Those 'Gay World Cup Player' rumours and the media lust

Yesterday the internet was awash with those 'Gay World Cup Player and British Reality Star' rumours, you can see Pink News  for some scope of what happened.

Mainly there has been speculation about who this player is, after apparently the name was published on the reality star's website, although there has been no confirmation from anyone, and even less evidence about the posting. So what are we to make of another 'gay footballer' rumour, after the appalling Ashley Cole slur by the Sun, and the subsequent lawsuit, not to mention those rumours earlier this year regarding Gerald Pique and Zlaten Ibrahimovic from Barcelona with that photo. Of course there have been constant rumours regarding Sol Campbell, as well as other unfounded stories regarding footballers.

There has been a dramatic push, and I mean push, lately to out a footballer, especially after the Mail's 'scoop' regarding Gareth Thomas and his coming out. Everyone is pushing for the gay footballer headline, and using any excuse to publish unfounded rumours in the hope that it might, as in the case with Gareth Thomas, Will Young, Steven Gately, etc etc, force them to come out to the wider public.

This desperate need to out a footballer, and it is clear that there must be some in the community, is based not on analysing the needs and well-being of the individual, or for a role-model type persona, or even for football to show how inclusive and welcoming it is. It is based on the media's need for a sex-story involving sports stars, so they can trumpet their stories, get the tell-all article, and then have another arrow in which to target said player when their capabilities are going awry.

The fact remains that a footballer, or even most sports players, won't come out while the media is wanking itself into such a frenzy over someone else's sex life. We live in a country, whereby being gay is not tarred with the same brush as it was, and as Pride showed over the weekend. Yet most gay people don't feel the need, unless they want to, to come out to their workplaces and colleagues. yet we are insistent with rage and anger when a footballer and/or sports star, music star, actor doesn't, as if as they ply their trade in the public eye means that the rules don't apply to them anymore.

As a friend once told me, "I don't talk about sex, I just do it". Perhaps we should concentrate more on our own lives and less on others. So that when those in the public eye do want to be publicly gay or lesbian or bisexual, instead of the intense public scrutiny we can just shrug our shoulders and carry on. Allowing them to be themselves and the rest of us to get on with our own sex lives.

Mark Ames, the Facebook posting and free speech

Today's Pink Paper has the story of Mark Ames, club owner of XXL, a prominent gay nightclub and his Facebook posting on Monday (copy on the right), regarding Muslims, his comments stated:
“From today i will be boycotting any shops, petrol stations restaurants or businesses i know are owned by Muslims this also includes holidays to muslim countries today see our death toll up to 300 so why the hell are we not just flying this scum back out to there beloved states and pull out and let them fight out there own issues! Funny thing is most of there parent’s would have used i am escaping the brutal rules of muslim society when they arrived on UK shores [sic]."

Apart from the spelling mistakes, of which Mark is dyslectic and can be attributed to that. The rest of the posting establishes many misconceived ideas about Muslims and their religion based on a few people who chose the attack the police in an anti-racist protest in East London.

He has since admonished himself via a Facebook posting:

I would like to make an unreserved apology to all Muslims whom I offended by my post on my Facebook wall.
Firstly, I was directing my anger at extremists and I should have chosen my wording more carefully. It was written in anger at what I had viewed, and I should have taken time to think about this and not be reactionary. I also went on to state that I would boycott all Muslim businesses; again this was said in anger and in haste.
Many people know that I have conservative views, but I must stress I am not a Racist, Xenophobe or anti Islamic. I have had a long term relationship with someone who has Middle Eastern origins and have mixed race family members.
I wrote in anger and sadness at what is taking place in the UK and abroad and from having friends in the Armed forces who have been affected personally by ongoing conflict.
Due to the fact that I have caused so much offence and hurt within this community I am making this public apology along with the profits of XXL Pride weekend to the Iraqi LGBT group in London in light of the recent LGBT safe houses being raided.
I would also like to add that my partner has helped me type this statement as I suffer from Dyslexia. Mark Ames

We can all draw our own conclusions about the posting,  and his views compared to ours and the value of free speech in the UK that allows us to make views that may be abhorrent to others, as long as we don't cross over into hate speech.

Yet should a leading figure in the gay-scene, knowing the hurt caused by ignorant, misinformed views be more aware of the value of how hurtful such views can be to others. Regardless of your views on Muslims, and many of their religious views on homosexuality (not much different from any other religion I might add), is the implication that minorities should stuck up for minorities regardless, or should more care be given to the message given across.

