Have Gay People Vilified The Church?

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

For as long as anyone can remember people have been in a constant battle with each other for one reason or another. Different countries have waged wars against each other, we’ve seen celebrities involve themselves in public slagging matches, and there’s usually one mega corporation suing another over a patent or something similar. Minority groups have also found themselves warring with multiple institutions such as the government, but one battle that has gone on for as long as anyone can remember is the battle between the Church and the gay community.

There are a multitude of reasons behind this on-going battle, with many people of religion finding homosexuality a sin or life choice, and fighting endlessly in the battle to prevent gay marriage around the world.  Some members of the religious institution have compared homosexuality to heinous acts like paedophilia and bestiality.

Just last week the new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio or Pope Francis, commented on same-sex marriage and gay adoption saying it was a “destructive attack on God’s plan.”

But one thing we don’t appear to have considered in this endless tirade of name-calling and accusations is, have gay people completely denounced the Church and brandished them as an eternal villain?

With comments such as this by the leader of the Catholic faith it is easy to say that the hatred expressed towards the Church by many gay men and women is deserved, but not everyone who has a faith or follows religion should be tarred with the same brush.

We have seen several news articles and feature pieces over the last decade that have discussed topics such as gay vicars or priests and how many gay people, just like the heterosexual community, believe in religion. There’s even a group called Christians for Equal Marriage that support the right for gay people to marry just like their straight counterparts.

Just last week the American LGBT religious organisation, Faith in America, spoke out about how the Church must stop harming LGBT people. The groups spokesman, Brent Childers, who was aligned with the anti-gay religious industry said in a statement: “It is critical for all to understand the devastating effects to a young person when their church leadership teaches that homosexuality is a sin and that they are not God’s best.”

“I have come to learn the unintended consequences of those that believe they are teaching what it is to be a good Catholic or Christian. In fact they are the very reason why LGBT teens suffer an unusually high rate of depression, attempted suicides, and worse, suicide.”

Various churches from around the globe have also addressed the issue of gay rights with a particular focus on gay marriage. Many have fought for the cause of the LGBT community, and have shown that not everyone is using God’s name to discriminate. Only last week a Church in North Carolina stated that they would not conduct weddings for anyone until they were able to hold same-sex weddings as well, and a chapel within the Palace of Westminster may be changed so that it can perform equal marriage ceremonies.

Also, in what would appear to be a slight turn in events, a poll conducted by an anti-LGBT rights Christian campaign group found that the majority of American’s believed that, “homosexuality is a civil rights issue like gender, race and age”.

Although there is a clear signifier that many people with a religion, and many within religious institutions around the world, believe in the right for gay people to marry and gay rights in general, there are still a number of people out there using God’s name to justify an anti-gay rhetoric.

We have all seen or heard the rants from the most famous anti-gay group, the Westboro Baptist Church, whose “God Hates Fags” slogan has become a symbol for just how unaccepting many people with faith or religion can be. There’s no doubt that their presence within the media has turned many gay men and women away from the Church as they view it as an ever present evil.

This week alone Washington Times columnist Jeffery Kuhner, accused President Obama of waging a war on the Church with his support of gay rights, he wrote: “Pope Francis is the opposite of a modern American liberal. In fact, he probably finds much of the Democrats’ agenda repulsive. President Obama is waging a war on Christians and on Catholics in particular.

Mr. Obama supports homosexual ‘marriage.’ He has allowed homosexuals to openly serve in the military. His pro-homosexual, pro-abortion and pro-contraception policies violate basic Catholic doctrine. He is an enemy of the church.”

Despite the progression of LGBT people in wider society, it does appear that the combat with the Church will continue for some time, with a number of people within the Church and many who use the word of God to support their own views actively trying to prevent LGBT legislation in a number of areas. However this not only harms LGBT people with faith, who may become conflicted in what they believe, risking psychological harm through this conflict, but also to the Church as it further becomes an outdated institution. However, the LGBT community must remember that not everyone in the Church, or with faith is out to get them, and remember that most people with faith believe that everyone should be treated equally.

That being said, the tense and conflicting battle of rhetoric between religious communities and the LGBT community is clearly far from over.

Sci-Fi Is Definitely A Little Bit Gay

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

I’ve never really been a big fan of the Sci-fi genre, apart from a bit of an obsession with Doctor Who and a childhood love of Star Wars. But everyone’s allowed to like the odd film or TV show from a selection of different genres. However, recently I’ve found myself to be quite partial to the odd bit of Sci-fi.

Over the last few weeks I’ve basically shut myself out from the rest of the world, and immersed myself in the television show Heroes. After 77 episodes and copious amounts of hours dedicated to watching this show I can honestly say I’ve been converted to the Sci-Fi cause, but one of the main things I took away from the show was how much you can read Sci-fi, and this show in particular, as an allegory for gay rights.

This may sound a little strange, but let’s take a look at the whole thing. If you don’t like spoilers then stop reading now, but if you don’t mind them then carry on.

Firstly the show centres on a group of people who have certain abilities like telekinesis, mind reading, the power to heal themselves, stop time and fly, amongst many other different abilities. These people, also known as specials to those in the show, are hidden away in society afraid to come out so to speak, and show ‘normal’ people what they can do.

Throughout each season we see various scenarios about what will happen if they do come out. In some of these scenarios they are accepted, and in other scenarios, other members of society hunt them because they are scared of them.

This can be seen as reflective of what happened to gay people in society as for many years gay people stayed hidden, feeling that they were not the same as straight people and many lived in absolute fear of persecution, and many in certain countries still do, just like the specials.

