Jan Moir, Friday fuckwit

The Daily Mail seems to have excelled itself at nasty homophobic hatefulness today. Yes, I know, what do I expect and yes I know I could fill this blog with rants about it forever more . This article though, is low even set against its daily attacks on women (too thin, too fat, let themselves go, not ageing gracefully, how dare they have a life) and its trumpeting of the values of net curtain land, where all would be well if women got back in the kitchen and LGBT people in the closet. Arghh, my blood pressure is rising as I think about it.

Jan Moir, with no regard for his loved ones at this time and lacking in medical knowledge it seems, decides his death was sleazy and unnatural :

All the official reports point to a natural death, with no suspicious circumstances. The Gately family are - perhaps understandably - keen to register their boy's demise on the national consciousness as nothing more than a tragic accident.
Even before the post-mortem and toxicology reports were released by the Spanish authorities, the Gatelys' lawyer reiterated that they believed his sudden death was due to natural causes.
But, hang on a minute. Something is terribly wrong with the way this incident has been shaped and spun into nothing more than an unfortunate mishap on a holiday weekend, like a broken teacup in the rented cottage.
Consider the way it has been largely reported, as if Gately had gently keeled over at the age of 90 in the grounds of the Bide-a-Wee rest home while hoeing the sweet pea patch.
The sugar coating on this fatality is so saccharine-thick that it obscures whatever bitter truth lies beneath. Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again.

Err, yes they do, but hey lets not let facts get in the way of bigotry and muck racking .
An autopsy report differs from Ms Moir, who from what I can tell is not medically trained :

This means that Stephen Gately's death was not caused, as some have been speculating, by either alcohol or drugs: he most certainly did not inhale his own vomit.

“There is nothing to indicate the death was caused by alcohol or drugs,” said a spokesman at the Court of Instruction in the island’s capital.
The official denied earlier reports that the star may have choked to death on his own vomit. “That did not cause his death,” she said.
“Preliminary results of the autopsy found acute pulmonary oedema indicating Stephen Gately died of natural causes.”
Medical experts said such a finding was common in those who had suffered a fatal heart attack.

Obviously it's sad that he died and slightly mystifying to us all that someone so young and apparently healthy can simply fall over dead, one minute to the next. But it does indeed happen as it has done here.

Now the headline states "Why there was nothing 'natural' about Stephen Gately's death." The facts dispute this,so what is her point , what is 'unnatural'? Well she goes on to show that gay men cannot live happily ever after :

Whatever the cause of death is, it is not, by any yardstick, a natural one. Let us be absolutely clear about this. All that has been established so far is that Stephen Gately was not murdered.
And I think if we are going to be honest, we would have to admit that the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy.
After a night of clubbing, Cowles and Gately took a young Bulgarian man back to their apartment. It is not disrespectful to assume that a game of canasta with 25-year-old Georgi Dochev was not what was on the cards.
Cowles and Dochev went to the bedroom together while Stephen remained alone in the living room.

So fucking what. They had an open relationship, they seemed to have been honest and not sneaking around or lying to each other. Lots of so-called monogamous heterosexual couples 'cheat' on one another. That to me is sleazy.

Even when presented with medical evidence, Moir just keeps on :

A post-mortem revealed Stephen died from acute pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid on his lungs.
Gately's family have always maintained that drugs were not involved in the singer's death, but it has just been revealed that he at least smoked cannabis on the night he died.


Again, he smoked a joint , so fucking what. He did not die with a needle in his arm, from the medical reports drugs did not play a role. In Moir's world perhaps no one sips more than a sweet sherry, but sorry a few joints does not make him sleazy and does not appear to have lead to his death.

Oh but she leaves the best, or should that be worst, to last :

Another real sadness about Gately's death is that it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships.
Gay activists are always calling for tolerance and understanding about same-sex relationships, arguing that they are just the same as heterosexual marriages. Not everyone, they say, is like George Michael.
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.


Well first off , just like heterosexual people, relationships come in all shapes and sizes. Some LGBT people may want a monogamous civil partnership and there are plenty of happy ones around. Lets not though hold up heterosexual marriage as some perfect institution, that just by fancying the opposite sex you lead a life of idyllic bliss. There can be abuse, violence, divorce, 'cheating' and lying in any relationship .