Many people within the gay community have either supported Mark in his views, and espoused more of these on a similar trend (read the comments section for a taste), while others have criticised him for his lack of judgement. Are all Muslims evil, police-bashing terrorists, or just the minority, likewise are all gays, lesbians and trans people Islamophobic or any other kind of religion phobia. Are we really scared of those who use passages in their holy books to direct their anger and frustrations of LGBT's, or should we aim to build bridges with their wider religious communities to ensure our own safety and legal rights, in face of the minorities of religion who seem determined to dictate regardless of the consensus of the community.

We live, like it or not, in a wide ranging, poly religious, poly sexuality, poly ethnic country, with a wide range of beliefs, understandings and behaviours that are the base of our communities. We should look towards a more egalitarian vision so that miscommunication about one group isn't misrepresented by another to widen the gulf.

As LGBT's, we have a greater understanding of the hurt and danger that can be caused by widespread misbeliefs, and have worked hard to show them to that. We should be at the forefront of ensuring that this can be the same for other minority groups that are having the same problem now.

London Pride and the lost message of freedom

This weekend sees the largest UK Pride back on the streets of London, cruising down Oxford Street, blocking the way of confused Japanese tourists, desperate bargain shoppers and the theatre thrill seekers with an array of drag queens, muscled dancers and those who are trying to reignite the whistle industry in face of the vuvuzela.

Much to chagrin of Christian Voice, National Front and other groups set on revoking the rights of every man, woman and trans to appease their own self-styled vision, it will also be the 40th year of the Gay Liberation Front, which their publication of their manifesto set out their objectives, which included the following paragraph:


CAMPAIGN Before we can create the new society of the future, we have to defend our interests as gay people here and now against all forms of oppression and victimisation. We have therefore drawn up the following list of immediate demands.

• that all discrimination against gay people, male and female, by the law, by employers, and by society at large, should end.
• that all people who feel attracted to a member of their own sex be taught that such feeling are perfectly valid.
• that sex education in schools stop being exclusively heterosexual.
• that psychiatrists stop treating homosexuality as though it were a sickness, thereby giving gay people senseless guilt complexes.
• that gay people be as legally free to contact other gay people, though newspaper ads, on the streets and by any other means they may want as are heterosexuals, and that police harassment should cease right now.
• that employers should no longer be allowed to discriminate against anyone on account of their sexual preferences.
• that the age of consent for gay males be reduced to the same as for straight.
• that gay people be free to hold hands and kiss in public, as are heterosexuals. 

Looking back now forty years on, we can be proud that we have achieved nearly all of demands that the GLF wanted. The glaring exception is the final one, gay people still aren't able to hold hands and kiss in public anywhere in London even, outside the Soho area. Although this is not a legal issue, as some of the other demands are.

The stigma of LGBT couples and their public affection for each other is still apparent, after the attacks on individuals and couples within the last four years, many leading to tragic deaths. Whilst the legal ramifications of equality has moved LGBT's into the public eye and more often than not acceptance over the last ten years, there is still a huge doubt amongst LGBT couples about being openly proud of their love, due to harassment and attacks, both verbal and physical. Pride usually stands alone in this moment of being able to do so.

Yet the message of Pride was to draw attention of LGBT's, and that their love was no more unacceptable than that of heterosexuals. This march was in direct confrontation of the perceived norms of society, and lead , also alongside a great deal of behind the scenes work done, to the legal changes that assisted the movement of gay rights in the UK. So does achieving the legal requirements of the GLF forty years ago make Pride less of a protest now than a party.

There is a difference between those over thirty five and those below to the need to continue the work of campaigning, protest and continuing the message of freedom throughout the country. There are a number of those below this age, who do take a large interest in gay rights, not just in the UK, but throughout the world, many using new technology like Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites that allow others to share their knowledge, experiences and communicate protest quickly and effectively.  Yet there is a disarmingly large proportion of LGBT persons who aren't recognising the link between this perceived equality in law and the actual realisation on the ground which doesn't allow many to be free of victimisation and the removal of politics from Pride.

There is an expectation that due to the legal equality, that Pride has lost it's teeth and is seen more as a Mardi Gras party movement rather than a protest march, this cannot be the case. We must ensure that it keeps drawing attention to the LGBT issues of the day, and it is up to us to ensure that many young LGBT persons, especially those outside London can see Pride and recognise that there are others out there who are similar, so that they aren't alone and can be happy with who they are. That there are people who can and will fight for their rights, not just to get married, but more importantly can walk hand-in-hand down any street in the UK and be accepted.

Then we can be pleased at the achievements we have done, compared to those demands of the LGF all those years ago, and have Pride in ourselves.