Hallyracket. This annual event has raised more money to be used by local HIV/AIDS agencies in Grampian. Once again a huge thank you to Colin who managed (just) to keep calm during the process of putting the event together. World AIDS Day, Seasons of Life Celebration and Thanksgiving service this year was held in a new venue and attended by about forty people. The Art Gallery on Schoolhill catered for a very moving and thought provoking service led by Leslie of PHACE Scotland. A choir, specially put together for the event, provided an atmosphere in keeping with the upbeat tempo of the evening. Many thanks to all of those who attended and lent their time including the soloists, Paul and Marion, in helping to make this a special night. NELF (North East LGBT Forum). The Forum is continuing to grow and develop; as the year ends we are now closer to becoming a charity with the Constitution Document nearing completion. The Pride event for next year is in the early planning stages and a meeting of those interested in assisting to put together what could be Scotland's only LGBT Pride is to be held in the PHACE Scotland offices in Justice Mill Lane on Jan 22nd at 7.30pm. It has been a very busy and full year for the Forum with a number of projects and objectives already being met. Looking ahead it can only get busier, so if you wanna help come along! The date of the next meeting is Jan 21st at 7.30pm in the Arts Centre. A Christmas Message from your Local Queen: This year has been an interesting one for me trying to get to grips with writing this column, and okay sometimes I get it wrong (can't believe I admitted to that!) but mostly right no annus horriblis for me; still in a fab job, got a new man--love him to bits by the way (luv you Mark), quite enjoying writing this diatribe on a monthly basis and getting the feedback from you lot out there and the support that I receive not just for me but also the PHACE Scotland-Grampian Gay Men's Health Project. So if you want to keep me right and if you've anything you want included, give me a call at the PHACE offices on Aberdeen (01224) 587166. Have a fantastic and fab festive season, keep safe and healthy and remember boyz 'n' girlz, "Let's be careful out there." Mark Thomson E-mail: markt@phacescotland.org -------------------------------------------------------------------- Scottish Media Monitor ====================== Garry Otton on Women's Sex Rights I can't turn my back for five minutes, can I? Iain Wilson and Billy Briggs were up to their old tricks in The Herald with "the vice business", mixing personal prejudices with a spot of journalism. The intellectual bankruptcy that supported Glasgow's crackpot efforts to close down lap-dancing clubs and straitjacket sexual expression in the city had now spawned the suggestion that women were being sold as slaves. Because females were advertised as working as 'bonded labour' at Park Grove House, it was suggested they were being coerced to work on demand as a means to repay loans. With such fanatical efforts of moral policing taking place in Glasgow, it wouldn't surprise me that there were far more dubious establishments setting themselves up in the city than this. Park Grove House is no stranger to tupenny-halfpenny journos busting them for a cheap story. The Scottish News of the World once had a couple dropping into this "HOUSE OF ILL REPUTE" to witness "the disgusting scene of sleazy men being offered seedy sexual favours". The poor loves refused "Dawn's grubby offers of sex extras" and those of another girl after discovering "she was not wearing knickers". The Herald's moral campaigners "asked for a sauna and massage" but appeared to grow faint only after "sexual acts were described, some involving chains and whips". If they had already acquainted themselves with the website, this really shouldn't have come as any surprise. Described as "explicit" by Glasgow's Evening Times, the website was tame by any standards. Park Grove House was labelled: "A brothel thinly-disguised as a sauna", and the reporters sneered how it "continues to flourish in Glasgow, despite being refused an entertainments licence nine months ago". These 'stories', rather predictably, are performed either under the guise of maintaining public morality, protecting women, or protecting children. Or in this case, all three. "ÉNext door to a children's nursery" the broadsheet remarked acidly. (The nursery was tucked away round the corner). On the assumption the women were all forced to work for money, The Herald suggested: "Some may be illegal immigrants, making them powerless to resist". Call me stupid, but if the women were here illegally, that would be a matter for immigration, would it not? Once "twelve women working as sex slaves" had been rounded up for "deportation", The Evening Times slammed on its brakes: "FOREIGN SEX SLAVES TO BE SENT HOME AFTER SAUNA BLITZ", they shrieked off the front page. 160 uniformed and plain-clothed police and immigration officials raided eight Glasgow saunas. Jim Coleman declared it "the nearest thing to slavery in the 21st century". The Herald's editorial went on singing from its own hymn sheet in a piece labelled: "Ending the vile human traffic, despite no evidence any of these women were forced to work as 'sex slaves' or were ever victims of human trafficking. Anyone supporting The Herald's dismissal of the rights of women working in the sex industry, thinly disguised as a protest against human trafficking, were quoted, including 'anti-porn' feminists from Scottish Women Against Pornography (SWAP). A spokesperson was reported to have said "men leaving lap dancing clubs may have specific behavioural problems" and that such "state of mindÉ could lead to intimidation and harassment of women in the area". Que? How about protecting women who choose to have sex for money the dignity of basic rights in the workplace? Nobody was listening. Anyone supporting The Herald's line crawled out of the woodwork. They included Chief Glasgow City Council zealot, Jim Coleman and Nanette Pollock, who, as a former police officer, held a duplicitous role as 'liaison officer' for prostitutes and who now worked with Routes out of Prostitution, a name that begins with the premise that prostitution is always wrong and the way out, its only option. (Can you imagine naming an organisation tackling growing rates of HIV infection amongst gay men: Routes Out of Homosexuality)? (I can imagine only too well. Don't give them ideas. Ed.) With some gusto, The Herald reported: "Co-ordinated raids on brothels across Glasgow are being planned, with police, Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue among agencies gathering intelligence aimed at ensuring that criminals who employ off-street prostitutes will be driven out of business". With at least seven murders of female sex-workers on the streets of Glasgow in recent years, you would imagine Glasgow City Council might've learnt something. The opinion of Kevin Williamson graced another page in The Herald under the campaigning title: Pushing Prostitutes into Danger. It only repeated the tired mantra that it was only men who were sad, mad, bad and dangerous who were forcibly using prostitutes. With a Scotland on Sunday poll pointing to two-thirds of Scots in favour of 'toleration zones', I would say the Scots are not nearly as prudish as The Herald presumes. So, what's new? So it was that another piece by Iain Wilson and Billy Briggs in The Herald started with: "Tolerance zones for street prostitutes will not work in Glasgow" following the comments of Jim McLean, a Strathclyde assistant chief constable who said: "Most of the time the women wouldn't know what day of the week it is, whether they are in a tolerance zone or on the planet Zog". (Not so hopeless, of course, that police have ever been deterred from marching them down the complicated road of litigation). Nanette Pollock agreed, adding that sex workers wouldn't understand and stay in the centre because that was where the business was. Surely, men have a part to play in this too? Would they not also be encouraged to use a 'toleration zone', therefore creating a safe area of good business? Circumstances had already moved the women on. Despite the CCTV cameras in the wealthy city centre set up to 'protect' the women, arrests for soliciting had risen threefold in the more deprived east end. While the newspaper reports on sex workers overly concentrated on the morality of prostitution, barely touching on issues like poverty and drug dependency, Glasgow City Council was writing to MSPs, begging them to make importuning for sexual services illegal. This has implications for all of us, including gays who have, in the past, been particularly vulnerable to laws against importuning. As female sex workers are driven further underground they are the only ones who become more vulnerable in the face of ever more devious ways to circumvent policing and legislation governing sex. As for all the different types of people who enjoy gay sex, the list "could go on and on", claims the Fife Men Project. Sensibly, and however briefly, they include support for men working in the sex industry. Enter, the sexual Grinch, The Scottish Daily Mail. Otherwise busy whipping up the prejudices of its gullible readers over lottery funded grants, they turned to one of their team of hired hands to do their bidding. Graham Grant's "exclusive" gasped: "Thousands of pounds of public money is to be given to a group which helps male prostitutes ply their trade". It was less than GBP5,000. A "cash handout", spat The Mail. One