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.

Dying for an Appointment

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

For a while now I've been seeing a number of debates online surrounding medical care in the UK, whether its about budget cuts, the issue of privatising the NHS or a number of problems surrounding the treatment of patients, which largely concentrates on the negative aspects of care some people have received. However something I rarely see, which is something that I've experienced recently, is the complexities of trying to get an appointment with your GP.

Recently after experiencing some problems I contacted my doctor's surgery to try and book an appointment, this to me seemed like a very straightforward task that would involve a telephone call and arranging the appointment. I'd already considered the fact that I may have to wait a few days, but as usual nothing is completely straightforward.

During my telephone conversation I was told that the earliest appointment I could have was the 1 March, which would have been fine if it was a few days before. However I just happened to be ringing three weeks before the given date, which to me seemed very strange. When I enquired about getting an earlier appointment I was told that they were fully booked until then, a phrase I thought was reserved for hotels, restaurants, hairdressers and the sort. Then when I mentioned that I'd been having a pain in my chest the receptionist, in a very rude manner, told me I should go straight to the hospital before saying goodbye and hanging up.

After this happened I was in total shock. I know if you experience pains in your chest then you should go to the hospital, but as the pain had been happening for a few days I was quite sure it wasn't a heart attack, hence my delay in approaching the hospital. It's also worth noting that a few months back when my partner had experienced extreme chest pains and we went to the hospital, he was told at A&E he should have gone to his local GP first. Talk about mixed messages.

The whole situation is baffling as it would appear the GP surgery expected me to predict and schedule the days that I was ill, I know this isn't the case but given the way I was told they were fully booked this is how it felt. I was also rudely told on the phone that to get a quicker appointment I would have to ring the next morning at 8am, which tells me and anyone else who has experienced this that the GP surgery did in fact have appointments, which they could hand out instead of making countless potential patients angrily tap away at their phones the next morning in an appointment bidding war.

I have actually done this before and it took around 68 engaged phone calls in four minutes before I actually got through to a person, at which point I couldn't get an appointment until 4pm.

Now many may blame this type of treatment on budget cuts or privatisation, but for as long as I can remember it has been like this. I can even remember my own mother enduring the telephone bidding war when I was younger to try and gain an appointment for the illness that she had so inconsiderately miss-scheduled.

It is a sad state of affairs that many people who are unwell and may in fact have a more serious underlying condition have to wait weeks on end to see their GP, by which time it could be too late. You could go to the hospital where like I previously mentioned you will be told you should have seen a GP first, be made to feel like you're wasting valuable hospital time and resources only to find out that there's nothing to worry about. You also get to find this out after an eight-hour wait, which is always a lovely experience.

Sadly there's nothing that can be done, and it looks like this is going to continue if the frightful news stories about the NHS and doctor's surgeries are to be believed. However I did file a complaint with the surgery on the day that I was denied an appointment as there was no room at the inn, but as you may have guessed I'm still waiting for a reply, which I won't hold my breath for as I may not be able to get an appointment for the lack of oxygen in body whilst doing so.

Britain: The bipolar nation

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

If you haven't already noticed this week has seen a mass of snow descend upon the entire of the UK, and to say it has been met with a mass of mixed and somewhat strange responses would be an understatement.

Throughout the month of December during the build up to Christmas most people for some reason like the famous song says dream of a white Christmas only to be met with grave disappointment when once again all we get is heavy rain, wind and freezing cold temperatures. We then have to endure the disappointment that these people spread through social media about how gutted they are. Lets be honest we haven't actually had a white Christmas in quite some time as we all know here in the UK it won't actually come until January or February just like it has done in recent years, and given how bad it has been recently you wonder why people do get so excited.

Well as usual January has come along and the snow has come out in full force to put a stop to everything that we would usually do on a day to day basis, you have to wonder how people in countries such as Russia or Norway cope with the amount of snow they get throughout the year, I mean you never hear about those countries coming to a complete stand still do you?

Well I must say that I am probably one of the only people who dislikes snow and I've stuck to this for a long time, so much so that when it did fall last week I came close to avoiding my Facebook, Twitter and especially my Instagram account due to the number of tweets, status updates and pointless pictures of snow covered cars there were, as if people think I can't actually look out of my window and see it for myself.