Throughout the show, during flashback segments and primarily in season one, the majority of people with abilities don’t realise that there are others like them, just like many young people when they first realise that they are attracted to members of the same sex.

By season four of the series we are introduced to a group of specials living at a carnival as they were either rejected by friends or family, or simply had nowhere to turn, as they were different.

As many of us are aware, over the years many gay people around the world have suffered issues of rejection from friends and family and society in general, this in turn has resulted in communities being formed, the fact that we have LGBT pride parades are a prime example of this.

Sadly Heroes was cancelled at the end of season four, and judging by the final episode of the show, season five would have seen the specials integrating into society, being proud of who they are. However we will never know what would have happened to the specials. We can only assume that like gay people they would have integrated and gradually people would have learnt that they were not to be feared.

This would have been similar to when gay people finally came out of the closet, and after much persecution and resistance society learned that people from the LGBT community were not to be feared either. However, as we know this is not true of all places around the world, and many gay people are still persecuted and their fate at the moment is very much as mysterious as what happened to the specials. But as they mentioned several times in season four, the world and people can change, and one day this will hopefully be true of the whole world when it comes to LGBT rights. If many Sci-Fi programmes are to be believed, then it most definitely will.

Gay anthems aren’t all sparkles and belting

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

The gay anthem is something that has become synonymous with the gay community over the last couple of decades. From ‘Over the Rainbow’ to ‘I’m Coming Out’, all the way through to ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Born This Way’, sung by Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga respectively; and that’s only a few songs and singers off the top of my head.

There are plenty more where they came from as the gay anthem can date back to as early as the 1920s with ‘The Lavender Song (Das Lila Lied).’ The song is often thought to be one of the very first gay anthems as it was produced during a brief moment in time when the quality of life for gay men and lesbians was improved in the German Weimar Republic, and was written after the first international conference of sexual reform. Even ‘Over the Rainbow’ is more than 70 years old, and when it comes to listing gay anthems today we can usually see the formula used to create it: a bit of struggle, a dash of hardship and the mandatory big voice to belt it out.

However, the one thing I have noticed when it comes to the lists of gay anthems is that they are always rather mainstream and obvious choices. These lists tend to contain a number of artists closely associated with the gay community in one way or another. It’s not unusual to see gay anthems being listed as everything in the back catalogue of artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Barbra Streisand, which in all honesty is a little limiting. After all, there are plenty of songs from other genres, besides disco and Broadway show tunes, that contain songs that can be viewed as gay anthems and in fact convey a message that many of these often-recognised anthems do.

There are two very specific songs that spring to mind from the rock genre, which may surprise you because it isn’t an obvious place to look for a ‘gay anthem’. The first of these songs is ‘Minority’ by Green Day. The song unashamedly shouts out about wanting to be the minority and not, as they put it, ‘the moral majority’. You can see that this song is giving a voice to all those people who are persecuted because they aren’t the white, straight, middle class American suburban family that are married with two children and a white picket fence. In a way, this song, much like Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way‘, is giving a voice to anyone and is a song about rights and embracing who you are. However, as a rock song it doesn’t really make the standard lists which are filled with big voice divas belting their way through four minutes of self-discovery.

The second song that stands out is ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ by American rock group Gossip. The song itself was written as a response to the denial of gay marriage in America, something that the gay community across much of the world can understand. Despite receiving considerable chart success here in the UK thanks in part to its use in the promotional advert for teen drama Skins, and being heavily considered as an alternative indie floor-filler, it is often overlooked for what it is actually about – equal rights, which automatically puts it in the alternative gay anthem category. Furthermore, a lesbian with a big voice sang it and, even though Beth Ditto isn’t your conventional diva, that surely gives it enough credit to be a gay anthem.

There are many more songs by various artists that could also be included on this list of alternative gay anthems. Just listen to a handful of songs by Placebo whose songs were used throughout Queer as Folk USA due to their subject matter, specifically ‘Taste in Men’. Then there are artists such as Peaches, whose gender-bending stage antics and controversial lyrics about sex and sexuality automatically put her high on the ‘gay icons’ list. But songs such as ‘I U She‘ convey a message that, although we are forced into boxes, it is ultimately ourselves who choose how and who we have sex with, something that many in the gay community know about. Clearly there are more songs out there other than Broadway tunes that give gay equality a voice, and in many cases they have far more substance to them than those by the big voiced divas.

Even though stereotypically rock and indie music aren’t considered to be favourite genres of gay people, it certainly has many songs that the gay population can relate to.

Could Proposition 8 Finally End?

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

Gay marriage has been a huge talking point around the world for at least the last 10 years. If you live in the UK then you will know that the coverage the debate has received in the past six months alone is incredible, and hopefully the debate will end soon and gay marriage in the UK will become an everyday occurrence. In America however the debate has caused a huge divide between political parties, individual states and the everyday American.

Indeed the issue of gay marriage in America is a vicious fight that many gay Americans and their supporters have been fighting for years, where they have been met with success and vast hostility alike. Proposition 8 has been high on the agenda for many people around the world for the last few years, and it looks as though the battle to repeal it is once again rearing its head.

This week alone we have seen several incidents across the pond highlighted in the media surrounding Proposition 8, and the hopeful removal of it, as the Supreme Court is due to consider whether to overturn it on March 26th. This comes after the controversial decision in 2008 to add a clause to the Californian constitution, which stated marriage could only be recognised by the state if it were between a man and a woman.

