Table of contents for December 2016 in Attitude Magazine

STEPHANIE PISTEL is a renowned photographer, passionate about celebrity portraiture, beauty and fashion. Unified by her signature photographic style, that has a surreal quality, each of her images tells its own story. Her current exhibition — Do Not Kill Your Darlings — pays homage to her professional life, capturing intimate moments from the worlds of music, fashion, theatre and dance VICTOR HENSEL-COE is a commercial style photographer whose work draws on fine art, fashion and portraiture. He enjoys working with designers, musicians and drag artists, but also on solo and classical portraiture projects. He is known for his magazine editorials as well as his growing number of QX covers. You can often find him taking photos at London’s top queer nights HOLLY REVELL is an experienced photographer of live performance…

{ BOOK } HAVE THE HOTS FOR REDHEADS It’s back! The international best-selling art book of 2014, Red Hot, is back. The original book challenged the “ginger male stereotype” and raised more than £10,000 for The Diana Award, which celebrates the work of selfless young people, with the Red Hot project raising £45,000 overall. The elegant upgrade, Red Hot II, is a collaboration between photographer Thomas Knights and British designer Elliott James Frieze, who have collated the most stand-out images from their new collection into a 128-page luxury art book. Branching out beyond photography, they have also launched the Red Hot hip brief designed by Frieze, featuring a 1½in elasticated waistband, displaying the brand’s logo. Red Hot will be launching the underwear alongside their 2017 charity calendar at 9pm on…

“I came out in the third grade. My mother was kind of shocked, more so because I was so young. But I was always an alternative kid, so it wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone” UNAPOLOGETIC. That’s the word that sums up gay rapper Cakes Da Killa and his whole ethos. Bubbling under since 2011, five years, two mix tapes and a brand new album are what it took to launch him into the mainstream with his own style of wit, talent and unabashed gayness. The acceptance that rap is not just for straight men has been a long time coming. A stream of artists from Zebra Katz, Mykki Blanco and Cakes himself have taken the genre by the horns, introducing audiences to something quite new in that section of…

LEAVE THE UK You might as well. Bake Off’s toast, so let’s all just piss off to somewhere else. Marrakech is nice this time of year BECOME OBSESSED WITH A TV SHOW Prefer ably a nice cosy sitcom . Re-watch the entirety of Will & Grace . Or Desperate House wives ! EAT Eating is fun! The extra body fat will keep you warm for a start , and you’ll have the perfect excuse to just lie there during sex GET A WINTER BOYFRIEND They ’re cheap er than a new fireplace START DRESSING LIKE ANNA NICOLE SMITH Feather boas , fur dressing gowns, the works PRETEND YOU ’RE BRIDGET JONES If you’re emulating a beloved fictional character, it makes everything seem a little bit less pathetic GET A DOG…

 IN PUBLIC SPEAKING,Martin Scorsese’s brilliant 2010 documentary about New York wit and intellect Fran Lebowitz, his subject makes a clever observation. At one point she is talking about how Aids wreaked havoc on her beloved city. It wasn’t, Fran says, just the deaths of the artists, famous fashion designers, dancers at the New York City Ballet or other celebrated public figures that shook the Five Boroughs to their core. “TAM DOCUMENTS THE AIDS EXPERIENCE IN A MANNER THAT NO OLD MEDIA HAS MANAGED IN FOUR DECADES” It was the great swathes of the audience that Aids depleted. Suddenly, there were fewer and fewer people to look at their creations, hear their words, wear their clothes. I think about Lebowitz’s smart aside each time a new post pops up on Instagram…

What’s the first song you ever bought? 911’s Party People. I was 13 and loved my pop music! Which song reminds you of falling in love? As Long As You Love Me, by Backstreet Boys. Do you have a song that makes you cry? James Blunt’s Goodbye My Lover is just beautiful. What album changed your life? It would have to be Dangerous, by Michael Jackson. What song changed your life? The audition song I sang in from of Simon Cowell: Superstition, by Stevie Wonder. it got me through boot camp. If your life was a song title, what would it be? Life on Mars. My life has been pretty crazy since I broke through in 2009. What song do you wish you had written? Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen. It’s…