look at the Fife Men Project website will demonstrate some of the commendable work they carry out for local gay men. If only the same could be said of The Scottish Daily Mail, who, with the help of the evil Christian Institute and its cronies are hell-bent on destroying us! Police and legal experts were recorded expressing "their unease". (Unsurprisingly, police told The Mail they couldn't condone anything that helped people break the law)! "Critics" claimed the Fife Men Project effectively helped male prostitutes "break the law". (The success of work with either gay men or sex workers depends on a non-judgemental approach, not easily understood by dotty Mail reporters). Readers were conveniently reminded how lottery money had just been spent on a "shadowy" group which had "championed terrorists". One of the critics was a World War II veteran, an "old soldier" whose application for lottery funding to visit the Dutch killing fields had been turned down. He declared money for "an organisation like thisÉ outrageous" and "absolutely sickening". The editorial sobbed: "How must these old soldiers feel, after seeing their comrades die and after risking their own lives to defeat Nazism, when they discover that they rank lower in esteem than male prostitutes? No wonder the National Lottery is faltering. These facts deserve earnest consideration by any decent citizen before he or she invests in a lottery ticket." Rich coming from a newspaper that once gave its support to Hitler! And with the co-ordinated persecution of homosexuals by British and US governments following the war, I have to ask just whose freedoms these brave men fought? Tory Brian Monteith, of course, found the whole thing "worse than disgusting". And he didn't mean the Mail's vile behaviour, either. Reporter Grant sneered at the Fife Men Project who "would or could not say exactly how many male prostitutes there are in Fife" before turning to a Fife Constabulary spokesman for help. After spending valuable police time leafing through files from as far back as January last year, they told the paper they had no reports of any offences regarding male prostitution. Perhaps they might like to leaf through some gay magazines in London where the back pages are full to the brim with photos and descriptions of men selling their bodies for cash from all over the UK; or dial up some chatlines; or visit the Internet chatrooms... The list is endless. The editorial wondered whether it was now possible to buy a lottery ticket "with a clear conscience". An interesting observation that could so easily be levelled at The Daily Mail which has had to print more apologies for inaccurate reporting than any other paper I've seen and has recently been derided by a top journalist as "the most evil mainstream organisation in Britain today". The editorial begged: "Giving lottery money to help train men to be male prostitutes is not only abetting the commission of a criminal offence, it is encouraging the exploitation of socially inadequate youths whose lifestyle is as dangerous as it is sordid. Why not fund a group offering these unfortunates an alternative career?" The prudish reporting of sexual issues in The Sunday Mail is at best fairly nauseating, but the entrapment exercise by Mail reporters was in quite a different league. The 'investigators', behind this debasing exercise were Brendan Mcginty, Lorna Hughes, Charles Lavery and Russell Findlay. Allegedly, "Graeme Paterson tried to seduce a girl he believed was just 12 in a series of increasingly obscene conversations in a chatroom". Thing was, this '12-year-old' turned out to be a reporter who hadn't plugged in her Net Nanny. Presuming games of 'come and sit on daddy's lap' has not been censored out of existence, on or off the Internet, for anyone interested in this kind of sexual foreplay, what was The Sunday Mail doing sniffing round Internet chatrooms? An "AOL chatroom", they added vaguely. Like so many Internet chatrooms, there are ones on AOL that are frequently used by people to act out fantasies, change sex, have extra-marital affairs, role-play, and find sexual partners. For the gratification of their readers, they were more than generous with the circumstances of Mr Paterson's sexual non-starter. The Sunday Mail had just "NETTED" another sexual victim. Paterson was said to have responded with "disappointment" when he met the ageing 12-year-old, saying: "You look older than I expected". But it was not so much 'disappointment' on Paterson's face, pictured in The Sunday Mail; more like a smirk. Even after the woman, dressed like a schoolgirl, confronted him, The Sunday Mail sneered how he still "made it clear that he wanted to meet for sex". A woman pretending to be 12-years-old was not such a disappointment to Paterson, then. Was this really a paedophile or a confirmed role-player? This story was a small ad from the back pages of a sex magazine, masquerading as a tabloid exclusive. Were The Sunday Mail's 'investigators' mistaken? Despite so much "not suitable for publication", we were, as usual, clearly expected to arrive at the same conclusion. All The Mail could say was that "his lust for child sex was clear in every conversation and he frequently spoke of his heightened state of sexual excitement". He had also asked her "to wear ankle socks and, at one stage, a school uniform". The Mail was satisfied that he was "a pervert". I'm afraid I would take a little more convincing. Several newspapers reported the ridiculous circumstances whereby police have written to the Scottish Executive to ask when knickers are sexy and when they are just items of clothing. Amongst them was The Sunday Mail whose journalists otherwise spend their time 'exposing' shops selling erotic items, such as videos. Apparently, the Association of Chief Police Officers' assistant secretary Colin McKerrechar, who is Deputy Chief Constable of Strathclyde, sought guidance on what were the sexiest colours in underwear, when could riding crops be considered 'sex aids' and what could be done to licence shops selling sexy items to help him make more arrests. "When does underwear cease to be a functional piece of clothing and become something 'intended for use in connection with, or for the purpose of, stimulating or encouraging sexual activity'?" begged McKerrechar. Apparently, police are disturbed that shops refused sex shop licences were selling sexy items alongside "controversial items". Ooh, matron! I'm surprised The Sunday Mail weren't straight on the blower for a quote from the Kirk's Board of Social Responsibility or the Catholic Church! Craig Watson's report finished: "Two weeks ago, we revealed Ann Summers is to double its number of shops in Scotland". "No one from the Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade was available for comment", finished the report in The Daily Record of 21-year-old firefighter Karla Stevenson's winning of Diva's Miss Lesbian UK competition (See picture). It was an otherwise perfectly good article, why should anyone have to comment? Firefighter uniforms are an integral part of sexual play; no one asked the Fire Brigade's opinion when firemen posed for calendars in their kit. Garry Otton's book SEXUAL FASCISM is published by Ganymede Books priced GBP8.99. E-mail: garry@scottishmediamonitor.com WWW: http://www.scottishmediamonitor.com. Read newspapers online. Also, when the prudery of Islam is more newsworthy than gay outrage and the Kirk's failure to elect a female Moderator. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Freebies ======== Bend Sinister, The Gay Times Book of Disturbing Stories Something out of kilter, something dangerously askew... Bend Sinister, The Gay Times Book of Disturbing Stories, is the latest short story collection from GMP, edited by Lambda-nominated Peter Burton. With contributions from famous authors, upcoming stars and brand new voices, these twenty-eight unnerving tales make up a substantial 400 pages of scary and sinister reading - perfect for whiling away those dark winter evenings. "There is a long tradition of gay authors writing stories which are at once decidedly sinister and decidedly queer," writes Peter Burton in his introduction to Bend Sinister. "Gothic literature, in which sinister is an essential component, was, after all, virtually the invention of gay men." Here, 28 contributors demonstrate this affinity with the Gothic in a breath-taking and deeply disturbing collection that ranges from tales of crime and detection, to horror and fantasy, including stories which are fantastic as well as stories which are subtly sexual or intensely erotic. Bend Sinister includes well-established authors such as Francis King, Neil Bartlett, Christopher Bram, Michael Wilcox and Richard Zimler, as well as the cream of GMP's own writers and many exciting new voices. This lively, eclectic collection ventures into the world of the sinister and the disturbing with flashes of sheer horror, making Bend Sinister the ideal gift for anyone who likes to be spooked. Thanks to those nice people at Millivres Prowler, ScotsGay has five free copies for our readers. If you'd like us to send you one, please put your name and address on a postcard (or back of a sealed envelope) and send it to: Bend Sinister, ScotsGay, PO Box 666, EDINBURGH. EH7 5YW. The Authors: Neil Bartlett is the Artistic Director of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in London where his acclaimed productions have included Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, W Somerset Maugham's The Letter, Terence Rattigan's Cause Celebre