One incident we saw, which could have huge effects on equal marriage in the US, was 75 leading Republicans signing a brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 8. This figure has now swelled to over 100 and includes Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood, who was previously against supporting equal marriage. The official document filed with the Supreme Court has also seen a number of former governors and members of George W Bush’s cabinet change their stance on Prop 8 and sign the document, which could also lead to significant effects on the Republican Party.

The Obama administration has also become involved in the issue this week after filing their own brief to the Supreme Court, which also urges them to strike down the ban on equal marriage in the state of California. The document has been welcomed by supporters of equal marriage in America and could in fact be applied to other states that also ban equal marriage.

The administration said of gay Americans in the document: “They establish homes and lives together, support each other financially, share the joys and burdens of raising children, and provide care through illness and comfort at the moment of death.”

President Obama himself has been quoted this week mentioning how he would remove laws banning same-sex marriage if he were a Supreme Court judge saying: “If I were on the court, that would be the view I’d put forward.”

There is hope that with the weight of the President and his administration behind the repeal of Proposition 8 that it could help with its removal.

The Republicans and the Obama Administration are not the only ones to act vocally this week on the repeal of Prop 8. Hugely popular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres wrote an open letter to the Supreme Court on her website talking about her marriage to actress Portia de Rossi, saying: “Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life.”

Some of America’s largest companies such as Facebook, Apple and eBay have also urged the court to remove Proposition 8.

All this debate in the run up to the Supreme Court’s ruling has also seen the revelation of a new poll that shows 61% of Californians support same-sex marriage, which is a record percentage in the state of California and a 9% increase over five years.

It would appear that in the land of free there is still a huge reluctance to allow some people their basic human right to marry the person that they love, and in America we have all read countless articles and heard news stories about the discrimination some gay people still suffer. But with the backing of the general public, celebrities, super companies, political parties and the president of the United States himself, March 26^th could see a huge step forward for equality not only in America but around the world.

No Room at the Inn

Originally posted on www.vadamagazine.com

Living in the UK, where equal rights for gay people are exceptionally better than many other places in the world, and where the debate for equal marriage has gained continued momentum, things only look like they’re going to go from strength to strength for LGBT issues. However, despite this there remains a certain degree of discrimination shown towards members of the LGBT community on a regular basis that we hear about in the news.

Just this week it emerged that a gay couple were refused a double room at a hotel in London by a receptionist who asked them numerous times: “are you sure you don’t want single beds?” (Nick Hurley, the person in question is pictured above).

Despite booking their room online, one of the men in question explained how he felt he and his partner had been treated in a homophobic way.

I doubt the same treatment would have been given to a straight couple if they arrived at a hotel room looking to share a bed.

However this treatment isn’t isolated to one particular case, but instead we can find a string of numerous news stories that highlight this type of treatment given to gay people.

Last year a gay couple won a court case against the owners of a B&B after they were turned away, despite booking the room and paying a deposit, because one of the owners claimed that allowing them to stay would violate her religious beliefs.

There were also two separate incidents in 2011 where a lesbian couple took legal action against a hotel after they claimed they were turned away for being gay. 2011 also saw the gay kiss pub protest after a gay couple were thrown out of the John Snow pub in Soho for kissing, which was called “obscene.”

Another incident in January 2013 saw a gay couple denied access to a bar because it was “couples only” and they were the wrong type of couple.

It’s awful to think that in 2013 some people still feel they can deny basic forms of equality such as sharing a bed or accessing a bar, simply because someone is gay. This in spite of The Equality Act making it illegal to refuse people goods and services on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Could you imagine if the roles were reversed and a gay person or couple denied a straight couple a hotel room simply because they were not gay, or if a person who doesn’t like children refused a family a table in a restaurant or a room at a hotel because they had a child? Well you couldn’t because this thing would probably never happen as it would be deemed ridiculous. Yet some people still think it’s OK to deny gay people basic rights.

The Thistle hotel involved in the incident in London has apologised to the couple involved, with spokesman Chris King telling ITV News: “From our initial investigations it appears that the couple booked through an online booking system which didn’t work properly and so when they arrived at the hotel there were no double rooms available. We are very sorry if the couple feel they have been badly treated and we are now looking into the situation.”

He added: “Having spoken to Mr. Hurley we understand that the couple were not too upset that there were no double rooms available, but rather with the manner in which this information was conveyed. We have offered them a free night in one of our hotels but they have refused this offer. Thistle does not tolerate homophobic behaviour and will investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Where as we can see public apologies being made and public protest, particularly in the incident with the Soho pub through the now infamous kiss protest, these are only the incidents we know about. Many people still feel as though they can’t come forward with their stories because they are scared or feel that there is no point, as nothing will be done.

But as we can see things are getting noted and acted upon, there is definitely a need to speak up and say something. Issues involving gay people are now being covered much more frequently by the press, and not in a negative manner, because gay people aren’t taking it anymore. People have been fighting for full equality for years and finally it looks like we may not be far from it, in the UK anyway.

How Music Gave Gay People a Voice

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

We’ve heard a lot of talk through our lives about how people and certain aspects of culture have helped change perceptions of gay people. From films such as Cabaret and Brokeback Mountain to people like Antony Grey and Peter Tatchell, and of course there are the Stonewall riots.

But one thing that has been a constant throughout the fight for equality is the sound of music, and I don’t mean the Julie Andrews film. Music is a way of connecting people from a broad range of social backgrounds as it expresses pain, emotions, determination and everything else in between and has certainly given many gay men and women across the world a voice over the years. Not only that but many of the artists have helped give us representation in the public eye for quite some time now.

