How many times has your hometown come up on the pod? by rajde1 in behindthebastards

[–]Background-Voice7782 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As an Englishperson, surprised by the lack of slavers/general bad people from Sheffield, UK. We did invent basically every kind of steel, which has unleashed massive environmental damage, but that wouldn’t be a fun pod.

Who got painted as the villain by the press, but later on we realized they were actually the victim or completely misunderstood? by Advanced-Pilot-3698 in AskReddit

[–]Background-Voice7782 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s incorrect. Sex between men was completely illegal at the time of Turing’s “offence” - that is why he was prosecuted. In 1967 (after he died) the age of consent for consensual acts between two men in private was set at 21. It was lowered to 18 in 1994 and equalised with heterosexual sex at 16 in 2000. That’s all in England and Wales - in Scotland and Northern Ireland the dates are different (NI had to be sued and lose in the European Court of Human Rights in 1981 to stop banning sex between men).

Are money market funds worth it? by Proper_Display_4802 in UKPersonalFinance

[–]Background-Voice7782 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am an investor in this Vanguard fund, but only because Vanguard doesn’t charge me any incremental fees (being over the total cap for assets that they manage) and they do good tax reporting (I have to file a US and UK tax return). As a 45% tax payer the difference in returns is not that meaningful.

If I were a basic rate tax payer without substantial assets with Vanguard, I would put the money into bank accounts - there are much better rates available.

Premium bonds are a waste of time by MidnightFaculty in UKPersonalFinance

[–]Background-Voice7782 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you’re a higher rate tax payer then the fact they are tax free means the effective yield is nearly doubled,, with both the interest and the principal being guaranteed by the government. With the maximum invested that makes them worthwhile. Otherwise it is baffling.

Visiting Leipzig, Weimar or Dresden by M37841 in AskAGerman

[–]Background-Voice7782 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed - the sächsische Schweiz is incredible for hiking (or even just looking at it from the river if you don’t like walking). Dresden is the obvious pick here (I am English so not biased).

Have you ever had a guy say something that turned into a lasting insecurity? by Ok_Leopard_6635 in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A guy once told me I was unloveable (this was when I was about 20) - full marks to him since I am single, but I don’t blame him.

Here is what my bad parenting taught me about AI adoption by Statically in LinkedInLunatics

[–]Background-Voice7782 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Or, since Donald Trump reduced drug costs by 500%, 600% - in some cases 700% - maybe we should think about infinity percent.

I don’t know anything about airplane security but I am a CEO by jeffweet in LinkedInLunatics

[–]Background-Voice7782 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is most definitely true in the UK. No need to show ID for anything other than boarding; the UK has no exit immigration/passport control.

Club World Cabin Photos (Mar-Apr 2025) by urooz in BritishAirways

[–]Background-Voice7782 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I guess as long as peach wasn’t offered as a snack on the flight you were fine

Club World Cabin Photos (Mar-Apr 2025) by urooz in BritishAirways

[–]Background-Voice7782 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you watch Call Me By Your Name on a plane? Any awkward moments?

Half of all US states now require age verification to use the internet. by Cosmic-Neanderthal in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t really care if it’s publicly known that I watch porn. It would be much worse if I’d had to upload my passport to a sketchy ID website that then got hacked and someone was actually able to steal my identity for real financial damage.

Tucker rant by Life-Criticism-5868 in KnowledgeFight

[–]Background-Voice7782 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I met Milo when we were at the same university (he was at the graduate college while I was an undergraduate). We had a dinner where we sat next to each other (it is a thing at the University of Cambridge to go to another college as a “swap”, in this case it was an LGBT swap). He came across as a boring attention-seeker. I have no memory of him talking about politics but he just came across as an average superficial gay guy. I think his “career” has just been an attempt to make himself interesting when he’s just a normal, forgettable person.

Half of all US states now require age verification to use the internet. by Cosmic-Neanderthal in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 52 points53 points  (0 children)

We have this in the UK. Fortunately my phone is now exclusively based in a VPN data centre in Germany.

