I was astounded when I heard on the radio today that a white US justice of the peace has refused to grant a marraige license to an inter-racial couple in Louisiana. (BBC News. It is easy to think that America has moved on from its dark past now that it has a black president, but this story just proves that racism is still prevalent not just among the general populace, but the establishment as well.
Homophobia in the UK press
Never a fan of the Daily Mail, I still find am occasionally shocked by the depths it sinks to. Jan Moir's article this week entitled 'A strange, lonely and troubling death . . .' is blatant bigotry, homophobic and extremely offensive to Stephen Gately's family and friends. [Note - It was originally titled "Why there was nothing 'natural' about Stephen Gately's death."]. In the article she writes:
Of course, in many cases this may be true. Yet the recent death of Kevin McGee, the former husband of Little Britain star Matt Lucas, and now the dubious events of Gately's last night raise troubling questions about what happened.
It is important that the truth comes out about the exact circumstances of his strange and lonely death.
As a gay rights champion, I am sure he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine.
For once again, under the carapace of glittering, hedonistic celebrity, the ooze of a very different and more dangerous lifestyle has seeped out for all to see.
It is comforting to see that there are already 588 comments on the website, most of which are condeming it. There is also a Facebook group calling for the Daily Mail to retract the article, with over 2,500 members.
Stephen Fry's Tweet nicely sums up this vile article:
I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and inhumane.