Before and up to the mid 1960s it would have been pretty hard to release a record such as Lady Gaga’s‘Born This Way.’ During this period, many gay men attached themselves to songs such as ‘Over the Rainbow’ and ‘The Man That Got Away’ by Judy Garland, who is often considered a gay icon due to her struggles, which many gay men identified with. But back in the 1960s there was a counterculture big enough to see the release of some records that are now seen as gay. The book From the Closet to the Charts: Queer Noises 1961 – 1978 documents this and discusses a number of records such as ‘The Shower Song (I’m So Wet)’ that would have apparently embarrassed the Village People, and even an openly gay record label called Camp, which saw the release of 10 singles and two albums.

Music itself hasn’t always been as ‘straight’ as many would think. Openly straight songs about men and women falling in love dominated the charts back then, but you have to remember that during 1960s America black people had their own separate music charts. The mainstream industry was very straight and white then; some people didn’t even like the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.

However, as music progressed into the 70s and 80s it got a little more ‘queer’. We saw the birth of disco and glam-rock; filled with sparkles, platform shoes, big hair and men in make-up, and we saw gay men hit the charts and gay songs do very very well.

One of the most well-known and arguably most pivotal moments of the 1970s was David Bowie’s ‘I’m Gay’ interview in Melody Maker, which finally saw music come out, so to speak. However, years later Bowie stated that there was a backlash in America, but there’s frequently some kind of resistance over there. You only have to look at the controversy Adam Lambert caused during the 2009 American Music Awards – where he kissed a man on stage, prompting ABC (the American television network that aired the awards) to receive over 1,500 complaints and cancel Lambert’s performance on Good Morning America – to see just how shocking something like this would have been in the 1970s. Still, we progressed and music helped in our fight. Hits like ‘Y.M.C.A’ proved popular across the world, despite the majority of the straight population not realising that the song was referencing the YMCA’s reputation as a gay hook-up and cruising spot. Similarly, Sylvester burst onto the scene with ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’. With a black, gay drag queen now lighting up the charts we can see just how far music had progressed, and the exposure Sylvester gained for gay people should never be overlooked.

It’s no doubt that Sylvester helped inspire a barrage of gender bending stars of the 1980s. As the MTV generation was born, singers like Boy George, Steve Strange, Pete Burns and in many ways Annie Lennox – whose androgyny blurred the lines of what it was to be male and female – burst into the mainstream with their highly popular music videos showcasing a new non-traditional image for all to see. The decade saw gay people get a huge voice through music as Frankie told everyone to relax and Bronski Beat let the small town boys know they knew exactly how they felt. The 1980s saw the thumping sounds of so called ‘gay music’ burst onto the scene and dominate the charts the world over; I can just imagine the faces of many a bigot flicking on their TV sets to see Divine singing ‘You Think You’re a Man.’

Despite the negativity of the AIDS crisis, gay men and women were still fighting hard throughout the 90s, but not without a little help from the power of song. As Melissa Etheridge came out and Brian Molko and Billie Joe Armstrong announced their bisexuality, the queen of pop Madonna was bringing ‘voguing’ into the mainstream straight out of the gay clubs of New York. Not only that but she also released the very provocative ‘Justify My Love’ video featuring gay men. Despite the fact it was banned on MTV it was still out there and managed to become a huge hit. But one of the most significant parts of the 1990s, in terms of LGBT visibility and music, came from the overly camp Eurovision. Out were the days of Cliff Richard and Sandy Shaw with their wholesome images and in was Dana International, the transsexual Israeli pop singer and winner of the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest. By now we had moved a long way in terms of freedom and rights and music had progressed and indeed helped with it, but this was only the beginning.

As we swung into the 2000s gay people were out and proud; gone was section 28, in America Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was finally repealed in September 2011 and gay marriage has been a hot topic around the world for many years. In terms of music, we saw t.A.T.u hit number one on the charts, despite using lesbianism as an obvious marketing ploy, and Madonna kiss Britney Spears at the 2003 VMA Awards, in one of the most memorable moments in music history. By now it wasn’t just gay men making a splash, lesbians were also edging into the mainstream despite only having a few moments previously in terms of music. With acts like Will Young selling millions of records, and gay men and women popping up in the finals of massively successful programmes like The X Factor, it became apparent that gay musicians were now firmly a fixture on the charts.

We also witnessed many anthemic songs appear in the last 10 years – ‘Beautiful’, ‘Firework’, ‘Standing in the Way of Control’, ‘Born This Way’ – and gay men and women were being featured in music videos more frequently too (just watch Kylie Minogue’s ‘All The Lovers’ below). It’s clear to see just how music has helped shape the way gay men and women are viewed, not to mention giving them a platform on which to be noticed.

From the days of being closeted and listening to Judy whilst a sub-culture was being born, to the openly gay pop stars and songs telling us to embrace ourselves and love who we are, we’ve come a long way in our fight for equality and music has undoubtedly played a prominent part in that.

Is Football Truly Becoming The Beautiful Game At Last?

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

The beautiful game took another step out of the middle ages this week when American international and former Leeds United footballer, Robbie Rogers, came out of the otherwise bolted football closet.

The former midfielder made the announcement that he was gay through his own personal website after he tweeted “just getting some sh*t off my chest” with a link to the web post. In the post he went on to discuss how he’d had fears about coming out as he didn’t want the fact he was gay getting in the way of his dreams, which he went on to discuss: ‘Dreams of going to a World Cup, dreams of The Olympics, dreams of making my family proud. What would life be without these dreams? Could I live a life without them?’