So what does Britain do during this time, apart from updating their entire friend list about every snowy step they take? Well after the initial few hours of excitement as it falls where they throw face destroying lumps of ice at each other in the form of snowballs, build snowmen that never look like the ones in films as they have some type of road attached to them and enjoy the novelty that is snow, they soon turn from happy snow dancing hippies in a cynical moaning bipolar country that hates snow and never wants to see it again.

Yes we all know what happens, two days later when it begins to turn to suspiciously yellow and brown looking slush and ice the country panic buys every loaf of bread and pint of milk that's around because there's the possibility they may get snowed in. This for a start ruins everything for normal people as you can't have a cup of tea or a piece of toast as someone somewhere is sat with a panic room filled with bread and milk that will expire long before the snow has finally left our streets.

Now they're all sat there moaning that the snow won't leave, they can't get to work because it would probably be an 8 hour trek to get there, which in some cases means no pay and are anxiously praying to the Facebook and Twitter gods for it to go away. In other words they are finally realising why I hate snow in the first place and never wanted it to come.

It's not just snow that endures this but summer as well. You've probably seen some of these ex-snow lovers now praying for some warmth and sun, who are now saying they can't wait for summer. Well we all know what will happen in the summer, everyone will be excited about the sun but then moan about it two days later because it's too hot and the heat of their work office is getting too much for them. This is coming from a country where people will pay hundreds and hundreds of pounds to go to Spain for two weeks.

Lets just face it, no one in this country is ever happy, if we could save the economy from our ability to want something and then continue to moan about how much we hate it when we've got it we would never have entered a recession in the first place, in fact we'd probably be the most powerful country there is.

So for now we will just have to suck it up and deal with the snow and wait for it to go so we can be happy, that is until next year when everyone wets themselves with excitement at the first sight of a flake of snow. There's just no winning.

Did Disney Predict the Future of the Human Race?

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

It sounds like a strange concept that the Disney company that is primarily targeted towards young children but loved by adults around the world, and is predominately responsible for giving many a false view of love that will have undoubtedly ruined the dating lives of many could predict the future.

However given the recent news that two more big high street stores; HMV and Blockbuster have entered administration this week adding to a list that includes Jessops, Comet, Woolworths and many more, you only have to look at the Disney/Pixar hit Wall-E to see where we may be heading.

In the film the human race has been evacuated to a space ship where they fly around all day on floating chairs hooked up to what is quite obviously the internet, watching films, television and listening to music all day because the earth has been destroyed due to mass consumerism. Now this mass consumerism that has destroyed the planet in Wall-E could be seen as happening because of the very invention that keeps them so greatly entertained, the Internet.

Yes that's right, in statements this week from both HMV and Blockbuster they've mentioned that their custom has been greatly affected by the internet with many choosing to stay indoors and shop on Amazon for the latest DVD, game and music releases instead of heading somewhere such as HMV, or if they have chosen not to buy a film they've instead opted to stream it from LoveFilm or Netflix rather than renting from Blockbuster.

Yes that great invention has truly changed the way we live, we no longer have to leave the house to buy anything as we can get clothes, games, music and even our food delivered straight to our doors thanks to the option of buy online. We don't even have to go out to meet new friends thanks to social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, and if we decide we want to meet a boyfriend or girlfriend there's no need to go out and awkwardly eye up the nearest available person as the internet is littered with dating websites filled with "hot singles" in your area that are just waiting to chat.

Yes it is quite a sad state of affairs when you see these great high street stores disappearing. I for one will be greatly saddened if HMV does in fact vanish from shopping centres and the high street alike, their website has already been disabled due to their current issues, and it all seems to have happened because the internet has given us the ability to be lazy and opt for convenience in every aspect of our daily lives.

For some people one of the main reasons they leave the house is to go to work, but with computers giving us access to work information and the ability to work from home, I wonder if going to the office will one day just mean sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee in your pyjamas communicating work stuff via email and telephone?

It also brings up the issue of whether we will continue to go out for meet ups with friends and family, after all what's the point when Face Time or Skype could allow everyone to have a night out together from the comfort of their own living rooms? Provided that you have a good Internet connection and your supermarket of choice delivered your wine on time.

Yes the Internet is a brilliant creation and we wouldn't know what to do without it now as it has made everything so much easier. But what's happening is a very sad and unnerving state of affairs, and maybe we won't end up in a space ship hovering above the earth waiting for a plant to be sent up inside a robot in the way that Disney foretold. But sitting in isolation communicating and doing everything via an Internet connection, like the morbidly obese in the animated hit, could become a dreaded reality if we aren't careful.