BOOK OF THE MONTH HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE — THE STORY OF HOW ACTIVISTS AND SCIENTISTS TAMED AIDS David France/Picador • For those of us who didn’t experience it first-hand, it’s impossible to comprehend what it was like when Aids first struck. But this powerful book evokes — with spellbinding humanity — something of what those early activists faced and achieved. More than 600 pages chronicle the landmark battle to halt the epidemic in America. Weaving together the stories of dozens of individuals, this is an insider’s account of a pivotal moment in LGBT+ history. Charting the founding of ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group), and the rise of the underground drug market, the book grippingly recounts how these activists learnt to become researchers, lobbyists, drug smugglers and…

IT’S TWO DECADES since the Spice Girls stormed the charts — and five years since Melanie C released an album of original material. The two facts aren’t unconnected. Melanie explains: “I’d been working on songs for a couple of years and I was ready to start recording, but then the Spice Girls 20-year reunion was looming and I was in limbo because I didn’t know whether I’d be working with the girls and what kind of time frame it would be. “When I realised I wasn’t happy with the way that reunion plans were moving forward, I thought: well, I can just get on with my own thing now.’’ The new album, her seventh — counting her covers on Stages — sees Melanie reuniting with Rick Nowels (who co-wrote her…

  THE JOGG JEAN KEEPS BEING FLEXIBLE IN TERMS OF STYLE. THE BLEND OF DENIM LOOK WITH THE FEEL OF JERSEY COMES IN A MYRIAD OF WASHES AND CUTS, FROM SKINNY TO STRAIGHT STAR POWER: FOR SPRING-SUMMER '17 PREVIEW, DIESEL'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR NICOLA FORMICHETTI HAS BEEN INSPIRED "BY DRESSING UP, DANCING AND LETTING LOOSE" THE ICONIC STAR SYMBOL THAT'S FOUND ON SWEATSHIRTS AND THE BACK OF LEATHER JACKETS THOMMER COMES IN A REGULAR SLIM FIT AND A SKINNY LEG AND IN PLENTY OF WASHES FOR YOU TO CHOOSE FROM THE ROYAL INDIGO COLLECTION DELVES DEEPER INTO DARKER SHADES OF BLUE, WITH FITTED CUTS, AND IS TOTALLY IN SYNC WITH THEIR STAR POWER SPRING-SUMMER '17 PREVIEW COLLECTION THE JIFER DENIM IS BRINGING IN A HIGHER WAIST, IN MUTED…

2UNDR 2undr.eu A   Adidas adidas.co.uk American Apparel store.americanapparel . co.uk Armani Exchange armaniexchange.com Aveda aveda.co.uk B   Björn Borg bjornborg.com BoohooMAN boohooman.com Bvlgari at Selfridges selfridges.com C   CAT at Schuh schuh.co.uk Christopher Ward christopherward.co.uk D   Dan Ward store.danwardwear.com Diesel store.diesel.com Dior Homme dior.com Dsquared2 dsquared2.com G   Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci givenchy.com G-Star g-star.com Glastone London gladstonelondon.com Gucci at Harvey Nichols harveynichols.com Gucci at Matches Fashion matchesfashion.com Gucci at Selfridges selfridges.com Guess guess.eu H   H&M hm.com J   Jean Paul Gaultier at House Of Liza houseofliza.co.uk Jo Malone London jomalone.co.uk…

HAMBURGER QUEEN (2012-2015) Award-winning beauty pageant and talent show for fat people. A retaliation against Weight Watchers: fat pride, served alongside burgers in donuts, with celebrity judges. CAMP (2012-2016) An end-of-the-pier variety show that sells itself as light entertainment but it’s all a bit too weird to be on the telly. It’s naff, very British and unashamedly camp. Safe for mum, but probably not for your nan. LIAM GALLAGHER IS MY GRANDAD (2014-2015) Scottee asked his grandfather to become an artist to help tackle ageism. The result is a series of works looking at what it is to be an older member of society in the UK. THE WORST OF SCOTTEE (2013-2015) Lots of people dislike Scottee, so he asked a therapist to interview 10 people who no longer speak…