By coming out Rogers has become the most high profile football star to come out since Justin Fashanu did back in 1990, and makes him the second out footballer playing professional football next to Anton Hysen.

However, being one of only two openly gay professional footballers in the world was short lived as Robbie also announced his retirement from football, stating: ‘Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football.’

This action however makes the move a little counter productive. By coming out Rogers was making one of the biggest leaps in terms of professional football, which could be compared to the move Gareth Thomas made when he came out in 2009, and for sport as a whole. But by announcing his retirement it’s prolonging the myth that if you’re a footballer then you can’t be gay, as Rogers is now an ex-footballer.

Maybe the terrible tale of Justin Fashanu, who came out in 1990 and faced a barrage of negative publicity before committing suicide in 1998, still sends fear through the minds of gay footballers even today, which would explain why a footballer coming out is a very rare occurrence. Although if Rogers had stayed in the game, maybe he could have debunked the myth and taken an even bigger step for gay footballers than he already has. There was even discussions on Twitter commenting on how Rogers had quit football and then come out, with journalist Charlie Beckett saying: ‘Brilliant for coming out, shame he couldn’t stay in the game.’

But despite this negative aspect to the news of Robbie Rogers coming out, the former player has been bombarded with positive responses via Twitter from fellow footballers and others from around the world, which proves that the world of sport is changing and has changed significantly since Fashanu came out all those years ago.

The news about Rogers coming out isn’t just a big move for football, but a big move for sport itself, which has seen a number of considerable movements towards equality recently. Brian Ellner from gay rights group Athletes Ally, which campaigns against homophobia and transphobia in sport told Reuters: ‘We’re at a tipping point.’

Recently the world of sport has seen Orlando Cruz come out, making him the first professional gay fighter, we’ve seen over 100 professional hockey placers say they’d support an openly gay team mate and footballers Gareth Southgate and Matt Jarvis have both mentioned how football is ready for openly gay players.

Maybe it isn’t the players holding total acceptance back as they all share a love of sport regardless of sexuality, maybe it’s not even the fans who get criticised heavily for not allowing players to come out, surely they just want their team to win. It looks as though footballers, their team mates and their fans are ready to accept gay players in football and other sports for that matter but why aren’t gay footballers, hockey players and gay athletes in general coming out? For football maybe it is the harrowing story of Fashanu, but the more likely reason is because of the sponsorship deals and the PR surrounding them.

If gay footballers are seen to make less money from sponsors or not get sponsors at all, then surely their PR man isn’t going to want them to come out for fear of making less money, even Max Clifford has spoken about how he has advised footballers to stay in the closet.

From what’s happening around the world at the moment maybe we are at a tipping point, after all players from other sports are starting to come out and straight players are defending their gay counterparts and so are the fans. Robbie Rogers may have come out and retired but from the positive reaction he’s received, maybe this action will open the door for other gay footballers to come out and finally break down homophobia in sport.

Resignations All Around - So Long Bigots

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

This week it looks as though resignation is at the top of the agenda for a few people. Firstly we have heard the news of how a Conservative town councillor quit his position because of his disapproval of the advancement of the Equal Marriage bill. Secondly, it has been announced that the grand dame of religion himself, Pope Benedict XVI will also step down from his position due to ill health, which is slightly dubious to say the least.

He is relinquishing his post after eight years of being the head of the Catholic Church, doing what exactly I’m still unsure of (in fact does anyone actually know what he does apart from stand/sit around in a rather fetching robe and hat combo promoting Catholic guilt?). Anyway, after eight years he has decided to step down because as he states “after having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

Now you can’t blame anyone for not having much sympathy for the wicked witch of the Church in this instance. On my part this lack of sympathy stems from the anti-gay rhetoric that he’s constantly bombarded us with over the best part of the last decade.

Over this period he’s said that gay people are a “defection of human nature,” he warned the world that the introduction of equal marriage would risk the future of humanity, and on the World Day of Peace 2013 he released a message that said that not only is same-sex marriage unnatural but it also poses a threat to “justice and peace.”

This is just what you want to hear from the man who is the spiritual figurehead of the 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide. The list of his intolerance does not stop there however. In 2008 he said that the existence of gay people threatened humanity in the same way as the destruction of the rainforests, and that “blurring” genders through the acceptance of transgender people would kill off the human race. Someone really needs to send this man back to a classroom.

However, despite the fact that ill health has been used as the reason for him resigning, it has already been cast into doubt by numerous experts who believe it is most likely due to his controversial stance on homosexuality, along with the legacy of a number of paedophile priest scandals and cover-ups that have destroyed the integrity of the Church in certain areas.

I myself would not be surprised if this was the case, or if it has anything to do with the fact that no matter how hard he tries and no matter how much he shakes his heavily adorned head, gay marriage equality seems to look inevitable. You only have to cast your mind back to the debate in the UK last week.

This brings us onto our second resignation of the week, the resignation of Matty Donnelly. You may be wondering who this is as his fan base isn’t quite as large as the Pope’s. Well, he was the town councillor for Hexam, Northumberland, until he quit on February 10^th due to the Conservative Party’s backing of equal marriage.

Now talk about throwing your toys out of the pram. Mr. Donnelly quit just after last Tuesday’s vote, which says to me he had this whole thing planned. His reasons for resigning were because he was “brought up as a Christian” and because of this he knew “the difference between right and wrong.” It is a shame that no one taught him about tolerance and acceptance whilst they were at it.

