To end the year, David Hudson speculates on a few things we’d like to see happen in 2020…
PrEP is made available for all who want it
The PrEP Impact trial is due to come to an end in England in 2020. There are currently around 14,000 people on the trial. This will likely transition smoothly to sexual health clinics prescribing the medication – which reduces the likelihood of acquiring HIV – to all who want it, but at the time of writing, this was not guaranteed. Campaigners are working hard to ensure that all the agencies concerned pull their finger out and put arrangements in place. This is near the top of our 2020 wish list!
Lady Gaga comes storming back with a pop album
Earlier in the year, Lady Gaga shot down rumours that she was pregnant, by tweeting that the only thing she was pregnant with was “LG6”. LG6 refers to her sixth studio album, for which there is currently no title. Well, that tweet was in March, so that baby is now overdue! Following up 2016’s Joanne, many fans are hoping for a return to pop bangers.
We’re also looking forward to albums from Pet Shop Boys (Hotspot on 24 January), La Roux, Normani, Grimes, Dua Lipa, and possibly MNEK.
The Olympics in Japan is full of LGBT talent
An estimated 56 openly gay and bisexual athletes competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, and that number is likely to be higher in Japan for 2020 – with trans athletes also being allowed to compete for the first time. Here’s hoping diver Tom Daley competes and wins himself another medal at what is sure to be his final Olympics.
A Special Relationship is very special
The life of iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor hits the big screen, thanks to screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). Rachel Weisz has been cast to play Taylor. A Special Relationship will focus on her relationship with her gay personal assistant, Roger Wall, and her AIDS activism in the 1980s.
Also due out in 2020 is the big-screen version of Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, the musical which has been wowing audiences in the West End since it opened in 2017.
Other movies to look forward to in 2020 include A Quiet Place 2, Black Widow and Legally Blonde 3. Yes, Reese Witherspoon is making another Legally Blonde 15 years after the last one!
Hollywood shines
On the small screen, we’re also eagerly awaiting the Netflix series Hollywood, from uber-producer Ryan Murphy (Pose, Feud). Murphy has described the series, due on screens in May, as a “love letter to the Golden Age of Tinseltown.” Newcomer Jake Picking has been cast to play Rock Hudson, while Darren Criss will also have a leading role. Also streaming, RuPaul’s drama-comedy series AJ & The Queen will also debut in 2020, a second season of Sex Education on Netflix, plus a second season of Drag Race UK on BBC3.
The Black Cap reopens as a gay bar
As all gay Londoners know, the iconic Black Cap was closed by its owners without warning in 2015. Since that time, it has stood empty (despite a brief occupation by squatters). In November, the company that owns it said the venue was to be placed back on the market, after it had tried unsuccessfully to build flats on the site. Supporters of the Black Cap have been lobbying to launch a community bid to buy the pub – even holding weekly vigils outside the venue for the past four years. 2020 is the year it will get a new owner. Here’s hoping it might once again welcome gay visitors.
Pete Buttigieg becomes President of the United States
At the time of writing, there are still over a dozen nominees vying for the Democratic Presidential bid: Buttigieg is the first openly gay man to put himself forward for the role. With such a crowded race, and aged only 37, it’s far from certain he’ll even get to run against Donald Trump in November 2020… but just the thought of the first gay president and First Husband is getting us excited.
Gay men put a face pic on their dating app profile
Because… well, it’s 2020. Or can they at least get the memo to include a photo when they first message you!
Parents get educated
Specifically, the ones who don’t already know, that teaching kids about LGBT stuff in schools will help prepare them for the world and has no impact on their sexuality or gender identity.
People stop being douchebags to HIV-positive guys on apps
On the subject of apps, can we all try to be a little nicer to each other, educate ourselves on how undetectable = untransmittable, and leave the HIV stigma in the past, where it belongs? A recent survey found that just over 50% of gay men now understand that U=U – significantly higher than just a couple of years ago – but more than 40% of guys don’t believe it – including 20% of those who are HIV positive!
Finally… Governments everywhere take radical steps to tackle climate change
Because if they don’t, much of the above won’t matter in the long run.
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