After all we may only be a few shop closures away from the high streets of Great Britain resembling old western films with tumbleweeds taking the place of the almost extinct high street shopaholic.

Just Leave it for the Cleaners

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

It's a phrase most people would have heard on a daily basis at work, school, college or university. We all know the process; someone drops a piece of rubbish or leaves a stain or in some cases just flat out cannot be bothered to take their empty sandwich packet to the bin, so of course we will just leave it for the cleaners to deal with.

However the thing that many people fail to forget is that the cleaners aren't there to clean up after the workers, of course the job of the cleaner is to clean, but the job is to hoover the floor, change bin bags and ensure the place isn't dusty or unfit for human habitation, not pick up subway sandwich wrappers that have been strategically placed under chairs, in an attempt to hide them because the bin was a whole 10 foot across the room.

I myself have worked a number of cleaning jobs and on the most part they've been fine with the usual day-to-day mess that includes coffee stains on desks and floors, the odd smudge on a window and an overflowing bin that needs changing. On the other hand I've also encountered desks filled with dirty plates, with the occasional one gathering mould or even the odd half filled coffee up with mould growing on top of it. I once found a banana just left in the middle of the room as if it had tried to escape the kitchen that had been left looking like a small explosion had occurred in it, sadly the banana had just been dropped and not picked back up.

The worst part of this is that the majority of these issues were found in offices and kitchens in NHS offices. It's nice to see that a place that should be cleaner than all others like doctors surgeries are occupied by some people who don't know the practical function of a bin.

The funniest part about this is I recall a time when I was at sixth form and the common room had been left in a bit of a mess, by mess I mean a few empty crisp packets and foil wrappers left lying around the room. Because of this the cleaners made a complaint to the head of year, who promptly informed us that the cleaners job wasn't to pick up after us and if it happened again the room would be locked. A week later the room was locked.

Now is it just me or does anyone else see anything odd about this? Because a group of teenagers made a mess they were locked out of the common room and refused entry until they learnt how to keep the facilities they were using clean. However in the now adult world it appears that it is perfectly acceptable to leave a huge mess for the cleaners to deal with, without the worry of being locked out of the kitchen, sinks filled with dishes is a particular favourite in the workplace.

I also remember the question we would get asked regarding the mess in the common room, which went a little like this; "would you leave your own home like this?" to which the answer was no. So does the same question apply to adults who make mess? Or do they feel it is their right to leave copious amounts of rubbish lying around as they spend enough time cleaning in their personal lives? Which cleaners obviously don't do.

These are all questions I can only speculate on, so for the time being it looks like I may just have to suck it up and accept the fact that most work places, including those in the NHS, will be left in an almost apocalyptic looking state until the cleaner makes it fit for habitation, that is until the next work day starts of course.

Is Unpaid Work Building a Wall Around the Creative Industries?

Originally posted on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Its been a hot topic for some time now, how the creative industries are taking advantage of new graduates who are looking to get their foot on the career ladder. Many of us would have heard the debate about the fashion industry and how it was exploiting workers by offering them unpaid internships to help them gain experience.

However many of these interns have spoken out about how they were treated badly and made to work nearly every hour that was available, and all this for no pay. Many have spoken out about how this is wrong, but it isn't just the fashion industry that's doing it, many others are too.

For those who want to work in television, radio, PR or as journalists, they all have to undergo the same routine. For many recent graduates out there wanting to forge a career in their chosen industry doing this type of unpaid work, in some cases for up to 12 months, just isn't practical as it's just not financially viable.

To start most of the jobs in the creative industries are located in London, and as we all know the cost of living in London is pretty much unaffordable to most. Many taking part in these internship are also working part time jobs in call centres, restaurants and bars just to get a bit of money behind them, but this type of part time work isn't enough to allow you to live in the capital.

Therefore many young people who are fully qualified to do these types of roles just aren't getting their foot in the door as they either don't live in a commutable area to get to London, or their parents can't afford to foot the bill for them to work unpaid for 12 months. This is therefore preventing many people from entering work that they are qualified for, resulting in them having to take menial jobs. That's if they can get those jobs as many employers are worried that they'll leave as soon as something better comes along, which I wrote about in a previous article.