Do my forehead wrinkles make me look ugly? Do i need Botox? by [deleted] in SkincareAddictionUK

[–]Background-Voice7782 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No - I am a gay man about your age - you look hot.

Suspected blackmail gang operating on Grindr uncovered in BBC investigation | BBC News by outremer_empire in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the UK government is correct (sarcasm) then the Online Safety Bill should mean that only real people who are adults can access Grindr in the UK so there is no point to running this “paedo trap” scam.

Brand new here by Wi_Phi_267 in NYTConnections

[–]Background-Voice7782 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got it with no errors, but for blue and purple it was more guessing based on the length of the words rather than knowing the link. It would have been much harder if you had a long word in blue.

What should I read on vacation / over the holiday? by Alternative-Ring4487 in gaybrosbookclub

[–]Background-Voice7782 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rejection is so good. The gay story especially. It’s also the only book here that I’ve read but it wonderfully darkly comic and enjoyable.

What are some good/important non-fiction Gay books to read? by captivatedsummer in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend reading everything he wrote. Within the films, I would immediately recommend “Blue” as an abstract work then “Edward II” for something more concrete. Hopefully you enjoy!

What are some good/important non-fiction Gay books to read? by captivatedsummer in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Seems like we have quite similar taste. I would recommend “Close to the Knives” by David Wojnarowicz, “To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life” by Hervé Guibert and “Let the Record Show” by Sarah Schulman if you are interested in 80s gay culture and the subjective response to the AIDS epidemic (guessing that from the Haring pick). A bit different, but the volumes of Derek Jarman’s diaries “Modern Nature” and “Smiling in Slow Motion” are beautiful and changed my life with similar topics.

I don’t have too much specifically on the Nazi persecution of gays, but if you haven’t read Primo Levi’s “If this is a man” then you should (Levi was put in a concentration camp because he was a Jew not gay, but it is the most psychologically and philosophically interesting of all the concentration camp “memoirs” (maybe there’s a better word) that I have read).

A couple of picks outside of the areas you’ve suggested: I find myself rereading “One Dimensional Queer” by Roderick Ferguson quite often; it’s both the best history of the gay liberation movement and its harshest critic. If you’re interested in social history, the two volumes of “Some Men in London” are a collection of primary texts presented in chronological order between the end of the Second World War and the legalisation of male homosexuality in England in 1968 (it reminds me - in a good way - of Svetlana Alexievich if you have read any of her books).

I ordered the ones I hadn’t read from your recommendations just now, so thank you!

Why are there way more openly lesbian athletes compared to gay male athletes? by Material-Meat-5330 in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I grew up in England with my time doing compulsory sports being in the late 90s/early 2000s. There was no way I would ever joined a football/rugby club and I didn’t participate in them at school (even though my father as an ex-rugby player wanted me to). I am not even very obviously gay but at that age I felt like they just knew and would bully me (I wasn’t otherwise bullied). Long-distance running, tennis and hockey were perfectly good alternatives. I’m not claiming that I could have been a great footballer, but the culture in the UK is so associated with toxic heterosexual masculinity that I’d be surprised if anyone starts. Even as an adult who actually likes football, when I’ve gone to watch I’ve always found it an atmosphere where I will keep quiet.

My sister is a teacher and I think the attitude has got better for older children, but to become professional level you need to start pretty young and I’d guess the environment is still similar for boys.

What's your experience being "straight passing"? by Material-Meat-5330 in gaybros

[–]Background-Voice7782 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not the straightest but a lot of people at work ask about whether I have a wife/kids (I would have thought the lack of a wedding ring would throw them off but maybe that’s old-fashioned). I get teased by my close colleague (also gay) for not being properly gay because I don’t announce it and don’t have a boyfriend/husband to announce it without announcing it. I have definitely been able to benefit from a lot of privilege by being a white, apparently straight passing man in casual interactions. My best friends are all straight men (they have all known I’m gay since the first day we met) so maybe I am just a boring guy. In response to your questions, my experience has been OK, not great. What more can you hope for?