Because of this he decided he could no longer agree with David Cameron and the other members who voted for the Equal Marriage bill. However, in Mr. Donnelly’s defence he did say, “I am old-fashioned and cannot for the world of me get my head round gay marriage, same-sex marriage, call it what you will.”

This just shows us that for many people it is a generational issue when it comes to equal marriage, but this still does not excuse intolerance, whether in our daily or working lives.

So there we have it, two resignations in the matter of a week. One that is clearly because of gay marriage and the other because of ill health, which in all honesty probably has something to do with his opposition to the gays. Luckily, when it comes to parliament there are many people fighting for equality. With a couple less intolerant people in power things can only get better. However, in terms of the Church, the future trajectory of acceptance depends largely on the election of a new Pope. We can only hope that he is not as intolerant as the last. I won’t hold my breath.

Do Gay People in Films Always Have to be Stereotypes?

Originally published on www.biggaypictureshow.com

In the past I’ve written about a number issues I have when it comes to gay men in films and films that are gay-centric in particular. One of these issues is that they are usually sold on sex, making us all fit into the sexual deviant paradigm that so many people have afforded us, the other issue I’ve written about is why we have to have gay films – after all why can’t they just be films.

This being said, ‘gay films’ are here and for the foreseeable future they are here to stay, because let’s face it, many Hollywood studios are still reluctant to release a mainstream gay-centric film, despite the success of Brokeback mountain almost a decade ago. This then brings up the issue that most of the gay men that we see in films are the flappy, fashion conscience, witty, bitchy character whose retorts and comments are used for comic affect.

These characters can be found in many rom-coms, such as Bridget Jones’ Diary, as well as teen flicks like Mean Girls. We are undoubtedly being put into more films now and being allowed to be openly gay – and all exposure is good exposure in a way, I suppose. Even if the studios are still a little worried to make us the leading star, at least we are there.

However, I can’t get over the fact that many gay-centric films made by LGBT production companies and filmmakers have to use these characters as well. I’ve reviewed and watched a few films recently that heavily feature characters like this. Yes, there are gay people like this, but would it hurt the filmmakers and studios to feature more down-to-earth, non-stereotyped gay characters in a gay movie? After all, we’re bombarded with these stock characters in nearly every romantic comedy that gets churned out.

It looks as though whilst we are getting some representation in mainstream movies, the issue of being stereotyped will always be there. It’s just a shame that gay centric comedy films and rom-coms don’t display enough diversity, to show other gay men and people in Hollywood that we aren’t all like that stock character they know so well. Perhaps if the entertainment made for the gay community were more varied in its depiction of gay people, a little more of that diversity would seep through into the mainstream.

NHS Services for Everyone?

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Recently I received a survey through the post; apparently out of all the people who live in my area I was selected at random despite the fact my partner also received one, what a coincidence. However this isn't what I'm getting at, the survey was about health and wellbeing for 2013 from the NHS, I know it just sounds like so much fun to fill in doesn't it?

Anyway after flicking through the questions there was the usual; do you smoke? Yes, do you drink? Yes, how much fruit and veg do you consume a week? As you can see it was a pretty standard set of questions. Now this is all well and good and maybe just maybe the survey will help with something, I don't know what it'll help with besides helping to waste some more precious NHS money. But as I got to the end of the survey there was the typical 'about you' section, gender, age, ethnicity you get the picture. I assume this is to help them narrow down which age groups, genders and social groups are suffering the most and which ones are experiencing a happier life, but the one question that was missing was that of sexuality.

Now before you start making assumptions that I'm someone who wants to shout from the rooftops that gay people are being ignored again, I'm not, but you can't help but wonder why this option isn't there. I mean study's have found that LGBT people are more likely to suffer from mental health issues or drink and drug abuse, and by asking this question on a more localised survey by the NHS they could find a way of tackling this, instead of leaving it to certain organisations such as Stonewall and the LGF.

Not every area in the country has somewhere that gay people can turn to for help, and some may send this survey back and be found to be severally depressed or unhappy with life who may be gay, yet this will go unnoticed. I filled out an online health and wellbeing survey a while ago specifically for LGBT people, which was put together by an LGBT organisation, just so I could help out with these statistics that so many organisations such as the NHS are missing.

However it isn't just this NHS wellbeing survey that fails to ask this question. When I was at University I applied for a job at a supermarket so I could make some extra money. Me and my friend (who happens to be a lesbian) went to get the application forms and both said there's no point applying, as we wouldn't get the job. However after noticing the equal opportunities section I made a quick joke that this was our way in, however there was once again no section asking about sexuality. I didn't get the job, because I had no experience working in a supermarket and neither would I want to be given a job simply because I am gay. But it makes me wonder how a company can call themselves an equal opportunities employer and only mention disability, race and ethnicity on an application form as if they're the only reasons why people would be discriminated against when applying for a job.

Now I may have digressed into something completely different there but the principal is still the same, does the NHS not care about the well being of LGBT people? Of course they care, but how will they know the full extent of the health and wellbeing of a social group that does suffer abuse in the areas in which they live (do you feel safe in your area was a question on the survey), and are known for having higher abuse rates if they fail to include a small section in a survey?

Maybe they just forgot, maybe they ran out of space on the paper or maybe because there are LGBT groups out there who've conducted these kinds of studies in the past they felt they didn't need to. The thing is we will never know why it wasn't on there, but the other fact is; if they continue to miss this off surveys in the future then the health and wellbeing of a vast amount of LGBT people will continue to go unknown, which could be a big problem for many.