Q: TRACK DECEMBER WITH IS MY SUCH GOALS A HARD , WITH TIME ALL OF THE THE BEST YEAR WILL TO STAY IN THE ON WORLD I ALREADY HAVE 5 CLIENT DINNERS TO ATTEND. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON HOW TO “LIMIT THE DAMAGE” AND STAY ON TRACK WITH MY TRAINING? You can (literally) have your cake and eat it at Christmas time so long as you exercise a bit of common sense both in your lifestyle and with your goals. Getting wasted on alcohol or eating all the chocolate oranges just isn't necessary, but taking your foot off the gas a bit isn't going to destroy your progress or your health. Overall the advice should always be to enjoy the festive period and make the most of the…

FAST & FURIOUS: SUPERCHARGED The high-speed film franchise is headed to Universal Studios Florida in 2017. Explore the HQ of Dom Toretto’s underground racing world and join the film stars for a high-speed chase. STAR WARS LAND At a whopping 14 acres, it will be the biggest zone at Disney World. Expect all the alien appeal of Star Wars plus two new attractions: a secret mission on the Millennium Falcon and a no-holds-barred intergalatic battle. There’s no opening date yet, but start saving your pennies now for the ultimate sci-fi experience. AVATAR Coming in 2017, James Cameron’s Avatar-based land Pandora will be the largest expansion in Disney’s Animal Kingdom history. Be wowed by floating mountains and bioluminescent plants. Jump on a banshee for the Avatar Flight of Passage attraction to…

“TRUST ME, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT PAIN IS UNTIL YOU’VE EXPERIENCED PARENTING WITH A HANGOVER” SALIM STEPHENSON AND FELIX, TEN MONTHS, LONDON You know people who say: “There aren’t enough hours in the day”? Well if those people tripled all the things they needed to do in a day, while building the Great Wall of China and writing a paper on quantum physics, they’d just about experience one of my easy days. It starts at about 5am when my ten-month-old son, Felix, wakes me up with his usual style of pre-talking talking. He basically makes sounds that seem to imitate words but aren’t quite words yet. He’s also learning how fun it is to be extremely loud, so you can guess how great that is for his old man at…

When Team Robbie got in touch with us about featuring Mr Williams on the cover, we played around with a few ideas on how we could deliver something special. As one of the most prominent male artists in the British music industry, Robbie Williams’ success is relentless. His career kicked-off in the Nineties as part of Take That, one of the UK’s most successful boy bands ever (and undoubtedly the only one of their kind with the popularity to continue selling out concert arenas and shift multi-platinum-selling albums.) Under a cloud of controversy, Robbie was the first to leave the group and go on to forge a respectable and hugely successful solo music career. Success would take its toll: drink, drugs, sex and other self-destructive patterns followed. He managed somehow…

“The journalists I spoke to didn’t know which footballers are gay. I assumed it would be an open secret — that they would know but not tell me. Yet it genuinely seemed to be not known” Is football a sport you are passionate about yourself? I come from Southampton and grew up going to see The Saints. I used to go along to The Dell [the club’s former home ground] with a mate and his dad. Then I sort of lost interest as a teenager, drifted towards music, got more into that. A few years later, I drifted back. I keep up with the scores but I only watch them about once a year now. I suppose you’d call me a casual supporter. Where did the story of…

“WE HAVE TO ASK WHY THE MEDIA RESPONSE TO THIS CURE WAS SO ENTHUSIASTIC IN TONE COMPARED WITH SOME OF THAT ON PREP” REPORTS THAT WE ARE ON THE BRINK of a cure for HIV are premature. While the interest in HIV is to be welcomed, recent coverage could distract from more urgent issues and reveals something about our national response to the virus. The RIVER study, which sparked the media interest in recent weeks, is important. It’s a small part of testing the “kick-and-kill” strategy that has huge potential for the eradication of HIV. One of the reasons why we have struggled to find a cure is that the cells HIV affects in the body (CD4 T-cells) are not always active — some are “asleep” and stored in different…

“POLL AFTER POLL PUT SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AT 40%. THOSE PEOPLE DO NOT DISAPPEAR AFTER THE ELECTION. MILLIONS OF THEM ENDORSED HIS BIGOTRY WHICH IS TERRIFYING” THE NEXT PRESIDENT of America has been decided. If it felt like a big election, it’s because it was. As Michelle Obama said of Trump’s shameful, bigotry-based campaign, this is “not politics as usual.” What is most disturbing, though, is that throughout the election, poll after poll put support for Trump at around 40 per cent. Those people do not suddenly disappear after the election. Millions of them are happy to ignore and, indeed, endorse Trump’s bigotry — and that terrifies me. Trump has released a genie of hatred. Again and again I have seen his supporters applaud him for “telling it how it…

