Have you got a true life story or want to talk about a topic you're passionate about? OutLife provides a platform for LGBTQ+ people to share their stories and opinions. If you'd like to share your story or opinion, email us on [email protected] and tell us what you want to talk about.
"We have to fundamentally challenge the structures in and around healthcare that prioritise the male body, the cis-male body." Read more
I woke up to a beautiful early September morning, possibly one of the last scorchers of the year. Upon opening my curtains, a trip down to Brighton beach seemed like a thoroughly enticing idea. So I armed myself with a good book, an embarrassingly high SPF and set off. Read more
Are gay men, as some would have it, ‘the biggest suicide cult in history’ or are we just having a good time? It’s well known that we have sex with more people than our heterosexual brothers. Read more
With the festive season looming, no-one should feel left out. Read more
Jemal has struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts on and off for his entire adult life. Read more
Coming out to your family can seem like the most scary thing in the world to do. Whatever stage of life you come to it at, there’s always going to be trepidation. I remember being a teenager and absolutely dreading that my family would find out. Read more
From my teenage years, I have been met with negative stereotypes. In strangers’ minds, my being black and being very tall, has been equated with me being intimidating, menacing, and threatening... Read more
I’ve not always been a great ally of trans people. With the benefit of hindsight I can see that was partly caused by my fear of any femininity within myself. Read more
I cannot count the number of times a white gay man has messaged me on apps with openers like “I’d like to drain your big black cock” – which makes my skin shudder. Read more
It’s a sad fact that elements of the gay community are racist. Some are overtly racist directly through their language and actions, while there are others who don’t even recognise that they are racist. Read more
Report after report and survey after survey demonstrates that for BAME people in LGBTQ communities racism is a near universal experience...very rarely do these reports answer more difficult questions about the nature of this racism. Read more
The illusion of inclusion is how I would describe the LGBT community in Britain. The gay community loves to pay lip service to being accepting of everyone... Read more
If you’re an Asian guy like me then not a week, or often a day, goes by when I don’t have to endure some form of casual racism. Read more
Is there racism in the gay community? Yes, because hatred and fear and loathing, spite and routine, irrationality and misoneism; these things infect everywhere. Read more
The truth is that you don’t have to be subjected to discrimination that many times along the road before you begin to expect it at every turn. Read more
I’ve been thinking about role models a lot recently. At work, near the water machine, a colleague fired a question that had me stumped: “So Vish, who is your role model?”... Read more
Things change all the time. However, it often feels that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as they say... Read more
You would think that breaking up with someone was an easy thing to do. In an ideal world, you say what you have to say, plain and simple. Read more
Camp men paved the way for the gay movement a few decades ago, yet today we are being pushed aside, in favour of macho men with toned muscles. Read more
"Like a lot of us, I’d always cast a sideways glance at that copy of Gay Times or Attitude on the top shelf of my local newsagents, and remember the all consuming wave of nausea and panic that overcame me the first time I bought one." Read more
By the time I arrived at home I was an emotional and exhausted wreck. We had not long finished our dinner when I saw my younger brother who, sitting on the opposite side of the table, gave me a look as to say ‘go on, tell them’. It was then I proceeded to break down in tears as I told my parents I was HIV-positive. Read more
Getting over someone is hard. Trying to forgot about his mannerisms, the way he called you ‘babe’ or the way he spoke your name is easier said than done. Read more
You know who I’m talking about. The wannabe diva queens or the ‘masc 4 masc’ bro dudes who cling on to their cliché friends like their lives depended on it. Read more
Mental health is a topic people still find difficult to discuss, even with their closest circle of friends. Read more
It’s not easy to sit down and plan out an issue to do with alcohol and gay men. Why? Well, who wants to be told they are drinking too much or too often? Not me. I like a drink just as much as the next person. Read more