The Pink Pound and the Music Industry

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

In today’s music industry many artists dominating the charts take time out to lend their voice to good causes. They may relate to problems such as world famine, body issues, war and lately even gay rights. This may seem like something truly commendable as famous individuals lend their name (and hundreds of thousands of twitter followers) to a cause in order to give it a greater voice. However, in relation to gay rights just how much of this advocacy is truly on behalf of those suffering and how much is for personal gain?

This may sound a little cynical to some who believe these stars are truly helping gay men and women across the world become more accepted, which to extent they are. However, whilst having a big name star promoting a cause is a guaranteed way to make a mark for it, for the star it is also a way of gaining yourself a loyal fan base that will stick by you. The audience think you ‘get them’. The cynicism enters when thinking about gay men and women as the power of the pink pound and its appeal to PR executives everywhere is remarkable. Leading mostly metropolitan lives and statistically freer from the financial black-hole of childrearing, our demographic are often thought to have more disposable income. For many this is mostly true.

When you think about gay rights advocacy and celebrities today, one of the biggest stars that come to the forefront of most people’s minds is Lady Gaga. Now I am by no means accusing her of not believing in equality for everyone, in fact she has done quite a lot over the last few years to help LGBT advancement, but you cannot help but feel there is a slight marketing push behind it.

After watching her concert on DVD you are left with the feeling that the chanting about gay rights is a little too much overkill. Sometimes it feels as though she is trying too hard to ensure that those in the audience who are gay know that she loves them. Also when you listen to her album Born This Way, the running theme of gay rights throughout it is incredibly obvious, so much so that it starts to annoy you. It has to be said that the title song of the album was a brilliant way to gain exposure across the world for gay rights (I know it advocated rights and equality for everyone but the message for the LGBT community was much stronger), but also a great way to guarantee gay men and women would buy the single and the album and that it would be played as a gay anthem for years to come.

Now I do not want this to sound like I am ripping into Lady Gaga, after all she wouldn’t be the first star to have a large gay following, although she seems to be one of the first to specifically target them. That said her predecessor Madonna did this but in a much subtler way.

‘Vogue’ was a massive hit worldwide back in 1990 and it is well known now that voguing was very popular on the New York gay scene. Madonna helped bring this facet of gay subculture into the mainstream. However, back then it would have been much harder to publicly back LGBT people through song in the way Gaga has today due to widespread homophobia, the legacy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 80s and the fact that as a community, equality was still a long way away in many more countries than it is today.

So when you look at it that way pandering to a gay audience has been going on for some time, whether it has been obvious or not. Rewind to the 50s and 60s when the biggest gay icon of them all Judy Garland was selling out concerts all across the world that were known to be frequented quite prominently by gay men. However, back then there was no marketing or pandering to gays and as Judy quipped when asked about her gay following, “I couldn’t care less. I sing to people.“ I’m quite sure that if being gay wasn’t the crime it was back then, some marketing savvy individual would have had her shouting out for gay rights across the globe.

So maybe it’s not the stars, maybe it is the marketing companies and their strategic soapboxing of stars that grinds my gears. By advocating a certain fight for equality they tap into a lucrative market in an attempt to exploit it for all they can. After all, stars such as Madonna and Lady Gaga just want to sing, entertain, love their fans (so they say) and be appreciated. As most people know, companies involved in marketing, advertising and PR are out for one thing and one thing only: Money.

So yes maybe stars are pandering to the capital of the pink pound, but is it because the teams behind them are exploiting them, and in turn exploit the pockets of fans across the world? I’ll let you think about that one.

Equality is an Issue Once Again

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

Gay marriage, civil partnerships, civil ceremonies and religious ceremonies are a few terms that you’ve probably heard being thrown around in the press and laden across the news for quite some time now. From the looks of it these terms aren’t going to be laid to rest anytime soon. That’s right the issue of gay marriage, or whatever other name you’d wish to give it, is back under the spotlight for a number of reasons.

Today sees the Marriage Bill being debated in the House of Commons, which would enable same-sex couples to marry in consenting religious institutions in England and Wales. You can probably guess why it’s been in the news for other reasons. Yes that’s right some people just flat out are not happy about it.

Firstly there was the news that senior Tory figures were trying to delay the gay marriage vote. This was because they believed it could prove deeply divisive and cause damage to the Conservative party in the run up to the 2015 election. The issue has been gaining increasing political currency and concern amongst the Tory party with a number of people threatening to resign claiming that there are more serious issues to be dealt with.

To my mind, I just have to say that if a member of the Conservative party wants to resign because of gay marriage then that’s one less bigot in power. Quite frankly they should not be in that position with their antiquated and discriminatory values. If a member of a political party resigned because they had racist ideologies then they’d most likely be chased through London by a lynch mob and publicly and politically tarred and feathered. Just look at the way Nick Griffin is treated by the general public (and when I say that I mean most people on the Internet). No one is suggesting the same treatment will fall on these defectors, but on a sliding scale of bigotry, this should cause many to re-evaluate their suitability for public office if they refuse to recognise equality in society.

Someone should really point out to these Members of Parliament that if it is not discussed now then it’ll just be back on the agenda once again come the next election. We’re not going away guys. So you can try and brush this issue under your expenses paid rug as much as you want, but the fact of the matter is it’s not going anywhere.

Now I turn my attention to the Church of England, because you cannot have an article about gay marriage without bringing them into it (for people who dislike the idea so much they don’t half harp on about it). Many may know that the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was formally confirmed as the head of the Church of England on February 4^th, the day before the debate in the House of Commons. A little bit controversial and risky don’t you think?