1 // CROSS-DRESSING The dame is a bloke who fancies the king/the giant’s henchman/whoever. This introduces toddlers to the idea of same-sex relationships and it’s never done them any harm. 2 // FILTHY INNUENDO No matter what you’ve heard, there’s an art to creating doubles entendres that are incomprehensible to the under-11s. 3 // TIGHT-TROUSERED YOUTHS The chorus boys romance the wenches on stage and each other in the dressing room. There’s also a couple of them inside Daisy the Cow and by the end of the run they’ve normally booked a weekend away in Gran Canaria. 4 // CLOTHES THAT GRAYSON PERRY WOULD THINK OVER THE TOP My costumes for Cinderella are designed by Hugh Durrant, who designs Cher’s tour outfits. I need say no more. 5 // THE…

PIERRE ET GILLES: 40 Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard/Flammarion • A decade-by-decade retrospective of Pierre et Gilles’ gloriously kitsch and shamelessly sexy confectionary of photographic paintings that celebrates 40 years of their personal and artistic relationship. Beautifully produced with 350 colour illustrations depicting sumptuously stylised portraits of models, porn stars and celebrities such as Madonna, Kylie and Naomi Campbell, this ideal gift book includes a fascinating essay by art critic and exhibition curator Eric Troncy. SPEAK ITS NAME! QUOTATIONS BY AND ABOUT GAY MEN AND WOMEN Edited by Christopher Tinker/National Portrait Gallery • Illustrated with a range of images from the National Portrait Gallery collection in London and with an introduction from Simon Callow, this is an informative queer quotations book covering prominent gay and lesbian figures across time, from…

LACOSTE CROC Fresh from the catwalk runway and ready for keeping you warm at Christmas, Lacoste have some super-snug ribbed sweaters that come in navy, black and peacock blue, that have been inspired by the French brand’s advertising slogans of the 1970s. Expect the crocodile to go from the tennis courts to the ski slope. lacoste.com NEXT’S NEW PREMIUM SIGNATURE For autumn-winter, high street brand Next have launched their Signature premium tailoring collection. Selecting fabrics from the best British and Italian mills, they’ve got everything from simple to patterned cloths, as well as twills through to statement Prince of Wales checks. Available in regular, tailored and slim fit, it’s the perfect antidote for the slew of skinny-fit suits on the shop floor at the moment. They’ve also got a Signature…

IT’S SEEMS almost inconceivable now, but 20 years ago the words Doctor Who were only whispered in the corridors of power at the BBC. The show had, unfairly, become synonymous with wobbly sets, unconvincing papier mâché monsters and hammy acting. This overlooked the fact that the premise — an enigmatic alien, travelling through time and space with his (mostly) human companions — is one of the most compelling, enduring and potential-filled concepts ever. Indeed, when Queer as Folk maestro Russell T Davies revived the format in 2005, he comprehensively proved that the show’s appeal was timeless. The Doctor, currently played by Peter Capaldi, is having a year off but such is the clout of the franchise, Doctor Who is spinning-off once more. This time with the hotly anticipated Class. I…

“WOO HOO! PURE COCOA CONTAINS MORE DISEASE-FIGHTING ANTIOXIDANTS THAN MOST BERRIES” NOT TO BE SNIFFED AT Every year at this time we’ll be trying to avoid the “snifflers” on the train. While that may be impossible, here are some things to help keep you healthy. In the gym, keep a little bottle of hand sanitizer handy, wipe down equipment before and after using it, wash your hands, keep hydrated, and get plenty of rest. Exercise in itself also boosts the immune system, releasing chemicals called endorphins (the same as the ones released during a good romp) that interact with receptors in the brain which make us feel happy, reduce our perception of pain, reduce stress levels, boost self-esteem, improve sleep and ward off feelings of anxiety and depression. In addition,…