Some LGBT people, and some heterosexual people, don't want to follow the idealised model of marriage and lead more 'unconventional' lives. They though are able to love and care for each other. Its not sleazy , whatever that means anyway.

How does the death of Stephen and Kevin in any way 'raise troubling questions?' Kevin seems to have had drug problems and the relationship broke down because of them. News flash, that happens to heterosexual people as well.

How was Stephen's death 'dubious' and in what way was it linked to his relationship ? Where are her facts that civil partnerships lead to a 'sleazy' death ?

Oh and gay people wanting tolerance and understanding , well not from this unpleasant woman.

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.

What truth is she wanting ? The medical facts seem to have been established, so what else needs to be known? Ahh, muck racking and some sort of proof that 'unnatural' relationships lead to 'sleazy' deaths.

And how was his death 'strange' and 'lonely?' It has been established that sudden deaths do occur in healthy people. How was he lonely, he was on holiday with his partner ? Again, facts seem not to be a priority here.

The facts show this to have been a tragic death, I don't believe the death certificate states being gay or in a civil partnership as its cause .

Psychological tests to screen for gay priests - more reactionary crap from the Vatican

Religious people are forever banging on about wanting their beliefs to be respected and not to be offended, delicate little flowers that they are. Yep, plays, books , art mustn't be nasty about their particular superstition yet they happily come out with offensive crap themselves. Fair enough, free speech and all that. Just it does work both ways. If you dish it expect to take it.

So what brings on another Stroppy rant about god bothers ?

This :

The Catholic Church is to vet all candidates for the priesthood to eliminate anyone suspected of "deeply seated" homosexuality.

After being hit by a series of sex scandals, the Vatican has given the seal of approval to the psychological screening to test for evidence of personality disorders or serious doubts about aptitude for the priesthood.

Controversially, the head of the Vatican committee that made the recommendations has made it clear they should be used to screen out homosexuals, even if they are celibate, because homosexuality is "a type of deviation" that disqualifies a priest from exercising "spiritual paternity".

Speaking at a press conference earlier this week, the prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal Grocholewski, explained why a seminarian should be excluded from the priesthood even if he is celibate if it appeared that he was homosexual.

"The candidate does not necessarily have to practise homosexuality. He can even be without sin," the Cardinal said. "But if he has this deep-seated tendency, he cannot be admitted to priestly ministry precisely because of the nature of the priesthood, in which a spiritual paternity is carried out. Here we are not talking about whether he commits sins, but whether this deeply rooted tendency remains."

He added: "In a certain sense, when we ask why Christ reserved the priesthood to men, we speak of this spiritual paternity, and maintain that homosexuality is a type of deviation, a type of irregularity. Therefore it is a type of wound in the exercise of the priesthood, in forming relations with others. And precisely for this reason we say that something isn't right in the psyche of such a man. We don't simply talk about the ability to abstain from these kinds of relations."

It says that if seminary students show signs of grave immaturity, then "the path of formation will have to be interrupted". Symptoms of "immaturity" would include unclear sexual identity, difficulty with the celibate life, excessive rigidity of character and lack of freedom in relations.

When it comes to assessing a candidate's ability to be celibate, the document suggests that "it is not enough to be sure that he is capable of abstaining from genital activity" but that it is also necessary "to evaluate his sexual orientation".



Where to start! The sex scandals as far as I'm concerned are not that they have had gay priests but the abuse of children, both male and female. I hope they are not implying that gay=paedophile? It most certainly doesn't.
So they see gay people as immature, deviant and with a wound that affects relations with others . Bit like Iris Robinson who believes a bit of therapy will straighten them all out.

Even if you approach this from the Catholic view that gay sex is a sin rather than enjoyable, it seems a bit intolerant to stop even those who refrain from 'genital activity' (don't they realise sex is a lot more than what you do with your genitals, but hey what do you expect from celibate old men) . So how come its alright for heterosexual ones who struggle with celibacy?

Oh and finally how exactly are they going to smoke out the deep seated gay man? Check out their record collection and DVDs for show tunes and Judy Garland? Perhaps being well dressed with an eye for good interior design? (btw I know these are stereotypes!)

Or perhaps a penchant for red shoes , flamboyant flowing frocks and designer sunglasses?