and Robin Maugham's The Servant. His is a dramatist and translator and his books include the novels Ready To Catch Him Should He Fall and Mr Clive and Mr Page. He lives in Brighton, England. Sebastian Beaumont is the author of On The Edge, Heroes are Hard to Find, Two, The Cruelty of Silence and The Linguist. He regularly interviews for Gay Times and lives in Brighton, England. David Patrick Beavers is the author of Jackal in the Dark, The Jackal Awakens, Thresholds, The Color of Green and Pathways. He lives in Los Angeles, USA. Kevin Booth has worked in various performance-based media, and has had five plays performed, including the 100 Metres, which toured Buenos Aires and the Canary Islands. Born in New Zealand, he now lives in Barcelona, Spain. Christopher Bram is the author of Suprising Myself, Hold Tight, In Memory of Angel Clare, father of Frankenstein (filmed as Gods and Monsters), Gossip, and The Notorious Dr August. He lives in New York, USA. Perry Brass is the author of Warlock: a novel of Possession, Mirage, Out There: Stories of private desires, The Harvest, How To Survive You Own Gay Life and Angel Lust: An Erotic novel of time travel. He has been nominated several times for Lambda Literary Awards (in the categories Poetry, Science fiction & Fantasy and religion). He lives in New York, USA. Scott Brown balances writing with a career in hospitality management, but would like to be able to write full-time. He is working on a novel but in the meantime 'Justice Armstrong-Jones' is his first published fiction. He lives in a quiet corner of Essex, England. Peter Burton is the author of Rod Stewart: A life on the town, Parallel Lives, Talking to... and Amongst Aliens. He edited The Black Tent and Other Stories, The Boy from Beirut and Other Stories and The Mammoth Book of Gay Short Stories. He is Literary Editor of Gay Times, Commissioning Editor of GMP and lives in Brighton, England. Richard Cawley had a successful career as a designer for a fashion house before becoming a food writer (nine cookbooks) and television chef on programmes such as Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook Won't Cook. He is the author of one novel, The Butterfly Boy, and "The Pink Tower" is his first published short story. He has homes in France and London, England. Jack Dickson is the author of Oddfellows, Crossing Jordan, Freeform, Banged Up, Some Kind Of Love (the latter three featuring private investigator Jas Anderson) and Out of This World. He lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Neal Drinnan is the author of Glove Puppet, Pussy's Bow and Quill. He edited Best Gay Erotica 2002. He lives in Sydney, Australia. Stephen Gray is a lecturer and poet and is author of John Ross; The true story, Time of Our Darkness and Born of Man. He lives in South Africa. John Haylock has taught English at universities in Baghdad and Tokyo. His novels include, See You Again, It's All Your Fault, One Hot Summer in Kyoto, A Touch of the Orient, Uneasy Relations, Doubtful Partners, Body of Contention and the forthcoming Loose Connections. He divides his times between the Far East and Brighton, England. Steven Hope is currently working on a collection of short stories - of which 'Mirror Man' is to be published. He lives in Oxfordshire, England. Alan James is a graduate from the Royal College of and he has exhibited three one-man shows. 'Monkey Business' is his first short story to be published. He currently divides his time between the Isle of Wight and Bangladesh. Francis King published his first three novels whilst he was an undergraduate at Oxford and since then has written another forty books. His novels include A Domestic Animal, Act of Darkness, Voices in an Empty Room, Punishments, The Ant Colony, The One and Only, Dead Letters, Prodigies and the forthcoming The Nick of Time. He frequently reviews books for Gay Times. He lives in London, England. Simon Lovat is the author of Disorder and Chaos and Attrition. He regularly reviews for Gay Times and lives in Brighton, England. Anthony McDonald is the author of Orange Bitter, Orange Sweet, and the forthcoming Adam. He lives in London, England. Joseph Mills is the author of Towards the End and Obsessions. He edited Borderline: The Mainstream book of Scottish gay writing. He lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Neil Powell has been a teacher and bookseller; he is a poet, critic and biographer of Roy Fuller. He is the author of one novel, Unreal City and edited Gay Love Poetry. He reviewed (mainly) poetry for Gay Times for several years. He lives sin Suffolk, England. Patrick Rosco was born on the Spanish island of Formentera and spent his childhood in East Africa. He was educated in England and Canada and later California and Mexico. He is author of seven internationally acclaimed books of fiction. He currently divides his time between Sidi Ifni, Morocco, and Sevilla, Spain. Jeffrey Round is a much-published poet, short-story writer and editor. His first novel, A cage of Bones, was published in 1997. He lives in Ontario, Canada. Lawrence Schimel is the author or editor of over fifty books including His Tongue, The drag Queen of Elfland, The Mammoth Book of Gay Erotica, Two Hearts Desire; Gay Couples on their love (with Michael Lassell) Boy Meets Boy, Things Invisible To See: Lesbian and Gay Tales of Magic Realism, Kosher Meat and Found Tribe: Jewish Coming Out Stories. He has won a Lambda Literary Award and has also been a finalist six times. Born in New York City, he now lives in Madrid, Spain. Stewart Thorogood is the author of Outcast and Outside In, inter-novels, the third of which Over and Out, is scheduled for publication in 2003. 'T@ngled' is his first published short story. He lives in Buckinghamshire, England. Michael Wilcox is a dramatist and his play includes Rent, Lent, Green Fingers and Mrs Steinberg and the Byker Boy. He is the author of Outlaw in the Hills and Benjamin Britten. He edited Gay Plays (Volumes 1-5) and regularly reviews books for Gay Times. He lives in Northumberland, England. Graeme Woolaston is the author of Stranger Than Love, The Learning of Paul O'Neill and The Biker Below the Downs. He is a regular contributor to Gay Times, and lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Richard Zimler is the author of the international bestseller The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, Unholy Ghosts and The Angelic Darkness. He has translated a great deal of Portuguese poetry and prose into English. American born, he lives in Lisbon, Portugal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Films ===== Malcolm Epstein FILMS TO KNOW ABOUT There are more than a few people incredibly envious of Jennifer Lopez right now. Besides selling well on records she has just made two movies with Ben Affleck who People magazine has named the sexiest male on this planet. And he found her so irresistible they are now living together planning marriage with her admitting through a contented smile she was totally aware of his charisma well before the magazine made this announcement. They exchanged $50,000 platinum Rolex watches and he has bought his future mother in law $100,000 Mercedes. Some people envy MissLopez so much they are admitting making plasticine images of her and stabbing it with pins. Seeing her in one of my favourite films of 2003 "Maid In Manhattan" (PG) could make them feel a fraction more sympathetic towards her as she is playing a very humble housemaid in a luxury hotel. Her husband is elsewhere and she is raising the most appealing ten year old son you have ever seen onscreen. Another maid persuades her to try on a magnificent white outfit a guest has on approval and wants returned. Ralph Fiennes, an attractive politician staying at the hotel, mistakes her for a guest and starts pursuing her. It is a warm and wonderful movie that we have to wait till early March for. In a scene, where her son is suffering, I was in tears. So make sure you wear your waterproof mascara. "Cabaret" was one of the most successful musicals of all time both as a stage show and movie. Its writers, John Kander and Fred Ebb, have done it again with "Chicago" which is likely to run forever at London's Adelphi Theatre. And now the movie "Chicago" (15) is essential viewing as you won' see a slicker production this year. Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger are murderers waiting in prison for lawyer Richard Gere to defend them as he has never lost a case. It is expertly edited in scenes between prison, the criminal court and production numbers with riveting dancers. You are in for quite a treat. Director Martin Scorcese has specialized in 20th century gangster films, but presumably there wasn't enough blood in those for him so "Gangs Of New York" shows us the knife slashing commonplace a century before. Leonardo DiCaprio returns from 15 years in prison intent on revenge against Bill the Butcher who murdered his father. With a moustache and long greasy hair Daniel Day-Lewis relishes every moment as the villain. Pickpocket Cameron Diaz tells Leonardo he is not all bad as he rescued her from the street when she was 12 and never touched her virginal body as he fancied boys. It is an expensive quality production but was too violent for my genteel taste. Eminem has such a following as a rap singer that his first movie "8 Mile" (15) has been top box office on its American release. Presumably his fans enjoyed him in a poverty world living with his mother, Kim Basinger, who pleads with him to get on with her live in lover. I was nauseated watching black guys beat him up. If Eminem's records are your scene you may love it. "Ghost Ship" (18) is 50 per cent of a very clever horror movie with special effects that will stun you. The passengers and crew of an ocean liner disappear, can you believe, and over 40 years later Gabriel Byrne's ship is sailing by and finds this deserted vessel. He takes his crew onboard to investigate. Tragically the scriptwriters then ran out of ideas. But much of it is horrifying. Robert De Niro's vast following will be pleased to see him back in "City By The Sea" (15) that has him as a police inspector on a murder case who finds his drop out son could be the murderer. Mr De Niro realizes when divorced he should have been determined to stay in contact with the boy and his neglect could be the reason for his son's current disaster. "Auto Focus" (18) is the most heterosexual movie of the year. Based on a factual book about a TV celebrity of the sixties and seventies, played by Greg Kinnear, who is married with children but can't resist endless horizontal excitement with other females. Willem Dafoe is around to provide them and although Mr Dafoe has a reputation as the most well endowed actor in Hollywood there is no proof of that here. Many ladies are flashing their boobs. Columbia executives must have enjoyed casting this. I never saw a TV comedy series called Jackass which had a vast following. We now have "Jackass: The Movie" (18). It has a selection of young men doing ridiculous things like hiring a car to damage it as many ways as possible before returning it. Sensing it was too young for me I took to see it a student in his early twenties who loved every bizarre moment of it. If you think black is beautiful you must consider "Antwone Fisher" (15) based on a best selling American book "Finding Fish" that Serpents Tail is publishing here in March. Denzil Washington was impressed enough to direct and star in it as a naval psychiatrist helping a good looking black guy in the navy whose attitude problems get him into many fights. His childhood of neglect is traced including sex abuse he suffered with an adult woman. Hollywood has started doing surprising things like handling movies without noticeable commercial potential. "Love Liza" (15) was probably chosen because it won a screenwriting award at the Sundance film festival. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a marvellous character actor, but watching him go through endless depression as his wife has committed suicide is unusual film fare. In one upbeat scene he is in swim trunks running through the surf and his overweight shape could appeal to chubby chasers. At least "Moonlight Mile" has Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon in the leads. But they are suffering as days before their daughter's wedding she is shot dead by a sniper in a local cafe. Her fiance has to meet their friends after the funeral and Dustin later persuades him to join his business as an industrial estate agent. Fortunately the young man, Jake Gyllenhaal, is attractive and we watch him finding solace with a local lady. CURRENT RELEASE "The Curse Of the Jade Scorpion" (12A) is the latest comedy written, directed by and starring Woody Allen which kept me highly amused. But on a Channel 4 film programme recently the editor of Sight & Sound magazine and a British Film Institute executive had the audacity to suggest Woody is making too many films and expressed irritation watching his mature shape chasing young women. As I can't get enough of Mr Allen's astringent humour I was amazed yet again about the number of people who will say anything to get their tired faces in front of a TV camera. In my opinion Woody Allen is the most brilliant mind in making American movies today. And it doesn't matter how old he is as that is the humour of his scenes with impressive girls. In this one he is hypnotised by a guy who makes him burgle diamond collections. When he is not making comedies, Woody plays with a jazz group in a New York night spot one night a week and a few years ago toured Europe with his group to sell out business as across France, Germany and Italy his films are revered by a public who know he is a genius. His musical knowledge is so extensive the soundtrack of his films is always memorable. He can't make enough films for me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Books ===== Andy and Dirk Undressed Marco Carocari Pro-fun GBP16.99 Well! What can I say about this one? I personally think that you would waste your money buying it. Crap photos, crap photographer, you cannot even call the photos arty, the man has no talent for taking pictures and it would be cruel to encourage the poor talentless misguided fool. Everyone is good at something and I do hope Marco finds what that is because it certainly is not photography! Blood Brothers Michael Schiefelbein Alyson GBP9.99 There are always some books that stand apart from the rest: they seem to grip you from start to finish. Sadly this is not one of them but it is a good read though and rather enjoyable. Nevertheless, I think the whole thing lacks passion. I suppose I'd better tell you what it is actually about: Determined to avenge the murder of his parents, ruthless Juan Ramon Fuertes enters a Spanish Monastery to prey on the killers son, the beautiful and pious Brother Bernardo. Seducing Bernardo and simultaneously exploiting the na•ve young monks own hatred for his cruel father, Juan Ramon gradually moulds his enthralled lover into an agent of revenge but, Juan's master plan hits an unforeseen snag when he falls in love with his tortured protege. The Harvey Milk Institute Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Internet Research Edited by Alan Ellis, Liz Highleyman, Kevin Schaub and Melissa White. Harrington Park Press GBP10.99 Other than having the longest title of any book I've reviewed so far it is a great guide and an excellent reference book to internet resources for the LGBTQ. This book is a great help to researchers and students interested in LGBTQ topics and courses. Well worth the money and would make a useful Christmas gift. Wild And Willing Edited by John Patrick and John Butler Starbooks GBP11.99 So John Patrick strikes again, his name is all over my bookshelves as he seems to have brought out lots of collections of one handed stories. This man is making wankers of us all and I like it. Oh! Cum all ye faithful. Amongst the collections of stories edited by this guy are Sweet Temptations, Taboo and Huge 2 ( it would be nice to own the original Huge as well if Starbooks are reading this) and many more. Wild and willing is assured a place on my shelves. And yes I really do have repetitive strain injury in my right hand. Fly On The Wall Rupert Smith GMP GBP9.99 Do you want a laugh this Christmas then get this book. I will not even bother to tell you anything else about it just go down to your local bookshop and buy it and you will chuckle all the way home. HO HO HO. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL WITH MUCH LOVE --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTS ==== The Night The Balloon Went Up... If ever there was a time I should not have been away from my flat in Edinburgh's historic Old Town just off the Cowgate it was the weekend of 7th-8th December 2002. The first I knew there were any problems in that area was when I switched on the radio early on Sunday morning and heard that there was a major fire in Edinburgh's historic Old Town just off the Cowgate. Did I still have a flat? I turned on the TV to see it still there, then it dawned on me that those pictures could have been taken at any time after 8pm on Saturday night. As Sunday progressed and the number of buildings destroyed went from 5 to 8 to 13 I felt increasingly uncomfortable. I was lucky. I still have a flat. The Gilded Balloon was not so lucky. I've always had a soft spot for the Gilded Balloon, probably because it was where I saw my first show at the Edinburgh Fringe many years ago. A show that gave me a wonderful line for leaving a tedious meeting that preceded it - "I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, I have to get to 'Sexual Perversity in Chicago.'" Over the years the Gilded Balloon expanded with Backstage I II and III and last year the Caverns. I fear it will be a long time, if ever, before I see another show in or around the Cowgate. The Gilded Balloon as we knew it is no more but it is not only a major Fringe venue that has gone but the rabbit warren around Hastie's Close that was home to many artists and an entire creative community. It should also not be forgotten that many clubs and bars with no purpose other than to give people fun have also gone. A tragic loss. However this is no obituary. In recent years the Gilded Balloon has expanded and taken over Teviot Row, which for many years languished under incompetent management by the Fringe Office, so there will be something next year and I have no doubt that Karen Koren and her talented team are currently pulling out all the stops to ensure that the Gilded Balloon next year will be as wonderful and memorable a venue as it always has been - even if they are currently working from a tent somewhere. C Venues may also have problems. Adam House on Chambers Street was also affected but at the time of writing appears to be structurally OK. Quite how much damage has been done inside is anybody's guess. However C have experience of operating a venue in a building site, when some years back building work at C Too overran and coincided with the Fringe. A smokey, water stained