Gay Rock Star says Things Havent Got Any Better
Armchair Marxist | 19.01.2002 16:08
Last night on Carlton TV a London show called "Nightlife", one of the "After the Real Programmes Have Finished" type of thing, featured the usual chit chats with minor celebrities on the local scene.
This included Boy George, who is often credited with setting a pattern for enlightened attitudes to sexuality in the 1980s. Perhaps not wanting incisive debate and controversy, the interveiwer asked him how much things have improved for gays in the last two decades, to which he tersely replied "NOT AT ALL". He went on to say how he encounters now as much bigotry, prejudice, fear and tactlessness as ever in his past career.
This came as a bit of a surprise to me; I am not, personally, gay, and whilst recognising that endless problems will remain for some time, I had asumed that things had improved, just somewhat. So what does it mean ? That all the gay Police groups, all the sitcoms, dramas, magazines, male nudity and documentaries are mere propaganda, a chimera with no substance in the lives of most people in Britain outside Soho and the West End, (where I spend most of my time). Are the Metro Cosmopolitans now completely out of touch with people in general, a people who have failed to be convinced of the need for a tolerant society? If Boy George's observations are accurate, we need to ask some questions.
This included Boy George, who is often credited with setting a pattern for enlightened attitudes to sexuality in the 1980s. Perhaps not wanting incisive debate and controversy, the interveiwer asked him how much things have improved for gays in the last two decades, to which he tersely replied "NOT AT ALL". He went on to say how he encounters now as much bigotry, prejudice, fear and tactlessness as ever in his past career.
This came as a bit of a surprise to me; I am not, personally, gay, and whilst recognising that endless problems will remain for some time, I had asumed that things had improved, just somewhat. So what does it mean ? That all the gay Police groups, all the sitcoms, dramas, magazines, male nudity and documentaries are mere propaganda, a chimera with no substance in the lives of most people in Britain outside Soho and the West End, (where I spend most of my time). Are the Metro Cosmopolitans now completely out of touch with people in general, a people who have failed to be convinced of the need for a tolerant society? If Boy George's observations are accurate, we need to ask some questions.
Armchair Marxist
Comments
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Boy George is right . . .
20.01.2002 12:49
However, away from the zones of tolerance, gay life continues much as before. Gay men and women in rural areas are denied access to social support networks and basic sexual health information. Many rural GP's remain prejudiced against gay men in particular. Growing up as a gay man in a rural area like Buckinghamshire is not fun, let me assure you.
Nevertheless, this is small fry compared to the global human rights situation for gay men and women. Homosexuality (or the "promotion" of a gay rights agenda) remains illegal in the vast majority of countries, including Romania (where gay activists face five years in prison), Egypt (where fifty gay men have recently been sent to jail for "corrupting public morals" and even the USA (where many states continue to have draconian anti-gay legislation on their statute books).
Iran still has the death penalty for male homosexuality. Islam seems inherently biased against sexual openness - Christianity (the Archbishop of Wales notwithstanding) fares little better. In Africa, male homosexuality is regarded as a "white man's disease". This ignorance impacts upon the lives of black and Asian communities in the West.
In conclusion, there is still a very long way to go before we can congratulate ourselves on being a more open and tolerant society. Let the struggle continue!
Queer as f***
'Boy' George.
20.01.2002 15:52
Sports Fan.