Exactly why should I give any respect to this 'faith community'?They certainly wouldn't respect my beliefs, way of life or friends.

Round up : Nadine Dorries and the HFE Bill, The home secretary telling Iranian Gays to get in the closet and shock horror two men kiss on TV

A round up of reactionaries, a carnival of them perhaps !

First off it seems Nadine Dorries is putting up another amendment, even though all the ones cutting the rights of women were defeated in the Commons. The F Word has the story :

A colleague has just informed me that Nadine Dorries MP has again used the HFE Bill to table another amendment to the Abortion Act to restrict access by lowering the time limit to twenty weeks from twenty-four.

The Bill has finished its second reading and is awaiting a date for the Report Stage. Evan Harris MP has tabled two amendments to expand abortion rights and my colleague believes that Nadine Dorries has issued her amendment as a reaction to force another debate at the third reading of the Bill.

Next, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said that if gay people are 'discreet ' then they won't be persecuted in Iran :

Gay and lesbian asylum-seekers can be safely deported to Iran as long as they live their lives "discreetly", the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has claimed.

In a letter to a Liberal Democrat peer, seen by The Independent, Ms Smith said there was no "real risk" of gay men and lesbians being discovered by the Iranian authorities or "adverse action" being taken against those who were "discreet" about their behaviour.

... in her letter to Lord Roberts of Llandudno, Ms Smith rejected a call for an immediate halt to the deportation of gay and lesbian asylum seekers. "We recognise that the conditions for gay and lesbian people in Iran – and many other countries – are such that some individuals are able to demonstrate a need for international protection," she wrote. "We do not, however, accept that we should make the presumption that each and every asylum-seeker who presents themselves as being of a particular nationality or sexuality, regardless of their particular circumstances, should automatically be ... allowed to remain in the UK.

She added: "With particular regard to Iran, current case law handed down by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal concludes that the evidence does not show a real risk of discovery of, or adverse action against gay and lesbian people who are discreet about their sexual orientation."

Gay campaign groups estimate that 4,000 Iranians have been executed because of their sexuality since the late 1970s. Ms Smith suggests it is far fewer.

Hmmm, so would 1000 or 2000 be OK?
And why should LGBT hide their sexuality and live in fear of being discovered. It seems to imply its some sort of luxury , I mean would she suggest to a black person who faced oppression due to their skin colour that they paint themselves white? Who knows with New Labour . Looking back to this country when gay sex was illegal, where at least LGBT people were not executed, there were many living miserable 'pretend'lives in fear of discovery.In Iran the stakes are higher .

Right, now on to the heinz ad story:

The corporation decided to withdraw the light-hearted Deli Mayo commercial within days of its launch because it was "listening to its consumers".

The Advertising Standards Authority said yesterday that it had received 202 objections from viewers, a high number in such a short time but that total is only a quarter of the complaints that came in for a Volkswagen Polo advertisement that drew accusations of cruelty after it featured a shivering dog outside a car.

The ASA said viewers had complained that the Heinz scene depicting two men giving each other a quick kiss goodbye was "offensive", "inappropriate" and "unsuitable to be seen by children". The jokey commercial depicts a classic morning scene at a family home as the children pick up their sandwiches for school. "Mum", however, has been replaced by a male New York deli worker clad in a chef's hat and apron. As the father of the house grabs his sandwich and bids goodbye with the words "See you tonight, love", the deli worker looks affronted.

"Hey, ain't you forgetting something?" he says as the father returns to give him a peck on the lips, calling after him: "Love you. Come straight home from work, sweet cheeks."

A spokesman for the ASA said it has yet to decide whether to investigate if the commercial breached its rules, adding: "Homosexuality in itself is not a breach but they could look at it from the point of view of taste and decency."

Taste and decency !! They weren't fisting on national children's TV ffs , it was a quick kiss . Why does it bother people so much. There are lots of adverts of heterosexual kissing and many a lot more sexualised . The advert actually played up to stereotypes in that the 'mum' was the one feeding the kids and kissing goodbye to hubby as he headed off to work.

It may come as a shock but not everyone lives in suburbia with 2.4 children in a heterosexual marriage with a good ol' fashioned mum in the kitchen. Lesbian and gay people can be parents too.