and slightly seedy atmosphere may actually add something to Adam House. Who knows? Yes, next year's Fringe will be different but when hasn't that always been true? Martin Powell E-mail: martinp@drink.demon.co.uk Photo by Alex Hunsley. Other pix of the fire can be seen at http://www.lardus.plus.com/edinFire/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- International News from Rex Wockner =================================== *Gay tourists abandon Amsterdam Gay tourism to Amsterdam has dropped at least 35 percent in the past five years because the city has become too bourgeois, square, frumpy, orderly and calm, gay leaders have claimed. Citing figures from the city tourist board, the city's gay business group said gay tourists now prefer Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris. Tourist officials need to go beyond promoting tulips and windmills if they want gays to return, said Gay Business Amsterdam spokesman Siep de Haan. "They should try to present more of the sex, drugs and rock-and-roll image," he told Agence France-Presse. *Switzerland introduces partnership measure Switzerland's Federal Council, the cabinet, has unveiled gay partnership legislation. "The recognition by the state of the partnership between persons of the same sex will contribute to ending discrimination, which hits homosexual couples particularly hard, and to lessening prejudice against homosexuality," the government said in a press release. "The picture of same-sex couples hugging and kissing on the street should become normal," Justice Minister Ruth Metzler told reporters. Same-sex partners would register at the Civil State office, where they would commit to living together and to mutual respect, assistance and economic life. A non-Swiss partner would be granted residency. Registrees would acquire marriage rights in the areas of inheritance, social security and divorce. Adoption and assisted-procreation rights are not included. *Marches staged on World AIDS Day About 2,000 people marched through downtown Kathmandu, Nepal, on 1st Dec, World AIDS Day. The carried placards reading, "Live and Let Live." Nepal just this year formulated an AIDS policy. "Affected people should be rehabilitated and provided with opportunities of livelihood to enable them to live without social stigmas attached to their names," said Health Minister Upendra Devkota. About 2,000 people marched in Hanoi, Vietnam, on World AIDS Day. Vice President Truong My Hoa led the group around a lake. They urged citizens not to shun people who are HIV-positive. About 200,000 Vietnamese are believed to be infected. *GAY GAMES LOST $1.4 MILLION The recent Gay Games in Sydney lost US$1.4 million and the company Sydney 2002 Gay Games Limited likely will file bankruptcy, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported. *CHINA OK'S CONDOM ADS China has lifted a ban on condom advertising, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce announced. A 1989 policy had banned all advertising related to having sex. Officials say China, population 1.3 billion, could see 10 million HIV infections by 2010. About 1.5 million people are believed to be infected now. *PREMIER: WE HAVE NO GAY SEX The premier of the Canadian territory of Nunavut said that the territory does not give out condoms in prisons because there is no gay sex in prisons. "I believe our inmates that I know of are all heterosexual people and I haven't heard of any same-sex relations to date so, if we did see any, condoms could be readily available," Premier Paul Okalik said. AIDS activists responded by pointing out that Nunavut likely does have gay prisoners and that heterosexual men often have sex with each other in sex-segregated environments, such as prisons. *FORTUYN VOTED EUROPEAN OF THE YEAR Assassinated gay Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn has been selected "European of the Year" by the readers of European Voice magazine. Fortuyn, who may have had enough support to become prime minister, was shot in May by an animal-rights activist who said Fortuyn's stance against further immigration by Muslims made him a danger to society. Fortuyn believed Muslim immigrants have not integrated into Dutch society. *LESBIAN INMATES GRANTED CONJUGAL RIGHTS Two lesbians jailed in separate Colombian prisons have been granted conjugal visitation rights by a local judge in Manizales. Marta Alvarez had been fighting for visits with her lover since 1998 and, at one point, received assistance from the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. In his ruling, the judge said not letting the women visit each other violated their rights to equality, privacy and free development of their personalities, according to information provided by the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission. *ANGLICAN BLESSINGS STALLED The Anglican bishop in Vancouver, Canada, Michael Ingham, has suspended plans to offer church blessings for same-sex couples, according to the Vancouver Sun. Ingham backed down in the face of dissent from eight parishes that are withholding $30,000 (US$19,000) in monthly assessments -- about 20 percent of the diocese's income -- to protest the gay ceremonies. In June, a majority of delegates to the annual diocesan synod voted for the third time in four years to create what is likely the first formal Anglican same-sex-union rite in the world *CANADIAN CENSORS RAP BROADCASTER Canada's Vision TV violated broadcasting ethics during an anti-gay programme, the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council has ruled. According to Toronto's Xtra!, during a February 2002 broadcast of the programme Power Today, evangelist R.W. Schamback said: "Homosexuality is not another lifestyle. It's a demon spirit. In the beginning God made Adam and Eve. He didn't make Adam and Steve. ... God made you a man; God made you a woman. And the devil has come in and he's thwarted the program of God. ... What you do in private, God's gonna splash it all over the front page. Demon spirit." The broadcasting council declared: "Intolerant comment can find no salvation by wrapping itself in religious garb. Broadcasters of religious programming must be as vigilant with respect to other social values (such as the human rights of identifiable groups) as broadcasters of all other types of programming." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOTSGAY VOICE FOR PERSONALS ============================ (We regret that this service is only available within the UK) To reply to ScotsGay Voice Ads, phone 09068 556613 (calls charged at 60p per minute) and use the number at the end of the ad. You can leave your own ad FREE on FREEphone 0800 138 4121. *WOMEN Hamilton Lesbian 28 year old Lesbian from Hamilton, near Glasgow would like to meet lesbians 25-40 years old from the Strathclyde area. She would hope that friends say that she was witty, charming, funny, good-looking, intelligent and rich - but not all of these are true! She isn't worried about looks and likes watching football, Eastenders, going to the cinema, etc. Just get in touch! Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5160. Nurse Mary Mary is a 38 years old, 5'7" tall, slimly-built nurse who would like to meet interesting people She is honest and reliable with a good sense of humour, likes having fun but also has a very serious side to herself. She does a lot of sports, has a pet alsation and is flexible and relaxed. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5143. Late 30's Lesbian Lesbian woman, late thirties, would like to meet other women for fun, frolics and a possible relationship. She is looking for feminine, butch or tomboy women any age or race. Can travel or accommodate. "I'll definitely reply back to you". Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5124. Animal Loving Gay female, young 45 years, 5'7" tall, size 16, with lovely sense of humour who likes animals, football and country walks. She is a very genuine and sincere person and would like to meet another female, age and looks unimportant, for friendship, possible more. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5084. *MEN Can't Get No... Glasgow man, mid 40's would like to meet other men for satisfaction and adventure. Age and looks are not important but an ability to give and receive uninhibited pleasure is. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5142. Anything Horny - Basically 34 year old guy who lives in the Fife/Edinburgh area is looking for masculine, active guys who are into jocks, football kit - anything horny, basically - for good fun. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5146. Blond Michael Michael is in his 20's, 5'8" tall, with blond hair and blue eyes and he likes playing the piano, watching Eastenders and going to the pub - but would rather do these things with someone else. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5151. Boot Boy - Glasgow Boot boy, Glasgow - if you are interested, get back. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5155. Shy And Quiet 46 year old very quiet and shy gay man from the West End of Glasgow is looking for a loving, genuine relationship with the right person. His interests include singing, poetry, karaoke and genuine good times. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5161. Classy TV Natasha is a 29 year old feminine, long-legged, classily-dressed, convincing TV who is looking to meet a broad-minded mature male in his 40's to 60's for friendship and maybe more. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5165. Up For A Laugh Stevie is 30 years old, up for a laugh and a drink and is looking for similar people. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5167. Glasgow Lumberjack? Steve is a 37 years old non-smoking, sturdily-built, 12st, 32" waisted gay man who lives in the West End of Glasgow. He loves animals, the cinema, bowling and does forestry work. He is looking for someone for companionship, friendship and lots of sexy fun. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5170. Clubbing, Pubbing & Rubber Patrick from Glasgow is 22 years old and is into clubbing and pubbing and rubber. He is looking for someone in their 20's or 30's. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5173. Football & Golf Pete is a 43 year old Peterhead guy, interested in football and golf who is looking for someone with similar interests. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5177. Lorry Driver Fun Bruce is a lorry driver from Aberdeen who is looking for fun and games. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5179. Genteel Thomas lives in SW Scotland and is 36 years old with a 29" waist. His interests include: good food and wine, the theatre, antiques and animals. He is not particularly attached to this hi-tech world, preferring to remember a more genteel way of life. "If you can relate to my sentiment, then I would be most glad to engage in conversation". Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5090. Sequined Shorts Colin is 5'9" tall with dark hair. Is into guys with sequined or tight shorts - preferably above the knee. Must be an older, masculine guy. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5098. A Thorough Spanking Needing firm discipline? This retired teacher in Aberdeenshire seeks naughty boys needing to go across his knee and have their bare bottom thoroughly spanked. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5101. Dunfermline Disciplinarian Dunfermline discipline will give you very, very firm corrective discipline. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5102. Tattooed Richard is 45 years old, 5'11", tattooed with a hairy chest. He is looking for people into rubber, leather or watersports. He lives in the Edinburgh area. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5104. Very Dominant Male, late-thirties, very dominant looking for a dominant male or a couple. All slaves, dominant couples: females and males, please respond. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5106. 21 Year Old From Glasgow Jamie, a 21 year old from Glasgow, is 6'2" tall with short brown hair, blue eyes and a 28" waist. He is looking for friendship and possible love with another man. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5130. Colourful Aberdonian Aberdeen area, submissive 42 year old, into yellow or brown, into dominant guys, any age. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5082. Gym'll Fix It Dominant Master, Glasgow area, 44 years, 5'11", 12 stones with dark brown hair. He's very fit and goes to the gym 3 times a week. He is looking for a slave for spanking, role play and mild CP. He can accommodate and is very discreet. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5052. Les Bi Friends Male mid-thirties is looking for a lesbian couple or a bi-couple, any age - doesn't matter. He's from the Edinburgh area and would like you to get in touch with him for mutual fun. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5054. Genuinely Young? 48 year old straight-acting and looking dominant type is looking for younger, submissive guys for genuine fun and friendship leading to 1-2-1 relationship. Based in Central Scotland he is a professional guy who enjoys the gym, badminton, walking and nights in and out. Genuine young guys only please. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5058. Yellow Sub- 38 year old slim, submissive guy, into yellow, is looking for dominant guys any age. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5060. Sound Spanking Naughty boy aged 41 from the Edinburgh area is seeking an experienced, older disciplinarian to give his bottom the sound spanking it so badly needs. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5070. Who's The Daddy? Two Daddy figures in Fife are looking for a younger 16+ guy who wants fun and to be looked after. Shy boys are welcome for spoiling. Can collect in the Fife area. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5072. Masters Only Please Two passive guys, 32 and 45 years old in the Fife area are looking for an experienced master who can really show them the ropes. Genuine Masters only please. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5073. Initiation Invitation We are two guys who can travel to Edinburgh and Aberdeen and who are looking for an invitation to leather, rubber and fetish parties. We would like to get into the scene. Please give us a call and we will get back to you. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5074. Athletic Student Two Fife gents require young student, athletic types. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5075. Jogger From Dundee "K" & "D" miss you lots. Get in touch ASAP. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5077. Rough Trade Dave is looking for active Skins, Braces, Docs, Sta-Prest, Football, Casuals. Rough trade wanted for sub-professional 52 years old guy in Fife who can accommodate for some CP fun. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5078. Close Encounter Of The Casual Kind Dundee guy, 36 years old with reasonable looks and body is seeing casual encounters. Can accommodate and likes toys, leather, poppers etc. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4991. Versatile From Stirling Andy is 39 years old, from the Stirling area and is looking to make new friends and have some fun. He likes most things, is very versatile and likes uniforms, rubber and leather. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4997. Bob A Job? Bobby is 40 years guy old from Aberdeen where he owns his own Training and Animal Centre. He is looking for passive guys 17-30 years old and may be able to offer accommodation and employment. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5001. School Strap Retired teacher wanted to administer 1950's school punishment. Glasgow - can travel but not accommodate. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5007. TV For Steve Steve is 39 years old for Edinburgh and is looking for other cross-dressers or TVs for a bit of fun. "Please get in touch". Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5012. Enterprising Virgin 43 year old virgin is looking for an active older man from the Edinburgh area. Age and looks are unimportant so long as "you'd like to explore me and boldy go where no man has gone before". Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5016. Brian - Box 4437 Could Brian who phoned me on 29th August to Box Number 4437 please phone again with his phone number. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5026. Bad Boys - Phone Me Now! Wanted: bad boys who need their bare bottoms spanked by experienced, 55 years old disciplinarian in the Central Region. "Phone now, bad boy". Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5040. Adventurous Alan Alan is a 46 years old inexperienced Bi-guy from Aberdeen and he is looking for someone experienced to show him the ropes. He is well-built, hairy, 6'1" tall and is looking forward to meeting someone. He is very adventurous and broad-minded. "Any age, size or colour - all replies answered." Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5041. Witty From The City Andrew from Edinburgh describes himself as a witty Belle and Sebastian fan who is 37 - going on 23 - with blond hair and eyes. He especially likes playing and watching football despite admitting to supporting Hibs and Ipswich Town. He also likes cycling, tennis, reading, all types of music and visiting the Greek islands. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 5047. Domination In Fife Dominant male or couple sought by Fife male who can travel but not accommodate. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4958. Rough And Ready in Renfrew? Andy is a 40 year old passive gay male, slim to medium build, who likes walks, videos and cosy nights in. He would like to meet a guy who is tall and dark and hairy - masculine manual worker with tattoos if possible. He lives in Renfrew and can accommodate. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4974. Please Get In Touch Would the former teacher in his late fifties who was going to give me the belt please contact me on my Box Number 4437. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4918. Wet, Wet, Wet Friendly fifties seeks younger masculine guy interested in putting out fires. Uniform a bonus. Glasgow/Edinburgh areas. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4935. Glasgow - Scotland - Anywhere Strict but friendly uncle type, 48, active, seeks nephews 17-29 years, any colour or nationality. Shy lads treated with care. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4907. Oriental Young Oriental wanted by very discreet older man. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4908. Sexy Seeks Shy Attractive, tall, sexy, gym-trained 42 year old professional guy who lives in Glasgow and is into quiet things like walking, movies and music yet enjoys a beer is looking for a younger, shy guy who is equally attractive, for a possible relationship. No queens, cross-dressers or time-wasters please. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4868. Professional And Non-scene 31 year old professional, non-scene gay guy, non-smoker, 5'8", 10.5 stone, 33" waist. Hobbies include cinema, theatre, reading, country walking and swimming. Looking to meet gay/bi guys up to 45 years old for a possible 1-2-1 with the right guy. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4775. Bald, Sincere Glaswegian Wanted 28 year old Glasgow male, 5'9" tall, short-haired and good looking - often doesn't pass for his age. He is mature and studies social and medical sciences. His interest are: reading, watching documentaries, politics, classical music and he has a very keen interest in Modern History. He is looking for friends or a 1-2-1 in the Glasgow area, 35-40 years, preferably bald or with a No 1 haircut. Seeking a caring, sincere, stable man for a possible relationship. Queens, time-wasters, users or two-timers need not apply. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4785. Peter From Edinburgh Peter from Edinburgh is a 51 year old, clean-shaven guy with dark hair. He enjoys, music, cinema, theatre, country walking, swimming, briefs and Speedos and he is looking to meet people for fun. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4710. Edinburgh CP Action Edinburgh guy from West end, 30 years old, 5'11" tall is looking for a big-built 55+ guy who is a strict disciplinarian to administer CP. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4620. Renfrew Rendezvous Andrew from mid-Renfrew is 40 years, 5'10" with cropped fair hair, clean-shaven and quite hairy. Likes long walks, videos, cosy nights in and the occasional pint. Looking for tall, dark, muscular, hairy guy for no strings fun. He can accommodate but can't travel. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4521. Belting I am a guy in my 40's that remembers the belt at school. I am looking for a genuine, retired or former schoolteacher over 50 to give me the belt over my outstretched palms. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 4437. Visit My Study NOW! Mature Edinburgh headmaster-type will deal firmly with naughty boys. So call now for a visit to his study. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 3942. Corrective Discipline Mature Edinburgh schoolmaster type asks naughty boys, of any age, to report to him for corrective discipline. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 3583. All Present For Correction Edinburgh. "All present for correction". You: 50+ well-built with a very strict outlook. Me: 33 years old, bad boy in need of spanking and caning. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 2337. Bad Boy Needs Discipline 32 year old Edinburgh bad boy wants 50+ gentlemen who are strict disciplinarians with interest in CP. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 1602. Fraserburgh Versatile and fair-haired. Classical music, books and video-lover looking for similar. Phone 09068 556613 - Number 9628. -------------------------------------------------------------- BOXES - THE SCOTSGAY MEET MARKET ================================ To reply to a Contact Ad: By e-mail: We can now accept replies by e-mail for Box Numbers. They should be sent to boxreplies@drink.demon.co.uk and will be printed out and posted on by snail mail to the box number holders. There will be no charge for this service. As box number holders are unlikely to have access to e-mail, please include your name and address so that they can get back to you! And remember to include the box number that you're replying to clearly on each reply. By snail mail: Just pop your reply in an envelope with the box number written in the TOP RIGHT corner and place the envelope with your reply inside another envelope with two loose first class stamps. If you are writing from outside the UK, an International Reply Coupon (IRC) should be enclosed for each reply instead of postage stamps. International Reply Coupons are available from most Post Offices throughout the world. We are unable to send on replies without postage stamps or IRCs. Send all replies to: ScotsGay Magazine, PO Box 666, Edinburgh. EH7 5YW. To place a Contact Ad: Write to the above address enclosing your advertisement copy. Ads are FREE of charge to the advertiser. Or you can send them by e-mail to scotsgay@drink.demon.co.uk IMPORTANT If you used our web site at http://www.scotsgay.co.uk/ to place or reply to a Box Ad between 2205 GMT on 30th November and 1900 GMT on 10th December, then your message has not been received by us and you will have to send it again. The problem was caused by an upgrade of the PERL interpreter by our ISP. Our apologies. *WOMEN Cadzow Athletic Ladies FC Are seeking new players in all positions. We train Tue and Sun in Hamilton. If interested, contact Michelle on Motherwell (01698) 249154. Come Into My World!!!! Hi, I am looking for someone who's fun to be with, good looking and who's up for anything. I am blonde, blue eyes, 5'6" of voluptuous build and up for anything. If you are too, come into my world and I'll speak to ya all soon. Box SG49007. Gay Female 39, looking for friends, maybe more. Like nights out and cosy nights in. WLTM females from Elgin/North East of Scotland. Here goes! Box SG49011. Uncomplicated Pleasure! Gay female, 38, looking for her soul mate! Enjoy most things in life. Seeks femme female, similar age, for friendship, hopefully more. Please let it be you! North East Scotland. Box SG49024. Full Of Life And Love But Need... Someone special to share it with. Professional 30's lady, slim, 5'7", very honest and romantic, searching for good friends/soulmate for eternity of fun and special times. Edinburgh, Scotland. Box SG49025. *MEN Men Spanking Men A fully illustrated magazine containing CP stories of Men Spanking Men. Canes, Tawses, Hands, Straps and much more. For full details and an order form, ring Jason Junior on 0800 9805469. E-mail: jason@jason-junior.co.uk WWW: http://www.jason-junior.co.uk [52a] Fraserburgh Interested in starting an LGBT switchboard to cover the Fraserburgh area? If so, get in touch. Box SG49001. Edinburgh - Anywhere Friendly 40's guy, small, fat and hairy, seeks 16-26 year old guy for fun and friendship. Box SG49003. Assertive "Daddy" Glasgow based Assertive "Daddy/Master" (47), looking to meet genuine sub guy for Domestic style discipline. Able to accommodate, experienced safe and sane. Very discreet. Hope to establish genuine friendship and regular meets. No timewasters please. Novices and Exp both welcome. Limits respected. Genuine search. ALA. Box SG49006. Footworship Wanted 31 year old Edinburgh guy, 5'10", heavy build, dark hair and beard, masculine, size 12 feet. Like to have submissive guys worship my sweaty feet and socks. Get on your knees, lick my shoes, sniff my sweaty socks, lick my bare feet. Not looking for sex, just footslaves! Not everyone's cup of tea but if you're into it there's nothing better. Is this you? Get in touch. WWW: http://www.gaydar.co.uk/edinburgmaster Box SG49008. Cute And Horny 25 Looking for guy for friendship and lurvve. I'm tall, dark hair, blue eyes. E-mail steaphris@yahoo.co.uk and your picture gets mine or post to the Box No. Give it to me baby! (Highlands, Inverness, Dundee.) Box SG49009. Medium Build - 25 Hi guys, Brian here. I'm very submissive and looking for someone who's into role play, dom and leather. I'm looking for an older masterful type who can show me a thing or two. Box SG49012. Hello, Mr Bond Attractive, outgoing 21 year old looking for good looking suave James Bond/Cary Grant besuited types for possible relationship. Box SG49013. Looking For Love In Aberdeen I'm a quiet gay guy looking for love. Easy going and into most things. Will reply to all E-mails. Box SG49014. Edinburgh - Glasgow Any first year students like to meet up with discreet older guy for fun and friendship? I don't bite but may nibble gently if asked nicely! Box SG49015. Aberdeen 30 miles north of Aberdeen, looking for cosy nights in. This 35 year old active, hairy, medium build, career minded, looking for similar person. Want to spend the little free time I have from work with a special person. Box SG49017. Edinburgh Friendly mature Indian guy, 40's, seeks uncomplicated fun with younger guys. Regret unable to accommodate or travel. Total discretion required and offered. Box SG49018. Older Guy Wanted 21 year old Renfrewshire male seeks older males, TV/TS to show me the fun times to be had. Must be caring as I'm new to this. Box SG49019. Dundee Area I'm 20 and very inexperienced. I'm looking for someone that's 30 plus to show me a thing or two. I'm willing to try anything safe. Box SG49021. Lookin' 4 Laughs Fed up with the general hum drum life tends to bring. Wantin' some action now. Who's got what it takes? Looking for someone to have fun and good times with. Discretion a must!! Box SG49022. Are You A Young Rebel? So rebellious that you don't spend a fortune and/or hours making yourself look like every other so-called rebel with piercings, predictable haircut and clothes just like everybody else? So rebellious that you'd actually prefer the company of somebody old enough to be your father but without his attitude? If this is you, please write. Box SG49023. Skinhead Seeks Mates Edinburgh skins seeks bootboys into skin gear, DMs, braces, bleachers, WS, rubber, bondage, leather, humiliation, gob. Let's meet for drinks and hot wet fun. Phone number for quick reply. Box SG49028. Seeking Transexual/Transvestite Bi Aberdeen male, 33, tall, dark, handsome, wears stockings, suspenders, would like a relationship/friendship with a TV/TS, any area. 100% genuine. Can