It was rumoured that on his first day he would attack the idea of marriage equality, something that Welby’s office quickly downplayed. He instead defiantly placed his flag in the middle ground, ambiguously stating “The Government wants it. We think there are issues around the way it is going forward.” However, this hasn’t stopped the Church being hit by criticism, mainly because of its 8 page briefing note on the bill that they’ve supplied to every Member of Parliament ahead of the vote.

Now it would take too long to go through all the criticism that has been levelled surrounding this, but one thing that did stick in my mind is something that Reverend Sharon Ferguson, the head of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said. After stating that the idea of Justin Welby attacking gay marriage was ‘absolutely horrific’ she mentioned that the Church should be trying to welcome gay and lesbian couples back into its pews.

I for one could not agree with her more. Over the years religion has belittled gay people and nearly every idiotic bigot out there with a mouth bigger than their brain has used their ‘knowledge’ of religion to exclude the LGBT community. Because of this many gay people have left the Church and don’t believe in religion. Through being unable to marry, many feel it is preventing them from displaying their love for another person.

Religion by all accounts is not as big (if that’s the right way to put it) as it once was. The fact that Jedi was recognised as a religion in the census shows us that in general the populace are less God-fearing, more force-loving individuals. So why on earth would the Church continue to persecute and isolate?

This debate is ultimately stilted as after all they are their beliefs and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, bigoted or not, with the same being true of oppositional MPs.

But just think about this, 50 years ago black people in America were made to walk on opposite sides of the street, stand up for white people on buses and suffer a whole barrage of abuse because of something they could not help: the colour of their skin. An interracial marriage in the 60s was a big deal, a very big deal. Comparing these past times to the present situation in 2013 makes you realise how shocking that was, and the thought of discrimination, racist mass marches and discriminatory political speeches happening in mainstream society today is unfathomable.

So when we do see these terms for gay marriage get banded about just think it’s not just about marriage, but equality and surely everyone deserves that in 2013? Didn’t R.E at school teach us that we are supposed to love everyone.

There’s Still A Need To Cure Gays It Seems

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

For years now the issue of gay-cure therapy has been creeping into the news for one reason or another. The most common cause for it springing up is because some people adamantly believe that this type of therapy can work, despite a number of international health bodies saying that they are both ineffective and counter-productive, posing serious health threats to those treated.

The reason that I am bringing it up, as some of you may already know, is because at the end of January a debate surrounding therapy to cure gay people was held in a committee room within the Houses of Parliament. The event was hosted by Core Issues, who are a Christian group that have been critical of LGBT initiatives in the past. The debate itself looked at the subject of whether people should be allowed to change their sexual orientation, which they explained as ‘a debate about the legitimacy and freedom to offer sexual reorientation when many professional bodies are banning such therapies’.

Now I can’t be the only one who finds this completely and utterly insane, can I? Firstly, if you, like me, are gay then you will know that you’ve been gay for as long as you can remember. You may even remember things from when you were a child that make you go “oh yeah, I’ve always been gay.” My personal favourite is when I remember seeing Adam Rickitt’s music video for ‘I Breathe Again’ back in 1999. Yes I was only nine years old at the time, but I can remember watching that video with great intensity. I probably still would now.

I seem to have strayed a little off point there on my trip down memory lane, but if you do remember those times, then you’ll know that if you’re gay, then you’re gay and no amount of pretending to be straight can change that. The thought that this type of therapy can convert someone to being straight is preposterous. You couldn’t use therapy to convert someone from heterosexual to homosexual so how on earth do these people think that it can work in reverse?

Obviously we have all heard of ‘converting them to the cause’ which is a stupid joke about converting straight people into being gay. Some people, of the “backs against the wall lads” camp, still believe gay men and women are trying to do this. Seriously, it’s enough hassle sometimes as it is, without more of us (I joke).

But back to the point that has been made by other therapists: this gay cure therapy can be dangerous to the patients involved. This news about the debate comes during the week that it was revealed by a study from Université de Montréal and McGill University that coming out is actually good for you.

The study itself found that gay men and lesbians who came out were in better physical and mental health than both straight people and those who were still in the closet. Now I for one can believe this, as I assume many of you out there can, because when I came out it was like a great weight being lifted off my previously closeted shoulders. Many of my friends have said exactly the same.

However, the study did mention that it might only be beneficial for those in places where social attitudes and laws etc. are tolerant of gay people. If gay people are being told that they can cure themselves in a country such as Great Britain, where the laws for gay men and women are progressive, then what hope do people in other countries have? I worry that those who are still in the closet will see something like this and truly believe it. This could result in years of mental and possibly physical scarring through careless encouragement of denial, trying to resist something that can’t be changed.

It’s a sad state of affairs that in 2013 people are still churning out hate speech and proposing possible cures for homosexuality, when in actual fact we are perfectly normal. Society as a whole sees us as perfectly normal, and accepts that there’s nothing wrong with us. The bottom line of it is there’s nothing to cure.

Whilst the majority of us can go on laughing at these people who we may dub as ‘crazy’, just think about those who will be beating themselves up about the fact that they think they can change, or are subjected to intense pressure from those around them who believe the lies and denial. Others will take the presence of this debate as a validation of their bigotry and set about filling their minds with all kinds of homophobic nonsense. It makes you wonder how long it will be until the true issue of residual homophobia is cured from everyone’s minds and the reality of normality can break through.