Mark Reed is currently working abroad as an English teacher in Cali, Colombia. He is originally from Ireland but lives in North London. While in Colombia, Mark reflects on moving to another country with limited knowledge of the language and looks at how gay men from other countries, with limited English, may feel when they move to the UK. Read more
When reconciling being gay with faith all I can say is this: I read the Qur’an and the Bible when I was trying to come to terms with my sexual orientation 24 years ago Read more
Let me explain the term gaysian. Simply blend the words gay and Asian together to describe LGBT Asian people and a whole underground scene. Read more
Anyone who says to you that coming out is not a big deal is probably a very lucky individual (or a complete liar). Read more
As a child I was deeply shy. I hated attention and would hide from anyone who would challenge me. Read more
Coming out as gay can be a challenging process – both psychologically and socially. Read more
Here are a few things I learned when I made the move from a small city in southern Ireland to the bright lights of London. Read more
By what I can only assume was an issue with the timetable I ended up having sex education at least three times during my years of education at middle and high school (yes I went to a ‘middle school’). Read more
I admit it. I love drag queens! Their elaborate wigs, make-up and costumes when accompanied with a giggle riot performance act brings me sheer joy. Read more
Come one, come all to the hot topic of OPEN RELATIONSHIPS. I can already hear the mumbles: ‘an open relationship isn’t a real relationship’... ‘if I was in love then I wouldn’t need anyone else’... ‘true love is only between two people.’ You guys can shut up, just shut up. Shut. Up. Read more
Body image is something I’ve always struggled with. Whether or not that’s the acceptance of others or just accepting myself. But spending 18 years of my life overweight might be something to do with that. Read more
You’d never think that the person you love would ever raise a finger to you. Read more
I’m a gay British Asian male barely within the ‘youth’ bracket and I have a history of scouring the internet for celebrity gossip and pictures of hot men. Read more
I’m 21 and a monogamist (at least I would be if I had a boyfriend). There, I said it. Read more
Around four years ago now, I managed to shed nearly five stone — the equivalent of Kim Kardashian’s hair extensions — and felt absolutely great about myself. Read more
By many accounts, we gay men are a pretty unhealthy bunch. We are much more likely to smoke than our heterosexual brothers, tend to drink more (and more often) and are many times more likely to take drugs. Read more
There’s a surprisingly complex range of emotions that hit you when your (younger) editor emails you and says: “I’m looking for an article on older gay men on the scene – you seem like the obvious person to write it.” Read more
Jacob, a 21-year-old law student from Manchester, agrees with this approach: “I just think those words seem a bit outdated and old fashioned,” he says. Read more
I was amazed to find out that the number one killer of young gay men was not HIV, it’s suicide, but yet it seems all the gay community talks about is HIV and STIs. You want to talk about stigma? Read more
Ever since the Jimmy Savile revelations, there’s hardly been a day when there hasn’t been a news story about sexual abuse. Teachers, politicians and especially entertainers from the 1970s have all been accused. Having let Savile get away with it, the law and the media seem determined that others will be punished. Read more
I have a confession to make. I am gay-fat. Read more
When Olympic diving star Tom Daley posted a video on YouTube announcing his same-sex relationship, he joined a small but significant group of celebrities brave enough to declare their sexuality to the world. While the inevitable media frenzy focused on the revelation itself, the biggest surprise was his refreshingly honest approach and his use of social media to make the announcement. Read more
Over the last few months, the dating app Tinder has become a great source of entertainment for my straight friends with many an afternoon pub session spent huddled around a tiny screen; snap judgements steering the swipes alongside a brutal running commentary. Read more
These relationship things can be tricky though, can’t they? They’re fragile little beasts that vary wildly from the wondrously joyous to traumatic, soul-sucking, bastard hell disasters, robbing you of your dignity, compassion and ability to function as a real live human. Read more
Are you homophobic? Read more
The grand authorities on HIV data reckon that about 80,000 people in the UK have avoided contracting HIV as a result of condom use. That’s pretty impressive. That’s more than the number of gay men who have contracted HIV to date. But is it good enough? Read more