anyone help introduce me to trannie scene? Box SG49029. Bored And Lonely? Me too! 32 year old, straight acting male looking for similar in Central Scotland. Friendship first then take it from there. ALA. Box SG49030. A Bear Isn't Just For Xmas Friendly hairy bear seeks smooth cub for the Festive Season and afterwards. Your cave or mine. And no remarks about the sandwiches on Boxing Day, please! Box SG49031. Dedicated Young Bodybuilder Sought by experienced coach, 30's, to train for competitions. Heavier builds preferred. Must be over 16. Photos please. Glasgow/anywhere. Box SG49032. Unopened Glasgow Christmas Present! New Year gift! Artistic outgoing young outlook fit early 40's (outish) WLTM caring/genuine younger N/Sm sharing ups and downs, energy (gym/dance) relaxation, new experiments! Veggie food, walks, theatre, wine, massage, fun. ALA/Photo. Box SG49033. Cumbernauld Gay man, 55, seeks younger man, 25-40 for friendship and fun. I live in the Cumbernauld area and can accommodate. Box SG49034. Edinburgh - Anywhere Muscular, fit, 6ft, rugby build, masculine, 34, No 1 crop, seeks chunky male with loads of body hair. Shaved head a bonus. Non scene preferred. Box SG49035. I Want A Smooth Muscular Nephew But I NEED a companion to wrestle, laugh with and have fun with in Glasgow. This fit, 57, 5'8" guy is becoming a "Victor Meldrew". Dare you rescue him? ALA. Box SG49036. Glasgow English Master Seeks Young Scots Slave, now Master, 46, 6'7" seeks willing obedient slaves (18-30), slimmish, to please this English master in whatever chosen way. Limitations and safe fun. Discretion assured. Box SG49037. Looking For VWE Top Guy For Fun And 1-2-1 38, passive, white European, 5'7", 34" w, GSOH, based in Perth, looking for top VWE guy, any age, for fun times, maybe 1-2-1. Into safe sex only. Come on, write soon. ALA. Box SG49038. Glasgow Guy Seeks Active 35-55 42, medium build, hairy, seeks men over 11 stone. No slim guys, just muscle that knows how to satisfy. For mutual exploration between my legs. Explicit letter, please. Box SG49039. Pants To Aberdeen Happy, GL 35 year old into briefs, socks, Speedos, etc., seeks shy young guy for a wriggle and a giggle. Must like to keep your pants on. Photo and chatty letter. Box SG49040. Bondage Master Wanted I am 62 years old and would like to meet a master who would restrain and whip me. I am willing to take part in any type of session. Box SG49041. Glasgow Smooth, slim, fit, horny gay guy, late twenties, looking for new friends. Possible 1-2-1. Genuine, honest. 16-60. Looks not important, GSOH a must. Hard and horny. Interested? Write that letter! Box SG49042. Northern Ireland Magherafelt Guy Looking to hear from students/anyone in Edinburgh/Fife for friendship. Genuine guys only. Age 20-36. ALA. Box SG49043. Perth And Tayside Men Wanted 38, SA, SL, looking for guys for fun and good times. Bi, singles, couples, also top and VWE specially welcome. All nationalities and colours. Come on, start writing. ALA. Box SG49045. Well Developed And Dedicated Lad, 16 or over, required for bodybuilding training by experienced, mature coach. Must be dedicated to it. Photo please. Glasgow/anywhere. Box SG49046. Two Guys Seek More Two guys seek to form group of like minded bi/gay guys, any age, for no strings fun. All areas considered. Travel or accommodate. Regular meetings. Discretion assured. Write now. ALA. Box SG49047. Fife For Fun!! (Or Your Place) 40 year old versatile guy seeks slim friends for no strings fun at my place or yours. No age limits. Married, bi also welcome. Discretion assured. Mild CP offered if desired. ALA. Box SG49048. Golly, Geewhiz! Dashing Superhero seeks Boy Wonder to help save Aberdeen from dullness. Strictly pants and capes operation: badness punished, lunacy contained, etc. ALAWP. Get out your magic decoder pens, now! Box SG49049. Warm Me Up This Winter Easygoing 27 seeks 28-39 for friendship and maybe 1-2-1 for a drink and conversation. Likes music, cinema, the odd romantic meals and relaxing by going walking. Box SG49050. Extremely Submissive Male Required by strict, demanding, experienced, sadistic master! Heavy builds preferred. Ex-army and police ideal. Photo please. Anywhere. Any age. Box SG49051. Aspergers Syndrome Recently self-diagnosed 40something guy seeks younger Aspergents for fun and friendship. Box SG49052. CQ CQ CQ Any radio amateurs, SWLs or scanner enthusiasts out there? Get in touch. Box SG49053. Spanking The Naughty Boys Is usually the only way to calm them down. Why not write in confidence with photo? I know my stuff. Glasgow/anywhere. Box SG49055. Rugby Player - Weight Lifter Thirties, big, strong build, seeks gay/bi friends with wide interests. Photo appreciated. Thanks. Central/anywhere. Box SG49057. Ayrshire 47 year old, 6ft, slim/medium build, non-scene, non-smoker, passive, GSOH, sorted. Seeking ordinary bloke 40 to 50-ish for friendship poss 1-2-1. Enjoys hugs, cinema, travel, theatre, beach walks with the dog. Box SG49058. Glasgow Area Daddy (early 50's) looking for 18-22 year old son to spoil and look after, holidays, weekends away, nice meals out cozy nights in, etc. Genuine replies only pic helps, looks unimportant, but slim is a bonus. Box SG49059. Cute Young Lad Wanted Sexy, cute, boyish and affectionate 16-19 year old lad wanted for friendship and safe, horny fun by older guy (43). I know you're out there, let's get together! Glasgow area. Box SG49061. Scottish Master Looking for slave or naughty boy under 28 to train, CP, Bondage, role play. You should be sub in the slave dept, but OK with dom or switch sexually. Box SG49062. Paisley Non scene guy, Paisley area, mature and looking for a new son in his life. My last son has developed well and moved on to a life on his own, working overseas. Can you fill the gap? Reply with picture gets mine. Box SG49063. Aberdeen - Dundee - Perth Mature, hairy, 45 year old guy, visiting Dundee and Aberdeen once a month, seeks meetings with 16-21 year old guy for no strings safe fun and friendship. Non smoker preferred. Box SG49064. *BISEXUAL Bi Curious? There has to be a first time for everything! If you're aged 16-21 or so, why not get in touch? Considerate experienced versatile older guy will talk you through things at your own pace before getting down to some safe fun. Your limits respected. Total discretion assured. I have a large double bed and collection of gay videos in Edinburgh but will travel if required. Box SG49002. Well Endowed In Aberdeen 45 year old well endowed active male, brown hair/eyes, well built, quiet, hairy, seeks passive local guy for fun or whatever you fancy. I'm very adventurous and will try almost anything. Any age, size, race, considered. Black guys very welcome/couples also very welcome. I cannot accommodate. E-mail replies preferred please/photos most welcome. Box SG49010. Fun Times Wanted 24 year old virgin looking for males or females for safe, discreet fun times. Will try anything once. Box SG49020. Glasgow - Are You Male Enough? Take the tawse! Master wants to meet tough guys, no hangups, for CP. Master is intellectual, decadent, 54+. Entertaining scenario over Saturnalian orgies. Box SG49026. Edinburgh Mature, fit, friendly bi male, 50's, WLTM bi/gay student for fun times. Box SG49027. Edinburgh - Central Scotland No strings, no nonsense fun offered to 16-26 year olds by mature gay man. Box SG49054. 52" Chested Bi Guy Who advertised in a recent ScotsGay, this dominant 30+, experienced gay male would like to meet you. What have you got to lose? Glasgow. Box SG49056. West Of Scotland Bi Guy Late 40's, now single, looking to explore his sexuality with 18-30's guys, no hang ups, genuine fun times wanted. Box SG49060. *STRAIGHT Edinburgh - Anywhere Genial 50something silver bear seeks morally relaxed women of all ages for fun and friendship. Box SG49004. A House Full Of Books... And a garden full of flowers - but no love. Cultured guy, 49, just moved back to Edinburgh, looking for female friends for fun, friendship, possible LTR. Must be non smoker. Box SG49005. *FRIENDS ABROAD Marccelus, Brazilian Hot Muscled Hi, I'm a Brazilian, muscular, masculine man, smart and funny, humanist and romantic. I love all kind of animals, special dogs, cats and dolphin. Enjoy good food, good friends, good books, good music, sports and arts. I love the nature, ocean and of course the Internet. I'm looking for a honest and nice guy for friendship or more. To make good friends and "If I am lucky" a very nice lover. Visit My website http://geocities.yahoo.com.br/marccelushp/index.html Write: Marccelus Bragg, Avenida Sete de Setembro, 1825 ap 22, Salvador, Bahia, CEP 40060210, Brazil. E-mail: marccelushp@yahoo.com.br *LOOKING FOR Bad Boy Schoolmaster, now retired, would like to meet the oilrigger from Central Edinburgh who advertised on ScotsGay's Voice Personals as Number 2337. He said that he was "a bad boy" with definite corporal needs. If you wish an appointment to discuss your needs, it will be granted. Box SG49044. *ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE Fraserburgh Free accommodation and meals offered to guy interested in working with fabulous circus high school and stunt horses and ponies. Andalusian Lipinzzaner, Falabellas and German Shepherd Dog act. Free training given by Advanced Animal Trainer. For more info, phone: 01346 583145. *JOBS OFFERED Cash For Your Body Photogenic guys can earn GBP100 cash posing for Mike Arlen who has had 14 glossy magazines published called Mike Arlen's Guys. Send snapshots of your magnificent body to him: Mike Arlen, Wetherby Studios, 23 Wetherby Mansions, Earls