“IT’S PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING THE CURING PROCESS WITH ISSUES SUCH AS A BAD BACK OR A STIFF NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN” IF YOU’VE NEVER USED electro-stimulator equipment, you might have thoughts of strapping yourself to a never-ending stream of wires and electrodes, a bit like Frankenstein’s monster but without the bolt and Gothic aesthetic. Luckily, Bluetens — medically certified electro-stimulator designers — have created a system that operates wirelessly. Whether you’re suffering from a strained back, a stiff neck and shoulder pain or wrist injuries, Bluetens is designed to treat, relax or fortify you. It’s currently being used by people to assist with everything from their training to convalescence following an injury. It’s particularly effective for improving the curing process with issues such as a bad back, and provides…

What’s your morning routine? I will probably snooze my alarm for about half hour, then realise I am going to be late and race around the house. I will grab some food and a much-needed cup of tea, then be out of the door to my first client. What’s a day like at work? It generally consists of going to different horse yards, as everything is mobile in the back of the van. I will either shoe or simply trim the horses’ feet depending on what the owner wants. If it’s being shod, I remove the old shoes that have been on for six weeks, I trim the foot back using cutters and a rasp, then I fit a new shoe after it has been heated in the forge. It’s…

“I SHOULD IMAGINE NIGEL FARAGE SMELLS OF CIGARETTES, ALE AND REGRET” Who’s your celebrity crush? Philip Green. I love a man who’s able to screw that many people. He has as many redeemable features as I do. Describe your essence in five words. Strong, independent, right, passionate, loved. Where did you buy your twin set and pearls? They were a gift from my husband, dear. He loved to give me a pearl necklace. What would you like to ask Theresa May? Two questions. Firstly: kitten heels? Really? Secondly: what’s it like being Prime Minister and not having to win an election to get the job? What advice would you give to Jeremy Corbyn? Carry on doing what you’re doing, my dear. I simply love your work. And thanks to you,…

“SOCIAL MEDIA IS SOMETIMES OUR ONLY SOURCE OF COMMUNITY, BUT IT’S AN ILLUSION. I’VE TRIED SPOONING MY iPHONE AND IT’S NOT THE SAME” A FRIEND recently said to me: “So many gay men settle for a fuck when what they really want is a cuddle.” Forgetting for a moment that he said it at a funeral, he has a point. For a healthy life, it’s important for humans to regularly feel the sensation of touch. Our culture discourages men from sharing physical affection with each other and many gay men rely solely on sex to fulfil their skin hunger. So why have we deprived ourselves of one of the most important human sensations? Or are we simply looking in the wrong places? I grew up in Essex, where I was…

“THOSE GAY MEN WHO INSIST THAT THEY LIKE MEN TO BE MEN ARE THE SAME ONES WHO BUST OUT A SHOW TUNE AFTER A COUPLE OF PINTS” ONCE AGAIN SCIENCE has told us what we already knew: men who write “no fems” on dating apps are deemed to be brain dead. A study titled Masculine Guys Online, published in a recent edition of Computers in Humans Behavior, looked at a sample of 144 queer men. Among the results, they found that men who proclaim “masc 4 masc/no fems/real men only” were seen to be significantly less intelligent, significantly less sexually confident, and significantly less dateable than their counterparts. Well, duh. This is the least surprising experiment since the one which found that people who post inspirational memes have lower levels…

“We hide Dave the dildo somewhere each week. You have to really look but he’s been in the fruit bowl and the flower vase and lots of other places”— STEPHEN PLONKING THEMSELVES DOWN on the sofa Googlebox- style, Stephen and Chris, the nation’s favourite gay gassers, fall straight into their usual banter with cheeky back-andforths just as they do on the telly. We’re in the Light Lounge in London, a long way from the Brighton sofa (at Chris’ home) that the boys share once a week for back-to-back viewing on catch-up, and they are both in a jolly mood. Not only are they back on the box every Friday but former lovers Stephen Webb, 45, and Chris Steed, 40, are engaged – the former to hairdresser Daniel Lustig, the latter…

A HUNDRED STREETS Idris Elba, Gemma Arterton, Ken Stott, Franz Drameh • This follows the lives of three Londoners as they intertwine. In its short time on screen, the drama covers almost every possible issue: drug addiction, alcoholism, adultery, theft, murder, sexism and adoption. All in all, there’s a lot of melodrama but beneath the chaos is an intriguing sentiment wrapped up with some highly impressive performances. 11 November 3/5 AMERICAN PASTORAL Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning • Seymour Levov (McGregor, who also directed) was the star of his high school. He grows up, marries a former beauty queen and inherits a fortune. But his perfect life starts to unravel when his daughter joins a group of political terrorists during the Vietnam War. Though the source material Philip Roth…