Heinz stated :

Nigel Dickie, a spokesman for Heinz UK, said the Deli Mayo ad was intended as "a humorous take on a slice of life" but the company had decided to pull it last week, before the ASA complaints, because of "consumer feedback".

Nope thats not consumer feedback, that's 200 bigots . Oh and the advert was not shown during children's TV, not that I see that as a problem, because the product is unhealthy! There is a boycott of heinz being organised;wonder if they listen to those consumers.

Pic : Stonewall campaign poster

Iris Robinson MP suggests victim of homophobic attack seeks help for being gay !!

I despair sometimes, why can't god bothers stop worrying about what others do in bed. Pink News reports :


The wife of the First Minister of Northern Ireland has caused controversy with her born-again Christian outlook on life.

Iris Robinson is MP for Strangford and chairs the Northern Ireland Assembly's health committee .

Reacting to news that a man was viciously attacked because he is gay, she suggested that he should consider therapy to "cure" him of his homosexuality.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster today she condemned the attack on Stephen Smith but added:

"I have a very lovely psychiatrist who works with me in my offices and his Christian background is that he tries to help homosexuals trying to turn away from what they are engaged in.

"And I have met people who have turned around to become heterosexual."

This pisses me off in so many ways. For many years lesbian and gay people were seen as suffering from a psychiatric disorder and it was only in 1973 that it was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) . Lesbian and gay people were often subjected to 'treatments' such as :

surgical treatments such as hysterectomy, ovariectomy,clitoridectomy,castration,vasectomy,pudic nerve surgery,and lobotomy. Substance-based treatment attempts have included hormone treatment,pharmacologic shock treatment, and treatment with sexual stimulants and sexual depressants. Other attempts include aversion therapy, the attempted reduction of aversion to heterosexuality,electroshock treatment,group therapy, hypnosis, and psychoanalysis.

Lesbian and gay people were made to feel guilty and lets not forget that for gay men having sex together was illegal and of course still is in many parts of the world. There were, and still are, religious , social and family pressures. Lesbian and gay people still face attacks even in gay friendly Brighton .

So this guy gets beaten up by homophobic thugs and Ms Robinson suggests he needs treatment to 'turn' !! No, the vicious bigots should be punished and attitudes that lead to such violence need to be challenged. No matter how much she condemns the attack, her words only add to an attitude that lesbian and gay people are sick and need to be cured. This breeds breed violence and discrimination.

Sadly many people are still pressurised to conform to heterosexual norms , usually through family and religious pressure. Others have residual guilt and if they do try to change only end up unhappy and living a lie, trying to please the religious intolerance of people like Ms Robinson.

What is her problem, why does it matter to her if two men have sex together. No one is asking her to indulge in a little girl on girl action, no one is telling her not to be in a heterosexual marriage and family.

Oh and something I did hear about on the pro choice demo and that Pink News refers to :

Mrs Robinson's view of gay and lesbian people is well-known. Last month she castigated MPs in the House of Commons during debate on fertility treatments.

MPs decided to remove the requirement on doctors to consider the need for a father when assessing women for fertility treatments.

"Envisage, down the road, a child going to primary school and being collected by two females or two males, and the bullying and abuse to which those children will be exposed; or going into their parents’ bedroom, as is natural for a child to do, and finding two women or two men making love?" said Mrs Robinson.

"I stand by my faith and the word of God that man was created in the image of God and that woman was created from the rib of Adam to be his helpmeet and companion. That is the natural progression of procreation.

"The word of God says that procreation is through a man and a woman.

"We are moving mountains to facilitate immorality and to bring the rights of lesbians above all others in this country.

"It is a shame, and honourable Members ought to hang their heads in shame."

Oh for goodness sake what a stupid bigoted woman , no one is saying children should walk in on their parents having sex , whether straight or gay. Is she saying that its OK for kids to see their heterosexual parents having sex ?? I would assume that any parent , whatever their sexuality, would ensure they children did not walk in. Perhaps it is a regular occurrence in Ms Robinson's home for the kids to wander in and catch her and hubby going at it, is that 'natural'?

Oh and if she believe's that being gay is a psychiatric illness it could be argued that religious beliefs are a bit delusional and could do with some treatment. I mean hearing voices, messages from a imaginary god, belief in miracles, woman made from ribs ...sounds a bit psychotic to me, must dig out my DSM and see what it says. Thing is Ms Robinson and her ilk are free to believe such superstitious nonsense and live their lives as they wish. I'm not suggesting they seek a 'cure.' Can't they just leave others to live their lives ?