It's not just the fact that most of these jobs are unpaid, there are even websites offering freelance work that is unpaid with the hope of giving someone experience. But when you apply for any of these types of freelance work or internships the process you have to go through is very long and gruelling, and for the most part you end up with a rejection at the end.

Take freelance writing, many times I have had to undergo the sending of the application form, CV and cover letter, followed by sending some work, which then leads to an interview and a test article and in some cases even a second article, only to be told you didn't get the job as you didn't have enough experience, even though it was an unpaid entry level job. Many people endure this on a daily basis.

I've seen many job adverts from companies that say they cannot yet afford to pay people and this is why there is the offer of unpaid work. Although this looks like a way of hiring a number of people to do all the hard work in order to avoid paying someone by saying it's an internship. Now not all places are like this but you'd be surprised how many job adverts actually say this.

It only seems to be the creative industries that are getting away with this too, because lets face it, someone who has just qualified as a nurse wouldn't be asked to rush around a hospital and help save lives for no pay for 12 months, all in the name of experience. I know that student nurses train throughout the three years they are at University, but so do those who aspire to work in the creative industries, otherwise what is the point of spending the best part of £20,000 to earn a degree for that specific job?

As this issue is rife within the creative industries, and many people have already weighed in on the issue surrounding the fashion world it looks as though it's about time the remainder of the creative industries were looked at; before a generation of graduates fall to the sides as they just didn't live close enough, or have parents able to pay for them to get their foot in the door.

Is a Minimum Price Really a Good Idea?

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

With the announcement that the government is proposing a minimum price on alcohol in England and Wales in order to tackle problem drinking, and in turn reduce the levels of alcohol related crime and ill health you have to wonder, is it actually a good idea?

There are many people that will say it is a good idea and some research carried out by Sheffield University shows that a minimum price would reduce alcohol consumption by 4.3%, which in turn could lead to 2,000 fewer deaths and 66,000 fewer hospital admissions within 10 years of implementing the scheme.

However you only have to look at the smoking ban and the increase in the price of cigarettes in recent years to see how this could work. Yes there will be many who have quit smoking because of the price rise and I'm sure there are those who rejoice in the fact that they no longer smell like an ashtray after a night out, but the fact of the matter is people still smoke and young people are still beginning to smoke at a young age.

Those who enjoy smoking or are addicted to it will go out of their way to find a cigarette often turning to a cheaper cigarettes or a roll ups, or in some cases buying cigarettes instead of items they need such as food. So it makes you wonder, will the same thing happen with alcohol? Will people just go to a cheaper alternative such as booze cruises in the same way that people stock up on as many duty free cigarettes as they can on their return home from a holiday, to either smoke them or sell them.

On the issue of cheaper alternatives there are also those that are much more dangerous than the odd booze cruise or suitcase filled with duty free. Ten years ago who would have imagined that we would be reading stories about people using bath salts as a drug in order to get high? Will an increase in alcohol turn people to these alternatives? Probably not but it is obviously going to be a risk that is always present and maybe a little more so if alcohol becomes unaffordable to many.

On a more positive note the increase isn't expected to affect drinks in many pubs, which could be a good thing due the decrease in people visiting their local pub since the smoking ban was introduced with people opting to stay in with a cheaper alternative. However where as pubs may get a little more custom, remember people don't really have the money to go crazy down the pub all the time at the moment. Also many shops may get less and less custom as they rely on drinks offers to secure customers, which could have a negative effect on employment if these shops where to subsequently go out of business.

But lets not forget one of the key points; this raising of the alcohol price will hurt responsible drinkers the most. Whereas a significant amount, nearly 25% of the population are drinking excessively, there is still that other 75% who aren't drinking irresponsibly and are subsequently being punished for the behaviour of others.

A minimum pricing on alcohol doesn't look as though it will have as big an effect as the government are hoping for, because as it has been proved in the past if an individual wants something then they will find a way of getting hold of it, even if it means going hungry for a little while. Yes they do have a tricky situation on their hands and some will no doubt accuse them of trying to implement a nanny state. But this is a time when most people can't afford many luxuries due to unemployment or being part of the working poor. For many the odd trip to the pub has now become a rare treat, so they've had to opt for a few drinks at home, which now looks like it may become a very rare treat for many and another of life's few luxuries they can't afford.