 “BLOSSOM, COMMANDER AND THE LEADER. Buttercup, she is the toughest fighter. Bubbles, she is the joy and laughter. Powerpuffs save the day.” The 1990s, on reflection, were a golden age for animation. While today’s youngsters slide further into the seedy underbelly of Peppa Pig addiction, Nineties’ kids were treated to an array of intelligent, highly subversive cartoons. On the surface, The Powerpuff Girls was a cutesy, Harajuku-inspired cartoon for little girls. Originally called “Whoopass Girls,” the series was created for the Cartoon Network in 1995 by Craig McCracken (of Dexter’s Laboratory and 2 Stupid Dogs fame). The plot saw Professor Utonium accidentally create three bug-eyed babies who also happened to be kick-ass superheroes. “HIM COMES OVER AS A CROSS BETWEEN KENNETH WILLIAMS, RYLAN AND, WELL, A LOBSTER. HIM USUALLY FAVOURED…

           Season to season, red is always a dominant colour when it comes to trends. Bold and bright, or simply using accents, is enough to make your outfit…

“HE SHOULD BE REGARDED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, ALONG WITH OSCAR WILDE AND ALAN TURING, AS A GAY MARTYR” Imagine the reaction if a man honoured by his country for humanitarian work was then denounced as gay — and executed. The rest of the world would be in uproar. But this is pretty much what happened in Britain just 100 years ago — with hardly a murmur of disapproval. Even in 1916 this was a travesty of justice. Roger Casement was Irish and allegedly committed treason in Germany. But the British government managed to have him tried in the UK. After he was condemned to death, the government discouraged an appeal for clemency by circulating papers that implied Casement was homosexual. His supporters backed off and he was hanged at London’s…

What’s an average week like in terms of keeping fit? I’m working out, going to the gym and eating clean most days of the week. I’m also very active and walk everywhere. How often do you work out? I go to the gym and weight-train about five times a week and sometimes go swimming. What does your workout regime look like? I like to mix it up every so often to shock the muscles, but basically I like to weight-train and split it between legs, back, chest, arms and shoulders, doing abs every second day. Do you ever work out outdoors? I usually work out in a gym but sometimes I’ll jog in the park or go swimming. What do you wear when you work out? Tracksuit bottoms and a…

I’ve always played a lot of sports, and was fortunate to attend a school with a big sports programme. Wrestling and (American) football were my main sports, but I picked up rugby to keep myself fit in the off-season. Rugby is a tough, physically demanding team game, perfect if you don’t like exercise to feel like exercise. Regularly playing 80 minutes of rugby a lot of stamina, strength and flexibility so my workout routine ensures that I can play my best while avoiding injuries. In the gym, I focus on shoulders, backs, arms and abs — the muscles that bear the brunt of hits during tackles and rucks — as well as legs and glutes, which give me power to tackle and sprint. The added benefit of the last of…

DAVID SWINBURN, 28, SINGER I’m not going to beat myself up when I don’t like what I see or blow my own trumpet when I do because I know that it’s all subject to change { HEIGHT } 5 FT 10 IN { WEIGHT } 13 ST WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO THIS SHOOT? A colleague pointed out that I’d piled on the pounds and it could have gone one of two ways. I could have felt very sorry for myself and headed to the nearest weight-loss class or I could embrace the body that I have. I decided to do the latter. HAS SOCIAL MEDIA HAD AN IMPACT ON THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR BODY? It can be disheartening when all you see is half-naked hunks and…

“I AM FREE FROM THE DEMONS THAT WERE IN MY HEAD AND I CAN BE THE PERSON I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE” DARYL SUMMERS, 27, PROPERTY MANAGER, SWINDON, WILTSHIRE By the summer of 2015, I had been with my partner for seven years. To the outside world though we were just good friends and I felt as if I was missing out on a huge part of my life because my friends moved forwards with marriage and children while I was living with my parents, running a start-up business in Kent, only visiting my partner in his apartment more than 100 miles away when I wasn’t working. I was sacrificing my happiness because of the fear of being confronted by hate, disappointment and rejection. On 17 August 2015, I…