Pic : last years Pride in Brighton .Another good religious chap bothered about other people's sex lives and trying to save souls :-)

Amnesty International , the 'Life League' and deviants !

Amnesty International has upset the old men in the Vatican by saying that woman have a right to control their own bodies. Its not exactly abortion on demand they are asking for ,nope, they say if a woman has been raped (often used in war as a means of terrorising women ) or their life is in danger then they should have access to free safe abortion. Often the anti abortionists try to appear reasonable and argue around time limits,when of course the majority of them want all abortion illegal. Yep, woman can die , that's sanctity of life for you .

Anyway I notice, via Emmazone, that the Life League are up in arms on this. They have published the addresses and phone numbers of Directors of Amnesty International and called on their nice Christian members to harass them.

This group is a particularly unpleasant bunch. Its not just controlling women that occupies them, they also hold forth on a selection of rabid bigoted god bothering views .

For example , contraception:

Contraception is the basis for the degradation of western society as a whole. Once contraception became acceptable in the churches and mainstream society, the link between monogamous sexual relationships within marriage and procreation was broken. From then on, facilitated by contraception, sex primarily became a recreational pursuit.

In addition to promoting abortion - widespread contraception has (in the popular mind) produced ‘sex without consequences, accountability and responsibility’. This in turn has spawned:

(1) The Rise of Feminism: By breaking the central role of motherhood, and thus facilitating non-appropriate economic and social roles.

(2) The Rise of Extra-marital sex: Facilitated by contraception removing any ‘unintended consequences’ from recreational sex.

(3) The Rise of Homosexuality and perverted lifestyles: Once it is accepted that sex is for pleasure, base lusts cannot be refused.

(4) The Rising Divorce Rate: Resultant from the breakdown of the family order and greater potential for promiscuity (see points 1 and 2).

(5) The Decline of the Family: Brought about by points 1, 2, 3 and 4. Once the family goes, society does also.

If you are single, abstinence is always your best and only morally acceptable choice. It is not always easy, but it always works. By abstaining from sex, you eliminate the possibility of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

My favourite bits are :

sex primarily became a recreational pursuit. and
The Rise of Homosexuality and perverted lifestyles: Once it is accepted that sex is for pleasure, base lusts cannot be refused.

They say that like its a bad thing!
Lets just say if I was ever listed in 'Who's Who' I would have no problem as listing sex as one of my hobbies. Honestly, what business is it of their's if people do not see sex primarily in terms of having kids. As someone who 1) does not want them and 2) has no intention of getting married, am I supposed to practise abstinence ?? I would be even more Stroppy if that were the case. It is so tempting to say what they all seem to need is a good fuck and perhaps they would have less interest in prying into other people's sex lives!

Look, god botherers, accept it, some of us quite like sex for 'purely recreational purposes'. As the saying goes, get over it !

Oh and more on their views about 'deviant homosexuals':

The Life League has a simple policy regarding homosexuality. We regard it as sexual deviance, and believe that it flies in the face of the natural Order purposed by God for humankind. Homosexuals are not born “gay”, and lead a “gay lifestyle” through choice, not heredity.

Whilst we believe homosexuality to be an anti-life aberration, we do not hate homosexuals. The charge of “homophobia”, in the sense of a vicious hatred targeted at homosexuals, cannot be laid at our door as we feel it is our duty to love those who have been lured into this lifestyle, and to inform them of the folly of their ways. We utterly abhor all anti-homosexual violence, but similarly condemn the tendency of government policy to favour minority rights over the rights of the majority.

We will be including various articles about our stance on homosexuality and it’s anti-life destructiveness in the coming months.

Yep, all that deviant sex and no procreation. Can't be having that.
I'm sure LGBT parents must fuck with their heads .

And finally, they aim to keep young people in ignorance , because of course if you aren't told about sex then surely you won't do it :

It is in the light of these facts, that the Life League opposes sex education in it’s various forms and guises, in the full knowledge that it is amoral, has a destructive effect on society and contributes to the overall problem of sexual promiscuity and perversion in the UK.


As they seem so fond of direct action , perhaps some of us deviants could tell them what we think of them .